Pokémon X & Y were home to a big changes for the series. Not only were these the first entries to replace 2-D sprites with 3-D models, but it also featured far more extravagant stories and cut scenes than we’d ever seen in the series. With this bigger story came more characters than ever before.
Earlier Pokémon games typically just center on the player interacting with their rivals and the region's gym leaders, Pokémon X & Y have a much wider list of recurring characters, and every one of them is far more unique than most of those in prior games. Here are 10 of the absolute best you’ll meet in your adventure through Kalos.
10 Shauna
This character is one of the multiple companions you have in the game. Rather than just a single rival, you meet Shauna alongside some other characters that follow you on your journey, each with a different personality and helping to make your adventure to be a little less lonely.
Shauna’s identity is defined by her support for you, taking the Kalos starter weak to your own and wishing to travel for fun and friendship. While her niceness and positivity might be somewhat exhausting for some trainers, it’s still a nice change of pace from other past rivals who mostly treat you like a competitive opponent.
9 Korrina
One of the only Gym Leaders you encounter outside of battle is Korrina, the Fighting-type expert from Shalour City. This is because she’s the precursor to you learning about Mega Evolution from her grandfather, as she tests you and gives you a Lucario while you prove your worth.
This sort of identity in Gym Leaders is sorely missed from Pokémon X & Y, particularly with newer models to give them more identity than the mere pixel sprites they were before. She also is the only character that embraces your new movement option, the rollerblades, making her refreshingly original compared to all the martial arts experts that her signature Pokémon are normally used by.
8 Lysandre
Lysandre is a somewhat odd villain in the Pokémon series. While he and his organization Team Flare wish to make the world eternally beautiful, the method through which he does this is trying to tame a legendary Pokémon.
It’s a confusing plan that doesn’t make a lot of sense, but that doesn’t stop him from being a truly frightening villain. His look is exceptionally bright and colorful, but it comes with a nicely contrasting serious tone. He’s like a more visually interesting version of Giovanni, and his personality alone makes him recognizable as a dangerous villain.
7 Tierno
Another one of your friends from home, Tierno is a much more interesting sort of companion than other optimistic rivals. He’s themed around dancing, with all of his Pokémon learning moves like Swords Dance and Petal Dance to show off his, and their, moves.
People might be frustrated by his Vanillite shirt being off-theme, but otherwise it’s refreshingly unique to see a trainer whose Pokémon preferences are based on their moves, rather than their typing. It helps him feel more unique and memorable as an opponent, even if his battles aren’t greatly challenging.
6 Malva
Most of the Elite 4 in this game are relatively elusive, showing up only for your final battles but otherwise hiding to be revealed. The one exception is Malva, who also works as the news anchor for the Kalos region and gives you some world updates throughout the game.
Her character isn’t inherently exciting, but this kind of presence and secondary job besides being a trainer is something that other characters of authority lacked in this game. Encountering her is a fun little surprise, and it’s thrilling to fight a famous face who you’ve seen throughout the story in a non-battle context.
5 Trevor
Similar to Shauna and Tierno, Trevor makes for a fun companion by having more to his identity than just a competitive rivalry. His goals instead are centered around the Pokédex, as he wants to learn and complete it more than he wants to be a professional battler.
It’s not the most well-developed theme, but he’s one of the only companions in a Pokémon game that has their eyes set on something besides just battling. It’s a clear goal and motivation, and it sets him apart as being a friend rather than purely an opponent you have to face occasionally.
4 Professor Sycamore
Before we had the casual charm of Professor Kukui and the eager student Sonia, Professor Sycamore was the first to show us that a Pokémon Professor didn’t have to be a bland man who just starts your journey before disappearing forever. This open-shirt man oozes charisma and style as he joins you sporadically throughout your journey in Kalos.
Sycamore’s presence in the story already makes him more memorable than most other professors by actually wanting to befriend you. But besides that, he shows that a scientist doesn’t have to be an unstylish nerd, and set the tone for the more interesting professors down the line.
3 Calem and Serena
Most of your travel companions are presented as friends, but your rival (opposite your chosen in-game gender) Calem or Serena fill the void for trainers who need someone to prove their skills against. They have the traditional rivalry traits through the game by wanting to fight you lots, picking the Kalos starter to which yours is weak and sharing your goal of being a great trainer.
Rivals don’t have to be defined in purely classic ways, but with the massive shift that Pokémon X & Y bring it’s relieving to have someone that old trainers can find familiar. This particular rival is bound to be the one you value most as you work towards the title of Champion.
2 Diantha
Diantha is one of the first champions since Pokémon Emerald’s Wallace who brings flair and grace to the championship. This character is both a trainer and a popular actress, and with her bright and bubbly clothing, she comes across just as big of a celebrity as she’s described.
It’s tiring for champions to be just intimidating personas with threatening Pokémon. Champions like Blue and Lance might be iconic and climactic fights, but Diantha’s battle and beautiful team feels more like an achievement to have reached. You'll certainly be hoping to win of course, but by reaching her you already feel like you’ve made it to the top.
1 AZ
AZ is a fairly mysterious person, but what show of him makes him more curious than any other Pokémon character, as he's said to be Kalos royalty from thousands of years ago while still somehow living and protecting his region. What makes him so incredible, though, is that he’s one of the only characters whose lore is spread throughout the game.
You learn about him from himself, files in Lysandre’s Lab, and he’s even discussed further in Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire’s Delta episode epilogue. This series doesn't usually present characters so environmentally, and the indirect and numerous ways you learn his story make him all the more mysterious and interesting to follow.