Leon (Pokemon)

Leon
Species	Human
Affiliation	Pokémon League (Galar)
Hair color	Purple
Eye color	Yellow
Relatives	Mother Hop (younger brother)
Voiced by	Cedric L. Williams (2021)
Debut	Pokémon Sword/Shield

Leon is a supporting character and opponent trainer featured in Pokémon: Sword and Shield. He is the champion of Galar's Pokémon League who acts as the final opponent for the player during the main gme.

Background

Leon was a trainer who hailed from Postwick, where he originally lived with his family, which included a younger brother named Hop. He was optimistic, determined and friendly. He had talent as a Pokémon trainer from a young age, but his main flaw was that he had a horrible sense of direction and easily got lost. At some point in his youth, Leon trained under the retired champion Mustard on the Isle of Armor. He completed Mustard's trials to earn a Kubfu, but he was unable to evolve it into an Urshifu, as he kept getting lost while trying to find the Towers of the Two Fists, and it was said that he got so lost that he ended up back in Postwick. He set off on his Pokémon journey when he was ten years old. During his journey, Sonia was a rival of his. She and her Yamper ended up helping him when he was lost, and he also enjoyed her cooking, but he also had a habit of teasing her, and the two of them tended to bicker. Ultimately, Leon won the Championship Cup on his first try.

He acted as the standing champion of Galar for years and became a prominent celebrity. He had his partner Charizard by his side, and his own "Charizard pose" became popular among the citizens of Galar. He remained undefeated in both League and exhibition matches, which caused him to become known as "the unbeatable Champion". Raihan became one of his main rivals who constantly tried to best him. It was also known that he defeated Rose before he became chairman of the Pokémon League. As a champion, Leon's goal was to inspire the people of Galar to become the strongest Pokémon trainers in the world, and he was also known for his catchphrase, which was to tell others to have a "champion time". Leon's duties as a champion kept him busy, so he rarely visited home.

The events of Sword/Shield began when Leon managed to take a trip back home. He met with Hop and his neighbor Victor/Gloria at Wedgehurst, and he brought presents for them: a trio Pokémon for them to choose from. The young trainers each chose one Pokémon, and Leon kept the remaining one. Hop was eager to set off on his own Pokémon journey, and Leon told the two trainers to get a Pokédex from Sonia first. Afterwards, the two trainers got lost in the restricted area known as the Slumbering Weald while searching for a missing Wooloo. Leon managed to find the two youths and the Wooloo, and he helped them safely out of the Slumbering Weald. Leon then took them to meet Sonia and get their Pokédexes, and he also showed Victor/Gloria how to catch Pokémon. Next, Hop and Victor/Gloria wanted Leon to endorse them to take on the Gym Challenge. Leon was reluctant, because he felt that they were not ready yet. Professor Magnolia ultimately convinced him to give them a chance. Leon decided to endorse them only if they showed him a 'brilliant battle'. Victor/Gloria and Hop proceeded to have a Pokémon battle, and Leon was impressed enough that he gave each of them his endorsement.

He was next found at Motostoke, where he attended the opening ceremony of the Gym Challenge. He also gave Victor/Gloria an item that could enhance the power of their Pokémon (Miracle Seed, Charcoal, or Mystic Water depending on the player's starter choice). He continued to have several run-ins with Victor/Gloria and Hop afterwards and remained a supportive presence. He also was caught up in several mysterious incidents. First, he investigated tremors in Hammerlocke. Then, he ended up having to battle a suddenly Dynamaxed Pokémon by Route 9. Afterwards, he met with Victor/Gloria and Hop when they arrived at Wyndon to take part in the Championship Cup. Leon was moved to tears by how far they had come. He offered to buy them dinner after the semifinals, but he ended up being sidetracked by a meeting with Chairman Rose at Rose Tower. Rose revealed his plans to awaken Eternatus and use its power to renew Galar's energy for the far future. Rose wanted Leon's help to control Eternatus, but he wanted to cancel the championship tournament in order to do it on the next day. Leon claimed that he would help Rose, but he refused to let the tournament be put on hold for it. At the same time, Victor/Gloria and Hop battled through Oleana and many trainers working under Rose in order to find Leon. Leon then left with the two of them and had their dinner.

The finals of the Championship Cup were held on the next day, and Leon acted as the host in Rose's absence. Victor/Gloria ultimately battled their way to the end and were set to battle Leon for the championship title. However, the match was disrupted by a broadcast from Rose. Rose had awakened Eternatus without Leon, and it had triggered a new incarnation of the Darkest Day. Leon immediately traveled to Hammerlocke to stop Rose. On the top of the Energy Plant, Leon confronted and battled Eternatus. Victor/Gloria and Hop arrived in time to witness Leon's attempt to catch the Pokémon. Eternatus ended up breaking free from the Poké Ball through an explosion which Leon's Charizard had to shield him from. It ended up being Victor/Gloria and Hop who defeated Eternatus, with help from Zacian and Zamazenta. The next day, the final match between Leon and Victor/Gloria was held. Victor/Gloria successfully defeated Leon and became the new champion. Leon congratulated the trainer for giving him the best battle of his life and realized that, as an adult, he should start looking ahead and improving things for the future. He also left a Charmander in his room as a gift for Victor/Gloria.

With the fall of Rose and the loss of his championship, Leon moved on to take over Rose's role as chairman of Galar's Pokémon League. During the postgame story, Leon only appeared towards the end and looked after Sordward and Shieldbert after they turned themselves in. He also congratulated Hop when he figured out his path in life. Afterwards, he changed up his fashion, took control of Rose Tower and changed it into the Battle Tower, which was dedicated to Pokémon battles. Leon also appreciated that it was harder to get lost in the tower. At the Battle Tower, Leon acted as the final opponent faced in each tier. After being defeated at the beginning tier, Leon would give the player his Ultra-Rare League Card. He would also start appearing at tournaments held at Wyndon Stadium for potential rematches. During the Crown Tundra's storyline, Leon eventually called Victor/Gloria and various other trainers to Wyndon Stadium to take part in the first Galarian Star Tournament, a tournament that was based around Multi Battles. For the first tournament, he teamed up with Raihan. In later tournaments, he could possibly team up with Raihan, Hop, Mustard or Peony, and he could become available as a partner for Victor/Gloria after winning the tournament nine times.

Pokémon Roster

Leon's team that he used for the championship cup are as follows:

• Aegislash
• Dragapult
• Haxorus
• Rhyperior, Seismitoad or Mr. Rime: He uses a different one of these Pokémon on his team depending on whether he claimed Grookey, Scorbunny or Sobble, respectively, at the beginning of the game.
• Rillaboom, Cinderace or Inteleon: At the beginning of the game, Leon offers Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble to Victor/Gloria and Hop. After the two of them have each chosen one of the Pokémon, Leon claims the remaining one (which is the one with a type advantage over Victor/Gloria's). He ends up using the fully-evolved version of that Pokémon for the championship cup.
• Charizard: Charizard is Leon's signature Pokémon and has a Gigantamax form. Leon will always Gigantamax it immediately in battle.

For tournament rematches, Leon's roster is the same, except that he leaves out Haxorus and only uses five Pokémon. For Battle Tower matches, Leon will use his Charizard and two other random Pokémon from a pool that is comprised of all of the Pokémon that he could use for the championship match (including the other starter evolutions and each of his other Pokémon that are dependent on his starter choice). For Multi Battles in the Star Tournament, he used only Aegislash, Dragapult and Charizard.

Leon also uses a Rookidee for the Pokémon-caching tutorial at the beginning of the game and catches a Wooloo through it. He also leaves the player a Charmander (which can evolve into a Gigantamax Charizard) as a gift after the championship battle.

The Isle of Armor DLC implies that Leon had a Kubfu due to the training on Mustard's island, but he never reached either of the Towers of the Two Fists and thus was unable to evolve it into Urshifu. It is unknown whether he still has that Kubfu or not.

In Other Pokémon Games

In Pokémon Unite, Leon appeared as an opponent who could be faced during the Legacy Trainer Showdown event that was first held in September 2022. In battle, his Pokémon started off as a Charmander before evolving into a Charmeleon and ultimately Charizard. It was also possible to win several items related to Leon from the event: a trainer outfit, pose, background and sticker.

Pokémon Masters EX

In Pokémon Masters EX, Leon appeared as a playable trainer. He was available as part of several sync pairs that could be recruited at random through the game's Sync Pair Scout feature during limited time periods:

• His default outfit is the outfit that he wore throughout the main story of Sword/Shield, and he is paired with his Charizard (retaining its Gigantamax factor) in this form. He was first made available in February 2021.
• Sygna Suit: Paired with Eternatus (which is capable of Eternamaxing), Leon wears a dark outfit with various design choices that are intended to be evocative of Eternatus's appearance, such as blue and red jewels on the top. First made available in August 2021.
• Holiday 2021: Leon wears a green jacket with a green cap and is paired with Ice Rider Calyrex. First available in December 2021.
• Alt.: Leon wears his second outfit, the one he wears when running the Battle Tower in the post-game of Sword/Shield, and he is paired with Dragapult (which can Dynamax). First available at the end of July 2023.

He has also been shown using Seismitoad and Rillaboom in some instances where he is battled as an opponent. Despite references to the plot events of Sword/Shield, Leon is still known as Galar's champion and wears his original outfit.

Shortly after being added to the game, he was featured in the "Champion Time" Story Event. In that event, Leon had recently arrived in Pasio along with Piers and Marnie, and it was decided that their arrival would be commemorated with a series of exhibition matches. For his match, Leon battled Blue and won. He then made a cameo appearance in the "Shining Heart of Dragons" Story Event, in which he was shown among the champions taking part in the Festival of Champions. In the time trial event "Eternal Rivals", Raihan worked hard to best Leon's record for time trials, only for Leon to set a new record immediately afterwards. Leon was also featured in the "Howling Shield of Eternity" Legendary Event, in which he worked with other trainers to track down and contain Eternatus when it arrived at the island. It initially escaped when he battled it with Raihan, but he was ultimately able to defeat it with Hop. By making Eternatus into a sync partner, it would allow Eternatus to properly feed off of the energy of the sync stones so that it would not suffer from problems with its own energy. Leon was shown to don a sygna suit when working with Eternatus.

Leon's holiday variant was later featured in the "Winter Wishes" Story Event, where he worked with Ice Rider Calyrex to deliver gifts among the people of Pasio. However, he and Sonia had been too busy to spent much time together in recent times, so Calyrex possessed Sawyer in order to warn Leon against pushing his friends away. Leon then made sure to distribute presents to his friends, including a new lab coat for Sonia. He also congratulated her for becoming a Pokémon Professor and thanked her for all of her help. In the Story Event "Sweet Shenanigans", a battle between Leon and Diantha was staged to lure out Team Heartbreak. In the Story Event "Pasio Friendiversary", Leon and Raihan worked together on a team with Lear as part of an event that was held to commemorate the 'friendiversary' of Lear and Hoopa. Lear was shown to be puzzled at how efficient Leon and Raihan's teamwork was despite their rivalry. During the "Winter Wishes" Story Event, Whitney had a battle against him in exchange for receiving one of the ingredients she wanted to make a medicine. Leon was also featured in the Neo Champion event "Fight For the Future Together", in which he acted as the head judge for the second Neo Champion Stadium and set his victory criteria as "passion for victory and determination to grow stronger with everyone". He chose Victor and Gloria as his teammates for the competition. Ultimately, it was the team of Hop, Marnie and Bede who made the best impression by dividing and conquering against Leon's team, and so he appointed the three of them as Neo Champions. Leon also made some minor appearances in other events, most of which involved jokes about his tendency to get lost.

In the Main Story's Villain Arc, Leon was a focal character during the Galar chapter. In that chapter, all of the Galar trainers were thrown off when Rose and Oleana suddenly appeared on Pasio and acted as if nothing had happened. The others ultimately deduced that Rose and Oleana had come from an earlier point in the timeline, from before Rose had set off his Darkest Day. They decided to treat this as a second chance to lead Rose in a better direction, but things quickly went south once Rose found out about sync stones and sought to take over Pasio so that he could control sync stone research and use it only for his future energy plans. As Rose started booking Pasio's stadiums and holding tournaments to build up popularity for his campaign, Leon hosted his own competitions as a counter to that campaign. Leon then confronted Rose and tried to make him see the error in his ways, but it became clear that his words were not getting through to him, and the best way to settle this would be through a battle. This resulted in a competition being held to decide who would lead Pasio: Lear or Rose. Leon fought alongside Lear and Victor in the final battle against Rose, Maxie and Colress. Ultimately, Rose was talked down and surrendered, resulting in him cooperating with the other trainers in trying to do research on energy applications for the sync stones instead of monopolizing them. With peace now reached with Rose, the chapter ended on Rose introducing an exhibition match between Leon and Gloria, in a manner similar to the opening of Sword/Shield.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon: Twilight Wings anime series, Leon appeared and had a battle with Bea, which was watched by several characters on television in different episodes. The final episode featured him meeting a young boy named John who admired him after getting lost on his way to a match. The two rode to the stadium on the back of a Corviknight, where Leon took part in an intense battle with Raihan. He also urged John to become a Pokémon trainer and properly face him one day. A bonus episode based on the DLC was later released, which was based around Leon gathering trainers to take part in the Galarian Star Tournament. He faced off with Mustard in the process.
• In the Pokémon anime, Leon made recurring appearances in the Pokémon Journeys series and acted as the ultimate opponent for protagonist Ash Ketchum. In his first appearance, he went up against Lance, and his Charizard defeated Lance's Gyarados to win the World Coronation Series and earned the title of Monarch. He later met Ash, explained Dynamaxing to him and gave him a Dynamax Band. His Charizard also had a battle with Ash's Pikachu, both of which assumed Gigantamax forms, and Pikachu managed to get in several hits before Leon won. He was also featured in an arc based on the storyline of Sword/Shield. In this version, Rose had mentored Leon when he was young, which formed a rift between him and Sonia. Regardless, Leon became suspicious of Rose, who ultimately awakened Eternatus as in the games. Ultimately, Leon was featured in the Masters Eight Tournament that was held to decide the world championship. During this tournament, Leon defeated Alain and Diantha before facing Ash in the finals. For that battle, Leon allowed Ash to use Mega Evolution, Dynamax and Z-Moves rather than choosing just one of the three. The battle ultimately came down to Leon's Charizard facing Ash's Pikachu and losing. With that, Leon handed over his title and an accompanying trophy to Ash.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Leon appeared during the Sword/Shield arc. In this version, the two endorsements he gave out were for Henry Sword and Casey Shield, two characters based on the protagonist of Sword/Shield, rather than the protagonist and Hop. He endorsed them after they helped him to protect a flock of Wooloo from Obstagoon.
• In the Pokémon Evolutions anime short series, Leon starred in the first episode. This episode depicted Leon preparing to face Victor for the championship battle, interspersed with flashbacks depicting Leon's failed attempt to stop Eternatus and his witnessing Victor and Hop's battle against it.

Trivia

• His Japanese name is Dande. Both his Japense and English names seem to refer to the flower "dandelion". Leon's name could also refer to 'lion' (which matches the games' themes of valor and triumph) and coincidentally matches the end of Charmeleon's name.
• His uniform number is simply "1", in reference to him being considered to be Galar's best trainer. He is the only non-playable character in the game who has a single-digit uniform number.
• When defeated in battle, Leon will cover his face with his baseball cap while frowning, and then smile upon moving it.
• For Opal's audition, he only got one out of three answers correct and failed her audition. Opal's notes said that Leon's talent for Pokémon battles was beyond anything that she had ever seen, but that he was also hard to read.