Pokémon Sword and Shield has been out in the wild for some time now. Many fans have already completed their journey through the Galar region and are mopping up their Pokédexes (or Curry Dexes) as we speak. As the dust settles after the game’s controversial launch, it’s time to reflect a little on that journey.
The latest Pokémon titles did their best to appeal to every kind of player, by adhering to the familiar Pokémon formula while switching things up just a little. As a result, Galar’s gyms were structured a little differently. Let’s take a look at the game’s colorful cast of Gym Leaders and take a shot at ranking them.
11 Kabu
Now, Kabu didn’t exactly do anything wrong. He’s the wise old Fire-type master he was supposed to be, and his little soccer manager half-jog onto the pitch was just perfectly animated. The issue here was mainly that he was a victim of his own hype.
Frequently referred to as a fearsome road block up to this point, Kabu’s gym was quite disappointing. The previous two gym challenges (Milo’s and Nessa’s) took place in sprawling arenas, but Kabu’s catching contest was very small-scale in comparison and didn’t provide any of the tension or challenge it could have. The battle itself was perfectly serviceable (my, Kabu, what a huge, furious, fiery insect you have!), but the overall experience disappointed.
10 Bea
Bea is the first of the version-exclusive Gym Leaders we’ll be taking a look at. The Fighting Pokémon specialist is your opponent at the Stow-On-Side Gym in Pokémon Sword. She’s the holder of the fourth badge, and offers perhaps the steepest challenge you’ll have faced up to that point.
That’s all well and good, but her personality is very typical of a Fighting-type specialist and her team is equally generic (Sirfetch’d was quite cool to see, though). Perhaps the most frustrating thing was the odd sort of funfair ride attraction that is her Gym’s challenge. Rotating the little cart around the obstacles was quite frustrating.
9 Allister
Next, we move on to Bea’s Pokémon Shield counterpart. In this version of the game, your opponent at Stow-On-Side Gym will be Allister instead. This enigmatic and mysterious young man battles with Ghost Pokémon, and his unique nature puts him just a shade above Bea in our book.
While the Gym’s challenge itself is exactly the same, just reskinned, it seems to fit Allister better. Given a spooky coat of paint, the whole thing has a haunted house carnival vibe. It’s still quite a bland challenge, though, and it’s only the unique nature of his Gigantamax Gengar that makes his team stand out a bit more.
8 Gordie
Now, it isn’t easy being a Rock-type Gym Leader. Rock Pokémon in general are in an untenable spot. They want to be the rough, rugged, tanky Pokémon that their typing suggests they should be, but then they remember that Game Freak hates Rock-types and so made them weak to absolutely everything ever.
If you tried to tackle Brock with a Charmander back in the day, you’ll know that Rock Pokémon can present a challenge in the early game. Gordie, however, is the sixth Gym Leader, by which time the player should be fully capable of utilizing a varied team that can exploit his many weaknesses. The challenge involving the Trap Detector and many, many pitfalls on the way to his room could be a real pain, too.
7 Melony
We’ve placed Melony square in the middle of the list for a reason. Aesthetics-wise, she’s the ideal Gym Leader for Circhester City, a beautiful, snow-covered town that just cries out for an Ice-type Gym Leader. With her winter-themed outfit and challenge (again, a reskinned version of Gordie’s, complete with snowdrifts and very confusing snowstorm), she’s the perfect fit.
While she’s a little above Gordie in that sense, she shares the same issue: as an Ice-type specialist, her Pokémon’s weaknesses are far too numerous and easy to exploit.
6 Piers
Spikemuth City finally bought something to the table that Pokémon fans have been crying out for: a Dark-type Gym. That’s already a point in his favor, as is his so-edgy-he’d-give-you-a-papercut-just-looking-at-him design.
Spikemuth City’s Gym is a real anomaly, though. For one thing, its challenge is quite a lazy one: it’s just a series of Pokémon battles through the city to reach the leader. For another, Piers refuses to Dynamax his Pokémon, which is why his Gym isn’t on a Power Spot. The battle is less dramatic as a result. Even so, he has an engaging personality and unique arena that deserves a higher place.
5 Nessa
As fans will know, Nessa serves as the Gym Leader of Hulbury City. Her Water-type Pokémon are your opponents for only the second Gym of the game. Nevertheless, for some, hers is also one of the most memorable Gyms.
The puzzle here is actually quite taxing. It’s easy to get yourself into a muddle by confusing the order of the switches that stop/activate the water flow. The vast size of the arena also speaks of the new scope of Sword and Shield. Add in the fact that her Pokémon aren’t plagued by weaknesses like those of Gordie and Melony (and will pose a problem for two of the three starters) and you’ve got quite an impressive Gym Leader all around.
4 Bede
Bede was quite a tough one to place. When we first meet him, he’s an obnoxious Trainer on the Gym Challenge, who firmly believes in his own superiority and specializes in Psychic Pokémon. After upsetting the Chairman, he is disqualified. He’s quickly picked up by Opal, though, who wants him to succeed her as the leader of the Fairy Gym.
During the Champion Cup, he surprises the player by challenging them in that capacity. As the ‘final’ Gym Leader we face, his team is arguably the strongest, and he’s clearly learned some humility since being disqualified from the challenge himself. For his importance to the plot and his strength, he rates quite highly, but the last few Gym Leaders still beat him out.
3 Opal
The Gym Challenges of Sword and Shield are clever fusions of the Gyms of old and the Trials of Alola’s Island Challenge from Generation VII. They tend to be a bit more varied and interactive, and Ballonlea’s is one of the most unique.
Opal’s is the fifth Gym in the game, and is set up like an audition of sorts. The battles with Trainers are punctuated by questions from Opal, and answering correctly will afford your Pokémon a brief stat buff (the opposite effect will occur if you answer wrongly). The whole set-up here is very creative, and Opal plays an important part in the overall story to boot. In our opinion, only the last two Gym Leaders are better than her overall.
2 Raihan
Here he is, friends. The most fearsome Gym Leader in all of Galar: Raihan, the Dragon-type expert.
While Raihan is a Dragon specialist, he also opts to switch things around. He fields a doubles team which revolves around the weather (specifically sand), which can be tough to combat if you aren’t prepared for it. His Challenge may only consist of a series of battles with his underlings, but they also field weather-based doubles teams, an idea which is a real first for the series. Overall, though, there’s one more Gym Leader that tops him.
1 Milo
Milo, the very first Gym Leader the player faces? What’s he doing at the top of the list? Well, stick with us and we’ll explain.
In terms of the difficulty of the battle, he may well be at the very bottom. After all, a level 19 Gossifleur isn’t exactly the stiffest challenge you’ll face on your journey. However, his quirky Wooloo-hurding minigame is a fun introduction to the whole concept. Beyond this, the lore explains a little about Milo’s attitude and why he’s the first Gym Leader: he’s very gentle and doesn’t like to discourage new challengers, so his badge is the easiest to get. A lot of thought has gone into this. He’s an all-around great guy, too.