Do You Think the Elite 4 Were Once Gym Leaders?

[Wolvorn]

Do you think that the Elite 4 were once Gym leaders who became so exeptional in their class that the leagues promoted them? Or do you think that they were simply picked from the streets as being brilliant trainers?Or do you have an entirely different theory?

I think that they were once gym leaders who got promoted,my main reason for believeing this is Koga in the 1st and 2nd generations, he started as a Gym Leader in R,B,Y but by G,S,C he was a member of the Elite 4.

What do you think and why?

 

[FabuVinny]

Some may have been Gym Leaders. Some may not have been.

The league would have seeked for strong trainers so particularly good Gym Leaders would definately be a source.

 

[Another Fan]

Yeah, basically what Fabu said.

What I am curious is about the very specific battle ability of each gym trainer and/or elite 4 member. It is just that all of course go in order. And even Norman in RSE tells to first go through the other gyms before challenging him. Would that mean that perhaps that gym leaders are not just brilliant trainers, but as well fit into a certain ability range, or perhaps are told to use more unexperienced pokemon.

However, this would not coincide with GSC where all Kanto trainers were on such a level that no kanto beginning trainer would manage to even beat the first gym.

 

[Snake Bandage]

However, this would not coincide with GSC where all Kanto trainers were on such a level that no kanto beginning trainer would manage to even beat the first gym.

And this is why I think that it would make sense of Gym Leaders to have different sets of Pokemon to fit the skill level of the trainers they battle.

 

[Another Fan]

Except the ones which are further on? And elite four?

That makes sense. Clever.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Well, we know at least one was. Remember Koga's GSC promotion?

 

[Ket Makura]

Right, what Blackjack said. We know at least one was. My theory is that they started out as gym leaders, and got...promoted, I guess.

 

[Every Breaking Wave]

And don't forget how in the anime Max once said that the League was considering promoting Norman to a member of the Elite Four.

 

[Æsahættr]

And the Wallace-Juan thing in Emerald.

 

[TTEchidna]

Even though that was GL to Champ. That never happened before, only the reverse, with Blue.

 

[Æsahættr]

I think any trainer can become one of the Elite 4, but Gym Leaders are given higher priority.

 

[FabuVinny]

And don't forget how in the anime Max once said that the League was considering promoting Norman to a member of the Elite Four.

1) That line was dub-only.
2) IIRC, the line was that he would strong enough to become an E4 trainer in the future. Not quite the same as promotion.

 

[Wolvorn]

I know this isn't quite the same thing but I reckon its possible that Scott picked the Frontier Brains from Gym Leaders as well, maybe some of them are from Sinnoh.

 

[DarkEliteKaren]

I think it's probably a mixture of both. I'd imagine promoting a Gym Leader would be their ideal choice, so long as they have someone who could fill that Gym Leader's vacated spot. However, should an Elite position open and no Gym Leaders were available/willing to move up, they would go with a strong trainer. Maybe someone who has beaten the E4 themselves, but not the Champion.. or someone who lost to one of the E4, but who the League deems is still a powerful/gifted enough trainer to fill the spot.

 

[FabuVinny]

The Champion has shown themselves to be more powerful than the Elite 4 - Maybe when a new champion succeeds, the old one is offered an E4 role. (Not that they would always accept it but that would be a good source.)

 

[Mewiscool]

I reckon they ask Trainers who waste the E4 to be part of it when they are in turn superceeded as CHAMPION and then the weakest E4 gets the boot and Maybe become a GL
What about those trainers in Victory Rd they could be strong enough to become a new GL when a GL is 'promoted' to E4
I think Battle Frontier Leaders(BFL) come from all over
Where did the BF Pyramid Leader come from with those 3 Regis?
If you saw it Ash + Co. come back to C City(its name escapes me) and Agatha is there battling trainers as GL not E4
You think theyd offer Giovanni a spot(yeah right) as he has the strongest Gym you fight in
They must get BFL from all kinds of sources I mean didnt Scott ask Ash to become a Leader at the BF when he Aced all 7

 

[redchesus]

Well in the R/S/E manga, the E4 and champion was determined by the Hoenn League championship tournament and the winner was the champion, 2nd place was fourth elite 4 member, 3rd place is 3rd elite 4 member, and so on

 

[Trainer-c]

I think that members of the Elite Four are chosen by multiple methods, and Gym Leader promotion actually seems to be the least used method, at least going when going by game canon.

In the first three generations there has been one E4 member, and one Champion that were previously Gym Leaders. (Not counting Lance, because I cannot recall if it was ever actually said that he was incharge of the Blackthorn gym)

Most of them seem to have been exceptionally strong trainers that were selected by the league for positions. Then there are a few (Bruno, Glacia) that approached the League themselves for positions in the Elite Four.

What i'd really like to know is the measures of evaluation The Pokemon League uses to test the trainers that 'apply' for E4 positions. Is it similar to a trainer challenging for champion?

 

[banette_puppet]

well this is more of the gym leaders point of view on how they are elected but... in GSC manga red and green had a battle at the viridian gym to see who was going to be the new gym leader... so maybe the same way of verdict is used to become an Elite 4... Maybe a there is a way they test people or even the gym leaders to see it...

 

[FabuVinny]

A battle with the other members might be part of the recruitment process.

Though, as far as Gym Leaders are concerned, keeping it in the family is the most common form of recruitment we've seen.