As the first Pokémon game on the Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Sword & Shield has a solid exploration theme. With its open-world wild area, towering cities, and massive stadiums, it’s easy to fall in love with the region of Galar.
But nature and infrastructure are far from the main things that make Galar so charming. That goes to its characters, whom you meet through your quest to be the Pokemon League Champion. There are tons of new faces in Pokémon Sword & Shield, and these 10 are some of the most lovable and memorable you’ll get to meet on your journey.
Updated July 1st, 2020 by Meg Pelliccio: Nintendo recently released the first part of the expansion pass for Pokémon Sword & Shield, the Isle of Armor, and players have received a whole new range of content. Galar now has a brand new area, additional story quests, new Pokémon, and more.
Of course, this includes new characters and some of them have already rooted themselves firmly in the fandom's good graces. With these new characters, it's time to take another look at the best NPCs that generation eight has to offer.
15 Chairman Rose
Spoilers ahead. Though Chairman Rose turned out to be the antagonist, he still remained a fan-favorite, likely due to his smooth dress sense and modern hairstyle. Interestingly, with the release of the new Isle of Armor DLC, players can now change their own hair to look like Rose's, as well as Marnie's.
Despite being "the bad guy," Rose's plans actually come from a twisted sense of doing good and he ultimately hands himself over to the authorities when things go south.
14 Mustard
The Isle of Armor DLC introduces players to the character of Mustard, the owner of the Master Dojo and a previous champion of the Galar region.
Though this old man might seem like a push-over, he's actually a skilled Pokémon trainer who sets the player up with various challenges to overcome. Additionally, fans loved that this old-timer is seen embracing new technology, as you can find Mustard playing Pokémon Quest on a Nintendo Switch in the room to the left of the main dojo hall.
13 Bede
What makes Bede's story different from every other “becoming a gym leader” storyline is that it’s not based on responsibility. A huge theme in Pokémon Sword & Shield is finding your path, and for Bede that moves from being an unstoppable psychic trainer to embracing her opportunity as the new fairy gym leader.
From that, we see a lovely transformation, one more distinctive than most of your other recurring encounters and with a team that changes to match her growth. Hardly any other Pokémon character’s teams shift with a character in this way and is a great trait that future Pokémon games should absolutely embrace.
12 Milo
There’s a lot to be said for the variety of designs among the humans in this Pokémon game, and Milo is fairly emblematic of that trait. Besides just being a fitness goal, Milo’s button eyes and smile add a level of adorableness that suits his cuddly, muscular figure perfectly.
Unfortunately, he has little presence in the game otherwise. Besides his looks and an easy battle, there’s not a lot to him. Nonetheless, when you put his look next to the other grass-type gym leaders, he sticks out among the flower girls and elderly farmers.
11 Leon
Though his character comes across a little goofy at times, Leon is still a loveable character in a totally a-dork-able way, which is weird because he appears to be perceived as "cool" by everyone else.
Leon also has an awful sense of direction that is often getting him lost, which is an endearing quality, but his Charizard often helps him find his way. In the Isle of Armor, Mustard explains that Leon was one of his best students but that he never finished his training as he couldn't find his way to the Towers of Two Fists.
10 Raihan
Raihan might not be a character that is understood in several years because he might be the most iconically modern trainer we’ve seen, at least close to the real world of 2020. Besides his perpetual smug grin, this is the one gym leader that you can believe is popular in Galar thanks to his huge personality, posing for the crowd, and taking mid-battle selfies.
As hokey as it is, it totally works for him and makes for a fun final gym leader. Taking on someone so ecstatic to fight you, who wants a double battle just to show off Pokémon to the crowd, makes for a much more epic final fight than an overdramatic final challenge. Being a Pokémon trainer is about fun, and Raihan embraces that feeling perfectly.
9 Kabu
Speaking of intimidating gym leaders, Kabu is important to mention just because he’s one of the only ones with a reputation you get to hear about as you build-up to his fight. As soon as you’re done fighting Nessa, every one of your friends describes Kabu as being the big obstacle that beginner trainers can never get past.
Unfortunately, the irony is that his team is extremely weak, with his signature fire-type and bug-type Centiskortch weak to an obscene number of attacks. But even if the reality of Kabu isn’t as frightening as his reputation, it still makes him more of a character than most gym leaders throughout Pokémon history.
8 Sordward & Shielbert
These two brothers you take on in the post-game might possibly have the tackiest hair you’ll ever see in any video game. They’re two entitled celebrities that immediately start wreaking havoc across Galar, but their weird namesake hairstyles seem like a parody of Pokémon characters.
As unlikable as their hair and personalities are, though, the conflict ends up being a lot more goofy and charming than genuinely bad. They’re like something out of a 4Kids anime dub, complete with all the cheesy dialogue you can handle. They might be a joke at first, but their silliness keeps them memorable and lighthearted in a game that doesn’t need to take itself seriously to begin anyway.
7 Avery
Avery is the new rival for Pokémon Shield's latest DLC, the Isle of Armor. He specializes in psychic type Pokémon and hopes to become a gym leader for Galar one day. Fans loved that Nintendo introduced a more androgynous character to the game.
Avery's League Card explains that he comes from a long line of prestigious psychic users, but that he is considered a failure by his family for not being able to master some of the basic psychic abilities.
6 Bea
While you don’t experience very much of Bea in the game, this is one of the Pokémon characters who’s easy to love thanks to supplemental content. Pokémon: Twilight Wings blew people away with a look into Bea's training, and learning to accept help from her friends and Pokémon.
It’s a shame none of this is in the game, but this six-minute animation gave us the kind of information about her character every gym leader deserves. The fact that Twilight Wings is available on Youtube makes it easy to see more of this character, and the endearing family-like relationship she has with her team.
5 Klara
For owners of Pokémon Sword who purchased the Isle of Armor DLC, their new rival is Klara, a poison specialist who aspires to be a gym leader. Klara's League Card explains that she used to be a pop singer, but her debut album failed spectacularly.
Like Avery, Klara is also a return to the retro franchise format where the rivals are a lot more snarky towards the player, but despite this, fans have fallen in love with her sassy character.
4 Marnie
One of your rivals is far more of a mystery than the others, but that uncertainty makes Marnie far more interesting than most of your recurring opponents. While Team Yell follows her and blows their impractical vuvuzelas to cheer her on, the reason she’s so beloved is a mystery until you finally witness her hometown and family.
The result of this mystery arc is a fascinating character with a perfect pop-goth outfit. She isn’t the most emotive but is a wonderful break from all the eccentrically animated characters you meet elsewhere. Next to them, Marnie ends up being uniquely calm and capable among the trainers you meet and is a welcome presence in the main cast.
3 Sonia
Adding to the theme of finding your path is Sonia, who goes from being an ambitious researcher to a full Pokémon professor to join the ranks of Oak, Kukui, and more. Considering the age and looks of these characters, seeing someone young and stylish as Sonia makes her a needed character among her peers.
Most importantly for you, though, is that you meet a lot of trainers throughout Pokémon Sword & Shield, and basically all of them are just trainers. Sonia ends up being refreshing just by being a familiar face you don’t need to look at as a possible opponent, and instead is a great friend to make on your journey.
2 Hop
For all the ruthless positivity that we get from our main rivals in Pokémon games lately, Hop might be the only character whose pep feels justified. Being the younger brother of the eccentric champion Leon, it’s clear he’s taking after his family, and passionate about his dream to be as good as his brother is what drives him through the entire plot.
When you put him next to rivals like Hau, or your friends from Pokémon X and Y, this sort of hyper-energetic character is far more bearable when it’s more than just empty positivity. He’s still basic in some ways but is certainly the best iteration of this type of rival.
1 Piers
What makes Piers a lovely gym leader and companion is his no-nonsense approach to nearly everything. This nearly-retired punk singer has no hesitation or doubt about stepping down, supporting his younger sister, and helping protect the region he calls home. Even with the punk aesthetic, he’s supportive and positive, and not the loudmouthed rocker you’d expect him to be.
Besides his personality, what helps Piers be more memorable is that you actually get to spend time with him, unlike nearly every other gym leader. Nearly everyone else in the cast shows up briefly and sporadically, but throughout the post-game, he is there to help you throughout Galar. For that, this character has all the pieces to be a long-time favorite.