As players take to the gym challenge in Galar, they’ll have to dress the part. A Challenger’s uniform will be granted at the start of the gym challenge, but there are over twenty total uniforms available to those who want something a little more fashionable. Sword and Shield give players the ability to change their outfit, so why not give it a go?
There is a uniform available for each Pokémon type, plus a few others. Some of the gym uniforms are granted to the player after they successfully defeat the associated gym leader of that type. Often, they match the uniform that gym leader wears, or take inspiration from it. Others are purchased or attained another way. Here are all of them, ranked by their aesthetic appeal, for those looking to spice up their wardrobe a little bit. Note: For some strange reason, these uniforms cannot actually be worn when challenging a gym. They’re purely for your style choices in the greater overworld of Galar.
22 Rock
The Rock-type uniform is won by defeating Gordie in Sword (or purchasing it in Shield). It’s not ugly, but it’s definitely the most boring of all the gym uniforms. A plain grey monochromatic look with black shoes, no fun socks like many other uniforms have, and some simple black lines all don’t work together to create an inspired look.
21 Challenger
This is the uniform that the player is granted at the beginning of the gym challenge, and is in their inventory by default. Like the Rock uniform, it’s not ugly per se, but it is boring. It is meant to be boring, though, so it places a little higher than Rock. At least the red shoes offer a pop of color, creating a bit of visual interest.
20 Bug
Now we come to something that is on the bottom of this list because it is ugly. There are very few people who would voluntarily wear puke-green, especially not from head to toe.
Sure, it makes you think of Bug-type, but it’s not a nice color on most people. There are so many other insect-based design choices that could have been made here.
19 Champion
This is a nice outfit, with the black coordinating shirt and socks. It’s granted to you when you defeat Leon, the Pokémon Champion. The pinstripes, like in real life, are slimming, and the colors are matching and well-balanced. However, this uniform loses points because it’s so heavily associated with Leon, meaning you’ll just think of him when you see it. Also, it looks better on his broad shoulders (no offense).
18 Water
Taking clear inspiration from Nessa’s outfit and awarded to you for defeating her, this uniform looks like a diving outfit or maybe even the tight spandex worn by cyclists. It’s not terrible, but it’s above-average at best. Like Leon’s uniform, this one looks better on Nessa. A neon light orange and a more jewel-toned blue means a pairing of different color categories, which never works.
17 Fighting
The Fighting-type uniform is granted to players in Sword who defeat Bea (or those in Shield who purchase it). It’s modeled after Bea’s own outfit, which she presumably trains in, as shown in the Pokémon Twilight Wings mini-series.
It’s interesting visually, but it conjures up ideas of Halloween before it does “Fighting-type Pokémon.” The cross-hatching on the shorts is nice, though.
16 Grass
If you thought Leon’s uniform looked better on his broad shoulders, you’ll hate the Grass-type uniform. This is inspired by the giant, beefy, muscular Milo, leader of the Turffield Gym. Regardless of how much better it fits the gentle bodybuilder, it’s a nice color combination of light green and white. It’s nice to see Pokémon’s designers do something Grass-type that isn’t just a bunch of leaves.
15 Normal
One would initially assume that a Normal-type uniform would be the most boring of the bunch, but in this case, it’s not for once. The Normal-type uniform is actually kind of nice, a slightly-patterned white cut with some black elements in the sleeves, socks, and shoes.
14 Dragon
For years, Pokémon’s developers have seemed to be undecided on which color to associate with the Dragon-type. Sometimes it’s brownish-yellow (like in the TCG) and other times it’s blue (like in Pokémon GO and on TMs in the main games). Here, they’ve gone with a dark blue with orange-red stripes. It’s alright, but it would be better if the socks matched. It also might be nice if they had gone with the purplish-blue that Dragon is sometimes depicted as.
13 Electric
The Electric-type uniform is a pretty decent design, but it doesn’t convey “Electric” in the sense that something else would. It looks more like the Monster Energy logo than a lightning bolt. Game Freak could have made a great uniform by giving it a more traditional lightning-effect, or if they had made it black and blue or some other color combination.
12 Fire
Modeled after the Fire-type gym leader Kabu’s uniform, this outfit is a nice combination of red, white, and black, which is somewhat of a classic trio. The shorts look like a Pokéball too, which is fun.
One thing that would improve this outfit is if it had the same black and red sleeves that Kabu’s has. Those are really cool.
11 Steel
You can finally dress like your Tron fantasy by purchasing this outfit. The Steel-type uniform is grey and white with interspersed bits of neon green that resembles lights on machinery. It’s nice they went the more “machinery” route and less plain shiny silver. The socks look like shin-guard armor too, which is a nice touch.
10 Pikachu
This is the first of two uniforms that come as a preorder bonus for purchasing the DLC packs. It’s always fun to see Pikachu, but it is a bit tired. However, the outfit is a cute one, and it’s better than the all-yellow-with-ears route they could have gone. Plus, the yellow bits on the end of the leggings are a nice, subtle detail that helps the shoes match without sticking out.
9 Ice
There are a few all-white outfits available, including the previously-mentioned Challenger and Normal-type uniforms. However, the best one is the Ice-type outfit, awarded to Shield players who defeat Melony (and to Sword players via purchase).
This outfit’s all-white monochromatic palette is very nice and looks great. The grey socks give it that slight bit of shade variation it needs to be visually appealing.
8 Eevee
This is the second of the two preorder bonus uniforms. It’s slightly more fun than the Pikachu outfit. Brown and white are always nice together when done right, and the Eevee on the front is very cute. Like the Pikachu outfit, it has a slight bit of color at the bottom of the leggings. If you ignore the fact that it looks like you waded through mud, it’s a nice touch.
7 Ghost
They could have taken the Ghost-type outfit in several predictable directions, but they ended up doing pretty well with it. Purple and black are an underrated combination, and the full skin-coverage sets it apart from the other outfits we’ve seen so far. The longer sleeves are probably meant to resemble gym leader Allister’s sleeves. Plus, the asymmetrical purple lines on the leggings are cool.
6 Psychic
Someone was designing all the gym uniforms and thought, “what would Psychic-type look like? I know! Tie-dye!” and for that, they should be thanked. It’s comical to depict psychic powers as a tie-dye rainbow, but it makes for a great outfit.
This outfit is purple with tie-dye spirals on it. The socks are fantastic, and the only thing that could make the outfit better would be a similar design on the shoes.
5 Flying
It’s a few mismatched colors like they weren’t sure how to do it without just making it blue, but somehow the Flying-type outfit just works. Blue and white are a classic, dependable combination, and they work together well in these shades. The cloud pattern is nice, too, instantly informing you as to what this outfit is trying to convey.
4 Ground
The world loves to wear fake camouflage in real life, so why not translate that into the Pokémon world? The Ground-type outfit features the sandy brown camo of desert operations. Regardless of your opinion on camo, the colors here are nice and work well together. Although, if the shoes were white or brown instead of black, it would be higher on the list.
3 Fairy
Very few gym uniforms stand out as much as the Fairy-type uniform. The striking pink and blue is a great combination, and the different stockings make it unique and amazing to look at. This uniform is adopted by Bede when he takes over the Ballonlea Gym. It looks great on him, and it looks great on the player character. Good job, Game Freak.
