The Elite Four was not present in Pokémon Sword and Shield, which disappointed many players that were hoping to get a standard experience out of the game. However, in the place of the Elite Four, players got to experience a new Champion Cup system that ended up becoming favored by many Pokémon fans.

Regardless of how fans feel about the Elite Four, there are no doubt a bunch of interesting characters in the game that could have acted as members of the Elite Four if it had made an appearance in the Galar region and the generation 8 video games. Characters such as Hop and Opal would have been great characters for the Elite Four!

10 Opal

Opal would have made the perfect Elite Four member because she has a unique outfit, similar to a lot of the other Elite Four members from previous generations, and she is also one of the most powerful trainers in the Galar region.

9 Marnie

Marnie is one of the player’s rivals during their adventure, and she has a preference for Dark-type Pokémon. Marnie is a strong trainer, and although her Pokémon don’t initially seem as powerful as other trainers, she puts up a tough fight during battles with the protagonist.

Marnie made it all the way to the Champion Cup, which means that she’s one of the most powerful trainers in Galar, and as such, she would have been one of the best candidates for an Elite Four member.

8 Sonia

Sonia is a Pokémon researcher, and she often greets the player and Hop during their travels in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Sonia was once a gym challenger when she was younger, and she competed against Leon in the Champion Cup.

Although Sonia doesn’t seem like one of the most powerful trainers in the game, she’s actually very talented in Pokémon battling, and it would have made sense if she had been part of the Elite Four if Galar had one.

7 Kabu

Kabu is the Fire-type gym leader in Pokémon Sword and Shield, and he is known for his stern personality that is often more serious than jovial.

Kabu would have made a good Elite Four member because he takes his duty as a gym leader very seriously, and he knows how to raise his Pokémon well. Compared to a lot of the other trainers in the game, Kabu is actually one of the most dedicated that players get a chance to meet.

6 Chairman Rose

Chairman Rose battles the player towards the end of the game, which proves that he is one of the strongest trainers in the region because he has a team that is on par with Leon’s Pokémon.

5 Bede

Although the player may not like Bede, it is easy to admit that he is one of the strongest trainers in the game, and Opal even decided to train him as the next Fairy-type gym leader because of his potential. Bede would have made a nice Elite Four member, especially with how snarky he acts towards the player and other trainers.

4 Avery/Klara

Although Klara and Avery may not seem like the best candidates for Elite Four members, if they were older, they definitely would have made the cut because of their powerful Pokémon teams and exciting personalities.

3 Hop

Hop is the protagonist’s main rival during the adventure that the player gets to experience in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Hop has one of the starters that the player didn’t choose and a host of other powerful creatures on his team, including a Dubwool.

Hop would have potentially been an Elite Four member because he could have been the champion to defeat at the end of the game, similar to how the player has to face Blue in the Kanto games.

2 Mustard

Mustard was another interesting character introduced for the first time in the Isle of Armor DLC, and he is a Dojo Master located on the island that the DLC takes place on. This character acted as a teacher for Leon many years ago, and he has trained countless other trainers throughout the years.

Mustard was at one point the champion of the Galar region, and it would make sense if he was at least part of the Elite Four if it were to exist in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Mustard prefers Fighting-type Pokémon to other varieties of creatures; however, it seems that he doesn’t mind using Pokémon that aren’t Fighting-types based on his team in the game.

1 Champion Leon

Champion Leon is the champion in the Generation 8 games, and he acts as the final boss for players to defeat during the main story of Pokémon Sword and Shield. Leon is the older brother of Hop, and he has a Charizard that is capable of Gigantamaxing.

Leon is one of the strongest trainers in the game, and he would certainly still have been the champion of the region if the Elite Four had made an appearance in Pokémon Sword andShield.

NEXT: Pokémon Red & Blue: Ranking Every Gym Leader Based On Personality