Pokemon ScarletandVioletare one of the most anticipated releases for the remainder of 2022, especially considering they will release nearly three years afterPokemon SwordandShield, which have thus far been the onlycompetitivePokemonhubon Nintendo’s hybrid console. Despite the fact that Generation 9 games were revealed on Pokemon Day in February of this year, very little is officially known about the games. Only two trailers have released thus far, though it’s likely that new ones will surface sometime soon. Still, manyPokemonfans are left wanting more, and this is a void that is often filled by alleged leaks and rumors about the upcoming adventures.
There have been multiple leaks circulating around the web ever sincePokemon ScarletandViolet’s initial announcement, and while many of them have turned out to be fake, there is one seemingly reliable source: Riddler Khu. Khu has been leakingPokemon-related information for a while, and basically covered the entire Hisuian Pokedex way beforePokemon Legends: Arceuswas revealed. Today, Khu shared several tweets aboutPokemon ScarletandViolet’s Gym Leaders and Elite Fourmembers, talking about the types they will specialize in. Unfortunately, if these rumors turn out to be true, Gen 9’s Elite Four might not break the curse of some typings that have been missing since the start.
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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Might Not Address Missing Elite Four Types
MainlinePokemongames span eight generations of now, withPokemon ScarletandVioletbeing the beginning of Generation 9, and most of the games have featured Elite Four members that players could fight before tackling the Champion. This has been a staple of all mainlinePokemongames with theexception ofPokemon SwordandShield, which instead brought Gym Leaders and rivals back into the fray for a bracket tournament.
Because Riddler Khu stated thatPokemon ScarletandViolet’s Elite Four members will all specialize in Pokemon types that were already given to Elite Four members from past games, it would mean that a long-standing trend won’t be broken in Generation 9. Across all mainlinePokemongames thus far, no Elite Four member has ever specialized in one of three missing types: Normal, Grass, or Electric.
There are 18 different Pokemon types as of Generation 8, andPokemon ScarletandVioletare unlikely to feature a new one. Among those 18 types, pastPokemongames have had Elite Four members who specialized in 15 of them, but so far Normal, Grass, and Electric-type critters have been left out of the equation. These typings do appear for Gym Leaders like Norman from Gen 3, Erika from Gen 1, and Elesa from Gen 5. Still, they’re absent in the Elite Fours of all regions despite several types being featured multiple times across different generations. The most repeated types are Ghost and Fighting, which appeared as Elite Four specialties four times each.
The fact that Normal, Grass, and Electric-type Pokemon won’t be featured inElite Four battlesdoesn’t mean that they won’t return at least as Gym Leaders. Still, it’s odd thatPokemon ScarletandVioletmight not break this 26-year-old trend, meaning Generation 10will likely have to address at least one or two of these types as Elite Four members to compensate - even though those games are probably four years away at least. Ultimately, trainer diversity inPokemongames is an important part of the experience, and it would be nice to seePokemon ScarletandVioletdo better in that regard.
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