Champions serve as the “Final Bosses” in the Pokemon Universe.

Not only are they stronger than any Gym Leader you’ve encountered, but they’re also considered the unquestioned leader of each region’s Elite Four–heralded as the best of the best.

However, in the same fashion that I described Pokemon Generations, not all Champions are created equal.

That is, that it’s not a stretch to point to certain Champions as more memorable than others.

Whether it’s the role they play in the game’s main story, or the difficulty of their respective battles, certain Champs have become fan favorites and have stood the test of time.

So, given how it’s PokeMonth, I took it upon myself to rank each Champion from worst to best.

This is a measure of each character’s ability, influence, and overall staying power in the minds of fans.

Obviously, it’s almost impossible to completely remove any personal bias of mine, but I tried my best to make this list on behalf of every Pokemon fan, instead of just myself.

Let’s do it:

 

9. Diantha (X & Y)

For being the Champion of Gen VI, which I vowed to be my last, Diantha is…disrespectful.

She’s disrespectful because her battle is so easy and unmemorable that I felt personally insulted as a lifelong trainer.

Nearly all of her Pokemon are (lesser) ones that you’ve seen before—except Goodra, the defensive abomination that’s supposed to be the successor to Gen V’s Hydreigon.

It isn’t.

The only reason I’m getting so worked up is because the developers have no excuse for Diantha. How do you make the most recent Champion the worst when you have 8 who came before to build off of?

But wait, there’s more. If it isn’t her barely noticeable presence in the story or her team comprised of the worst Kalos has to offer that’ll put you to sleep, wait until you see her final Pokemon: Mega Gardevoir.

Yawn.

 

 

8. Wallace (Emerald)

Wallace would have been a lot more effective as a character if he was Champion of his own region.

Unfortunately for him, he was the successor to Hoenn’s previous champ, Steven Stone. Those are some big shoes to fill.

But Wallace works in his own way. His extravagant design is one of the best in the series, and his extensive knowledge of Hoenn’s history makes him seem right at home when he takes over the Pokemon League.

Oh yeah, and his Double Team-spamming Ludicolo will make you want to commit murder.

Seriously–screw that Ludicolo.

 

 

 

7. Alder (Black & White)

Alder is cool. That’s it.

Just kidding, but that really is the best way I can come up with describing him.

His presence in the story is appreciated, as he’s the first Champion who advocates for other indicators of a great trainer besides sheer battle prowess. He’s all about the purity of a man-Pokemon relationship, while still being a high-ranking trainer.

This is probably why we can forgive his ultimately forgettable battle—unless you allow his Volcanra to Quiver Dance too many times. Then you’re screwed.

 

 

 

 

 

6. Iris (Black 2 & White 2)

As the second Champion of Unova, what puts Iris ahead of her predecessor Alder?

Simple: she’s hard as f*ck.

Keep in mind that the Fairy type didn’t exist in Gen V, so Dragons still ruled with an iron fist…or claw….whatever.

With weaknesses to only Ice and Dragon, and limited player availability to Dragons in the main game, you’re certainly facing an uphill battle with Iris.

If you play through the game on “Challenge Mode”, it only gets worse.

Her Lapras has Blizzard and holds the accuracy-boosting Wide Lens, while her Haxorus is holding a Focus Sash that’ll ensure it gets at least one Dragon Dance in.

Her Druddigon also knows Outrage and holds a Life Orb.

Good luck.

 

 

5. Red (Red, Blue, & Yellow)

Red’s prominence in Pokemon lore is really dependent on the player.

If your first game was Pokemon Gold or Silver, then you were probably confused as to who this mute kid is doing at the top of Mt. Silver all by himself.

If you didn’t play Gold or Silver, and have no clue what I’m talking about—then shame on you. Go do that now. NOW.

But those of us who played through Gen 1 and scaled Mt. Silver in GSC were treated to an absolutely shocking encounter—with none other than the same protagonist we turned into a Champion during RBY.

If you can get over the nostalgia trip of basically seeing your past self in front of you, you’ll be quick to realize that Red’s team is stacked. At the time of GSC’s release, Red has the highest leveled Pokemon of any trainer in the video games—an honor that was given back to Red in Heart Gold and Soul Silver.

His Pikachu is the highest level Pokemon of any in-game opponent, at 88. Don’t brush it off too quickly just because it’s a Pikachu—it holds a Light Ball.

The rest of his team is more nostalgic than difficult—especially in HGSS, which completely nerfed his Snorlax. (His old Snorlax had Rest, Snore, Body Slam, and Amnesia. Trolololol.)

But that’s not the point. Red’s battle helps reassure us that our past protagonists don’t just disappear once we stop playing the games.

They continue to live on and grow stronger, even after we’ve ventured off into new horizons.

Seriously, though: I hate that Gen II Snorlax.

 

 

4. Lance (Gold, Silver, Crystal/Heart Gold & Soul Silver)

Lance was the first in what would become a long line of Dragon-specific Elite Four/Champion trainers.

In Gen II, the former Elite Four member gets elevated to the role of Champion after Red’s departure, and brings a trio of Dragonite along with him.

The showdown with Lance in Heart Gold and Soul Silver might have you scratching your head about what makes Lance such a good Champion, since his team is relatively straightforward. Teach your Ferligatr Ice Beam or Ice Punch, and you can pretty much OHKO most of his team.

But we need to remember that the Dragon type was still largely overpowered in Gen II. The internet wasn’t nearly as accessible as it is today, so the only way for most of us to discover that Dragon’s were weak against Ice attacks was through trial and error.

Lots of trial, and lots of error.

Even if you did find this out, you still had to deal with his Gyrados and three consecutive Dragonites—one of the only two Pseudo Legendary available at the time (the other being Tyranitar).

His Aerodactyl and Charizard are pretty much manageable, but can still wreck your entire gameplan if you allow them to.

Lance was also heavily involved in Gen II’s plot, setting a precedent for a league’s Champion being a functioning protector of the region.

You also get to battle alongside him in HGSS. What an honor.

Speaking of involved Champions…

 

 

3. Steven (Ruby & Sapphire/Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire)

I hate battling Steven.

Serving as Hoenn’s Champion and an avid stone collector (very clever, Game Freak), Steven Stone’s team is comprised of both revived fossil Pokemon and impenetrable Steel types.

Not only is his team noticeably stronger than the other Elite Four members, but the fact that they’re all some of the most annoying dual types in the game will leave you second-guessing your attack selection.

His team includes a Steel type that can handle Fighting with Skarmory, a Rock type that is neutral damaged by water in Cradily, and a Psychic Pokemon that withstands Dark moves with Metagross.

What. The. Hell.

One of the only ways to have a team prepared to take on Steven is to have chosen Torchic as your starter, since Blaziken could easily blast through all of his Pokemon.

Clearly, I did not. #TeamSwampert

Another great part about Steven was how he was the first Champion to come off as a legitimate friend to the player. He mentors you throughout some serious events in the same fashion that Lance did in Gen II, but his dialogue is more genuine and approachable.

Steven’s communicating with the player as a peer instead of as a teacher makes it all the more shocking when he’s revealed to be the Hoenn Champion.

His humility leads to him abandoning his post in Pokemon Emerald to further pursue stone research. Despite given all the power in the region, Steven decides to follow his passions.

What a guy.

 

 

2. Blue (Red, Blue, Yellow/Fire Red & Leaf Green)

No victory, perhaps throughout the entire history of Pokemon, is more gratifying than defeating Blue.

From day 1, Blue is always a step ahead of you. His starter directly counters yours, his name is already on the plate of every Gym you challenge, and he seems to have it all figured out in a Gen that had most of us wandering around aimlessly and pressing A.

He even had an Alakazam before most of us learned that we needed actual real life friends in order to get one.

The worst part is, that after finally navigating Victory Road and full-restoring our way through the Elite Four, we’re hit with this: Blue has already done so, and your cocky childhood friend is the new Champion.

The good news: you get to immediately attempt to dethrone Blue as soon as he reveals himself as Champion.

The bad news: his team is absolutely stacked, containing some of the strongest Pokemon in the game (in Gen 1).

If you’re able to pull through and defeat Blue—which may or may not require the assistance of all three Legendary Birds—you effectively take his place atop Kanto and bring the story full circle.

Blue’s importance to RBY was the fact that he served as a measuring stick throughout the game. You’re chasing after him practically the entire time, and he pushes you to get stronger.

Defeating Blue symbolizes that you’ve fully matured as a player, and it’s a very rewarding experience.

There’s nothing like you’re first, but the fact that Blue is still one of the best makes it all the more nostalgic.

Smell ya later.

 

 

1. Cynthia (Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum)

Make no mistake—no matter how the rest of this list played out, Cynthia was always going to be #1.

A big reason why Cynthia is commonly heralded as the best Champion of Pokemon is because of her similarity with us as players.

She references a Pokemon journey of her own as a child, and shares a youthful enthusiasm for the mysteries of the PokeWorld.

Adding to that, her team is entirely made up of various Pokemon that we can attain during the main game.

Sound familiar?

Her deep understanding of the player’s journey, as well as the clear evidence that she acquired her Pokemon during her own adventures make Cynthia seem like an older version of ourselves, as if to answer the common question of “what if we could stay as Champion?”

The similarities with the player and the “big sister” relationship she shares with us are both great, but what really cements Cynthia as the #1 Champion is the simple fact that she is one of the absolute most difficult opponents in all of Pokemon.

Her Dark/Ghost Spiritomb has no weakness. Milotic is a defensive tank of a Water type that knows FREAKING MIRROR COAT. Her Platinum-only addition, Togekiss, has one of the highest base stat totals of any non-legendary.

….Her Lucario can be OHKO’d with a single fighting type attack, so it actually kind of sucks. But I also hate Lucario as a Pokemon in general, so…yeah.

And then you have her final Pokemon: Garchomp, equipped with a Sitrus Berry and the moves Dragon Rush and Earthquake.

Fun fact: In Gen IV, Garchomp was the only Pseudo-Legendary to be banned from competitive play, solely for being too good.

Add in the fact that her Pokemon are nearly 10 levels higher than those of other Elite Four members, and you have a true test of your abilities as a trainer.

And boy, is it satisfying when you’re able to hand defeat to such an absolute boss.

 

Thanks for reading!