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RELATED: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Could Potentially Feature Two Regions Generation 5 has strong examples of this: Black and White's Normal-type Leader Lenora has a Watchog that uses Retaliate to deal double damage after her Herdier faints, and Electric-type Leader Elesa teaches every Pokemon Volt Switch to consistently swap around. Though almost every Gym Leader in the franchise can be described as "Type" leader without much else to differentiate them, every NPC has a signature Pokemon and tends to rely on a strategy based around the Technical Machine (TM) they award victorious trainers. This system encourages players to differentiate their team composition, but makes each Gym a bit easier because they know the advantages going in. For example, the eight Kanto leaders specialize in Rock, Water, Electric, Grass, Poison, Psychic, Fire, and Ground-type Pokemon, respectively. Gym Leaders hand out a badge based on their specialty, and their names or personalities often center that type in some way. However, while Gym Leaders get progressively stronger in terms of levels and move complexity, each is a standalone challenge because they all represent different types. Later generations would better gatekeep areas by ensuring certain story beats would only occur after defeating a Gym Leader. While Kanto is more open than most regions in that a handful of Gyms can be tackled in any order, ultimately players must defeat all of them to open the Elite Four challenge at Indigo Plateau. Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine, and Giovanni. In 1996's Pokemon Red and Green on Game Boy, the Kanto region featured eight Gym Leaders: Brock, Misty, Lt. With that framework in mind, Gym Leaders are akin to area bosses that restrict the player's progress until they've become strong - or clever - enough to win. Each Pokemon is like an individual party member in a traditional JRPG, equipped with their own set of attacks that play to various archetypes and able to level up with stat buffs. Pokemon is best known for its creature-collecting aspect, but the mainline titles are RPGs at their core.
![pokemon raihan pokemon raihan](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/a8/25/65a825968630207183bc1da3689fbd5b.jpg)
How Gym Leaders Traditionally Function in Pokemon
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RELATED: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Have the Potential for Strong Cameo Characters Assuming this means a regular Gym structure will return, its Leaders should move away from traditional type differences in favor of gimmicks akin to Sword and Shield's Raihan. Not only do maps for this part of Europe appear in live-action segments, the starters' English names include Spanish puns, and one building that appears to be the region's League headquarters is a reference to Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona. The official announcement trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, released on Pokemon Day 2022, has several things pointing to the games being based on Spain, and the wider Iberian Peninsula.
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Except for Alola in Pokemon Sun and Moon, every new region also has Gym Leaders to contend with, and nothing suggests the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be any different. As each region is based on a real-world place, fans can throw ideas at the wall regarding what themed Pokemon will appear, and try to place elements like what real cities and towns will receive virtual facsimiles. With every new mainline Pokemon game comes a bout of speculation.