In the world ofPokemon, fashion is almost as important as strength. Over the years, many uniquely-designed characters have appeared across several games and generations. Oftentimes, these characters will dress in a way that echoes their chosen Pokemon to fight with, such as each region’s specific Gym Leaders.
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In most cases, these aesthetic choices in service of a trainer’s theme or appearance can make the average real-world person scratch their head. It’s rare to see such commitment to one’s profession outside the often absurd world ofPokemon. These characters from across the games have the most confusing costume choices.
8Koga
A lot of the Gym Leaders in the original games,Pokemon Red & Blue, have reasonable costume choices:Lt. Surge dresses in camouflage, while Misty sports a trendy bathing suit. However, one puzzling outfit comes with Koga, the Poison-type Gym Leader of Fuchsia City.
Throughout his in-game appearances, Koga sports ninja attire. This is most prevalent inPokemon Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee, where he dons a mask over his face. Although Koga is a practicer of ninjutsu, it doesn’t make much sense for him to wear this anonymous attire when he’s publicly serving as a Kanto Gym Leader.
7Winona
Winona is the Flying-type Gym Leaderof Hoenn’s Fortree City. As an aviator, Winona dresses for the part: she wears a helmet with goggles, and her clothing is even designed to be aerodynamic around the feet. Though those outfit choices may not come in handy when it comes down to business.
In the games and anime, Winona is often paired with a Skarmory. According to Pokedex entries, Skarmory can fly over 180 mph, meaning Winona’s aerodynamic clothing won’t save her from the effects of acceleration. It also doesn’t help that the Fortree Gym is an indoor arena, making Winona’s clothing more useless in battle.
6Elesa
For Elesa, fashion is her entire personality. The character is a model, serving as the Nimbasa City Gym Leader in her downtime. However, even compared to other Gym Leaders, Elesa certainly puts fashion as a priority, dressing in what appears to be not the most comfortable attire for high-stakes Pokemon battles.
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Her outfit is also accented by the inclusion of headphones, which she wears in bothPokemon Black & Whiteand its sequel,Black 2 & White 2. It’s unclear what the purpose of these headphones is for, but one can imagine them being a distraction during gym battles. Hopefully, this means the trainer finds her an easier fight than most.
5Valerie
Pokemon X & Yintroduced the Fairy-type into the series, with a collection of new and old Pokemon being adapted to the change. Along with this new type came a new Gym Leader for the region of Kalos: Valerie. Players will encounter this Fairy-type specialist in Laverre City, where they’ll find her donning an interesting choice of outfit.
Valerie is often seen wearing mock fairy wings attached to her blouse, making her hands nearly impossible to see. Though she does this to identify closer with her partner Pokemon, it only raises questions about her participation in battle. Is she able to properly throw Poke Balls with her hands hidden under these wings?
4Lysandre
Additionally,Pokemon X & Yincludes an all-new villainous teamthat players encounter in Team Flare. Their leader is Lysandre, who appears throughout the game and offers the player a chance to join his quest to make a beautiful world. However, Lysandre doesn’t reveal his involvement with Team Flare until much later in the game.
Still, it’s hard to not predict Lysandre’s involvement with the malicious group, considering he has bright red hair that matches their color scheme. This makes this heel turn at the end ofX & Y’s main story less surprising than it should be. Thankfully, the anime doesn’t waste much time showing Lysandre as a force of evil.
3Gladion
At first glance, Gladion doesn’t appear to be wearing impractical clothing. The teenage rival inPokemon Sun & Moonisclosely associated with Team Skull, donning the group’s signature dark colors. However, it becomes a troubling choice of outfit when one considers the setting ofPokemon Sun & Moon.
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The seventh generation games take place in the region of Alola, modeled closely after the American state of Hawaii. Though the region features its fair share of snowy mountains and rough terrain, it’s mostly a tropical location. Gladion’s choice to wear an all-black hoodie and pants means he’s likely experiencing lots of heat in the region.
2Sordward & Shielbert
Two of the most ridiculous characters in the entirePokemonfranchise are Sordward & Shielbert, who appear as antagonists duringthe post-game ofPokemon Sword & Shield, respectively. The two’s names and appearances reflect the titles of each game: Sordward has sword-shaped hair, while Shielbert’s is based on a shield.
While these designs clearly distinguish in which game either brother appears, practically they’re confusing. One can imagine Sordward needing to crouch every time he walks into a room unless his hair should hit the top of the door. Their striking blue and red tuxedos also make them stand out significantly in a crowd.
1Cogita
This character appears inthe ancient region of Hisui inPokemon Legends: Arceus. She is an expert on Hisuian legend, spending her days living in the Ancient Retreat. However, compared to other characters in Hisui, her outfit is quite puzzling, as the all-black gown reflects Victorian England rather than ancient Japan.
It also is quite strange that a character dressed like this is living in a remote location in the wilderness like the Ancient Retreat. One would expect her outfit to be more attuned to surviving in the wildlife. However, maybe this just goes to show what kind of character Cogita is, perhaps rubbing off on her maybe-descendant, Cynthia.
