>>50284443>but this post sold me on Leon and his CHADIZARD>excuse to post like an idiot from /dbs/Right on the money.
The point is, you buffoon, is that other Champions have something beyond being Champion. Hobbies, jobs, skills, interests or character beyond Pokemon battling. Lance is a tamer of dragons, subsequently esteemed member of the Blackthorn Dragon Tamer Clan, and figure of authority within Kanto-Johto. In the anime, he's even part of government law enforcement. Steven is a rare stone collector who travels the world to find them, and in Emerald he even gives up competing for his hobby. Wallace is a coordinator, former Gym Leader, and has a link to Hoenn's legends. Cynthia is an archaeologist and mythologist. Alder's whole character is that he once valued nothing but strength and battle, and realized it's unfulfilling and unrewarding compared to simply enjoying life and bonding with others. Diantha is an actor and fashion model, and Kukui is the region professor. One of the reasons for this is because you meet most of these characters as people first, and as Champions later. Contrast that with Leon, who you meet as Champion first and as person, uh, presumably sometime (never). Prior Champions are characters who happen to be Champions; Leon's character is that he is Champion. "Surely," you might say, "you're just being hyperbolic." But Leon really, truly doesn't have anything to him other than Pokemon battling and being Champion. Nowhere is this better reflected than when you beat him; the first things he does is to setup a battle facility, setup more tournaments for Pokemon battling, and try to beat you to become Champion again. I can see other Champions existing just fine in a world without Pokemon. Can you see Leon doing the same? I can't.
