With Scarlet and Violet's release, fans have begun traversing the region of Paldea in search of new Pokémon and challenging battles. While a vast world of adventure awaits them, the most exciting moments in Pokémon games are undoubtedly the intense battles with the trainers that the player meets on the road to becoming a Pokémon champion.
Whether they take the form of rivals, gym leaders or members of evil organizations, great Pokémon trainers come in all shapes and sizes. In fact, some trainers that players will encounter have also appeared in multiple other games, proving their worth as strong trainers in any region of the world. While it’s unlikely that all their favorite past trainers will appear in the Paldea region to fulfill their nostalgic fantasies, fans still hope they'll get to relive the excitement of facing some of the strongest Pokémon trainers once more in Scarlet and Violet.
10 Steven Has A Team Of Battle-Hardened Pokémon
Steven Stone is a Steel-Type Pokémon master and the champion of the Hoenn Region in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Steven focuses mostly on hardened Ground, Rock, and Steel type Pokémon in his team, like Armaldo and Aggron.
Steven's favorite Pokémon is the Psychic/Steel type Metagross. Using the powerful attack Giga Impact, Metagross can deal massive amounts of damage relatively quickly. While some players may prefer not to face a trainer as strong as Steven, a true Pokémon master would never back down from a challenge.
9 Blue Would Never Let His Rival Surpass Him
Blue was the first rival ever in the Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green versions. He was also the clear inspiration for Gary, Professor Oak's grandson and Ash's main rival in the Pokémon anime.
Blue is a strong trainer who inevitably defeats the Elite Four before the player does and thus becomes the final trainer the player has to defeat before they can be named champion. His most recent appearances depict him having a very well-rounded team of Gen 1 Pokémon including Alakazam, Exeggutor, and Gyarados.
8 Cynthia Is One Of The Strongest Champions Ever
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Cynthia is the champion of the Sinnoh region in Diamond and Pearl, and she uses a well-rounded team as to be expected of the top trainer. Her favorite Pokémon is her famous Garchomp, which she uses alongside other powerful Pokémon, like Lucario and Milotic.
Cynthia is truly a force to be reckoned with, making the player feel genuinely proud to have defeated her. Having to face-off against Cynthia once again in the Paldea Region would certainly bring out the best in any trainer.
7 May Is A Great Trainer And Even Better Friend
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May is either the player or their rival depending on the gender of the protagonist in the Ruby and Sapphire games. She is also a reoccurring character in the Pokémon anime who traveled with Ash alongside her prized Pokémon, Blaziken.
May takes her most powerful form as a trainer in the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games. Like other rival trainers, May has a very well-rounded team that's built around her starter Pokémon, which always has a type advantage over the player's. For fans of Ruby and Sapphire, facing May in the Paldea Region would be like a welcome reunion with an old friend.
6 Misty's Only Gotten Stronger With Time
Misty is a water-type trainer and Gym Leader of Cerulean City. Although she made her original debut in the very first Pokémon games, she has since been featured in numerous other titles, as well as taking a co-starring role in the anime series.
Misty is a strong trainer that focuses purely on water-type Pokémon like Starmie and Golduck. In Gold and Silver, she includes a Quagsire and Laprus on her team, and in other versions she even has powerful Blastoise as well.
5 Silver Had The Best Character Development Of Any Rival
Silver is the most devious rival in all of Pokémon, and his backstory is quite interesting as Giovanni of Team Rocket's son. Abandoned as a child, he would begin a streak of dastardly deeds.
While Silver's thieving and conniving may be enough to make players want to humble him all over again, he's also a good challenge when it comes to actual battling. After all, he stole one of the starter Pokémon at the beginning of the game, meaning that he'll have the type advantage with at least one Pokémon by default.
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Jesse & James Have Traveled Many Regions In Search Of Pokemon To Steal
Jesse, James, and Meowth are some of the most iconic anime villains ever. Even though they weren't included in the original games, their popularity in the anime series warranted their subsequent inclusion into a few of the games afterwards. Particularly, Team Rockets' most notorious trio has appeared in both the Yellow version and the Pokémon Lets Go series.
While Jesse and James haven't always proven the strongest in terms of sheer combat power, their strong personalities more than make up for it. They utilize some fairly strong poison-type Pokémon, namely their infamous Weezing and Arbok, in order to wear opponents down over time.
3 Koga's Skill With Poison-Types Runs In The Family
As far as poison-type Pokémon trainers are concerned, there are none as strong as Fuchsia City's Koga. In Generation 2, Koga has ascended to the level of the Elite Four and his daughter, Janine, takes his place as gym leader.
Koga is a ninja who's mastered the arts of both stealth and poison. In Pokémon battles, however, he yields this combination to even greater effect. Koga focuses on high-level poison Pokémon that change depending on the game, although Muk, Venomoth, and Weezing tend to be staples of his party.
2 Lance Is A Dragon Master And Leader Of The Elite Four
Lance is the ultimate dragon trainer and Pokémon League Champion of the Kanto and Johto regions. His top Pokémon has always been Dragonite, but in later generations he has adapted his team to include dragons like Salamence and Haxorus.
Lance appears in multiple Pokémon games and holds many positions and rankings. No matter his position in the league, he is always one of the top trainers in the world with extremely powerful dragon type Pokémon. Lance is always a significant challenge to face, and players are hoping to get another shot at a battle with him in the Paldea region.
1 Red Is The Original Champion From Pallet Town
Red is the main character from the original Pokémon games and is an enigmatic Champion in subsequent titles. He’s also the main protagonist in the Pokémon Adventures manga, and a recurring character in the Pokémon anime. In Gold and Silver, Red is the champion, but he also appears in other entries in the series as a powerful trainer players can battle.
Most recently, Red appeared in Pokémon Let’s Go as the former champion who challenges the player to a battle after they defeat the Elite Four. Red uses a very well-rounded team that is quite similar to Ash Ketchum's from the anime, including his characteristic Pikachu, Lapras, and Charizard. Defeating Red in a battle is the ultimate victory and provides a great moment of nostalgia for Pokémon fans everywhere.