Across all eight generations of the Pokémon games, there are countless Gym Leaders who have posed problems for players over the years. There are several Gym Leaders who can be tough but are ultimately located near routes that offer super-effective counters, but there are also those Gym Leaders who present limited options in battle.
None of the generations feature an entire roster of all-powerful Gym Leaders, which is arguably the best way to pace a game. On the other hand, some generations don't offer enough of a challenge when it comes to the supposed big battles.
Updated on December 9th, 2022 By Tom Steel: Gym Leaders have always been a major driving force in the mainline Pokémon games, giving the player a focused path as they go from being a beginner to aiming for the lofty heights of challenging the region's Champion and beyond. The recent release of the Gen IX games Scarlet & Violet has introduced a new set of Gym Leaders with creative designs, personalities, and Pokémon teams. This list has been updated to rank these new Gym Leaders compared to those of previous generations.
9 Generation VI: Valerie & Korrina Are The Only Tough Gym Leaders
X & Y: Viola, Grant, Korrina, Ramos, Clemont, Valerie, Olympia, Wulfric
Although Ash runs into multiple difficulties with various Kalos Gym Leaders in the anime despite having one of his best teams, in the X & Y games, most of the Gym Leaders are straightforward enough to get past without much trouble. The introduction of a Fairy-type Pokémon Gym in this generation was mildly received by fans.
Valerie's Gym revealed that Fairy only had two weaknesses: Steel and Poison. With neither typing having many powerful moves, this made for a surprisingly tough challenge. Korrina also has the potential to pose a real threat, mainly because all of her Fighting-type Pokémon knew Power-Up Punch.
8 Generation VII: Of All The Island Kahunas, Nanu Is The Toughest
Sun & Moon: Hala, Olivia, Nanu, Hapu
Sun & Moon are unique in the sense that they don't follow the conventional power-scaling format of Gym Leaders and Elite Four, which arguably makes it even more refreshing to have a change of pace. The Generation VII equivalent to Gym Leaders therefore would have to be the four Island Kahunas: Hala, Olivia, Nanu, and Hapu.
While none of them are especially difficult, Nanu and his Dark types have caused problems for many players, since his lightning-quick Alolan Persian utilizes Z-moves. Otherwise, the Generation VII Kahunas don't really pose too much of a threat.
7 Generation VIII: Raihan Is The Best That Galar Could Muster
Sword & Shield: Milo, Nessa, Kabu, Bea, Allister, Opal, Bede, Gordie, Melony, Piers, Marnie, Raihan
The Gen VIII games, Sword & Shield, are examples where Gym Leaders are underwhelming despite showing creativity in diverse Gym Leader lineups. The two possible exceptions would be the Fairy-type quiz master Opal and the Dragon tamer Raihan. Opal's battle forces players to answer multiple questions, with correct answers helping players and incorrect answers helping Opal.
Providing the player gets the questions right, Opal is pretty straightforward, but some incorrect answers can make it a real contest. Raihan, however, is a consistent threat, running a heavy-hitting team in the form of a double battle with Flygon, Duraludon, Gigalith, and Sandaconda, all while utilizing a Sandstorm strategy.
6 Generation V: Both Unova Rosters Offer Some Tough Tests
Black & White and Black 2 & White 2: Cilan, Chili, Cress, Lenora, Burgh, Elesa, Clay, Skyla, Drayden, Iris, Cheren, Roxie, Marlon
Across Black & White and Black 2 & White 2, there are some formidable trainers who can cause problems for the player. Lenora and her unassuming Normal types can be more troublesome than they should be, while Drayden and Iris can both be formidable Dragon-type opponents, depending on which game is being played.
However, the Unova Gym Leader who can be the trickiest and hardest to deal with is Elesa. In Black & White, she employs an excruciatingly frustrating strategy to face in the form of Volt Switch, with two Emolga and a Zebstrika. Her team is slightly different in Black 2 & White 2 but is still not the easiest.
5 Generation IX: There Is Plenty To Like About The Newest Gym Leaders
Scarlet & Violet: Katy, Brassius, Iono, Kofu, Larry, Ryme, Tulip, Grusha
Scarlet & Violet have been a breath of fresh air in terms of the new Pokémon and human characters introduced to the franchise, with various exciting designs and personalities on display. The Gen IX Gym Leaders show off Paldea's Terastal phenomenon with their final Pokémon, which allows them to use any Pokémon and turn it into their chosen type.
Larry, Iono, and Ryme all have very different but entertaining personalities and gimmicks, while Tulip and Grusha bring extra layers of difficulty. Scarlet & Violet are hyped up for the open-world experience, but while the Gyms can technically be tackled in a variety of different orders, the lack of level scaling does somewhat restrict that supposed freedom.
4 Generation I: Most Kanto Gym Leaders Can Be Easily Defeated
Blue, Red, & Yellow: Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, Giovanni
The original Kanto Gym Leaders in the Generation I games are among the most memorable. However, there were hardly any tough battles because of the Pokémon available to be caught in the neighboring routes. Brock could be beaten easily even by Charmander trainers providing they caught a Mankey and Grass-type Pokémon were available near Cerulean for the battle with Misty.
Saffron City's Sabrina, however, was in a different league entirely. In the original games, one of Psychic's two weaknesses, Ghost, wasn't even acknowledged properly, meaning that only Bug-type moves were super-effective and there were barely any of them in the first place.
3 Generation IV: Sinnoh Offers Up Multiple Challenging Gym Leader Battles
Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum: Roark, Gardenia, Maylene, Crasher Wake, Fantina, Byron, Candice, Volkner
The Generation IV games Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum are largely revered by fans for a number of reasons, from the Pokémon on offer, to the battles, the story, and much more. As with most Pokémon games, a number of the Gym Battles are easy enough with appropriate planning and strategies, but there are still some Gym Leaders who are tough regardless.
Although the battle ordering and her Pokémon's levels change between Diamond & Pearl and Platinum, Fantina's Ghost types can be problematic, especially her Mismagius. Volkner, Crasher Wake, and Roark can also be tricky unless the player is fully prepared with super-effective moves.
2 Generation III: Hoenn Throws Some Tough Challenges The Player's Way
Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald: Roxanne, Brawly, Wattson, Flannery, Norman, Winona, Tate & Liza, Wallace, Juan
The Gym Leaders and their rosters do vary slightly from Ruby & Sapphire to Emerald, but when looking at the Generation III Gym Leaders overall, the line-up is very impressive regardless of the changes. Everyone who plays Generation III seems to have trouble with different battles, but there are some consistently fearsome battles with Gym Leaders that are often talked about.
Norman's Vigoroth and Slaking can be frustratingly strong, Winona's Altaria can be dangerous as long as it doesn't get too greedy with Dragon Dances, and Tate & Liza prove to be a tricky double battle to get through. Hoenn is certainly one of the trickier Gym campaigns.
1 Generation II: Whitney, Clair, & Blue Are Only A Few Challenging Gym Leaders Here
Gold, Silver, & Crystal: Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Morty, Chuck, Jasmine, Pryce, Clair
While the Kanto part of the Generation II games catches a lot of flack for being too much in addition to Johto, it does mean that the Gold, Silver, and Crystal games have 16 Gym Leaders in total. It would arguably be unfair to say that Generation II was the best for Gym Leaders due to its sheer numbers, but there is one Kanto Gym Leader, Blue, who's different from the Generation I games.
When considering that the Generation II games feature the likes of Whitney and Miltank, Clair and her Dragon types, Jasmine and her newly introduced Steel types, and the powerful Blue as Viridian City Gym Leader, Gold, Silver, and Crystal offer a formidable overall roster. The Gen II games have a collective Gym Leader experience that certainly ranks near the top.