Saffron Gym

Saffron Gym
ヤマブキジム Yamabuki Gym
Saffron Gym anime.png
Location Saffron City
Gym Leader Sabrina
Badge Marsh Badge
Dominant Type Psychic
Region Kanto
Saffron Gym Battlefield.png
Battlefield

The Saffron Gym (Japanese: ヤマブキジム Yamabuki Gym) is the official Gym of Saffron City. It is based on Psychic-type Pokémon. The Gym Leader is Sabrina. Trainers who defeat her receive the Marsh Badge.

In the games

Saffron City
Pokémon Gym
Leader: Sabrina
The Master of
Psychic Pokémon!

Saffron City
Pokémon Gym
Leader: Sabrina
The Master of
Psychic Pokémon!

Saffron City Pokémon Gym
Leader: Sabrina
The Master Of Psychic Pokémon

Saffron City Pokémon Gym
Leader: Sabrina
The Mistress of Psychic-type Pokémon

In Generations I, III, and VII, a Team Rocket Grunt is initially blocking the Saffron Gym door, making the Gym inaccessible until the player has driven Team Rocket out of the Silph Co. office building.

In the first four Generations, the Saffron Gym is a maze of warp tiles and nine rooms. Seven of these rooms contain Trainers (only four in Generations II and IV), while the other two hold Sabrina and the entrance. In Generations II and IV only, the remaining three rooms are empty.

In Generation VII, instead of being nine rooms laid out in a square grid, with four teleporters and a Trainer in each (except the entrance and Sabrina's room), the Gym has 11 rooftop-like platforms, with the first 10 laid out in a triangle like a set of bowling pins (six of which contain Trainers), and the platform with Sabrina behind them. Only three of the platforms in this version of the Gym contain four teleporters.

In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the player must have a Pokémon that is at level 45 or higher in their party in order to be allowed to challenge the Gym. However, they are not required to use this Pokémon at the Gym if they so choose.

A field based on the Gym also appears in Pokémon Stadium's Gym Leader Castle and Stadium 2's Kanto Gym Leader Castle.

At some point prior to the Generation I games, both Sabrina's Gym and the Karate Master's Fighting Dojo laid claim to the status of being an official Indigo League Pokémon Gym. Due to the type advantage that the Gym's Psychic types had over the Dojo's Fighting types, Sabrina easily won the challenge and became the official Gym Leader of Saffron City.

Appearance

       
Generation I Generation II Generation III Generation IV

Teleporters

The colors on the maps below are purely visual aids and have no other significance.

Generations I-IV

Below is a map of the teleporters' connections. The one-way teleporter in Sabrina's room (Mid) that warps the player back to the entrance room (S) is exclusive to Generation IV.

Teleporter map
NW
H J
M N
N
F J
K L
NE
E B
H I
W
G K
N O
Mid
 
M
E
E C
F G
SW
I D
L O
S
A
 
SE
B C
D A

In all of these Generations, the path that takes the fewest teleporters to reach Sabrina is A-B-H-M, while the fastest path (the path that requires the fewest steps walked) is A-C-G-N-M.

Generation VII

Teleporter map
     
     
   
Q   P
I   J
     
    K
 
L   M
  4  
J   N
 
N   O
  5  
K   M
 
P    
  6  
O   L
 
    E
  2  
F   G
 
E   D
     
F   H
 
H   G
  3  
    I
   
    D
  1  
B   C
 
C    
     
B   A
     
Q*   A
     
   

* This location is not an actual teleporter, but is where the "Q" teleporter will transport the player

In this Generation, the path that takes the fewest teleporters to reach Sabrina is A→(B or C)→D→H→I→((J→L) or (K→O))→P. This route will also skip two of the six Trainers leading up to Sabrina (#2 and either #4 or #5 in the above map).

Trainers

Core series

Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow
Trainer Pokémon
Southeast room
 
Psychic
Reward: $330
  Slowpoke Lv.33
No item
  Slowpoke Lv.33
No item
  Slowbro Lv.33
No item
East room
 
Psychic
Reward: $340
  Mr. Mime Lv.34
No item
  Kadabra Lv.34
No item
West room
 
Channeler
Reward: $1140
  Haunter Lv.38
No item
Northwest room
 
Psychic
Reward: $380
  Slowbro Lv.38
No item
North room
 
Channeler
Reward: $1020
  Gastly Lv.34
No item
  Haunter Lv.34
No item
Southwest room
 
Channeler
Reward: $990
  Gastly Lv.33
No item
  Gastly Lv.33
No item
  Haunter Lv.33
No item
Northeast room
 
Psychic
Reward: $310
  Kadabra Lv.31
No item
  Slowpoke Lv.31
No item
  Mr. Mime Lv.31
No item
  Kadabra Lv.31
No item


Pokémon Red and Blue

Sabrina has one Hyper Potion per Pokémon, using it 25% of the time if their HP falls below 10%.



Pokémon Yellow

Sabrina has at least one X Defend per Pokémon.



Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal
Trainer Pokémon
Southeast room
 
Medium Rebecca
トミコ Tomiko
Reward: $1400
  Drowzee Lv.35
No item
  Hypno Lv.35
No item
Northeast room
 
Psychic Jared
タクミ Takumi
Reward: $1120
  Mr. Mime Lv.32
No item
  Exeggcute Lv.32
No item
  Exeggcute Lv.35
No item
Northwest room
 
Medium Doris
ケサコ Kesako
Reward: $1440
  Slowpoke Lv.34
No item
  Slowbro Lv.36
No item
Southwest room
 
Psychic Franklin
ヒロ Hiro
Reward: $1184
  Kadabra Lv.37
No item
Trainers with a telephone symbol by their names will give their Pokégear number to the player, and may call or be called for a rematch with higher-level Pokémon.


Sabrina has a Hyper Potion.



Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Trainer Pokémon
Southeast room
 
Psychic Cameron
カオル Kaoru
Reward: $660
  Slowpoke Lv.33
No item
  Slowpoke Lv.33
No item
  Slowbro Lv.33
No item
East room
 
Psychic Tyron
イサミ Isami
Reward: $680
  Mr. Mime Lv.34
No item
  Kadabra Lv.34
No item
West room
 
Channeler Stacy
キリエ Kirie
Reward: $1216
  Haunter Lv.38
No item
Northwest room
 
Psychic Preston
ヒロム Hiromu
Reward: $760
  Slowbro Lv.38
No item
North room
 
Channeler Amanda
フミカ Fumika
Reward: $1088
  Gastly Lv.34
No item
  Haunter Lv.34
No item
Southwest room
 
Channeler Tasha
ホタル Hotaru
Reward: $1056
  Gastly Lv.33
No item
  Gastly Lv.33
No item
  Haunter Lv.33
No item
Northeast room
 
Psychic Johan
カズヤ Kazuya
Reward: $620
  Kadabra Lv.31
No item
  Mr. Mime Lv.31
No item
  Slowpoke Lv.31
No item
  Kadabra Lv.31
No item
Trainers with a Vs. Seeker by their names, when alerted for a rematch using the item, may use higher-level Pokémon.


Sabrina has two Hyper Potions and a Full Heal.



Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Trainer Pokémon
Southeast room
 
Medium Rebecca
トミコ Tomiko
Reward: $2160
  Bronzor Lv.45
No item
  Hypno Lv.45
No item
Northeast room
 
Psychic Jared
タクミ Takumi
Reward: $1440
  Mr. Mime Lv.42
No item
  Exeggcute Lv.42
No item
  Exeggcute Lv.45
No item
Northwest room
 
Medium Darcy
ケサコ Kesako
Reward: $2208
  Slowpoke Lv.44
No item
  Slowbro Lv.46
No item
Southwest room
 
Psychic Franklin
ヒロ Hiro
Reward: $1504
  Kadabra Lv.44
No item
  Girafarig Lv.47
No item
Trainers with a telephone symbol by their names will give their Pokégear number to the player, and may call or be called for a rematch with higher-level Pokémon.




Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
Trainer Pokémon
 
Psychic Johan
カズヤ Kazuya
Reward: $1,968
  Slowbro Lv.41
No item
  Kadabra Lv.41
No item
 
Channeler Stacy
キリエ Kirie
Reward: $1,600
  Haunter Lv.40
No item
  Haunter Lv.40
No item
 
Ace Trainer Amanda
フミカ Fumika
Reward: $4,200
  Jynx Lv.42
No item
 
Channeler Imari
イマリ Imari
Reward: $1,600
  Haunter Lv.40
No item
  Haunter Lv.40
No item
  Haunter Lv.40
No item
 
Ace Trainer Cameron
カオル Kaoru
Reward: $4,200
  Kadabra Lv.41
No item
  Kadabra Lv.42
No item
 
Psychic Preston
ヒロム Hiromu
Reward: $1,968
  Hypno Lv.41
No item




Rematch



Side series

Pokémon Stadium
Round 1
Trainer Pokémon
 
Cueball
  Dragonair Lv.50-100
No item
  Primeape Lv.50-100
No item
  Dewgong Lv.50-100
No item
  Mankey Lv.50-100
No item
  Machop Lv.50-100
No item
  Rhyhorn Lv.50-100
No item
 
Burglar
  Ninetales Lv.50-100
No item
  Vulpix Lv.50-100
No item
  Ponyta Lv.50-100
No item
  Growlithe Lv.50-100
No item
  Charmeleon Lv.50-100
No item
  Rapidash Lv.50-100
No item
 
Medium
  Gastly Lv.50-100
No item
  Haunter Lv.50-100
No item
  Gengar Lv.50-100
No item
  Golbat Lv.50-100
No item
  Lickitung Lv.50-100
No item
  Tentacruel Lv.50-100
No item




Round 2
Trainer Pokémon
 
Cueball
  Poliwrath Lv.50-100
No item
  Primeape Lv.50-100
No item
  Dewgong Lv.50-100
No item
  Sandslash Lv.50-100
No item
  Aerodactyl Lv.50-100
No item
  Rhydon Lv.50-100
No item
 
Burglar
  Ninetales Lv.50-100
No item
  Weezing Lv.50-100
No item
  Arcanine Lv.50-100
No item
  Clefable Lv.50-100
No item
  Machamp Lv.50-100
No item
  Rapidash Lv.50-100
No item
 
Medium
  Lapras Lv.50-100
No item
  Magmar Lv.50-100
No item
  Gengar Lv.50-100
No item
  Golbat Lv.50-100
No item
  Lickitung Lv.50-100
No item
  Tentacruel Lv.50-100
No item




Pokémon Stadium 2
Round 1



Round 2



Items

Item Location Games
  TM46 (Psywave) Reward for defeating Sabrina  R  B  Y 
  TM04 (Calm Mind) Reward for defeating Sabrina  FR  LG 
  TM48 (Skill Swap) Reward for defeating Sabrina  HG  SS 
  TM33 (Calm Mind) Reward for defeating Sabrina  P  E 

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Masters EX

Artwork depicting the Saffron Gym is seen in Sabrina's mindscape.

Sabrina & Alakazam
 

In the anime

Main series

The Saffron Gym first appeared in Abra and the Psychic Showdown, where Ash and his friends found their way there after temporarily getting trapped by Team Rocket. Ash challenged Sabrina to a battle, but she offered an unusual and ambiguous request: if he lost, he and his friends would have to play with her. Ash was quickly overwhelmed by Sabrina's Kadabra, resulting in him forfeiting the match. He and his friends were then shrunken down to the size of dolls by Sabrina, who trapped them in her toy town and nearly got them squashed by her toy ball. However, they were narrowly saved by Sabrina's father, who told Ash that if he really wanted to defeat Sabrina, he would have to get a Ghost-type Pokémon from Lavender Town.

In Haunter versus Kadabra, Ash returned to the Saffron Gym with a Haunter he had befriended at Pokémon Tower. However, when he tried to challenge Sabrina again, Haunter suddenly disappeared. Ash forfeited the match, causing Sabrina to turn Brock and Misty into literal dolls. Before Ash could meet the same fate, Sabrina's father appeared once again and saved him.

Once Ash had found Haunter, he returned to the Gym to challenge Sabrina once again. However, Haunter once again disappeared before the battle. Before Ash could be turned into a doll, Pikachu stepped in to battle Kadabra and protect Ash. Halfway through the battle, Haunter suddenly reappeared, making funny faces and performing different sorts of other comedic acts to Sabrina. This eventually caused her to start laughing for the first time in years. Due to the Psychic link between Sabrina and Kadabra, the Psi Pokémon also started laughing, allowing Sabrina's father to declare Ash the winner and turn Brock and Misty back to normal. Ash subsequently received his fourth Badge and left Haunter with Sabrina.

Besides the battlefield, the Saffron Gym also houses a room dedicated for studying PSI phenomena.

Pokémon used in Gym

 
Abra → Kadabra
Main article: Sabrina's Kadabra

Kadabra first appeared as an Abra in Abra and the Psychic Showdown. Sabrina used it in a one-on-one Gym battle against Ash. During the battle with Ash's Pikachu, Abra evolved into a Kadabra and with its Psychic-type attacks, it eventually caused Ash to forfeit the match to save Pikachu from being further injured. It was shown that Sabrina and Kadabra share a strong psychic bond.

Ash later returned for a rematch in Haunter versus Kadabra. During the battle, Ash's Haunter appeared and made Sabrina laugh for the first time in years, which caused Kadabra to laugh as well due to the psychic bond it has with Sabrina. Due to this, Sabrina decided to give the Marsh Badge to Ash.

Debut Abra and the Psychic Showdown
Voice actors
Japanese Unshō Ishizuka
English Maddie Blaustein

Pokémon Origins

 
Saffron Gym in Pokémon Origins

Red was seen visiting the Saffron Gym after the Silph Co. incident in File 3: Giovanni. Countering Sabrina's Psychic-types with a Ghost-type Pokémon, Haunter, Red was able to win his match against her and earn himself the Marsh Badge.

Pokémon used in Gym

 
Alakazam
Sabrina used her Alakazam in her Gym battle against Red. It battled Red's Haunter, but was defeated by its Shadow Punch.

None of Alakazam's moves are known.

Debut File 3: Giovanni

In the manga

 
Saffron Gym in Pokémon Zensho
 
Saffron Gym battlefield in The Electric Tale of Pikachu

The Electric Tale of Pikachu

The Saffron Gym appeared in Haunting My Dreams, where Ash arrived there in order to challenge Sabrina, being totally exhausted from his travel upon arriving. After a quick meal with Sabrina and Brock showing up as well, Ash and Sabrina started their Gym battle, with Ash using Pikachu against Sabrina's Abra. Despite being asleep, Abra was able to use Teleport to evade all of Pikachu's Thunder Shocks, until one of the Electric attacks was reflected back at the Electric Mouse Pokémon, knocking it out and causing Ash to lose the battle.

Pokémon Zensho

The Saffron Gym was mentioned in Saffron City, when the Karate Master told Satoshi how Shigeru had recently beaten Sabrina, and how she was now trying to save her stolen telepathic Lapras from the hands of Team Rocket at the Silph Co. After helping Sabrina to save her Lapras and the Silph Co., Satoshi received a Marsh Badge from Sabrina as a sign of gratitude.

In the TCG

The Saffron Gym was featured in the TCG as both a Japan-exclusive Theme Deck and as a card. The following is a list of cards mentioning or featuring Saffron Gym in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Saffron Gym
Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.
Cards listed with a silver background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Saffron City Gym T [St] Gym Challenge   122/132 Challenge from the Darkness    
      Yamabuki City Gym    
Sabrina's Suggestion Su Team Up   154/181 Tag Bolt   088/095
Hidden Fates   65/68      
 


Trivia

  • In Pokémon Red and Green, there is an oversight here. By returning to the Gym after losing the battle against Sabrina, the game will consider that the player won. The player is thus registered as a winner and receives both the Marsh Badge and TM46. This error was fixed in Pokémon Blue and the international Pokémon Red and Blue.
  • For unknown reasons, the Saffron Gym is the fourth Gym in the anime, but the sixth Gym in the games.
    • However, in the Generation I, III, and VII games, it is possible to defeat Sabrina before obtaining any more than two Badges, as it is accessible through Vermilion City.
    • In Generations I and III, it is also possible to defeat Sabrina as the seventh Gym Leader, as Surf can be used outside of battle to reach the Cinnabar Island and Blaine's Gym right after obtaining the Soul Badge. In Generation VII, as the Secret Technique Sea Skim can be learned and used before earning the Soul Badge, Cinnabar Island can be reached before defeating Koga. However, this does not affect the fact that Sabrina can still be left as the seventh Gym Leader in Generation VII as well.
  • In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, it is possible to use an Escape Rope to escape from the Saffron Gym. This is the only Gym in these games where this is possible.


Gym Leaders of the Kanto region
Pewter Gym  
 
Brock
Cerulean Gym  
 
Misty
Vermilion Gym  
 
Lt. Surge
Celadon Gym  
 
Erika
Fuchsia Gym  
   
Koga Janine
Saffron Gym  
 
Sabrina
Cinnabar Gym  
 
Blaine
Viridian Gym  
   
Giovanni Blue


  This article is part of Project Locations, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world.