It’s easy to take for granted considering just how much of🦩 is common knowledge at this point, but 🦩completing all eight Johto Gyms only to come face to face with the Kanto Pokémon League from is quite an impactful twist. There’s been little indication up to this point that Kanto is nearby, let alone the home to Johto’s Pokémon League. A shared League is something n𝔍o other Generation has tried, but that’s what makes so special.
It also helps in rounding out the Kanto-Johto Elite Four roster considerably. The staff uಌndergo a few key changes inbetween Generations, losing a Champion, gaining a Gym Leader, and shuffling around their battle order in the process. Kanto-Johto’s joint Elite Four compiles the bes🌠t Trainers from both regions, and their signature Pokémon make them forces to be reckoned with.
8 Lorelai: Lapras (Lv. 56)
What makes Lorelai such a danger in Pokémon Red & Blue specifically is the fact that nothing other than Fire Type moves can defrost a Pokémon once they’re frozen. While there aren’t many Ice Type moves worth using that inflict freeze, Lorelai’s Lapras has access to what is 🦩arguably the strongest Ice Type move in the game: ⛦Blizzard.
Blizzard may have low accuracy, but it does an insane amount of damage if it connects and also has the potential of freezing a Pokémon. In Generation I, this can mean certain death. Lorelai’s party is strong enough where it’s not unusuaဣlꦚ to take on Lapras with a withering team, but Blizzard’s the least of your worries. Both Hydro Pump and Confuse Ray keep Lapras hard to work around.
7 Bruno: Machamp (Lv. 58)
Bruno’s team is fairly easy when compared to Lorelai’s. He doesn’t put up nearly half as much a threat, and his early party won’t b🃏e chipping into a player’s team, which is a welcome mercy. Unfortunately, this doesn’t extend to Bruno’s Machamp, wh༺ose move pool is more than enough to make it carry Bruno’s party.
Machamp notably has access to🐈 Fissure– one of the game’s few OHKO (one hit knockout) moves– but Focus Energy increases its crit rate, Leer lowers a Pokémon’s defense, and Submission deals serious damage. Bruno’s Machamp was deleveled to Lv. 46 in Generation II, but it at least has access to Rock Slide, Cross Chop, and Foresight to cut the difference.
6 Agatha: Gengar (Lv. 60)
What’s important to recognize about Agatha is that her party is designed around using every single Pokémon. Unlike Lorelai and Bruno who use their signature Pokémon as cho♎kepoints (Bruno more ꦗso,) every Pokémon in Agatha’s team builds off each other to create a Ghost Type onslaught of status effects.
Unfortunately for Agat❀ha, this means Gengar isn’t as threatening as it could be alone. Plus, Psychic Types demolish Generation I with ease. That said, Confuse Ray is a serious problem that can turn the battle in Gengar’s favor on the spot without it ever being relinquished. Not only that, Toxic is never f🌊un to take head on.
5 Blue: Pidgeot (Lv. 61)
Kanto’s first Champion, Blue, can have multiple final starters across the course of Generation I, including Venusaur, Blastoise, Charizard, Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Flareon– but his signature Pokémon is none of these six. Rather, his signature Pokémon is the sole Pokémon who’s been by Blue’s side💝 from the beginninꦗg in every variation of Generation I: Pidgeot.
Pidgeot isn’t dangerous in either Generation I or II, but it’s the one true fixture every single person playing the first two Generations back to back will see. Blue’s Pidgeot was deleveled to Lv. 56 in Generation II, but it still opens his team (a novelty for signature Pokémon) and is designed around soften❀ing the player’s party for Blue’s heavy hitters.
4 Will: Xatu (Lv. 42)
Generation II’s Elite Four isn’t anywhere near as challenging as Generation I’s, and this is made fairly obvious by the Elite Four’s tꦏeam variation. Not only are their Pokémon comparatively underleveled to their Gen I counterparts, Will’s team is com♎posed of two of his signature Pokémon, Xatu.
Confuse Ray is always a 🔥threat, but it’s the rest of Will’s party that’s the actual threat. The Xatus feel terribly misplaced and don’t complement Will’s team in a way that makes much sense. Xatu’s Psychic/F⛄lying Hybrid Typing does it no favors either, simply making it susceptible to even more Type advantages.
3 Koga: Crobat (Lv. 44)
Koga gets a promotioඣn between Generations I & II, and he uses the opportunity as a means to change up his party considerably. Koga’s team is nigh unrecognizable come Pokémon Gold & Silver, but this is by🤪 no means a problem. Koga has traded his signature Wee🐲zing for a brand new Pokémon, Crobat.
Unlike Will’s Xatu, Koga’s Crobat doesn’t go down easy. Thanks to already high speed, Crobat can reducℱe accuracy with Double Team right out the gate. Crobat can stall the battle agaꦦinst Koga in a particularly frustrating fashion, so Trainers should be ready to knock it out as soon as they have the chance.
2 Karen: Houndoom (Lv. 47)
Using a party of Pokémon she likes, Karen’s team has more than enough weaknesses to exploit, but they can also get the jump on a player. Houndoom in particular, wh𒀰ile easy to knock out with Surf, has access to two incredibly strong Fire and Dark Type moves– Flamethrower and Crunch respectively.
Thanks to its STAB bonuses, either move will result in Houndoom dealing a surprising amount of damage. Anyone underestimating Karen’s team can very eas🧜ily lose the entire m💯atch as soon as Houndoom enters the battle. That said, Karen’s other Pokémon do pose a consistent threat all on their own.
1 Lance: Dragonite (Lv. 62)
A strong enough Ice Type Pokémon can subdue Lance’s Dragonite, but Dඣragon Types really do offer an uphill battle in Generation I. Getting your own Dragonite is easier said than done, and Lance’s Dragonite is a proper monster. Both Agility and Barrier increases Dragonite’s speed and defense respectively by two tiers.
Needless to say, Dragonite can circumvent virtually all of its weaknesses as soon as it enters the battle. If a Trainer’s own Pokémon has less base speed than Dragonites, don’t be surprised to take a few Hyper✱ Beams to the face. Worse is that Hyper Beam doesn’t require a charge if it misses or knocks out its target, making Lance arguably a bigger thre💖at than Blue. Humorously, Lance’s Dragonite was deleveled to Lv. 50 in Generation II– Dragonair only evolves into Dragonite at Lv. 55.