Top 5 Poison Type Experts

Poison types were rather limited offensively until the introduction of Fairy types, but there are still a few trainers throughout the Pokémon world that got the most out of them. Now that the Sword and Shield Isle of Armor DLC have been made available, there are 5 type experts. However, how do they stack up against each other?

5. Klara: Pokémon Trainer at the Isle of Armor

The latest addition to the ranks of notable Poison-type experts, Klara is still finding her feet in the Pokémon World, which is a similarity she shares with another person on this list. She initially found little success as a music star, gym trainer, and thought that training at the Master Dojo under the kindness of Mustard would be a fast track to success. In Pokémon and in real life, there is no easy path to reach your goals, and Klara found out the hard way. After getting frustrated at your abilities as a trainer, she eventually reaches her potential.

4. Janine: Gym Leader at Fuschia City

Being the daughter of Koga puts a lot of pressure on Janine, but she got her opportunity to prove herself in the Johto games once he was promoted to Elite Four status. Her inexperience particularly showed in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, where none of her Pokémon were even lv 40 despite the player having already defeated the Elite Four and other Kanto Gym Leaders with higher-level Pokémon. In Heartgold, Soulsilver, Black 2, and White 2, Janine’s team is more on par with the rest of the Kanto gym leaders. Her anime counterpart Aya also shows tremendous growth through her encounters with Ash.

3. Plumeria: Team Skull Admin

The dynamic between Guzma and Plumeria as the leaders of Team Skull is an interesting one. While Guzma seeks power and status by any means necessary, Plumeria simply looks out for him and the rest of Team Skull. Her loyalty isn’t her only notable trait as she is a capable battler herself, proving this by beating the Elite Four and challenging the player for the Alolan League Title. She appears to be the most level headed member of her team, which leaves people to wonder what they could accomplish if Guzma let her take control. In the anime, Plumeria had a small but important role in the Alola League. Her Salazzle severely damaged Ilima’s Eevee, weakening one of Guzma’s toughest potential opponents later in the tournament.

2. Roxie: Gym Leader at Virbank City

One look at Roxie will reveal her personality, but she’s more than a stereotypical punk rock musician. Well known for the music she and her band performs when the trainer challenges the Virbank Gym as well as her affinity for alliteration (as noted in one of her in-game quotes, “You dim-witted…dense…dumb…daft…dippy…dorky…doltish DOOFUS!”), her confident and brash personality makes for a more interesting gym battle than one would usually expect this early in their journey. She proved to be a tough final hurdle for Ash in his Unova Gym Battles as well.

1. Koga: Elite Four Member at Indigo Plateau

Koga is the Poison-type expert who has reached the greatest heights in his career as a trainer. Koga is one of only three trainers to hold both a gym leader and either an Elite Four or Champion position, the others being Wallace of the Hoenn region and Iris of the Unova region. He comes from a long line of ninjas, likely the ones who invented the Toxic technique as Koga mentions when the trainer defeats him in a gym battle. Koga embodies both the Poison-type with his use of frustrating moves and the ninja lifestyle through instances such as his Venonat instantly evolving into Venomoth in the anime. These qualities make Koga the top Poison-type expert in the Pokémon world.

Let us know how you would rank the Poison-type experts here or on Twitter (@PokeWizardCali).