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Milo is one of the (if not the) sweetest Gym Leaders in Pokémon history. He originates from gen VIII, one of the more recent generations. A refreshing and very different take than most other gym leaders before, he is clearly based on the trending “himbo” phrase, being a big, sweet, caring, and maybe a bit of a dumb man, which he fits perfectly.
Milo is at the top of my favorite Gym Leaders list, and by the end of this article, you’ll know why. Plus, he has one of the cutest outfits in Sword and Shield. You can also find him in the Twilight Wings anime and the Pokémon Adventures manga (which I’d seen him in before I played the game myself).
The Basics
Milo is the first Gym Leader you’ll fight in Sword and Shield. He’s located in the Galar region in Turffield. He’s a farmer, which is probably the reason he loves grass type Pokémon. You’ll run into him before your match, and he’ll show kindness to the player.
If you ask around Turffield, people will say Milo basically trained the entire town himself, and it’s known that he holds back on newer trainers because he doesn’t want to hurt their spirit. Hearing positive things from everyone around town tells a lot about his character.
Because he’s the first Gym Leader in the game, we probably know the least about him. We don’t get much time with him—and overall, he has a bit less personality than some of the other gym leaders—but he serves as a great story starter.
He also makes later appearances in-game and in media that expand his character with different facial expressions and more dialogue. From that, we know Milo has an unnamed mom and dad and an unnamed younger brother.
Appearance
Milo is a heavyset man with muscled legs and arms; he has light white skin and medium to short pale peach pink hair. He’s a grass-type Gym Leader, and his outfit reflects that greatly. Milo wears black boots with green accents, green shorts with his number, 831 (which means vegetable in Japanese), and Pokéballs attached to his hips (three on each side exactly).
He wears a white shirt with angular black and green grass shapes with a leaf in the middle. In addition, Milo has a large green bow-like scarf around his neck and sports a massive sunhat. His appearance almost gives a chibi-style look rather than the anime-style appearance of the rest of the Gym Leaders.
Personality
Milo is known as a sweet and humble Gym Leader. What’s a Gym Leader, you may be asking? Well, throughout Pokémon history, Gyms haven’t changed much. Gyms are associated with a specific type Pokémon and a leader who trains and opposes the Pokémon trainer. Basically, Gym Leaders are bosses in the games.
Everyone you talk to will say positive things about Milo. He’s very supportive of the player before and after the battle, making your first fight a little less daunting. While humble, he’s also confident and fearless in his battles, as noted by other Gym Leaders. He remains sweet and kind after you defeat him, which truly shows his kind character.
When first meeting Milo, he’s herding a stray Wooloo. He seems very open, already knowing that the player is a trainer.
The only time you’ll see him other than happy is right before he dynamaxes his last Pokémon, in which he gets an intense look on his face. He says he and his Pokémon are “tough as weeds” and that “you’re about to be uprooted,” even when in battle, he comes off as almost too friendly to beat the player.
Milo’s League Card(s)
League cards are obtained by fighting Trainers (leaders, your rival hop, etc.,) or other players in online mode. Of course, you can also customize your own league card! But that’s not what we’re here for—we’re here to collect those sweet, sweet Gym Leader league cards.
Milo’s Regular League Card
This Trainer was born the son of farmers. He has honed his strength, stamina, and skill as a Pokémon Trainer from a young age by working with his Pokémon.
Because of his gentle nature, he has trouble going all out on weaker opponents, which is why his Gym is the first one for challengers to attempt during the Gym Challenge. He always wears his boots; apparently, they let him dig in his heels when he needs to.
Milo’s Rare League Card
Though his record isn’t the best due to his focus on simply having fun in battles, Milo himself is incredibly strong. The rolls of hay used in his Gym Challenge each weigh over 770 pounds, yet Milo can roll them around easily.
Unfortunately, Wooloo tend to roll around, too, and sometimes they can get carried away and roll out of the Gym Stadium. It has become common in Turffield to see the whole town chasing after Milo, who is, in turn, chasing after a stray Wooloo, along with Yamper.
What Pokémon Milo Uses
Milo uses Glossifleur and Edlegoss, two grass-type Pokémon, in your first battle. You can battle Milo two other times in game. But let’s get into these stats about Milo’s Pokémon before we move on:
Glossifleur
- Level 19
- Type: Grass
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Magical Leaf, Rapid Spin
Edlegoss
- Level 20
- Type: Grass
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Leafage, Round, Magic Leaf
Champion Cup Rematch
In the champion cup rematch, Milo will have completely different Pokémon, and five instead of two. The first Pokémon differs from Sword and Shield, which is one of the main appeals to getting both games, as you get a different battle experience from each game.
Sword
Shiftry
- Level 60
- Type: Grass Dark
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Lead Blade, Throat Chop, Body Slam, Fake Out
Edlegoss
- Level 60
- Type: Grass
- Ability: Regenerator
- Attacks: Giga Drain, Cotton Guard, Protect, Hyper Voice
Bellossom
- Level 61
- Type: Grass
- Ability: Chlorophyll
- Attacks: Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Sludge Bomb, Moonblast
Cherrim
- Level 61
- Type: Grass
- Ability: Flower Gift
- Attacks: Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Dazzling Gleam, Weather Ball
Flapple
- Type: Grass Dragon
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Grav Apple, Dragon Rush, Dragon Dance, Acrobatics
Shield
Ludicolo
- Level 60
- Type: Water Grass
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Seed Bomb, Waterfall, Body Slam, Fake Out
Edlegoss
- Level 60
- Type: Grass
- Ability: Regenerator
- Attacks: Giga Drain, Cotton Guard, Protect, Hyper Voice
Bellossom
- Level 61
- Type: Grass
- Ability: Chlorophyll
- Attacks: Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Sludge Bomb, Moonblast
Cherrim
- Level 61
- Type: Grass
- Ability: Flower Gift
- Attacks: Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Dazzling Gleam, Weather Ball
Flapple
- Level 62
- Type: Grass Dragon
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Apple Acid, Dragon Pulse, Iron Defense, Recover
Galarian Star Tournament
The Galarian Star Tournament is a DLC-only tournament with many battles against Gym leaders. You can unlock this tournament after getting the quest “They came from the ultra beyond.” Like every battle, there are slight differences in the Pokémon you battle against, depending on whether you’re playing Sword or Shield.
Sword
Shiftry
- Level 72
- Type: Grass Dark
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Leaf Blade, Throat Chop, Body Slam, Fake Out
Cherrim
- Level 73
- Type: Grass
- Ability: Flower Gift
- Attacks: Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Dazzling Gleam, Weather Ball
Flapple
- Level 74
- Type: Grass Dragon
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Apple Acid, Dragon Rush, Dragon Dance, Acrobatics
Shield
Ludicolo
- Level 72
- Type: Water Grass
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Seed Bomb, Waterfall, Body Slam, Fake Out
Cherrim
- Level 73
- Type: Grass
- Ability: Flower Gift
- Attacks: Sunny Day, Solar Beam, Dazzling Gleam, Weather Ball
Appletun
- Level 74
- Type: Grass Dragon
- Ability: none
- Attacks: Apple Acid, Dragon Pulse, Iron Defense, Recover
How to Beat Milo: An Overview
Milo isn’t a terribly difficult Gym leader to beat, considering he’s the first Gym Leader you will encounter. You’ll have to complete a Gym mission before making your way to the field. You’ll be brought down to a huge gym filled with flora and grass—this is said gym mission!
There, you’ll talk to the referee, telling you to herd Wooloo (normal type Pokémon), 20 to be exact! It’s simple, and there’s not much to it: just walk in the direction you want them to move and avoid any animals that may scare the Wooloo in different directions. Of course, there will be people along the way to challenge you. This whole mission shouldn’t take more than ten minutes, but don’t worry if it takes a bit longer!
Now you can make your way up to the stairs, and you’re ready for Milo! Milo is a Grass-type gym leader, so to beat him, the easiest way is to have a fire, poison, flying, or electric Pokémon. If you chose Scorbunny as your starter, you’re probably set with just him (he’s who I started with and was an absolute unit during this challenge)! It’s always good to have a backup, though.
Woobat is also a good option, as it’s a flying poison-type Pokémon. What matters most is leveling your Pokémon enough and using items. I suggest your main Pokémon for this fight be level 17-21 for a less stressful, less death-filled battle.
Milo will use Dynamax on Eglegoss, so if you’re struggling, don’t whip your dynamax out ASAP. Instead, try and wait until his second Pokémon is in use. With Scorbunny, I didn’t have to Dynamax at all, but if you don’t have him, you should use Dynamax at some point with another Pokémon.
The same rules apply for the following battles with Milo (the Cup Rematch and Galarian Star tournament). If you have Scorbunny (especially since he would’ve evolved twice by now), you’ll probably find Milo very easy to defeat. If you don’t have Scorbunny, Charizard is a great option.
General Advice On How To Beat Milo
- Have two or three fire-type Pokémon on hand when fighting Milo, as this will make for an easy breezy game.
- Flame Charge is an excellent attack for your first match if you can get it by the time you fight. If you have no Fire, Flying, Ice, Poison, or Bug Pokémon, first off, how’d you manage that? Second, don’t worry all that much. You can do this!
- Load up on potions and, if possible, revives.
- If you can, use the effective weaknesses to grass types in attacks; probably one of your Pokémon has something effective. What is effective to Grass type, you may be asking? Bug is the easiest type to find early in the game and highly effective to grass type (effective meaning you’ll hit harder).
- Fire, poison, bug, fire, and ice are the strongest against a grass-type Pokémon, so make sure to have at least one Pokémon with those attacks.
- Don’t worry if it takes you a few tries; there’s no huge punishment, and you won’t have to fully restart your game or cry yourself to sleep. Have fun and strategize these battles!
FAQs
Question: Who’s Milo’s Rival?
Answer: His “rival” is Nessa, although it seems deeply one-sided, as Nessa’s League card mentions Milo being her rival, but not on his, and Milo has said he is his own rival. Weird dynamic there, right?
Question: How old is Milo?
Answer: Nowhere can we find an exact age or timeline regarding Milo’s age. The consensus is 16-21 from fans, though. It’s safe to say he’s above ten, which is the median or general age of trainers, and while there are young Gym Leaders, he is known as a kind, caring, almost cool cousin type of guy in town, and has said to have trained many people, so he has he be on the older side. It is still debatable what exact age he is, even if we make a decent guess.
Question: Does Milo have a card?
Answer: Yes! Milo is a supporter card released in the English rebel Clash expansion pack of the Sword and Shield Pokémon Trading Card Game. He’s an ultra rare card, so you won’t find him easily. His number is 190-192. He allows you to discard up to two cards from your hand, then draw two cards for every one card you discarded.
Milo Pokemon Guide: Conclusion
I hope my love for Milo comes through in this guide. Milo was my first Gym Leader battle ever, so he’s very close to my heart. I know many people love him, too, due to the copious amounts of fanfiction about him, and it’s very easy to see why.
He’s just so lovable and gives off himbo energy, something we all adore in a character. When I started up Sword for the first time, I was scared of all the big “bosses” I’d have to fight. So kind, humble Milo was a pleasant surprise to ease the “oh no, I’m gonna lose so hard” feeling as I entered my first battle.
