Aaron's Top 5: Pokemon Champions

Pokemon is my favorite franchise. I grew up with the anime and playing the games upon release. One thing I always looked forward to in the main stream games were the champions. The person you face after defeating the eight gym leaders/bosses and removing the threat of a gang/terrorists group. I’m here to list my favorite kings of the hill and conquering queens.

Guys, Gals and Non Binary Pals. This is Aaron’s Top 5 favorite Pokemon Game Champions.

Honorable Mention: 

Diantha, XY

5: 

Red, Crystal

I love the concept that came with Red being on Mt. Silver. Its like, ‘surprise! Here’s the real final boss!’ They did something similar with Blue, but the build-up was more ambiguous. It’s like a noire film where everyone talks about the great incident 3 years ago involving Team Rocket and how they were broken up. 

You get hints that Red, the person behind the overthrow of team rocket, is missing once you enter Kanto. The confirmation that he’s missing comes from when you enter Pallet Town and you visit Red’s house. His mother tells the player that he never came home and that she’s worried sick. 

You beat the Kanto gym leaders and climb up the Mt. Silver and then, boom. Here he is. The character who was the first protagonists, is now your final test.

A level 88 Pikachu. All three starters. A Snorlax that just pissed me off. I loved fighting this guy. Every single second of it.

…Too bad he doesn’t say anything.

4: 

N, Black/White

So throughout Black and White one trainer challenges the player’s thinking of what it means to be a Pokemon trainer. We claim to love Pokemon but use them to fight. He’s very mysterious and has an awkward vibe to him. His name is N and he probably has one of the best build ups to a fight I’ve ever seen in, not just Pokemon but video games.

You battle him a few times in the game. Each battle is harder than the last but still not insanely difficult. He’ll help you at times and be your worst enemy. He’s a villain presented as an antagonist. 

Then, you defeat the elite four and instead of facing Alder, N shows up and has a castle rise from the ground surrounding the Pokemon league. You travel all the way up collecting potions and revives and there’s a rare candy as well. The team inside tells you about their ambitions for the future as well as their fears. You stop by N’s room which is a little kids room with toys and a train set…but he’s a older teen…now he’s disturbing.

Finally, after battling the legendary N places before you, he tells you it’s time to decide the fate of the world! The fate of Pokemon! This is the moment the entire game, and possibly the franchise, has been building to!

…I one hit K.O his entire team.

3: 

Steven, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire

Cunning and clean cut. Steven to me is the standard of what a Pokemon champion should be. You get this sense that Steven is nice because he wants to see others improve and that’s just the way he carries himself as well. 

As Champion, Steven acts as if it’s his responsibility to see to the growth of the next generation of trainers and that’s what he does. He gives advice and asks you to do things not out of laziness but to test the characters ability. Cynthia did this as well, but Steven seemed more developed as a character. And his battle was more fun.

His team in mainly steel type Pokemon with a very persistent Cradily, a powerful Armaldo, and an annoying Claydol. The strategy he comes at you with might be a tad easy to overcome. But it’s still a very enjoyable fight even if he gets easier the second time you fight him.

2: 

Lance, Hg/Ss

A dragon master who uses the same dragon three times and all of them are under-leveled. Now that the negatives are out of the way, he’s so cool!

(Secret Agent man by Johnny Rivers plays)

I always loved the idea of this badass whose very flamboyant. He’s a secret agent who stops evil organizations but walks around with a damn cape! Lance is kind of over the top but in a fun way. He’s always going to do the right thing and battle team rocket and then go back to the Pokemon league to give you a good battle.

Very simple, yet effective.

1:

Iris, B2/W2

What I love about the battle is that it’s a rematch. I faced her as a gym leader in White, unfortunately, she didn’t land a single hit on me. Yep, she spammed ‘dragon dance’ over and over while I just ‘ice beamed’ and ‘Dragon Pulsed’ my way to victory. Easily the worst gym battle I had during that game. So I wasn’t expecting much when I found out she was elevated to champion.

“Whatever, I’ll just spam Ice beam and,”

(One lose later)

“Okay, I underestimated her. Let me go in with a different strategy that’s not just attack. It relies on speed and-”

(Another Lose Later)

There have only been three champions who managed to k.o my entire team while playing as an adult. Red from Soul Silver, Cynthia from Platinum, and Iris from White 2. Iris is my favorite because I never played Pokemon for the difficulty and its challenge came from a character’s growth.

Now, you rebattle Blue in gen 2 kind of like you do Iris. However, Iris went from gym leader to champion while Blue was the other way around. Not as epic. But similar to Blue, you have to come up with a way to beat each of her Pokemon individually which you don’t expect since Pokemon likes to put Dragons on a nice pedestal.

‘But wait’, I hear you saying, ‘she also has an Aggron, Lapris, and an Archeops’. Well, this is what I liked about the fight with Alder. Mixing Pokemon that are strong against her own main type, or have moves strong against them anyway, to throw a wrench in your initial plan. Not only that, they seem to match her personality so it doubles as both an aesthetic and tactical choice.  

I also love her personality. While not as much I do Steven, she’s adorable since she’s his opposite. Iris is very energetic and loves showing her emotions. The funniest thing ever was when I tried to leave the room and she yells, ‘Whaaa! Where are going?’ And right before you face her she says,  

“The Trainers who make it here are Trainers who desire victory with every fiber of their being! And they are battling alongside Pokémon that have been through countless difficult battles! If I battle with people like that, not only will I get stronger, my Pokémon will, too! And we’ll get to know each other even better! OK! Brace yourself! I’m Iris, the Pokémon League Champion, and I’m going to defeat you!”

Iris was what Pokemon means to me. Starting out not that intimidating and growing until you’re a force to be reckoned with. Not just with overly powerful Pokemon, but with a team you love.

That’s why, Iris is the best champion in my book.

What’s your opinion?