“Hello there! Welcome to the world of Pokémon! My name is Oak! People call me the Pokémon Prof! This world is inhabited by creatures called Pokémon! For some people, Pokémon are pets. Others use them for fights. Myself… I study Pokémon as a profession.” - Professor Oak, Pokémon Red and Blue (1998)
If you’ve played even a single game in the series, you’ve read some variation of this speech. Every Generation makes sure to introduces prospective players into the world of Pokémon with a comprehensive opener from said game’s Pokémon Professor. As the first character players meet, it’s only natural to see said figures as authorities on the Pokémon world.
With that said, it’s not unusual that some fans would find themselves attached to said professors. While they rarely, if ever, play active roles in their own Generations, they do kick off each trainer’s journey, acting as a beacon back home for the player. They’re easy enough characters to dismiss given they’re typically relevant early on, but Game Freak does tend to sprinkle information about each professor throughout the course of the story. They may not be the most nuanced characters in the franchise, but they do have more depth than they initially lead on.
30 Oak Was Gen I’s Final Boss Originally
Blue ending up Generation I’s final boss was one of gaming’s biggest twists back in the day. Granted, it’s quite obvious he was going to wind up Champion considering he was always one step ahead of you, but Red and Blue genuinely pushed the idea that the Elite Four was just four. When players got to Lance, that was meant to be it.
Oak’s so good, he only needs five Pokémon to put you in your place.
Interestingly, leftover data suggests that Blue was not meant to be the final boss at all. Rather, it was supposed to be Professor Oak. Oak would challenge the player with whatever Pokémon Red or Blue didn’t have, and would only have a party of five, covering a similar type set to that of Blue’s final team. Whether this means Oak was meant to be Champion is up for debate, but the point is that Blue wasn’t supposed to be Red’s last challenge.
29 Rowan Discovered That 90% Of All Pokémon Are Related Through Evolution
Although evolution has always played a key role in the franchise, it wouldn’t be until Generation IV where it would get a bigger focus. Specifically, it’s revealed Professor Rowan deduced that 90% of all Pokémon are connected and related to one another through the concept of evolution. While this seems almost impossible, Gen IV actually made it through.
We’re all connected.
In adding new evolutions for pre-existing Pokémon, Gen IV was actually able to connect 90% of all Pokémon together through evolution. This is a trend that continues all the way through Generation VII, especially in light of Mega Evolutions. Pokémon get closer and closer with each passing Gen.
28 Kukui Is The Only Champion With A Title Defense
While it’s not unusual for the Elite Four, and by extension the region’s Champion, to get stronger in each Generation’s post-game, Professor Kukui is the only Champion to actually participate in a legitimate title defense match. Here’s the thing, though: he’s not defending the title, you are. This means Gen VIII, and Kukui, actually acknowledge you as Champion.
This also makes Kukui the first Champion to lose their title and then immediately try to win it back. Previously, Blue was the only Champion we knew the fate of. Upon losing the Kanto-Johto League, Blue takes over Giovanni’s Gym in Viridian City. Every other Champion seemingly just retires or does their own thing, but not Kukui. He’s desperate for his title.
27 Elm Is The Only Professor Who Doesn’t Introduce Players To The Series
Every Pokémon game begins the same way: the regional Professor introduces players to the world of Pokémon, potentially ushering in new trainers. Except for the Johto games, that is. Generation II and the Generation IV remakes, for whatever reason, keep Professor Oak front and center rather than using said game’s actual professor, Elm.
Outsourced by Oak.
As a result, Professor Elm ends up rather unpopular compared to his other Professors. Despite being one of three Professors to appear in more than one Generation, fans aren’t really all that endeared towards him. Having Oak introduce Johto was certainly the wrong move overall as Elm already does very little of value in his own game.
26 Juniper Used To Be A Backpacker
Obviously Pokémon Professors weren’t always professors, but we rarely, if ever, get concrete information on what said professors did before the events of each Generation. At best, Game Freak gives us little home life details, but nothing more. Until we got Professor Juniper in Generation V, that is.
It’s mentioned that, like her father, Juniper was a Backpacker before becoming a Professor. One of the many classes a trainer can have in the Pokémon world, Backpackers were introduced in Generation V, quite fitting for Juniper. Honestly, the fact Juniper was a Backpacker isn’t so much interesting as is the fact we actually get a glimpse at her life before becoming a professor.
25 Professor Sycamore Is The First Professor Trainers Can Battle
For a long time, it was up for debate whether or not Pokémon Professors could actually put up a fight. Despite being the leading authorities on the Pokémon universe, nothing really suggested that they were anything other than academics. They each had their own roster of Pocket Monsters to choose from, but that doesn’t mean much.
He uses a team of all Kanto starters, too.
With Sycamore’s introduction in Generation VI, that notion came to rest. Although he never challenges the player with a full part, the mere fact Sycamore has access to three level 50 Kanto starters is proof that Pokémon Professors do in fact raise an on hand team. This is an idea that would be furthered in the next gen, but Sycamore was the man who proved professors could battle.
24 Explaining Oak’s Early Generation Incompetence
Even though the early games glorify Professor Oak quite a bit, it’s quite obvious that he’s in way over his head in every regard. He didn’t know there were more than 150 Pokémon, missing Mew in his count; he didn’t know Pokémon could breed; and he’s the professor who concretely solidified a set number of Pokémon, setting himself up to be proven wrong.
When it comes down to it, this is a result of Game Freak’s approach to the first two Gens. Pokémon was never meant to pass Generation II. The final 256 count was meant to be it and breeding was supposed to be a new discovery. All this was retconned in Generation III as FireRed and LeafGreen ushered in a new timeline for the series, thus creating a new persona for Oak.
23 Professor Kukui Is The Only Professor To Serve As A Final Boss
The final bosses of each Generation are as follows: Blue for Gen I; Red for Gen II; Steven, Wallace, and Blue for Gen III; Cynthia and Red for Gen IV; Ghestis and Iris for Gen V; AZ and Wallace for Gen VI; and Professor Kukui for Gen VII. Of these final bosses, only Kukui is a Pokémon Professor.
Champion Kukui would like to battle.
This is a rather big deal since, for the first time in the series, a professor is shown to be a legitimate threat. While Sycamore does battle the player in X and Y, he never puts up a fight and nothing is ever on the line. Kukui’s final battle determines whether or not the player becomes Champion, giving him a pivotal role in the story’s stakes.
22 Juniper’s Subject Of Study: Origins
“Pokémon Professor” isn’t just some catch all term or profession. Every single professor in the series has their own, unique subject of study that defines both their body of work and Generation’s core theme or introduction. Professor Juniper of Generation V’s studies center themselves primarily around the concept of Pokémon origins.
Where do Pokémon come from? How did they get here? What is the general origin of the world? Unfortunately, unlike other professors whose studies do directly tie into their Generation, Juniper’s concept of origins only lightly ties into the series via the Legendaries. For the most part, Gen V focuses on what it means for humans to coexist with their Pokémon, creating a bit of a disconnect between her body of work and Gen V.
21 Professor Birch Isn’t The First Professor With A Child We Meet
Generation III is interesting in that the player’s father is a Gym Leader whereas the rival’s father is a Pokémon Professor. Such a distinction gives more life to Hoenn and allows characters to interact with the two arguably most important professions in the universe in a meaningful way. As novel as this concept is, Professor Birch isn’t the first fatherly Professor we meet.
While Professor Oak obviously had a child in order to have a grandson, it’s Elm who’s the professor in question. In fact, should you explore a bit, you can actually meet Elm’s wife and son. His son even wants to grow up to be a Pokémon Professor just like his father! Sorry Gen III rival, Elm’s kid has you beat.
20 Professor Elm Is The Youngest Professor
Although Juniper and Sycamore look the youngest of the Pokémon Professors, it’s strongly implied that Elm is the actual youngest Professor. With a young son and a wife that can’t be older than her late twenties/early thirties, Elm does compose himself like a younger man fresh off his PhD.
Given how manic Elm is, and how radical his research is in the context of the Pokémon universe (we’ll touch on that,) it’s safe to assume Elm is the youngest Professor of the bunch. He’s also prone to overworking himself and forgetting to eat, a habit of many the grad student. He may look a bit older, but stress does that to you.
19 Professor Juniper Is The Only Female Professor
You’d think with seven Generations of Pokémon to dip and dive into, there would be more female Pokémon Professors. As of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, however, Professor Juniper remains the only female Pokémon Professor in the series. Not only that, she was introduced in the series’ fifth Gen, after two old men and two young men acting as the Professors.
Unsurprisingly, she’s also the professor with the most fan art.
Professor Juniper hasn’t appeared since either, and remains one of the least referenced professors in the series. Albeit that may simply be because of Generation V’s soft reboot nature, distancing itself from the rest of the franchise.
18 Birch Is The Last Professor To Appear In More Than One Gen
Hoenn’s Professor Birch currently holds the distinction of being the last introduced Pokémon Professor to appear in more than just their introductory Gen. Appearing in both Gens III and Gens VI, Birch is spared from the same fate as Rowan, Juniper, Sycamore, and Kukui. Of course, this is just for now. If Generation IV remakes do happen, and they will indeed happen knowing Game Freak, we can expect to see Professor Rowan in just a few short years. From there, it’s anybody’s guess what’ll happen with Gen V and Professor Juniper.
17 Elm Doesn’t Keep A Pokédex
You’ll notice that, quite interestingly, Professor Elm doesn’t give you your Pokedex during Gen II or Gen IV. Rather, that job belongs to Professor Oak. After playing through the game’s opening, Oak gives the player their Pokedex and sets them off on their way. This is a massive difference compared to the rest of the series where Birch, Rowan, Juniper, Sycamore, and Kukui all have their own version of the Pokedex.
What kind of professor doesn’t keep a Pokedex lying around?
The only way to make sense of this discrepancy is to really accept the Kanto-Johto connection for all its worth. Two regions tied together, Kanto and Johto share an Elite Four and trainers from both regions are welcome to challenge both sets of Gym Leaders. Perhaps Oak and Elm have a similar agreement where Oak distributes the Pokedexes between regions.
16 Professor Rowan Is The Oldest Professor
Although we don’t have concrete ages for most of the cast, Professor Rowan is explicitly stated to be at least sixty years old, making him the oldest of the Pokémon Professors. Of course, Professor Oak is quite old himself, but given how both characters look in appearance, it’s quite obvious that Rowan is the older of the pair, likely setting Oak in his fifties. Elm, Birch, Juniper, Sycamore, and Kukui all speak for themselves as their designs set each one no older than forty.
15 Elm Discovered Pichu
While the remakes have, more or less, retconned many of the early Generation details, it’s unlikely where this next one falls. Although it seems wildly unlikely that somebody wouldn’t noticed the relation at some point in time, Elm is credited for being the first person to link Pichu to Pikachu. More specifically, it’s stated that Elm discovered Pichu.
Or at least he did in the old timeline.
This means, for eons upon eons, nobody ever saw a Pichu evolve into a Pikachu or a Pikachu lay an egg that evolved into Pichu. This is obviously incompatible with the direction post-Gen II Generations have taken, but it was meant to be Elm’s claim to fame along with discovering breeding in general. You have to wonder what kind of world Game Freak was crafting back then.
14 Oak’s Subject Of Study: Relationships
Professor Oak’s life work is all about studying the relationship between Pokémon and humans. How do we connect to one another? Do we truly have a symbiotic relationship? It seems that, for the most part, trainers treat Pokémon like pets or worse, using them for their own personal gain. At the same time, Pokémon naturally flock to humans and that’s the basis of Oak’s research. Humans and Pokémon not only can coexist, but they should also coexist. Interestingly, it wouldn’t be until Generation V when Game Freak would actually tackle this subject in a serious lens.
13 Rowan Mentored Professor Sycamore
Although no Pokémon Professor after Professor Birch has appeared more than once, Game Freak doesn’t forget to reference past professors when necessary. Generation VI brings such a reference with it. Specifically, it’s mentioned that Professor Sycamore was mentored by Professor Rowan in the series’ backstory.
Who knows? Maybe Sycamore was Rowan’s aide all along.
This is a particularly interesting detail as it helps us reason about Sycamore’s age better. If Sycamore was mentored by Rowan far enough in the past where it can be mentioned with such nostalgia, this means Sycamore is indeed older than he appears. It also connects Sycamore to Sinnoh rather than Kalos as it seems unlikely Rowan would leave his region.
12 Sycamore Keeps Gen I Pokémon On Hand
Every single regional Professor keeps a set of three Pokémon on hand that they consider to be suitable “starter” Pokémon for new trainers. Not a single Pokémon Professor breaks this trend with each one having their own set. Interestingly, however, there’s nothing to indicate that these sets have to be unique.
In fact, it’s strongly implied that Professor Sycamore’s set is just the Kanto starters with the Kalos starters as backups. This would mean that most trainers in Kalos would overlap with trainers in Kanto. Given the distance between Kanto and Kalos, it isn’t a major deal, but it is an interesting bit of world building.
11 Birch Keeps Starters From Gens II Through V On Hand
Professor Birch is the Professor to know if you’re looking to stock up on starter Pokémon. For whatever reason, Birch carries starter Pokémon from Generations II all the way through V on hand that he’s willing to give out to trainers. While it does make sense for professors to have multiple sets, as indicated with Sycamore, it’s quite odd that Birch has so many.
Move to Hoenn if you want to stock up on starters.
Over the course of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, by defeating the Elite Four twice and completing the Delta Episode, Birch will slowly gives players new starters from previous Generations. Interestingly, this was a trend Gen III actually introduced. By clearing the Hoenn Pokedex, Birch would give the player their choice of one of the Johto starters.
