The Lost Inspirations Behind Gym Leaders in Pokémon

We all know Pokémon's Gym Leaders like the back of our hands, but that doesn't mean we're always aware of their origins. Today, I take a look at the real life inspirations, beta sprites, cut content, unreleased information, lore implications and more to dive deep into the inspirations behind various of the most well-known Gym Leaders in Pokémon history.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:23 - Valerie
02:20 - Sabrina and Blaine
04:07 - Giovanni
04:55 - Crasher Wake
06:39 - Roark
08:00 - Olympia
09:06 - Falkner
09:54 - Whitney
10:55 - Jasmine
Footage may be courtesy of:
Longplay Archive
World of Longplays
FCPlaythroughs
Hawlo
Mixeli
#pokemon #pokemontrivia #poketuber

[@montrosen2458]

Great video; very insightful! Beta Erika's designs is one of my personal favorites, as her outfit implies she is undead. The trance-like look was repurposed and carries over - only now she's just always sleepy perhaps from the grass type spore influence.

[@hiroramos2819]

Hey, these videos are really well made! Hope you get bigger someday!

[@Pichupedia]

Thanks so much!

[@noireisbest6786]

Seeing the baseball theme for Whitney does kinda make even her current design make sense. Like the current outfit does scream "out at the ballgame" and Johto anime had a character who was obsessed with baseball with Ash showing his rare interest in something not Pokemon related, lol. Which knowing how much Japan loves baseball, sometimes I think they love it more than we Americans do, it does fit.

[@ApexCookieRBLX]

I love your videos! I learnt a lot from them. I hope you get bigger one day!

[@Pichupedia]

Thanks so much!

[@jueevee3795]

Here before you blow up!! 🔥 To add to the conversation, I’m a native English speaker who likes words an unusual amount, so I can try and explain the context of Crasher Wake’s name a bit more.
A “wake” can refer to the trail(s) of stirred-up water behind a boat-looking like the white parts of Crasher Wake’s mask! (You might see people use the phrase “in the wake of” which refers to something in the trail of something else that has passed by, like fallen trees in the wake of a bad storm or controversy in Dexit’s wake.)
“Crash” is a more common word you probably already know. Besides meaning a powerful collision (car crash) or the sound one might make, it’s also used to describe when a body of water has powerful waves hitting something loudly: they’re “crashing” on the shore, or maybe against the side of a boat. Both this and “wake” fit our man’s water theme.
And on the wrestler side, where names are also a threat, adding -er to make the made-up word “Crasher” could be “one who crashes (perhaps into your body in a violent manner)”.
And this might just be me but a “wake” is also a type of funeral that specifically displays the body of the deceased (as opposed to not seeing the body). So a wrestler being named that makes me think they’ll win in the ring so you’re lying flat like a dead body, or make you a dead body, or create your funeral 🫣
Oh my god long comment. I hope it makes sense and gets you some more attention from the algorithm 😅

[@Pichupedia]

Huh, I never considered it might also be based on like a wake for the dead, that’s interesting! Thanks!

[@pigglypoof]

The this was well done, videos like these are great and I’m glad you didn’t stretch it out for time longer than needed, got straight to the point, and you stated that this was merely speculation, I wished more Pokémon videos were like this

[@Pichupedia]

Thanks!

[@madhatt3r93]

Awww, baseball Whitney would be so cute, and aipom would fit her so well! I like the ditzy, girly Whitney we have, but a baseball-playing tomboy would be fun too, plus it would feel with how japanese Johto feels, because afaik baseball is very popular in Japan...
As for why Olimpia speaks in haikus... Hm. My only guess is that it makes her sound mysterious, and it's less obvious than just making her speak in normal rhyme?

[@joshuastahl8071]

You deserve more subscribers. Keep up the good content!

[@Pichupedia]

Thanks!

[@madnessarcade7447]

Jujino may have been reworked into faulkner is a theory I’ve heard

[@sandradermark8463]

Iono is based upon Valencian streamer Chaoko.

[@cgyh68748]

Looks like a promising channel

[@TheReZisTLust]

Not the Minato gym leader 😭🤣 6:45

[@Bokoblink]

Crasher Wake is Mananti in spanish games

[@jlachman381]

Why don’t you have more subscribers???