Pokemon Scarlet and Violet may not be exceptional games when it comes to performance and quality of the gameplay loop overall, but they are arguably among the most ground-breaking games in the franchise by a huge margin, and from multiple standpoints. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Professors Sada and Turo not only don't give players their starter or Pokedex, but they also become the main antagonists in the story. This is just one of the many traditions broken by Gen 9 games, not counting the many new type combos introduced in Paldea, but then Larry also breaks two more longstanding traditions.

Although he was presented as an overworked man who doesn't enjoy battling all that much, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Larry quickly became a fan-favorite character for this exact reason, to the point that he's now both a meme and a revered NPC. Larry is made to embody an average person rather than having a flamboyant personality or style, but he is anything other than ordinary when it comes to his role in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and then compared to the overall series. In fact, not only does Larry challenge the main character as a Gym Leader and Elite Four member all in the same game, but he also has another chance to give players a hard time.

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Larry is Both a Gym Leader and Elite Four

Normally, Pokemon games feature a distinct set of Gym Leaders and Elite Four members, for a total of 12 unique trainers that players will face in battle, each with different specializations. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Larry acts both as a Gym Leader and an Elite Four member, breaking a tradition set all the way back with Pokemon Red and Blue. Larry is a Normal-type Gym Leader and a Flying-type Elite Four, proving he can use different teams efficiently.

This is nothing to scoff at because there have been changes to the Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and even the Champion in past games, but never in the same title. For example, in Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, Iris becomes Champion after being a Gym Leader in the previous games, similar to how Koga becomes an Elite Four member in Pokemon Crystal after being a Gym Leader in Gen 1 games. In a similar fashion, Pokemon Crystal also sees Blue acting as a Gym Leader instead of the local Champion, taking the place left vacant by Giovanni after the fall of Team Rocket.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Makes Players Face Larry in Battle Three Times

Some Pokemon games have featured rematches in the past, but Gen 9 takes this to the next level. Not only does Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Ace Tournament at the end of the game allow players to fight multiple opponents that had already been challenged earlier, such as Geeta, but to unlock it, players have to face every Gym Leader for a second time. This includes a story-related battle against Larry, whom players fight for the third time in Gen 9 with this method, something that has never happened in past generations - not to this extent.

For example, Pokemon Sword and Shield's Gym Challenge is a different take on the usual formula used by the franchise, and when players move on to the Champion Cup, they can challenge known trainers once more. Nessa, Bea or Allister (depending on the version), and Raihan were all Gym Leaders in the Gym Challenge, but players will have to beat them again before taking Leon on. The fact that Larry can be battled again as a Gym Leader is not ground-breaking in and of itself, but considering players fight him as an Elite Four too, this counts as the third time he has to be defeated in a single game, making Pokemon Scarlet and Violet break yet another tradition.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.

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