As the aspiring Pokémon breeder and ladies man of Kanto, Brock holds the unique status of being the first-ever gym leader players had to face in the Pokémon series, with his defensive Rock-type Pokémon proving to be a challenge for many players who chose Charmander or played Pokémon Yellow.
Brock returns in the Yellow remakes, Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, with his signature rocky team and gung-ho attitude to be the first real challenge for players, with both Pikachu and Eevee having a huge disadvantage against his Onix and Geodude.
10 The One Steelix
In the anime, Brock was more known for his Onix than the Steelix it would eventually become while in the care of his brother, Forest. This appears to follow over into the games, as Brock never uses one in the mainline series, even in his matches in the Pokémon World Tournament in Black 2 and White 2. Brock may be known for his Steelix in the anime now that he has returned to his gym leader duties, but the only game where he uses one is in Pokemon Stadium 2, and only in his Round 2 team.
9 Not A Great Rock-Type Leader
In generation one, Brock’s Pokémon may be hard to defeat with many common Pokémon found around Pewter City, but they could have been a whole lot worse had Brock actually been a good gym leader. In every game where he has been the first gym leader, Brock’s team has consisted of a Geodude and Onix, but in generation one, neither of then knew a Rock-type move. Although this is more fitting with their levels, since Geodude learns Rock Throw and level 16 and Onix learns it at level 19, it does mean that he is a little less threatening than he should be, particularly when compared to Roxanne and his later teams.
8 The Odd Slowbro
Gym leader’s teams in Pokémon Stadium tend to be a little odd, with many gym leaders not using Pokémon that fit their type specialty. In Brock’s case, his team has a few additions that, while they aren’t Rock-type, are at least fitting with his style & character in Heracross and Ursaring. A Slowbro, however, is not in fitting with this.
This strange addition to his team isn’t here to cover any weaknesses, since it isn’t inherently good against either Water or Grass-type, and has Flamethrower and Fissure as coverage moves, which seem to be there for Steel-type Pokémon.
7 He’s A Cheater
Gym leaders and certain Dragon-type specialist Champions are known for their cheating ways, with many of their Pokémon being under-leveled for the evolutionary stage or knowing moves that they shouldn’t. In Brock’s case, he decided to throw away the rules entirely and give his Rhyhorn an ability it shouldn’t be able to have. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, Brock uses a Rhyhorn that has the ability Sturdy, an ability that none in its evolutionary line can have, and is a surprise for any player who thought they could take it down with one well placed Surf.
6 His Let’s Go Design
Many of the characters in Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee underwent some design changes compared to their previous models, as is normally the case with remakes. In Brock’s case, his design is closer to his Hoenn anime and FireRed and LeafGreen design than any of his past game designs, as he is actually wearing a shirt this time unlike in his Red and Blue sprite. However, he is not as close to his previous designs as he has been in the past, and is something of an amalgamation of all previous designs for his character.
5 Dreams Of Being A Breeder
In the Pokémon anime, Brock’s original goal in life was to become a Pokémon Breeder, before settling on becoming a doctor and gym leader by the end of the Sinnoh seasons. This carried over into Pokémon Yellow, when his character states that he is training to become a breeder after defeating him, and is mentioned again in Let’s Go following his rematch battle. After defeating him a second time, he will say that he will put his dream of becoming a breeder on hold so he can be strong enough to defeat the player in a Pokémon battle.
4 His Manga Counterpart
Many characters from the anime and games make their way into the manga in some form, and Brock is no exception. His characters in The Electric Tale of Pikachu and Pokémon Adventures are virtually identical to his anime and video game counterparts, with some slight differences.
Along with Misty, he doesn’t travel with the protagonist continuously, though he does appear more frequently than some other characters in the series, and is also a security guard for the Pokémon Museum in Pewter City alongside being a gym leader.
3 His Rematch Team
Unlike some of the other gym leaders in Let’s Go, Brock’s rematch team is nearly identical to his team in Gold and Silver, where he uses exclusively Rock-type Pokémon. His rematch team in Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee uses an Onix, Kabutops, Omastar, Golem, and Aerodactyl, with his generation two team exactly the same except for Aerodactyl, which is replaced with a Rhyhorn, as well as his Golem still being a Graveler.
2 His Shirt In Yellow
In the official artwork for Brock’s character in Pokémon Yellow, he is shown wearing a white shirt rather than his shirtless model from Red and Blue. The shirt, which he wears in Gold and Silver as well, says Nibi Gym on the front, though it is covered by his arms in the generation two games. Nibi is the Japanese name for Pewter City which, like its English counterpart, is a greyish color.
1 His Signature Pokemon
As is the case with most of the main characters in Pokémon, they will have one Pokémon in particular which they will always carry with them no matter what the rest of their team looks like. In Brock’s case, he actually has two compared to every other gym leader and Elite Four member. In every one of his appearances, Brock will use one of the Onix line and one of the Geodude line, though the evolutionary stage of these Pokémon differ between games.
