Pokemon Sword and Shield were the first mainline Pokemon games to release for Nintendo Switch, and they brought a lot of new features to the table that changed how the series can be played moving forward. Among such things, there was the addition of the Wild Area, a semi-open world area where players can explore freely and catch a great variety of Pokemon. However, there's one more thing that Pokemon Sword and Shield did right apart from their features and DLCs, and that was the inclusion of plenty of characters that were fun to interact with.

There are a lot of those characters in the main game for Pokemon Sword and Shield, but then the DLCs also introduced several unique trainers and other NPCs to help (or try to sabotage the player with sneaky moves) along the way. Not all of these characters were memorable, but some more than others would make fans of the series happy if they returned with generation 9 Pokemon games. Obviously, this is a bit of a stepaway from traditional approaches, as few characters have appeared across generations, but it would still be interesting to see some familiar faces in the new games. Gen 9 Pokemon games are very likely to come at some point, but this begs the question which characters should be brought back, if Game Freak decided to do so.

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Hop

League Card - Pokemon 10 Things About Hop

Hop is the main rival in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and throughout the game, he never really shines a lot both in terms of personality and how he trains and fights with his Pokemon team. The game emphasizes Hop's story arc to be one where he very slowly grows and matures up to the very end of the game, and this could be a great springboard for an adult or more grown-up version of Hop in Pokemon gen 9. When the game begins, Hop has the dream of becoming the new champion of the region of Galar and take his brother Leon's title, but obviously that doesn't work out.

After the events leading to players and Hop capturing Zacian or Zamazenta, Hop declares that he has a new dream, and that's becoming a Pokemon Professor to help people. This could potentially lead to Hop actually being the gen 9 Pokemon Professor that gifts players with their starter Pokemon, and the story would come full circle.

Sonia

Sonia In Pokemon Journeys

Much like Hop, Sonia spends the great majority of her screen time in Pokemon Sword and Shield pondering about what direction to take in life and what to do with it. She was Leon's childhood friend and also the assistant and granddaughter of Professor Magnolia, who is not really a very relevant character in Pokemon Sword and Shield if not for helping Sonia figure out what she wants to do. Sonia is intelligent and driven, qualities that surface the most when she finds something worth doing, and for her that's studying and researching the Darkest Day and the history of the region of Galar.

Sonia ends up publishing her findings in a book, and then decides to become a Pokemon Professor as well. Just like with Hop, this could mean that Sonia might end up being gen 9's Pokemon Professor, or at least make an appearance as she learns the ropes of the trade.

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Leon

pokemon sword and shield champion leon

Leon has quite a different character arc than that of Sonia and Hop, and that's because when the game begins he has fulfilled his purpose and is living life the way he wants. Leon is the champion of Galar, and he works alongside Chairman Rose on making Galar a better place and inspiring new generations of trainers with his battles against other renowned challengers. Leon is very self-confident and knows he is a talented trainer, but at the same time, he loves Pokemon battles and lives for them.

However, Leon's title is taken away from him by the player, and despite his acceptance of defeat and sportsmanship, Leon's story arc ends with him not having a purpose. This is sort of false in a way, though, as in the post-campaign Leon challenges the players repeatedly in the Battle Tower to regain his title. Still, this is more implied than actually confirmed during the story, and it makes Leon's return in gen 9 something that could make his character interesting again.

Marnie

Pokemon Marnie

Pokemon Sword and Shield introduced the goofy Team Yell, which doesn't have a true leader and is only there to support Marnie and bother other trainers in order to give the young girl an edge. However, Marnie never signed up for all this, and she is a nice character to interact with despite her being a rival, in a way. Marnie is supportive of the players and even helps them alongside her brother, Piers, and Hop facing Chairman Rose's goons to stop his plans. Eventually, like Bede with Opal, Marnie finds her purpose in becoming the new Spikemuth Gym Leader after her brother Piers quits. Marnie would make a great addition to gen 9 if she got to return, somehow.

Piers (Or Other Gym Leaders)

Although Piers is not exactly the most fleshed-out character, he is very unique both in terms of personality and looks, and his story arc in Pokemon Sword and Shield does leave room for more adventure for him. As a matter of fact, with Piers not being a Gym Leader anymore, there's a lot of potential to reintroduce this character in gen 9 games while also expanding on his traits and explore what might be next in store for him.

Piers could come back either as a recurring supportive character or maybe as one of the NPCs that play a role in the unfolding of the events of the main plot. Either way, Piers and other Gym Leaders from Pokemon Sword and Shield were great characters to encounter and talk to, which does bode well for at least one of them returning in future installments of the series. Some of them include Bea, Nessa, Milo, and Raihan, all of which were fan favorites and would make many players happy if reintroduced. Overall, there will likely be a lot going on in Pokemon gen 9, and having a familiar face or two come back could help ease the transition to a new game.

No Pokemon Generation 9 games are known to be in development.

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