Nearly every Pokemon region is spearheaded by a Pokémon Professor. An academic, quirky, intelligent type, these people have dedicated their lives to a field of study and are, usually, the first people you meet on your Pokémon adventure.
They know everything you need to know about a respective region’s specific Pokemon and traits. Many times, a Professor has given Trainers their first Pokémon to help you begin your adventure in the first place.
14 Professor Grand Oak
The worst Professor in this list. Professor Grand Oak masquerades as the Developer of Pokémon Home, which, by itself, sounds impressive. But the long hair and funky glasses can’t distract from the fact nobody knows who he is.
He hides behind the name Oak so players don’t question his authority on Pokémon. He says that his dream is to “create an absolutely grand Pokédex by registering all the Pokémon that exist in the world!” which is just the motive of every trainer.
13 Professor Willow
Professor Willow is the friendly face Trainers work with in the world of Pokémon Go. He gives players tasks to help him with his research on Pokémon geography, which just sounds like a budget Professor Birch. His dream is to analyze uncharted territory and document where new Pokémon live. With this description, it sounds like he would much rather be a Hiker than a Professor.
The moral ambiguity of where the Candy comes from after you hand over Pokémon to him for ‘research’ also puts him pretty low on this list. A smart Professor would’ve avoided this PR crisis.
12 Professor Kukui
After 25 games, it’s impressive that Game Freak is able to come up with new ideas for Pokémon research. Professor Kukui specializes in Pokémon attacks, which is an interesting field of study. However, he sometimes throws himself into the path of an attack to study the moves. Any good researcher knows that Health and Safety are of the utmost importance when conducting field research. Not to mention the ethics of this - the Pokémon may be holding back their power.
11 Professor Birch
The Hoenn Professor specializes in the study of Pokémon habitats alongside human existences. This sounds like a degree in Climateogly, which is fitting given Generations 3’s themes.
Professor Birch is your go-to man when it comes to all things Climate-wise, but the man can’t handle a level 3 Poochyena. For a Professor who prides himself on his field research, he shouldn’t have to rely on a local child to save him.
10 Professor Samson Oak
Otherwise unfairly known as “Alolan Oak”, Professor Samson Oak studies Regional variants in the Alola region. He’s the cousin of Professor Samuel Oak, but sadly, he’ll never quite reach the level of the OG Oak.
Studying Regional variants is a worthy cause but, at the end of the day, it’s essentially the equivalent of a High School diploma in Biology.
9 Professor Aurea Juniper
Her specialty is the study of Pokémon origins in relation to mythology. Unova focuses on mythology and Pokémon lore, which makes her a perfect Professor for this region. She’s clearly excited by her work and is almost meta-aware of the fact that being around Pokémon all day is fun. Sadly, her work lacks concrete analysis - her research couldn’t tell the player how to resurrect the legendary Reshiram or Zekrom.
8 Professor Bellis
Professor Bellis is the Professor in the region of Pasio, the setting of Pokémon Masters. She is an expert when it comes to the relationship between Pokémon and sync stones. You can tell how passionate she is about her work because she won’t stop talking when the subject of sync pairs arises. She can also speak multiple languages, including Japanese and French. To be able to speak fluently about your subject area in a different language is pretty smart.
7 Professor Rowan
The Pokémon equivalent of Charles Darwin, Professor Rowan is the leading expert voice on Pokémon evolutionary patterns. You think this would make him the smartest Professor in the Pokémon Universe, but he’s got some tough competition.
Whilst it takes a lot to study Pokémon evolutionary patterns, and Rowan has certainly dedicated a number of years to it, it essentially boils down to recording which Pokémon evolves into what, which is basically what a Trainer does.
6 Professor Samuel Oak
The Kantonian Professor, whose work is credited with starting it all. Specializing in the study of relationships between people and Pokémon, this Professor is nothing short of a celebrity in the world of Pokémon. His research formed the basis of lots of other Professors’ work - many Professors who came after explicitly studied underneath him.
5 Professor Augustine Sycamore
The Brooklyn-style babe of the Pokémon Universe. Professor Sycamore heralds from the Kalos region and specializes in studying “Mega Evolution.”. Mega Evolution was first discovered in X and Y by Sycamore and is one of the only region-specific ‘gimmicks’ to return in later Generations. This makes Professor Sycamore’s work influential across the Pokémon world. It’s also mentioned in Pokémon Sun and Moon by Dexio and Sina that he was the one who discovered the Zygarde Cube.
4 Professor Magnolia
Professor Magnolia is one of, if not the oldest Pokémon Professor. She specializes in the study of “Dynamax”. With her age comes a certain sense of wisdom - the player always gets the impression she knows more than she is letting on. Despite her age, she handles huge Pokémon with immense strength on a daily basis.
At the end of Pokémon Sword and Shield, she is wise enough to step down from her position as Professor and hand over her research to her granddaughter, Sonia.
3 Professor Elm
Professor Elm is the local Pokémon Professor of New Bark Town in Johto. He specializes in TWO areas - Pokémon breeding and unusual Pokémon Abilities. He discovered Pokémon Eggs and has the recommendation of Professor Oak, who says Professor Elm “is the best when it comes to the research of Pokémon evolution.”. That includes all forms of evolution. As anyone who has tried to master Pokémon breeding before will know, it’s no easy feat.
2 Professor Krane
Professor Krane has only appeared in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, but his work is inspirational. Whilst he was helped by his father, Professor Krane developed the Purify Chamber, which was the only way to purify Shadow Lugia and save the world.
1 Professor Burnet
Professor Burnet specializes in studying alternate dimensions in Alola. She helps Lillie to find out more about Nebby by researching the Ultra Wormhole, based on her previous research in Pokémon Dream Radar. She’s not just Professor Kukui’s wife, she’s an interdimensional dream wizard.
Whilst Mohn, a former professor at the Aether Foundation, first confirmed the existence of Ultra Wormholes, Professor Burnet refined it. The number of qualifications needed to study literal alternate dimensions automatically makes her the smartest Pokémon Professor. At least in this Universe.
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