One of the many interesting new features in
Pokémon Sword and
Pokémon Shield that the was ommitted from previous titles in the franchise is that each game has two Gym Leaders that the other one doesn't. While players wiho purchase
Pokémon Shield face Ice and Ghost-type Leaders, trainers in
Pokémon Sword fight Leaders that use Fighting and Rock types.
Although previous games in the series often featured certain creatures unobtainable to each game to incentivise trading amongst friends - something that dates all the way back to
Pokémon Red and
Pokémon Blue and is still used today - this is the first time Gym Leaders have gotten a similar treatment. It would be hard to imagine that anyone other than die-hard fans would purchase a second title simply for the chance to face two different typed Gym Leaders, of course, but it is still fun to have more of a difference in the titles.
With the numerous types available in the
Pokémon world and only ten Gym Leaders between the two games - Grass, Water, Fire, Fighting, Ghost, Fairy, Rock, Ice, Dark, Dragon - there are plenty that have been left by the wayside from the newest pair of games. With that in mind, artist, trainer, and twitter user Leopold65107856 tried his hand at contributing to the
Pokémon universe with fan-drawn interpretations of what the other eight types would be like with Gym Leaders to represent them.
See the first four which consist of Cole (Bug), Sting (Poison), Trish (Psychic), and Greta (Ground) below.
A second batch of fan-art from the same user rounds out the remaining typings, and below you will see Winston (Flying), Tessa (Electric), Nora (Normal), and Cooper (Steel).
What do you think of these fan-drawn Gym Leaders? Is it possible that we could we see some inspiration taken from some of these characters for Gym Leaders in a possible third game title -
Pokémon Bow anyone?
Which of these eight Gym Leaders is your favorite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section and check out the recent accolades trailer for
Pokémon Sword and
Pokémon Shield below!
Your journey to become a Pokémon champion starts here in the Galar region. Meet never-before-seen Pokémon, and embark on an adventure where you can battle gigantic wild Pokémon.
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are now available on Nintendo Switch.