Pokémon/Characters/Advanced Generation

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Ash's Pokémon (Advanced Generation Series)

All Of Them:

  • Ambiguous Gender: Halfway averted this time around - Sceptile and Corphish are pretty implicitly male, and Aipom is confirmed as female. Swellow and Torkoal are debatable, and Glalie could go either way (the English dub refers to it as a "he", but only once).
  • Back for the Finale: Mostly during "An Old Family Blend", where Ash calling upon all his reserves back in Oak's lab. Also, Torkoal was lucky enough to be called upon for Ash's second battle with Brandon.
  • Badass Crew
  • Berserk Button: Pretty much goes for ANY of Ash's Pokémon. Attack Ash directly and his Pokémon will beat the crap out of you (unless you have more powerful Pokémon for protection, of course).
  • Five-Man Band: Two of them here. See below for details.
  • Put on a Bus: All of them at the end of Advanced Generation, except for Aipom.
  • Reset Button: The start of this series (or end of the last) being the first time Ash leaves his old team (barring Pikachu) behind.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Almost all his Pokémon introduced during this evolved, becoming stronger along the way. Even Corphish, the only exception, could pack quite a punch when needed.
  • True Companions

Hoenn Region

Tailow-Swellow (Subame-Ohsubame)

Treecko-Grovyle-Sceptile (Kimori-Juptile-Jukain)

Corphish (Heigani)

Torkoal (Cotoise)

  • Death or Glory Attack: Knows Overheat, although Ash typically made him use the more reliable Flamethrower instead.
  • Epic Fail: In one episode, he tries to go bipedal in order to kick a soccer ball. It went as well as you'd expect.
  • Extra Ore Dinary: Knows Iron Defense.
  • Ocular Gushers: Almost frequently. Then it's followed by its nostrils flaring out smoke.
  • Playing with Fire
  • Plucky Comic Relief
  • Rump Roast: Upon returning for the Sinnoh League, Torkoal tries to defrost Ash (caused by Glalie) this way.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Compare his performance in the early episodes - especially when Norman's Vigoroth gave him a One Hit KO - to his epic performance against Brandon's Registeel. Even if he lost despite a type advantage, he was fighting a Legendary.
  • Turtle Power
  • Worthy Opponent: His determination in his debut paid off, with the king of Steel Valley, Steelix, acknowledging his strength after Torkoal finally defeated him.

Snorunt-Glalie (Yukiwarashi-Onigohri)

Kanto Battle Frontier

Aipom (Eipam)

Traded to Dawn for Buizel. Aipom later evolves into Ambipom. For more info, see Diamond and Pearl Character Sheet.


May (Haruka)

Voiced by: Kaori Suzuki (JP), Veronica Taylor (EN, 4Kids), Michele Knotz (EN, current)

An initially newbie trainer, May started out disliking Pokémon before experience around them changed her feelings regarding them. She aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator, leading towards a quest similar to Ash's. Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:


May: Oh no, not again. (referring to Charizard's way of saying hello to Ash.)

Max: Of course, that's the only way Charizard knows how to say hello.

  • Replacement Flat Character: Replacing Ash as the show's clueless newbie.
  • Rotating Arcs: Her contest arc, in acccompaniment with Ash's gym arc.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: In one episode she develops a group of admirers and develops an over-inflated ego as a result. Then she enters a contest. You can imagine what happens next.
  • Talking To Herself: See Ash. Veronica Taylor also did Ash's mother, Delia -- not only that, but she used the exact same voice for Delia Ketchum and May!
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Girly Girl to Misty and Tomboy to Dawn.
  • Took a Level in Badass: May took a noticeable level in badass somewhere around the time of Combusken's evolution. The first half of the season had her freezing up a lot and relying on blind luck -- shortly post-Combusken she was holding her own against villains of the day. By Battle Frontier, she entered every contest with confidence and was one of the biggest Action Girls in the history the anime.
    • Not only that, but most of her Pokémon also got this change.
  • Tsundere: A Type B, meaning she's mostly sweet and gentle...unless Drew is around, or Ash and/or her brother Max pisses her off.
  • Verbal Tic: "-kamo"
    • Stealth Pun: Her starter was Achamo, which could easily mimic this sound. (The Verbal Tic isn't present in the dub, and would have to be changed anyway as Achamo's English name is Torchic.)
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Received an earful from Nurse Joy and the other judges for pressuring her Bulbasaur in its first Contest.

May's Pokémon

Torchic-Combusken-Blaziken (Achamo-Wakasyamo-Bursyamo)

Wurmple-Silcoon-Beautifly (Kemusso-Karasalis-Agehunt)

Skitty (Eneco)

Bulbasaur-Ivysaur-Venusaur (Fushigidane-Fushigisou-Fushigibana)

Munchlax (Gonbe)

  • Acrofatic: Can move really, really fast if he's motivated enough.
  • Bare-Fisted Monk: Knows Focus Punch.
  • Big Eater: Of course.
  • Breath Weapon: His Solarbeam.
  • Clear My Name: Taking a liking to Munchlax after it devoured all her Pokéblocks, May set out to prove its innocence when Team Rocket framed it for stealing other trainers' Pokéblocks.
  • Confusion Fu: It kicked Combusken's ass by not paying attention. Later played straight for having access to the Metronome attack.
  • Early-Bird Cameo
  • Extreme Omnivore: Only Munchlax was able to eat May's first original Pokéblock recipe. He has limits, however, as he didn't take with her second original Pokéblock.
    • And of course, it swallowed a Pokeball and it still got captured.
  • Green Thumb: Knows Solarbeam.
  • Non-Action Guy: May only captured him to save his skin. For the rest of Hoenn, he never competed in a single Contest, only getting a chance in the spotlight during Battle Frontier.
  • Non-Elemental

Squirtle-Wartortle (Zenigame-Kameil)

Eevee-Glaceon (Eievui-Glacia)


Max (Masato)

Voiced by: Fushigi Yamada (JP), Amy Birnbaum (EN, 4Kids), Kayzie Rogers (EN, current)

May's younger brother who travels along with his sister and friends, even though he has no Pokémon of his own. Tropes involving him include:



Supporting Cast

Professor Birch (Dr. Odamaki)

Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (JP), Dan Green (EN)

The professor of the Hoenn region. He helped May get her start as a trainer by giving her a choice between Torchic, Mudkip, or Treecko. Birch exhibits the following Tropes:

Caroline (Mitsuko)

Voiced by: Yumi Touma (JP)

May and Max's mom and wife of gym leader Norman of the Petalburg City Gym.


Drew (Shuu)

Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (JP), Oliver Wyman (EN, 4Kids), Bill Rogers (EN, current)

May's main rival as a Pokémon coordinator. He enjoys pushing her buttons, but gradually drops the Jerkass facade and becomes much more respectful over time. He never lets anyone forget that they are rivals first and friends second.


Harley

Voiced by: Junichi Kanemaru (JP), Andrew Rannells (EN, 4Kids), Bill Timoney (EN, current)

May's other rival, though she doesn't consider him to be one at first. Harley decided to go after May simply because during his introduction: she had never heard about Cacturne before and called Cacturne "scary" (May was simply stating that even just standing still Cacturne was so impressive it was kinda scary: to say it was so impressive it evoked a sense of awe). He offered May one of his home made cookies. May was in a rather indifferent mood that day, and she thought they were OK. They weren't bad, just OK. Harley never let that go.


  • All Webbed Up: His Ariados knows String Shot and Spider Web.
  • The Bad Guy Wins: "Harley Rides Again"
  • Bare Your Midriff: Downplayed.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: Laughably Evil, campy and seemingly friendly, but not someone you want to cross, no sir.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
  • Blue Eyes
  • Bokukko: Inverted - in the Japanese original version, he refers to himself using atashi, the Japanese feminine form of I.
  • Breakout Villain: Was apparently supposed to be done with after the Hoenn Grand Festival, but was made a recurring rival for Battle Frontier due to his popularity.
  • The Bully: Acts such towards anyone who offends him even in the slightest. Humiliating and mocking his opponents during and between battle showing sadistic pleasure.(This is shown with his interactions with May.) Even mocking bystanders who are not even doing anything to him at the time. (As shown during his third encounter with Team Rocket during "Harley Rides Again".)
  • Camp Gay: And how!
  • Combat Pragmatist
  • Cosplay: His outfit is based on Cacturne, his signature Pokémon.
  • Cute Shotaro Boy: In a flashback in New Plot, Old Lot!
  • Death Glare: Ariados' Scary Face.
  • Dirty Coward: His cowardly and dirty attempts to undermine May on the first three occasions they encountered each other. Though to his credit, he did not attempt to cheat during the Wisteria Town contest (fourth occasion). In "New Plot, Od Lot!" and "Going for Choke", his attempts to sabotage May were all to prevent her from getting her 5th ribbon thus preventing her from being able to enter the Grand Festival (Harley himself having already gained five by this point). That arguably suggests he was threatened by May enough to undermine her even during a time when he would not be competing against her in a contest or a festival.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: His entire feud with May is based around very petty reasons he has to hate her.
  • Dropped a Bridget On Him: Brock actually thought he was a girl before the crowd cleared once...oops.
  • Dub Name Change: One of the very few aversions in the Pokémon franchise. His Japanese and English names are the same.
  • Elemental Powers
  • Gender Blender Name: In both languages, even!
  • Gratuitous English: Well, he is voiced by Junichi Kanemaru.
  • Heel Face Mole: Tricked May using this ploy in the Hoenn Grand Festival.
  • Hey, It's That Voice!: His Japanese voice is Sonic.
  • It's All About Me: He is highly self centered and selfish. In his debut episode, he openly states he expects the audience to quietly pay attention when he is performing an appeal during a contest. After countering his opponent's first move during his first contest battle during his debut episode, he acts as though the battle is for him and Cacturne to showcase themselves.
  • Jerkass
  • Large Ham
  • Law of Disproportionate Response: He took May's picture, pasted it in a stalker notebook, drew a frowny face/skull and crossbones next to it, and obsessed himself with defeating her for the rest of the season. Why? Because she knew nothing about Cacturne before, called Cacturne "scary" and when she actually liked his cookies, she didn't like them enough.
  • Manipulative Bastard
  • Meaningful Name: His Japanese name is a corruption of 針 hari, meaning "needle," which makes one think of his Cacturne.
  • Multiple Choice Past: Claims that May (or at least a May lookalike) once stole his food in grade school. Granted, he was almost certainly BS'ing it, but...well, you never know.
    • Harley may not have be making it up, due to the fact that May lived two cities west of him, and that one episode showed her, Norman and Caroline, not sure if Max was with them or not cause the scene doesn't show him, so it's possible that May could have stolen Harley's food.
      • No - May's still much too young to have been in Harley's preschool class. He never claimed it was May...only that the cookie thief "...looked just like May."
  • Narcissist: Extremely so. Even in his initial appearance he acts somewhat conceited even before his negative traits surface. Anyone who does not give him the highest praise, he relentlessly persecutes. During his first contest battle in his debut episode, he openly states that if one wants to use the term adorable then it better be used to describe him.
  • Nice Hat:
    • The one he usually wears is shaped like the top of a Cacturne's head.
    • On another occasion, he wore May's bandanna while dressing up as her.
  • The Other Darrin: Andrew Rannells, followed by Bill Timoney.
  • Pick on Someone Your Own Size: Sort of -- Harley himself seems to be in his late teens as of his debut, although he became obsessed with defeating the ten year old May.
  • Pride: He is extremely arrogant, haughty and hubristic.
  • Serious Business: Food in general, apparently. He hated May's guts because she said his cookies were only okay, and got really pissed over a girl eating the last of his lunch when he was little.
  • Shipper on Deck: Has asked Drew and May if they're dating. Naturally, their reply is "No Way!" He doesn't seem to buy it, though.
  • Sissy Villain
  • Smug Snake
  • Terms of Endangerment: Calls May his "cute little gingerbread-cookie".
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Implied in a flashback in New Plot, Old Lot!.
  • Vain: Somewhat vain about his appearance.
  • Vague Age
  • Villainous Crossdresser: On one occasion, he dresses up as May. He even blows a kiss to Drew while doing so...
  • You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Solidad (Saori)

Voiced by: Rie Tanaka (JP)

One of Drew's friends and an extremely skilled coordinator. She knows Brock from when she was at Pewter City and seems to have known Harley as well.


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