The wonderful world of Pokemon wouldn’t be what it is without the multitude of Pokemon Professors who’ve dedicated their lives to better understanding the eponymous creatures that make up the world at hand. Every region has its own Professor, studying a unique field of Pokemon specialization. These typically have to do with a prominent feature found in that given generation, and these Professors are always there every step of the way should you need help.
Whether it’s Professor Oak or Sycamore, Pokemon Professors make a name for themselves through their dedicated research in a particular field. Fans of the franchise are exposed to a number of Pokemon academics through the games, anime and various other projects. While they all have their own unique and interesting fields of study, this is what the mainline title Professors have made their names off of.
9 Professor Oak – Pokemon & Human Relationships
Hailing from Kanto’s Pallet Town, Professor Oak is without a doubt the most well known Professor in the Pokemon franchise. Prevalent throughout a good chunk of the series, Oak made his name through his research on the dynamic between humans and Pokemon.
Oak’s subject of choice stands as one of the most important elements of the Pokemon franchise. The relationship between humans and the Pokemon around them has served as the series’ backbone from day one. While Oak isn’t the only Pokemon academic around anymore, he’s certainly one of the most important to the series.
8 Professor Elm – Pokemon Breeding
Much younger than his predecessor, Professor Elm calls Johto’s New Bark Town home and focuses on the subject of Pokemon Breeding. Introduced in Gen II, breeding has become a major mechanic in the Pokemon games. In the series’ lore, Elm played a huge part in establishing its significance.
Pokemon Breeding has come a long way since its introduction, and has since become one of the mainline series’ most consistent aspects. Elm might not look the part, but he’s at the head of one of the most important aspects of Pokemon research.
7 Professor Birch – Pokemon Habitats
Serving as Hoenn’s resident Pokemon scholar, Professor Birch is a well respected member of the region’s academic world and beyond. Based in the town of Little Root, Birch specializes in Pokemon habitats. As general of a field as that seems to be, Birch’s research really helps further differentiate the various Pokemon out there in the world.
Pokemon have always been separated into types, with the various type advantages and disadvantages serving as a key mechanic in-universe. But habitats went one step further, specifying the various biomes in which you could find a given Pokemon. From commonplace locales such as Grasslands, Forrests and Sea habitats to more obscure locations like Water’s-Edge and Rough-Terrain, Birch changed how trainers go about looking for their future companions.
6 Professor Rowan – Pokemon Evolution & Form Changes
One of the more seasoned Pokemon Professors out there, Rowan holds many years of experience under his belt and is one of the leading names in one of the series’ most important aspects; evolution. While evolution might have seemed like a straightforward idea early on in the series, form changes and evolution variants have added some welcomed diversity to the mechanic.
Evolution used to be a fairly straightforward process. Early on in the series, evolution was only achieved through a handful of methods. But Rowan’s research paved the way for tons of different means of evolution as well as various form changes. Both are still explored through various mechanics to this day.
5 Professor Juniper – Pokemon Origins
Holding the distinction of being the first female Professor introduced in the mainline games, Unova’s Professor Juniper has quite the impressive resume. Focusing on the origins of Pokemon, Juniper’s field of study is a broad but important one.
While the games drop players off in a modern era, there is tons of Pokemon history and lore that serve as the structural backbone of the world at hand. With Legends Arceus set to release fairly soon, fans of the franchise will finally get to see more of the old world of Pokemon in a way that hopefully stands-out from the rest.
4 Professor Sycamore – Mega Evolution
Having learned a lot from Professor Rowan from a young age, it makes sense that Professor Sycamore’s field of study falls in a similar ballpark. Though Rowan’s field is much more general, Sycamore has devoted his time into researching a true marvel of the Pokemon world; Mega Evolution.
Although the mechanic would eventually peter out as the generations went on, Mega Evolution served an interesting way to expanded upon a series staple, while also adding somet8ihg new to the equation. Rowan’s research into the phenomenon greatly aided in trainers’ ability to make use of this unique ability.
3 Professor Kukui – Pokemon Moves
Alola’s Professor Kukui certainly stands as one of the most interesting Professors of the bunch, at least when it comes to personality. His alter ego, “The Royal” aside, Kukui brings some much needed energy and enthusiasm to his field of research on his own.
Kukui specializes in Pokemon moves. This might seem like a mundane field of study, but the truth is that Kukui’s is one of the most pivotal out there. Movesets are essential to a Pokemon trainer, and Kukui’s research into Z-Moves really opened things up in a fun and interesting way.
2 Professor Magnolia – Dynamax Pokemon
This latest generation of Pokemon games really switches things up in a number of ways. One of its most notable twists on the series’ formula is the role Galar’s Pokemon Professor plays in the overall narrative.
Professor magnolia serves as a wealth of knowledge throughout the game, but she isn’t t the one to give the player their starter and really feels like she’s just keeping the seat warm for Sonia’s inevitable succession. With Dynamax being such a big part of Galar’s culture, Magnolia stands out as one of the most successful and prevalent Professors in the series.
1 Professor Sonia – The History of Galar
Taking the reigns from her grandmothe4r, Sonia is the youngest of the mainline Professors. Though she has just as much, if not more, to offer in terms of her contributions to Pokemon’s academic world. Sonia only officially takes up the mantle of Pokemon Professor once her book on Galar’s Darkest Day is published. It’s this field of study that so greatly differentiates her from her grandmother.
Galar is shown to be very culturally rich and offers would be researchers no shortage of events and regional aspects to delve into. Sonia’s studies into the darkest Day however prove to be among the most pivotal, establishing her as a bright up-and-comer in Galar’s academic community.