“Hello there! Welcome to the world of Pokémon! My name is Oak! People call me the Pokémon Prof! This world is﷽ inhabited by creatures called Pokémon! For some people, Pokémon are pets. Others use them for fights. Myself… I study Pokémon as a profession.” - Professor Oak, Pokémon Red and Blue (1998)

Ifও you’ve played even a single game in the series, you’ve read some variation of this speech. Every Generation makes sure to introduces prospective players into the world of Pokémon with a comprehensive opener from said game’s Pokémon Professor👍. A♏s the first character players meet, it’s only natural to see said figures as authorities on the Pokémon world.

With that said, it’s not unusual that some fans would find themselves attached to said professors. While they rarely, if ever, play active roles in their own Generations, they do kick off each trainer’s journey, acting as a beacon back home for the player. They’re﷽ easy enough characters to dismiss given they’re typically relevant early on, but Game Freak does tend to sprinkle information about each professor throughout the course of the story. They may not be the most nuanced characters in the franchise, but they do have more depth than they initially lead on.

30 Oak Was Gen I’s Final Boss Originally

Blue ending up Generation I’s final boss was one of gaming’s biggest twists back in the day. Grantedღ, it’s quite obvioඣus he was going to wind up Champion considering he was always one step ahead of you, but Red and Blue genuinely pushed the idea th✱at the Elite Four was just four. When players got to Lance, that was meant to be it.

Oak's so good, he only needs five Pokémon to put you in your place.

Interestingly, leftover data suggests that Blue was not meant to be the final boss at all. Rather, it was supposed to be Professor Oak. Oak would challenge the player with whatever Pokémon Red or Blue didn’t have, 💖and would only have a party of five, covering a similar type set to that of Blue’s final team. W𒉰hether this means Oak was meant to be Champion is up for debate, but the point is that Blue wasn’t supposed to be Red’s last challenge.

29 Rowan Discovered That 90% Of All Pokémon Are Related Through Evolution

Although evolution has always played a key role in the franchise, it wouldn’t be until Generation IV where it would get a bigger focus. Specifically, it’s revealed Professor Rowan deduced that 90% of all Pokém💞on are connected and related to one another through the concept of evolution. While this seems almost impossible, Gen IV actually made it through.

We're all connected.

In adding new evolutions for pre-existing Pokémon, Gen IV was actually able to connect 90% of all Pokémon together through evolution. This is a trend that continues all the way through Gen✱eration VII, especially in light of Mega Evolutions. Pokémon get closer and closer with each passing Gen.

28 Kukui Is The Only Champion With A Title Defense

While it’s not unusual for the Elite Four, and by extension the region’s Champion, to get stronger in each Generation’s p💝ost-game, Professor Kukui is the only Champion to actually participate in a legitimate title defense match. Here’s the thing, though: he’s not defending the title, you are. This means Gen VIII, and Kukui, actually acknowledge you as Champion.

This also makes Kukui the first Champion to lose their title and then immediately try to win it back. Previously, Blue was the only Champion we knew the fate of. Upon losing the Kanto-Johto League, Blue takes over Giovanni’s Gym in Viridian City. Every other Champion seemingly just retires or does their own thing,꧑ but not Kukui. He’s desperate for his title.

27 Elm Is The Only Professor Who Doesn’t Introduce Players To The Series

Every Pokémon game begins the same way: the regional Professor in🍰troduces players to the world of Pokémon, potentially ushering in new t꧋rainers. Except for the Johto games, that is. Generation II and the Generation IV remakes, for whatever reason, keep Professor Oak front and center rather than using s♔aid game’s actual professor, Elm.

Outsourced by Oak. 

As a result, Professor 💙Elm ends up rather unpopular compared to his other Professors. Despite being one of three Professors to appear in more than one Generation, fans aren’t really all that eღndeared towards him. Having Oak introduce Johto was certainly the wrong move overall as Elm already does very little of value in his own game.

26 Juniper Used To Be A Backpacker

Obviously Pokémon Professor🐻s weren’t always professors, but we rarely, if ever, get concrete information on what said professors did before th☂e events of each Generation. At best, Game Freak gives us little home life details, but nothing more. Until we got Professor Juniper in Generation V, that is.

It’s mentioned that, like her father, Juniper was a Backpacker before becoming a Professor. One of the many classes a trainer cꦅan have in the Pokémon world, Backpackers were introduced in Generation V, quite fitting for Juniper. Honestly, the fact Juniper was a Backpacker isn’t so much interesting as is 🅠the fact we actually get a glimpse at her life before becoming a professor.

25 Professor Sycamore Is The First Professor Trainers Can Battle

For a long time, it was up for debate whether or not Pokémon Professors could act♋ually put up a fight. Despite being the leading authorities on the Pokémon universe, nothing really suggested that they were anything other💯 than academics. They each had their own roster of Pocket Monsters to choose from, but that doesn’t mean much.

He uses a team of all Kanto starters, too. 

With Sycamore’s introduction in Generation VI, that notion came to rest. Although he never challenges the play🐭er with a full part, the mere fact Sycamore has access to three level 50 Kanto starters is proof that Pokémon Professors do in fact raise an on hand team. This is an idea that would be furthered in the next gen, but Sycamore was the man who proved professors could battle.

24 Explaining Oak’s Early Generation Incompetence

Even though the early games glorify Professor Oak quite a bit, it’s quite obvious that he’s in way over his head in every regard. He didn’t know there were more than 150 Pokémon, missing Mew in his count; he didn’t know Pokémon could breed; and he’s the professor who concretely solidified a set number of Pokémon, setting himself ♛up to be proven wrong.

When it comes down to it, this is a🌳 result of Game Freak’s 🎃approach to the first two Gens. Pokémon was never meant๊ to pass Generation II. The final 256 count was meant to be it and breeding was supposed to be a new discovery. All this was retcon💜ned in Generation III as FireRed and LeafGreen ushered in🎐 a new timeline for the series, thus creating💯 a new persona for Oak.

23 Professor Kukui Is The Only Professor To Serve As A Final Boss

The final bosses of each Generation are as♔ follows: Blue for Gen I; Red for Gen II; Steven, Wallace, and Blue for Gen III; Cynthia and Red for Gen IV; Ghestis and Iris for Gen V; AZ and Wallace for Gen VI; and Professor Kukui for Gen VII. Of these final bosses, only Kukui is a Pokémon Professor.

Champion Kukui would like to battle. 

This is a rather big deal since, for the first time in the series, a professor is shown to be a legitimate threat. While🍎 Sycamore does battle the player in X and Y, he never puts up a fight and nothing is ever on the line. K🥂ukui’s final battle determines whether or not the playeꦆr becomes Champion, giving him a pivotal role in the story’s stakes.

22 Juniper’s Subject Of Study: Origins

“Pokémon Professor” isn’t just some catch all term or profession. Every single professor in the series has their own, unique subject of study that defines both their boꦅdy of work and Generation’s core theme or introduction. Professor Juniper of Generation V’s studies center themselves primarily around the concept of Pokémon origins.

Where do Pokémon come from? How did they get here? What is the general📖 origin of the world? Unfortunately, unlike other professors whose studies do directly tie into tಌheir Generation, Juniper’s concept of origins only lightly ties into the series via the Legendaries. For the most part, Gen V focuses on what it means for humans to coexist with their Pokémon, creating a bit of a disconnect between her body of work and Gen V.

21 Professor Birch Isn’t The First Professor With A Child We Meet

Generation III is interesting in that the player’s father is a Gym Leader whereas the rival’s father is a Pokémon Professor. Such a distinction gives more life to Hoenn and allows ♓characters to interact with the two arguably most important professions in the universe in a meaningful way. As novel as this concept is, Professor Birch isn’t the first fatherly Professor we meet.

While Professor Oak obviously had a chil🧔d in order to have a grandson, it’s Elm who’s the professor in question. In fact, should you explore a bit, you can actually meet Elm’s wife and son. His son even wants to grow up to be a Pokémon Professor just like his father! Sorry Gen III riva🌼l, Elm’s kid has you beat.