On September 12th, 2009, Game Freak and Nintendo released Pokemon Heart Gold & Soul Silver. This marks the first return to Johto in nine or ten years (depending on which side of the Pacific you are on.) To commemorate the remakes of the most beloved generation of Pokemon games so far, we’ve provided you with a list of all eight Johto Gym leaders and what Pokemon you’ll face when you challenge them. Even better, we’ve also included a list of what Pokemon they had way back on the old Game Boy/Game Boy Colour for you to compare and contrast. Although the games won’t be hitting stateside for another few months, this should help those of you curious about importing or who like to plan well in advance.

As you can see, Falkner still sports the same Pokemon, but at a much higher level. Remember Falkner’s Pokemon know Mud Slap, which is a Ground Type Move, so your best starter choice is either Totodile or Cyndaquil for this battle. Poor Chikorita is vulnerable to Flying attacks.

Once again, there’s not much of a change. Each Pokemon has gained a level in the remakes. Why Bugsy didn’t evolve his cocoons into Butterfree and Beedrill is beyond me.

Wow…Whitney’s Pokemon actually went DOWN in level. Crazy. This is a pretty straight forward battle, although Clefairy does have Metronome which can easily put a crimp in your plans…or make things really easy for you if it gets explosion or splash.

Absolutely no change to Morty, which is kind of a surprise considering the past few Gym Leaders.

Again, we’re seeing no real surprises here. It’s just the straight up same lineups, albeit it with different levels.

Much like Morty, everything has stayed the same. To beat Jasmine, try a Fire or Fighting Pokemon against the Magnemite and a Water Pokemon against Steelix.

One of the things that annoyed me in the original Pokemon Gold and Silver was that Pryce was so easy after the battle with Jasmine. His Pokemon has gained a few levels, but you would think due to progression, he’d have something as high or HIGHER than Jasmine. By this point, this should be your easiest Gym Battle yet, especially due to Ice’s many weaknesses.

Here, my friends, is the only real big change. Clair’s actually gotten weaker due to the substitution of a Pure Dragon Type for a Water/Electric Gyarados. One electric attack should take care of him pretty quickly. Still, it’s nice to see grumpy old Clair still has a few tricks up her sleeve.

However, this isn’t the end of things. In the original game, you only fought the gym leaders once and that was that. Now, you have the ability to get their phone numbers and call them for a rematch. The catch is that each Pokemon Gym Leader can only be fought out of their gyms once a week and that’s the only way you can get their number. Then if that’s not enough, they’ll only battle you at a certain time each day.

There you go guys: all eight Johto Gym leaders in all three incarnations. Check back tomorrow as we cover the Elite Four!