The driving force behind nearly every Pokémon game is advancing through the Pokémon League, starting with the Gyms and ending with the Elite Four. While some games adjust terminology and layout, the basic formula is the same: battle through a set of powerful Leaders until the title Champion crown can be claimed.
However, not all Gym Leaders can compete on the same footing. Some are purposefully easy to allow new players the same satisfaction as a veteran, while others have intentionally constructed teams that will give the player's Pokémon a run for their money. Gym Leaders may be a step below the Elite Four, but they are nonetheless some of the most powerful trainers a Pokémon player will battle on their quest to become the Champion.
Updated July 24, 2022 by Declan Lowthian: Pokémon has no shortage of powerful Gym Leaders. We've updated this list with some more of the strongest challengers Pokémon trainers will need to battle throughout their journey.
12 Raihan Fights With The Power Of Storms And Dragons
Raihan is Sword and Shield's final Gym Leader, specializing in Dragon types. As the last stop before players reach the Champion Cup, Raihan is a true force to be reckoned with. Dragon-types are statistically some of the strongest Pokémon, so it's no wonder he's a tough fight.
Raihan also makes great use of Pokémon's weather mechanics. His Gigalith will summon a sand storm when it first appears, which will boost its Special Defense and start chipping away at the opposing team. None of Raihan's Pokémon take damage from the sandstorm, and his Sandaconda can help give the storm a second life with its Sand Spit ability.
11 Valerie Made Great Use Of The Then-New Fairy Typing
The Kalos region introduced the Fairy type in Pokémon X and Y. Many of these Pokémon are cute in appearance, but that exterior hides some extremely strong battle potential. With statistically the highest Special Defense and full immunity to Dragons, Fairy types can easily sweep the field.
Valerie's team included a mix of new and old Pokémon. Her Mawile's Steel-typing gave it some powerful defenses, while Mr. Mime could set up both Light Screen and Reflect before delivering a powerful Psychic. Anyone not packing a Poison-type or a Steel-type of their own was sure to have a hard time standing up against Valerie's team of Fairy-types.
10 Wallace Is So Strong That He Goes On To Become Champion
Though he goes on to become the Hoenn Champion in Pokémon Emerald, Wallace's first appearance was as the Sootopolis Gym Leader in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. His powerful team of five Pokémon is full of synergistic and powerful moves.
In his original appearance, two of Wallace's Pokémon have Swift Swim, boosting their speed if rain is active. His Whiscash can set that up with a Rain Dance, as well as strike back with a powerful Earthquake. Wallace appears several other times in the Pokémon series, and he just gets stronger.
9 Tate And Liza Prove Two Heads Are Better Than One
Tate and Liza, the psychic twins of Mossdeep, are the only tandem Gym Leaders in the entire Pokémon franchise. They fight together, making great use of the double battles that debuted in Generation III. While their team in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire consists solely of a Solrock and a Lunatone, their Emerald team features the addition of a Claydol and a Xatu.
Psychic-type Pokémon are extremely powerful, and Tate and Liza make great use of both their offensive and defensive capabilities. In addition to every team member knowing the powerful Psychic move, Tate and Liza's Xatu and Solrock both know Sunny Day, which can power up Solrock's Solar Beam.
8 Norman's Slaking Is Incredible
Hoenn was full of powerful Gym Leaders, but Norman and his Slaking were a cut above the rest. Even with the ability Truant, which makes it loaf around every other turn, Slaking hits like a tank.
Coupled with the obnoxious fact it can use the move Yawn to put its opponent to sleep, Norman's signature Pokémon is a force to be reckoned with. Keeping a strong, speedy Fighting-type in the party is absolutely necessary for anyone looking to progress past Hoenn's fifth gym.
7 Clair Has Type Coverage For All Situations
Dragon-type Pokémon are often reserved for the Elite Four or even the Champion. But Blackthorn City's Gym Leader Clair makes potent use of them in the main Johto League. Clair's team in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal is made up of three Dragonairs, plus a Kingdra.
Each of Clair's Dragonites knows Slam, Thunderwave, and Dragon Breath, plus one extra coverage move like Surf, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam. This gives her a ton of options for dealing with opposing Pokémon, meaning almost any opposing team will have a hard time taking her on.
6 Jasmine Demonstrates The Power Of The Steel Type
Jasmine made her debut in Pokémon Gold and Silver alongside her signature Steel-ypes. With high defense, few weaknesses, and full immunity to Poison-types, Steel types are the true defensive powerhouses of the Pokémon world. There is a reason why most Steel trainers after her are all in the Elite Four.
Jasmine does a great job introducing players to the brand new Steel-type. While a Ground-type move will do a great job of taking down her two Magnemites, anything else will have a hard time making it through. When rematched in HeartGold and SoulSilver, Jasmine packs a full team of six, including the extremely powerful Metagross and even the starter Pokémon Empoleon.
5 Whitney And Her Miltank Are Nearly Unstoppable
While her signature Clefairy has since lost its Normal typing in favor of Fairy, Whitney was the original Normal-type Gym Leader back in Generation II. Her Miltank's Rollout is the stuff of legends among Pokémon fans, able to take down almost anything the player can muster at such a low level.
In her rematch in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Whitney packs a full team of six. Pokémon like Girafarig and Bibarel give her a ton of type coverage, while her Miltank is boosted to an incredible level 58. Whiteney is living proof that Normal-type Pokémon can be just as strong as any other.
4 Koga Is The Strongest Poison-Type Gym Leader
Poison has always been a dangerous type in Pokémon, and it all started with the ninja Koga. His gym itself is difficult enough as is, with invisible walls forcing the player to feel around for pathways. Then there's the fact that Poison-types are masters of status effects, slowly adding extra damage throughout the battle rather than landing any hard hits.
Koga himself goes on to become part of the Elite Four in Pokémon Gold and Silver, showing just how much he was holding back as a Gym Leader. His daughter Janine is a worthy successor, but nobody can quite top the Poisonous Ninja Master.
3 Brock Hits The Player Before They're Ready
Brock earns a seat among the most powerful Pokémon Gym Leaders not due to his sheer power but due to his place in the Gym Challenge order. As the first Gym Leader players face in Kanto, Brock is there before most players have a chance to build up a full team.
Many of the earliest Pokémon a player gets will be either Bug or Flying types, which will fall before Brock's Rock-type attacks. Brock will also hit for extra damage against anyone who chose Charmander in Red or Blue, or against anyone playing a game with Pikachu as the starter.
2 Sabrina Is A Master Of A Broken Type
Psychic types have always been powerful in Pokémon, but this has never been more true than in Generation I. Thanks to a combination of unbalanced design and a glitch in the type interactions, Psychic types were only resisted by each other and had only a weakness to Bug types in the first Pokémon games.
Sabrina is one of the later Gym Leaders Pokémon players will face in the Kanto region, and her team is extremely impressive. In addition to three powerful Psychic-types, she has a Venomoth in reserve to surprise anyone looking to take advantage of the Psychic type's only weakness.
1 Blue Goes From Rival To Gym Leader
Though he starts life as the player's rival in the original Pokémon games, Blue goes on to take over Giovanni's position as the leader of the Viridian City Gym in the Johto region games. Like his run as a rival, Blue doesn't focus on a single type and instead has a fully rounded team fit for a Pokémon Champion.
Blue's team consists of such powerhouses as Alakazam, Gyrados, and Arcanine. He can summon three different weather effects, letting him adapt to any situation. Subsequent rematches with Blue in future games see him adding other powerful Pokémon like Machamp, Tyranitar, and even Mega Charizard.