Pokémon Champion

A Pokémon Champion is a trainer who has beaten a region's Gym Leaders (in Alola's case, all 7 trials and totem Pokemon), Elite Four, and the previous Champion. By being the Pokémon Champion, one can become the most famous face in trainer history. The known Champions are Red, Blue, Trace, Lance, Steven Stone, Wallace, Cynthia, Alder, Iris, Diantha, the Sun/Moon protagonists and Leon. They all have the most powerful team of that particular region pre-Hall of Fame. Being a Champion may also be the starting point to becoming a Pokémon Master. Pokémon Champions have strong Pokémon and are stronger than most trainers and Gym Leaders. Once the player character defeats the Champion, the player character is recognized as the champion, although in the games the player character declines the position and allows the previous Champion to reclaim their spot. However, in Pokémon Sun and Moon, as the Alola champion the player character can defend their title against many challengers.

Trivia

 * The majority of the Pokémon Champions have a mixture of Pokémon types for their respective teams, excluding Lance, Steven, Wallace and Iris. For those who do specialize in a single type, Dragon is most common. Iris is the only female Champion who specializes in a single type.
 * Cynthia is the first female Champion.
 * Blue is the rival of the Generation I games and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and as such is the only Champion that can be named by the player character, Blue is the default name.
 * Champions can sometimes be found in regions they are not in.
 * Alder didn't achieve the rank as 'Champion', but was asked by the Unova Elite Four to take the position but later left the position sometime between Black/White and Black 2/White 2 after being defeated by Iris.
 * As of now, Blue and Lance are the only two Champions to have been Champion in two Generations, however this is because the remakes of the game they were in, were in this Generation.
 * Lance is the only Champion who is a member of the Elite Four in the previous generation and Blue is the only Champion who became a Gym Leader in a later Generation. Two Gym Leaders later became champions though, Wallace and Iris.
 * League Champions mostly use Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon.
 * During Pokémon Black and White, before the player character has the chance to face Alder, N defeats Alder and the player character does not fight him, instead heading to face N in his castle, however during the battle N is not classified as the champion.
 * Professor Kukui doesn't count as a champion.
 * The Sun and Moon protagonists are the first ever champions that can defend their title against many challengers.
 * Ash Ketchum is the only trainer to be champion in two regions, Orange Islands and Alola.