Teams

Teams
If you've just started Pokemon Go, you won't be able to access Pokemon Gyms or Teams until you've reached Level 5.

After reaching Trainer Level 5, you can finally interact with a Pokemon Gym. Professor Willow will introduce you to his three assistants, who each lead one of three teams you must choose to join: Team Instinct (Yellow), Team Mystic (Blue), and Team Valor (Red).

The lore for each team is light, but it exists. Each of Professor Willow's assistants have their own research focus.

Team Valor
Team Valor is lead by the Candela, who values training and strength. Candela is researching ways to enhance Pokemon's natural power as she tries to find true strength.

The Red Team's logo is styled after the legendary bird Moltres. Moltres is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Moltres first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and later in subsequent sequels.

Team Instinct
Team Instinct is led by Spark, who believes you will never lose when you trust your instincts. Spark studies Pokemon's intuition, and thinks that it's related to how Pokemon are hatched.

The Yellow Team's logo is styled after the legendary bird Zapdos. Zapdos is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Zapdos is one of the three winged mirages along with Articuno and Moltres. It was created by Satoshi Tajiri.

Team Mystic
The leader of Team Mystic, Blanche, studies Pokemon evolution and claims they cannot lose with their utilization of calm analysis.

The Blue Team's logo is styled after the legendary bird Articuno. Articuno, known as Freezer in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise. Articuno is one of the three winged mirage Legendary Pokémon, along with Zapdos and Moltres. It is a large bird, noted for its ability to control cold.