"Pokémon" fans are once again debating one of the series' most familiar design choices: what type the first Gym Leader should use in the next mainline entry. Last time, some of them were arguing about whether Drowzee deserves a pre-evolution or Hypno deserves a Mega Evolution.
While early Gyms are traditionally designed to be beginner-friendly, the community is split between preserving that structure and pushing for more creative, challenging openings.
Fire, Ice, and Electric Types Dominate Fan Predictions
Many fans on Reddit expect the first Gym in "Winds and Waves" to stick with established "starter lesson" logic. These are basic types that clearly teach weaknesses and advantages early on.
Fire-type Gyms remain a popular suggestion, though some players argue they've become less likely due to recent game trends and starter balancing.
More surprising is the strong support for an Ice-type Gym, which is usually reserved for later in the game. Fans backing this idea say it could introduce Ice-type Pokémon earlier and shift type matchups (Fire becoming easier, Grass more challenging).
On the other hand, others think that it will refresh the standard early-game structure.
Electric and Poison types are also frequently mentioned. Electric-type Gyms could reinforce speed and matchup awareness, while Poison types could introduce status effects like paralysis or poisoning earlier in the game.
Rock, Steel, and Fighting Offer 'Teaching Tool' Balance
Traditionalists continue to favor Rock-type Gyms, which have long served as the franchise's introductory challenge due to clear weaknesses and early availability of counters.
However, some fans argue that Steel would be a more modern alternative, offering wider defensive coverage against Normal, Bug, and Flying types while still being learnable for beginners.
Fighting-type Gyms also received support, as they naturally encourage players to explore counters like Flying and Bug Pokémon early in their journey.
Dragon-Type First Gym
The most controversial suggestion is a Dragon-type opening Gym in the "Pokémon" series.
Fans proposing this idea say it would completely disrupt expectations, since Dragon-types typically resist many early-game attacks and are usually reserved for endgame challenges.
Since Dragon-type is a high-caliber typing, players might have an extreme moment to defeat such Pokemon. Of course, it's also interesting to see a first Dragon-type gym in the first town, but it will boil down if the series could support a more difficult starting point.
Check our previous report about what Redditors think about the next regional bird in Gen 10.
Originally published on Player One
