Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are right around the corner, yet they might be the entries with the least revealed about them so close to release. Thankfully, the slow trickle of information has ramped up a little recently, including an extended gameplay trailer with new features like the TM Machine, Girafarig evolution Farigiraf, and more on the new terastal phenomenon. Now, the latest material comes in the form of an in-universe video from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gym Leader Iono.
The video has Iono asking viewers to guess her Electric-type partner Pokemon as part of a segment on her own show. She describes herself as a streamer and influencer alongside her role as a Levincia City's Gym Leader in the Paldea Region, so it's a thematically on-point way of revealing the new character. Reactions to the trailer haven't been great due to how little it actually revealed about both Iono and the rest of the game, but it did show fans something that the Pokemon franchise could seriously benefit from in its portrayal of Gym Leaders.
Pokemon Gym Leaders Need Stronger Personalities
Iono's reveal is a great display of a Gym Leader's personality, yet also a reminder of how this is sorely lacking in-game. The immediately obvious part is the fact she is fully voiced, with all the enthusiasm to be expected from a world-famous streamer, but it goes beyond that. Her animation works well with her character design, using her baggy sleeves and Magnemite hair clips to convey emphasis and excitement. While holding back information didn't go down well with fans, even asking viewers to return for part two could be a funny jab at how creators on platforms like TikTok generate engagement.
It's undoubtedly great to see an in-game Gym Leader being given some substance even in a teaser, but it would likely be even more impactful if it was in-game. Voice acting in Pokemon has never seemed to be on the table, perhaps because Game Freak feels it may disturb the original identity of the series. However, the shift to 3D was a far bigger shakeup than this. Having characters with 3D models and animated gesturing not making any noise reason why fans feel the more recent games feel lifeless and uncanny valley-like.
What's more, Iono shows that it may not have to be a sweeping change. Voice acting and more animation could be great across the board in Pokemon, but adding it to characters like Gym Leaders, rivals, and Pokemon villain teams should be a bare minimum to give some more weight to major story beats, while short encounters could retain their more classic feeling. Breath of the Wild gives a great framework of how this could work too, with non-verbal expression during general dialogue, but spoken cutscenes with Zelda and the four Champions.
That kind of deeper exploration of these major characters has even appeared in the 2D games. Pokemon Black and White were praised for giving Gym Leaders prominent roles in the story, something that hasn't quite been matched since. Now the games have moved to 3D, this could be done even more effectively. Not only could they play some interesting roles in story cutscenes, but backstory, introductions, or even in-universe material like Iono's show could add to their character building and provide a feeling of finally making Pokemon regions feel alive.
Unfortunately, other trailers have shown that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet won't be the games to do this. Grass Gym Leader Brassius was one of the first shown in full during a trailer, with none of the expressiveness of Iono's non-gameplay reveal. While his design shows his grass-type affinity effectively, as the games tend to do, his presence is limited to text boxes, idle animations, and an occasional different animation during battle. However, hopefully, Iono's reveal is a sign that Pokemon games of the future may finally give more exploration of some of the most prominent encounters of the games.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to release on November 18 for Nintendo Switch.
