Pokémon: Ranking The 10 Best Gym Leaders
5. Volkner
Volkner is an interesting gym leader, as he clearly doesn’t enjoy his job very much. The last gym leader you meet before the Elite Four, Volkner obviously isn’t a fan of being the final roadblock before ultimate challenge.
He tells you how he sweeps aside all comers, but he’s not bragging; in fact, he seems a little sad about it.
To amuse himself more than to test any challenger’s mettle, Volkner’s gym has various electronic puzzles and contraptions for you to get through.
Along with Valerie, this makes Volkner the second gym leader here to riff off Sabrina’s ideas, so it may seem harsh that she misses out. However, her own design is too plain and she’s never given much of a story; she’s fantastic in the anime, but with that not taken into consideration, it only serves to overshadow in game Sabrina.
Back to Volkner himself though. He’s ostensibly an Electric trainer, although half his team aren’t Electric at all: Normal Ambipom and Water Octillery. His two Electrics though are two of the most popular with Raichu and Luxray, and to be honest it’s nice to see some variety where simply picking the right type isn’t an instant win.