It’s extremely difficult not to like Iris. She is kind, adventurous, and one of the trainers that we get to watch actually develop into one of the strongest characters in the region. The difference between her team in Black and White and Black and White 2 is monumental and shows just how much work she has put in between battles. Her Mold Breaker Haxorus with x-scissor, earthquake, dual chop, and dragon dance is just a colossus force to take down. Then again, her whole team, which also includes Hydreigon, Druddigon, Aggron, Archeops, and Lapras, is beastly on numerous levels.

Another, but definitely not the last, Dragon trainer on this list, Drake proved himself worthy of the top Elite Foure spot in Hoenn. He could successfully take a punch with Shelgon and Altaria acting as comfortable cushions for him. Then he would smack down the pain with his two Flygon and Salamence acting as sweepers. The only consolation to losing to him is that you could once more view his godly appearance, as he is the type of character who just makes a statement. There’s just a certain spirit to him that really makes him an enjoyable character to face off against.

Lorelei is special because she gives us a crash course on the strength of the Elite Four. If you didn’t know beforehand the level of her Pokemon, then chances are you lost, because you were far from ready to take her on. As the epitome of an Ice-type trainer, Lorelei really is the perfect dream crusher to start off the Elite Four. She’s calculating, cold, and extremely hard to break. Her Pokemon are especially designed to test your patience as you thaw your way through them. It’s very possible that the creators decidedly created a scenario where a powerhouse trainer would literally freeze us in our tracks. Dewgong’s Icebeam seems particularly appropriate for this situation.

As the oldest Elite Four member in history, Agatha has a certain amount of experience and mystery to her that few trainers can come close to. Playing a huge part in this is that she knew Professor Oak from her childhood days and was actually his rival. That alone causes so many questions and theories to pop up, and sadly these go unanswered. However, it’s this mix between mystery and age that makes her such a perfect Ghost-type trainer. Not to be dark, but there’s a certain aspect of death that just surrounds her, which is really the greatest unknown, and her Pokemon are technically dead. In other words, they just fit, and let’s not forget that Gengar is and always will be a dangerous opponent.

Bruno is tough, but what do you expect from a guy who’s a master of Fighting-type Pokemon? His Pokemon are fast and powerful and just as well chiseled as their trainer. However, one might ask what puts Bruno above the likes of people like Steve, whose also a pretty awesome character and whose Steel team would decimate Bruno. Well, he has one major condition putting him above so many others. It’s his bold decision to go shirtless. Just kidding. Bruno is one of the few trainers who appears in the Elite Four in two different regions. The only other person to do this is Lance who’s the last of the Elite Four in Kanto and then the Pokemon Champion in Johto. Clearly, Bruno is not a pushover and his team of boxers, tae-kwon-do practitioners, and wrestlers can back him up on that.

Diantha was a special treat to face off in the Kalos region. There are two primary reasons to this. One, when you talk to people from towns, people generally know about her, as she is a movie star. They talk about her style and grace and just in general how awesome she is. Her strength and presence kind of take on their own little separate side story and you get to build up a personal type of lore behind her. Then there’s the battle, which can be quite the challenge. First off, all of her Pokemon are at the mid-to-high 60s, and each of them can put a dent into your team. Starting with her Limber Hawlucha, she’s able to attack quickly and powerfully at the same time. Cleaning up any of your survivors is her powerful Gardevoir with moonblast, psychic, shadowball, and thunderbolt. Victory is truly sweet after beating her.

You may freely predict that one more psychic master will appear on this list, but until then let’s focus on the difficulty of defeating Lucian, the final Elite Four member of the Sinnoh region. Psychic Pokemon tend to be quite powerful as they are fast and powerful. Lucian utilizes this to its full extent with Mr. Mime, Medicham, and Alakazam. They could harm your team quickly and tremendously. Then he had a cushion with Girafarig and a massive steel wall with Bronzong. Everyone despises Bronzong specifically because of this battle. With a Levitate ability and a move set that consisted of psychic, gyro ball, earthquake, and calm mind, Bronzong could literally halt your entire momentum (if you actually had any at that point) and then destroy you.

Oh, Lance. Who doesn’t think Lance is cool? Having spiky red hair and a cape has probably made many people wonder why he doesn’t have his own series. Especially, when you consider that every medium, whether show or manga or game, has made him a badass. What do you expect though, he was the first dragon master and his team is always terrifying, even though it’s never made of only dragons. Though this is only a taste of his team; his Gyarados can take a beating and dish one out too, Aerodactyl has incredible speed, and Dragonite can shatter your team. Almost each of his Pokemon know Hyperbeam and so you can never let your guard down.

Caitlin is a fascinating character in the Pokemon world. To begin she has one of the more interesting backstories when it comes to trainers. We actually first meet her while she’s an aide at Castle Valet Darach. So this is one of the special cases in Pokemon where we realize that each and every trainer we meet has desires and can make their own dreams come true. She is also a perfect depiction of a psychic trainer. There’s an inner calm and sense of self-control that exudes from her and her long, long hair that floats out like a blanket or wings. Oh, and her Pokemon are a perfect match for her personality as well as difficult to takedown. In particular, Clear Body Metagross with bullet punch, earthquake, zen headbutt, and hammer arm can be a complete pain.

Did you actually expect anyone else? She is by far the toughest Elite 4 member to beat. Her mixed team puts even Dragon-type trainers to shame, and that includes Lance. Her team is one of the most powerful ever constructed and chances are you died at least once against her. From Lucario to Milotic to Garchomp, all of her Pokemon are headaches. Someone please explain why they let her Garchomp have Dragon Rush, Brick Break, Earthquake, and Giga Impact? It’s a devastating move set. What’s really incredible about Cynthia though is that, despite being a pain to defeat, she is fun to face. Winning against her is actually rewarding and her personality is refreshing. She proves herself to be a major Pokenerd and that’s something all of us can relate to.