Pokémon Gym Badges give trainers the ultimate sense of accomplishment. Which Badges have the best designs? This list can help players decide.
Being a Pokémon trainer brings a whole lot of adventure, perils, battles, and sweet gym badges. While each badge is designed to increase your stats and ranking within the world of Pokémon, not all badges are created the same when it comes to their appearances. Some have some pretty neat designs while others are pretty basic.
For this list, we are going to be looking over every league in every game within the Pokémon franchise. From Pokémon Red and Blue to Sword and Shield. Since we’re only going to be discussing their aesthetics we won’t be putting much emphasis on their stat boosts, the gym leaders who reward you with them, and the difficulty of their gym battles. This list is purely about style.
The Mind Badge is given out by Tate and Liza in Mossdeep City. Two twins who use psychic Pokémon, and whose relationship is mirrored in the badge’s design, the open area symbolizing two hearts.
The badge is simple in design but its hot pink interior color may come off as simple, but it works – though it would’ve ranked higher if there was a gem of some sort within the center of it. The silver outline of the badge does compliment the interior, but if its outline were white then it would stand out a bit more.
After beating Blaine on Cinnabar Island, you’re rewarded with the Volcano Badge. Outside of the Cascade and Boulder badges, it’s one of the few badges in the game where its look matches the type of Pokémon its giver uses. The pink diamond in the middle is a nice touch and breaks up all of the redness.
If it wasn’t for the pink diamond this badge likely wouldn’t have made the list as it would look more like a ghost covered in blood. When it comes to a badge design like this one it needs a second and/or third color to give it depth and save it from looking too simple. It also sort of resembles the foot of a Charizard.
It may not have a lot of color to it, but the Coal Badge that is awarded to trainers in Oreburgh City who defeat Roark has a rustic design that really has a great Earth-like feel to it. The use of light brown/pewter really does sit well with the silver that divides its areas, giving it the look of a piece of coal in the center that also makes up part of a pokéball. That’s why it’s ninth on our list.
If it were more colorful and used different types of colors it wouldn’t fit its name that well. However, its design really intensifies its basic color scheme by giving it a look that is from the past and has been shaped into something that feels centuries old.
The Bolt Badge is the best-looking electric type badge in the entire series. It looks like a Pikachu tail, and it symbolizes that you’ve conquered Elesa and her electric-type Pokémon in Nimbasa City. The orange crown design on the top of it also signifies champion and royalty.
It’s also the best electric-type badge because unlike the Thunder Badge in the Indigo League – which is shaped like a gold star with an orange octagon in the middle – it actually looks like its name.
Opelucid City is home to the gym leader known as Iris, giver of the Legend Badge. Its design is very interesting and is similar to the look of the logo of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens except instead of purple it uses silver and black in its interior with a red dot.
What is great about this badge’s design is every color stands out. Silver and black are two colors that complement each other very well when used together, and the gold outline really makes them pop.
The Rainbow badge just might be the most colorful badge in the entire franchise. The flower-shaped badge is given to you by Erika in Celadon City who specializes in using grass-type Pokémon. Whenever you have a color like black at the center of something, it allows others around it to stand out more.
Using a darker shade of green next to a brighter shade really allows those two petals of the flower to stand out and not blend in with each other to the point where they feel invisible and non-distinct.
The Plant Badge looks very majestic and could double as a crest for a medieval kingdom. Its shade of gold isn’t too bright or shiny. Its shade of green has a minty look to it and allows the earthier gold color to stand out. The colors don’t clash against each other because you don’t have a bright color on top of another bright color.
The badge is also shaped to look like a leaf and the design and inclusion of a plant within its leaf shape is a great touch, especially because the plant doubles as the leaf’s veins. It’s awarded by Ramos in Coumarine City.
The Iceberg badge is simply gorgeous. The blue sapphires that make up the points of its golden snowflake design really give the badge a nice added texture. The areas of blue that surround the glacier in the center add some nice depth to the middle of the badge, giving it sort of a filled pendant/container look. If it wasn’t a badge it certainly could double as a pendant and something a trainer could wear around their neck.
Blue and gold really go well together and the best part about how these two colors are used is the different shades. The badge doesn’t look flat, or like something that doesn’t stand out, instead, it has a nice regal look to it because of the blue and gold design.
Even though it looks like something your grandmother would have in her jewelry box, the Fairy Badge deserves a top three spot on our list. Awarded by Valerie in Laverre City, the Fairy Badge’s stained glass design is breathtaking.
Its use of a pink stone in the center does a wonderful job of breaking up the two similar sides, and the two gold curls in the upper areas really give it a fantastic feeling to it. This makes sense because Valerie’s is a gym leader who specializes in fairy-type Pokémon and fits her look as well.
The Rising Badge deserves the top spot on our list simply because of its dragon face design. The red lines that make up its eyes gives it a menacing and dark look, while the two red pieces at the top represent its horns and the two triangles on the bottom make up its teeth. It’s awarded to trainers who defeat Claire in Blackthorn City.
There’s no need for it to contain certain gems or numerous colors, its black and red face is enough to get the point across that this badge is supreme. You even have to explore the dragon’s den first in order to obtain it.
Born and raised in the frozen tundra of Syracuse, New York, Nick’s love for video games started as a young child. After being introduced to the world of Super Mario, he branched out to various other genres and titles and has a fondness for classic arcades and Mortal Kombat.