Pokémon Champion
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This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. Reason: in the anime and in the manga information |
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 Pokémon Champion (if there is one). There is usually only one Pokémon Champion per region at a time. 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. It is assumed that the Champion must defend their title against challengers, although this is never explicitly stated.
In the games
Champion is a Trainer class that first debuted in the Generation I games. It is the title held by the Trainer who last 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. 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 are sent back to the Pokémon League and must start over.
Since in every main series game the player goes on to defeat the standing Champion, every player character could be considered a Champion. However, for players, becoming the Champion is mostly a symbolic honor, as they are unable to battle challengers or take up any other league duties. In addition, the former Champion will still remain at the Pokémon League, retaining the title of Pokémon Champion.
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 2 years later, all the Champions the player battles in previous games participate in the Champions Tournament.
The following are known Champions in the games:
In the anime
The path to becoming Champion differs between the anime and the games. In the anime, instead of fighting the Elite Four, there is a tournament among accomplished Trainers; however, Lucian mentioned that the winner of the Sinnoh League has the opportunity to battle the Elite Four and their Champion. Even an Elite Four member can usurp the Champion by battling them.
The following are the Champions known in the anime:
In the manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, 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 the determined that the winners of each tournament would have to face the Elite Four before challenging the Champion. The main characters that took part in a Pokémon League tournament so far are Blue, Green, Black, and Red—who won it and became a 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 |
Trivia
- The player has always met the Champion before challenging the Elite Four.
- In French localizations, Gym Leader is translated to Champion, while Champion is translated to Maître, meaning "master".
- The Sinnoh and Kalos Leagues are the only League that have only one known Champion (besides the player).
In other languages
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| Pokémon Champions | |
|---|---|
| Core series | Blue • Lance • Red • Steven • Wallace • Cynthia • Alder • Iris • Diantha • Trace • Leon • Mustard • Peony • Nemona • Geeta • Kieran • Drayton • Most player characters |
| Masters EX | Blue • Lance • Red • Steven • Cynthia • Alder • Iris • Diantha • Leon • Scottie • Bettie • Ash • Nemona • Geeta • Calem • Serena • Hop • Marnie • Bede • Leaf • Nate • Rosa • Silver • Cheren • Bianca |
| Other spin-offs |
Ronald (TCG GB) • Mark (TCG GB) • Mint (TCG GB) • Glenn (Pokkén) • Master Rosé (Duel) |
| Animated series | Lance • Cynthia • Wallace • Alder • Diantha • Steven • Ash Ketchum • Leon • Iris • Nemona • Geeta |
| Other animation | Blue (Origins) • Red (Origins) • Calem (Generations) • Celestine (PttP) • Edgar Troy (PttP) • Ava (PttP) |
| Adventures | Professor Oak • Red • Sidney • Phoebe • Glacia • Drake • Steven • Wallace • Cynthia • Alder • Iris • Diantha • Leon • Mustard • Peony • Nemona |
| Other manga | Shigeru (Zensho) • Satoshi (Zensho) • Rald (Battle Frontier) |
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The Pokémon League | 
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| Participation Trainer • Battle • Gym Leaders Gyms • Badges • Referee Championship matches Elite Four • Orange League Champion League Pokémon League Conferences Indigo • Silver • Ever Grande • Lily of the Valley Vertress • Lumiose • Manalo |
Regional Pokémon Leagues Indigo • Orange* • Johto • Hoenn • Sinnoh Unova (BB) • Kalos • Alola • Galar • Paldea Areas of jurisdiction Pokémon League Reception Gate • Hall of Fame Palace of Victory • Cerulean Cave • Area Zero Others Admissions Exam • Pokémon Association PIA • World Coronation Series (Masters Eight Tournament) | ||
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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. |
