Every generation of Pokémon has introduced a new professor, with the first being Professor Oak of the Kanto region. Some generations have even introduced more than one through side-games, assistant roles, and more. Some of these professors are definitely more helpful or interesting than others, though.
So, which professor is the best? Each studies a different field in relation to Pokémon and plays a different role in the player’s journey. Here are all the main-series professors, ranked.
10 Elm
Professor Elm, the resident professor of the Johto region, is often said by fans to be the worst or at least the least fleshed-out. Elm is frequently depicted dropping his pens and paper, or with a scatterbrained, frazzled personality.
Other than this, we hardly learn anything about him. He also doesn’t appear much throughout the Generation II games, basically giving the player their starter, an Everstone, and appearing at the end of the game to give you a Master Ball and S.S. Aqua ticket.
9 Magnolia
Following Elm in the vein of being underwhelming is Professor Magnolia, the resident professor of the Galar region in Sword & Shield. Other than offering a few basic tips and showing up at some opportune moments, she’ll grant the player a conveniently-placed Wishing Star so they can Dynamax their Pokémon.
Magnolia doesn’t play the role of giving the player a starter (that falls to Leon), and her granddaughter and eventual successor Sonia does most of the work throughout the game.
8 Birch
Specializing in Pokémon habitats is Generation IV’s resident professor, Professor Birch. He seems like a cool guy but is kind of forgettable. He’s famous for not being able to fend off a small Poochyena on the first Route outside of Littleroot Town.
He does play a bit more of a role in the game than the past two entries on this list, however, so he places higher than them for that. He’s notable for giving the player multiple different starters in the remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, once they complete certain prerequisites.
7 Sycamore
As far as professors go, Professor Sycamore is a bit of a heartthrob. This attractive young man is the resident professor of the Kalos region, and he specializes in Mega Evolution.
He plays a much more central role in the player’s journey than many other professors, appearing frequently and helping tangibly in many situations. He also throws a parade for you when you defeat the Pokémon League, which is rad. Like Birch, he also gives starter Pokémon from another generation at one point.
6 Juniper
The first professor in the main series to be female is Professor Juniper, a researcher studying the origins of Pokémon in the Unova region. She exudes the air of a calm, cool, and collected personality. Professor Juniper will help you evolve your Pokémon or evaluate your Pokédex with a quick phone call, and she gives you some great TMs when you visit her at certain milestones.
She also comes from somewhat of a line of researchers, as her father, Cedric Juniper, was also a Pokémon professor. He will actually meet the player in the Generation V games.
5 Sonia
Sonia is not a professor officially at the start of Sword & Shield, acting instead as her grandmother, Professor Magnolia’s assistant. Throughout the events of the games, however, she’ll discover her purpose and succeed Magnolia for the position.
Sonia is a really great character. She has a clear mission, knows how to get what she wants, and doesn’t take no for an answer. Given how driven she is and how much of an airhead Leon is, it’s amazing that she bowed to him during the gym challenge in their youth.
4 Rowan
As the resident “bad boy” of the Pokémon professors, Sinnoh’s Professor Rowan is a gruff elderly gentleman. From his refusal to wear a lab coat to his apparent seniority over both Oak and Sycamore, Rowan is a cool character.
Hailing from Sandgem Town, he studies Pokémon evolution, which is fitting considering a good portion of Generation IV’s Pokémon are legacy evolution from earlier generations. Rowan will gift the player either a Chimchar, Turtwig, or Piplup, three cuties that somehow contrast Rowan’s more strict and hard exterior.
3 Burnet
While not strictly a professor in the traditional sense in terms of relationship to the player’s journey, Professor Burnet is still a full-fledged Pokémon researcher. She’s the wife of Generation VII’s Professor Kukui, and she studies other dimensions.
She just seems so cool for lack of a better word, from her style to her personality, to the fact that she literally studies extradimensional Pokémon. What’s cooler than that? She also helps take in Lillie, allowing her to act as her assistant as well.
2 Oak
There are few characters across the entire Pokémon series more ubiquitous than Professor Oak himself. From his initial appearance in the Generation I games to his role in side-games like Pokémon Snap, the anime, and frequent appearances in other generations’ games, Oak has a long and storied history as a main character of the franchise.
Oak earns points for being the OG professor and the one with the most appearances. But, some players feel his presence has become a bit oversaturated. Whatever your feelings, it’s hard to deny that Oak is a fully fleshed-out character with a lot to offer.
1 Kukui
The only professor who has come close to being cooler and more appreciated by players is Professor Kukui. As mentioned, he’s the resident professor of the Alola region in all his shirtless, battle royale-obsessed glory.
He specializes in studying Pokémon’s attacks, which is perfect for a region that focuses so heavily on Z-Moves. His style is cool. His moonlighting as the Masked Royal and his role as the first regional champion of Alola are all great, making Kukui a truly loveable character.
NEXT: 10 Pokémon That Learn Moves that Make No Sense
