January 9 Pokémon Direct turned the tide by giving fans the anticipation of the future of Pokémon Sword and Shield. The Galar region has new faces that we have yet to meet Pokémon Sword and Shield. These characters that do not appear in the base games will debut in the next DLC expansions which will be released in two parts. Here are the new characters that will appear in the Isle of Armor and Crown of the Tundra DLC.
Mustard
Mustard will be the player's mentor during the Isle of Armor campaign. He also trained the Galarian champion Leon. He runs a dojo on the island and will train the player and his rivals. Mustard was also the previous Pokémon League champion before being beaten by Leon.
Klara
Klara will be an exclusive Sword character in the DLC expansion as the player's training partner. She is a poison type trainer who hopes to become a gym leader and own a stadium. She'll eventually make an in-game appearance from the free update when you make it to Wedgehurst Station.
Avery
For those with Shield, Avery will train with the player instead. She is a Psychic type user and similar to Klara, she hopes to have a gym stadium in the Galar region. Like Klara, she will instead appear in Shield at Wedgehurst Station.
These are all new characters revealed in the Pokémon Direct, but we may discover new characters in future updates.