Summary
InPokemon, Gym battles are supposed to be impressive tests that stand between you and those shiny, coveted badges. You have to beat these top trainers to prove yourself—and if you’redoing a Nuzlocke challenge, a tough Gym Leader might just end your adventure. But despite all that hype, some Gym Leaders totally crush your expectations—in the worst way.
Whether it’s mismatched Pokemon, weak moves, or just plain bad move choices, they somehow make the battle a snoozefest. And don’t even get started on those painfully simple Gym puzzles that kill all the fun. Some of these disappointing Gym Leaders quickly fade from memory—while others get stuck in your head for all the wrong reasons. Ready? Let’s dive into the not-so-great!
Sitrus Berry
Flash Cannon / Ancient Power / Iron Defense / Rest
Every Gym Leader is expected to have an ace Pokemon that’s strong, annoying, and actually puts up a fight. Byron’s Bastiodon, however, clearly missed the memo. Sure, it’s supposed to be a tank, but somehow Byron turned it into a metal doormat. The real joke? Its moveset is packed with Special Attacks—as if Bastiodon suddenly dreamed of being an Alakazam.
Instead of making it a wall, Byron gave it pool noodles. He could’ve gone with Metal Burst, Toxic, or Protect to at least be annoying. And let’s not forget: this thing takes quadruple damage from both Ground and Fighting types. That’s not a final challenge—that’s a “thank you for the XP” moment.
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Venoshock / Protect / Poison Sting / Pursuit
Of course, one of the most iconic features of any Gym is the puzzle inside.Some are clever and fun—others feel like the developers went on lunch break and never came back. Case in point: Virbank City Gym. If you’re looking for a puzzle here, you’re already wrong. Roxie can’t hear you over the music, so your “challenge” is just beating up her two bandmates before she finally notices you. Genius, right?
To be fair, her Pokemon aren’t pushovers—both Koffing and Whirlipede have Dark-type moves to counter Psychic-types. And that Venoshock? Brutal… if you’re poisoned. But with a few Antidotes in your bag, her whole strategy falls apart faster than her bass solo.
Poison Sting
No one expects early Gyms to be brutal, but Bugsy somehow manages to feel weaker than Falkner—and that’s saying something. Metapod and Kakuna? Really? Why not just give the poor kid six Magikarps and call it a day? The best part? Both of them are at level fifteen. That’s right—they exist solely to faint dramatically.
Scyther is at least trying, with Technician and Focus Energy giving it some bite. Though fun fact: U-Turn doesn’t even benefit from Technician, so… nice try, Bugsy. And by the time you reach him, you’ve probably got a Flying-type or, better yet, a Geodude—which means Bugsy’s Gym becomes more of a retirement party.
Magical Leaf / Leafage / Round
When you put it all together, Milo unfortunately doesn’t come off as a very tough Gym Leader. He definitely treats the Gym like a workout studio—buff and proud—but when it comes to Pokemon battles, he’s pretty underwhelming. The puzzle idea is cute but super simple: just roll those Wooloo into a designated area. Not exactly brain-teasing, more like “push the sheep around.”
Milo feels like he was designed just to showcase Dynamax, with zero competitive spirit. If his moves weren’t super effective, you’d probably grab that badge butter-smooth, no sweat. His Pokemon lack synergy, and Eldegoss’s Gigantamax form? More like a gentle breeze than a real threat.
Tackle / Bind / Rock Tomb
Brock may be one of themost lovable characters in the anime, but unfortunately, his FireRed & LeafGreen version doesn’t make for a great Gym Leader. First off, his Gym has zero puzzles—just walk straight and face a few trainers, or skip them if you want. Most early Rock-type Gyms are like this; Roxanne and Roark have the same problem. Still, their Pokemon are better than Brock’s.
If you picked Squirtle or Bulbasaur, this battle is basically a joke. Charmander? Just grind a bit or catch a Mankey to make life easier. Geodude only knows Tackle, and Onix’s best move is Rock Tomb. Both Pokemon sharing the same typing makes Brock’s Gym a cakewalk, and honestly, he flunks as a Gym Leader.
Avalanche / Crunch / Curse / Gyro Ball
You expect final Gym Leaders to be tough, memorable, and maybe even a little traumatic—in a good way. But Wulfric? He’s here to gently shatter those expectations like an icicle in July. For starters, he only has three Pokemon, which is already a red flag. Worse, he somehow picked the least threatening ones available.
Abomasnow can’t even Mega Evolve and has just three moves—with zero answers to Fire-types. Cryogonal? Not exactly a powerhouse, and guess what—also helpless against Fire. Then there’s Avalugg, his ace, which feels like a joke. It’s got insane physical defense, sure, but its special defense is so low, a sneeze from Ember might knock it out cold.
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Roar / Ember / Fire Blast / Take Down
Despite being Kanto’s seventh Gym Leader, Blaine doesn’t exactly bring the heat. By the time you reach him, you have Surf—and none of his Pokemon have a clue how to deal with Water-types. In FireRed & LeafGreen, he’s still not terrifying, but at least there’s some move variety.
In Red & Blue, though? He rolls out with a Growlithe, Ponyta, and Rapidash that feel like they escaped from a petting zoo. Their best Fire-type moves? Ember and Fire Spin. That’s it. No Flamethrower. No flair. Not even a Magmar like in the anime. Blaine’s team ends up being painfully weak and about as competitive as a melted candle.
Blizzard / Ice Fang / Mud Bomb / Hail
For some reason, Ice-type Gym Leaders always seem to underdeliver—especially considering they usually show up late in the game. Pryce is a perfect example of this frosty letdown, right alongside Wulfric. His Seel has zero Water-type moves and misses the chance to be annoying with a combo like Encore and Disable.
Dewgong has Aurora Beam but, again, no Water moves—and Ice Shard feels like it showed up to the wrong battle. But the real disappointment is his ace, Piloswine. No Mamoswine? Tragic. Even worse, Piloswine has low Special Attack… yet gets stuck with Mud Bomb and Blizzard. Altogether, Pryce feels less like a challenge and more like a snow day gone wrong.
Draining Kiss / Acid Armor / Sweet Kiss
At first glance, Opal’s team looks pretty impressive—until you actually battle her. Bring a Steel or Fire-type Pokemon and you’ll steamroll through this Gym like it’s teatime. Galarian Weezing can’t touch Steel-types, Mawile has great Attack but wastes it on Draining Kiss, and Togekiss… well, who gave it Hustle instead of Serene Grace? That’s like giving a ballerina clown shoes.
Alcremie goes Gigantamax, sure, but two of its moves turn into Max Guard, which is just sad frosting on a very soft cake. It also can’t handle Steel or Poison-types, so you may eat it alive—literally. Oh, and that quirky quiz? If you get an answer wrong, Opal’s Pokemons gets the stat boost. That’s right—she wins trivia night and gets stronger. What kind of rigged bake-off is this?
Sunny Day / SolarBeam / Psychic / Flamethrower
Mossdeep City Gym’s puzzle is nice, but the battle itself is dull, simple, and poorly executed. Having a Double Battle is a cool idea, but Tate and Liza only have two Pokemon total—which is pretty embarrassing for a seventh Gym. At least in Emerald, they bring four.
Still, their Lunatone and Solrock aren’t exactly showstoppers, especially since they lack moves effective against Dark-types. The only impressive thing? They have four Hyper Potions between them—big healers, tiny threat. Honestly, they should’ve saved the Double Battle for an earlier Gym, or given Tate and Liza six Pokemon to crank up the excitement. As it stands, this battle’s more snooze than supernova.
