Badge

This article is about the Badges in the core series Pokémon games. For the element in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, see Pokémon League (TCG).

---

Ash Ketchum examines the Coral Eye Badge he won from Cissy

A Badge (Japanese: バッジ Badge) is an item which denotes a Pokémon Trainer as having defeated a Gym Leader.

Trainers need to collect a certain number of Gym Badges in order to qualify for a region's Pokémon League. Young Trainers usually begin their initial Pokémon journey by traveling from city to city in order to collect them. Badges are small enough to fit easily between one's thumb and index finger and can be pinned to a shirt or kept in a Badge case.

Development

Early artwork

In early character artwork by Ken Sugimori, a selection of familiar and unfamiliar Badges can be seen. It appears that the original concept of Badges was more similar to an embroidered patch than the pinned badge as it is portrayed in the anime. Clockwise from top left opposite are a possible version of the Earth Badge, an unknown Badge, another unknown Badge, a possible version of the Rainbow Badge, a possible Volcano Badge and two Cascade Badges.

Effects

Stat boost

In Generations I-III, some Badges boost a certain stat or stats of the player's Pokémon. This boost is applied only in internal battles, not link battles. In Generations I and II, the stat or stats are increased by 12.5%; in Generation III, the stat or stats are increased by 10%. This boost does not exist from Generation IV onward.

In Generation I, this boost is reapplied whenever the player's Pokémon's stats are raised or lowered, allowing boosts to be stacked (this stacking effect is lost if the Pokémon levels up). In Generation II, if the attack is a critical hit and the attacker's used offensive stat stage is less than or equal to the opponent's defensive stat stage, all Badge boosts are ignored.

Badges by stat boosted
Stat	Indigo League	Johto League	Hoenn League
Attack	Boulder Badge	Zephyr Badge	Stone Badge
Defense	Thunder Badge	Mineral Badge	Balance Badge
Special Attack and Special Defense*	Volcano Badge	Glacier Badge	Mind Badge
Speed	Soul Badge	Plain Badge	Dynamo Badge

Note that in Generation I the game states that the Thunder Badge raises Speed and the Soul Badge raises Defense, but these are not the actual effects caused.

Type boost

In Generation II, every Badge boosts the power of the moves of a certain type by 12.5% (1/8), despite never being referenced in the games. The type strengthened matches the type theme of the Gym (for example, Zephyr Badge boosts the Flying-type). These boosts work similarly to the way same-type attack bonus (STAB) boosts work, and are, in fact, calculated in-between weather modifiers and STAB.

Just like stat boosts, type boosts are not applied in link battles.

Obedience

Main article: Obedience

Badges affect a Pokémon's behavior. Outsider Pokémon over a certain level will refuse to obey the player without the appropriate Badge. In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum only, obedience is determined by the number of Badges, not which specific Badges the player has.

In the anime in The Problem with Paras, Cassandra's grandmother mentioned this when Ash's Charmeleon refused to obey him.

Badges by obedience level
Level	Indigo League	Johto League	Hoenn League	Sinnoh League	Unova League	Kalos League
Up to Lv. 20		Zephyr BadgeHGSS	Stone BadgeORAS		Trio BadgeBW Basic BadgeB2W2
Up to Lv. 30	Cascade Badge	Hive Badge	Knuckle Badge	2 Badges	Basic BadgeBW Toxic BadgeB2W2	Bug Badge
Up to Lv. 40			Dynamo BadgeORAS		Insect Badge	Cliff Badge
Up to Lv. 50	Rainbow Badge	Fog Badge	Heat Badge	4 Badges	Bolt Badge	Rumble Badge
Up to Lv. 60			Balance BadgeORAS		Quake Badge	Plant Badge
Up to Lv. 70	Marsh Badge	Storm BadgeGSC Mineral BadgeHGSS	Feather Badge	6 Badges	Jet Badge	Voltage Badge
Up to Lv. 80			Mind BadgeORAS		Freeze BadgeBW Legend BadgeB2W2	Fairy Badge
Up to Lv. 90						Psychic Badge
All Pokémon	Earth Badge	Rising Badge	Rain Badge	8 Badges	Legend BadgeBW Wave BadgeB2W2	Iceberg Badge

HM moves

Main article: HM

While Trainers can teach their Pokémon HM moves and use them in battle, Trainers require the appropriate Badge to use them in the overworld in Generations I through IV as well as Generation VI. In Generation V only, Badges are not needed to use HM moves in the overworld.

Poké Mart stock

From Generation IV onwards, the number of Badges a Trainer possesses affects which items Poké Marts sell. The more Badges, the more items that become available for purchase, with more expensive items generally appearing after more Badges are obtained.

Generation IV
Poké Ball HGSS: After catching tutorial on Route 29 $200	Great Ball3 Badges $600
Ultra Ball5 Badges $1200	Potion $300
Super Potion1 Badge $700	Hyper Potion5 Badges $1200
Max Potion7 Badges $2500	Full Restore8 Badges $3000
Revive3 Badges $1500	Antidote $100
Parlyz Heal Parlyz Heal $200	Awakening1 Badge $250
Burn Heal1 Badge $250	Ice Heal1 Badge $250
Full Heal5 Badges $600	Escape Rope1 Badge $550
Repel1 Badge $350	Super Repel3 Badges $500
Max Repel7 Badges $700

Generation V
Poké Ball $200	Great Ball1 Badge $600
Ultra Ball5 Badges $1200	Potion $300
Super Potion1 Badge $700	Hyper Potion3 Badges $1200
Max Potion7 Badges $2500	Full Restore8 Badges $3000
Revive3 Badges $1500	Antidote1 Badge $100
Parlyz Heal Parlyz Heal1 Badge $200	Awakening1 Badge $250
Burn Heal1 Badge $250	Ice Heal1 Badge $250
Full Heal5 Badges $600	Escape Rope1 Badge $550
Repel1 Badge $350	Super Repel3 Badges $500
Max Repel5 Badges $700

Generation VI
Poké Ball ORAS: after obtaining Pokédex $200	Great Ball1 Badge $600
Ultra Ball3 Badges $1,200	Potion $300
Super Potion1 Badge $700	Hyper Potion2 Badges $1,200
Max Potion4 Badges $2,500	Full Restore5 Badges $3,000
Revive2 Badges $1,500	Antidote XY: 1 Badge, ORAS: after obtaining Pokédex $100
Paralyze Heal1 Badge $200	Awakening1 Badge $250
Burn Heal1 Badge $250	Ice Heal1 Badge $250
Full Heal3 Badges $600	Escape Rope1 Badge $550
Repel1 Badge $350	Super Repel2 Badges $500
Max Repel3 Badges $700

Pokémon League

In the games, in order to enter the Pokémon League and challenge the Elite Four and Champion, the player must have all eight Badges from that region (or in the case of the Indigo Plateau, either Kanto or Johto). In Unova, Kalos, and Generation I/III Kanto, Badges are checked individually through a series of Badge Check Gates; in Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Generation II/IV Kanto, Badges are checked all at once.

List of Badges

Indigo League

In Generation IV, these badges do not affect stats.

Indigo League
Badges: 8	Region: Kanto
Boulder Badge グレーバッジ Gray Badge Pewter City Giver Brock Others in the games None Others in animation Lola, Flint, and Forrest HM FlashRBYFRLG Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) Attack Basis It is a simple gray octagon. Notes None
Cascade Badge ブルーバッジ Blue Badge Cerulean City Giver Misty Others in the games None Others in animation Lily, Daisy, and Violet HM CutRBYFRLG Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 30 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is in the shape of a light blue raindrop. Notes None
Thunder Badge オレンジバッジ Orange Badge Vermilion City Giver Lt. Surge Others in the games None Others in animation None HM FlyRBYFRLG Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) Speed Basis It is in the shape of an eight-pointed gold star with an orange octagon in the center. Notes None
Rainbow Badge レインボーバッジ Rainbow Badge Celadon City Giver Erika Others in the games None Others in animation None HM StrengthRBYFRLG Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 50 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a flower, showing grass, with rainbow colored petals. Notes None
Soul Badge ピンクバッジ Pink Badge Fuchsia City Giver Koga Others in the games JanineGSCHGSS Others in animation None HM SurfRBYFRLG Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) Defense Basis It is in the shape of a fuchsia heart. Notes None
Marsh Badge ゴールドバッジ Gold Badge Saffron City Giver Sabrina Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Rock SmashFRLG Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 70 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is two concentric golden circles. Notes None
Volcano Badge クリムゾンバッジ Crimson Badge Seafoam Islands Giver Blaine Others in the games None Others in animation None HM WaterfallFRLG Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) Special Attack & Special Defense* Basis It is red and shaped like a flame with a small pink diamond in the center. Notes None
Earth Badge グリーンバッジ Green Badge Viridian City Giver Giovanni Others in the games BlueGSCHGSS Others in animation Jessie, James, Meowth, and Agatha HM Rock ClimbHGSS Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 100 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a plant, possibly a Sakaki tree, which is identical to the Japanese name of the Gym Leader. Notes None

Johto League

In Generation IV, these Badges do not affect stats.

Johto League
Badges: 8	Region: Johto
Zephyr Badge ウイングバッジ Wing Badge Violet City Giver Falkner Others in the games None Others in animation None HM FlashGSC, Rock SmashHGSS Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 20HGSS Increased stat(s) Attack Basis It is shaped like a pair of wings. Notes The Badge is named after the Greek god of the west wind.
Hive Badge インセクトバッジ Insect Badge Azalea Town Giver Bugsy Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Cut Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 30 Increased stat(s) None Basis It looks like a ladybug's back if viewed from above. Notes None
Plain Badge レギュラーバッジ Regular Badge Goldenrod City Giver Whitney Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Strength Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) Speed Basis It is a plain diamond. Notes This Badge is not obtainable until after the player talks to Whitney a second time.
Fog Badge ファントムバッジ Phantom Badge Ecruteak City Giver Morty Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Surf Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 50 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a wispy ghost. Notes None
Storm Badge ショックバッジ Shock Badge Cianwood City Giver Chuck Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Fly Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 70GSC Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a fist. Notes None
Mineral Badge スチールバッジ Steel Badge Olivine City Giver Jasmine Others in the games None Others in animation Jasmine's colleague HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 70HGSS Increased stat(s) Defense Basis It is a steel-colored octagon. Notes None
Glacier Badge アイスバッジ Ice Badge Mahogany Town Giver Pryce Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Whirlpool Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) Special Attack & Special Defense Basis It is a hexagon with a snowflake design. Notes None
Rising Badge ライジングバッジ Rising Badge Blackthorn City Giver Clair Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Waterfall Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 100 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a dragon's face. Notes This Badge is not obtainable until the player has explored the Dragon's Den.

Hoenn League

In Generation VI, these Badges do not affect stats.

Hoenn League
Badges: 8	Region: Hoenn
Stone Badge ストーンバッジ Stone Badge Rustboro City Giver Roxanne Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Cut Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 20ORAS Increased stat(s) Attack Basis It is shaped like a rectangle with two of its corners more emphasized than the others. Notes None
Knuckle Badge ナックルバッジ Knuckle Badge Dewford Town Giver Brawly Others in the games None Others in animation None HM FlashRSE Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 30 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a boxing glove. Notes None
Dynamo Badge ダイナモバッジ Dynamo Badge Mauville City Giver Wattson Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Rock Smash Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 40ORAS Increased stat(s) Speed Basis It is shaped like a coiled wire. Notes None
Heat Badge ヒートバッジ Heat Badge Lavaridge Town Giver Flannery Others in the games None Others in animation Mr. Moore HM Strength Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 50 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a wisp of fire. Notes None
Balance Badge バランスバッジ Balance Badge Petalburg City Giver Norman Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Surf Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 60ORAS Increased stat(s) Defense Basis It is shaped like two circles, counterbalancing each other or a barbell. Notes None
Feather Badge フェザーバッジ Feather Badge Fortree City Giver Winona Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Fly Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 70 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like feathers on a bird's wing. Notes None
Mind Badge マインドバッジ Mind Badge Mossdeep City Giver Tate and Liza Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Dive Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 80ORAS Increased stat(s) Special Attack & Special Defense Basis It is shaped like a heart, with two sides closing in, possibly in reference to how Tate and Liza are twins. Notes None
Rain Badge レインバッジ Rain Badge Sootopolis City Giver Wallace Others in the games JuanE Others in animation Juan HM Waterfall Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 100 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like three raindrops, arranged like a level-2 Sierpiński gasket, possibly based, like the Triforce, on the mon symbol of the Japanese Hōjō clan, which is said to represent the three scales of a Shinto dragon. Notes None

Sinnoh League

When Badges are touched in the games, they play a single note, and will make a musical C major scale when all eight Badges are collected. When a player rubs the stylus across them numerous times to polish them (as they gradually tarnish), they will begin to shine. This process can be continued until four sparkles are visible. The musical notes are also the most clearly defined and accurately tuned when there are four sparkles.

Unlike other generations, it is the number of Badges that determines which Pokémon obey the Trainer, rather than the Badges themselves (this distinction is important owing to the fact that the order of obtaining the Cobble, Fen, and Relic Badges can differ). For every second Badge the maximum level of obeying Pokémon increases (2 Badges—level 30; 4 Badges—level 50; 6 Badges—level 70; 8 Badges—level 100). The number of Badges collected also affects the items that the player can purchase in Poké Marts.

Sinnoh League
Badges: 8	Region: Sinnoh
Coal Badge コールバッジ Coal Badge Oreburgh City Giver Roark Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Rock Smash Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a boulder and a Poké Ball combined. It also resembles Roark's hard hat, or possibly a treasure chest. Notes None
Forest Badge フォレストバッジ Forest Badge Eterna City Giver Gardenia Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Cut Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like three trees of a forest, with the trunks whited out. Notes None
Cobble Badge コボルバッジ Cobble Badge Veilstone City Giver Maylene Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Fly Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is reminiscent of bricks or a tatami mat. Notes This is the third Badge in Diamond and Pearl, but the fourth in Platinum.
Fen Badge フェンバッジ Fen Badge Pastoria City Giver Crasher Wake Others in the games None Others in animation None HM DefogDP, SurfPt Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a lake with gray reeds around it or a wave seen from the front. A reference to the type of wetland called a fen. It also resembles Crasher Wake's Mask. Notes This is the fourth Badge in Diamond and Pearl, but the fifth in Platinum.
Relic Badge レリックバッジ Relic Badge Hearthome City Giver Fantina Others in the games None Others in animation None HM SurfDP, DefogPt Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is similar in appearance to a Will-o'-the-wisp or a ghostly aura. It also resembles Fantina's hair. Notes This is the fifth Badge in Diamond and Pearl, but the third in Platinum.
Mine Badge マインバッジ Mine Badge Canalave City Giver Byron Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Strength Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like three stones and three pickaxes combined. Notes None
Icicle Badge グレイシャバッジ Glacier Badge Snowpoint City Giver Candice Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Rock Climb Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like an iceberg or two icy mountains. Notes None
Beacon Badge ビーコンバッジ Beacon Badge Sunyshore City Giver Volkner Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Waterfall Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a lighthouse. Notes None

Unova League

Unlike previous Badges, the level at which traded Pokémon will obey the player goes up by ten per Badge, rather than the previous system of rising twenty levels after every even-numbered Badge. They can be polished like Sinnoh's Badges, although they do not make different notes when polished at the same level. Instead, the picture of the Gym Leader from whom the Badge was earned gets grayer.

In Black 2 and White 2 the Badges no longer dull over a period of time, and Sinnoh's notes were reintegrated into the Badge screen.

Although Badges are not required to use any of the HMs outside of battle, some HMs cannot be obtained until after obtaining certain Badges. However, they are not required, as traded Pokémon that have learned an HM move in another game can still use the HM move before acquiring any Badges.

Black and White

Unova League
Badges: 8	Region: Unova
Trio Badge トライバッジ Tri Badge Striaton City Giver Chili Others in the games Cress and Cilan Others in animation Cress and Cilan HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 20 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a bow tie, similar to those worn by the Striaton Gym Leaders. It may also bear a resemblance to an opened pea pod, which contains two large peas; one green and one blue, with a smaller red pea at the center. Notes The Gym Leader faced depends on the starter Pokémon the player chose.
Basic Badge ベーシックバッジ Basic Badge Nacrene City Giver Lenora Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 30 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a purple spine of a book, similar to those found in libraries. Notes None
Insect Badge ビートルバッジ Beetle Badge Castelia City Giver Burgh Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 40 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a green heart divided into three parts or the wings and body of an insect. Notes None
Bolt Badge ボルトバッジ Bolt Badge Nimbasa City Giver Elesa Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 50 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a lightning bolt or a Pikachu or Emolga tail, with an orange crown sticking out of the tip. Notes None
Quake Badge クェイクバッジ Quake Badge Driftveil City Giver Clay Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 60 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a vertical piece of earth, the top half of which has cracked and slid out of place, resembling the result of an earthquake. Notes None
Jet Badge ジェットバッジ Jet Badge Mistralton City Giver Skyla Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 70 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a stylized feather, with a soaring bird at the bottom. Notes None
Freeze Badge アイシクルバッジ Icicle Badge Icirrus City Giver Brycen Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 80 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like three white icicles. Notes None
Legend Badge レジェンドバッジ Legend Badge Opelucid City Giver Drayden Others in the games IrisW Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 100 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a dragon's head with the snout pointing downwards, a medieval mace, or a dragon's wing when stretched out. Notes None

Black 2 and White 2

Unova League
Badges: 8	Region: Unova
Basic Badge ベーシックバッジ Basic Badge Aspertia City Giver Cheren Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 20 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a purple spine of a book, similar to those found in libraries. Notes None
Toxic Badge トキシックバッジ Toxic Badge Virbank City Giver Roxie Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 30 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a smoke signal with four small purple circles lining up to a poison mark. Notes None
Insect Badge ビートルバッジ Beetle Badge Castelia City Giver Burgh Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 40 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a green heart divided into three parts or the wings and body of an insect. Notes None
Bolt Badge ボルトバッジ Bolt Badge Nimbasa City Giver Elesa Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 50 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a lightning bolt or a Pikachu or Emolga tail, with an orange crown sticking out of the tip. Notes None
Quake Badge クェイクバッジ Quake Badge Driftveil City Giver Clay Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 60 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a vertical piece of earth, the top half of which has cracked and slid out of place, resembling the result of an earthquake. Notes None
Jet Badge ジェットバッジ Jet Badge Mistralton City Giver Skyla Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 70 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a stylized feather, with a soaring bird at the bottom. Notes None
Legend Badge レジェンドバッジ Legend Badge Opelucid City Giver Drayden Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 80 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a dragon's head with the snout pointing downwards, a medieval mace, or a dragon's wing when stretched out. Notes None
Wave Badge ウェーブバッジ Wave Badge Humilau City Giver Marlon Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 100 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a raindrop with waves in it. Notes None

Kalos League

Kalos League
Badges: 8	Region: Kalos
Bug Badge バグバッジ Bug Badge Santalune City Giver Viola Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Cut Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 30 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a beetle. Notes None
Cliff Badge ウォールバッジ Wall Badge Cyllage City Giver Grant Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Strength Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 40 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a cliff or a rock climbing wall. Notes None
Rumble Badge ファイトバッジ Fight Badge Shalour City Giver Korrina Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Surf Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 50 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like two fists clashing against each other. Notes None
Plant Badge プラントバッジ Plant Badge Coumarine City Giver Ramos Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Fly Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 60 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a leaf, with the veins forming the shape of a plant. Notes None
Voltage Badge ボルテージバッジ Voltage Badge Lumiose City Giver Clemont Others in the games None Others in animation Clembot HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 70 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a shield with bolts shooting out of it. Notes None
Fairy Badge フェアリーバッジ Fairy Badge Laverre City Giver Valerie Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 80 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like wings. Notes None
Psychic Badge サイキックバッジ Psychic Badge Anistar City Giver Olympia Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 90 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a crystal ball emanating smoke. Notes None
Iceberg Badge アイスバーグバッジ Iceberg Badge Snowbelle City Giver Wulfric Others in the games None Others in animation None HM Waterfall Obeying Pokémon Up to Lv. 100 Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a snowflake with an iceberg in the center. Notes None

Orange League

These sets of Badges only appear in the anime. Trainers must receive these Badges from the Orange Crew.

Orange League
Badges: 4	Region: Orange Archipelago
Coral-Eye Badge サクラバッジ Sakura Badge Mikan Island Giver Cissy Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a clam shell with a small gemstone on it. Notes Its Japanese name comes from cherry blossom, referring to its color.
Sea Ruby Badge シラナミバッジ Shiranami Badge Navel Island Giver Danny Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like an oyster shell with a small gemstone on it. Notes Its Japanese name comes from the maxima clam.
Spike Shell Badge リンボウバッジ Rinbō Badge Trovita Island Giver Rudy Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a Triumphant Star Turban with a small gemstone on it. Notes Its Japanese name comes from the Triumphant Star Turban (rinbōgai), a spiked shell.
Jade Star Badge ルリバッジ Ruri Badge Kumquat Island Giver Luana Others in the games None Others in animation None HM None Obeying Pokémon N/A Increased stat(s) None Basis It is shaped like a conch shell with a small gemstone on it. Notes Its Japanese name comes from lapis lazuli.

In the anime

Ash holding the Fen Badge

In the anime, Gym Badges signify that the Trainer has succeeded at a particular Gym. If a Trainer earns eight Badges in one region, they are eligible to enter that region's Pokémon League Conference.

Trainers do not necessarily have to win a battle with the Gym Leader in order to earn a Badge, and Gym Leaders can be quite lenient about giving out Badges. For example, Ash has been awarded several Badges because of his kind heart and determination; Misty has berated Ash on several occasions because he didn't properly earn all of his Kanto Gym Badges, arguing that he really only earned three Badges (the Thunder, Soul, and Volcano Badges) and the other five Badges were given to him on technicalities. In Flint Sparks the Fire!, the Sunyshore Gym was shown to be handing out free Beacon Badges. The Orange Crew all have entire Gym matches devoted to unconventional battling styles.

Some Pokémon will not obey their Trainer if they do not respect them, due to their Trainer lacking in Badges. For example, after evolving into Charmeleon, Ash's Charmander began to disobey him, which was only exacerbated upon evolving again into Charizard.

In Kalos, due to Clemont's perception of an ideal challenger of the Lumiose Gym, he programmed the Clembot—the substitute Gym Leader—to throw out challengers who did not have four Kalos Gym Badges. As a result, when Ash attempted to challenge the Gym shortly after arriving in the Kalos region, Clembot acted according to its programming and threw him out. After Clemont was able to reprogram the Clembot, he removed the Badge restriction, but Ash indicated he would still collect four Badges before challenging Clemont himself at the Gym.

Many fellow Trainers that Ash has encountered have been shown to have Badges that do not exist in the games, such as Gary Oak earning ten Badges in Kanto, indicating that there are more than eight Gyms in each region. Other Badges observed in the anime which do not correspond to known Badges suggest that there are at least 9 Gyms in Hoenn, 11 in Sinnoh, 14 in Unova, and 11 in Kalos. Despite this, Ash's Badge case has frequently had indents specifically shaped for the Badges that appear in the games. However, Trainers only need eight to qualify

It is also implied in the anime that a Gym Badge serves as a primary ID for a Gym Leader (and probably a secondary ID for a Trainer). Brock has used his Boulder Badge to identify himself in order to clear his name from any accusations of stealing parts from a machine shop in Cerulean City.

Additionally in special cases, Badges may not be required to enter the Pokémon League. Pokémon Tech, a boarding school for Pokémon Trainers, is an expensive school for children, where moving up a grade is the equivalent of winning two Gym Badges. Upon graduation, students may immediately apply for entry in the Pokémon League. Alternatively, Trainers can take the Pokémon League Admissions Exam, which awards a single Badge that grants entry to the Pokémon League on its own; it is convenient for people whose age, health, or work keeps them from traveling around to collect Badges.

Alternative Badges in the anime

Badges in Mystery at the Lighthouse

So far, Ash has only obtained Badges that are obtainable in the games, with the notable exception of those he obtained in the Orange Archipelago. Several unknown Badges can be seen at the beginning of Mystery at the Lighthouse, while many Trainers Ash has met have had Badges that differ from those that are obtainable in the games. This suggests that there are Gyms in locations which do not appear in the games and therefore more than eight Gyms in each region. Trainers with Badges not seen in the games include:

Gary

Gary acquired more than the standard eight Kanto League Badges, thus leading to confusion as to whether or not there is a fixed number of Badges that can be given out in a particular region. By The Battle of the Badge, he is shown to have at least ten Badges, only three of which correspond to known Kanto Badges, suggesting there are at least fifteen Gyms in Kanto. Incidentally, this would provide one Gym for each of the (at the time) 15 types.

Otoshi

In addition, before Ash competes in the Indigo League, a Trainer named Otoshi is shown in the episode Bad to the Bone; he owns eight Badges, but only shares four in common with Ash; later in the episode another Trainer is seen with eight other completely different Badges altogether. In total, Ash, Gary, Otoshi, and the other Trainer display 27 different types of Badges, so there must be at least this number of Gyms in Kanto at the time, assuming they are all from the same region. However, Sakura, a Trainer on her journey, was shown to be collecting Badges from both Kanto and Johto, so it is unclear what the specific rules are for competing in championship tournaments.

On closer inspection, Otoshi's Badges each look somewhat similar to Ash's Badges and only differ in size and shape. Similarly, what can be identified as a Soul Badge, Thunder Badge, Marsh Badge, and Volcano Badge slide across the screen every time his Marowak knocks out a Pokémon in his flashback. His Badges are in this order from upper-left to bottom-right: Thunder, ? (Rainbow), Cascade, Volcano, Marsh, Soul, Boulder, and Earth. This hints that there may be different varieties of the same Badge.

Morrison

At the Hoenn Pokémon League Championship in Saved by the Beldum!, Morrison is shown to have an eighth Badge different from Ash's, suggesting that there are at least nine Gyms in Hoenn.

Mismagius

In Ash's dream in Malice in Wonderland, Ash has many Badges that haven't been on-screen before, as well as some older Badges. Considering it was only a dream, it is possible that some of the Badges seen don't exist at all.

Barry

In Barry's Busting Out All Over!, it shows that Barry has three Badges. While the Forest Badge and the Mine Badge are no different, Barry has a third Badge that is different from the eight Sinnoh Badges. In Fighting Ire with Fire!, Barry was revealed to have obtained eight Badges already, two more of which are different. This means that there are at least 11 Gyms in Sinnoh. The same unknown red Badge that Barry owns is shown at the end of An Old Family Blend!.

Nando

In Last Call, First Round! it is revealed that Nando has acquired seven Badges, two of which are unknown. These two Badges are the same as two of Barry's unknown Badges.

Trip

In Ash Versus the Champion! Trip revealed all five of the Badges he had collected, three of which are unknown and not seen in-game.

Cameron

In Goodbye, Junior Cup - Hello Adventure!, Cameron revealed all seven of the Badges he collected, four of which are known and three of which are unknown. Two of those unknown Badges are the same as Trip's. Since there are 10 Badges in Unova in the games (due to two of them being replaced in Black 2 and White 2), this means that there are at least 14 Gyms in Unova.

Sawyer

In A Fashionable Battle!, Sawyer stated that he had earned one Badge. Later, in From A to Z!, he was revealed to have earned four more Badges, including three unknown ones. This means there are at least 11 Gyms in Kalos.

Gallery of unidentified Badges

• Gary Ten Badges.png

  Gary's ten Badges

• 

  Otoshi's eight Badges

• 

  An unnamed Trainer's eight unidentified Badges

• 

  Morrison's eighth Badge

• 

  Ash's Badges in the dream

• 

  Barry's eight Badges

• 

  Nando's seven Badges

• 

  Trip's five Badges

• 

  Cameron's Badges

• 

  Sawyer's Badges

Non-Gym Badges

Several Badges have appeared in the anime that are not official Gym Badges.

In the Indigo League, Trainers can take the Pokémon League Admissions Exam, which awards a single Badge that grants entry to Indigo Plateau Conference on its own, replacing the requirement to collect Gym Badges. It is convenient for people whose age, health, or work keeps them from traveling around to collect Badges.

During the closing ceremony of Indigo Plateau Conference, all participants are awarded the Pokémon League Badge.

For helping the band of Diglett thieves with their facade, the mayor of Diglett Village awarded Ash and his friends with the Silver Wing Badge.

• 

  Pokémon League Admissions Exam Badge

• 

  Pokémon League Badge

• 

  Silver Wing Badge

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Platinum's Gym Badges

In Pokémon Adventures, Badges have mystical and mysterious qualities that can somehow increase the power of the Pokémon owned by the Trainer who wields the Badges, just as the Boulder Badge increases the Pokémon's Attack stat in the games. In addition, Badges that don't allow higher leveled Pokémon to obey, such as the Soul Badge, do indeed allow the wearer to control even Legendary Pokémon such as Articuno.

It is not known what sort of material Badges are made of, but it has been confirmed that the Gym Leaders each own a Badge made of different material than the kind given out to normal Trainers, as that is how the Masked Man's identity was narrowed down to among the 16 known Gym Leaders when Aibo scraped off a part of his hidden Badge with its Scratch attack.

Team Rocket used seven Kanto Gym Badges to power a machine that combined Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres into a single beast. The machine also had a secret slot for the Earth Badge, which Lance manipulated to further his own goals by turning Cerise Island into a giant Badge energy amplifier to fuel the Legendary Lugia with.

Badges are not required to enter the Pokémon League tournament; however, without eight Badges corresponding to their home region, a Trainer must battle their way in to qualify for the finals. However the Unova League requires eight Gym Badges to participate in the tournament.

Four main characters have actively been collecting Gym Badges: Red, who managed to collect seven Kanto Badges (missing the Earth Badge); and Sapphire, Platinum and Black, all of whom managed to collect all of the Badges in their respective regions. Other characters have also gathered Badges, such as Cheren and Silver.

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

Ash's Kanto Badges

Ash's Orange League Badges

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Badges work in a way similar to the anime, however, there are some minor differences. All Badges have the Pokémon League logo printed on them.

In addition, Pokémon Trainers are organized by class, much like Pokémon Tech "Class D", "Class C" and so forth. Badges increase the rank of the Trainer who owns them. Ash once believed that he could increase his rank by capturing rare wild Pokémon, however this was not the case.

Ash has obtained eight Badges from Kanto, but only three (Boulder, Cascade, Earth) actually matching known Badges, and another three lookalike Badges (resembling the Soul, Marsh, and Volcano). Ash also obtained four Badges from the Orange Islands, but none of them match any known Badges.

In Pokémon Live!

The Diamond Badge from Pokémon Live!

In Pokémon Live!, Giovanni offers the Diamond Badge to Trainers who defeat his MechaMew2. He gives Ash the Diamond Badge prior to the battle, believing that Ash will never win. However, Ash defeats Giovanni with Mewtwo's assistance, proceeding to give the Diamond Badge to Misty as a belated birthday gift. Pokémon Live! is not in continuity with the anime, and the Diamond Badge is not mentioned elsewhere in the series; however, it is the inspiration for DiamondShipping's name.

Trivia

The Earth Badge's design in the anime

Official artwork of the Earth Badge

• In the Pokémon Project Studio Red and Blue computer programs, the Soul and Marsh Badges' names are reversed, with the pink heart-shaped Badge being the Marsh Badge and the yellow circular Badge being the Soul Badge. Several anime and game handbooks also make this same switch. This appears to be because of an initial error in naming the Badges in Red and Blue. A soul would be more attuned to psychic abilities and one finds poisonous gases in a marsh.
• Official artwork of the Earth Badge (featured in media such as Pokémon Project Studio Red and Blue and Extreme Pokémon: The Guide for the Ultimate Fan) differs significantly from its appearance in the games, anime, manga, and TCG. The design in its official artwork resembles a plant, whereas its other design resembles a feather.
• The Orange League is the only known Pokémon League with fewer than eight Badges.
• It is possible to obtain certain Badges in a non-linear order. The most notable example of this are the Kanto Badges in Generations II and IV, which can be obtained in virtually any order, although the Earth Badge must be obtained last in Generation IV.
  • In Generation III, the only Gym that can be skipped entirely is the Fortree Gym. The player can get to the point in the game where the guards at the Pokémon League check to see if the player has received all eight Badges. This is not the case with the Dewford Gym as it must be defeated in order for the player to fight Norman, though it can be put off until after Flannery has been defeated.
• In FireRed and LeafGreen, the Earth Badge is the only Badge that doesn't allow the use of an HM outside of battle, while in HeartGold and SoulSilver it is the only Kanto Badge that does.
• The Rainbow Badge's colors correspond with the colors of all the other Kanto Badges, explaining the colors in its design.
• In the code of the Generation I games, items named for each Badge can be found. The items named BoulderBadge and CascadeBadge allow players to throw rocks and bait, respectively, at Pokémon outside of the Safari Zone when used in battle. The other Badges have no known purpose.
• The Basic Badge is the only Badge to be given out by more than one Gym.
• The Rising Badge is the only Badge the player receives outside of its respective Gym.
• The Legend Badge is the only Badge from the games that has not appeared in the anime, not counting Badges from Gyms that have not been seen yet.
  • When Ash initially got his Badge case, the slots were made to fit each Badge in Pokémon Black and White, but they eventually became circular to accommodate the Toxic Badge.
• Ash has not won a Badge in the same episode as his first encounter with its respective Gym Leader since earning the Dynamo Badge from Wattson in Watts with Wattson?.

Name origin

• With the exception of the Rainbow and Rising Badges, all Badges in Kanto and Johto were renamed for audiences outside of Japan. All eight Hoenn League Badges keep their Japanese names, as do Sinnoh League Badges, with the exception of the Icicle Badge, due to its name originally being the Glacier Badge in Japanese. In English, the Glacier Badge is the Mahogany Gym's Badge, which was originally called the Ice Badge in Japanese. This naming conflict continued in Generation V, with the Icirrus Gym's Badge being the Icicle Badge in Japanese, where it was renamed the Freeze Badge in English.
  • The Japanese names of the Kanto Badges are all colors, following the color pattern for the town and city names.
  • The Trio and Insect Badges are the first Badges since the Glacier Badge in Generation II to get renamed in the English version of the games, without there being a localization conflict between the Japanese and English versions.
• The Storm Badge's English name may derive from the lucha libre wrestler Fray Tormenta—also the inspiration for Crasher Wake—whose name translates as "Friar Storm".

In other languages

Language Title Bulgarian Значка Znachka Chinese Cantonese 聖章 Singjēung Mandarin 徽章 Huī​zhāng​ Danish Emblem* Salmærke* Finnish Ansiomerkki* Salimerkki Arvomerkki / Rintamerkki Kouluttajamerkki* European French Badge German Orden Hebrew תג Tag Indonesian Lencana Italian Medaglia Korean 배지 Badge Polish Odznaka Portuguese Brazil Insígnia Portugal Crachá Romanian Insignă Russian Значок Znachok Spanish Latin America Medalla Prenda (EP009) Insignia (BW013) Spain Medalla Swedish Gym Badge Gymnål Rocknål (EP013) Turkish Rozet Vietnamese Huy hiệu

See also

• Ribbon
• Symbol
• Medal

This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items.