>>54560148>KantoShould get a pass because it's the vintage iconic classic, but early gen Gym Leaders rely on the anime / Pokemon Adventure to give them personality. Not Kanto tho, because of the Fame Checker in FRLG giving us lore and personality for the Leaders.
>JohtoGets memed on for its low level curve and not all Johto Leaders using Johto Pokemon. Pokemon Adventure gave the leaders a lot personality in this era. HGSS also expanded upon the Fame Checker giving us more info on them.
>HoennThe base Ruby/Sapphire have the Pokenav info on the leaders which was cool, but Emerald gave us our first dose of Leader rematch. Pioneer in giving the Gym Leaders personality with just the games. Very charming. This also begins that trend of "early Rock leader" which becomes such a stereotype of Leaders.
>SinnohDid some cute things like having a Father & Son Gym Leader duo, a rivalry between Volkner and Flint, Fantina being a contest star, etc. Platinum expanded upon the Gym Leader rematch. The leaders are found outside their Gyms and interacting with the player, but they do not affect the plot with Team Galactic in any meaningful way. That Jasmine cameo is the first of many (see Unova and Alola) helping hands to other regions.
>UnovaThe Gym Leaders feel the most alive in this gen. They interact with you every step of the way in Game Freak's attempt at a more 'complex' story. Lots of neat interactions that require memory link. The Gym Leaders are heavily involved with the plot with Team Plasma. Pokemon World Tournament is the ultimate culmination of Gym Leader rematches.
I like how Sabrina appears as a movie star (did she retire as a Gym Leader between Johto and now likrematch.
>KalosEmpty. The passion from the past games is gone. There is that post-game mansion near the egg route that serves as a Gym Leader rematch area. There are some lore tidbits about the Gyms, but the Leaders really do feel lifeless. Korina is the only recurring Gym Leader iirc.
