Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gym Leaders Should Follow Raihan's Example

gamerant.com:

With every new mainline Pokemon game comes a bout of speculation. As each region is based on a real-world place, fans can throw ideas at the wall regarding what themed Pokemon will appear, and try to place elements like what real cities and towns will receive virtual facsimiles. Except for Alola in Pokemon Sun andMoon, every new region also has Gym Leaders to contend with, and nothing suggests the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be any different.

The official announcement trailer for Pokemon Scarlet andViolet, released on Pokemon Day 2022, has several things pointing to the games being based on Spain, and the wider Iberian Peninsula. Not only do maps for this part of Europe appear in live-action segments, the starters' English names include Spanish puns, and one building that appears to be the region's League headquarters is a reference to Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona. Assuming this means a regular Gym structure will return, its Leaders should move away from traditional type differences in favor of gimmicks akin to Sword and Shield's Raihan.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Have the Potential for Strong Cameo Characters

Pokemon is best known for its creature-collecting aspect, but the mainline titles are RPGs at their core. Each Pokemon is like an individual party member in a traditional JRPG, equipped with their own set of attacks that play to various archetypes and able to level up with stat buffs. With that framework in mind, Gym Leaders are akin to area bosses that restrict the player's progress until they've become strong — or clever — enough to win.

In 1996's Pokemon Red and Green on Game Boy, the Kanto region featured eight Gym Leaders: Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, Erika, Koga, Sabrina, Blaine,