Of all the characters introduced to Pokémon Sword & Shield, few have been as popular and admired as Leon, who's both the Champion of Galar and the older brother of your rival Hop. He shows up constantly throughout the game’s main story as a celebrity, a supportive friend, and as your inevitable final opponent in your journey to the Championship Cup.
Leon stands out among other champions, and while there are few opportunities where champions have been able to compete against each other, it’s easy to wonder how they’d stack against each other. These are some of the champions throughout the Pokémon series that Leon would be sure to beat in battle, and a few that would give him a run for his money.
10 Win Against: Diantha
Leon’s biggest strength is his casual peppy attitude, something that relatively few Pokémon characters have. He comes across less like a Champion and more like an excitable rival, and his team embodies this trait by having many fairly common Pokémon and a Galar starter. He started from the same spot as you and has earned his fame and fortune through his dedication as a trainer.
Diantha is somewhat of an inverse, as she’s a popular actress at the same time as holding the title of Champion. Her team reflects this, consisting of many slow and glamorous Pokémon from Kalos like Tyrantrum and Aurorus that don’t resemble a typical trainer. Thanks to this theme, they likely can’t stand up to Leon’s aggressive and homegrown team.
9 Lose Against: Wallace
Wallace is somewhat similar to Diantha in terms of style. He isn’t a famous actor, but he’s all about his showmanship in his appearance and beautiful Water-type Pokémon, appearing as a Contest Master in the Pokémon anime despite being the Hoenn Champion in Pokémon Emerald. He might resemble Diantha in his glamor, but matches Leon in terms of strength.
In battle, Wallace’s Water-types give him a huge edge over Leon’s signature Charizard, but his team overall has a much greater balance of stats. The strong majority of Leon’s team are fast fighters, but Wallace has everything from glass cannons like Gyarados, to invincible tanks like Milotic, making for a much more effective party.
8 Win Against: Steven
While he's a memorable Champion in his own right with his love for ancient Pokémon, Steven is one of the less complicated characters of the Pokémon world. Most of his identity is just based on being a wealthy gentleman who loves history, but as pleasant as that is, he isn't anywhere near as charming or charismatic as Leon.
Many of his Rock-types have an advantage against Leon's signature partner Charizard, but Leon's Pokémon overall have a significantly better defense than they do offense. He won't go down quickly, but Leon's powerhouses are bound to push through Steven's team at a reasonable rate.
7 Win Against: Alder
Alder is a positive and supportive champion with an incredibly powerful team, but he might be the only champion that might just let Leon win. When he's freshly retired in Pokémon Black 2 & White 2, one woman in his hometown of Floccesy Town notes that he refused to train her, all because he’d rather support young trainers than instruct older ones.
Leon is exactly the kind of champion Alder would love to face, but it’s hard to imagine them being competitive toward each other. He’d surely want to test Leon and battle for the excitement of it, but this old man would surely rather let the youth shine than to add another victory to his already-successful career.
6 Lose Against: Iris
Iris might be the most similar character to Leon, as both of them were former trainers who have worked their way to the top. Once she defeats Alder she is massively proud of herself, and proudly wears a princess-style dress given to her by Drayden that shows off just how far she’s come.
As for their teams, Iris and Leon are fairly evenly matched, but Iris’s variety of Dragon-types are extremely diverse and lacking in weaknesses compared to Leon’s mixed-type team. She even has a great mix of defensive Pokémon like Aggron and Lapras to give her a little more diversity, and as a result, Leon would likely struggle against her.
5 Win Against: Blue
As a champion, Blue is the fundamental spoiled child of the Pokémon series. He comes across as feeling entitled to his championship and mostly just wants it to show how strong he is compared to Red, and besides bragging rights, he has no traits as a champion that earn him any admiration or respect.
Leon would make a fitting rival to Blue by having an immensely positive attitude and love for his Pokémon, something that that Blue severely lacks. Their teams are quite evenly matched, both having Pokémon from across their regions with a wide variety of types, but Leon is undoubtedly the more capable and level-headed trainer.
4 Win Against: Trace
While Blue is a flawed and bitter rival, Trace is hardly able to keep up with any other champion in the history of Pokémon. As the rival in the Pokémon Let's Go series he's extremely plucky and friendly, but his lightheartedness makes him extremely disappointing as a champion.
Leon is a born champion and has grown from a traveling trainer into a true Pokémon Master, while Trace is the same childish trainer the entire way through. Even his team is far lower in level and quality than Blue's, giving Trace very little shot of winning against someone as bold and experienced as Leon.
3 Lose Against: Mustard
Mustard was a previous champion of Galar, but it wasn’t Leon who dethroned him. Mustard was champion much longer prior, holding onto the title for a long time before Chairman Rose requested him to take part in a rigged battle to give him a victory after a series of losses. He moved to the Isle of Armor after his reign, opening the Master Dojo where Leon was briefly a student.
Leon failed the challenges of the Master Dojo significantly because he was too unfocused, meaning he’s essentially lost to Mustard outside of battle. If they were to fight now, Mustard has gained a huge amount of discipline alongside his charm and wit that can outsmart Leon’s energetic battling style, especially when both their teams have equally powerful Gigantamax Pokémon.
2 Win Against: Lance
This is one of the only fights where we can be completely confirmed that Leon would win since this match took place in the Pokémon anime. In it, Lance uses his Shiny Gyarados against Leon’s Charizard for a close and intense Dynamax Battle, where Leon takes the victory.
Even without this, it’s not too surprising that Leon would come out victorious. Leon’s team is far more diverse, and even just Charizard’s range of moves can counter all of Lance’s Flying and Dragon-types quite easily. They’re an exciting pair to watch, but the result is fairly predictable.
1 Lose Against: Cynthia
Cynthia is one of the most difficult champions in the entire Pokémon series, and there’s no shame in losing to her for it. Her team consists of several competitive-level partners, with many like Milotic and Lucario being signature Pokémon of other trainers due to their strength.
Most players are going to struggle against Cynthia, and the charm of Leon is that he resembles a typical Pokémon player and protagonist more than any other champion. Leon could certainly succeed with enough time and caution, but the calmness and strategy needed to defeat Cynthia just aren’t exactly his style.