Over the past 22 years, Pokémon games have changed immeasurably. We've experienced new regions, been introduced to hundreds of new Pokémon, andℱ battled different nefarious evil teams. HMs have been abandoned in favor of Ride Pokémon, and the classic eight-Gy✅m challenge has been replaced by the Island Challenge. New Types have been created, new moves have been added to the roster, and in general, the series has become better and better.

However, there's one thing that's remained constant throughout all of these changes to the mainline Pokémon games, and that's the existence of the Elite Four. These trainers—four of them, if you haven't guessed—are some of the toughest in each region. They, along with the Champion, represent the "final challeng🔥e" for any aspiring Pokémon master. Their Pokémon are consequently pretty tough, and the fact that you can't visit a Pokémon Center in between battles makes the Pokémon League experience even trickier. Still, regardless of whether you managed to beat the Elite Four in one attempt or ten, the feeling of accomplishment when you finally enter the Hall of Fame makes the struggle worth it.

With so many different Elite Fours now existing in the Pokémon series, it's perhaps inevitable that contradictions and confusions have arisen about their jobs, their Pokémon, and even their battling style. There are a lot of things about these elite trainers that don't quite add up, as legions of observant Pokémon fans have noted. Here are just some of the things about the Elite Fours of the Pokémon universe that fail to make sense.

25 ♎ 𓃲 Work/Life Balance

One of the greatest mysteries about the Elite Four in every single Pokémon is what exactly they do when they're not battling. Do they just sit in the Pokémon League building all-day every-day, waiting for a challenger to arrive? Do they have any kind of life outside of their Elite Four duties? If not, that sounds like a prꦆetty poor work-life balance—and a very dull way to live. Do these trainers not have friends and family to spend time with? So many questions!

24 The Mono-Tyꦰpe Teams

Real talk: the fact that each Elite Four 🌳member in every game uses an almost exclusively mono-typed team makes literally no sense. All their challenger needs is one or two Pokémon that have a type advantage against the Elite Four trainer in question, and they're sorted. Surely it would be more of a challenge if the Elite Four all used a mix of Pokémon types? Sure, each trainer in the Kanto League uses one Pokémon that doesn't fit their theme, but that only adds a tiny bit of diversity! We want more!

23 The Anime Version 🔯

While we know that a lot of things about the Pokémon universe differ between the video games and the anime, there's one fact that really s🦹ticks oꦦut.

The Pokémon League works completely differently in the anime!

There's a reason why Ash Ketchum has never defeated an Elite Four and a Champion, and it's not just because of his frequently questionable battle choices. In the anime, only one trainer gets to challenge the League each year! Unfortuꦗnately for Ash, he's never managed to win that coveted opportunity.

22 The Original Alolan Leagꦐue

Now, if there's any Pokémon League that can be forgiven for being a little bit confusing, it's the Alolan League. When the player in Pokémon Sun and Moon challenges the League, it's a brand new institution! It's therefore understandable that there might still be some issues to iron out with this first incarnation of the Elite Four. However, that doesn't mean that we're just going to ignore its confusing aspects. For example, now that Hala is an Elite Four member, who's the Kahuna oღf Melemele Island? Can Hala do both jobs at once? You'd think not... But who knows?

21 The Sixth Pokémon💫?

Here's another fact about each Elite Four's battle style that doesn't r🌟eally make sense: why don't they use the maximum number of six Pokémon? Whenever you challenge any Pokémon League for the first time, each Elite Four member sends out either four or five Pokémon in total.

Surely it would make more sense for them to use the maximum six?

♛It would make things a bit more of a struggle for their challengers! It almost feels like each Elite Four trainer doesn't like battling to their full potential, which makes literally no sense at all.

20 🍷 Ignorance Is Bliss

At some point in the storyline of each main-line Pokémon game, the player's character has to thwart the plans of an evil organization that's somehow trying to take over the world. From Team Rocket all the way through to Team Skul🌜l, each group has a plan to make the lives of both humans and Pokémon pretty miserable.

Each time, it's left to a literal child to defeat a bunch of actual criminals.

Why 𒆙don't the Elite Four members take more of a role in protecting their region? It's very rare🦩 that these super-strong trainers choose to help the player out!

19 Diamond And Pearl's Levelli🐽ng

It's no secret that in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the Elite Four are quite simply over-leveled. You can't help but wonder what the programmers of the game were thinking when they decided to make each trainer use Pokémon with levels in the late 50s to late 60s! It's a huge jump from the eighth Gym, in which Volkner uses Pokémon in the late 40s. There's basically no way you can justify having an almost 20-level jump in such a short amount of time! Luckily, Game Freak realized this: they brought the Sinnoh Elite Four's levels down in Pokémon Platinum.

18 🃏 Getting Theꦑ Job

Question: how do Elite Four members actually get their job? It's never explained! Is there an application process, or are suitable trainers simply scouted by Pokémon League officials? Do they have to go through rigorous battle training beforehand, or is it simply assumed that these strong trainers can cope with the challenge of battling super-strong challengers on a regular basis? Is it a position for life, or do you have to prove every now and again that you're still up to the task? We just have a lot of question🗹s here.

17 💃 Johto's Missing League

Have you ever wondered why every single region featured in the mainline Pokémon games has its own Elite Four, except for Johto? Yeah, so have we, and the answer is pretty unclear. Johto is just as big as any of the other regions in the Pokémon unive🐻rse—surely it has enough top-quality trainers to form its own League? It just doesn't seem fa𝔉ir that it has to share with Kanto when everywhere else gets its very own Elite Four! Justice for Johto!

16 What Happened To Agꦑatha?

Speaking of Johto and Kanto's shared Pokémon League, does anyone know what happened to Agatha in between Pokémon Red and Blue and Pokémon Gold and Silver? In the lat𒆙ter pair of games, the line-up of the Elite Four changes a lot.

Lance leaves to become the League's Champion.

It's hinted in FireRed and LeafGreen that Lorelei leaves to spend more time at home on the Sevii Islanꦅds. However, Agatha seemingly🍒 disappears without a trace! Is she okay? We need to know!