Some of the most iconic characters in the entirePokémonfranchise are, without a doubt, the gym leaders one can meet throughout the games. These powerful trainers serve asa test of the player’s strength and knowledge of type matchups, with defeating them resulting in being one step closer to becoming the region’s champion. With Generation 10 on the horizon, however, it could be time to slightly change how these gym leaders have worked after all these years.
Ever since the early days ofRed and Blue,gym leaders inPokémonhave been limited to using only one type of Pokémon on their team. However, many players have complained that the games from the past few generations were way too easy and have demanded that future games provide them with more of a challenge. One possible solution could be to allow gym leaders tospecialize in using two types instead of one, though there are clear pros and cons to this that need to be considered.
Having Two Types Would Provide Players With More Of A Challenge
A Unique Way To Make Battles More Difficult
Ever since the days ofPokémon X and Y, there has been a growing complaint about morerecent games in the franchise being too easy. This was mainly due to the gym leaders either having Pokémon that were easy to defeat or strong gym leaders like Wulfric having very small teams. Compared to the gym leaders from the classic games, these newer ones didn’t seem like much of a threat to many players, even with the inclusion of variousgimmicks like Mega Evolutionor Terastalization.
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Specializing in two Pokémon types instead of one would immediately make gym leaders more of a challenge to face. Players would have totake more time carefully crafting the perfect team, as the gym leader could easily have a Pokémon that is a perfect counter. It would allow for stronger Pokémon to be added to the gym leaders' teams and truly test the player’s knowledge regarding type match-ups, abilities, and items to win.
Dual Typings Could Play Into Certain Gym Leaders' Aesthetics
A Clever Way To Tie Into Character Designs
It is undeniable that various gym leaders across many of the games havevery eye-catching aesthetics. Characters like Olympia, Roxie, and Elesa immediately stand out with their unique designs, though their teams don’t always coincide with the vibes they are meant to give off. Olympia could have some Ghost-types to emphasize the vast cold void of space that’s present in her design, Roxie could have some Electric-types to highlight her skills as a wild electric guitar player, and Elesa could have some Fairy-types to hint at the bedazzling nature of her modeling career.
Havinggym leaders using dual-typingsprovides an excellent opportunity toplay into the aesthetics of future characters. With Generation 10 currently going under theleaked name Project Gaia, it provides numerous possibilities for what the region’s gym leaders could be like. There could be references to many dangerous aspects of the world, such as earthquakes and volcanoes or raging thunderstorms, as well as aesthetics that highlight the beauty and majesty of the world, but only time will tell just what is in store for this new generation.
Dual Typings Severely Limit Options During Development
Making Every Gym Leader Have Dual-Types Would Be Difficult
The main issue with trying to make every gym leader and elite four-member dual-type is the limited number of types currently inPokémon. Currently, there are onlyeighteen type combinationsin the games, meaning there is simplynot enough to give every character two typesif Gen 10 follows the same formula as previous entries. The only solutions that could fix this issue are either creating a bunch of new Pokémon types, which would cause issues with game balance, or only making the stronger gym leaders and Elite Four be the ones to use two types during fights.
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Ultimately, giving dual types to the gym leaders would be an exciting direction for the Generation 10 games, as it would break the established status quo that has been around for so many years. Despite the limitations it could pose during development, it would allow the developers to truly emphasize the aesthetics of their new characters while simultaneously providing many players with the greater challenge they are looking for. Ultimately, as cool as this concept may sound, only time will tell if dual-type gym leaders will ever become a thing in thePokémonfranchise.
