Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow, Fire Red, Leaf Green, Let's GO

Ah yes, the final boss of the Kanto Gym Leaders is finally here. The big bad 8th Gym Leader. The gym leader of Viridian City, practically right where our journey began. Who remembers reading the sign on the gym that it was temporarily closed and wondering just who it could belong to?

The time is upon us. We beat Blaine, healed our Pokemon with BURN HEAL, and Fire Red/Leaf Green players further ignored Celio's whining about some Sevii Islands. It is time to fly back home and see for ourselves who this 8th Gym Leader really is.

You enter the building. It feels exciting, scary, but you feel ready. And then, familiarity? Spin panels all across the floor. A bunch of strong trainers as you spin your way across the dance floor. Where have we seen these panels before?

All of a sudden it hits you. No, it can't be... can it? And lo and behold, there he is. The man who never quits, the mafia boss himself. Giovanni is standing on the Gym Leader mat, ready for your challenge.

But who is Giovanni? Unlike the other Gym Leaders in Kanto, players will have actually encountered Giovanni before challenging his gym. Let's rewind back the clock a bit...

One night, Professor Oak hosts a celebratory party at his lab for his fellow Pallet Town residents. He has just discovered a new evolution line and wants to share his success with his friends. One of the invites goes to Delia Ketchum, the young woman who just moved into town last spring. He had met her in passing, but never really talked more than a casual greeting. What better opportunity to get to know his new neighbor? As the night goes on, the two engage in a long conversation about their respective lives. As the town folk return home one by one, they are eventually the only ones still in the building. Professor Oak opens a bottle of expensive wine that he had won at the game corner several years ago. They sit on the couch and continue their conversation. As Delia leans over to put her glass on the table, Professor Oak can't help but stare at her. She looks back at him and he compliments the smell of her repel... Wait I don't think this is the right chapter.

As players first reach Mount Moon, they are introduced to Team Rocket, a bunch of crooks trying to exploit and sell Pokemon for cold hard cash. Obviously this is disturbing to the player, as we were taught that Pokemon are our friends. Players encounter Team Rocket a few more times, until they reach Celadon City. Being the gambling addicts they are, they enter the game corner despite being 10 years old. It is there that they discover a secret switch and a staircase leading to the basement of the building. Having learned nothing of horror movies, the literal child ventures down the dark staircase into the lion's den.

Once players find the lift key that someone dropped, they can reach the bottom floor of the building. It is there that they are first introduced to a man who calls himself the boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni.

Giovanni challenges the player to a battle. He has 3 Pokemon in this fight: an Onix, a Rhyhorn, and a Kangaskhan. Once defeated he gives the player the Silph Scope, allowing them to see the ghosts in Pokemon Tower. Only in Pokemon Yellow (plus Let's GO), his Kangaskhan is swapped out for a Persian, which is more in line with his anime counterpart.

The player encounters Giovanni for a second time at the top of Silph Co. in Saffron City. He is seen making a deal with the president of the company, which explains why he gave the player their unique technology in their previous encounter. Giovanni challenges the player to another battle, keeping his Rhyhorn and Kangaskhan/Persian (Yellow) and adding a Nidorino and Nidoqueen. After being defeated for the second time, he hands the player a Master Ball, the ultimate Pokeball that will catch any Pokemon without failure.

And now we are back up to speed as we stare him down in the Viridian City Gym. How can the leader of Team Rocket be a Gym Leader? Who allowed him to get this position? Do they not care at all about what he is really up to? No time for questions. You know what you need to do. Defeat this evil man once and for all!

So yeah, Giovanni is the secret 8th gym leader! Probably the biggest plot twist of the entirety of the Kanto story. Giovanni is an expert at using the Ground type, with several of the Pokemon he used in prior battles also sharing this type. He has a whopping 5 Pokemon at his disposal: a Rhyhorn, Dugtrio, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, and a Rhydon. In Yellow he switches Rhyhorn out for his trusty Persian. He uses strong attacks like Earthquake, Thunder, and one hit KO moves like Fissure, so be careful.

In Fire Red and Leaf Green, for some reason, his Rhydon is in its unevolved form. Yes, he has two Rhyhorns in this game. I have to believe this was an oversight.

Once the player defeats Giovanni, he will hand them the Earth Badge, the TM for Earthquake, and then announce the disbandment of Team Rocket. And then when Earth needed him most, he vanished. The player will not encounter Giovanni after this.

Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver

While mentioned, Giovanni did not appear in the generation 2 games (Gold, Silver, Crystal), despite Team Rocket's resurgence at the hands of his admins. This remains true for Heart Gold and Soul Silver, however eventually an event was released that allowed the player to obtain a Celebi. When this Celebi is brought to a secret room in the Tohjo Falls, an event starts playing. Celebi takes the player back through time, and we get to meet the big bad Giovanni, who has been in hiding for the past 2 years. Giovanni challenges the player, using a team of Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Kangaskhan, and a newly added Honchkrow. Truly a Pokemon befitting of a Mafia Boss. In the same event, the player also learns that Giovanni is the father of Silver, the player's Rival! Could this be why Silver has such a hatred for Team Rocket?

Aside from this event, Giovanni does not appear in the games and can't be rematched like his other fellow Kanto Gym Leaders. In fact, the Viridian City Gym he abandoned was taken over by Blue, the rival from the Kanto games.

Pokemon Black 2, White 2

Unlike in Heart Gold and Soul Silver, Giovanni does return alongside his fellow gym leaders for the Pokemon World Tournament. I truly wonder what the Tournament organizers were thinking, inviting a wanted criminal to their event. Still, he can be battled in the Kanto Leaders and Type Experts events. He uses some new Pokemon like Rhyperior, Marowak, Sandslash, Golem, Garchomp, Gliscor, Krookodile, and Hippowdon. He plays no further role in the game.

Pokemon Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon

Am I reading that correct? Yes, Giovanni is the first and only Kanto Gym Leader to make an appearance in a main line Pokemon game after the Pokemon World Tournament.

He appears in the Post-Game of Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon in the Rainbow Rocket episode. I won't spoil the exact contents of this arc, but due to some time space shenanigans Giovanni is back and ready to take over the world once more! He is fought once in Team Rocket's Castle, challenging the player with a team of 5. A Dugtrio, a Nidoking, a Nidoqueen, a Rhyperior. So far it sounds familiar and rather simple, right? Well that's until you see his final Pokemon. True to his anime counterpart, the man casually sends out a whole Mewtwo on the field. And that's not even the end of it, as he will Mega Evolve this Mewtwo into Mega Mewtwo X or Mega Mewtwo Y, in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon respectively. Mega Mewtwo, regardless of its form, has the highest stats of any Pokemon in the game up until that point. With terrifying moves like Stone Edge, Psystrike, Ice Beam, ... I wish you good luck!

As a part of the Rainbow Rocket episode, Giovanni also takes over the Battle Plaza and will occasionally challenge the player as a mini-boss.

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Those are Giovanni's main line appearances! I think it's fair to say he is easily the most memorable Kanto Gym Leader, at least his video game counterpart. He is the only one brought back and given more story content, including receiving a whole arc in Generation 7.

I really like that he started the concept of Gym Leaders being included in the story of the game. It makes them feel more like characters, and adds so much more weight or excitement once you get to actually battle them.

As a character, Giovanni is very clearly inspired by traditional mafia bosses, ruling the streets and not afraid of bribery and dirty tactics to get his way. Still, he sees potential in a select few, and does not hesitate to reward the player upon being defeated in battle. Is it some sort of honor code he lives by? I think that's worth a discussion in itself.

I hope we see more of him in the future, perhaps including his relationship with his son Silver. I normally don't include spin-offs in these, but I will give a big shout-out to Giovanni's appearance in Pokemon Masters EX. He is truly a ruthless man, and his dynamic with Silver in that game is really special, some of my favorite story lines of that whole game.