I was thinking about how in pokemon gym leaders will also serve as community leaders or representatives so I had a question for only the most autistic. Which gym leaders are most divorced from their home cities, both in universe thematically and mechanically? I was trying to think by generation and I think I've got a solid handle on a few
Gen 1-Erica lives in a modern city with a giant shopping mall and high rises, lots of gambling, and her gym is the nature type, tucked away from the rest of the city, blissfully unaware of how her city has been overrun by team Rocket. One change I would make is to swap the location of Erica, the delicate grass type leader, and Koga, the devious ninja. I think they would fit better thematically with Erica in fuchsia and Koga in Celadon. I mean Koga's city is famous for its nature preserve, that city calls out for a grass type leader.
Erica gym is a huge botanical garden. It fits for big city surrounded by nature
Joshua Hall
Gen II-It has to be Chuck in Cianwood. His city, a seaside place with a famous pharmacy, is perfect for a water, ground, rock (beach theme) psychic, normal or even poison (healing theme). Fighting makes little sense, and he seems divorced from the johto mainland, certainly unwilling to help Jasmine.
Mason Martin
Honestly Pryce's ice gym truly has nothing to do with the surrounding area's in the slightest so I'm gonna go with that. Legitimately every other gym leader I can think of fits their area in one way or another The hermetic fighter training on a small island is a common trope, they even double dipped with brawly
Nathaniel Brooks
Gen III-Another easy one, its Winona in Fortree. She lives in a literal forest traversible by rope ladders a perfect setting for a grass, ground(nature setting) or fighting gym (challenging traversal theme) and she's a flying type leader? Not to mention completely unaware of the kecleon infestation? Baffling to be sure.
Connor Sanchez
Gen IV-I actually think they did a great job with this even if there was some recycling (rock type trainer in the museum city). I guess the one that's not perfect is Maylene in Veilstone. I think a rock(the city is cut into a mountain) electric, or steel(big city, modernization) type leader would be more appropriate but fighting is fine.
Gen V-Again I think pokemon did a nice job this generation. My one complaint is Burgh. In the largest city in the region by far, with a massive port to its south (water, steel) a colossal bridge to its east (flying) and an expansive desert to its north(ground, rock) and even a large sewer system (poison) they settled on an eccentric artist with Bug types? A headscratcher. Why not take the metaphor further and make him a Queen Bee type if it's about the hustle and bustle and everyone living and working close together?
>Ghost type gym leader >In a bright desert city where the sun always shines Gordie and Ice mom somewhat makes sense in their city and Bea kinda works but Allister feels so out of place
Nothing screams "Im from the city" than a pretentious artist
Dylan Anderson
this design is pure bait
Jack Morgan
The desert's isolated, mysterious, and spooky. Plus, there's ruins of a forgotten civilization just outside the city limits. Allister doesn't work as a leader because he's a little kid who can't even speak to people
Jayden Williams
The brightest place always hide the darkest shadows
Asher Smith
Viridian City and Giovanni feels like a pretty easy one considering he's basically just never there until you already beat his ass twice. The closest to a theme I could think of is using an unassuming town as a place where the literal mob boss lives, but that's kind of a stretch.
Levi Scott
Volkner is so divorced from his city that fuckin Flint and Jasmine BOTH have more presence there than he does, and more dialogue with the player too. Not to mention it's a seaside city that stretches over the ocean on skybridges, suggesting either water or flying type, but no he gets electric. All player direction and motive comes from other leaders in his own city, Volkner is just there to fight.
What is wrong with you all? You're complaining that the characters aren't stereotypical enough?
Asher Cruz
Erica lives in a traditional Japanese garden in contrast to the urban and seedy Celadon.
You don't see how Fighting can fit in a rural seaside town, but fucking psychic can? Seaside fisherman, beach training, sailor, manual labor, a lot of that stuff fits there.
Ice cave is next door.
You don't see the connection to loving in trees and bird Pokemon?
This I think is the biggest issue though. Early Gens did great showcasing trainers as normal people, not "my life was built around type Pokemon"
Ayden Ortiz
most misused character and wasted potential fanart literally carries him
Ian Davis
>dude the gym leader NEEDS to be a wacky cliche who matches the amusement park theme of their city! gen 5 was a mistake
Sebastian Thomas
Those ‘sky bridges’ are solar panels. Pretty sure that was stated somewhere. Thought that was the whole point
Jordan Collins
Yeah ok, so why doesn't he use Sun at all in his battle? And give you Waterfall of all things at the end when despite being near the sea, there's no waterfalls around?
Christopher Nguyen
that's every character in this franchise
Jason Sanchez
Every female design is, so male ones being too isn't a surprise
Austin Rogers
>>In a bright desert city where the sun always shines Deserts are perfectly spooky, them being large, harsh, and hiding ruins and and graves and unknown creatures are why jinn are thing.
Brandon Morgan
yeah I don't get the point of the thread. all the gym leaders make complete sense to me
