Pokémon Champion

Artwork of Galar Champion Leon from Pokémon Sword and Shield

A Pokémon League Champion (Japanese: リーグ優勝者 League Champion), normally referred to as simply Champion or Pokémon Champion (Japanese: チャンピオン Champion), is the highest known level of rank for a Pokémon Trainer. The title is also colloquially referred to as League Champ (Japanese: ポケモン リーグの ちょうてん Pokémon League's Greatest).

It usually refers to a Trainer who has completed a Pokémon League by collecting all the necessary Badges, and either winning a regional Pokémon tournament or defeating the Elite Four and the previous Champion (if there is one). Kanto and Johto share a Champion, while other regions have their own. If a Champion is defeated, they must relinquish their title to the victor; however, the victor can refuse the title, as N did in Pokémon Black and White.

Starting in Generation VII, the player, as Champion, can defend the title against challengers.

In the core series games

The Champion's chamber in Pokémon Sun and Moon, where Professor Kukui challenges the player to test their worth as Alola's first Champion.

Champion is a Trainer class that first debuted in the Generation I games. It is the title held by the last Trainer who defeated the Elite Four and the previous Pokémon Champion. Each Champion is always stronger than the Elite Four members and most other Trainers, and has a party of six Pokémon to test their opponents' strength. Like Elite Four members, they employ the use of strong healing items. To challenge the Champion, Trainers must defeat all four Elite Four members without leaving the Pokémon League area, and cannot access the Pokémon League Pokémon Center and Poké Mart until after defeating the Champion or losing at any point during the challenge. If a challenger is defeated by the Champion, just like the Elite Four, they must start over.

Since in the vast majority of core series games the player goes on to defeat the standing Champion, most player characters are considered Champions and subsequently entered into the Hall of Fame, along with their party. However, for players in games prior to Generation VII, becoming the Champion is mostly a symbolic honor, as they are unable to battle challengers or take up any other league duties; the former Champion will still remain at the Pokémon League, retaining the Trainer class Champion (in Generations I and III, Blue clearly states his reign is over; in the Delta Episode, Zinnia teases Steven that he is the former Champion). In games prior to Pokémon Sun and Moon, the player may battle the Elite Four and the former Champion an indefinite number of times, and on each success will be re-entered into the Hall of Fame with whatever team was used in that challenge. In Alola, the player may still battle the Elite Four an indefinite number of times, but this is followed by a battle against a challenger rather than the former Champion. In Galar, the player can host Champion tournaments, facing three Trainers per tournament; these can be repeated indefinitely.

In Black and White, Cynthia tells the player that once every few years, the Champions from all the regions come together and battle to find the strongest among them. In the Pokémon World Tournament in Black 2 and White 2, which takes place two years later, all the Champions the player battles in previous games participate in the Champions Tournament. This tournament does not include player characters, with the exception of Red.

In Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, the Pokémon League of Alola, having just been established, has no Champion. Instead, Professor Kukui (the league's founder)^SM or Hau (the player's rival)^USUM, stands in as the final obstacle the player must overcome before becoming the league's first Champion. In another first for the series, the player can defend their title against challenges from non-player characters. The player keeps the nominal title of Champion even if defeated. Similarly, in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Trace is the Champion of the Indigo League at first, but loses his title to the player. After defeating Lance in a rematch, Trace will challenge the player as a normal Pokémon Trainer in an attempt to retake the title. In Pokémon Sword and Shield, the player character can host post-game Champion tournaments, with one of the possible challengers being Leon.

In Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Professor Oak reveals that originally, Trainers who defeated the Elite Four were recorded as Champions, but now Champions were going to be established as a part of the Pokémon League challenge, meaning that now a Trainer can only become a Champion by defeating the Elite Four and the current Champion. In the same games, Brock also reveals that Gym Leaders have the right to directly challenge a Champion.

Known non-player Champions in the games:

Indigo League/Johto League				Hoenn League		Sinnoh League
RGBYFRLG	PE	GSCHGSS		RSORAS	E	DPPtBDSP
Blue	Trace	Lance	Red*	Steven	Wallace	Cynthia
	File:Lets Go Pikachu Eevee Rival.png
Various	Various	Dragon	Various	Steel	Water	Various

Unova League		Kalos League	Galar League
BW	B2W2	XY	SwSh
Alder	Iris	Diantha	Leon	Mustard*	Peony*
Various	Dragon	Various	Various	Various*	Steel

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Trading Card Game series

In Pokémon Trading Card Game, after defeating the Grand Masters of the Pokémon Dome, the last challenge they must face is their rival, Ronald, who beat the Grand Masters before them and obtained the four Legendary Cards. The player must defeat him to become Champion and gain control of the Legendary Cards for themselves. In the championship duel, Ronald uses the Legendary Ronald Deck, which focuses around Fire Energy, Colorless Pokémon, and the Legendary Moltres and Dragonite cards.

In Pokémon Card GB2: Here Comes Team GR!, a direct sequel to the previous game, the player, as acting Champion, pursues Team Great Rocket after their Cards are stolen.

TCG Island
TCG
Ronald
Colorless	Fire

Pokkén Tournament

In Pokkén Tournament, Glenn is the League Champion of the Ferrum League and the top Trainer in the Chroma League. His fighter is a Machamp. Defeating him unlocks the Iron League.

Ferrum League
Pokkén Tournament		Region: Ferrum
Trainer	League	Pokémon
League Champion Glenn グレン Glen	Rank A Chroma League クロマリーグ Chroma League	Machamp

In the anime

Main series

Lance and Leon, the Champions of Kanto and Galar, respectively.

In the Pokémon anime, there can only be one Pokémon Champion per region at a time, except for the Orange League. While Pokémon Trainers can freely request an informal battle from the Champion, much more popular events are the Pokémon League Conferences, which can normally be entered by Trainers with at least eight Gym Badges. The winner of these tournaments may enter the Champion League to face off the regional Elite Four members and, if successful, the League Champion.

In Alola, due to the Pokémon League being a new establishment, there was no reigning Champion for the majority of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, and the winner of the region's first League Conference was directly declared the first Champion of Alola. In addition, due to the lack of Gyms in Alola, any willing Trainer is allowed to participate in its League Conference.

In the Orange League, Trainers who defeat the Orange Crew Supreme Gym Leader attain the title of Champion, but the Supreme Gym Leader is not displaced upon defeat. Winning Trainers earn the Winner's Trophy and are inducted into the Palace of Victory, but do not have to carry out any specific tasks as Champions.

In addition to gathering eight Gym Badges, the Indigo Plateau Conference is known to accept Trainers passing the Pokémon League Admissions Exam and those graduating from Pokémon Tech. There are also smaller tournaments, such as the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, where the winner gets to battle the League Champion straight away. Trip and Magnus were allowed to battle Alder and Diantha, respectively, by winning such competitions.

In Pokémon Journeys: The Series, several Champions from different regions participate in the World Coronation Series to achieve the title of Monarch. Although they still maintain their title of Champion, they start at the lowest rankings like any participant and need to rank up within the parameters of the competition.

Known Champions in the main series (including any previous ones):

League	Name
Orange League	Captain
	Drake
	Ash Ketchum
Indigo League	Lance*
Hoenn League	Wallace*
	Steven Stone
Sinnoh League	Cynthia
Unova League	Alder*
	Iris
Kalos League	Diantha
Alola League	Ash Ketchum
Galar League	Leon

A list of episodes in which a Champion (excluding Ash) appears can be found here.

Pokémon Origins

In this series, the system for defining the Champion of the region is identical to the method seen in the Generation I games. Red and Blue won the eight Badges, and therefore the right to battle the Elite Four. Blue won against them first and became the de facto Champion, after which he faced off against Red. In the end, Red defeated him and became the new Kanto Champion.

Known Champions in Pokémon Origins:

Name	League
Blue	Indigo League
Red	Indigo League

Pokémon Generations

Due to the format of the series, in Pokémon Generations, the subject of Champions is not addressed. In The Challenger, Blue became the Kanto Champion after defeating the Elite Four. In The Redemption, Calem was shown celebrating his newly acquired Champion status. Other characters who have become Champions of their regions also appear in the series.

Known Champions in Pokémon Generations:

Name	League
Blue	Indigo League
Cynthia	Sinnoh League
Diantha	Kalos League
Calem	Kalos League

Pokémon: Twilight Wings

Leon first appeared in Letter, where he was seen defeating Bea in a Pokémon League battle, successfully defending his title.

In The Gathering of Stars, Leon was revealed to have lost his title to Victor or Gloria, who was later invited to partake in the Galarian Star Tournament. The former Champions Mustard and Peony also appeared and were invited to the tournament as well.

Pokémon Evolutions

Several Champions appeared in this series. The most prominently featured one of them was Leon, who served as the main character of the Galar-focused episode.

Known Champions in Pokémon Evolutions:

Name	League
Leon	Galar League
Diantha	Kalos League
Alder	Unova League

In the manga

The Electric Tale of Pikachu

The following are the known Champions in The Electric Tale of Pikachu:

Name	League
Drake	Orange League
Ash Ketchum	Orange League

Wallace wearing the "Champion's Cloak" in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

In Pokémon Adventures, the Champion of each region is the winner of an elimination tournament held every three years in each region. In the Ruby & Sapphire arc, it was determined that the winners of each tournament would have to face the Elite Four, each a former champion themselves, before challenging the Champion. The main characters that took part in a Pokémon League tournament so far are Red, Blue, Green, and Black. Of the four, Red and Black both won a tournament, though only Red was formally given the title of Champion.

The following are the known Champions in the Pokémon Adventures manga:

Name	League
Professor Oak	First Triennial Indigo League
Red	Ninth Triennial Indigo League
Steven Stone	Hoenn League
Wallace	Hoenn League, awarded by Steven
Cynthia	Sinnoh League
Alder	Unova League
Iris	Unova League
Diantha	Kalos League
Leon	Galar League

Pokémon Battle Frontier

The following are the known Champions in Pokémon Battle Frontier:

Name	League
Rald	Unknown

Pokémon Zensho

The following are the known Champions in Pokémon Zensho:

Name	League
Shigeru	Indigo League
Satoshi	Indigo League

Trivia

• In French localizations, Gym Leader is translated to Champion, while Champion is translated to Maître, meaning "master".
• Diantha has the highest leveled Pokémon out of all the Champions battled the first time the Pokémon League is challenged. Her lowest level is 64, and her highest is 68.
  • Although Alder has Pokémon above level 70, he is not battled as Champion until the post-credits rematch against the Pokémon League.
• Lance has the lowest leveled Pokémon out of all the Champions. His lowest level Pokémon is level 44 in Generation II, and level 46 in Generation IV. His highest is level 50 in both generations.
• In Pokémon X and Y, the Backpacker who gives the player a Strange Souvenir and foreshadows Alola mentions his region's Champion, even though Alola didn't have a Champion during the events of X and Y.
• Despite Alder not being a type specialist, half of his Champion team consists of Bug types.
• Peony is the only Champion who never battles the player with a full team of six Pokémon.

In other languages

Language Title Arabic بطل batal Chinese Cantonese 冠軍 Gungwān Mandarin 冠軍 / 冠军 Guànjūn Danish Mester Dutch Kampioen Finnish Mestari French Canada Champion* Europe Maître German Champ Greek Πρωταθλητής Protathlitís Hebrew אלוף Aloof (♂) אלופה Aloofa (♀) Hungarian Bajnok Italian Campione (♂) Campionessa (♀) Korean 챔피언 Champion Polish Wielki Mistrz (♂) Wielka Mistrzyni (♀) Czempion Portuguese Campeão (♂) Campeã (♀) Romanian Campion Russian Чемпион Chempion Spanish Campeón (♂) Campeona (♀) Swedish Mästare Champion Mästare Thai ผู้ชนะเลิศ P̄hū̂chnaleiṣ̄ Turkish Şampiyon Vietnamese Nhà vô địch

See also

• Pokémon Master
• Top Coordinator
• Category:Episodes in which a Champion appears
• Category:Champions' Pokémon

Trainer classes in the Pokémon core series

Kanto Ace Trainer* • Beauty • Biker • Bird Keeper • Black Belt* • Bug Catcher • Burglar • Camper* • ChampionGSCFRLGHGSSPE Channeler • Elite FourGSCFRLGHGSSPE • Engineer • Fisherman • Gamer* • Gentleman • Gym Leader*GSCFRLGHGSSPE Hiker • Juggler • Lass • Picnicker* • Poké Maniac* • Pokémon Trainer*GSCPE • Psychic • RivalFRLG • Rocker • Roughneck* Sailor • Scientist • Super Nerd • Swimmer • Tamer • Team Rocket Boss*FRLGHGSSPE • Team Rocket Grunt* • Youngster BoarderHGSS • Double TeamHGSS • FirebreatherGSCHGSS • GuitaristGSCHGSS • MediumGSCHGSS PokéfanGSCHGSS • School Kid*GSCHGSS • SkierHGSS • TeacherGSCHGSS • TwinsGSCFRLGHGSS Cool CoupleFRLG • Crush KinFRLG • Sis and BroFRLG • Young CoupleFRLGHGSS Coach TrainerPE • Karate MasterPE • Punk GuyPE • Team RocketPE • Team Rocket AdminPE Master TrainersPE Unused Trainer class: ChiefRGBY Johto Ace Trainer* • Beauty • Biker • Bird Keeper • Black Belt* • Boarder • Bug Catcher • Burglar • Camper Champion • Executive* • Firebreather • Fisherman* • Gentleman • Guitarist • Hiker • Juggler • Kimono Girl • Lass Leader • Medium • Picnicker • Pokéfan • Poké Maniac* • PKMN Trainer • Policeman* • Psychic • RivalHGSS • Sage Sailor • School Kid* • Scientist • Skier • Super Nerd • Swimmer • Teacher • Team Rocket Grunt* • Twins • Youngster Mystery Man*CHGSS • Double TeamHGSS • ElderHGSS • PasserbyHGSS • Young CoupleHGSS Battle Frontier only:HGSS Aroma Lady • Artist • Battle Girl • Cameraman • Clown • Collector • Cowgirl • Cyclist • Dragon Tamer • Idol Jogger • Lady • Ninja Boy • Parasol Lady • PI • Poké Kid • PKMN Breeder • PKMN Ranger • Rancher • Reporter Rich Boy • Roughneck • Ruin Maniac • Socialite • Tuber • Veteran • Waiter • Waitress • Worker Arcade Star • Castle Valet • Factory Head • Hall Matron • Tower Tycoon Hoenn Ace Trainer* • Aqua AdminSEAS • Aqua LeaderSEAS • Aroma Lady • Battle Girl • Beauty • Bird Keeper • Black Belt Bug Catcher • Bug Maniac • Camper • Champion • Collector • Dragon Tamer • Elite Four • Expert • Fisherman Gentleman • Guitarist • Hex Maniac • Hiker • Interviewers* • Kindler • Lady • Lass • Leader • Magma AdminREOR Magma LeaderREOR • Ninja Boy • Old Couple • Parasol Lady • Picnicker • Poké Fan* • Poké Maniac* • Pokémon Breeder* Pokémon Ranger* • Pokémon Trainer* • Psychic • Rich Boy • Ruin Maniac • Sailor • Schoolkid* • Sis & Bro* • Swimmer Team Aqua GruntSEAS • Team Magma GruntREOR • Teammates* • Triathlete • Tuber • Twins • Winstrate • Young Couple • Youngster Ace DuoORAS • Brains & BrawnORAS • BackpackerORAS • DelinquentORAS • Fairy Tale GirlORAS • Fare PrinceORAS Free DiverORAS • LeadersORAS • LorekeeperORAS • Mysterious SistersORAS • ProprietorORAS • Rotation GirlORAS Scuba DiverORAS • Secret Base ExpertORAS • Secret Base TrainerORAS • SootopolitanORAS • Street ThugORAS Battle Frontier only:E Arena Tycoon • Dome Ace • Factory Head • Palace Maven • Pike Queen • Pyramid King • Salon Maiden Battle Institute and Battle Maison only:ORAS Artist • Battle Chatelaine • Butler • Chef • Furisode Girl • Garçon • Gardener • Madame • Maid • Monsieur • Owner • Preschooler Punk Girl • Punk Guy • Rising Star • Roller Skater • Schoolboy • Schoolgirl • Scientist • Tourist • Veteran • Waitress • Worker Sinnoh Ace Trainer • Aroma Lady • Artist • Battle Girl • Beauty • Bird Keeper • Black Belt • Bug Catcher • Cameraman • Camper • Champion Clown • Collector • Commander • Cowgirl • Cyclist • Double Team • Dragon Tamer • Elite Four • Fisher* • Gentleman • Guitarist Gym Leader* • Hiker • Idol • Interviewers • Jogger • Lady • Lass • Madame* • Ninja Boy • Parasol Lady • Picnicker • PI • Poké Fan* Poké Kid • Pokémon Breeder* • Pokémon Ranger* • Pokémon Trainer* • Police Officer* • Psychic • Rancher • Ranchers* Reporter • Rich Boy • Roughneck • Ruin Maniac • Sailor • School Kid • Scientist • Skier • Swimmer • Team Galactic Boss* Team Galactic Grunt* • Tower Tycoon • Tuber • Twins • Veteran • Waiter • Waitress • Worker • Young Couple • Youngster Arcade StarPt • Castle ValetPt • Factory HeadPt • Hall MatronPt • MaidPt • GAME FREAK'sBDSP Unova Ace Trainer • Artist • Backers • Backpacker • Baker • Battle Girl • Biker • Black Belt • Champion • Clerk Cyclist • Dancer • Depot Agent • Doctor • Elite Four • Fisherman • GAME FREAK • Gentleman • Gym Leader* Harlequin • Hiker • Hooligans • Hoopster • Infielder • Janitor • Lady • Lass • Linebacker • Maid • Motorcyclist • Musician Nurse • Nursery Aide • Parasol Lady • Pilot • Pokéfan • PKMN Breeder • PKMN Ranger • Pokémon Trainer* • Policeman Preschooler • Psychic • Rich Boy • Roughneck • School Kid • Scientist • Smasher • Socialite • Striker • Subway Boss Swimmer • Team Plasma • Team Plasma Grunt • The RichesBW • Twins • Veteran • Waiter • Waitress • Worker • Youngster BeautyB2W2 • Boss TrainerB2W2 • GuitaristB2W2 Pokéstar Studios only:B2W2 A-list Actor • Actor • Actress • Big Star • Celebrity • Chic Actress • Child Star • Comedian Fine Actor • Movie Star • New Actress • Star Actor • Suit Actor • Unique Star • Veteran Star Pokémon World Tournament only:B2W2 Junior Representative • Master Representative • Senior Representative World Champion • World Finalist • World Runner-up Blueberry Academy only:SV BB League Champion • BB League Elite Four • Blueberry Academy Director Director • Instructor • League Club • Student • Top Champion Kalos Ace Duo • Ace Trainer • Artist • Artist Family • Backpacker • Battle Girl • Beauty • Black Belt • Brains & Brawn Butler • Champion • Chef • Driver • Elite Four • Fairy Tale Girl • Fisherman • Furisode Girl • Garçon • Gardener Hex Maniac • Hiker • Honeymooners • Lass • Leader • Lumiose Gang Member • Mysterious Sisters • Owner Poké Fan • Poké Fan Family • Pokémon Breeder • Pokémon Professor • Pokémon Ranger • Pokémon Trainer Preschooler • Psychic • Punk Couple • Punk Girl • Punk Guy • Rangers • Rising Star • Roller Skater Schoolboy • Schoolgirl • Scientist • Sky Trainer • Successor • Suspicious Child • Suspicious Lady Suspicious Woman • Swimmer • Team Flare • Team Flare Admin • Team Flare Boss • Team Flare Grunt Tourist • Twins • Veteran • Waitress • Worker • Youngster Battle Chateau ranks: By male: Baron • Viscount • Earl • Marquis • Duke • Grand Duke By female: Baroness • Viscountess • Countess • Marchioness • Duchess • Grand Duchess Battle Institute and Battle Maison only: Battle Chatelaine • Lady • Madame • Maid • Monsieur • Rich Boy Unused Trainer classes: Ace Surfer • Swimmers Galar Artist • Backpacker • Beauty • Black Belt • Cabbie • Café Master • Cameraman • Champion • Colleagues • Cook • Dancer • Daring Couple Doctor • Fisher • GAME FREAK's • Gym Challenger • Gym Leader • Gym Trainer • Gentleman • Hiker • Interviewers • Lass • League Staff Macro Cosmos's • Madame • Medical Team • Model • Music Crew • Musician • Office Worker • Poké Kid • Pokémon Breeder Pokémon Trainer • Police Officer • Postman • Rail Staff • Reporter • Schoolboy • Schoolgirl • Swimmer • Team Yell Grunt • Worker • Youngster Expansion Pass only: Dojo Master • Dojo Matron • Master Dojo Student See also: Sevii Islands Aroma Lady • Biker • Bird Keeper • Black Belt • Bug Catcher • Camper • Cool Couple • Cooltrainer • Crush Girl Crush Kin • Cue Ball • Fisherman • Gentleman • Hiker • Juggler • Lady • Lass • Painter • Picnicker • PokéManiac PKMN Breeder • PKMN Ranger • Psychic • Ruin Maniac • Scientist • Sis and Bro • Swimmer • Tamer Team Rocket Admin • Team Rocket Grunt • Twins • Tuber • Young Couple • Youngster Trainer Tower only: Beauty • Burglar • Engineer • Rocker • Sailor • Super Nerd Alola Ace Duo • Ace Trainer • Aether Branch Chief • Aether Foundation • Aether Foundation Employee Aether President • Athletic Siblings • Backpacker • Beauty • Bellhop • Black Belt • Captain • Collector • Cook • Dancer Eevee User • Elite Four • Espeon User • Firefighter • Fisherman • Flareon User • GAME FREAK • Gentleman • Glaceon User Golf Buddies • Golfer • Hiker • Honeymooners • Island Kahuna • Janitor • Jolteon User • Karate Family • Lass • Leafeon User Madame • Office Worker • Pokémon Breeder • Pokémon Professor • Pokémon Trainer • Police Officer • Preschooler Principal • Punk Girl • Punk Guy • Punk Pair • Rising Star • Rising Star Duo • Scientist • Sightseer • Swimmer • Swimmers Swimmer Girls • Sylveon User • Teacher • Team Skull • Team Skull Admin • Team Skull Boss • Team Skull Grunt Trial Guide • Twins • Umbreon User • Vaporeon User • Veteran • Veteran Duo • Worker • Youngster • Youth Athlete ActorUSUM • Capoeira CoupleUSUM • Dancing FamilyUSUM • Kantonian GymUSUM • Master & ApprenticeUSUM ReporterUSUM • Sparring PartnersUSUM • SurferUSUM • Team AquaUSUM • Team FlareUSUM • Team GalacticUSUM Team MagmaUSUM • Team PlasmaUSUM • Team Rainbow RocketUSUM • Team Rainbow Rocket GruntUSUM Tourist CoupleUSUM • Ultra Forest KartenvoyUS • Ultra Recon SquadUSUM Battle Tree, Battle Royal Dome, and Battle Agency only: Battle Legend • Pokémon Center Lady • Pro Wrestler Hisui Clan Leader • Ginkgo Guild Member • Pokémon Wielder • The Bandit The Galaxy Team's • The Survey Corps' • The Security Corps' • Warden Paldea Artist • Backpacker • Black Belt • Cabbie • Champion • Cook • Courier • Director • Dragon Tamer • Elite Four • Gym Leader Gym Trainer • Hiker • Instructor • Janitor • Model • Musician • Office Worker • Poké Maniac • Pokémon Trainer Scientist • Student • Team Star • Team Star Grunt • Top Champion • Waiter • Waitress • Worker • Youngster The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero only: Glitterati Kitakami Backpacker • Black Belt • Courier • Delinquent • Dragon Tamer • Festival Boy • Festival Girl • Glitterati Hiker • Kitakami Ogre Clan • Office Worker • Photographer • Poké Maniac • Pokémon Trainer • Ruffian Mochi Mayhem only: Grandma • Grandpa

This Trainer Class article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.