Pokémon Sword and Shield has version exclusive gym leaders

When it comes to Pokémon games, having certain features which are unique to one of the two versions sold has been an age-old practice that only Nintendo can get away with. Most of the time, each new Pokémon game features a selection of wildlife that is exclusive to a particular cart, resulting in players socialising and trading amongst each other so that they can fill up their Pokedex.

This year, Pokémon Sword and Shield is taking that idea a step further with version exclusive gym leaders. There’s no detail on just how many of the Galar Region’s mightiest trainers will function in this manner, but yesterday’s new trailer did introduce two of them: The hard-hitting Fighting-type specialist Bea and the spooky Ghost-type gym leader Allister. Bea will be a Pokemon Sword exclusive gym leader, whereas Allister will fill that same role for Pokemon Shield players:

Bea

Bea is a prodigy in Galar karate, carrying on its century-old traditions and techniques. Known for her stoicism and rarely showing her emotions, Bea is also an expert on Fighting-type Pokémon. Her battle style remains very precise even when she’s backed into a corner.

Allister

Allister is a talented Trainer of Ghost-type Pokémon who has taken on the mantle of the Ghost-type Gym Leader at a young age. He’s extremely shy and fearful, and he always hides his face with a mask when around other people. Allister rarely makes public appearances and apparently spends most of his time around ruins or in cemeteries.

In addition to that, each game will have a pair of exclusive Dragon-type Pokémon to collect. Carrying on with the theme of offense and defense, Pokémon Sword gets attack-heavy dragons in the form of Deino and Jangmo-O, whereas Pokémon Shield gets Larvitar and Goomy.

Last Updated: July 9, 2019