Characters / Pokémon Sword and Shield

Main Character Index > Sword and Shield (Gym Leaders)

The characters of Pokémon Sword and Shield.

For a list of Pokémon that debuted in the eighth generation, see Pokémon: Generation VIII Families.

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Protagonists and Rivals

The Protagonists

General Tropes

• The Ace: Despite being a newbie trainer, they absolutely demolish their first gym challenge, catch at least one of the region's legendaries including Eternatus, and defeat the region's formerly invincible Champion. By the endgame, they're referred to as Leon's greatest challenger ever, a hero of Galar, and a brilliant rising star.
• Action Fashionista: If the descriptions of their clothes are any indication, they enjoy wearing designer brands and looking good, as shown by the vast array of clothes, makeup, and hairstyles available to them. They also become the strongest trainer in the region.
• Affectionate Nickname: Always referred to as "Chief" by Peony, even after their expeditions are over, or when in the Galarian Star Tournament.
• Agent Peacock: You can dress them up any way you like and have them spontaneously pirouette and pose in the street by running around in circles. Of course, they soon become the greatest trainer in the region.
• Ascended Fanboy: If their tendency to pose like Leon upon victory is any indication, it's likely that they've been a fan of Leon for years at this point and his endorsement was just the cherry on top.
• Badass Adorable: A kid who loves to make all sorts of goofy poses and faces on their Trainer Cards also happens to be a battling prodigy who bulldozes their first Gym Challenge and even earns the title of Champion.
• Bag of Holding: They always have a backpack or suitcase on them at all times to stash away all of their Póke Balls, medicine, berries, and other useful items they acquire throughout their journey.
• Big Eater: They can eat several dishes of curry consecutively without any delay. Especially with Gigantamix Curry, which magically makes the curry serving gigantic by default.
• Bizarre Taste in Food: They, and by extension, their Pokémon, can enjoy curries with some rather... unusual toppings, such as melted cheese, sliced apples, bananas, or even whipped cream.
• Childhood Friends: With Hop, as their families are neighbors with each other. Averted in regards to Leon, however, as Hop mentions that you've never actually met his brother, presumably because his duties as Champion mean that he's too busy to return home often.
• Child Prodigy: They dominate their very first gym challenge, clearing all eight Gym Leaders before challenging and defeating the Galar region's invincible Champion.
• The Chosen One: Along with Hop by Zacian and Zamazenta as the next Legendary heroes to fight against Eternatus.
• Cool Shades: They can wear a variety of these, color-coded to a particular Pokémon type.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Dishes one out to virtually every trainer in Galar. Even commentary during the Champion Cup declares that they absolutely smashed through the competition, even though their opponents also cleared the Gym Challenge and the Gym Leaders were not holding back.
• Cutting Off the Branches:
  • Masters depicts Gloria as the protagonist by giving her Zacian opposite of Hop's Zamazenta. Additionally, she was said to have participated in the battle against Eternatus that prevented the second Darkest Day. Her Summer variant uses Inteleon, and says it's the same one she traveled across Galar with.
  • Evolutions depicts Victor as the protagonist, showing him summoning Zacian and defeating Eternatus to prevent the Darkest Day, he is also shown to have chosen Inteleon as his Starter.
• Deadpan Snarker: With the right dialogue options, you can make them be one.
• Defeating the Undefeatable: Their goal is to become the Champion by defeating Leon, who has gone undefeated in his entire career as a Pokémon Trainer. Naturally, they succeed.
• Dragon Tamer: They canonically catch the Poison/Dragon Eternatus and can command them in battle like any other Pokémon, minus the Eternamax form.
• Exotic Eye Designs: Makeup options let them put on contacts for a variety of exotic eye colors and designs, from multi-color swirls to stars to blazing, passionate fire.
• Exposed to the Elements: They can wear the Water-type gym uniform anywhere, rain, snow, or shine. They also have no problems wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt into the frigid Route 10.
• Famed In-Story: They gradually become more and more famous throughout their adventures, to the point that by the time of their battle with Leon, the crowd isn't sure whether to cheer for you or him. After becoming the Champion, everyone from the Pokémon Center nurses to random passerby will recognize you and call you the Champ.
• Farm Boy: Or Farm Girl. The protagonist hails from rural and idyllic Postwick where they and Hop wrangled Wooloo as chores. Their home is just a stone's throw away from the Slumbering Weald, a dense, fog-filled forest, and their neighborhood is surrounded with rolling hills, flowing streams, and wide fields.
• From Zero to Hero: They start out the game as some kid from a small town, with the only thing interesting about them being that the Champion sponsored them, by the end of the game? They've caught two Legendaries, defeated Leon, are acknowledged as the strongest Champion to ever live and are considered technical royalty.
• Goroawase Number: Though the player can choose their uniform number, official artwork lists their number as 227, which is read as bujina, meaning "safely". The number 227 also references February 27, the release date of Pokémon Red and Green in Japan.
• Heroic Mime: Averted. Like in the previous generation, the player gets to choose their dialogue options, which range from cheerful and energetic to snarky and critical.
• In the Hood: Downplayed. They can wear a variety of hoodies but they can't actually wear the hood.
• Lethal Chef: Can occur if they screw up horribly when cooking curry. They visibly struggle to scarf it down and even Trubbish and Garbodor, whose natural diet consists of literal garbage, are disgusted by it.
• Meaningful Name: The promotional names Victor and Gloria, in addition to their obvious meanings, could may also be a Shout-Out to the UK's national anthem.
  God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen! God save the Queen!
  Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save the Queen.
• Mistaken Identity: In the Isle of Armor DLC, they are mistaken as the new student for the Master Dojo when the real one ran off after getting intimidated by Klara/Avery. Only Mustard seems to recognize that they might not actually be the new student, but still invites them to stay and participate in the trials after they best him in battle.
• Nerves of Steel: While they show delight, awe, and surprise at times, they never show fear in times of adversity, whether it's staring down the strongest trainers in Galar or facing off against Eternatus, a monster of myth that threatens to devastate the entire region.
• One-Note Cook: They're only shown cooking variations of curry, though sometimes they shake it up by serving it with giant Chansey eggs, adding sausages, or including burger steaks. But they can potentially be very good at it, so much so that if a Charizard-class curry is fed to a Pokémon, it will completely heal their HP, PP, and status on top of giving them a chunk of experience and boosting their friendship with you.
• Pals with Jesus: The player character will eventually gain the respect of the version's exclusive box legendary.
• Perpetual Smiler: While they are overall more expressive than the often flat expressions of past protagonists, they still almost always have a small smile on their face, exuding either quiet contentment or confidence depending on the situation.^note Where they and Hop are in the Slumbering Weald, seemingly hearing something (actually the game's Legendary) approach them, they frown as they try to discern where it's coming from/what it is. Then in the Ice-type stadium, they frown as they look at the trap detector in their hands while listening to how they must use it. In other words, the few times they frown tend to be in times of curiosity, rather than sadness or fear. They beam and pose like Leon upon winning a League match.
  • Also, they look absolutely sad when the Mayor of Freezington can't make the Reins of Unity.
• Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Victor he wears torn blue denim jeans, while Gloria wears a pink dress that goes down to her thighs.
• Power-Up Food: In the Isle of Armor DLC, they drink a helping of Max Soup, which they feel that it gave them Dynamax energy, only for Mustard to interject and reveal that they won't actually get Dynamax powers due to being a human, but they get some very situational Super-Strength later when confronted with a giant tree they have to shake.
• Purely Aesthetic Glasses: Can don these if they so choose.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: They're the quiet and reserved Blue Oni to Hop's energetic and talkative Red Oni.
• Schrödinger's Player Character: The one you don't choose doesn't show up in the story.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Whatever hair and skin colors are picked for them at the start of the game will be shared by their mother.
• Supreme Chef: This can be the case if they do an excellent job at cooking curry, resulting in their eyes sparkling after the initial taste-testing and them wolfing down the curry in rapid succession.
• Underestimating Badassery: At the start of the game, while both the protagonist and Hop were sponsored by Leon, most of the Gym Challenge pay more attention to Hop, being the brother of the current Champion, rather than some unknown kid from a small town, even Leon himself intended them only to be Hop's rival. Gradually subverted as the game goes on however as the more victories the protagonist racks up, the more Galar starts to notice. By the time they face off against Leon they are a national hero and the crowd can't decide whether they want them or the Champion to win.
• Walking Swimsuit Scene: Can choose to be this by wearing the Water-type gym uniform, which is basically just a swimsuit.

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Victor (Masaru)

Victor / Masaru (マサル masaru)

Voiced by: Kaichi Miyata (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - JP), Hiro Shimono (Pokémon Masters - JP), Ben Thao (Pokémon Masters - EN)

The male main character of Pokémon Sword and Shield, a boy living a quiet life in Postwick with his neighbor and childhood friend Hop. After receiving a starter Pokémon and endorsement from the Champion and Hop’s older brother, Leon, Victor is ready to set out across the Galar region and partake in the Gym Challenge. However, before he and Hop can leave Postwick, they end up having to chase a Wooloo who strayed into the Slumbering Weald. There, the duo runs into a mysterious Pokémon in the mist.

In Pokémon Masters, despite Gloria being the main playable character and the fact Victor doesn't exist at their home region if so, Victor is relegated as a close friend to Gloria. As such, most of the tropes below may pertain to his depiction there.

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• Fashionable Asymmetry: His default pair of distressed jeans is torn on one side but not the other.
• It Was a Gift: The default travel pack he carries is noted to have come from his father.
• Meaningful Name: Both his English and Japanese names refer to "victory".
• Olympus Mons: In Pokémon Masters, he gets paired up with the Legendary Pokémon Spectrier (as Glastrier is already paired up with Leon).
• Red Is Heroic: His default outfit has red at his primary color and he's a kind, upstanding young man.
• Signature Headgear: He wears a large grey beanie that covers most of his hair.
• Signature Mon:
  • All of his merchandise and official artwork has him featured with the Scorbunny line, as well as the "Gotcha!" Music Video, while his manga counterpart and his appearance in Masters is paired with the Grookey line. His appearance in Pokémon Evolutions, however, rounds it all out by having his main partner as Inteleon, the final evolution of the Sobble line.
  • In Pokémon Masters, his Palentine Pokémon is Greedent.
• The Strategist: In Masters, he's noted as being strategic in his battle style. However, his flaw is that he may overthink things and get blindsided for it.
• Sweet Tooth: He's a superb pastry chef and can give the right pointers to give the right sweets to people's loved ones. He even has his own cooking class.

Gloria (Yuuri)

Gloria / Yuuri (ユウリ yuuri)

Voiced by: Yūna Ogata (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - JP), Della Saba, Stephanie Southerland^note from Summer 2021 alt and on(Pokémon Masters - EN), Eri Yukimura (Pokémon Masters - JP)

The female main character of Pokémon Sword and Shield, a girl living a quiet life in Postwick with her neighbor and childhood friend Hop. After receiving a starter Pokémon and endorsement from the Champion and Hop’s older brother, Leon, Gloria is ready to set out across the Galar region and partake in the Gym Challenge. However, before she and Hop can leave Postwick, they end up having to chase a Wooloo who strayed into the Slumbering Weald. There, the duo runs into a mysterious Pokémon in the mist.

In Pokémon Masters, Gloria is depicted as the main playable character for owning Zacian over Victor. As such, most of the tropes below may pertain to her depiction there.

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• Big Eater: In Pokémon Masters, her Zacian is unable to remain still if it ever gets to smell something delicious. Gloria herself is also quite gluttonous, with her scenario revolving around her wanting to eat all sorts of delicious food prepared by other trainers. The Beachside Rivalry Story Event adds to this by having her open and run a food stall.
• Breakout Character: Since the day she was revealed, Gloria has gained significant popularity amongst the Pokémon fanbase, eclipsing her male counterpart in the process. She proceeded to be the subject of multiple merchandise pieces and official artworks, but most notably, a year after her debut game was released, she became the very first Generation Eight character to appear in Pokémon Masters. In addition to doing so months in advance of anyone else, she has followed her initial appearance with showing up in almost every Galar focused event.
• Goal in Life: She shares that her main goal in Pokémon Masters is to show everyone on Pasio how good Galar Curry can really be.
• Growling Gut: Her tummy rumbles a few times during her scenario in Masters, where she's hungry and constantly catching a whiff of all the delicious food being prepared around her. It's also mentioned in one of her text blurbs, driving home her status as a Big Eater.
• He Is All Grown Up: Her Pokémon Masters's summer variant notes that she misses when her mature and grown-up Inteleon used to be the crybaby Sobble who would start crying whenever she left his side.
• It Was a Gift:
  • According to her in Pokémon Masters, the default bag she carries around is a hand-me-down from her mother, and she never leaves without it. This is in keeping with what is said of the default bag she carries in Sword and Shield.
  • In the same game, her second alt uses Cinderace, which she says that she got from an egg that Hop gave to her.
• Meaningful Name: Her English name is Latin for "glory".
• Modesty Shorts:
  • Any particularly short skirts you put her in have these slightly visible, with the same or a darker color as the skirt.
  • Though not as obvious, her dress options have shorts underneath, too.
• The Nose Knows: In Pokémon Masters, having cooked curry too many times in the past has made Gloria develop an extremely keen sense of smell that allows her to discern the smell of a Lansat Berry's different tastes.
• Olympus Mons: In Pokémon Masters:
  • Her default sync pair has her paired up with Zacian.
  • She also pairs up with Rapid Strike Urshifu in her Dojo Outfit.
• Pals with Jesus: In Pokémon Masters, the girl domesticated freaking Zacian to eat curry.
• Shared Family Quirks: Invoked in Pokémon Masters with her Cinderace. Despite not being family, Hop notes that her Cinderace - which he gave to her from an egg - takes after her Big Eater tendencies and tenacity, while Gloria herself points out that it inherited Hop's stubbornness.
• Signature Headgear: She wears a distinct green tam-o-shater as her default hat.
• Signature Mon:
  • All of her merchandise has paired her with the Sobble line, including her Kotobukiya figure. Masters gives her Inteleon as her main lead for her summer variant to boot. She has also been paired with the Scorbunny line, as seen with her Pokémon Scale World Set, the "Gotcha!" Music Video, and her manga counterpart. Cinderace is then given to her as her second alt. in Masters.
  • Despite her being alluded as the Shield protagonist, in Masters, she outright has the Sword-exclusive Legendary Zacian as her ace, likely because Zacian is stated to be female in the dex entries.
  • Also in Pokémon Masters her Dojo Uniform variant uses Rapid Strike Urshifu.
• There's No Place Like Home: During the Battle Buffet Bash event, after she smells Lt. Surge's food, she fondly remembers setting up camp with Zacian and eating curry together.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Pokémon Masters states that she loves curry just as much as battling.
• True Companions: Pokémon Masters shows that she wishes for Marnie to do her best as a rival such that she's fine with giving her advice to help her smile honestly during their food stall rivalry.

Main Game Rivals

Hop

Hop (ホップ hoppu)

Voiced by: Griffin Puatu (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - EN), Yuko Sanpei (Pokémon: Twilight Wings, Pokémon Masters - JP), Vargus Mason (Pokémon Masters - EN)

The first rival in Sword and Shield. He is Leon's younger brother and the protagonist's neighbor who dreams to become a Champion like his elder brother and trains vigorously every day to reach his goal. Like Hau from the previous generation, he always selects the starter with a type weakness to the player's.

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• Affectionate Nickname: Is usually called "Hoppy-kins" by Klara or Mustard in the Galarian Star Tournament.
• Ambiguously Brown: Like his brother Leon, he notably has a deeper skin tone than some of the other characters, but no defined race.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: Was regarded as one by Leon in fond exasperation at one point in the game.
• Blue Is Heroic: He's mostly clothed in blue and is a caring, passionate trainer.
• Book Ends:
  • The start of the main story and end of the post game has him racing an adult character back home. At the start of the main story, he races Leon back home after picking him up from the station. After his battle with you after obtaining Zacian/Zamazenta, he races Sonia back home.
  • He serves as your first opponent in the main story and then your final opponent of the post game.
• Brains and Brawn: Upon losing the Galar League, he decides to become a Pokémon Professor and is shown in Masters how smart he is. Making him the brains to Leon's brawn.
• Character Development: He starts out as brash and overconfident due to his relationship with the Champion, approaching every problem in life with reckless energy. Repeated setbacks like getting beaten by the protagonist over and over followed by an offscreen Curb-Stomp Battle from Bede put him into a funk that gets him to wonder what he's doing wrong. Once he snaps out of it, his energy returns, but it's been tempered considerably and he becomes more serious and focused. He even decides to give up on trying to follow in Leon's footsteps and devotes himself towards becoming a Pokémon Professor so he can help people and Pokémon wherever they are.
• Character Tics: He often closes one eye whenever he gets upset.
• The Cameo: Despite not being a Gym Leader but like them, he appears on the Isle of Armor with his Dubwool after you beat the post game. But unlike them, he has an minor role in the expansion's storyline.
• The Chosen One: Along with the player by Zacian and Zamazenta as the next Legendary heroes to fight against Eternatus.
• Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Post-game, he's clearly struggling with what to do with himself - made all the more obvious by the fact that his fellow gym challenge peers are settling into their new roles as Champion and gym leaders respectively. After going through the events of post game he realizes that he enjoys helping people as much as he enjoys professional battling, and resolves to become a Pokémon Professor so that he can help even more people and Pokémon.
• Deuteragonist: Much like Lillie from Sun and Moon, the game's story is just as much about Hop's growth as a character as it is about the player becoming the Champion of Galar.
• Discard and Draw:
  • After getting his hide handed to him offscreen by Bede, he swaps out his entire team save his starter twice over for your fights against him in Stow-on-Side and Hammerlocke. He returns to using his usual Pokémon in Circhester, but he's learned from experimenting and keeps the Cramorant and Snorlax for later fights.
  • In the final storyline fight with him, he permanently retires said Cramorant in favor of Zamazenta/Zacian.
• Fatal Flaw: Arrogance. Hop thinks very highly of himself thanks to his brother and his talent letting him cruise through the early Gyms. This lasts until Hop gets a Curb-Stomp Battle offscreen courtesy of Bede, who naturally proceeds to be a big jerk about it and call Hop a total disgrace to his family. Hop spends a long time after that in a clear funk, even losing to a Team Yell member at one point, constantly trying to figure out what he's doing wrong to the point of swapping out his entire team for two fights in desperation. He does eventually find his footing again, but noticeably never gets as hotheaded and arrogant as he was at the beginning.
• Foil:
  • To Bede — both are highly confident in their own abilities and their connections, but while Hop is friendly with the player character regardless, Bede is just a smug Jerkass.
  • To Marnie — both have older brothers involved in the Pokémon League, but while Leon is the Champion and widely beloved, Piers is a lesser-known gym leader and the only one unable to use Dynamax in his battles. Additionally, Leon rarely interacts with his brother in the story, while Piers does his best to help his sister on the Gym Challenge.
• Friendly Rivalry: Although he considers the protagonist his "true rival", he's never mean and is constantly helpful and cheerful around them.
• Gameplay and Story Integration:
  • Whenever Gigantamaxing his Pokémon in battles, Hop always almost trips over his feet in excitement. During his first encounter with Bede, Bede needles him on this saying that he doesn't even know how to throw a Poké Ball properly.
  • After being dealt several losses and struggling to figure out how to become a better trainer, when Hop challenges the player in Stow-on-side he has completely revamped his team, keeping only his starter, and leaving behind his first Pokémon, Wooloo. He does it again when battled on Route 7, once more keeping only his starter. This loss in particular is the one that cracks his ego permanently, and in the very next fight, his Wooloo is back, and has evolved as well.
  • Hop only gives the player his rare League Card after the opposite cover legendary joins his team. This card describes him as a hero in his own right and says that future battles between him and the player will be the stuff of legend, as Hop after this is tied with Leon as the second-strongest trainer prior to the DLC, behind only the player.
  • At the beginning of the Galarian Star Tournament, Hop says he's been really busy with his studies as a Pokémon Professor in-training, so unlike every other trainer participating, his team is no stronger than the last time you battled him.
• The Ghost: Though he hasn't made any appearances yet in Masters, he's brought up multiple times in a fond manner by Leon when you talk to him. This later gets averted when he makes his official debut to the game himself.
• Good Feels Good: He enjoys helping others as much as he loves battling. So much so that he decides to try to become a Pokémon Professor instead of the Champion after the events of the game.
• Goroawase Number: Similar to the Galar Gym Leaders, Hop is associated with the number "189", which is printed on his League Card ID. "189" is Hiyaku, or "Leaping", a nod to his name.
• Graceful Loser: He grimaces after a loss, but is usually back to being energetic and cheerful not long afterwards. But this slowly fades as his numerous mounting losses get to him. By your match against him at the Pokémon League, he will clench his fists tightly with his head low after his defeat before giving a congratulatory smile in a display of sportsmanship. He may be mad that he lost, but he'll still try to be a good sport about it.
• Heroic BSoD: Poor Hop goes through this when he suffers a humiliating defeat in the hands of Bede. Him constantly losing to you didn’t help matters, either. Thankfully, he does get out of his funk.
• Hero-Worshipper: According to their father, Leon is Hop's hero who inspired him to try and unseat Leon as Champion. This is even seen in his battle animations in the finals, as he imitates Leon's habits and mentions rewatching all of Leon's battles before his battle with you.
• Hot-Blooded: He's extremely eager to be a Pokémon Trainer and trains every day to reach his goal of becoming the champion, jumping at every opportunity for a friendly battle to show just how much he's grown. He also throws with so much force when Dynamaxing his starter that he nearly falls over in the process.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: He's insistent that he's going to be the next Champion, but is frustrated and disappointed by the constant losses he suffers against the protagonist and later Bede. It's also implied that he feels overshadowed by Leon, given how stunned he is when Leon calls him a rival in the post-game. This is also noticeable at his house, as Leon's pictures and awards are everywhere, but there are none for Hop.
• Jerkass Ball: After you defeat Hop him in the semi-finals, he acts rude to the interviewers who are interviewing you. Possibly justified since he did it to help Victor/Gloria, who is implied to be getting overwhelmed with the onslaught of questions).
• Leitmotif: A cheery, guitar-laden theme song plays when he's speaking to you throughout the game. This is also worked into his unique battle music, as well as its Triumphant Reprise during your semi-finals battle with him at the end of your Gym Challenge.
• Meaningful Name: Hops are the flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant, tying into the Floral Theme Naming major characters have. His decision to become a Pokémon Professor at the end of the game is foreshadowed by the fact there also exists species of trees known as hoptrees, and thus, his name fits in with the tree Theme Naming of the other professors.
  • Moreover, the lupulus part is Latin for "small wolf". He ends up catching the opposite cover legendary, a wolf-like Pokémon.
• Motor Mouth: He has mid-fight dialogue for just about everything, from super effective moves to critical hits... and apparently the game is actively downplaying it for the player's benefit, because according to Raihan he spent their entire fight ranting.
• Nice Guy: He's energetic, friendly, and sociable. Even when he loses.
• Nice Mean And In Between: The Nice one of the three rivals. He's the player character's longtime best friend and is generally supportive and helpful towards them.
• No Indoor Voice: Tends to get very loud when he's riled up, which is lampshaded by Piers.
  Piers: If you were that noisy durin' battle, you'd unleash a whole new level of power, you know.
• Olympus Mons: He always gets the legendary opposite of yours, though it takes some time. If you happen to meet him in the Champion Cup after completing the post-game story, you will see that he has added it to his team. Indeed, in Masters he uses Zamazenta due to Gloria having dibs on Zacian.
  • In his Champion outfit in Masters, he's partnered with Galarian Zapdos.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Always starts his battles with Wooloo first. The fact that he doesn't in the next two battles, instead using Cramorant in Stow-on-side and Trevenant on Route 7 is a sign that something is wrong.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Although he's a brilliant Trainer in his own right, Hop's confidence takes a hit after constant losses to the protagonist and an offscreen Curb-Stomp Battle from Bede. He also constantly lives in the shadow of his brother Leon, whose flawless battle streak makes Hop's own failures more glaring.
  Hop: [to the protagonist at the Pokémon League] You know, even when Sonia was saying that you and me looked like could become heroes, I never really felt like one...
• Pals with Jesus: In the post-game, he eventually receives the respect of the opposite box legendary and catches them without issue, mirroring the player's relationship with their own box legendary.
• Perpetual Smiler: It's rare to see him without a huge smile on his face. When he doesn't have one, he's either getting serious or things have taken a turn for the worse.
• Privileged Rival: Downplayed in that he's the sibling instead of the child of a known figure. In this case the regional Champion, who's also the most famous person in the whole region.
• Recurring Boss: You fight him a total of ten times during the plot.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the energetic, talkative Red Oni to the passive and quiet protagonist's Blue Oni.
• The Rival: Hop declares the protagonist to be his "true rival" and makes every effort to surpass them while showing some frustration when he finds himself lagging behind.
• Shared Family Quirks: He and Leon have a habit of slapping their own cheeks to snap to attention before a battle.
• Sibling Team:
  • When in the Galarian Star Tournament, one of his potential partners when you challenge him is Leon.
  • He and Leon work together again in Masters to take down Eternatus after it defeats the player and Gloria quite easily.
• Signature Mon:
  • He always starts a battle with his Wooloo, which later evolves into a Dubwool. He even passes up the chance to get first dibs on a starter because he already has said Wooloo. His league card also specifically mentions his Wooloo in describing him. The fact that he leads instead with Cramorant and later Trevenant in your battles in Stow-on-side and Route 7 respectively is a major indicator that his losses have been getting to him.
  • Regional starter wise, however, the "Gotcha!" Music Video depicts Hop choosing the Grookey line in addition to his Wooloo and was shown with Cinderace in Pokémon Evolutions.
  • In Pokémon Masters, through Gloria's Cinderace which he gifted to her through an egg, he has Cinderace.
  • In terms of the box legendaries, he has been almost exclusively associated with Zamazenta, being his default partner in Masters, fighting alongside it in Pokémon Evolutions, and featured with it in a trading card. The only exception to this is another trading card in which he is featured with Zacian.
  • His Neo Champion variant gets a Galarian Zapdos.
• Starter Mon: A Wooloo, later Dubwool. He always leads with it, except during two battles where he's trying new things in terms of team composition, and after that, he puts it back on his team.
• Strange Minds Think Alike: Opal actually likes him, just because he did manage to answer all of her Gym's quiz questions right. Yes, even the one that punishes the player for answering right that Opal is 88 years old.
• Strong Family Resemblance: He and Leon have the same skin tone, eye color and shape, and hair color.
• Stuck in Their Shadow: invokedHop's older brother Leon is the undefeated Galar Champion. Even in their home, there's a ton of trophies and pictures of Leon, while Hop gets almost nothing. Even so, Hop's arrogance and ability to ride his brother's coattails means he doesn't have this too bad at the start of the story. However, late-game, Hop has clearly cooled his arrogance, and realizes that he's not Leon, and that he needs to find his own path.
• Stunned Silence: In the post-game, he's at a loss for words when Leon acknowledges him as a rival.
• Technicolor Eyes: A brassy gold.
• To Be a Master: He's insistent that he's the next Champion from the get-go and frequently refers to himself as such. A slice of Humble Pie served up by Bede gets Hop to stop referring to himself as such before briefly swapping out his whole team save his starter in an attempt to eke out a victory over the protagonist. Later on, he ends up deciding to abandon trying to become the Champion and instead devotes himself towards becoming a Pokémon Professor.
• Took a Level in Badass: Although he suffers from constant setbacks and losses to you throughout the story, by the end of the base game, his team is one of the strongest in the region next to the player's and tied with Leon's. He even gets the opposite legendary to yours for your final rematch.
  • However, by the time the Galarian Star Tournament has started, Mustard, Leon, Honey, Peony, and every Gym Leader except Opal and Klara/Avery now have higher-leveled teams than his. The lack of improvement can be chalked up to Hop being more focused on his studies to become a professor rather than professional battling and he can still mow them down with the aforementioned Legendary Pokémon despite it.
  • His starter Pokémon gets this as well by the time the Galarian Star Tournament begins, being able to Gigantamax when it could previously only Dynamax. This could be justified by Hop's appearance in the Isle of Armor, where he would have access to the Max Soup that gives Pokémon that are known to have Gigantamax forms, yet cannot Gigantamax themselves, the ability to Gigantamax.
• True Final Boss: He's the final storyline opponent of the post-game quest to catch the cover legendary, and he even has the opposite legendary in his party. Once you beat him for the final time, you get the "The End" message a second time.
• Undying Loyalty: With his Wooloo as shown in Twilight Wings.
• Unskilled, but Strong: His League Card mentions that while Hop is a promising trainer to look out for, he tends to get easily flustered in battles leading to him making crucial mistakes. This comes up in the plot in his losses to Bede and later Sordward or Shielbert in the post-game. His loss to Bede in particular sends him into a funk for a significant portion of the game.
• Varying Tactics Boss: The team of Pokémon he uses stays mostly consistent throughout the game, but there are two notable battles when he uses Pokémon that never appear in his roster again (Toxel and Silicobra in the first fight, and Heatmor, Boltund and Trevenant in the second). Justified, as these battles occur shortly after he suffers a humiliating defeat from Bede, making him question his own approach to being a Pokémon trainer.
• The Worf Effect: Is often subject to this. During the course of the story, he is defeated not only by the player character, but also by Bede, the Circhester Gym Leader (Gordie in Sword, Melony in Shield), Rose, and either Sordward (in Shield) or Shielbert (in Sword). It's especially noticeable late in the game where he loses his confidence as a trainer and questions his skill due to the numerous losses he had during the Gym Challenge. In a case of Gameplay and Story Integration, he and his older brother Leon have the highest leveled teams in the game prior to the DLC.

Bede (Beet)

Bede / Beet (ビート biito)

Voiced by: Brandon Winckler (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - EN) / Beau Bridgland (Pokémon Masters - EN), Takuma Nagatsuka (Pokémon Masters - JP)

The second rival in Sword and Shield. He is skilled at Pokémon battles and proud about it. His Gym Challenge was personally endorsed by Chairman Rose of the Galar Pokémon League. While he is after the position of Champion, he has other goals as well. He is initially a Psychic-type specialist, but over the course of the story, shifts to specialize in Fairy-types instead.

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• Achilles' Heel: He specializes in Psychic-types, so Ghost-types, Dark-types, and Bug-types eat him alive. He gets better with the latter two typings after switching to Fairy-types.
• Always Second Best: As noted in Born in the Wrong Century, defeating Bede in one of the Post-Game tournaments sees him cursing his luck for being born in the same generation as the player character. Despite that, he now takes his losses in stride and admits that he actually finds a lot of fun in battling the player.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Unlike Hop and Marnie, who are both confident but not condescending about their skill, Bede is incredibly arrogant and unpleasant, constantly bragging about his skill as a trainer and looking down on everyone around him as lesser.
• Badass Fingersnap: In the first three battles against him, he snaps his fingers to give his Pokémon commands.
• Birds of a Feather: Averted hilariously. If he appears with Avery at the Galarian Star Tournament, both will chastise each other, mainly because the former was forced to abandon his original Psychic-type specialty to become the new Fairy-type Gym Leader, something that the latter will always call him out for.
• Born in the Wrong Century: If you defeat him during one of the post-game tournaments, he'll remark that he could've been the Galar region's greatest trainer if he hadn't been born in the same time period as you.
• Breaking Old Trends: He breaks a few old trends set by past rivals.
  • Every rival since Silver has just been a Friendly Rival, and although Gladion was kind of close, he ended up just being more aloof than anything. Bede, however, is the first rival since Silver to be a full-on Jerkass to the player. While he does mellow out as the story progresses, until then, he's one of the most arrogant rivals yet, which only Blue and Silver can boast.
  • He's the first rival to focus on a type specialty, namely Psychic-types, then later, Fairy-types. This also makes him the first major trainer to switch type specialties, as generally any type specialist throughout the series sticks with their type. Most other rivals have a more diverse team with all sorts of types.
  • He's also one of the two Gym Leaders who switches type specialties, the other being Jasmine, as Bede switches from Psychic-types to Fairy-types, just like how Jasmine switched from Rock-types to Steel-types. Aside from being forced to switch type specialties by Opal, it's implied that this is also because his Hatterene had gained a secondary Fairy-type upon evolving (since the Hattena line is more associated with Fairy-types than Psychic-types), just like how Jasmine had switched from Rock-types to Steel-types when her Onix's primary Rock-type had changed into the Steel-type upon evolving.
• Break the Haughty: After being disqualified by Rose and put through Fairy-Type Boot Camp by Opal, he appears in the finals significantly more polite and humble, though still with a haughty streak.
• The Cameo: Like every Gym Leader, he appears on the Isle of Armor with his Hatterene after you beat the post-game story in the Galar mainland.
• Dark and Troubled Past: He grew up in an orphanage where he constantly got into fights. Chairman Rose found him and gave Bede his first Pokémon, Hatenna.
• Did Not Think This Through: His decision to destroy the historic mural is this, as Bede failed to realize that doing so would have only gotten him in a lot of trouble. Predictably, he gets disqualified from the Gym Challenge by Chairman Rose himself for his reckless actions.
• Discard and Draw: After you beat him for the third time before he is forced to retire from the Gym Challenge and is then chosen by Opal to become the next Fairy-type Gym Leader, he switches out his Duosion and Gothorita and exchanges them for a Mawile and Gardevoir in your fourth battle against him in order to match the Fairy-type traits of his team as the new Fairy-type Gym Leader, and even adds a Sylveon to his team from every battle in the postgame.
• Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: His eyes sports these in his in-game model. Until he becomes the new Fairy-type Gym Leader.
• The Fair Folk: He's a Jerkass trainer who switches his type specialty from Psychic-types to Fairy-types halfway through the game.
• Foil:
  • To Hop — both are highly confident in their own abilities and their connections, but while Bede is just a smug Jerkass, Hop is at least friendly with the player character. Even their character designs support this, most noticeably their complimentary eye colors.
  • To Marnie — their attitudes towards the player are highly different from one another: Bede is a smug jerk, while Marnie is more level-headed and humble. They both specialize in one type (Bede with Psychic-types before switching to Fairy-types, Marnie with Dark-types). Even their hair colors are opposites (Bede has white hair, Marnie has black hair). As of the postgame, both are successors to Gym Leaders. Interestingly, their Signature Mons are also foils of each other (Bede has Hatterene, Marnie has Grimmsnarl). This continues in Pokémon Masters, where Bede initially has trouble teaming up and getting along with others because he's trying to get strong for his own sake, whereas his fellow Galarian trainer Marnie is trying to get strong for the people of Spikemuth's sake. Naturally, their interactions with each other lead Bede to realize that he needs to learn how to get along with other trainers in order to get stronger for their sake, as well.
• Goroawase Number: His is 908, which means 'clever'. Interestingly, it actually creates a word in English in contrast to your other rivals.^note 9 is 'ku', 0 is 're', and 8 is 'ba'.
• Graceful Loser: Surprisingly, he takes his loss towards you well during the league match. The audience just encourages him to train harder. He also takes every other loss towards you well after you become the new Champion.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Towards the protagonist. He's jealous of the fact that they and Hop were endorsed by Leon and he wasn't, though he tries to mask it by flaunting the fact that he was endorsed by Chairman Rose, saying that Rose is in a higher position than Leon, so Bede's endorsement is much greater than theirs and Hop's. It helps that he has never been able to defeat the player, although he was able to defeat Hop once.
• Guyliner: He doesn't actually wear any form of makeup, but it sure does look like it with his considerably long and prominent lashes.
• Hair-Contrast Duo: An inverted example towards Hop and Marnie. Both have dark hair yet don't quite fit into the traditionally cynical, moody, angsty tropes that come along with it; at least not in comparison to Bede and his platinum head of hair and irksome personality.
• Hair Flip: One of his most defining quirks and first things he does when you initially see him in-game.
• Humiliation Conga: He gets repeatedly defeated by the player, denied the chance to join the Gym Challenge, forced to wear an embarassing outfit while suffering through Opal's boot camp, and only gained fans who like him for his terrible failures.
• Hypocrite: Admonishes Hop for using the performance of others as a statement of his own success without having anything to back it up. However, this is the same guy who constantly flaunts the fact that he was endorsed by the chairman in your face and believes he is better than every other Gym challenger not endorsed by Rose and maintains this attitude even after you defeat him multiple times. Though this is merely just a way to mask his jealousy of the fact that you and Hop were endorsed by Leon and he wasn't.
• I Let You Win: The first two times you defeat him, he gives this as an excuse for his loss. The trend breaks after the third time, with him declaring This Cannot Be!.
• Insufferable Genius: Bede might be incredibly self-centered and narcissistic, but nobody can deny that he has the skill to back up his claims.
• In Touch with His Feminine Side: He becomes considerably more effeminate in his appearance and gestures after succeeding Opal's position, becoming the first male Fairy-type gym leader in an otherwise consistently female roster. He gesticulates in a somewhat dainty manner and is notably heavily-influenced by Opal in his wordage. Even his Gym Leader uniform delves into this, with his overly baggy shirt presumably meant to originally be worn as a dress with how lengthy it continues to stay even after being tied up. And in the Isle of Armor DLC he shows more vain side and concern for appearances, as he complains about the weather messing up his hair and advises the player character to take better care of their looks.
• I Owe You My Life: After Chairman Rose gave him his first Pokémon and changed his life forever, Bede's single goal seems to be doing whatever he can to assist him.
• It Was a Gift: When on the Isle of Armor, he explains his Hatterene was given to him by Chairman Rose as a Hatenna.
• Jerkass: Looks down on everyone around him, constantly calls you pathetic, acts like a Sore Loser when beaten, mocks Hop for losing to him in a battle, and demolishes a sacred memorial for some Wishing Stars that might not even be there. Yeah, this guy's a total jerk. He does calm down by the end of the game, becoming less prone to looking down on people and more open, but he's still very much a jerk towards the player.
• Jerkass Has a Point: As cruel as his treatment towards Hop was, he was right when saying that Hop shouldn't expect himself to be all that powerful just because two people (Leon, his brother, and the player, his best friend) associated with him are. This is even lampshaded by Hop himself, who got dealt a Curb-Stomp Battle off-screen, proving that he really didn't have anything to show for it. After this, Hop stops referring to himself as the next Champion and even starts briefly experimenting with new team set-ups (barring his starter) after his battle with Bede.
• Kick the Dog:
  • After beating Hop in a battle, he told Hop that he was weak and would only drag Leon's name down. This got to Hop.
  • He attacks and destroys the mural in Stow-on-Side in his mad pursuit of Wishing Stars despite it being a historical site. Any discovery Sonia made based on what was on the other side had nothing to do with Bede or Rose's intentions.
• Laser-Guided Karma: The result of him destroying the sacred memorial in Stow-On-Side? He's disqualified from the Gym Challenge by the very person he looked up to as a father figure and the very person who endorsed him, Chairman Rose.
• Light Is Not Good: In contrast to Marnie, Bede is an Insufferable Genius who specializes in Psychic-types, and then Fairy types later in the story.
• Loser Leaves Town: He crashes the League and gambles his entire career on one last match with you. Subverted in that even though he loses, the crowd absolutely loves him and begs him to continue on as a trainer.
• Meaningful Appearance: Although extremely obvious once he becomes the new Fairy-type Gym Leader, a noticeable detail is his lack of the watch that was gifted to him by Rose.
• Messy Hair: Although not nearly as intense in comparison to other characters, he still has a fluffy head of hair with numerous strands curling and sticking out. Shieldbert even refers to him as his "bed-headed partner" whenever they're teamed up with each other during the Galarian Star Tournament, but that's not saying much, considering who it's coming from.
  Bede: What?! This isn't bed head! That nonsense on your head is worse, anyway!
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
  • Dishing out an off-screen Curb-Stomp Battle on Hop is what prompts Hop to lose his cocky attitude and reconsider both his talent as a trainer and ultimately his goals in life.
  • Him destroying the Stow-on-Side mural didn't come without its perks, since this boosts Sonia's research on the hero that wielded Zacian and Zamazenta and allows for the legend to unfold properly.
• Nice Mean And In Between: The Mean one of the three rivals, contrasting with Hop's Nice and Marnie's In-Between. He's an arrogant kid who constantly talks down on his opponents and is the most antagonistic of the three.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: In the postgame, he defeated three of the Dynamaxed Pokémon in Ballonlea Stadium on his own.
• Olympus Mons: In his Champion outfit in Masters, he's partnered with Galarian Articuno.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Should Bede and Avery appear together in the Galarian Star Tournament, the latter will not hesitate to call out the former on how he abandoned specializing in the Psychic-type to become the Fairy-type Gym Leader. Bede doesn't take too kindly to it.
• Our Fairies Are Different: During the League, his entire team consists of Fairy-type Pokémon, most of which have a secondary type, particularly Psychic.
• Parental Abandonment: His first league card reveals that his family "ran into some trouble", with him ending up in an orphanage. It's not stated what exactly happened and if his family died, surrendered him, or abandoned him, but in any case, he remains orphaned in the present.
• Pet the Dog:
  • When on the Isle of Armor, he will sometimes politely remind the player to take good care of their appearance and health.
  • No matter how miffed he is about losing to you, he'll never take it out on his Pokémon. Contrast that with other Jerkass rivals like Blue and Silver, who solely put the blame on their team whenever they lost a battle.
• Psychic Powers: All of his Pokémon early on are Psychic-types. While most of his team later on are still mostly Psychic-types, he then moves onto specializing in Fairy-types instead, although some of them still keep their Psychic typing. It's telling that half of his original team, Galarian Ponyta and Hatenna, gain the Fairy-type only on their final evolution.
• Reaching Towards the Audience: His league card and starting pose when he battles you as the new Fairy-type Gym Leader are examples of this. He also does this when giving his Pokémon commands, as opposed to his Badass Fingersnap in his first three battles.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Is a skilled trainer, and uses Pokémon like the Gothita line, the Hatenna line, and the Galarian Ponyta line. He also wears a pink/purple long coat. After Opal offers him the position of Ballonlea Gym Leader, he starts wearing the pastel-tone Fairy Uniform - and becomes the first male Fairy-type specialist.
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: He still acts somewhat haughty during the Galarian Star Tournament and when encountering him out in the Isle of Armor.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: It turns out something important was behind the mural he ended up destroying, just not any Wishing Stars like he thought.
• The Rival: Compared to Hop and Marnie, he acts as the "jerk rival" of the game towards the player. Then he decides to destroy Stow-on-Side's mural, and that goes to hell in a handbasket.
• Sanity Slippage: After Opal subjects him to a harsh Fairy-type boot camp (in his words), Bede more or less starts saying some incredibly silly stuff about Fairy-types in general (and the color pink, which he later changes to "the color of Bede!"), though it is all subtle.
• Signature Mon:
  • The Hatenna line, his highest level Pokémon in all of his battles and the one he Gigantamaxes during the League. It's a Psychic-type, fitting his specialty, and it gains the Fairy-type as a Hatterene, which still fits his newly acquired Fairy-type specialty later in the game.
  • In Pokemon Masters, his Neo Champion variant has a Galarian Articuno.
• A Sinister Clue: A Jerkass trainer who throws his Pokéballs with his left hand. His challenger band is also on his left wrist, fitting his Jerkass personality even further.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Thinks that being essentially an intern for Chairman Rose places him above everyone else. Rose doesn't even remember his name.
• Smug Smiler: Of the Playful Cat Smile variety. He also has an equally smug toothy grin.
• Smug Snake: He's incredibly arrogant and cruel, even as you beat him into the ground time and time again.
• Sore Loser: The first two times he's defeated, Bede flat-out refuses to admit that he lost fairly, claiming that he wasn't really trying. When he's defeated a third time, he goes so far as to demand a do-over and question how it's possible that he was beaten.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork:
  • Implied in the Galarian Star Tournament when he is paired up with Klara, Avery, or Shielbert. The player teaming up with him also results in this, as he would prefer to face them to prove his worth rather than team up with them and share the victory together.
  • This continues in Pokémon Masters, where he decides to participate in the New Stars of Pasio Tournament to understand what Blue said he was lacking and ends up randomly placed in a team with Wally and Hugh. Because of Bede's insistence to give out orders and act as a leader, he gets into arguments with Hugh, ending with the team becoming too dysfunctional. After learning from fellow Galarian trainer Marnie that she's trying to get strong for the people of Spikemuth rather than for herself alone, Bede attempts to become more of a team player and makes amends with his team to some extent.
• Took a Level in Badass: His rare league card states that after becoming the new Fairy-type Gym Leader as Opal's successor, his skills as a Pokémon Trainer have also increased rather dramatically. During your battles against him in the Champion Cup rematches or the Galarian Star Tournament, it shows, as his Fairy-type team is able to finally counter the Dark-type and Bug-type weaknesses that his original Psychic-type team had, along with moves that can counter his team's other weaknesses, such as his Hatterene learning Dark Pulse to counter its Ghost-type weakness, and his Galarian Rapidash learning Drill Run to counter its Steel-type weakness.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Between getting beaten by the player several times, getting his right to participate in the Gym Challenge revoked, and getting recruited by Opal to become the next Fairy-Type Gym Leader of the Ballonlea Stadium, he eventually mellows out by the time you encounter him again at the Pokémon League. Even Bede questions why he's acting abnormally calm during his League battle.
  • This extends to his Isle of Armor's cameo where he talks with the player character cordially and even advises them to take extra care of their appearance.
• Tsundere: A non-romantic one towards Opal. After she forcibly takes him under her wing and makes him her successor to the Ballonlea Fairy-type Gym, Bede constantly complains about how she always bosses him around. Despite this, he actually does appreciate that she's seemingly the first adult to take a legitimate interest in leading him down the right path.
• Undying Loyalty: To Chairman Rose, at first. He later gains this towards Opal.
• What Beautiful Eyes!: He has exceptionally pretty eyes for a male character that only grow prettier once Opal takes him under her wing and gives them a new light.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy:
  • The closest thing to a "parental" figure he has is Chairman Rose, who, during their first on-screen interaction, forgets his name. He later gets disqualified from the Gym Challenge by Rose after battling the player in Stow-on-Side.
  • It's never expressly stated but it is implied that he takes up his attitude towards Opal after she takes him in as her successor, even if he speaks as if he'd like to strangle her.
• White Hair, Black Heart: Has curly white hair and is an absolute Jerkass.
• Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises: His reaction to Chairman Rose revoking his endorsement in response to his attempts at breaking down the restored mural depicting the hero of Galar.
• You Are in Command Now: Downplayed in the post-game, where Bede has taken over her Opal's position as the Ballonlea Gym Leader. However, Opal herself still maintains a constant presence in the stadium to continue mentoring her protége.

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Marnie (Mary)

Marnie / Mary (マリィ marii)

Voiced by: Dawn M. Bennett (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - EN) / Cristina Valenzuela (Pokémon Masters - EN), Yukari Tamura (Pokémon Masters - JP)

The third rival in Sword and Shield. She has a competitive side, and together with her partner Morpeko, she seeks to become the Champion of the Galar region. Her calm and calculated battle style earned her many fans, with Team Yell being the most passionate among them.

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• Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Black-haired, is generally level-headed and does not emote very much, even when she’s on the losing side. However, she’s actually nicer than how she appears to be, and does get more passionate during certain moments.
• Being Personal Isn't Professional: In contrast to Hop, who is friendly with the protagonist and Bede, who is more antagonistic, Marnie maintains a more impersonal relationship with the protagonist despite gaining an interest in them. Marnie slowly emotes, being both friendly and showing her frustration, as the game progresses.
• Be Yourself: In the post-game, she practices her smiles but fails to make them stick because they're not natural. This does become addressed in Masters's Beachside Rivalry Story Event where her failure to smile honestly ends up scaring customers (not helped with the fact she has Grimmsnarl around) and puts her in a sour mood while competing against Gloria in a food stall rivalry challenge. Gloria then sends her a note telling her to be herself in order to smile honestly, and Marnie figures out she can only do so when she battles.
• Birds of a Feather: In Masters's Beachside Rivalry Story Event, she notes that she bears similarities with Marley's own issues to communicate with others. Perhaps as a coincidence, their names are also similar-sounding.
• Brother–Sister Team: When in the Galarian Star Tournament, one of her potential partners when you challenge her is Piers.
• The Cameo: Like every Gym Leader, she appears on the Isle of Armor with her Morpeko after you beat the post game. Unlike Bede above, she appears in her regular outfit however.
• Collared by Fashion: Wears a black choker with a pendant.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Despite her manner of dress, use of Dark-type Pokémon, and indirect affiliation with the region's villainous team, Marnie remains a down-to-earth character who ultimately develops a friendly rivalry with the player and comes to respect their skill, acting as the middle ground between Hop's enthusiastic friendship and Bede's arrogant aloofness.
• Face of a Thug: She usually has an aloof expression on her face, giving her an outward impression of being a cold person. However, she is actually cheerful and kind-hearted, and has been secretly trying to work on her smiles in order to express this better to her fans.
• The Fashionista: In Masters, she states how she she never wants to look embarassing when battling trainers and talks about going shopping to find good outfits. She also invites the player along to find some nice clothing for them. She is encouraged by Gloria when preparing to pick up a swimsuit when they run a beach stand together.
• Foil:
  • To Bede — their attitudes towards the player are highly different from one another: Bede is a smug jerk, while Marnie is more level-headed and humble. They both specialize in one type (Bede with Psychic-types before switching to Fairy-types, Marnie with Dark-types). Bede puts no effort into covering his team's weaknesses, Marnie intentionally breaks her preferred type to cover hers. Even their hair colors are opposites (Bede has white hair, Marnie has black hair). As of post-game, both are successors to Gym Leaders. Interestingly, their Signature Mons are also foils of each other (Bede has Hatterene, Marnie has Grimmsnarl).
  • To Hop — both have older brothers involved in the Pokémon League, but while Leon is the Champion and widely beloved, Piers is a lesser-known gym leader and the only one unable to use Dynamax in his battles. Additionally, Leon rarely interacts with his brother in the story, while Piers does his best to help his sister on the Gym Challenge.
  • To the protagonist themselves — both are trainers who came from a small town and both are aiming to take the gym challenge. However, while the player joins along the ride of the gym challenge with their best friend, Hop, Marnie joins the gym challenge to be Champion and hoped to be able to do something to save her hometown. While Marnie is related to someone from the Pokémon League through her relationship with her brother Piers, the player is only related to Leon by proxy of being Hop's friend.
• Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind: Despite her Goth-looking attire, Marnie is one of the nicest trainers around. She even likes cheering on other people.
• Friendly Rival: Even despite her highly competitive side, her rivalry with the player is based on this, as she wants to prove her determination to you. She's also humble and fair to the player outside of battle.
• Goroawase Number: Has the number 960 on her uniform, which means Kuro (Black in Japanese).
• Hell-Bent for Leather: She wears a studded leather jacket to go with her punk/Perky Goth-inspired fashion sense, though according to her design notes, it's actually fake leather. The same can be assumed of her studded spike-heeled ankle boots, which female player characters can wear in the DLC.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: Although "hidden" is probably a bit of an exaggeration. She's fairly quiet and carries herself a bit like a stoic or even cold person, but her interactions with the player show that Marnie is actually rather good-natured and friendly.
• I Am Not Pretty: A downplayed example, but if paired with Klara, she's noticeably shocked and flustered when the latter refers to the both of them as "Team Supercute".
  Marnie: I-I'unno about cute or anythin'... (shocked eyes followed by a slight blush)
• It Was a Gift: Her Morpeko was a gift from her older brother when she was five, which then kickstarted her career as a trainer.
• Leg Focus: While all of her outfits display her legs well, it's her Rare League Card that really showcases them, having her winding up to throw a Poké Ball in a pose that has one of them in front of the camera for emphasis.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Unwillingly, she is absent from the post-game story all because Spikemuth lacks a Power Spot for Dynamax battles, making it useless for Sordward and Shieldbert to go there to cause havoc. It doesn't stop her brother from utterly forgetting that fact and freaking out about his little sister being in danger.
• Meaningful Name: Her Japanese name, Mary, is derived from the rosemary herb. Her English name is derived from Rosemarinus, the genus that rosemary belongs to.
• Monster Brother, Cutie Sister: Only really in an aesthetic sense, as it's firmly subverted with the siblings' actual personalities. Marnie's appearance is certainly less intimidating compared to Piers, but both siblings are quite affable people.
• Motor Mouth: Hinted at, particularly whenever she does a full "The Reason You Suck" Speech. One Team Yell grunt will even tell you that she scolded her own Morpeko for so long that it practically fell asleep.
• Nice Girl: While not as buddy-buddy as Hop, she's still a sweet-natured girl who harbours a soft spot for the player character, and even acts as their cheerleader when they fight against Oleana's goons. She's also friendly towards Hop, which further contrasts herself with Bede.
  • In Masters, it's shown that she likes to help and support people when she can as shown when she's cheering for a bunch of kids to encourage them while they're fighting Team Break.
• Nice Mean And In Between: The In-Between of the three rivals. While fairly good-natured and generally against Team Yell's attempts to cause a ruckus, she remains too stoic and goal-focused to be as buddy-buddy as Hop is to the player character.
• Olympus Mons: In her Champion outfit in Masters, she's partnered with Galarian Moltres.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In the post-game, when she's caught practicing her smiles, coupled with the fact it's a rare time when she's visibly shocked for the player finding out.
• Only Sane Woman: Everyone in Spikemuth is a bit... quirky ^note Team Yell and their constant obstructions on any other Gym Challenger, along with the Gym Leader (her brother) not doing much to stop Team Yell and being in a state of depression over the fact Spikemuth lacks a Power Spot to Dynamax., but she's the only one with a clear head.
• Oop North: Her dialogue is written to imply a Yorkshire accent. She has an accent in most versions of the game (the original Japanese has her speak in Hakata-ben, for instance), which is noted to be a charm point of hers on her rare League Card.
• Out of Focus: Marnie is completely absent from the post-game storyline. This is the result of Marnie undergoing the preparations to take over from Piers as the Gym Leader for Spikemuth at the time. Also, since Spikemuth does not house a power spot like all the other Gym cities, the location is not in any danger from the out of control Dynamax Pokémon.
• Perky Goth: Downplayed. Her fashion style has elements of this, as she wears a pink dress with ribbons in her hair, accented by a studded black (fake) leather jacket and matching boots, a spiked necklace, and black nail polish. In terms of personality, while she's generally good-natured and her dialogue doesn't hide when she's happy, she's usually very stoic like a stereotypical Goth would be. Her Gym Leader uniform later in the game goes this route even more, with the outfit showing her midriff despite her usual preference for darker or more obscuring clothing.
• Poor, Predictable Rock: Averted. She packs a Croagunk that later evolves into a Toxicroak to counter opponents trying to sweep her. Bug, Fighting and Fairy are all resisted by Poison, the former two being resisted by it, Bug being a double-resistance, and Fairy is weak to Poison, which means it's a fairly good counter.
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: She has an entire fan club devoted to her look and later even her accent. In addition to having a stylish hairstyle to compliment her dark hair, her Dark Uniform also shows off the fact she has extremely fair skin - almost completely white, even compared to other light-skinned characters in the game like Melony.
• Refusal of the Call: In the main storyline, Marnie bluntly tells Piers that she does not want to take over his gym. In the post-game, now that the Player Character is Champion, she is revealed to have relented and taken over Spikemuth Gym, having discovered in an earlier story event that she's a naturally gifted leader to its trainers.
• Saving the Orphanage: Her original motivation and one of the main reasons all of Team Yell is behind her. Spikemuth is a shabby, run-down town, lacking a Stadium because it's not built on a Power Spot and thus has no real way to bring in business. With her hometown dying and her big brother in a bit of a depression thinking it's because he sucks at his job, she figured having the Champion there would be a good idea to improve the situation.
• Shrinking Violet: One of her league cards reveal that she used to be timid as a child. Though she appears shy whenever she gets praises for her appearance, as seen with some Galarian Star Tournament partners she fights with.
• Signature Mon: She has two:
  • Morpeko is presented as hers in her introductory trailer, it's the Pokémon that she has the most emotional attachment to and is always seen with her in the overworld. It is even her strongest Pokémon for her first two battles.
  • Later she acquires Grimmsnarl, which fits her Dark-type specialty, and is not only her strongest Pokémon but the one that she Gigantamaxes during her League battles with the player character. Grimmsnarl also contrasts well with Bede's Hatterene, as the two are counterparts in a way. Piers emphasizes Grimmsnarl is her ace when she appears in the anime, but she still keeps Morpeko out of its Poké Ball even before starting a battle.
  • In the Pokémon Masters Valentine's Day 2022 event, she pairs up with Mawile.
  • Her Neo Champion suit gives her Galarian Moltres.
• The Smurfette Principle: In Shield only, she is your only female rival. This is played further if you chose Victor as the player character.
• Sore Loser: Downplayed; if you defeat her in a Wyndon Stadium rematch, she comments how she finds losing to you is getting frustrating for her. Though, the fact that it takes until you've already defeated her multiple times and knocked her out of the League, then defeated her again before she says anything about it is still pretty nice of her.
• Starter Mon: Morpeko is hers, given to her when she was five by her brother.
• The Stoic: Marnie is not a very emotive person. Her demeanor is always calm, her expressions are extremely mild even in moments where everyone else in the game let themselves go (like Dynamaxing or losing a match), and her first League Card is just the default design with no pose whatsoever. Even her attempt at cheerleading at one point is fairly subdued (but effective). She essentially has two big displays of emotion in the whole game: an optional scene in the Budew Drop Inn where she tries to practice smiling to her supporters more often (only to freak out when she realizes you were watching), and when she explodes at Team Yell after finding out they're the ones who locked Spikemuth's entrance. During The Crown Tundra DLC's Galarian Star Tournament, she is seen reacting with surprise at Leon's announcement, and, if chosen as partner, actually smiling from time to time, showing a more mellow personality. In Pokémon Masters, she's attempting to train herself in being more emotive, because she doesn't want to give a bad impression to the people who cheer for her and expect her to react appropriately.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: While Marnie rarely shows emotion, she also displays a kind and helpful side to the player as the story progresses. She’s genuinely supportive towards Piers as well.
• Tsundere: Should she partner up with Klara in the Galarian Star Tournament, Klara will boast that their combined cuteness will help them win. Marnie is completely embarrassed about being called cute and tries to forget that's going to be a factor for them to win.
• What the Hell, Hero?: When she discovers Team Yell locked the way to Spikemuth out of paranoia, she loses her temper for the first and only time, going into a full "The Reason You Suck" Speech that convinces them to finally stop being a hassle to her rivals.
• You Are in Command Now: In the post-game, Marnie has taken over her brother's position as the Spikemuth Gym Leader.
• You Fight Like a Cow: Perhaps showing how she's grown more comfortable around the player in the post-game, if you turn down her offer for a rematch in Spikemuth, she'll playfully taunt you saying you might be scared to face her since you're on her home turf.

DLC: Isle of Armor

In General

• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In their first appearance at the Wedgehurst Station, they both seem like nice people, but their proper introductions in the DLC make it clear that their earlier niceness was largely an act (though in different ways; Klara is The Fake Cutie while Avery is more of a condescending Insufferable Genius). It's shown when the initial new member turned away from joining the Master Dojo due to how strange and scary they seemed, and he's not wrong.
• Break the Haughty: Over the course of the Isle of Armor story, they suffer defeat after defeat at the hands of the protagonist. It gets so bad that they have to resort to cheating during your final confrontation. However, a final loss causes them to admit that the protagonist is just a better trainer than they are. When it is told their punishment for cheating is taking care of all the Pokémon at the dojo for six months, they are actually relieved and take it in stride since they expected to be expelled.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Mustard remarks that they have a lot of talent as trainers, but they only put in the bare minimum amount of effort at the dojo due to the lack of competition until the protagonist's arrival. While they are endlessly frustrated by how they can't beat the protagonist, it still pushes them to grow stronger.
• Butt-Monkey: Their Dojo uniform is stolen by a trio of Slowpoke. Who you defeat as part of the first trial.
• Character Development: They both start out as lazy schemers, but after the final, last, ultimate, third trial they accept defeat and even ask the protagonist to confess to Mustard about their lying and cheating.
• Cheaters Never Prosper: In the final, last, ultimate, third trial, they go to the Battle Court early to set up a field hazard: In Klara's case, it's Toxic Spikes and in Avery's case, it's Psychic Terrain. In the end, they still lose, and are rightfully punished for their actions by Mustard.
• Climax Boss: They are the last obstacle standing between you and the ability to recruit the main star of the Isle of Armor expansion, Kubfu.
• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: The previous rivals (Hop, Marnie and Bede) were trainers who travel through the region in order to challenge the Galar Cup and become Champion. Klara and Avery train under a dojo on an island in order to become Gym Leaders. Also while Hop, Marnie and Bede failed in their goals of becoming Champions, Klara and Avery succeed in their goal of becoming Gym Leaders.
• Deuteragonist: They have the biggest character arc for the first half of the Isle of Armor DLC expansion. After you defeat them for the third time, they retire from the plot and are replaced by Kubfu.
• Divergent Character Evolution: While they both are distinct characters, they both used a Galarian Slowbro as their Signature Mon, but after the Crown Tundra was released, they both added a Galarian Slowking to their team, which becomes the Pokémon Avery Dynamaxes, while Klara still Dynamaxes her Galarian Slowbro.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: After you find the Max Mushrooms needed to complete Mustard's 2nd trial, they claim that they found the mushrooms first and demand that you give them up. If you say no, they fight you for them. If you agree to give them the mushrooms, they get mad at you for feeling sorry for them, and fight you anyway.
• Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Both of them get these when they're upset or angry. Klara's eyes go dark and retain their pupils, while Avery's go blank with the pupil disappearing.
• Early-Bird Cameo:
  • They first pop up in a free update event in Wedgehurst, where Klara in Sword or Avery in Shield watch you catch a Galarian Slowpoke.
  • Long before either of them were revealed in the first DLC trailer, the player can purchase a Poison-type or Psychic-type Gym Uniform in the base game resembling Klara's and Avery's outfits repsectively.
• Green-Eyed Monster: They continuously antagonize the player when they defeat them for the first time, seeing the player as a threat to their position at the Master Dojo, which will hinder their progress in becoming Gym Leaders, whether or not you've become the new Champion of Galar or you've just started your Gym Challenge.
• Guest-Star Party Member: Can appear as one of the AI characters when doing Max Raids after defeating them in the third trial.
• Hidden Depths: Despite their laziness and arrogance, their interactions with both Mustard and Honey are respectful. They also were able to find three Max Mushrooms on her own, showcasing that when they actually try, they're very capable.
• Jerkass: They both start out like this when you first meet them on the island. They become much nicer after being beaten at the final, last, ultimate, third trial, which becomes more profound after you defeat Mustard in your final battle against him in the Isle of Armor storyline.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: Theirs runs out after the final, last, ultimate, third trial, as they are punished for their actions with looking after the dojo's Pokémon for six of months by themselves. This is downplayed since they expected a harsher punishment such as getting expelled.
• Mugging the Monster: Depending on when you start the Isle of Armor DLC, they talk shit to, condescend to, and horrifically underestimate the reigning Champion of the Galar region who has at least two Olympus Mons at their command.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Ultimately the protagonist getting involved with the dojo and upstaging them is their own fault, as they mistake you for the new dojo recruit when first meeting them, and despite either showing confusion at what they're talking about or flat-out telling them they have the wrong person, instead of taking you at your word, they'll believe either response is you mocking them, which leads to them doubling down to Honey that you are the new recruit even when you can tell her that you aren't.
• Palette Swap: In Max Raid Battles, they are effectively the same character due to using the same Galarian Slowbro with the same moveset. The only difference is their gender, which might come into play if the enemy uses Attract or something.
• Rank Up: As of the Crown Tundra DLC, they manage to become Minor Division Gym Leaders, but they're certain that they'll be able to reach the Major Division at the rate they're going.
• Recurring Boss: You have to battle them three times over the course of the Isle of Armor DLC.
• Redemption Promotion:
  • In their daily rematches after the Isle of Armor DLC, their Galarian Slowbro is level 67. As your ally in Max Raid Battles, they can go up to level 70.
  • In the Galarian Star Tournament after the Crown Tundra DLC, they are now official Gym Leaders of the Galar League. Admittedly, they're still in the Minor Division, but they're certain that they'll be able to reach the Major Division at the rate they're going.
• Signature Mon: The Galaran Slowpoke line. They both use a Galarian Slowbro, which they Dynamax and appears with them in all of their League Cards. Galarian Slowbro's typing is Poison/Psychic, so it fits with their respective specialties (Poison for Klara and Psychic for Avery). Once the Crown Tundra came out, they both added a Galarian Slowking to their team, but Avery is the one who Dynamaxes his Galarian Slowking while Klara continues to Dynamax her Galarian Slowbro.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: Before the Galarian Star Tournament begins, they announce to the player and Hop that they became the new Gym Leaders for their respective types. Although they are still just in the Minor League, they are happy enough that they consider their goals reached.
• Took a Level in Kindness: After you defeat them for the third time, they realize the error of their ways and resolve to become better people.
• Underestimating Badassery: They fail to recognize the protagonist as the reigning Champion^note If you didn't go to the Isle of Armor sometime during your Gym Challenge beforehand, which you can after finding out a Galarian Slowpoke is at Wedgehurst Station. (NPC dialogue suggests this is because Mustard hogs the TV and so the students at the Dojo are behind on the latest news, they weren't even aware a new gym challenge had started recently), acting surprised that some random kid is expertly breezing through all the trials and defeating them.
• Version-Exclusive Content: Klara is only encountered in Sword, while Avery is only encountered in Shield.
• Wake-Up Call: The protagonist is this to them since they actually have to put up some effort in battling and training.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: After getting their dojo uniform back from the Galarian Slowpoke, neither of them ever bring the topic up and stay wearing their usual outfits anyway. Avery at least is shown to be wearing his uniform in his rare League Card.

Klara (Kurara)

Klara / Kurara (クララ kurara)

Voiced by: Erica Mendez (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - EN)

The fourth rival, exclusive to the Sword Expansion Pass. A Poison-type specialist, Klara is a student at Mustard's dojo on the Isle of Armor. She likes to make herself look adorable and cute, but she hides a vindictive, calculating nature.

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• Break the Haughty: By the time of her ultimate defeat, Klara stops being spiteful and obnoxious to the player and considers old-fashioned training is the way to go.
• Boob-Based Gag: Klara's League Card is edited to make her breasts look bigger, which is given away by the distorted Galarian Slowbro in the background behind her. Humorously enough, Klara's 2nd (unedited) League Card makes it clear that she's actually quite busty.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Even more than Avery, Klara's past is defined by this. She quit being a Gym Trainer at the Poison-type Gym after a mere two days simply because the training was a lot harsher than she expected, and joined the Master Dojo because Mustard seemed kind and she thought the dojo could help her become strong without having to try too hard. Her focus on getting others to dote on her often keeps her from realizing her true potential.
• Even the Girls Want Her: One of the female students in the Dojo openly admires her, and catches herself being distracted by Hop's enthusiasm, stating "Twisted, vindictive Klara is the only one for me!"
• Expressive Accessory: Her Dustox-themed hair bow briefly flares upward whenever she loses a battle.
• Face Framed in Shadow: Her bangs are always casting a shadow over the top half of her face. It's more pronounced in her artwork than her character model.
• The Fake Cutie: She tries to look and act as cute as possible, but her facade quickly breaks whenever she's annoyed.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: Her left sock is green and her right sock is purple.
• The Ghost: She's mentioned in Pokémon Masters during a special event conversation between Roxie and Janine, whose Poison-type speciality has caught their interest, with them making plans in the future to go challenge her.
• Goroawase Number: 881, which means "yabai" (dangerous).
• Hidden Depths: Before she attempted to become a Gym Leader, Klara was an underground pop star. She did well with concerts, even selling homemade merchandise. However, her debut album bombed, selling 8 copies total.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: By the time her main storyline is over, she mellows out significantly, and is much easier to get along with in the Galarian Star Tournament (among other places).
• Meaningful Appearance: The bow on the back of her head resembles a Dustox, which fits with her Poison-type specialty. Ironically, though, she lacks Dustox in her team.
• Meaningful Name: Both her Japanese name and her English name are derived from "kurara", the Japanese name for the sophora shrub. The plant itself is highly toxic, which fits with her Poison type specialty.
• Rose-Haired Sweetie: Subverted; she has pink hair, but despite how she tries to present herself as cute and bubbly, it's quickly made apparent that she's actually very irritable and calculating.
• Pet the Dog: She has a genuine love for the Slowpoke evolutionary family, whose dimwit and slothful habits are often regarded as nuisances or criminally exploited.
• Poisonous Person: She uses Poison-types, and she also goes out of her way to set up Toxic Spikes on the Battle Court right before your match with her there. According to her trainer card, she decided to specialize in Poison types due to the lack of competition in the field and because it matched the poisonous image she already established for herself as a underground pop singer.
• Pretty in Mink: She wears a cute fur coat over her Gym uniform.
• Tsundere: Implied, especially if you play Sword as Victor. The way she acts in condescending manner (albeit more downplayed) towards him, even after her Took a Level in Kindness moment, might be a way to cope with the feelings she develop towards him (especially with her being most likely considerably older than him might make her a bit uncomfortable). She is more open to him during the Galarian Star Tournament, especially if Victor partnered with her and won the final match, however.

Avery (Savory)

Avery / Savory (セイボリー seiborii)

Voiced by: Chris Hackney (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - EN)

The fifth rival, exclusive to the Shield Expansion Pass. A Psychic-type specialist, Avery is a student at Mustard's dojo on the Isle of Armor. He acts like a well-mannered, dignified gentleman, but is also incredibly prideful and arrogant.

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• Badass Family: His entire bloodline has psychic powers. Including the ability to use telepathy and outright teleportation, both of which he currently lacks.
• Classy Cravat: A black one adorns his neck, although it clashes somewhat with his psychedelic Psychic gym uniform.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Hates the fact that the player gets heaps of praise, so he will do anything to take any limelight off of you or knock you down a couple pegs. Avery also sees the player as a threat, which is why he tried to tell the people running the dojo that you didn't want to show up, but acts shocked when you do show up.
• Goroawase Number: 026, which means "otsumu" (brain). It can also be read as O-Ni-Ro, which sounds like the Greek word for dreams.
• Inadequate Inheritor: His Trainer Card reveals that he is meant to inherit the Psychic-type Gym Leader position like his family has done for generations, but so far, he has only been able to use telekinesis and nothing else like telepathy or teleportation, causing the rest of his family to consider him a disappointment. Then his status as a Sore Loser made him lash out at trainers who beat him by using levitation on them, causing his status as a Gym Trainer at his family's Gym to get revoked. He joined the Master Dojo in the hopes that the recognition he could gain would improve his prospects of one day inheriting the position of the Psychic-type Gym Leader, and by the time that the Crown Tundra storyline is completed, he eventually does.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: For all his bluster, he eventually admits that he considers himself to just be an average man and unable to compete with a child trainer prodigy like the player character, even wistfully considering becoming a Gym Leader to be impossible for him. In truth, he's skilled, but Mustard notes that this skill led to laziness and doing the bare minimum to improve himself until he met the player character.
• Insufferable Genius: Considers himself this in comparison to the player character, who he regards as "thick as a poor, lost Wooloo". But see the above for how it's Played With.
• Meaningful Name: His Japanese name, Savory, refers to culinary herbs of the Satureja genus.
• Mind over Matter: He trains Psychic-type Pokémon and is skilled at telekinesis himself, notably almost constantly levitating six Pokéballs to orbit around his hat and throwing them with his mind. He likewise levitates the ball when Dynamaxing his Galarian Slowbro/Slowking. He at one point threatens to use his powers directly on the protagonist, and at another even activates Psychic Terrain himself.
• Muscles Are Meaningless: Despite his relatively slender frame, his rare League Card shows him doing push-ups while his Slowbro sits on his back. Galarian Slowbro weighs 155 lbs (70.5 kg).
• Scary Shiny Glasses: When he's being manipulative, he'll sport these.
• Sore Loser: According to his rare League Card, he used to use his telekinesis powers to levitate Trainers who would defeat him, causing his status as a Gym Trainer to be revoked; the fallout of this and some help from his Slowpoke leading to him joining the Master Dojo. While he has stopped doing that, he is still not that happy to lose to the player.
• Verbal Tic: Is constantly shoehorning the names of Psychic-type moves into his dialogue.

Allies

Professor Magnolia

Professor Magnolia (マグノリア博士 magunoria hakase)

The professor of the Galar region who specializes in researching the Dynamax phenomenon.

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• Brutal Honesty: And not even her own granddaughter is spared: Sonia heads off on her own adventure because Magnolia bluntly criticizes her for putting less effort into pursuing her own career than the protagonist and Hop, which even the protagonist winces at.
• Classy Cane: She walks with a cane topped with a wooden carving of a Corviknight.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Her character design looks very similar to Queen Elizabeth II, the iconic Queen of Great Britain from 1952 to 2022. Fitting, since the Galar region is based off of the United Kingdom.
• Out of Focus: Compared to the professors that came before her, she doesn't get to do much in the game. The introduction to the world of role of Pokémon segment, typically done by professors, is handled by Chairman Rose, handing out starter Pokémon goes to Leon, and most, if not all, of the actual research in regards to the box legendaries is done by her granddaughter Sonia.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Her work researching the Dynamax phenomenon ended up being used by Chairman Rose to start another Darkest Day. The player's mom mentions she must feel horribly guilty about this in the post-game.

Sonia

Sonia (ソニア sonia)

Voiced by: Allegra Clark (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - EN), Morgan Garrett (Pokémon Masters - EN), Lynn (Pokémon: Twilight Wings, Pokémon Masters - JP)

Leon's childhood friend, and also both granddaughter and assistant of Professor Magnolia. She will offer advice to the player throughout their journey.

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• Badass Decay: In-Universe, as a trainer, anyway. She's not The Rival that could go head to head against Leon anymore, which she admits. Masters shows that she's clearly struggling to win battles because she's too distracted thinking about dex entry facts rather than her own Yamper. She even refers herself as a "thinking trainer."
• Bookworm: During Pokémon Masters, she mentions she can get so engrossed in a book she reads that she loses control of time. She's so into her books that her Yamper often has to step in to remind her to eat.
• The Bus Came Back: After her sudden disappearance from the games after the Isle of Armor DLC, she makes a return in the Crown Tundra where she is investigating the Swords of Justice. Upon catching them in her story, she returns to the lab where she resides with Hop and her other assistant.
• Call to Adventure: Having become something of a aimless homebody after her own Gym Challenge journey with Leon ended (noting that she isn't even officially her grandmother's assistant, only calling herself one), Hop and the protagonist's encounter with Zacian/Zamazenta and her grandmother's chiding motivate her to head out on a new journey to uncover Galar's mysteries. While she initially only goes because her grandmother told her to, she finds a new zest for life over the course of the game, overcoming her insecurities and embracing her role as a true researcher.
• Childhood Friends: She and Leon have been close friends since they were kids. He even brings this up in Masters.
  • The "Winter Wishes" event reveals she's also childhood friends with Nessa.
• Easily Forgiven: As shown in the Isle of Armor DLC, she's forgiven the assistant that betrayed her in the postgame story as she is working in the lab again.
• Expy: Her outfit from the Curious Tea Party event is based on the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. She even brings this up during her Pokémon Center dialogue. Thankfully she doesn't take on the same attitude, believing queens should protect and not terrorize their people.
• The Fashionista: She's a very fashionable young woman. Her bedroom in Magnolia's house is stocked full of makeup and fashion magazines, and one of the first things she does upon reaching Motostoke with the Protagonist is check out the local boutique.
• Friendly Rivalry: During her Gym Challenge, she had one with Leon, though it's a bit more complicated in the present day, with Sonia comparing her modest job as Magnolia's assistant to Leon's prestigious career as Champion. She had this dynamic with Nessa as well, though as adults they're currently best friends with none of the rivalry.
• The Ghost: While she doesn't make an appearance in Masters, both Leon and Nessa talk fondly about her when you talk to them. This gets averted when she officially makes her appearance.
• Green Thumb: Her Sync Pair for the Curious Tea Party event is Shiny Tsareena.
• Heroic BSoD: Comically subverted when it's revealed her new assistant is actually The Mole working for the two brothers and betrays her. She hides in a corner, not responding to anything, and Piers advises to leave her be for a while... only for her to immediately follow the others out of the lab, more pissed than anything.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Nessa. Being one of her childhood best friends.
• Hidden Depths: Many of her remarks to the player character hint at how she actually is very experienced and knowledeable about battling and Pokémon in general, she just lacks confidence/motivation early on to do much with said knowledge. In Opal's gym you can read an old scorecard that notes that Sonia got every question right during her audition battles, and Opal praised her as being talented but also noted that she gave up on things "a little too quickly," and added that it was probably "not easy being the granddaughter of Magnolia."
• Labcoat of Science and Medicine: Upon becoming a Professor, she replaces her brown jacket with a white labcoat.
• Letting Her Hair Down: Her outfit for the Curious Tea Party event has her hair free instead of its usual ponytail. She also sports this hairstyle during Twilight Wings.
• Noblewoman's Laugh: In Masters, Sonia in her Tea Party event special costume being based on the Queen of Red Hearts naturally has her laugh like this in her event scenes, and her Trainer Move is called "Ohohoho!", while her sync move is called "Haughty Laugh Grass Impact".
• Noodle Incident:
  • Hop relates that at some point in the past Sonia went into the Slumbering Weald on her own, came back "in a state" and got a severe scolding from her grandmother. Just what she saw/what happened isn't revealed, but whatever it was wasn't bad enough to keep her from returning to the Weald later in the game.
  • An NPC at Wedgehurst says that something happened between her and Leon when they were friendly rivals that may caused them to drift apart, but it isn't explained what and the two are on friendly terms in the present day that doesn't hint at it. It's implied in Masters that they drifted apart because of Leon assuming the mantle of Champion kept him so busy from seeing Sonia, and Sonia herself becoming a Workaholic for becoming a professor reminded her of that when she accidentally got Locked Out of the Loop to learn both Leon and Nessa were hired to hand out gifts (prior, she didn't even check the message sent to her phone that they were going to do that, much to her dismay).
• Redhead In Green: Has red hair, while green is predominant in her outfit, in addition to being her eye color.
• Retired Badass: She took on the Gym Challenge back in the day, and was apparently good enough to be Leon's rival, but works as her grandmother's assistant nowadays and doesn't seem to do much, if any, battling anymore.
• Shared Family Quirks: Has a habit of absentmindedly toying with a lock of her hair much the same way her grandmother twirls a tassel on her glasses.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: Her Special Costume variant from the Tea Party event in Masters is nothing short of gorgeous, being styled after the Queen of Red Hearts.
• Signature Mon: Doesn't battle you, but she is usually accompanied by her Yamper. It's also her Sync Partner in Masters.
• Supreme Chef: According to Leon, anyway. That said, Hop mentions near the end of the game that Leon can and will eat anything and has no real care for quality/sense of taste when it comes to food, with a high end restaurant and fast food being basically the same thing to him. This could mean either Sonia's cooking is one of the few things he actually likes more then others, or her cooking is just average and he can't tell.
• Was It All a Lie?: She says this verbatim after her assistant turns out to be The Mole for Sordward and Shielbert. Her assistant's response suggests that, no, it wasn't. As of the Isle of Armor update, the assistant has become Sonia's assistant for real (giving Sonia two assistants now), watching the lab while she's away in the Crown Tundra and Hop is doing research on the Isle of Armor.
• Workaholic: To her dismay, she can't tidy up her room or even spend enough time with fashion before her duties as a professor rear their heads. She's envious that Nessa can pull off being a Gym Leader and a model.

Ball Guy

Ball Guy (ボールガイ boorugai)

Voiced by: Kellen Goff (Pokémon Masters - EN), Tomokazu Seki (Pokémon Masters - JP)

A strange person wearing a large Poké Ball on their head. They're always cheerful and makes a point of distributing rare Balls to Challengers they come across.

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• Ambiguous Gender: Ball Guy's League Card switches back and forth between using masculine and feminine pronouns to refer to them, and also mentions that their gender is unknown — although the fact that the card seems to have been written by Ball Guy themselves may mean they just are trying to make themselves more mysterious than necessary. Nonetheless, in official materials such as strategy guides and websites, they're consistently referred to with they/them pronouns. In Pokémon Masters, their voice is rather deep and masculine, but they’re still referred to with gender neutral pronouns.
• Existential Horror: Their story event in Pokémon Masters involves them in accepting the horrible reality that Pasio has no wild Pokémon to catch, so giving out Poké Balls is rather useless and doesn't cheer people up. So, what do they do? Colress, using Lear's Hoopa's portals - enlists them in an experiment involving super-charged Voltorb and Electrode by going around the region using them to fight trainers as a way to help them out, though it comes across as them harassing everyone out of the blue. By the end, though, they learn that they're just like any other Sync Pair and should try to aim to become the best among them. That being said, they use their Ball expertise to bring joy in other ways.
• Hunk: In Pokémon Masters, they're described as fit with a good physique.
• Inexplicably Awesome: They're a fairly well-known figure of the Gym Challenge, but nobody knows who they are, how they manage to be in every Stadium at once, or where does their supply of very rare Balls (including the Apricorn-made Balls from Gold and Silver, and the Entralink-exclusive Dream Ball from Black and White) comes from. Even once you find out they have a League Card, it only confirms that we know nothing about them (even the picture is just a cute drawing of them). At least they're harmless and helpful, so no one really minds their presence.
• Mascot: They're the de facto mascot of the Gym Challenge. Once you become champion, they'll reveal to you that they're not the official mascot; they merely made themself look like the ball-headed figure seen on the big screen in the stadiums, and has been acting as a mascot out of their own volition.
• Nice Guy: Ball Guy is friendly, supportive and always makes sure to give you encouragement.
• Pungeon Master: They enjoy saying ball pulls and inserting the word "ball" in their speech, which turns out to be pretty easy.
• Riddle for the Ages: In Pokémon Masters, Ethan does make a connection between Ball Guy getting Appricorn Balls from Kurt in Johto, but it's never found out if Ball Guy does get them from him.
• Shipper on Deck: Has a moment of Player x Marnie in the Ballonlea Gym. After you converse with Marnie, they ask if “love is in the air” and gives the player a Love Ball.
• Signature Mon: In Masters, they use an Amoongus.
• Stylistic Suck: Their League Card is shown to be incredibly crumpled and mundane, despite their claim that it's a genuine rare card.
• Too Awesome to Use: They're the only way to get most of the Balls they give away (unless you get the DLC), and they only give one of each. A lot of players end up with a mental block and never use their gifts.
• The Un-Reveal: Makes an appearance in Twilight Wings with their headpiece off, but their face is never revealed since their back is towards the audience. We do however see that they're blond.

Cara Liss (Ukattsu)

Cara Liss / Ukattsu (ウカッツ ukattsu)

A scientist who lives near Stow-On-Side, and owns a machine able to... "revive" fossil Pokémon.

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• Ambiguously Evil: Cara Liss looks incredibly shady and there's no way her proposed method of fossil resurrecting is anything but unethical, yet she could very well be just clueless or misinformed about her subject of interest.
• Back-Alley Doctor: Instead of working in a proper lab, she lives just outside of Stow-On-Side, in an out-of-the-way location.
• Came Back Wrong: The fossil Pokémon she revives, due to being made out of mismatched body parts.
• Exotic Eye Designs: Look closely at her character model and you'll notice she has a very strange eye pattern. They're heavily-lidded and appear to be white pinpricks with a black outline and no irises.
• Failed a Spot Check: When she "revives" a Fossil Pokémon, she states excitedly that she can tell that this was a Pokémon that walked the land in ancient times. She even says this about Arctovish, which can't walk at all.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: Fittingly considering her line of work, she wears mismatched shoes and only one sock.
• Fossil Revival: Similarly to previous games, her role is to bring back fossil Pokémon.
• Karma Houdini: Cara Liss never gets punished for consigning the Fossil Pokémon she creates to a miserable existence. This ties in with Idiot Houdini if she genuinely doesn't notice anything wrong with them.
• LEGO Genetics: The only reason why her revived Pokémon can still function as living creatures.
• Mad Scientist: Instead of reviving a single Fossil Pokémon, she revives two halves of distinct species at once to create a new, artificial creature. Her disheveled appearance compared to other scientists helps to give her this impression, as well.
• Meaningful Name: Referring to her... unique method of reviving fossil Pokémon.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: Deconstructed. Her "revived" Pokémon suffer from crippling deformities due to being made from mismatched body parts.
• Punny Name: Assuming she really does mean well with her botched experiments, one could say she is pretty careless.
• Third-Person Person: She speaks like this when asking the player for fossils to "revive".
• Verbal Tic: She tends to append the word "huh" to the ends of her sentences.

Peonia (Shakuya)

Peonia / Shakuya (シャクヤ shakuya)

Peony's daughter, and by extension, Chairman Rose's niece.

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• Affectionate Nickname: She's usually referred to as "Nia" by her father.
• Ambiguously Related: During the Scarlet & Violet epilogue, Mochi Mayhem, it's strongly implied that Penny's unseen father is Peony, which would make her and Peonia sisters.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite her always finding her dad embarrassing and trying to avoid him, she will still be in the audience to support him whenever Peony is participating (as mentioned by Peony).
• Badass Adorable: A pretty girl filled with energy who jumps in excitment when issuing commands to her Pokémon... which happens to be a Tyrantrum.
• Floral Theme Naming: Just like her dad and uncle, she's named after a flower. Her name comes from the peony just like her father.
• Genki Girl: She gets very excited and energetic when she is battling in raids. When she calls for an attack, she does so by jumping up and down excitedly.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: Or Daughter in this case. Unlike Peony, she's not interested in expeditions or solving mysteries. She's more interested in battling and is always seen in the Max Lair.
• Proper Tights with a Skirt: Wears black tights under her skirt, which makes perfect sense given how short it is and that she's in the frigid Crown Tundra.
• Shared Family Quirks: Has the same anxious leg shake as her father.
• Signature Mon: She mentions her Pokémon she uses when doing Raid battles is Tyrantrum, which she does use if appearing as your partner in a Max Raid Battle.
• The Unfought: Doesn't battle the player, but she does occasionally appear as an ally in Dynamax Adventure raids. However, the Crown Tundra data does have battle introduction animations for her, implying that she was supposed to be an opponent at some point before being cut.
• Wacky Parent, Serious Child: She serves as the serious child to Peony's wacky parent.

Mayor

The mayor of Freezington who assists you through your journey in Crown Tundra.

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• No Name Given: His name is never revealed and he just goes by Mayor.

Peony

Peony (ピオニー pionii)

Voiced by: Nazeeh Tarsha (EN), Tsuguo Mogami (JP) (Pokémon: Twilight Wings)

Your teammate in the Exploration Team in the Crown Tundra and a former Steel-type Gym Leader. He's also the younger brother of Chairman Rose.

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• Advertised Extra: Peony spends the majority of the Crown Tundra's main story possessed by Calyrex to act as a mouthpiece despite being the sole human character promoted throughout said expansion's pre-release, and all but serves as Mission Control holed up in Freezington for the other legendary quests.
• Always Someone Better:
  • He's been stuck in the shadow of his older brother Rose, a massively successful business magnate, for all his life - something he couldn't overcome even with being a Gym Leader or becoming the Galar Champion once Rose became the League's chairman, to the point that Peony ditched the League due to his complex.
  • Ironically, he ends up as this to Rose in regards to being a Trainer. His Pokémon are significantly stronger, and he actually became the Galar League Champion before willingly leaving instead of being defeated; Rose only managed to finish as the runner-up when he participated in the Champion Cup himself.
• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Emphasis on amazingly. He is heavily viewed this way by his daughter Peonia, to the point where she wants you to go with him in her place. He even mentions she tries to get other trainers to battle him as an opportunity to get away from him. Though, when your dad goes around saying he'll "unleash the Noble Roar of Dad" to embarrass you, then you too might want to run. Scarlet & Violet's "Mochi Mayhem" heavily implies that he's this to Penny as well.
• Ambiguously Brown: Much like Rose, Peony has dark skin and, if his ace Pokémon Copperajah is anything to go by, he could be the Pokémon world's equivalent to Indian ethnicity.
• Ambiguously Related In Scarlet & Violet, during Mochi Mayhem, it's heavily implied that he is Penny's embarrassing father through an early phone call where she's embarrassed of him calling her trip to Kitakami an "Adven-Tour" and his penchant to say "ultra-mega-" suffixes in his words. This also implies Peonia is Penny's older sister and Rose her uncle.
• Big Little Brother: He's Rose's younger sibling, but is much taller and more heavily built than the Chairman.
• Birds of a Feather: He gets along quite well with Kabu, implying that they've been friends ever since Peony was a Gym Leader.
• Brains and Brawn: He serves as the brawn to Rose's brains, being physically stronger and more active, but not as smart as his brother.
• Bumbling Dad: Not one of the brightest when it comes to exploration and always manages to embarass his daughter in some form. It's no wonder she tries to get away from him.
• Butt-Monkey: His daughter actively tries to avoid him, he slips and hits his head on a rock during his first trip to the Max Lair, and Calyrex constantly uses him as a vessel against his will in order to speak to the player.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's silly (mistaking the bud portion of Calyrex's statue for a pillow and having a tendency to rush in before thinking) but very competent, with enough skill with knitting to make not only the player's Exploration Outfit and Peonia's clothing, but also the Reins of Unity needed for Calyrex to control its steed. He also used to be a Galar Champion at one point.
• Chewing the Scenery: To put it simple, his stance when he's excited is him folding his arms and pumping his fists in excitement, he often makes a pose where he points both thumbs at himself and, when surprised or shocked, his facial expression is absolutely hilarious.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Just like Leon and Honey before him, when he Gigantamaxes his Pokémon, he throws the enlarged Poké Ball one handed with great ease.
• Epic Fail: Prone to having these:
  • At the Max Lair, he recklessly rushes into the lair without being properly prepared to find Peonia, and the next time the player sees him, he's sprawled on the ground for getting injured by Dynamax Pokémon... then the exasperated scientist reveals he simply tripped on a rock and hit his head.
    • Never mind the fact Peony was looking for his daughter, thinking she was behind some rocks.
  • He finds Calyrex's wooden head around Freezington, but somehow, the man thinks it's a pillow.
  • During the Galarian Star Tournament, if he's your partner for the second round, he can sometimes state he has already forgotten what number the match is.
• Extra-ore-dinary: His Pokémon are all Steel-types, having served as Galar's Steel-type Gym Leader at some point in the past.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Implied, Peony's League Card mentions he has a lot of fans, but is especially popular amongst men.
• The Fashionista: He is shown to be very skilled at sewing and designing clothes as was the one who made Peonia's outfits and also both of the Expedition Uniforms you recieve.
• Floral Theme Naming: Sharing a name with a flower is an early hint that he's related to Rose.
• Former Teen Rebel: He turned to delinquency when he was young due to his inability to measure up to his older brother Rose, even running away from home. Becoming a Gym Leader and family man implicitly allowed him to restart.
• Good Parents: Embarrassingly overbearing towards Peonia, but clearly loves her with all his heart. He was originally out in the Crown Tundra for a father-daughter expedition. A rare quote spoken by him during the Galarian Star Tournament before a round shows he wants to make her proud to be his daughter.
• Goroawase Number: Has the number 082 on his rare League Card, which means Oyaji (Father).
• Green-Eyed Monster: According to his rare League Card, his envy towards Rose prompted him to run away from home and become a Gym Leader in the first place. It's also why he vanished when Rose became Chairman. Extra points for him having green eyes.
• Guest-Star Party Member: Much like his daughter, Peony will often join you in Max Raid adventures and Dynamax Raid battles in the Crown Tundra.
• Happily Married: Though his wife is never mentioned throughout the story, his rare League Card is an image of them together alongside their daughter.
• Hot-Blooded: So very much! He's always full of energy and willing to tackle any challenge no matter what, especially exploration.
• In-Series Nickname: According to his League Card, he's referred to as "Steel Peony". In the Galarian Star Tournament, Leon refers to him by his nickname when the two are paired up.
• I Shall Taunt You: Subtle, but it's there. Peony's animation in battle when commanding an attack is made with a serious expression, followed by a pouty face, as if mocking the opponent to not act weak.
• Jerkass to One: He's mostly an amiable fella, but it's clear that he hates Rose.
• Large Ham: Indeed. With him adding "ultra-mega" to his phrases and often speaking in a bombastic manner, you better believe it.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Has a tendency to rush in without thinking, something he shares with his brother, such as when he rushes into the Max Raid Cavern for the first time and ends up knocking himself out by tripping on a rock.
• LGBT Fanbase: In-Universe example: Peony's league card mentions he has a lot of male fans.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: He came to the Crown Tundra looking forward to solving mysteries about the area and decided to form an expedition team unlike his daughter who's more interested in battling and decided to participate in the raid arena instead.
• Mad Libs Catchphrase: Has a habit of prefixing "ultra-mega" to whatever he is describing at the moment.
• Mistaken Identity: Oleana travels to the Crown Tundra after hearing sightings of Chairman Rose there, only to confuse him with Peony. As one would expect, he's confused and upset about it.
• Nice Guy: Peony is a jovial, Happily Married man who loves his daughter and, unable to go on an adventure with her, takes the player under his wing as if they were his own child, makes sure they have everything set before the adventures, and compliments them after a notable discovery.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Downplayed. When Oleana initially confuses Peony with Rose, Peony instantly becomes offended, and his usual expression becomes more stern; as soon as she comments on his lack of intelligence and charm, Peony also asks the player if they know who that "joker" (Oleana) was. Considering the Sibling Rivalry he had with Rose, however, its probably justified.
• Papa Wolf: Is not too happy about his daughter venturing into the wildly-dangerous Max Lair without him and desperately tries to rush in after her.
• Perpetual Smiler: The guy's frequently seen with a toothy smile on his face.
• Possession Levitation: He floats while being controlled by Calyrex.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Boisterous, manly, formerly a Gym Leader and Champion... and also a doting parent with an incredible talent in tailoring.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to his brother Rose's blue. He's very much an excitable, energetic and loud man with a more muscular physique and active role in the Galar League.
• Retired Badass: He was formerly a Gym Leader and Champion before retiring at the time his older brother Rose assumed the position of League Chairman. However, as seen by the fact he was invited to the Galarian Stars Tournament, he's still got it.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: His tenure as Champion was cut short by his own will when the older brother he'd been compared to all his life became the League Chairman, ditching the Galar League without a trace soon after in response.
• Sibling Rivalry: Has been compared to Rose since the day he was born, causing him to run away from home and become a delinquent before becoming a Gym Leader and even Champion, only to give that all up on principle once Rose became Chairman of the Galar League.
  • Worth noting that once Rose lost his position, Peony was willing to come back and take part in the Galarian Star tournament. He doesn't have anything against the League; just specifically Rose.
• Signature Mon: Just like Rose, his signature Pokémon is a Copperajah which he Gigantamaxes. His Rare League Card reveals he's had it he was a kid, when he and Rose caught them together.
• Shared Family Quirks: For all their issues getting along, both Peony and Rose share the flaw of impatience. Albeit Peony's is not a Fatal Flaw, as he didn't almost get a region destroyed by a sealed legendary due to his impatience.
• Strong Family Resemblance: He looks very similar to his older brother Rose, even having the same facial hair. It's even lampshaded in the Raid Arena where one NPC says he looks very much like him, but is completely different in personality.
• Verbal Tic: Has a tendency to add an "ultra-mega-" prefix to words on occasion.
• Voice for the Voiceless: Becomes this for Calyrex (though not completely willingly and by Calyrex employing Psychic Powers to put him in a trance) who as a Pokémon is The Unintelligible and cannot normally communicate with the player.
• Wacky Parent, Serious Child: He serves as the wacky parent to Peonia's serious child.

Grand Oak (Dai Ōkido)

Grand Oak / Dai Ōkido (ダイオーキド dai ookido)

This Oak is the host of Pokémon HOME, and his goal is to make a complete National Pokédex.

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• Ambiguously Related: It's unknown how he's related to Professor Samuel Oak, if at all.
• Anime Hair: His beard takes a sharp 90-degree turn.
• Cool Shades: His futuristic green visor is pretty styling and sets him apart from his more modest and simply dressed counterparts.
• Making a Spectacle of Yourself: He wears green shades shaped like arrows.
• Meaningful Name: "Dai" is Japanese for "big", and his goals are huge compared to those of the other Oaks, let alone the other professors. The localization keeps the meaning by making his first name Grand, which obviously means "big", but also stands for both grandfather, which he definitely looks like, and grand oak, some of the largest and oldest trees in existence.

Gym Leaders

Information about the Gym Leaders can be found here.

Champion

Leon (Dande)

Leon / Dande (ダンデ dande)

Voiced by: Kai Jordan (EN, Pokémon: Twilight Wings) / Takahiro Sakurai (JP, Pokémon: Twilight Wings, Pokémon Masters) / Cedric L. Williams (EN, Pokémon Masters) / Aleks Le (EN, Pokémon Evolutions)

The Champion of the Galar region. He's the most popular trainer in the entire region due to his skills in Pokémon battles and charming personality. Leon claimed the position in his first-ever Gym Challenge without incurring a single defeat in battle, with his formidable talent for Pokémon battles yet to be matched. He's aided in his countless victories by his partner Charizard, and he's known to go all out during battles, no matter who he’s facing.

Leon personally endorses the player character and his younger brother Hop, enabling both of them to start their journeys to become the next Champion.

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• The Ace: Not only is he the Champion in a region obsessed with battles, but he has a perfect win record in professional matches and is beloved by the whole region.
• Achilles' Heel:
  • No matter what starter the player picks, two of his Pokémon are Ghost-type in Aegislash and Dragapult and have a Dark-type weakness and nothing on his team resists it. If Scorbunny is picked then he has a THIRD Dark weakness in Mr. Rime.
  • While his Aegislash resists Ice, he also has a Haxorus which is weak to Ice along with the aforementioned Dragapult. If Sobble is picked he'll have two more Ice weaknesses in Rhyperior and Rillaboom.
  • His first Pokémon that changes based on which Starter Pokémon you chose only have one coverage move between them which is Heat Crash for Rhyperior.
• Adults Are Useless: Averted. Peacekeeping is one of his duties as the region's Champion. As such, he appears sporadically throughout your journey to resolve conflicts so gym challengers can go on their way unimpeded.
• Affectionate Nickname: In the English version, Hop calls him "Lee" for short.
• Ambiguously Brown: His skin-tone is notably deeper than some of the other characters, similarly to his brother Hop and the rest of their family.
  • In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Professor Laventon, who is possibly an ancestor of Leon and Hop, is implied to be Indian or South Asian (see his character page for more details on why). Given this and the fact that Galar is based on the UK, which has a sizeable South Asian population, it is likely that Leon and Hop are also of South Asian descent.
• Awesome by Analysis: He's able to determine if a Pokéball is going to fail to hold a wild Pokémon before it busts out. This allows him to signal his Charizard to protect the protagonist and Hop in time before Eternatus causes a huge explosion while doing so. He's noted to be very observant in general, being able to tell with one look how much taller Hop has grown since he last saw him. Likewise, Leon states he has remained undefeated for so long because he learns from everything he sees in every battle he witnesses or takes part in.Ironically, his powers of observation do nothing to prevent him from getting hopelessly lost everywhere he goes.
• Badass Armfold: It is his general pose when you encounter him throughout your journey including when you first meet in Wyndon Stadium before the battle is abruptly interrupted by Rose.
• Badass Cape: Wears a red, fur-lined cape that would benefit a king. Fitting in with battles in the Galar region paralleling professional sports, it even has sponsorships on the back. Though hilariously enough, the one NPC who has anything to say about the cape thinks it's tacky as all hell.
• Badass in Distress: Subverted when it's thought he's being held hostage by Rose at Rose Tower when he's late for dinner. Turns out they've just been having a long, but heated discussion. Played straight when Eternatus breaks free of the Pokéball Leon tried to catch it with and knocks him unconscious.
• Big Brother Instinct:
  • When the player character and Hop end up lost in the Slumbering Weald and pass out cause of Zacian/Zamazenta, he comes just in time to help them after getting worried. Especially this because he actually went where he wanted to go instead of getting lost.
  • When Eternatus is about to break free from the Poké Ball, his first instinct is to have Charizard shield Hop and the player rather than protect himself.
• Big Good: Is the region's longtime Champion and plays a primary role in keeping the Galar region safe and secure, such as stopping a rogue Dynamax Pokémon that appears near Hammerlocke. He later tries to talk Chairman Rose into at least postponing his grand plan until after the Championship finals, and when Rose goes through with it anyways he immediately goes to confront Rose and try to take down Eternatus. In the postgame it's revealed he's more or less the new Chairman of Macro Cosmos, having taken over leadership of several of their projects and turned the Rose Tower into the Battle Tower.
• Blood Knight: He deeply enjoys Pokémon battles. It's quite telling that if you stick Eldritch Abomination Eternatus in your party, his response is excitement at the potential of a strong opponent.
• Bring It: Occasionally gives this gesture in the Battle Tower battle.
• Brains and Brawn: He is the Champion and has the strongest team in the main game, but he also no slouch when it comes to physical strength either. However, he is also quite spacey and has No Sense of Direction, making him the brawn to Hop's brains.
• Broken Win/Loss Streak: You and Hop intend to break his winning streak by defeating him at the Champion Cup. Naturally, you succeed in the ending.
• Breaking Old Trends: He is, so far, the only Champion to try and defend the region from a Legendary Pokémon out of control. He fails, but points for trying.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Leon is noted by several characters to be pretty spacey, getting easily lost in his own thoughts and having No Sense of Direction, to the point where Hop and the player are sent to pick him up from the station at the beginning of the game because they doubt he'd be able to get home on his own, even though the way there is a straight line from the station. That said, he is also the Champion of Galar, and has a flawless battle record to boot.
• Character Catchphrase: Fond of saying, "Let's have a champion time!" Becomes an Abandoned Catchphrase after he loses the champion title, and his rare league card mentions that he's still trying to come up with a fitting substitute.
• Character Development: The conflict between him and Rose at the end of the main quest makes Leon realize that he's been fixating on his Champion position and the sport of Pokémon battling too much at the point of ignoring legitimate problems in Galar that he could be dealing with, such as the energy crisis. As such, he tells the protagonist after being defeated that it's high time he and other adults start focusing more on fixing such problems so that the younger generation can continue to enjoy the sport of battling. His new outfit at the Battle Tower in the postgame reflects his more mature outlook.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Notably, when Dynamaxing, he's one of the only trainers who throws his enlarged Poké Ball one-handed. With almost everyone else throwing theirs two-handed, this implies that Leon is no slouch in terms of physical strength. Further demonstrated when you go to Leon's room in Postwick, where he has a set of workout equipment set up.
• Child Prodigy: A former one. The story of how he claimed the Champion title in his first ever championship run at the tender age of 10 is a well-known one in Galar. In fact, it mirrors the meteoric rise of several other Pokémon protagonists.
• Childhood Friends: He and Sonia have been close friends since they were kids. He even brings this up in Masters.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Is of the firm opinion that, as Galar's champion, it's his responsibility to deal with any problems which may threaten the region. Rose exploits this during the climax of the game, going ahead with awakening Eternatus knowing full well that if something went wrong Leon wouldn't hesitate to jump in and try to resolve things.
• The Coats Are Off: He dramatically flings off his cape before his battle with the protagonist.
• The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: When facing off against Leon in rematches at the Battle Tower, his Galarian starters can all potentially have their hidden abilities, which isn't legally available for the player at the time.
• Cool Big Bro: To Hop, who adores him and wants to be just like him at the start of the game.
• Covert Pervert: Implied — inspecting the bookshelf in his room and you'll find he has books higher up on the shelf (presumably so Hop can't reach them) that "only adults read".
• Dare to Be Badass: Before his battle with the protagonist, he dares them to make their match one that will go down in Galarian history forever.
  Leon: Come on, [player name]! Let's make this a final match that'll go down in Galar's history. No, a match that will change Galar forever! We're gonna have an absolutely champion time! [poses and points to the sky as the crowd cheers]
• A Day in the Limelight: He's the main character of the Galar Villain Arc in Pokémon Masters, clashing against Rose and his plan to monopolize all sync stones for energy purposes only.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype:
  • Leon's role in the story ultimately involves to addressing the reoccurring trend in the series of the champion's tendency to being largely hands-off to whatever issues are plaguing their region. Leon is so hyper-focused on retaining his title that he ignores all of Chairman Rose's pleas of the potential tragedy in the region, which ends up being the catalyst to the latter's Face–Heel Turn. Post-game, Leon vows to take a more active role in protecting the Galar region abandoning trying to recapture the title of champion and instead focusing on training other trainers at the Battle Tower.
  • To add to this, Leon is probably the MOST active Champion when it comes to regional threats as before Eternatus knocking him out Leon takes care of everything to the point that the player is left out of the loop. This is compared to Champions like Steven and Cynthia who are on the sidelines and let the player handle the threats when they were just as capable of getting directly involved. Outside of the above spoiler, Leon takes the idea of being the region's protector more seriously than the other Champions.
• Dragon Tamer: Uses the Ghost/Dragon Dragapult and pure Dragon-type Haxorus in battle. While not a Dragon type, his ace Charizard is draconic in appearance. In Masters, he also forms a sync pair with the Poison/Dragon-type Eternatus while wearing his Sygna Suit.
• Eye-Obscuring Hat: When defeated, he pulls the brim of his hat over his eyes to hide his frustration before acting as a Graceful Loser for the cameras.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: He wears a single glove on his right hand and a sweatband on his left wrist.
• Final Boss: He's the final boss of Sword and Shield's main story.
• Floral Theme Naming: His English and Japanese name were named after the dandelion.
• Gorgeous Period Dress: His Battle Tower outfit is an extravagant affair that's ripped straight out of Regency England, from the frock coat down to the riding boots.
• Graceful Loser: Is visibly torn up after losing his championship title to the protagonist, but is quick to push any hard feelings aside to offer his congratulations and heartfelt thanks for the great match.
• Hidden Depths: For all his good sportsmanship, there are hints that he legitimately still wants to be Champion after his first defeat in ten years despite his talk about leaving battling to the youth. His losing animation in the Battle Tower especially hints at regret at not being strong enough to win, but he also doesn't want an easy win, as he'll feel the player was taking it easy on him if they do lose against him.
• Honest Corporate Executive: He becomes the new chairman of Macro Cosmos after Rose turns himself in.
• Hot Blooded Sideburns: He can be just as energetic as Hop and has the sideburns to match.
• Idiot Ball: He attempts to catch Eternatus in a regular Poké ball despite presumably having access to better ones. This results in Eternatus breaking free and Leon being injured by the resulting explosion of energy, leaving Hop and the player to battle it in his stead. It's especially egregious considering Leon is a well-experienced trainer by this point, and should be aware that something as powerful as Eternatus would be unlikely to stay in a regular Poké ball.
• Invincible Hero: He has a reputation for his incredible undefeated winning-streak. Even his in-universe theme song sings to the tune of, "Leon, Leon, the greatest Champion ever! Leon, Leon, will he be beaten? Never!" At least, he does until you're through with him.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He has mid back-length lavender hair and is not a bad looker at all.
• Loved by All: He's adored by pretty much everyone in Galar and a single line can cause any crowd to erupt with roaring applause. He also mentions that his matches are always sold out.
• Meaningful Name:
  • His English and Japanese names were named after the dandelion which is the symbol of Happiness and Joy. It makes sense with him being a Stepford Smiler and him being even livelier still when working as the new chairman in the Battle Tower.
  • His English name also means "Lion", which is a symbol of English royalty that ties into his regal attire and status as champion.
• Mentor Archetype: Throughout the story, he serves as a mentor figure to both the player and Hop, giving them their starter Pokémon and encouraging them on their journey.
• Mythology Gag: His backstory as an invincible Child Prodigy who became Champion at the tender age of 10 mirrors the rise of numerous Pokémon protagonists over the years. His Signature Mon is Charizard, one of the original starter Pokémon, and he even has his own baseball cap like Red, Ethan, and Hilbert. He also patrols the region to handle trouble wherever it pops up, again like previous protagonists.
• Nice Guy: His Workaholic issues aside, he's a pretty friendly and helpful person.
• No Sense of Direction: Several characters and his own League Card comment that he gets lost easily:
  • At the beginning of the game, the player and Hop are tasked to pick him up from the station in the neighboring town because he likely wouldn't be able to find his way home on his own despite the route between his house and the station being a short straight road.
  • Another cutscene has him admit that Charizard helps him navigate outside of battles, since his own sense of where to go is so bad.
  • Part of the reason he took over Rose Tower and turned it into the Battle Tower is because it's easy not to get lost in there.
  • Isle of Armor reveals that despite being Mustard's greatest pupil in terms of raw ability, he doesn't have a Kubfu because he completely failed all of the dojo's trials, due to an inability to learn basic knowledge of the island's geography. He couldn't even find the Towers, which are visible from just about anywhere on the island.
  • In Masters, he and his Charizard truly don't know much about Pasio's locations. However, once they both get lost, the player character tells him the city is south. Not even 4 seconds pass without Leon casually going west from the player.
  • And again in his story in Masters where he had a battle with Steven after getting lost again in Pasio. After the battle was called off, he decided to go to the forest to look for more trainers to meet and battle with but went the wrong direction, causing the player to stop him.
  • This comes into play again during his and Hop's story in Masters when Gloria and Hop offer to join Leon to the Lab because of this. The chapter ends with him going the wrong way and Gloria having to stop him.
• Olympus Mons: Not in the main game itself, but in Masters he partners up with Eternatus when wearing a Sygna Suit and Ice Rider Calyrex for Holiday 2021.
• Our Dragons Are Different: Three of his Pokémon (Charizard, Dragapult and Haxorus) are dragons, though with Charizard being Fire/Flying he isn't biased towards the actual Dragon type the way Raihan is. Funny enough, Charizard is the one based on actual fantasy dragons, while Dragapult and Haxorus are based on prehistoric animals.
• Picky Eater: In Masters, he mentions that he prefers meals he can eat quickly so he can have more time for battling.
• Poor, Predictable Rock: A subverted case in regards to his ace Pokémon Charizard, which knows Solar Beam. Since Leon will almost always Gigantamax his Charizard after sending it out, any player who sends out a Rock or Water-type Pokémon in response will be in for a nasty surprise when it suddenly unleashes Max Overgrowth. Further subverted in that he doesn't specialize in any one type and Charizard isn't the only one with coverage moves.
• Product Placement: In-Universe example. His cape has sponsorships on the back of it, fitting with the Galar region's ties between Pokémon battling and professional sports.
• Recurring Element: Much like Professor Kukui, he ends up using the final evolution of the starter that's strong against your own during your battle with him in the finals.
• Recurring Riff: His battle theme features the classic Hall of Fame theme, highlighting the cheerful and celebratory nature of the battle against him, compared to the much more climactic and serious fight against Eternatus.
• Red Is Heroic: Is the Big Good of the Galar region and his burgundy colored cape is easily his most notable feature. Even after being defeated he remains this as he takes the reigns of Macro Cosmos and wears a frock coat the same shade of burgundy as his cape.
• Shared Family Quirks: He and Hop have the same habit of slapping their own cheeks to snap to attention before a battle.
• Showy Invincible Hero: He's a showman by trade and frequently talks about how unbeatable he is. Given that he does have a flawless record, he has every right to be confident.
• Sibling Team:
  • When in the Galarian Star Tournament, one of his potential partners when you challenge him is Hop. He even tells him that their bond as brothers is stronger than any Champion.
  • He and Hop work together again in Masters to take down Eternatus after it defeats the player and Gloria quite easily.
• Signature Headgear: Wears a baseball cap much like Red, Ethan, and Hilbert: his has markings on the underside of the rim that resemble a crown, symbolizing his status as the "king" of the Galar region's League. He throws it into the air after being defeated at the end of the game to reflect his being dethroned.
• Signature Mon:
  • Charizard. It appears on all of his teams and is the one he Gigantamaxes. Leon's iconic pose is even based on Charizard's hand.
  • He has also been associated with Dragapult who, in addition to being featured in all of his battles, has been the only other Pokémon to be paired with him in merchandise. In Masters, Leon calls Dragapult "indispensable" and considers him an equal to his Charizard in terms of strength.
  • His Sygna Suit variant in Masters has Eternatus, which he can Eternamax.
  • Ice Rider Calyrex is paired with him for his Holiday 2021 Sync Pair.
• So Proud of You:
  • By the postgame, Leon acknowledges how proud he's got of you and Hop and how far you've come. When you defeat Leon during Ranked Matches in the tower, he will express his faith in you and how proud he's got.
  • In Masters, he talks about how proud he is of Hop and his development. This is especially shown in their story when they go to help Eternatus, he tells Hop he's proud to be his brother.
• Sore Loser: Downplayed, but he's clearly upset when he's defeated by the protagonist. During the Championship finals he gives a grimace before becoming the epitome of a Graceful Loser, but when the cameras aren't rolling, like during his defeat at the Battle Tower, he takes much longer to recover - blatantly obscuring his face while he regathers his composure while clenching his fists all the while. Justified since he's been completely undefeated since he became the Champion when he was at least 10 years old, so he's not used to taking losses. In addition, he's not upset with the player for beating him, but himself for letting his team down. He explicitly states at one point that he fears losing because it'd be like he failed his Pokémon and all their hard work.
• Stepford Smiler: Implied by his rare League Card, stating that he is much livelier now that he is no longer Champion and Opal's notes on his audition from his Gym Challenge. Given the fact that Leon has been in the spotlight ever since he was 10, it's likely he developed this during his decade long win-streak.
• Super Mode: His Charizard can Gigantamax. In Masters, his Eternatus can Eternamax.
• Tears of Joy: Admits to shedding these after seeing Hop and the protagonist's passionate battle during the championship semi-finals.
• Technicolor Eyes: He has brassy gold eyes like Hop.
• True Final Boss: After the postgame and all of the DLC has been completed, if the player decides to team with Hop in the Galarian Star Tournament, Leon and Raihan will serve as their final opponents of both the tournament and the game overall.
• Useless Useful Spell: Downplayed with his Rhyperior. First, his ability is Solid Rock which quarters all super-effective damage, while useful in reducing its various 2x weaknesses, means the Water and Grass-type attacks that you are likely to want to use against it still deal 3x damage meaning he's still most likely getting one-hit KO'ed. Second, he has Heat Crash for Grass-types...but due to his achingly low speed and aforementioned 3x weakness, he will probably never get it off before getting KO'ed on the spot.
• V-Sign: His signature "Charizard pose" is raising one while also raising his thumb to emulate Charizard's hand with a confident grin. The player can do the same thing by spinning around for a few seconds.
• Victory Gloating: In a surprise Subversion from the above Sore Loser entry, if Leon actually does defeat the player in one of their Battle Tower rematches, he actually gets upset with the victory and thinks the player wasn't fighting with the same passion they had in their Championship match.
• Workaholic: He never seems to take a break and is always working to ensure he becomes a symbol of inspiration for Galarian trainers to become the best they can be by attempting to beat him, which turns out to have a negative effect on his close friends, as discussed in Masters by Calyrex, who points out that his quest to become stronger is only pushing people away from him if no one can ever hope to actually defeat him.
• Worthy Opponent:
  • He says there's no better challenger than a hero like you once you challenge him. He'll also notice if you have Eternatus in your party, and says that just makes him even more excited to battle you.
  Leon: A real hero who battled alongside the Legendary Pokémon, Zacian and Zamazenta. I couldn't have dreamed of a better challenger to help increase my winning streak! Oh... And you've even added Eternatus to your party. The greatest challenger along with the most powerful Pokémon, is that it? Now you're really getting me excited!
  • Several events in Masters imply that he views Steven this way. Especially in his story, he is having a battle with him. And during the game's second anniversary event, his Eternatus seems to form a rivalry with Steven's Shiny Rayquaza as they prepare to battle together.
• Younger Than They Look: Leon's age is never outright stated, but it can be assumed that he's 20/21 considering he entered the Gym Challenge at age 10 and proceeded to have a decade long win streak. However, he looks much closer to his mid to late 20's.

Macro Cosmos (Unmarked Spoilers)

Tropes that apply to Macro Cosmos as a whole

The top conglomerate of Galar, run by Chairman Rose. Among the many other franchises, Macro Cosmos is the leading one.

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• Conflict Ball: There's no actual reason for Macro Cosmos to oppose the player, seeing how they are not doing anything evil, nor is going against the player actually helping their plans. They are mainly Just Following Orders.
• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist:
  • As far as every single evil team Grunt present in the previous titles, all of them are nameless and are simply named as [Evil Team's Name] Grunt or Aether Foundation Employee (in Sun and Moon and its retelling Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon). Macro Cosmos' lower-ranking members, on the other hand, are all named trainers, and they are unlike the previous evil team grunts in that they are simply Punch-Clock Villains who only follow orders from both Oleana and Rose (in particular the ones who actually oppose you do so because they are fans of Oleana and she told them to do it).
  • Whereas evil teams in the past games are often the primary antagonistic force of their games from their first appearance to the climax and are often the centrepiece of the conflict with the mascot legendary, Macro Cosmos only becomes important during the climax with the player character's prior confrontation against Rose and later Eternatus. And even then, they're all Out of Focus.
• Extra-ore-dinary: Chairman Rose and his Macro Cosmos employees specialize in Steel-Types. The only one to diverge from this is Oleana, whose team has a different, non-type-based theme, instead based on beauty, elegance, and femininity.
• Just Following Orders: They have no ill will towards anyone, but Oleana told them not to let anyone interrupt Rose and Leon, so they're doing just that.
• MegaCorp: Macro Cosmos seems to have a hand in every industry in Galar. Rose Tower alone has offices for everything from insurance to airline services to energy. Even the recurring reporter and cameraman characters work for the company's news division. The local Pokémon League itself is run by Macro Cosmos' staff and Rose personally appears to announce the start and end of every Gym Challenge.
• Out of Focus: Similarly to Team Yell, Macro Cosmos employees don't get a lot of screen time or fleshed out elements, as by the time they're an antagonistic force, it's mainly due to them being told to stop Hop and the player from getting to Leon. The rest of the time, they're simply in the background.
• Poor, Predictable Rock: With the exception of Oleana (who has a more diverse team), all of them, including Rose, use Steel types. This is presumably in preparation to fight Eternatus, as Steel resists both of its types, but this also means that a good Ground, Fighting, or Fire type can wipe out Rose and his grunts all pretty easily.
• Walking Spoiler: Macro Cosmos is very important to Sword and Shield's climax.

Chairman Rose

Chairman Rose (ローズ roozu)

Voiced by: Keith Silverstein (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - EN), Maaz Ali (Pokémon Masters - EN), Kazuhiro Yamaji (Pokémon: Twilight Wings, Pokémon Masters - JP)

The chairman of the Galar Pokémon League and the president of Macro Cosmos, the corporation that supplies the near entirety of the region's electricity and the real villain of Pokémon Sword and Shield. He was the first person to endorse Leon as a Champion. He's also made the Galar Pokémon League famous by implementing Gym Battles featuring the Dynamax phenomenon. He is also Peony's older brother and Peonia's uncle.

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• Affably Evil: Not much of his initial personality was a facade. Even after he is exposed, he continues to be nothing but polite and even friendly towards the player character, going as far as to sincerely congratulate the player upon being defeated.
• Alternate Self: In Pokémon Masters, when he and Oleana arrive to Pasio, the other Galarian characters find out quickly that they're not the same Rose and Oleana they know, as they sincerely don't remember Rose being arrested for his Darkest Day plot. Hoopa ended up bringing the two of them from another timeline when they haven't acted upon their plans (maybe).
• Ambiguously Brown: He has slightly dark-colored skin, and if his ace Pokémon Copperajah is anything to go by, he's implied to be of the Pokémon world's equivalent of Indian ethnicity.
• Anti-Villain: Type III (of the Well-Intentioned variety). In a similar manner to Lusamine from Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Rose is also trying to make sure the world is a better place by using a Legendary Pokémon's power in a heroic, yet selfish manner. However, while Lusamine wanted to protect the world from everlasting darkness, Rose intends to protect the world with everlasting darkness, as he believes that using Eternatus' power will help resolve Galar's energy crisis until he realizes how powerful Eternatus is to the point where it's beyond his control.
• The Bad Guy Wins: Downplayed, as his goals weren't inherently malicious, but it's implied that he still achieved his goals in the end to solve a future power crisis as after Eternatus and the Darkest Day have been thwarted, all the Dynamax Dens are now supercharged with an absurd amount of Watts emanating from each of them.
• Bait the Dog: At first he seems nothing more than an energetic and friendly person who cares deeply about the Galar region, but later on you find out he's the Big Bad of the game that endangered the lives of many out of impatience.
• Beware the Nice Ones: He's incredibly friendly and nice to others but there's more to him that meets the eye.
• Big Bad: The closest thing this game has to one, since he's trying to do a second Darkest Day in order to solve Galar's energy crisis, despite the risks to the region.
• Big Bad Friend: He's the Pokémon League chairman, Leon's former sponsor, and close friend in addition to being responsible for all the energy Galar is known for... but wants to abuse the latter to summon Eternatus.
• Big Beautiful Man: He's got a bit of a "dad bod" with a large protruding gut (much more apparent in his casual outfit), but he's still very well-groomed and has quite the snazzy suit.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At first glance he's a charismatic individual, and then he attempts to start the second Darkest Day just before the player and Leon face off in the finals, and ignores the latter's pleas to wait until after the tournament as Eternatus' awakening would risk the lives of the countless people gathered at the stadium. Downplayed, in that he's just reckless and desperate rather than a jerk; his politeness and friendliness is just how he is.
• Brains and Brawn: He serves as the brains to Peony's brawn, being more intelligent when running Macro Cosmos and the Galar League, however he's much weaker in terms of physical strength (as shown when he throws his Enlarged Poké Ball with two hands while Peony can easily throw it with just one).
• Call-Back: The ending of the Galar Villain Arc in Pokémon Masters has him welcoming Pasio trainers to the world of Pokémon the same way he did in his native region.
• Civil War: A downplayed version in Pokémon Masters. Once he arrives in Pasio, he proposes Sync Pairs with the "right" way to use Sync Stones by showing off the potential to use them for energy development rather than battle use, which causes a division in the region with people who either support Lear or Rose.
• Conflict Ball: He wouldn't even need to be an antagonist in the first place or cause the Galar region to be in danger if he had just waited a day after Leon and the protagonist's match. Instead he deliberately interrupts it for no good reason despite Leon already agreeing to help him and his goal wasn't even evil in the first place.
• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist:
  • Rose is immediately different to his predecessor Lusamine in Sun and Moon. Both are businessmen and are wealthy philanthropists who start off as polite until their true colours are eventually shown at the end, with them having extremistic plans in play. Unlike Lusamine who wants to protect the world from darkness likely due to Nihilego's control, Rose wants to start darkness through Eternatus in his misguided attempt to solve Galar's energy crisis, regardless of the associated risks. This also extends with how they are treated by the story's plot. In Sun and Moon, Lusamine was brainwashed by a Nihilego through its neurotoxins, which drove her insane and abusive towards her daughter Lillie and her son Gladion^note Though it goes all the way back when her personality change started with her obsession to Ultra Beasts, where the player has to defeat her in Ultra Space. Rose, on the other hand, deliberately causes the conflict because of his fixation to Conflict Ball, namely had he not interrupted the match between Leon and the player character, there wouldn't even be a conflict with Eternatus and the Darkest Day at all. Whereas Lusamine's kindness and affability is a façade the moment her intentions are revealed, Rose is genuinely affable to the player despite being eventually revealed as the perpetrator to his game's conflict. Lusamine, aside from being Aether Foundation's chairman, is the real funder and the Mysterious Backer of Team Skull, while Rose has nothing to do with Team Yell, only with his own company.
  • He is also different to Cyrus, the Big Bad of Diamond and Pearl and Platinum. Both of them are misguided but Well-Intentioned Extremists and are willing to use a legendary Pokémon to achieve their own goals for humanity, but while Cyrus wants to use Dialga and/or Palkia to remake the world and the universe in his own image to erase humans and reality alike and supplant himself as a God for selfish reasons, Rose wants to use Eternatus to start the Darkest Day in a misguided attempt to solve Galar's energy crisis, despite endangering anyone across the region. Both also awaken the legendary, but while Cyrus has a backup plan by using a Red Chain (DP)/two Red Chains (Platinum) to restrain the mascot legendary in his (failed) attempt to stop the player from freeing them, Rose neither has the means nor a backup plan to contain Eternatus, who would soon run amok, and instead nearly causing havoc across Wyndon Stadium and all of Galar.
• Cool Shades: When he's going incognito in public he wears a nice pair of black sunglasses.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Zig-zagged. While he is the Big Bad of the game and his actions do endanger the lives of thousands, he's actually not motivated by greed at all, and there isn't a shred of evidence of amoral business practices in either his Pokémon League or his company.
• Crazy-Prepared: Rose Tower is unusually sturdy for an office building, to the point that the lifts are explicitly designed to handle Pokémon Battles from trainers tough enough to make it through the entire Gym Challenge. It even has a Power Spot at the top to allow Pokémon to Dynamax. He and his staff all specialize in Steel-type Pokémon in order to help them contain the Poison/Dragon-type Eternatus, though he evidently didn't prepare for it to be totally out of his control, counting on Leon to catch it instead.
• Didn't Think This Through: On paper, using a much more sustainable resource of energy via Eternatus sounds like a pretty solid idea, in execution however, it falls flat. As not only does Rose awaken Eternatus in the middle of a very public event, endangering thousands of people, but he does so without a proper way to harness the energy or contain Eternatus and had no fallback plan if Leon couldn't capture it in his stead.
• The End Justifies the Means: In Pokémon Masters, he has no worries about teaming up with Giovanni - a total stranger to him - if it means he can try to monopolize the use of Sync Stones for energy development purposes.
• Evil Is Not a Toy: He really underestimated how destructive Eternatus would be.
• Evil Is Petty: While not a villain in the traditional sense, he is an Anti-Villain who still takes a potshot at Leon during his announcement that he kickstarted the Darkest Day because the man wanted to wait a day to deal with an issue that wouldn't be an issue for at least another thousand years.
• Extra-ore-dinary: Specializes in Steel types, fitting for someone who runs what Galar is.
• Foreshadowing:
  • In his first scene, he sends out a Cufant for his "World of Pokémon" intro. Later, Bede borrows his Copperajah (assuming it was the same Cufant that evolved) in an attempt to destroy a mural at Stow-on-Side. When you battle Rose, Copperajah is revealed to be his Signature Mon, as well as the one he Gigantamaxes.
  • Various remarks over the course of the game are made by himself and others about two things. One being that he is concerned about Galar's energy needs, and two that he heavily believes in doing what is needed right away whenever possible.
• Fatal Flaw: It's, of all things, impatience. Seriously, the entire conflict is based around him wanting to do something right now to solve a problem that's 1000 years away from actually happening. And even when he's ready to solve it, he couldn't hold off for a day before enacting his plan. Leon wasn't even against his plan. He just wanted him to delay it by one day to not mess up the grand finals everyone in Galar was waiting for. If Rose had waited, things would have definitely gone a lot better for everyone involved. It probably still wouldn't have worked, but at least it would merely be a misguided effort and not deliberate, reckless endangerment of thousands.
• Fiction 500: He's easily the richest man in all of Galar, as his company nearly single-handedly provides energy to the entire region on top of running the extremely profitable Galar Pokémon League that gets the same spectacle and viewership as the Olympics in real life.
• Friendly Enemy: Even after enacting his plans, he remains polite and friendly even when you battle and later defeat him. He even congratulates you for winning and doesn't attempt to stop you from getting to Leon.
• Gender-Blender Name: "Rose" is a decidedly feminine name.
• Graceful Loser: He sincerely congratulates the player for managing to defeat him, though that may be partially because his plan was already enacted by that point. Even so, he turns himself in once Eternatus has been captured and owns up to all of his crimes.
• History Repeats: In Pokémon Masters, the native Galarian trainers hope that he won't try to attempt another Darkest Day plot. Unfortunately, not even this alternate version of Rose is any different from the one they know and decides to convince all Pasio trainers to shift the use of Sync Stones from battle purposes to energy development, no matter how fishy his methods are.
  • By the end of the arc, though, he manages to come to his senses when Leon proposes that both methods should be working together hand in hand, because a person can only do much by themself, redeeming him before he does anything illegal and dangerous in Pasio.
• Hypocrite: Halfway through the game he disqualifies Bede from the Gym Challenge for destroying a mural to collect Wishing Stars for him and claims he "has no love for Galar". This is coming from the same person who nearly destroyed the entire region and endangered lives in a reckless move and all because he couldn't wait a day to enact his plans.
• It's All About Me: He hides it well and it is slightly downplayed, but it's evident. The very fact that Rose was unable to even put his plans off for a single day because he was that convinced he was taking the right course of action despite the many dangers of suddenly enacting a plan that was not far from a stadium with thousands of people shows that Rose has a high belief in what he views as right. Thankfully, he begins to grow out of this once he's defeated.
• Leeroy Jenkins: His rare League Card states that he has a tendency to act without telling other people of his plans. While his initiative and decisiveness may have helped Macro Cosmos become a powerhouse of a company, this combined with his impatience bites him hard when he releases Eternatus and proves to be woefully unprepared to control the thing, forcing Leon and the player to interrupt their championship match and bail him out. Even worse, Leon was actually okay with helping Rose if only he'd waited one more day, meaning that Rose ultimately caused way more trouble than he had to by taking things into his own hands.
• Man of Wealth and Taste: Played with. He's a Sharp-Dressed Man and also the Big Bad, but only due to him holding the Conflict Ball.
• Meaningful Name: His name is a reference to the Tudor rose, a symbol of England.
• Mike Nelson, Destroyer of Worlds: Chairman Rose's goal is to secure the energy future of Galar by exploiting Eternatus, even if it means instigating a repeat of "The Darkest Day". The problem is, he can't contain Eternatus, and his backup plan to get the Champion, Leon, to contain it goes awry.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Some time after the Eternatus incident is resolved and the League's championship match concludes, Rose turns himself over to the authorities, suggesting he is genuinely remorseful of his actions.
• Non-Standard Character Design: He and Oleana were originally designed by Haruko Ichikawa, creator of Land of the Lustrous. While this isn't as obvious with his design as it is with Oleana's, the way his eyes are drawn is very reminiscent of Ichikawa's art style.
• Obviously Evil: Subverted. Even compared to previous well-dressed antagonists like Ghetsis, Lysandre, and Lusamine, he looks the most normal out of them. It helps that not only he is the character doing the "world of Pokémon" introduction, but also that he's unfailingly polite, and that he only really was an antagonist due to holding on to the Conflict Ball.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: His attempts to go incognito to walk among the public aren't successful. It may have to do with the fact people know Oleana never leaves his side and he's easily recognized.
• Parental Substitute: Subverted, despite him taking Bede under his wing, giving him his first Pokémon and sponsoring him, Rose has no parental affection or any indication that he thinks of him as anything other than an associate. Not even a close one at that, never thinking about the boy and forgetting his name rather easily. It doesn't stop Bede from viewing him as a father figure however.
• Perpetual Expression: Despite using expressive, dramatic body language, for some reason, he always looks like he is about five seconds away from crying.
• Poor, Predictable Rock: He and his staff specialize in Steel-types, presumably on the grounds that they resist Dragon-type moves and No-Sell Poison-types, those being Eternatus's two types. And they had the foresight to bring answers to Ground-type and Fighting-type Pokémon, since those are two of the Steel-type's weaknesses. Unfortunately, the Steel-type has three weaknesses, and a player who comes in with a Fire-type Pokémon will have no difficulty steamrolling their way to the top. And Eternatus itself turns out to be packing Flamethrower.
• Punny Name: "Every rose has its thorns", and boy he definitely does.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: He's the Chairman of the Galar League and can hold himself up well in battle, and was actually the runner-up in a previous Champion Cup. He manages to defeat Hop and his Pokémon still have enough fight in them to go a round with the protagonist, the strongest Gym Challenger ever since Leon, before finally being defeated.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: He is the blue to his brother Peony's red. Being a more quiet and down to earth sort of person and is more on the business side of things compared to his brother's energetic and adventurous attitude.
• Self-Made Man: Implied: Oleana says he used to work in a coal mine.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: He wears a nice grey suit with a tie.
• Sibling Rivalry: Implied. According to Peony's second Trainer Card, he was constantly compared to Rose and when the latter became chairman, Peony left the league and they haven't spoken since. Peony even describes Rose as "someone he used to know".
• Signature Mon: Copperajah, who he Gigantamaxes. His brother Peony's League Cards reveal he's had it since he was a child, the brothers having both caught them as Cufant together.
• Strong Family Resemblance: He looks very identical to his younger brother Peony. It is even lampshaded in the Raid Arena where one NPC says he looks very much like him.
• A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: Good lord... Rose is unable to wait a single day to begin his plan to capture Eternatus even though the problem is about a thousand years away. As a result, he foolishly goes ahead with a plan that fails and causes a lot of damage in the process. He thankfully realizes such.
• Tom the Dark Lord: Despite being the central antagonist of the game his name is a lot less intimidating than other villains (though not quite to Maxie and Archie's level).
• Villain Has a Point: Even if it was just to cover his own ass, Rose was completely in the right to disqualify Bede from the Gym Challenge. Not only did Bede vandalize a sacred, historic landmark in a hunt for Wishing Stars, but he did it without Rose's orders or permission to do so, and with Rose's own Pokémon, no less.
• Wealthy Philanthropist: He's incredibly rich, owning most of the companies in Galar, and uses his money in order to improve the lives of people in the Galar region.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He seeks to unleash Eternatus not for world domination, but to capture it and use its power to resolve Galar's energy crisis. Although he won't even be alive to witness the actual crisis, which Leon tells him that it won't be a problem for a thousand years.

Oleana (Olive)

Oleana / Olive (オリーヴ oriivu)

Voiced by: Julia McIlvaine (Pokémon: Twilight Wings - EN), Linsay Rousseau (Pokémon Masters - EN), Ayumi Nagao (Pokémon: Twilight Wings, Pokémon Masters - JP)

The secretary to Chairman Rose, known for her calm and collected personality. She also serves as the vice president of Rose's company and largely handles the company's day-to-day affairs. She's popular enough that some League Staff members have formed a fan club dedicated to her. She's also the inventor of the Dynamax Bands that allows Pokemon to Dynamax in Galar.

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• Alternate Self: In Pokémon Masters, when she and Rose arrive to Pasio, they are questioned about Rose being out of jail, except neither of them can recall him being arrested, meaning Hoopa messed up with the timeline and brought a Rose and Oleana who haven't started the Darkest Day (yet, or not).
• Amazon Brigade: Her entire Pokémon team is all female and is highly focused on beauty, elegance, and femininity, except for her ace, Garbodor.
• Anti-Villain: Much like Chairman Rose, a type III (Well-Intentioned). Oleana is merely trying to do what's best for Galar by helping him achieve his goals, no matter how underhanded she has to be. The most underhanded, yet well-meaning actions she's taken is deceiving Bede into destroying the Stow-on-Side mural so she could get Bede disqualified from the Gym Challenge and gather all the Wishing Stars he had collected up to that point and sending a Macro Cosmos employee to hide the key to Rose Tower, along with sending several other employees to defeat the player and Hop so they can't reach the top of Rose Tower and disturb Rose and Leon.
• Beauty Is Bad: While she herself is obviously a very attractive woman, most of her team is also composed of female Pokémon heavily associated with beauty, elegance, and femininity, with the lone exception being her Garbodor. She is also fully supportive of the Chairman's goals to harness the unstable power of Eternatus, regardless of the potential casualties it may cause.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: The source of Oleana's Undying Loyalty to Chairman Rose. When she was still a scientist, Oleana's Gigantamax research was considered impossible and those working alongside her eventually abandoned the project. She refused to give up and continued research with her Trubbish. When it seems the project will be terminated for lack of results, Rose shows up, intrigued by her unshakable work ethic and the research others lost hope with. Afterwards she becomes vice president of the corporation and her work in Gigantamax is a cornerstone of the company's portfolio.
• Berserk Button:
  • Trying to interrupt Rose's business meetings especially after going through security.
  • People having the gall to mistake Peony for Rose really riles her up.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing:
  • It's implied she lies to Bede about Chairman Rose wanting the mural in Stow-to-Side destroyed (or at least told him to get Wishing Stars wherever and whenever possible, as Bede doesn't claim she told him to go after the mural specifically). This gets Bede booted from the Gym challenge. And no, Oleana never shows any remorse for this.
  • When she arrives to the Crown Tundra after hearing sightings of Chairman Rose being there, she finds his brother, Peony, instead. After initially mistaking him for Rose, she has the guts to refer to Peony as "lacking Rose's intelligence and grace".
  • Invoked with her Pokémon team, as it is comprised of Pokémon that are elegant and/or feminine... and then her ace is Garbodor. While there are Hidden Depths as to why, it's rather symbolic of "the rot beneath the surface" given Oleana's true nature.
• The Cameo: She appears in the Crown Tundra looking for Chairman Rose until finding out that it's really Peony, Rose's brother.
• Combat Stilettos: Wears by far the highest heels ever seen in the Pokémon world, and is very competent in battle.
• Conflict Ball: There isn't really a good reason for her to prevent you and Hop from finding Leon, especially since at the time nothing bad is happening. But, for whatever reason, she has you go on a wild goose chase searching for the employee with the key and has other employees battle you and Hop several times. It's noted by another employee afterwards that the whole thing was probably just a misguided attempt to help the Chairman in any way possible and please him. Oleana even notes when the whole debacle starts that she only even tells Hop and company about the key and leads them on the resulting chase because she knows Rose enjoys such games.
• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Unlike the arrogant Hate Sink Faba who attempts to sell out Lusamine and Aether Foundation to Team Rainbow Rocket as he does it to advance his own career, Oleana is very loyal to both Rose (as she is his secretary) and his company Macro Cosmos.
• The Dragon: She's Chairman Rose's number two, and assists him with his plans involving Eternatus.
• Expy: As the blonde and unflappable Sexy Secretary of a rich and powerful businessman, she bears a curious resemblance to the MCU's rendition of Pepper Potts.
• Fangirl: She's a fan of Unova's Gym Leader Roxie's music, as seen in the "Who's the Best Singer?" story event in Pokémon Masters.
• Genius Slob: The fifth episode of Pokémon: Twilight Wings opens with coworkers of her science department quiting one by one. As they leave the project, the office becomes increasingly cluttered and unkempt as Oleana is too focused on research to bother cleaning it.
• Heel–Face Turn: Near the end of the game, Oleana realizes how extreme and dangerous Chairman Rose's plans are by unleashing Eternatus to spread Dynamax Energy throughout Galar and asks the player and Hop to stop them both. She even thanks you for doing so and is last seen doing voluntary community service for Chairman Rose in Galar Mine (where she's still in her secretary outfit and heels), where she even gives you Chairman Rose's rare League Card.
• Heel Realization: After Chairman Rose unleashes Eternatus in order to bring about the Darkest Day by pushing Dynamax Energy throughout Galar, Oleana starts to show concern about her superior's intentions and eventually makes a Heel–Face Turn by asking the player and Hop to stop Chairman Rose and Eternatus, especially given that she fears Rose is going to get himself killed in his attempt to harness Eternatus' power.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Her last Pokémon being Garbodor among a team of beautiful Pokémon implies that, for all her genuine and strong loyalty towards Rose, Oleana is still a human. She also says that she's kept that last Pokémon around even after "changing her image", pointing out a close relationship with it despite how it clashes with her current image and nature. If Pokémon: Twilight Wings is to be believed, her image was really different, but she still kept Garbodor as a Trubbish since then.
  • She's the one who invented invented the bands that allows trainers to enable Dynamaxing/Gigantamaxing on their Pokémon.
• Meaningful Name: Oleander is an extremely poisonous garden plant, and she uses the Poison-types Salazzle and Garbodor.
• Mood-Swinger: When you fight her, she seems to swing between her usual unflappable self and a rather unstable and fanatically-loyal persona sporting a serious Nightmare Face.
• Non-Standard Character Design: She and Chairman Rose were originally designed by Haruko Ichikawa, creator of Land of the Lustrous. Her overall character design has many more traits of Ichikawa's art style than the Pokemon franchise's standard style, especially with the way her eyes are drawn.
• Not So Stoic: She expresses emotions whenever a topic concerns her research on Gigantamax or Chairman Rose.
• Out-of-Character Moment: Oleana effectively sabotages Bede by telling him to destroy a historical mural, something she never actually suffers repercussions for, despite it not being an order by Rose- who she follows the orders of all the way through until he unleashes Eternatus. She may have had something against Bede, but this is never addressed.
• Poisonous Person: When you fight her, she uses Salazzle and Gigantamax Garbodor.
• Secretary of Evil: To the small extent that Rose and his company are evil, she supports their endeavors in her full capacity.
• Signature Mon: A bit of a surprise, but her ace is Gigantamax Garbodor. The game explains that Garbodor is her childhood Pokémon, and she embraces its ball endearingly after Gigantamaxing it in the only tender moment she's ever shown to have.
• Statuesque Stunner: Gives an imposing impression, standing 5'11", according to the artbook, and would be fairly tall for a woman even without her very high heels. Her beauty and elegance make her quite popular among the Macro Cosmos employees as well, to the point that she has a fan club dedicated to her.
• Subordinate Excuse: Revealed in Pokémon: Twilight Wings. Rose admits she's irreplaceable to him and could easily run the company without his interference. Oleana suddenly becomes unable to look him in the eyes, mentioning there are still certain tasks she cannot do for the company without him, and responds to his heartfelt comment with a sheepish, "it's my job."
• Undying Loyalty: One of her more notable qualities is that she shows genuine loyalty to Rose. While she can be short with Rose in making sure he adheres to schedules, she wholeheartedly supports his ambitions and cares about him on a very personal level as well.
• Unkempt Beauty: When Oleana worked as a scientist she spent all time working in the lab, with little regard for appearance or hygene. She adopted glamerous fashions after becoming Rose's secretary.
• Wake-Up Call Boss: At least in terms of Macro Cosmos, as she averts the Poor, Predictable Rock trope that the other Macro Cosmos employees have by having Grass, Ice, Ghost, Water, Fire, and Poison types.
• When She Smiles: After Rose confesses she means the world to him, Oleana turns away to look outside a window. He silently notices her smiling in the reflection.

Team Yell

Tropes that apply to the organization as a whole

An ensemble of loony fanatics who support Marnie's efforts in becoming the new Galar Champion. They like to harass other trainers so that Marnie may have an easier time in the Gym Challenge (even if she's not onboard with the idea).

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• Abhorrent Admirer: Downplayed: Marnie doesn't seem to hate them, but their efforts to "help" her are usually pretty disruptive, annoying her and forcing her to tell them to stop. Considering that they're the Gym Trainers for her older brother's Gym and are essentially supporters from her hometown, it would be rather awkward and difficult to get them to stop otherwise.
• Affably Evil: Despite the fact that they're the villainous team of the Galar Region, they seem very friendly when they're not causing trouble. Their only goal is to make sure that their idol Marnie becomes Champion and even try to give support to other Gym Challengers at times. This is because they're actually not an evil team; they're the Gym Trainers for the Dark-type Gym disguised as one to distract other Gym Challengers and increase the chances of Marnie becoming Champion.
• Anti-Villain: Possibly the biggest example for a villainous team in the franchise. All the trouble they cause is nothing but loud disruptions, blockades, and challenging people, all at the wrong times. This is because they're actually not villainous; they're the Gym Trainers for the Spikemuth Dark-type Gym and do everything they can in order to make sure the Gym Leader's sister, Marnie, becomes Champion. They even help the player sometime after they defeat their leader by helping them deal with the Macro Cosmos employees so that Victor/Gloria and Hop can get to Rose Tower where Chairman Rose and Leon are.
• Blow That Horn: The male grunts are frequently seen blowing their two-belled vuvuzelas, including immediately before battle.
• Broken Bridge: They act as inconvenient roadblocks a lot.
• Brought to You by the Letter "S": Y, in this case. In addition to the Y logo on their shirts (tilted 135 degrees counterclockwise), they've got Y-shaped two-belled vuvuzelas and Y-shaped covers for the giant safety pins on their backs.
• Community-Threatening Construction: In the past, Rose tried to relocate Spikemuth's gym "kinda far away" to a Power Spot, which would have decreased Spikemuth's already limited tourism income. Its residents were able to stop him, but the event adds context to why they're so desperate in the present. Played with in that the town already being poor at attracting attention (and thus funds) was why Rose wanted to relocate the gym to begin with, rather than relocating the gym being something that would make the town obscure and put it in bad shape.
• Dark Is Not Evil: They primarily use Dark-types - Galarian Zigzagoon, Nickit, Purrloin, and so on. Since their immediate superior is the region's Dark-type Gym Leader, this makes sense. Also, they're just really loud and disruptive, and by no means actually evil.
• Delinquent Hair: The male grunts have mohawks, the female grunts are shaved at the sides, and both of them are half-dyed pink.
• Fan Dumb: In-universe; They cause trouble for the other Gym Challengers just because they love Marnie so much, something that Marnie herself very much disapproves of.
• Fashionable Evil: For a given value of "evil". Team Yell share Spikemuth's monopoly on punk aesthetics and rock music, all things that haven't hit mainstream popularity in Galar yet.
• Fat Bastard: The male grunts are rather chubby.
• Football Hooligans: They're designed after them, being a fan club of Marnie turned street gang dedicated to sabotaging her rivals. Their "villainous" behaviours mostly just being obnoxious fans and the occasional petty crime is pretty accurate to real life football hooligans too.
• Funny Background Event: When the player battles Marnie, they're there in the background, cheering her on.
• Good All Along: They may be harmless loudmouthed blowhards who like to cause trouble everywhere they go, but it turns out they're just Piers' Gym Trainers; they don't even really qualify as a villainous team. They even help the player and Hop help deal with the Macro Cosmos employees when Leon is suddenly called to Rose Tower the night before the Championship Cup Finals.
• Had to Be Sharp: They have to make up for in fervor what they lack in resources, and they do- though not in a good way.
• Harmless Villain: Their "evil" deeds include things like being loud, challenging people at inopportune times (like everyone else in the Pokémon world) and setting up roadblocks on the wrong paths. For a lot of the game, the worst they ever get to is trying to steal one guy's bike (and even then they claim they were going to give the bike back). The one time they do achieve something legitimately problematic (their lockdown of Spikemuth), Marnie chews them out so thoroughly they pretty much stop being antagonistic from that point on.
• Hidden Buxom: The female Team Yell Grunt is actually extremely busty, which is shown in her concept art and is apparent in her model and TCG cards. But her official art has her holding a Marnie banner in front of her and obscuring her chest from view.
• Interface Spoiler: Their connection to the Spikemuth Gym can be given away the moment the player tries to edit their online Trainer Card as the "Dark Gym" and "Team Yell" logos (which are both the same symbol rotated at a different angle) are both available as icons Though the game treats this connection as a Dull Surprise and their general lack of actual villainy ends up becoming a twist for both organizations.
• Loony Fan: The whole team is this to Marnie. They even carry banners with her image in them and also rush in out of nowhere to cheer her on during her battles, remaining in the background. While they do genuinely love Marnie and want her to be Champion, the "loony" part is a part of their disguise.
• Out of Focus: Similarly to previous villain teams, the grunts aren't particularly distinct. But as a team with no admins and no grand scheme, they fall off in relevance near the climax of the story.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: "Team Yell" are just a disguise donned by the Spikemuth Gym Trainers. When this is revealed the grunt lampshades that they think everyone already knows who they are anyway, making the disguises pointless.
• Pet the Dog: One encounter with them has them trying to keep others from waking a sleeping Silicobra up. They're also shown following and cheering on a Drednaw later on, with no means of harassing it either.
• The Quincy Punk: Themed after them as they're a typical depiction of British hooligans.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: Well, hot pink and black, but you get the point.
• Red Herring: No, they aren't really evil. They only really play negatively into the game's actual story when they blockade Spikemuth Gym as part of their scheme...which is ultimately limited solely to ensuring Marnie becomes champion. After that, they actually help the player character in the main conflict against the actual main antagonistic organization.
• Sequel Escalation: Inverted. Like Team Skull, their "plans" don't involve destroying the world, targeting legendary Pokémon, and in fact they aren't even out to steal money, just make a ruckus that Marnie can exploit. And, as it turns out, they are actually just the Gym Trainers who serve under Piers, the Dark-type Gym Leader of Spikemuth and Marnie's brother, and all he wants is to step down from his position and let Marnie take over.
• Spikes of Villainy: Spiked anklets, spiked bracelets, spiked vuvuzela bells, and a nasty attitude.
• Villainy-Free Villain: While they do oppose Gym Challengers, they don't do anything illegal or really evil. At most they'll just block your path and battle you. That's because they're not really evil; they just want to make sure Marnie becomes champion. The worst they can do is block off Spikemuth to make sure Marnie is the only one who can challenge Piers.
• Walking Spoiler: As shown by several of the tropes on this page, there's a bit more to this villain team than what you can tell at first glance.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Besides cheering for Marnie, shutting Spikemuth off to keep everyone but Marnie from fighting their Gym Leader was just a sign of their collective fear of their city descending further into obscurity and potential poverty due to their gym lacking a Power Spot. In the end Marnie still becomes a famous/popular enough trainer to improve Spikemuth's reputation.

Team Yell's leader (Spoilers)

Piers / Nezu (ネズ nezu)

His in-game Trading Card

The Leader of the Dark-type Gym in Spikemuth, where all of Team Yell are employed as the Gym Trainers.

For more information, refer to his folder on Pokémon Sword and Shield: Gym Leaders.

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Other NPCs

Sordward (Swod) and Shielbert (Shildy) (Unmarked Spoilers)

Two brothers who claim to be descended from ancient Galarian royalty. They aren't too fond of Sonia's "rewriting of history".

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• Anime Hair: Parodied; Their hairstyles resemble the items they (and the games) get their names from. This includes Sordward having a long, thick protrusion of hair going straight up, which dips when he bows. By his own admission he is physically incapable of wearing a hat. Shielbert is marginally more realistic, though his hair sticks out just a bit too far on the sides and it's still a sight to see the whole thing fluttering like a sheet in Dramatic Wind. The game's only hint to their existence before their first appearance is an NPC in the Wyndon hair salon mentioning having seen Sword and Shield-shaped hair somewhere, and considering getting her hair done similarly.
• Arc Villain: Of the post-game.
• Bantering Baddie Buddies: A comedic variant — they're a pair of nefarious brothers who frequently trade quips between them while enacting their plans.
• Beware the Silly Ones: They're Laughably Evil, but their Pokémon have levels in the 60s and they manage to defeat Hop the first time they confront the heroes. Furthermore, the two other times they fight the protagonist are intended as distractions while part of their plan proceeds in the background.
• Blank White Eyes: They briefly get these after losing.
• Didn't Think This Through: They take one of the Legendary Pokémon's weapons and cause all kind of Dynamax shenanigans in Galar to try ruining Zacian and Zamazenta's image, even driving one of them berserk with Galar particles at one point. However, they fail to anticipate that the Legendary would be a tiny bit upset by their actions, and they end up nearly getting hurt or worse.
• Dual Boss: During your second fight against them, they 2v2 you and Hop.
• Easily Forgiven: Considering all they did, their ultimate fate of going on an apology tour across the region seems rather lenient. Though given their grossly inflated egos, this is likely torture for them.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Insufferable and amoral they may be, but they clearly love one another and show distress when the other is hurt.
• Evil Is Petty: They plant a traitor in the Pokémon Research Lab to steal the Wishing Stars and use them to unleash rampaging Dynamaxed Pokémon across Galar's gyms, with the intention to do the same thing with Zacian and Zamazenta, because they believe Sonia's published book on Galar's history to be full of lies (and believing that the "old history" was better, because it benefited them). They also look down on anyone less famous than themselves, and gave Sonia's book one star on their online review.
• Extra-ore-dinary: Both of them use Steel-types as two of their four party members: Doublade and Bisharp for Sordward, Bronzong and Klinklang for Shielbert.
• Gameplay and Story Integration: After the player wins at the Galarian Tournament with all 15 partner options, the brothers show up and jokingly say that the player most likely never saw the brothers appear because they kept losing every single round 1 with their names obscured in question marks from the start. Once the player actually chooses either brother to be their partner in the tourney, they will find out the hard way that the brothers' team is composed of lv. 65 Pokémon (sharing a Sirfetch'd to boot) without one able to Gigantamax, in a tournament where the average level is the mid 70s. Furthermore, the brothers shamelessly will admit that the player most likely carried them through the tournament all the way to the final round.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • They make fun of Piers for having "strange taste in hairstyles" despite their own ridiculous Anime Hair.
  • They accuse the player and Hop of only winning the against them in battle at the lab because they teamed up, when both of them had teamed up as well, as Piers points out.
• In-Series Nickname: Sonia calls them "weirdos".
• Jerkass Realization: After their plan goes south and one of them almost dies, they realize just how stupid and petty the whole affair was and willingly surrender.
• Laughably Evil: They're the closest thing the game has to a "pure" antagonist faction, but despite their legitimately dangerous plans, they're just so ridiculous, nobody ever takes them seriously. They're just regarded as a pair of clowns with stupid names and stupider hair.
• Might Makes Right: They believe that the only way to determine whether the actual truth or the version of history that most benefits them is "the most truthy" is through battle.
• Mysterious Benefactor: The Crown Tundra DLC reveals that they're the ones who financially sponsored the creation of Leon's Galarian Star Tournament as a way to apologize for causing havoc during the post-game.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: They are Composite Characters of Prince Harry and William mixed with Jedward of the U.K.'s The X Factor.
• Poke the Poodle: Their aforementioned online one-star review of Sonia's book.
• Recurring Boss: Sordward is fought three times in Sword, and Shielbert is fought three times in Shield. The only time the other is faced is in a double battle.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: They wear suits everywhere they go. Sordward's is blue, Shielbert's is red.
• Signature Mon: Both of them use Sirfetch'd when they're fought solo, as Sirfetch'd has a sword and a shield.
• Upper-Class Twit: Claim to be descended from Galarian royalty, but... just look at them and tell yourself you seriously buy their claims.
• Walking Spoiler: There is only one tiny hint they exist before the post game (an NPC mentions they saw someone with sword and shield-shaped hair), and their scenario is a direct consequence of the plot of the main game (specifically, Zacian and Zamazenta protecting Galar from Eternatus and Sonia publishing her findings as a professor).

Mustard

Mustard (マスタード masutaado)

Voiced by: SungWon Cho (EN) (Pokémon: Twilight Wings)

A former Gym Leader and later a Champion of the Galar region in a time before Dynamaxing was added to the League. He held the position of Champion for a record 18 years. He was the one who discovered Leon's talent and served as his mentor. He currently runs a dojo on the Isle of Armor, and debuts in the "Isle of Armor" Downloadable Content for Sword and Shield.

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• The Ace: In his youth. Not only did he win the position of Champion on a type disadvantage, but he had the longest winning streak of any champion at 18 years straight, and only began losing because his partner Pokémon tragically passed away.
• Affectionate Nickname: Much like Klara, he tends to add "kins" to the end of people's names as shown with Hop and Peony (calling them Hoppy-kins and Peo-kins).
• Affluent Ascetic: He's rich enough to have bought the entire Isle of Armor, but lives a fairly modest lifestyle in the dojo.
• Bare-Fisted Monk: Specialized in Fighting-types while he was a Gym Leader. He fields Mienfoo/Mienshao in his first and final battles and Kommo-o in his final battle, and his signature Pokémon is Kubfu/Urshifu (the style the player didn't pick).
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: His eyebrows are grown out to the point they reach below his chin. They stand straight up when he gets serious, and the sheer length of them makes it look like his head has wings.
• Borrowed Catchphrase: When he partners up with Leon in the Star Tournament, he uses his "Let's Have a Champion Time" quote. He at least acknowledges it at first.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: Like many powerful trainers, he has developed some degree of this. Despite being, at minimum, in his late 60s, he can leap several times his own height from a standing start and is implied to be able to Flash Step.
• Childhood Friends: He's implied to be this with Opal whenever they are paired up or competing against each other in the Star Tournament.
• Clark Kent Outfit: He's actually still extremely fit for his age, but hides it with his baggy track jacket and constant hunch.
• The Coats Are Off: He removes his jacket and hat when he fights at his full strength.
• Cool Old Guy: Mustard's a jovial fellow who loves playing video games and still quite the capable trainer long after his reign as Champion ended. As far as his own physical prowess goes, he's one of the most acrobatic humans in the series - showing off with a triple backflip when you fight him.
• Dark and Troubled Past: The death of Mustard's first Pokémon hit him so hard that he scored his first loss in nearly two decades not long afterwards, thus losing his Champion title, and he began losing more and more battles after that (though he still remained fairly popular as a trainer). Things got even more shameful for him when eventually the chairman of the time tried to have him win a rigged match, presumably to try to salvage Mustard's career, which finally convinced him to retire from the League. He would eventually find a new purpose/path in life by building a dojo and mentoring aspiring trainers.
• Duel Boss: The second battle with him is a one-on-one match between your and his Kubfu.
• Eccentric Mentor: He's always acting like a doofus and having fun playing the part of the senile old man... with a heavy emphasis on "playing the part". He especially enjoyed messing with Leon's head when he trained him.
• Edible Theme Naming: With his wife, Honey. Not only are they both named after edible spreads (with Mustard's name still following the plant theme most characters' names in the game have), but if you put their names together, you also get "honey mustard".
• Embarrassing Nickname: Much like Opal, he doesn't like being referred to as "Old Man" as shown in his dialogue with Peony in the Star Tournament.
• Final Boss: He's the final boss of the Isle of Armour DLC in Sword and Shield.
• Foreshadowing: One of the first things said about Mustard, by Honey, is to not be fooled by how he looks and acts at the moment, and that his true self is quite a "beast."
• Happily Married: With his wife, Honey. They fell in love and got married after they met during one of Honey's business trips, and they also have a son together.
• I Am Not Left-Handed: He usually signals that he's getting serious by taking off his hat and jacket, revealing his old Champion outfit and surprisingly fit physique.
• I Was Quite a Looker: His rare League Card shows a pic of him when he was younger. He was even wearing the cape that Leon now wears.
• Mad Libs Catchphrase: He enjoys using the word "muster" now and then.
• May–December Romance: He's at least in his late sixties according to his rare league card, and Honey looks young enough to be his own daughter.
• Mentor Archetype: Was once Leon's mentor back when he was starting out, and owns a dojo where he trains a whole bunch of promising Trainers.
• Offscreen Teleportation: Performs this to everyone's shock when he calls for the player character and their rival to take their places for the final trial, moving from the edge of the arena to the center of it as soon as the viewer's eyes are off him.
• Old Master: Was the Champion of the Galar region in a time before Dynamaxing became part of league battles (with his League Card pointing out the previous Champion was a Fairy specialist, meaning that he earned his title through a straight type disadvantage), and is still regarded as a legendary trainer. He held the seat of Champion for 18 straight years, a record that has yet to be broken.
• Olympus Mons: Has an Urshifu as his Signature Pokémon, and is notably the only Champion to use a Legendary Pokémon in the main series games.
• Pop-Cultured Badass: Outside of his past as Galar's Champion, he also owns a Switch and is a fan of Pokémon Quest.
• Punny Name: Mustard is the master of the Dojo in the Isle of Armor.
• Recurring Boss: You battle him three times over the course of the Isle of Armor DLC.
• Scissors Cuts Rock: According to his rare card, he beat the Fairy-type Gym Leader (not explicitly stated but implied to be none other than Opal, considering she hold her Gym Leader position for 70 years) to become the Champion. Fairy types deal super-effective damage against his favored Fighting-types.
• Signature Mon: Urshifu, of course. It's the emblem of his dojo and the strongest 'mon on his team. He will be using whatever style you didn't pick for your Kubfu's training.
• Throwing the Fight: Inverted and defied. Apparently a previous chairman of the League asked him to win a rigged match (presumably due to his Heroic BSoD induced losing streak). He was so offended, he opted to retire instead.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Downplayed in that Mustard is far from ugly for his age (at least when he's not pretending to be a frail old man), but his wife Honey looks at least thirty years younger than him.
• Unusual Eyebrows: His long eyebrows stand up straight when he gets serious during battles, making them look almost like wings. His rare League Card shows that his eyebrows were just as long when he was younger, though they were more jagged and looked like lightning bolts.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: His Rare League Card shows this was how he dressed in his prime.

Honey (Mitsuba)

Honey / Mitsuba (ミツバ mitsuba)

Originally the CEO of a trading company, she now is the sub owner/matron of the Isle of Armor's Master Dojo and Mustard's wife.

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• Achievements in Ignorance: She originally invented Max Soup as a way to cut costs (using mushrooms she found in the forest instead of buying mushrooms), only to discover that what became called Max Mushrooms can also awaken the Gigantamax factor in compatible Pokémon when it happened to her own. She is rather proud of the unintended result and even plans on selling ready-made Max Soup around the world.
• Affluent Ascetic: As a former CEO, Honey, like her husband, is no stranger to wealth yet she lives quite modestly.
• Berserk Button: Never insult her or the dojo unless you want to experience her bad side.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Despite being such a sweet and motherly person, she doesn't hesitate in giving a guy a straight up beatdown when he barges into the dojo to demand a battle and starts insulting her and the dojo, making him run away. Honey then notes she has an unfortunate tendency to scare off potential students for the dojo when they see this side of her.
• Charles Atlas Superpower: It's noted on her rare League Card that helping care for so many powerful Pokémon has forged Honey into quite a physically powerful person herself. She can directly handle even powerful creatures like Gallade all by herself. To put it in perspective; while most trainers notably have to put some effort into throwing the Dynamax ball, Honey can not only throw it single-handedly without any signs of struggle, but also she throws it as fast as if it were a normal sized Pokéball!
• Edible Theme Naming: With her husband Mustard. Not only are they both named after edible spreads (with Mustard's name still following the plant theme most characters' names in the game have), but if you put their names together, you also get "honey mustard."
• Fiery Redhead: When challenged, she is a pretty serious fighter and can become quite aggressive if you get on her bad side.
• Happily Married: It's noted that she and Mustard fell in love at first sight and were married shortly after. She clearly adores him, especially when he is in his "serious" mode. They have a son, named Hyde, as well.
• Has a Type: She gushes and practically swoons when she sees Mustard in his manly "Champion" form, to the point of at first ignoring the player character despite them having been the one who won the battle.
• Instant Expert: Her league card reveals that Honey was a successful entrepreneur before falling in love with and marrying Mustard. It was only after getting together with Mustard that Honey decided, on a whim, to try out being a trainer and found that she was something of a prodigy at it. Her rare league card even takes it a step-further by mentioning that she's arguably on par with her husband in battle skill. This gets Gameplay and Story Integration as the levels of her Pokémon when she is rematched are equal to Mustard's, with the two being the highest leveled bosses in the game prior to the Galarian Star Tournament.
• Lady of War: She can become this if she gets provoked to her breaking point.
• Meaningful Name:
  • Her name can be short for honeywort or honeysuckle, in keeping with the game's Floral Theme Naming. It also forms some Edible Theme Naming with her husband Mustard, as well as denoting her (usually) sweet personality.
  • Her Japanese name, Mitsuba, is the Japanese term for honeywort, and it also literally means "three leaves"; her signature on her League Cards has a three-leaf clover drawn above it. The "mitsu" also refers to Combee's Japanese name, Mitsuhoney.
• Recurring Element: Much like Leon and Professor Kukui, she ends up using the final evolution of the starter that wasn't picked by anyone.
• Redhead In Green: She's a redhead who wears a green sweater, shoes, earrings, and eyeshadow.
• Signature Mon: Blastoise or Venusaur (depending on which starter you choose) which she Gigantamaxes.
• Superboss: If you manage to give her enough watts, you can challenge her in the dojo, wherein it's revealed she's actually on par with Mustard as a trainer.
• Supreme Chef: She was the one who created the recipe for Max Soup, the Island of Armour's signature dish.
• Team Mom: Appears this to be this for everyone in the dojo. It's noted that monitoring the mental health of students is one of the many responsibilities she has taken on (including cooking, cleaning, advertising and taking care of finances).
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Not that Mustard is all that ugly when he's not playing the part of a silly old man, indeed he's almost a Silver Fox, but Honey is still much younger than him and especially attractive.

Hyde

Mustard and Honey's genius son.

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• Brains and Brawn: He's the brains to his parents' brawn, if not the entire Isle's.
• Child Prodigy: He invented a lot of the technology the dojo uses and creates a Porygon all by himself, all while appearing younger than the player character.
• Creating Life: It's heavily implied he created the Porygon he gifts the player.
• Headphones Equal Isolation: He wears a pair of blue earbuds to emphasize his love of technology.
• Jock Dad, Nerd Son: His dad was the Galar League champion for a record 18 years running and is still physically fit in the present, while he's a Child Prodigy who prefers to stay inside and invent things. This doesn't seem to cause any strife between them, however, and he's happy to put his intellect towards helping run his father's dojo.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: His parents are powerful Pokémon trainers, while he's an inventor.
• Patchwork Kids: His hairstyle and color resemble those of his mother, and he has his dad's eyes.
• Techno Babble: He dives into this when explaining to the player how Porygon are made, with the game automatically fast-forwarding through it.

Gym Challengers (Yue, Polaire, Kent, Vega, Cher, Deneb, Icla, Wei, Izar, Dunne, Pia, Corvin, Terry, Theemin, Phoebus)

Trainers who appear randomly when the player participates in Champion tournaments. Each of them specialize in a single type (with Psychic, Dark, and Fairy-types going unrepresented).

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• All There in the Manual: The game refers to them as "Pokémon Trainer X", but supplementary material refers to them as Gym Challengers.
• Bare-Fisted Monk: Deneb specializes in Fighting-types and even traveled all the way to Kanto to train at Saffron's Fighting Dojo in karate.
• Big Creepy-Crawlies: Polaire specializes in Bug-types. Additionally, Cher, Izar, and Vega all wield a Pokémon that's part-Bug type.
• Blow You Away: Kent specializes in Flying-types. Additionally, Deneb, Terry, and Vega all wield at least one Pokémon that's part-Flying type.
• Dishing Out Dirt: Cher and Dunne specialize in Rock and Ground-types, respectively. Additionally, Izar, Polaire, Theemin, Vega, Wei, and Yue all wield a Poké that's part Rock or Ground-type.
• Dragon Tamer: Terry specializes in Dragon-type Pokémon.
• Extra-ore-dinary: Theemin specializes in Steel-types.
• Green Thumb: Pia specializes in Grass-types.
• Hufflepuff House: While they're definitely good trainers, as evidenced by their presence in the tournament, they get little focus or characterization and exist solely to give you and the Gym Leaders somebody to face (and promptly brush aside) in the first round.
• An Ice Person: Izar specializes in Ice-types.
• Making a Splash: Vega specializes in Water-types.
• Meaningful Name:
  • In Classical Mythology, the sun god Apollo was sometimes called Phoebus Apollo, which makes Phoebus a good name for a Fire-type specialist.
  • Dunne's name is one letter away from "dune" (as in sand dunes), and he's the Ground-type specialist of the group.
• Non-Elemental: Yue specializes in Normal-types. Additionally, Kent and Terry both wield a Pokémon that's part-Normal Type.
• Palette Swap: Each of them is a palette swap of either a different trainer class or an overworld NPC.
• Playing with Fire: Phoebus specializes in Fire-types.
• Poisonous Person: Icla specializes in Poison-types.
• Recurring Extra: Outside of the post-game tournaments, they make various appearances as fellow league challengers in Galar's gyms.
• Shock and Awe: Corvin specializes in Electric-types.
• Shout-Out: Cher's name and design make her resemble Cher Lloyd.
• Stellar Name: All of them are named after various celestial bodies.

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