10 Toughest Battles In Pokémon History

8. Karen - Pokémon Gold & Silver

Considering the true toughness of Elite Four members is always difficult because their situation is different than that of a Gym Leader. Since you have to battle them one after the other without visiting Pokémon Centers, the constant struggle can lead you to believe that each battle is more difficult than in reality.

Even taken out of this context, Karen is not one to be taken lightly. You can easily be fooled into thinking she's easily overcome as a simple Dark Type trainer, but the make-up of her team is anything but that. In fact, only three of the five actually carry the Dark Type at all.

Karen's team all have moves that are designed to frustrate the hell out of her challengers. Confusion, Paralysis, and forced switching will have you rotating your battlers quicker than a runaway ferris wheel. No one Pokémon will be strong against more than two of hers, meaning you'll definitely need a well-rounded team if you're going to succeed here - you can't just rely on your starter Pokémon's final form!