There are a few facts in life that are just universally accepted. One such fact is that you will always look majestic, mysterious, strong, undeniable with a well maintained beard. Unfortunately, as Pokemon is of Japanese origin, there aren't many characters in the franchise that have the honor of such a fantastic facial feature. Usually you only get about one every new release, with some weak looking beards thrown in that mix as well.

But when it rains, it pours. I'm not sure of the beard equivalent to that saying. But it is true to say that the few characters in Pokemon to sport a true beard's beard stand out above the rest. They have this certain aura to them that feels electrifying. Their very presence causes tension in the room, every scene feels grander due to the hairs on their chin. None, however, represent this overwhelming feeling as well as the main character of this biography, the Dragon type expert and Opelucid City Gym Leader (and Mayor), Drayden.

Drayden's beard is quite literally the best beard ever crafted in a fictional IP. Does it get beaten out in terms of length? Sure, it's not the long, dust sweeping wizard beard the likes Dumbledore and Gandalf are sporting. But it somehow perfectly encapsulates the inevitableness of Drayden's character and role in the story.

Pokemon Black, White

Drayden lives in Opelucid City. It's hard to describe the place as it differs completely depending on the version you play. In Pokemon Black, Opelucid City is a very modern city with high technology all around, big tall flashy buildings and the likes. In Pokemon White, Opelucid City is much more primitive, almost giving off a medieval looking village vibe.

Regardless of what the city looks like, Drayden will be the acting mayor of it. I've always kind of thought that being a Gym Leader sort of de facto makes you your town/city's mayor as you quite literally represent them to the rest of your region. Turns out there is a seperate job for that after all. Luckily it doesn't fully break my theory as Drayden is not only the mayor of Opelucid City, he's also the gym leader! Problem solved, right? Wellll, Pokemon actually does something interesting here in Opelucid City. It's the first time in the whole franchise that you have branching gym leaders depending on your game version. This is a feature they've been doing more recently in Switch titles such as Sword and Shield, but generation 5 did it first! Drayden will only be the gym leader of Opelucid City if you play Pokemon Black (the futuristic Opelucid City). If you play Pokemon White (medieval Opelucid City), the gym leader will instead be Iris, the little girl who helped Bianca throughout the game. Drayden does still play his role as mayor even in Pokemon White, so rest assured that you'll still be able to witness his phenomenal beard in person.

The player first sees this magnificent beard upon entering Opelucid City. Due to some story related business we were sent to meet the dragon experts, and lo and behold, one of them is this bearded dragon himself. He invites you to his home for a cup of tea and some storytelling of ancient dragon legends. I'm just here admiring the hairs on his chin. Drayden is very knowledgeable on dragons, even knowing a ton about the lore and history of Unova's legendary Twin Dragons. Unfortunately, Drayden doesn't quite know how to awaken the dormant one in your possession. He does free some time in his busy schedule to grant you the honor of a gym challenge.

The Opelucid City Gym is the 8th and final gym of the Unova region. As such, it's mandatory to be over the top and epic, especially as a Dragon type gym. The gym is a giant open void with enormous dragon statues taking up the space. You have to run across these statues, jumping from one to the next. In doing so, you activate pressure plates that will make the statue you're on shift its arms or head, opening new paths. It almost feels like some sort of ancient ritual. Eventually you reach the top of the tallest statue, where Drayden is waiting for you.

Drayden is a very serious man, as showcased by his serious beard. He wastes no time and gets to battling you, showing a true passion for the sport. Unfortunately Pokemon made some stupid decisions in Black and White, one of the worst being the very limited teams of the gym leaders. Drayden is the 8th gym leader of the region and only has 3 Pokemon to his name! Honestly a disgrace.

He leads the battle with a Fraxure. By now you're probably sick of this thing, but it's a cool middle stage dragon type. Nice to see the pseudo legendary get some love! Oh wait, it's not the pseudo legendary? What is its purpose then? Fraxure isn't hard to beat, just don't give it too many free turns because Dragon Dance turns it into a deadly sweeper rather quickly. Drayden follows it up with a Druddigon. It's a really cool looking dragon type, but is slow and can't even set up with Dragon Dance. It hits hard though! Finally, Drayden's ace truly is a Pokemon deserving of such a bearded master. Haxorus is the final evolution of the Axew/Fraxure line, and boasts a monstrous base 147 attack stat. That's higher than a ton of legendaries! Haxorus can also set up with Dragon Dance, so you better finish it fast or it will destroy your party!

If you cheat and defeat this bearded demon, Drayden will grant you the Legend Badge. Because of course the coolest beard in all of Pokemon gives you the Legend Badge, who else?

Drayden does appear once more at Team Plasma's Castle in the Pokemon League, alongside the other Unova gym leaders. He's there to hold back the wise sages so you can advance deeper into the castle. Honestly Drayden alone could stand in front of the sages and they would cower in fear, urine soaking their panties.

Pokemon Black 2, White 2

Drayden and his beard are some of the lucky ones to retain their gym leader position in the sequel games. Better yet, he's the gym leader of Opelucid City in both titles! What a score for the White fans out there. A disgraceful decision was yet again made though, as Drayden got demoted to 7th in the gym leader ranks, somehow being outranked by Marlon, some surfer bro who wasn't even in the region a few years ago. How dare they.

Drayden has changed up his gym slightly. There are only two statues now, though they are much taller, almost like a skyscraper. It's a bit less epic in my opinion. The neat part is that the game lets you choose one of two trainers to fight at every level you climb. It's sort of reminiscent of Norman's gym in Hoenn in that regard. Some of the battles even include the new Triple battles and Rotation battles!

Drayden himself is fairly simple: copy/paste his entire original team, except swap out Fraxure with a newly added Flygon. A little upgrade, but nothing too crazy. Oh and on challenge mode he also has an Altaria. What is he, a Hoenn trainer?

After beating Drayden and once again being bestowed the Legend Badge, you hear another tale from him about a third legendary dragon Pokemon. It's only speculation on Drayden's part, but he does show you the DNA Splicers, an artifact passed down his family for generations.

After your discussion, Team Plasma attacks the city by turning it into a giant frozen lake. Drayden's Haxorus tries to act cool by smashing it, but fails miserably as it can't live up to the beard's potential. Drayden appears to be a man of logic and science, as after defeating the sage leading the attack, he hands you the DNA Splicers, believing the threat to be over. What Drayden didn't account for was someone using the /tp command to pick up the item before you can, and then vanishing back into thin air. Like seriously, what are you supposed to do about that?

Drayden doesn't play a further important role in this story, but he does show up at the Pokemon World Tournament alongside all his fellow gym leaders. There, he can be challenged in the Unova Leaders and Type Experts challenges. He maintains the Pokemon from his gym teams, while adding powerful pseudo legendary Pokemon in Hydreigon and Salamence.

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And that's kind of it for Drayden! I really love his beard. It's almost shaped like some sort of warrior helmet, with it sticking up in front of his face.

Beyond the beard, Drayden is a very collected and smart man, who gives off a menacing but kind aura all at the same time. I love learning about the lore of regions and Pokemon, so him being so knowledgeable about it was a treat to me. I like lore so much more when a character narrates it to you, rather than having to clue it all together from scraps.

A dragon expert is always going to be powerful, but I do feel like Drayden is a bit let down by the game decisions for his team. I feel like there are definitely Dragon experts more challenging, though none as cool and intimidating (save maybe Drake from Hoenn). Wait, is that why he has those Hoenn Pokemon too?

We see Drayden's caring side by the way he interacts with the young and impressionable Iris. He clearly sees her potential and talent, not only when it comes to understanding Dragon pokemon, but as a trainer in general. She looks up to him, calls him grandpa, and it's really heartwarming to see. It reminds me of my own late grandfather, who was like a hero to me growing up (and still is to this day).

Speaking of, Drayden is not only Iris's symbolic grandfather, but is also a biological grandfather. In the DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the player meets a character named Drayton. This guy is actually Drayden's grandson! He's a member of the BB Elite Four, and uses the newly discovered Archaludon as his signature Pokemon. Not much is known about their dynamic, but if Iris is anything to go by I wager they're close.