Pokémon as a game franchise has always done a good job of introducing gym leaders with varying personalities and backgrounds. They can sometimes get a little repetitive with the actual typing of the trainers running the gyms, but they tend to do a good job and making them feel like unique individuals in their respective regions.
Some of these leaders land on the nerdier side, where others come across as the coolest of people. Let’s now look at and rank the coolest gym leaders from the very beginning of Pokémon up to Pokémon Sword & Shield.
10 Crasher Wake
Now, depending on who you ask, being a professional wrestler is either the coolest or the lamest thing one can do. Considering the world of professional wrestling and Pokémon have a significant amount of crossover between the fandoms, we think it falls on the side of cool.
Crasher Wake is the water-type specialist and gym leader of the Pastoria Gym and rocks a full wrestling outfit. On top of having arguably the coolest name among gym leaders, Crasher Wake also preaches fun above all else and is just looking to create some entertainment with his matches.
9 Winona
Flying-type trainers and gym leaders have a tough time because they’re often written and created as bird-loving weirdos. Winona breaks the mold in that way and has been labeled as a master of flying-type pokémon. She can control the exact degree in which her partners attack and can command flight paths as well.
Her gym has an open-air layout which she feels is neat because it adds unpredictability to the challenges she faces from upcoming trainers constantly. Winona is the closest to a dragon master, the flying-type trainer community has ever seen.
8 Grant
Grant is the health-conscious guy who doesn’t come across as pushy or righteous, but rather focus on his health and wellness in such a way that makes others around them want to do the same. He’s a rock-type gym leader who spends a good amount of his free time rock-climbing and scaling the nature in and around the Kalos region.
On top of being an active athletic specimen, Grant also has a track record of being very fashionable and setting trends, whether on purpose or by accident. He’s the type of person who’s extremely cool, but completely oblivious to it at all times.
7 Elesa
Elesa is the first of two models that are making this list, but it isn’t the sole reason she landed a spot. The great thing about Elesa is that she’s supportive and inspirational and shows a willingness to help those she cares about.
One of her most pivotal moments in the games is when she helps Bianca convince her father to allow her to follow her dreams of becoming a pokémon trainer. Elesa also happens to have a very unique fashion sense that helps her stand out when she’s out on the town or strutting down the world’s most popular fashion show runways.
6 Nessa
One thing that can make someone look cool is if they’re considered to be highly skilled or popular in multiple things. Not only is Nessa the gym leader of Hulbury’s stadium, but she also happens to be a successful and ultra-popular model.
Nessa portrays two distinct tones and personalities in each of these professions that fans think they’re two different people entirely. Having a rival is also pretty cool and according to Nessa, she has a rival gym leader in the Galar region. According to her, that rival is none other than the grass-type leader in Turffield, Milo.
5 Clair
There’s a cheat code in the world of Pokémon when it comes to looking cool and getting immediate respect and that’s being a dragon-type trainer. That typing tends to have some of the coolest and most fearsome creatures around and trainers who can command them are seen as master trainers.
Clair, who’s the cousin of Kanto’s resident dragon expert Lance, happens to be the dragon master who calls the Johto region home. Clair is the descendant in a long line of dragon-type trainers. It’s in her blood to command some of the fiercest pokémon and boy does she look cool doing it.
4 Olympia
Fortune tellers and the clairvoyant can either come across as cool and interesting or off-putting and gimmicky. Olympia, the psychic-type gym leader from the Kalos region, thankfully showcases attributes of the former. She sports a pair of three metallic rings that cover each of her wrists and her shoulders respectively.
Olympia can see the future of anyone who places their hand inside one of her rings. It’s also said that her cool galaxy-patterned cape creates a zero-gravity environment that helps increase psychic power.
3 Lt. Surge
Lt. Surge is a war hero who carries himself with extreme confidence and a hairstyle that won’t quit. He has a large bombastic personality that’s quite fitting of his physically imposing stature. He was a pilot in the army and would use his electric-type pokémon to power his plan.
Lt. Surge also happened to save the life of a fellow army member and would later make him a trainer in Lt. Surge’s gym. He loves electric-type pokémon to the point where it looks like he has a current running through his body at all times thanks to the energy he gives off.
2 Sabrina
Have you ever seen someone who was super cool and kind of terrifying all at the same time? That’s exactly what Sabrina, the psychic-type gym leader in Kanto is as a character. When it comes to the enjoyment of being a pokémon battler she is pretty uninterested and uninspired but her ability to talk with her pokémon partners telepathically makes her a tough match.
Being able to use non-verbal communication and relay ideas and thoughts in a fraction of a second is pretty incredible and in certain trainers eyes can be seen as either super cool or an unfair advantage.
1 Bea
Bea is a newer gym leader, and can only be challenged in Pokémon Shield. She’s arguably tougher than the numerous fighting-type pokémon she trains and leads and it’s helped her reach the levels of success she had.
When it comes to battling she has an intense focus that makes her come off as emotionless to her opponents. It turns out she’s quite complex as a character and will surprise you. During pokémon battles, she wears an outfit that makes it seem as if she, herself will be participating. Bea is easily the coolest looking trainer in the entire Galar region.
NEXT: Pokémon: 20 Weird Things You Didn’t Know About Gym Leaders
