History AwesomeBosses / Pokemon

* Leon, the undefeated champion of the region, deserves some kudos for being a very challenging Champion alongside Cynthia and Iris. With his team being surprisingly well-balanced and at a noticeably high level compared to the other trainers up to that point in the game (his highest-level Pokémon being level 65). On top of that his team consists of multiple powerhouses, including the residential pseudo, with varied move-sets to cover their weaknesses. It is safe to say, if you don't come prepared, he can easily catch you off guard with how strong he really is. That being said, having a legitimately challenging champion in a mainline Pokemon game is a pleasant surprise and quite a refreshing challenge for a relatively easy game.

* ''Ultra''[='=]s post-game arc features '''every villainous team leader from every previous generation''' in a massive BossRush. They're all from universes where their goals were successful [[ForWantOfANail because the Player Character didn't exist to stop them]], and they all have their game's respective box legendaries at their disposal.[[note]]Cyrus, Ghetsis, and Lysandre's legendaries differ depending on which version you're playing; if you're playing Ultra Sun, they'll have Dialga, Zekrom, and Xerneas, respectively. If you're playing Ultra Moon, they'll have Palkia, Reshiram, and Yvetal. Archie and Maxie, on the other hand, aren't version dependent--you fight both, but they're from the original Ruby and Sapphire, so sadly no Primal forms.[[/note]] Not epic enough? ''Giovanni can Mega-Evolve his Mewtwo.''[[note]]Also version-dependent--Mega Mewtwo X in Ultra Sun, Y in Ultra Moon.[[/note]]

* The Noble Pokemon of the main arc are notable for their exciting premise where for the majority of it, you're taking on the target yourself via throwing balms at them rather than your Pokemon until you find an opening that, if successful with a normal battle, allows you to whale further with balms. The final Noble, Hisuian Avalugg, is ''extremely massive'', akin to a Dynamaxed Pokemon, and fights with an arsenal of giant homing icicles and a WaveMotionGun-sized Ice Beam that wouldn't be out of place in a ''Franchise/MetalGear'' game.

** Yeesh, is this guy a joke? Mega Blaziken took all of them down with ease! Oh, wait, a Gyarados? Ah, no worr- ''The foe Gyarados's Gyaradosinite is reacting to Lysandre's Mega Gauntlet!'' And you thought only you could use Mega Evolution. NOPE!

* The Team Star Bosses are like Gym Leaders and Titan Pokémon combined, topped off with with an intense RockAndRoll track blaring from the Starmobile's speakers. Said Starmobiles often have powerful abilities and unique moves, making each fight an intense struggle.
* The TrueFinalBoss against the AI Sada/Turo (depending on which version) controlled by the [[AIIsACrapshoot Paradise Protection Protocol]] is a gut-wrenching, but truly epic battle, one of the best in the series. Fighting an AI of the professor, who was revealed to actually be ''DeadAllAlong'', and now seeks to destroy the TimeMachine that the original professor built in order to stop the rampages of the Pokémon from the past/future. The AI itself doesn't want to fight you, but the Protocol forces them to do so with a strong team of entirely Paradox Pokémon. Once they're defeated the first time, the Protocol doesn't want to give up, seals every Poké Ball not registered to the original professor's from opening, and sends the Koraidon/Miraidon that defeated yours previously, with you having to use your own to fight them in equal footing. Coupled with awesome music, it manages to be a climax that's on par with the spinoffs.

* The Team Star bosses are like gym leaders and titan Pokemon combined, topped off with with an intense RockAndRoll track blaring from the starmobile's speakers. Said starmobiles often have powerful abilities and unique moves making each fight an intense struggle.
* The TrueFinalBoss against the AI Sada/Turo (depending on which version) controlled by the [[AIIsACrapshoot Paradise Protection Protocol]] is a gut-wrenching but truly epic battle, one of the best in the series. Fighting an AI of the professor who, it is revealed, was actually ''DeadAllAlong'' who now seeks to destroy the TimeMachine that the professor built in order to stop the rampages from the Pokemon of the past/future. The AI itself doesn't want to fight you, but the Protocol forces them to do so with a strong team of entirely paradox Pokemon. Once they get defeated, the Protocol doesn't want to give up, seals every pokeball from opening, and sends the Koraidon/Miraidon that defeated yours previously, with you having to use your own to fight them in equal footing. Coupled with awesome music, it manages to be a climax that's on par with the spinoffs.

* The Team Star bosses are basically like gym leaders and titan Pokemon combined, topped off with with an intense ottenRockAndRoll track blaring from the starmobile's speakers. Said starmobiles often have powerful abilities and unique moves making each fight an intense struggle.

* The TrueFinalBoss against the AI Sada/Turo (depending on which version) controlled by the [[AIIsACrapshoot Paradise Protection Protocol]] is a gut-wrenching but truly epic battle, one of the best in the series. Fighting an AI of the professor who, it is revealed, was actually ''DeadAllAlong'' who now seeks to destroy the TimeMachine that the professor built in order to stop the rampages from the Pokemon of the past/future. The AI itself doesn't want to fight you, but the Protocol forces them to do so with a strong team of entirely paradox Pokemon. Once they get defeated, the Protocol doesn't want to give up, seals every pokeball from opening, and sends the Kuraidon/Miraidon that defeated yours previously, with you having to use your own to fight them in equal footing. Coupled with awesome music, it manages to be a climax that's on par with the spinoffs.

* The TrueFinalBoss against the AI Sada/Turo (depending on which version) controlled by the [[AIIsACrapshoot Paradise Protection Protocol]] is a gut-wrenching but truly epic battle that manages to put itself as one of the best battles in the series. Fighting an AI of the professor who we get revealed that was actually ''DeadAllAlong'' who now seeks to destroy the TimeMachine that the professor built in order to stop the rampages from the Pokemon of the past/future. The AI itself doesn't want to fight you, but the Protocol forces them to do so, which has them fight with a strong team of entirely paradox Pokemon. Once they get defeated, the Protocol doesn't want to give up, seals every pokeball from opening, and sends the Kuraidon/Miraidon that defeated yours previously, with you having to use your own to fight them in equal footing. Coupled with awesome music, manages to be a climax that's on par with the spinoffs.

'''All spoilers are unmarked. [[{{Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned}} You Have Been Warned.]]'''

* Steven in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Ruby/Sapphire]]'' (he apparently abdicated his Champion position to Wallace in ''Emerald'', but he remained in the game as an even stronger BonusBoss). Although he was the first FinalBoss in the series to not have a direct connection to the player (as opposed to your rival in the first generation and the below-mentioned Red in generations two and four), he overcame that disappointment with an ''incredibly'' difficult-to-defeat team and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcOIQwqCl7s a kickass battle theme]]. He also had a Cool, easygoing personality... and an interior as hard as the Steel-types he uses. Badass.

** The BonusBoss Arceus, found in one of the special missions, is just full of awesome. While he's not necessarily hard, Arceus will not hold back in flaunting its godlike powers, [[BeamSpam spamming all manner of laser beams that sweep the field in various patterns]], firing barrages of yellow energy blasts, causing waves of purple lasers to erupt from the ground, and even ''calling down a rain of meteors from above.'' These are some of the most visually-impressive attacks in the entire game, without a doubt.

* Battling the Champion, Iris, in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''. After an outstanding battle intro scene, which is the only one the series has had yet to feature full body VS sprites, the battlefield is a bunch of multicolored beams flying through the starry sky. You know you're in for a fun fight when the Champion's first Pokémon is a Hydreigon. ''[[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard Another]]'' [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard underleveled one, no less]], which, in fact, if you're playing on Challenge Mode or a rematch, [[CallBack has the same moveset that Ghetsis' had in the originals]] [[note]]In a regular initial battle, it has Flamethrower and Charge Beam instead of Focus Blast and Fire Blast[[/note]]. And that's just the beginning. She also has a Haxorus with Dragon Dance and a Focus Sash, along with lots of other strong hitters. She is typically considered one of the harder champions, and has the pure undiluted [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome]] that is her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb9ee9lWSbg battle theme]]. And on Challenge Mode, it's [[UpToEleven even more intense]], because her entire team gets redesigned and are given much more powerful movesets consisting of 100-120 and even 150 power STAB moves.

* To some, ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver HeartGold]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver SoulSilver]]'' have some of the best battles in the series. [[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo Red?]] Check. [[TheRival Blue?]] Check. [[{{Jerkass}} Clair]] [[DualBoss and Lance]] while teamed up with [[TheRival Silver]]? Check. [[BigBad Giovanni?]] Check. [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters Too many legendaries to count?]] Check. [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Eusine?]] Sure.

* The Noble Pokemon of the main arc are notable for their exciting premise where for the majority of it, you're taking on the target yourself via throwing balms at them rather than your Pokemon until you find an opening that if successful with a normal battle, allows you to whale further with balms. Of special note is the final Noble, Hisuian Avalugg. The catch? ''It's extremely massive'', akin to a Dynamaxed Pokemon, and fights with an arsenal of giant homing icicles and a WaveMotionGun-sized Ice Beam that wouldn't be out of place in a ''Franchise/MetalGear'' game.

* Possibly one of the most memorable encounters is the last boss of the post game: Volo, who has revealed his true colors as the BigBad and is bent on taking Arceus' power and using it to recreate reality. Not only is his battle theme a CallBack to Cynthia's infamous piano, his team is nearly identical to that of the dreaded Champion and is capable of putting up a similar fight. Once he loses his Pokemon, however, he summons ''Giratina'' and sics it on you, prompting a second stage of the fight where you take on the powerful Renegade Pokemon without any reprieve. On top of that, once you defeat Giratina, in an arguable first from the series, it [[VictoryFakeout gets back up]] followed by a magnificent ThemeMusicPowerup as it transforms into its Origin Forme, returning to battle at full strength with a remix of its classic theme playing - making Volo the first trainer in the series to have effectively '''eight''' Pokemon in a single battle (breaking the previous record of seven with Greevil in ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness'' and Ghetsis in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' - and unlike with those two, [[MarathonBoss you don't get free healing in between]].) All of this together makes for a brutally difficult, yet immensely satisfying challenge for the final stretch of the game.
* The boss fight against Arceus is a spectacle and a massive challenge all in one. Upon completing the Pokédex and playing the Azure Flute, a glowing staircase appears, taking you to an arena floating amid auroras in a starry, spacey sky. Arceus appears, and then puts on the most difficult fight in the game, shooting homing projectiles that require perfect timing to dodge, sending out shockwaves directly followed by meteors, having ''two'' charged attacks you have to shatter, and tearing through space and time to run you down. The opportunities to throw balms in the fight are ''scant'' and efficient progress (and longer survival) in the fight requires risky throws timed in the gaps of its attacks, pushing you into a hectic rhythm that's nonetheless possible to master due to the fight's consistency. Even if you break a charged attack and get to fight it with Pokémon, Arceus still proves its status as Creator of the Universe by using its Legend Plate to immediately switch to a type your Pokémon is weak to and likely annihilating it with Judgment. All in all, the battle ''will'' make you feel like the puny mortal that you are in comparison to Arceus, and winning becomes all the more satisfying for it.

** Cynthia maintains this role into the remakes as well. This time, she actually takes held items and abilities into account. Her Garchomp is holding a berry that weakens incoming ice damage (Giving it plenty of time to fight back) and has poison Jab for any Fairy type Pokémon the player might think to use. Her Spiritomb may have a weakness now, but ''also'' is packing Shadow Ball, while her Roserade is packing an item that makes super-effective moves deal more damage. Notably, her Milotic becomes a StoneWall once the Flame Orb kicks in - not only is it rocking sky high special defence (Which allows it to mirror counter easily), but its ability Marvel Scale ''also'' increases its physical defence by 50%.

* Battling the Champion, Iris, in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''. After an outstanding battle intro scene, which is the only one the series has had yet to feature full body VS sprites, the battlefield is a bunch of multicolored beams flying through the starry sky. You know you're in for a fun fight when the Champion's first Pokémon is a Hydreigon. ''[[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard Another]]'' [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard underleveled one, no less]], which, in fact, if you're playing on Challenge Mode or a rematch, [[CallBack has the same moveset that Ghetsis' had in the originals]] [[note]]In a regular initial battle, it has Flamethrower and Charge Beam instead of Focus Blast and Fire Blast[[/note]]. And that's just the beginning. She also has a Haxorus with Dragon Dance and a Focus Sash, along with lots of other strong hitters. While she's not the hardest Champion battle you'll face, it still makes for an awesome fight, especially with the pure undiluted [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome]] that is her [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb9ee9lWSbg battle theme]]. And on Challenge Mode, it's [[UpToEleven even more intense]], because her entire team gets redesigned and are given much more powerful movesets consisting of 100-120 and even 150 power STAB moves.

* Leon, the undefeated champion of the region, deserves some kudos for being arguably the first legitimately challenging champion since Cynthia. With his team being surprisingly well-balanced and at a noticeably high level compared to the other trainers up to that point in the game (his highest-level Pokémon being level 65). On top of that his team consists of multiple powerhouses, including the residential pseudo, with varied move-sets to cover their weaknesses. It is safe to say, if you don't come prepared, he can easily catch you off guard with how strong he really is. That being said, having a legitimately challenging champion in a mainline Pokemon game is a pleasant surprise and quite a refreshing challenge for a relatively easy game.

** Cynthia maintains this role into the remakes as well. This time, she actually takes held items and abilities into account. Her Garchomp is holding a berry that weakens incoming ice damage (Giving it plenty of time to fight back) and has poison Jab for any Fairy type Pokémon the player might think to use. Her Spiritomb may have a weakness now, but ''also'' is packing Shadow Ball, while her Roserade is packing an item that makes super-effective moves deal more damage. Notably, her Milotic becomes a StoneWall once the Flame Orb kicks in - not only is it rocking sky high special defence (Which allows it to mirror counter easily), but its ability Wonder Scale ''also'' increases its physical defence by 50%.

* On a similar note, Colress from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', who you fight before Ghetsis. Despite four of his five Pokémon being Steel-type (six in post-game rematches), his Magneton and Magnezone can really mess with you if you lack an answer to them, thanks to the fact he actually takes advantage of held items. His other Pokémon can hit hard as well, but he does make for a fun battle, especially with his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnjAOqQrUp0 technologic and intense battle theme]].

* On a similar note, Colress from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', who you fight before Ghetsis. Despite four of his five Pokémon being Steel-type (six in post-game rematches), his Magneton and Magnezone can really mess with you if you lack an answer to them. His other Pokémon can hit hard as well, but he does make for a fun battle, especially with his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnjAOqQrUp0 technologic and intense battle theme]].

** For the first time around, their teams are the same as before. While this ''does'' mean Aaron once again is using two CrutchCharacter Pokémon in the endgame and Flint has only two fire types. But ''un''like the original, all take advantage of moves, abilities introduced past the fourth generation, IV/EV training, ''and'' held items. Aaron's Heracross in particular takes advantage of the Flame Orb and Facade, Flint's Drifblim takes advantage of using StatusBuff attacks and Baton Pass like in the original but this time has much more reliable ways to do it, and Lucian's Alakazam is carrying a Life orb to make Future Sight hit like a ''truck'' if the battle isn't ended quickly.
** Their rematches are also against their ''Platinum'' teams... except this time? This includes held items. Aaron now carries bulkier Pokémon, but now his Scizor has its double weakness to fire reduced by having an Occa Berry. Flint may no longer run a Sunny Day/Solar Beam combo like he did in Platinum, but the held items will still allow his Pokémon to hit you like a ''truck'' if you don't take them out fast enough. Lucian's Alakazam now includes some dark type coverage - via the more accurate Dazzling Gleam instead of Focus Blast.