Pokémon (anime)/Characters/Original Series

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Ash's Pokémon (Original Series)

All Of Them:

  • Ambiguous Gender: Since certain mechanics hadn't been introduced yet (and Attract wasn't even used until Diamond and Pearl) viewers needed to rely on hinting to determine the genders of most of Ash's Pokémon. Of all of them, Butterfree, Charizard and Totodile are all-but-stated to be male & Bayleef has a crush on Ash, though some of the others at least seem pretty obvious.
  • Back for the Finale: Twice, with Battle Frontier's "Gathering The Gang of Four" (marking the first time Ash's original team [1] comes back together) and the second time in "An Old Family Blend", Ash calling upon his reserves back in Oak's lab (a welcome change because of Ash's standards during the last tournament, in Hoenn [2]).
  • Badass Adorable/Ridiculously Cute Critter: Majority of his un-evolved Pokémon. Some remain cute even after evolution (Bayleef and Quilava, we're looking at you).
  • 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). But Charizard and Pikachu are the ones you should really fear.
  • The Cameo: All [3] of them appearing in Spurt!, most notably the enormous Team Shot at the beginning.
  • Deus Exit Machina: One way to Hand Wave Ash's tendency to leave his mons behind, but The Original Series was the worst about it. None of the Mons released during the Kanto saga have returned (to this day), and Johto was when Ash sent away the Kanto starters for various reasons (granted, they've all returned multiple times for big battles).
  • Eleventh-Hour Ranger: Any of the many Pokémon - owned by Ash - which he uses during his League tornaments which he didn't frequently keep on his team travelling the present region. May overlap with Old Master, etc.
  • Five-Man Band: The main mons within each region, generally. It changes depending on the personality and dynamics during each story arc (see below).
  • Reset Button: His party reverts to just Pikachu in every season since Hoenn, thanks in no small part to the Merchandise-Driven nature of the series.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Any and all of his Pokémon that evolved.
  • True Companions

Kanto Region

Caterpie-Metapod-Butterfree (Caterpie-Trancell-Butterfree)

Pidgeotto-Pidgeot (Pigeon-Pigeot)

Bulbasaur (Fushigidane)

Charmander-Charmeleon-Charizard (Hitokage-Lizardo-Lizardon)

Squirtle (Zenigame)

Krabby-Kingler (Crab-Kingler)

Haunter (Ghost)

Primeape (Okorizaru)

Muk (Betbeton)

Tauros (30) (Kentauros)

  • Ass Shove: In "Second Time's the Charm"; you can thank a swarm of Beedrill for that.
  • Call Back: The "Beginner's Luck" strategy, which won Ash his first match at the Indigo League, was later brought up in his Orange League battle against Drake. Both battles involve, as the name suggests, a Pokémon that he has never even used before (Krabby and Tauros, respectively).
  • Dishing Out Dirt: Knows Fissure.
  • Doppelganger Spin: Knows Double Team.
  • Dub-Induced Plot Hole: All 30 of them were caught in a 4Kids-banned episode.
  • Gentle Giant: Stampeding aside, Tauros are very mild-manner - the Pokédex entry in "The Legend of Dratini" states that they are so gentle, they will only attack if provoked, and Ash's Tauros repeatedly demonstrate(s) this.
  • Horn Attack
  • Irony: Whenever Ash was trying to capture another Pokémon, the Tauros would always get in the way of the capture by stampeding in front of him. Rinse and repeat until Ash used up all his Safari Balls. Keep in mind that Tauros are one of the rarest species in the Kanto Safari Zone...
  • A Load of Bull
  • Lightning Bruiser: Even though it had never battled before, the Tauros Ash used in his battle against Drake survived a fight with Drake's Gengar, took down his Venusaur and managed to put up a good fight against his Dragonite before finally going down. It's repeatedly shown itself to be surprisingly fast in addition to hitting like a freight train.
  • Mundane Utility: on one occasion, their stampeding were used to wake up Snorlax when the lab was in need of his firepower.
  • Non-Elemental
  • The Worf Effect: Tauros was the first Pokémon to fall in the Ash vs. Gary battle, defeated rather quickly by Nidoqueen. [[Tropes Are Not Bad This wasn't badly executed, though - its defeat showed just how powerful Gary's team was, and that Ash really needed much more than power-battling in mind if he wanted to defeat his rival.

Orange Islands

Lapras (Laplace)

  • All of the Other Reindeer: When Lapras was reunited with its herd, they briefly ostracized it for associating with humans. Things got better.
  • An Ice Pokémon: Secondary type.
  • The Bus Came Back: The only Pokémon to make a significant reappearance in the anime after it was officially released into the wild.
  • Gentle Giant: Lapras in general are large, but kind creatures. This Lapras in particular is still an infant while in Ash's team.
  • Get on the Boat: Ash and company's transport through the Orange Archipelago.
  • Making a Splash: Primary type.
  • Passing the Torch: Now the leader of its herd.
  • Stock Ness Monster
  • Took a Level in Badass: By the end of the Orange Islands saga, it was able to tie with Orange Crew Champion Drake's Gengar - impressive given how it (she?) was easily intimidated by humans at the start and not so strong. Even more when it returns for one episode in Johto, all grown up.

Snorlax (Kabigon)

  • Acrofatic: Capable of some impressive running and jumping, despite his very heavy build.
    • Let's put it another way: he would win a hundred-meter race as long as there's food at the finish line.
  • An Ice Pokémon: Knows Ice Punch.
  • Berserk Button: It beat up Team Rocket (with a Hyper Beam no less) so it could get to a supply of food.
    • Just like in the games, it's not a good idea to rudely interrupt his nap, either, as Harrison's Hypno (see 'Supporting Cast') found out the hard way.
  • Big Eater
  • Breath Weapon: Knows Hyper Beam.
  • Death Glare: Gave an epic one to Harrison's Hypno. Cue Oh Crap expression and major ass-kicking.
  • Deus Exit Machina: His sleeping habit means that Ash can't rely on him for his Orange League championship match, forcing Ash to use a Tauros for the first time.
  • Gentle Giant: Unless it involves food.
  • Heavy Sleeper: Of course.
  • Implacable Mon: Not even the sea can stop his tracks.
  • Megaton Punch: Knows Mega Punch and Ice Punch.
  • Mighty Glacier: A borderline Stone Wall as well, as he can take quite a beating and still fight back. (see "Wheel of Frontier")
  • Non-Elemental
  • Stout Strength: When he sets his mind to it, he's also one of Ash's strongest Pokémon.
    • Of all Ash's Pokémon during the Silver Conference, Snorlax had the most consistent performace - in both 6-on-6 matches (against Gary and Harrison) he took out two Pokémon each and overall gave the best contribution of all his trainer's participating Pokémon.

Johto Region

Heracross (Heracros)

Chikorita-Bayleef (Chicorita-Bayleaf)

Cyndaquil-Quilava (Hinoarashi-Magmarashi)

Totodile (Waninoko)

Noctowl (Yorunozuku)

Phanpy-Donphan (Gomazou-Donfan)

Larvitar (Yogiras)


Misty (Kasumi)

Voiced by: Mayumi Iizuka (JP), Rachael Lillis (EN, 4Kids), Michele Knotz (EN, current)

The youngest of four sisters, she hasn't been blessed with her sisters' looks or charisma...luckily, however, she got all of the talent at monster battles and deadpan snark. Originally rather temperamental, with a crush on Ash that she covered with strong Tsundere tendencies; after acquiring Togepi - an infant Pokémon requiring a great deal of care - she calmed down considerably. Still has a strong fanbase that's rather bitter about her replacement by May and Dawn.

Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:

  • Action Girl
  • A Mini-Arc In The Limelight: Not Pokemon Chronicles but rather the first 8 episodes of The Whirl Islands Mini-Arc[5] Possibly compensation for her having a bus reservation for sometime in the following year.
  • Badass: A few times. In fact, more than a few times in the original series, Ash and his friends would either have not succeeded in their goal or actually end up killed, even both, had it not been for her.
  • Badass Adorable
  • Bare Your Midriff
  • Between My Legs: In the episode "Forest Grumps" her legs are used as framing during her stand-off with James and Meowth.
  • Big Eater: As seen in "The Breeding Center Secret".
  • Boyish Short Hair: She is a tomboy and has short hair that's combined with Tomboyish Ponytail.
  • Butt Monkey: She's sometimes made the butt of the joke by Ash and co. in earlier episodes, and gets into more perils than the rest of the crew (once, she was Brainwashed into thinking she was a Seel). Also that her sisters look down on her. Doesn't help that she's stuck with Psyduck, which gives her a lot of the troubles.
    • Slapstick Knows No Gender: She is also not free from any physical humor; "Primeape Goes Bananas" features her getting her face kicked to the ground by an angry Mankey, and "Pokemon Fashion Flash" has her getting barbequed by Vulpix's fire not once, but twice. The latter episode also had her getting a silly makeover at which Ash laughed himself sick upon seeing it. Butt Monkey indeed.
  • Characterization Marches On: In "Bye Bye Butterfree", she (very briefly) takes Brock's going lovesick in stride and treats it as a joke, instead of using the Ear Ache Running Gag that she'd later be perfecting.
  • The Chick: Of the "Original Series" Five-Man Band.
  • Compressed Vice: Was there ever any special fear of Gyarados before the Chronicles episode where she overcame it? There was an episode where she expressed her disdain for being identified as a Gyarados-type in a fake fortune book. It almost seemed as she hated them. Likewise, she did show concern for the appearance of many Gyarados after escaping the St. Anne.
  • Cordon Bleugh Chef: The best way to describe how her stew in the Johto episode "Sick Daze" was so bad that not even Ash could eat it when she, earlier in the series, A: created a medicine from Salveyo Weed for Ash, Tracey, and Jessie's Stun Spore sickness[6], and B: was hinted to have the cooking in Episodes 3 and 4[7].[8]
  • Deadpan Snarker
  • Demon Head: She sometimes does this when she gets mad at Ash.
  • Damsel in Distress: What she's made to look like by Meowth in episode 12. However, if you watch past the point where Ash returns with the Super Potion (fact is, true fans should have done so by now), she reveals that the Squirtle Squad wasn't really going to kill her (in the Japanese version) or turn her into a purplenette (in the English version). Ironically, Misty actually volunteered to get the super potion in the former upon learning this demand.
    • Played straight in "Pokémon Fashion Flash".
  • Early-Bird Cameo: However, Misty herself appeared in the first episode -- and became a main character -- before she was revealed to be the second Gym Leader.
  • Fiery Redhead
  • Floral Theme Naming: Sakura (cherry blossom), Ayame (iris), Botan (peony), Kasumi (baby's breath or mist). The English version keeps the joke by naming the three older girls Daisy, Violet and Lily, but chose to go for preserving the pun on Misty's favorite type over the theme name. It does, however, retain how she's the odd one out.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Misty is the responsible sibling with regards to taking care of and managing the gym better than all three of her sisters. Daisy has gotten a bit better about it, but Misty is never away from the gym too long before her sisters need her to come back.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Phlegmatic (phlegm).
  • The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: With her three sisters. Things seem a touch better of late, at least with eldest sister Daisy.
  • Green Is Blue: Her eyes vary between being green or blue (or sometimes both at the same time) between the episodes; it was especially prominent before the anime switched over to digital color. Nowadays it seems that they've settled on green, like her most recent official game artwork.
  • Hair Decorations: Either the hair tie she uses for her side ponytail or the pearl headband of her famed mermaid costume qualifies.
  • Hero Stole My Bike: Ash did it in the first episode, culminating in the series' most famous Running Gag.
  • Inferiority Superiority Complex: To an extent. She's more open about her inferiority complex than most examples in that she will (albeit rarely) talk about her experiences as the youngest of her sisters, but other than that her quick-tempered nature and violent tendencies from early on were likely due to living in their shadows.
    • And funnily enough, Misty is the only one of them who has any real passion for training Pokemon while her sisters are more obsessed with their fame as water ballet performers.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Not an extreme case but her treatment of Ash wasn't the best for someone who was just starting out (she slapped the guy on their first meeting for "not taking care of his Pikachu" despite the fact that 1) he was carrying it 2) He showed concern over it and 3) she didn't even bother to get his side of the story or wonder why they were in the river in the first place. Even diehard fans called lack of sense for that one). Yeah Ash can be a bonehead sometimes but when he was really trying and got a reward for his selflessness she usually would be quick to shoot him down (Brock and her sister giving him a medal for winning on a technically, how Charizard joined, etc). That said she did tone down over time as the series continued.
  • Kicked Upstairs: Post-season 5, she has effectively became a Gym Leader due to her sisters being out of town for three months, and it is heavily implied that she has to lose to rookies quite a bit in order to be this in a manner that is very similar to Team Rocket.
  • The Kirk
  • The Lancer: Of the "Original Series" Five-Man Band.
  • Letting Her Hair Down: A few different times, much to the delight of fans, though the instance most people remember is her mermaid getup, in which it was most probably a wig. She does let her down for real on occasion, though.
  • Little Miss Snarker
  • Mama Bear: Do not threaten Togepi.
  • Meaningful Name
  • My Friends and Zoidberg: "Three Sensational Sisters and one runt!" according to her sisters.
  • Only One Name
  • Parental Abandonment: And the triplets don't do a good job of looking after the gym or their little sister.
  • Parent Service: Her sisters are named as this.
  • Precision F-Strike: In the Japanese version, her comment about Satoshi's heaven (catching his first Pokémon) being her hell (bugs) in episode 3.
  • Promotion to Parent: To Togepi, and later Azurill.
  • Put on a Bus: Took over as her city's Gym Leader at the end of Johto.
  • Red Headed Heroine
  • The Runt At the End: Fits the definition perfectly, Odd Name Out and all. She's often teased as such by her sisters, but of course, Youngest Child Wins, and she actually happens to be the best at training Pokemon among the four.
  • Shorttank: The goddamn trope picture.
  • She's Got Legs
  • Talking the Monster to Death: Ended up doing this in an early episode that featured a gigantic Tentacruel that was destroying the city that the heroes were currently in, as it was angry that humans were polluting its waters.
  • Talking to Herself: Rachael Lillis also did Jessie and Jigglypuff.
  • Thinks Like a Romance Novel: Sometimes has overblown fantasies about love and romance, and takes it upon herself to play matchmaker on more than one occasion.
  • This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman: While she'd be there with everyone else in stopping the Crisis of the Week/Team Rocket, she wouldn't compete in sporting competitions unless they were either water-themed or girl-themed. Granted, Ash would compete in the former as well, but Misty would outdo him in those cases.
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tomboy to Daisy's Girly Girl.
    • She also acts the Tomboy to her successor May's Girly Girl.
  • Tomboyish Ponytail
  • Tsundere: Prior to getting Togepi anyway. Her "motherly" tendencies were also implied in other episodes, even the first episode when she tried to check up on Pikachu. All Togepi did was expand on it.
  • Who Wears Short Shorts?
  • Why Did It Have To Be Bug Type Pokémon? And for a little bit, Why Did It Have To Be Gyarados?

Misty's Pokémon

  • Making a Splash: Naturally. She is the Cerulean Gym Leader, after all. A lot of them also know other type moves and some are dual types.
  • Poor Predictable Rock: All of her Pokémon are water-type, except for Azurill (which evolves into the Water-type Marill) and Togetic, who was released after it evolved from Togepi.

Goldeen (Tosakinto)

Staryu (Hitodeman)

Starmie

Horsea (Tattu)

  • Bearer of Bad News: Its debut, in "Tentacool and Tentacruel".
  • Bubble Gun: Knows Bubble.
  • Out of Focus: Due to being water-bound, Horsea rarely appeared and did very little during its run (though Goldeen generally fared worse despite a longer staying time).
  • Put on a Bus: Left at the Cerulean Gym near the end of the Indigo season. Misty reclaimed it later as the new Gym Leader.
  • Smoke Out: Knows Smokescreen.
  • Trail of Ink

Psyduck (Koduck)

Togepi-Togetic (Togepy-Togechick)

Poliwag-Poliwhirl-Politoed (Nyoromo-Nyorozo-Nyorotono)

Corsola (Sunnygo)

Gyarados

Caserin (Luvdisc) (Cuserine [Lovecus])

Azurill (Ruriri)


Brock (Takeshi)

Voiced by: Yuji Ueda (JP), Eric Stuart (EN, 4Kids), Bill Rogers (EN, current)

No last name given. Originally the fearsome Pewter City Gym Leader (which he still runs every now and then), he left to travel with Ash on his journey. Eldest of 10 kids, which he had to raise on his own for almost two years after his parents left. He served as a mentor to Ash for a while before turning into a sort of older brother character.

Tropes involving him and his Pokémon include:

Holly: I'm sorry, but I'm just not interested in younger men.

  • Combat Commentator
  • Double Standard: Brock fancies himself something of a "Love Doctor", yet has also been known to hit on women involved with (or even outright married to) another man.
    • Err...not quite. He usually backs down in such instances, such as the Joy in DP 028 (who he only tried flirting with before he realised she was married).
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: while Ash and company are still in the Orange Islands, Brock is a guest of the Ketchum household, and becomes a rival to Mimey when it comes to doing the chores. It's like they're being rivals over something else.
  • Dynamic Entry: How did he first appear in the Advance Generation series? Throw Forretress as an Action Bomb against a flock of Taillow, that's what!
  • Eyes Always Shut
  • Flanderization: Started out as a mentor type, gained the lovable pervert shtick and eventually became reduced to it, attempts have been made to regain the previous role, with variable success.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble
    • Melancholic: Original series and Diamond & Pearl.
    • Phlegmatic II: Advance Generation
  • Genre Savvy:
    • There are times when he manages to dodge Croagunk's Poison Jab, or, several times when the group is in trouble, he intentionally flirts with girls to get Croagunk to pop out and free them. He also notices if Croagunk doesn't jab him "on time".
    • He has some non-Croagunk related examples. For instance, while at the Old Chataeu, Dawn and Ash are freaking out over the fridge behind him turning into an evil Rotom fridge [9]. Brock turns to look, but every time, it just turns back into a normal fridge. He does this once or twice, realizes something is up, then keeps doing it a few times until he pauses for a split second and then looks. Since Rotom was used to the pattern it had turned into a normal fridge when Brock paused, then back into a Rotom fridge when Brock looked. Anyone else would dismiss it and not bother looking again after the first two times.
  • Image Song: "Takeshi's Paradise"
  • Inexplicably Identical Individuals: Brock's family from his father's side all look or will end up looking exactly the same as him, regardless if they're male or female. Brock's mom is the only one who looks different.
  • Let's Get Dangerous: In spite of his tenure on the show, he is Out of Focus for possibly more than 90% of it. When he does get to show his stuff, however, he's very competent. Best example might be "Leave it to Brocko" from the DP saga.
  • Manly Tears: Sometimes
  • The Medic: He refocuses his goal on this at the end of DP. It helps that his Happiny had recently evolved into Chansey.
  • Mundane Utility: really mundane example: Lotad's flat head? Extra table. And, of course there's Croagunk's Poison Jab, which saw more use for you-know-what than in actual battles.
  • Noodle Incident: Asking about his stay on the Orange Islands with Prof. Ivy is not a good idea. (He does mention Ivy in the English version of the seventh movie, though.)
  • Out of Focus: For being the one traveling companion who was part of the main cast for more than ten years (only dropping out very briefly in the Orange Islands arc), they sure didn't treat him as well as they could have.
  • Overshadowed by Awesome: Increasingly so, particularly in most of Sinnoh where both of his traveling companions shared co-star status. Lampshaded in the 11th movie, where Ash and Dawn both spring into action against the Big Bad, and Brock briefly gets depressed over being left behind...literally.
    • In one episode Team Rocket review their typical plans with accompanying graphics to find out why they always fail. When they get to the step where the heroes counterattack, the graphic shows Ash commanding Pikachu and Dawn commanding Piplup to attack...while Brock just stands in the background.
  • Overused Running Gag: Thankfully, they tend to mix it up, especially with Bonsly (in a brief stint [10]) and Croagunk.
  • Parental Abandonment: They actually come back (yes, his mom was alive all this time, though 4Kids chose to ignore the plot hole they wrote themselves into), but it's understandable that Brock's less than pleased when they go on vacation and leave his 9 siblings by themselves.
  • Passing the Torch: Handed over control of the gym to his younger brother Forrest.
  • Put on a Bus: Four times! Originally, it was because the anime crew thought he might be considered an Asian stereotype to a global audience (it's his eyes). Brought back because, as it turns out, nobody cared about that. The next two times were when the Johto and Hoenn gangs went their separate ways, neither of which were very long. And most recently (and possibly permanently) after he decides to become a doctor at the end of DP.
  • Raging Stiffie: G-rated version, obviously. Basically it's gotten to the point that when he doesn't have this around Inexplicably Identical Individuals, regardless if they're male or female, he starts getting suspicious (often he's right; it's Team Rocket or someone else disguised as the nurse or officer).
  • Real Men Wear Pink: Aside from being Team Dad, he can also be classified as a Team Mom, with good reason.
  • Serial Romeo
  • The Smart Guy: Of every Five-Man Band he's been in. In "Advanced Generation", he somewhat shares the role with Max. He's also The Chosen One of Uxie, the precursor of Knowledge.
  • Something Else Also Rises: "Fleeing Tower of Sunyshore". Brock and Flint have to work together to power up the Pokémon Center's backup generator. Brock was egged on by Nurse Joy several times, causing the energy gauge of the generator to...go sky-high.
  • The Spock
  • Stalker with a Crush: how else would you describe him having that infamous "guidebook"? Or the fact that he can distinguish Jennys and Joys from each other?
  • Strong Family Resemblance: With his nine siblings and his dad.
  • Talking to Himself: Eric Stuart also did James.
  • Team Chef
  • Team Dad
  • Tempting Fate: Brock has started to realize that every time he starts swooning over Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny, Croagunk is only moments away from poison jabbing him, so he tries to control himself and back down.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone --> Yank the Dog's Chain: Oh, they do this sometimes with his hopeless flirtations. It just has a way of going straight to hell before the end of the episode.
  • Tritagonist: He's usually in the background compared the lead male and female, but sometimes the show (or at least, the current story) makes it clear that he's this (at least for the humans). This is most evident during the Galactic arc, where not only does his Croagunk get a rivalry with Saturn's Toxicroak, he's also chosen by one of the Lake Trio, along with Ash and Dawn.
  • Twin Threesome Fantasy: which actually happens. The Fantasy part being literal...
  • Supreme Chef
  • We Need a Distraction: a minor Running Gag, and he sometimes convinces others to join him in the act (Corphish [twice!], Lombre, Dawn)...
  • Wingding Eyes: Gets hearts in his eyes every time he looks at a pretty girl.
  • Word of Dante: His last name was guessed to be Harrison for a while in the early days, originating from one fan's love of actor Harrison Ford and carrying on through a mailing list and the internet at large. It occasionally shows back up.
  • The Worf Effect: In spite of his aforementioned competence, his Plot Armor is thinner than those of his friends because of their star/co-star status. If he participates in a competition or tournament that his friends also join, he's likely to either lose early on or eventually get beaten by them (not always realistically).

Brock's Pokémon

  • Dishing Out Dirt: His main type is the Rock-type. If counting sub-elements, a few of his Pokémon are also Ground and Steel types.
    • Ironically, despite priding himself in being a Rock-type specialist, the only Rock-type he caught during the series proper was Bonsly.
  • Freudian Trio:

% In Advanced Generation:

The Kirk: Mudkip/Marshtomp
The McCoy: Lotad/Lombre/Ludicolo (Hoenn) & Bonsly (Kanto)
The Spock: Forretress

% In Diamond and Pearl:

The Kirk: Bonsly/Sudowoodo
The McCoy: Happiny/Chansey
The Spock: Croagunk

  • Poor Predictable Rock: Averted, as soon as Brock stopped being the Gym Leader, he stopped having a Rock-type theme for his Pokémon team, though he tries to have at least one Rock-type Pokémon on his team. Nonetheless, he is quite firm about keeping Pewter Gym's Rock theme intact.

Onix-Steelix (Iwark-Haganeil)

  • Dishing Out Dirt: As a Onix, he was a Rock/Ground type. As a Steelix, Ground is his secondary type.
  • Extra Ore Dinary: Steelix's primary type.
  • Gentle Giant: Outside of battle. Especially prominent when he reappeared as Steelix.
  • The Worf Effect: While supposedly Brock's strongest Pokémon, it loses quite a lot (including to Meowth once, when Meowth dumped water on it and somehow finished it off with Fury Swipes). The impression is further strengthened by the fact that Onix was by far the largest of the main cast's Pokémon during the whole Kanto and Johto sagas.

Geodude (Isitsubute)

Zubat-Golbat-Crobat

Vulpix (Rokon)

Pineco-Forretress (Kunugidama-Foretos)

Lotad-Lombre-Ludicolo (Hassboh-Hasubrero-Runpappa)

Mudkip-Marshtomp (Mizugorou-Numacraw)

  • Barrier Warrior: Knows Protect.
  • Dishing Out Dirt: Marshtomp's secondary type (Ground).
  • Kuudere: Towards Brock in his first appearance. In general, he's more sweet than icy.
  • Lamarck Was Right: How else would you explain this?
  • Making a Splash
  • Overshadowed by Awesome/Can't Catch Up: The one member of the Hoenn group's starter trio that saw the least action, hence his evolution coming late, and the only one to never even reach his final stage.
  • Team Dad: Mudkip was just as mature - if not moreso - than Pikachu and tried hard to both keep the peace and take care of the younger ones. "Turning Over A New Nuzleaf" was the first great example.

Bonsly-Sudowoodo (Usohachi-Usokkie)

  • Bare-Fisted Monk: Knows Hammer Arm.
  • Casting a Shadow: Knows Fake Tears.
  • Character Tics: Sudowoodo has a habit of saluting Brock.
  • Cool Big Bro: Towards Happiny, since they seem to appear together often.
  • Cry Cute: Bonsly
  • Ditto Fighter: Knows Mimic.
  • Dishing Out Dirt: Rock type.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Bonsly...ironically, early in Sinnoh he learned Mimic and evolved into Sudowoodo an episode later.
  • Older and Wiser: As a Bonsly he was a big crybaby; after evolving, he became a hardworking, loyal battler unafraid to enter the fray and - as an added bonus - unlikely to angst. For instance, when Brock chose Coragunk over him for the cosplay competition (to win Happiny's egg), Sudowoodo gets over the crushing disappointment in seconds.
  • Out of Focus: To a degree (mostly since Croagunk was more prominent), but he still gets some shining moments of prominence and never actually decays as a tough battler.
  • Took a Level in Badass: In "Leave it to Brocko", where he evolves.
  • When Trees Attack: Even though he's actually a Rock-type.
    • In "Leave It To Brocko", they use this to their advantage to put a lost, frightened young Nuzleaf at ease, since Bonsly's tree-like appearance reassured Nuzleaf that they were friendly.
  • Yes-Man: Sudowoodo, a more endearing example than most as he's obviously very devoted to his trainer.

Croagunk (Gureggru)

Oh, c'mon! Imagination is against the law?

Happiny-Chansey (Pinpuku-Lucky)


Tracey Sketchit (Kenji)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (JP), Ted Lewis (EN, 4Kids), Craig Blair (EN, current)

A friend of Ash's, who he met on his trip to the Orange Islands. Specializes in Pokémon watching; i.e. he draws pictures of Pokémon in their natural habitat with surgical precision. Tracey primarily draws Pokémon, but there are several human subjects scattered around his various sketchbooks. Huge fan of Prof. Oak.

Tropes involving him and his Pokémon include:

  • Adventure Couple: He and Daisy fit some of the criteria, which is probably why they're often shipped together.
  • Awesome By Analysis: Tracey's typical battle style. He can predict an opponent's moves based on having seen the set-up motions before and get a counterattack going immediately, which isn't too shabby. In his initial appearance, he was able to discern upbringing problems with a group of trainers' Pokémon, and gauge how strong and well-conditioned Pikachu was with but a mere precursory glance.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Melancholic.
  • Meaningful/Punny Name: What do you think does he do in his free time? Take a wild guess.
  • Nice Guy
  • Non-Action Guy: He can battle if he has to, but he uses his Pokemon mainly for fieldwork.
  • Out of Focus: His last appearance in the series (to date) was in the very first episode of DP. He was about to appear in the Battle Subway two-parter via videophone, but the connection was cut off.
  • Overshadowed by Awesome: Both in terms of Pokémon, and character (regarding Brock). Poor guy.
  • Put on a Bus: Now Prof. Oak's assistant.
  • Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Savvy Guy to Daisy's Energetic Girl.
  • Shipper on Deck: Occasionally ran afoul of Misty by hinting at certain things...
  • Shirtless Scene: A few, accounting for his entire pre-departure fanbase.
  • The Smart Guy: Of the Orange Islands portion of the "Original Series" Five-Man Band.
  • The Spock

Tracey's Pokémon

Venonat (Kongpang)

Marill (Maril)

Scyther (Strike)


Supporting Cast

Professor Samuel Oak (Dr. Yukinari Okido)

Voiced by: Unsho Ishizuka (JP), Stuart Zagnit (EN, 4Kids), Jimmy Zoppi (EN, current)

Professor Oak comes from Pallet Town. He is Gary Oak's grandfather and gave Pikachu to Ash as a last resort after he woke up late to take one of the other three starters. His status as a semi-main character means that he shows up the most out of all the professors in the series.

Gary Oak (Shigeru Ookido)

Voiced by: Yuko Kobayashi (JP), Jimmy Zoppi (EN)

Ash's first rival when he started off as a Pokémon trainer. Gary would usually one-up Ash and take any chance to insult him when they met up, but after Ash finally defeated Gary, he soon realized that being a trainer wasn't really his calling, and has since befriended Ash and followed in his grandpa's footsteps to become a Pokémon professor.

Delia Ketchum (Hanako)

Ash's mom has got it going on.

Voiced by: Masami Toyoshima (JP), Veronica Taylor (EN, 4Kids), Sarah Natochenny (EN, current)

Ash's always-loving Mom. Not much more needs to be said about her. Just let the tropes do the talking.

  • All There in the Manual: About her having an actual job apart from just minding the house: a restaurant that she inherited from her mother.
  • Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Delia frequently and loudly reminds Ash to change his you-know-whats. Sometimes his friends are around. Sometimes there's a small crowd. Sometimes it's being filmed on live TV. However, Delia's obssession with her son's underwear is limited to the 4Kids dub.
  • And the Rest: Delia has been known to do this to her own son.

Delia: Oh, Pikachu! It's so good to see you again, oh you're so cute, I could just hug you all day -- oh, hi Ash.

  • The Atoner: In Pokémon Live, Delia feels guilty for associating herself with Giovanni as a young woman and wishes to keep Ash from learning the truth about her past.
  • Battle Butler: Well, how else shall we call Mimey?
  • Beware the Nice Ones: In some Chronicles episodes, she actually shows some skill as a trainer.
  • The Ditz: Not always, but she has her moments.
  • Former Teen Rebel: According to Pokémon Live, where she reveals she had dated a "bad boy" for a time, a "bad boy" who happened to be Giovanni.
  • Green Thumb: She enjoys gardening as her favorite hobby.
  • Hey, It's That Voice!: Both of Ash's dub actors also voiced her.
  • Hot Mom: Delia was a MILF before the term was coined. She won a bikini contest against girls half her age.
  • Idiot Hair: Delia sports an ahoge just for the sake of having one. She is neither an idiot nor mischievous.
  • Marilyn Maneuver: yes, they went there. She was just imagining it.
  • Neat Freak: Mimey. He once vaccuumed Ash in the face because he apparently hadn't taken a bath for so long.
  • Psychic Powers: Delia owns a very powerful Mr. Mime. Well, she doesn't own Mimey so much as he showed up on her doorstep and she fed him because she thought he was Ash...long story. Anyway, he's basically part of the family now.
  • Talking to Herself: Has the same voice actor as Ash and May; even after The Other Darrin, she still shares a voice actress with Ash.
  • Team Mom: Treats Ash's friends like her own children. When Ash and Misty returned to Kanto after the Orange Islands saga, they found that Delia had found a Heroic BSOD-inflicted Brock and was letting him stay at the Ketchum house while she nursed him back to health.
  • Teen Pregnancy: Delia is/was 28 years old when Ash turned 10 and started on his journey as a trainer.
  • Thanks for the Mammary: Admit it, you wish you were Pikachu right now.

Officer Jenny (Junsar)

Jenny! Oh Jenny!

Voiced by: Chinami Nishimura (JP), Megan Hollingshead, Jamie Davyous Owens, Kayzie Rogers, Maya Rosewood, and Emily Williams (EN)

If there's a town with any semblance of law enforcement, then Officer Jenny will be there.

The numerous Jennies out there exhibit the following tropes:

  • Action Girl: Being a police officer and all, Jenny is (usually) not afraid to leap into the action.
  • Biker Babe: Most of them drive a motorcycle as a preferred vehicle of choice.
  • Art Evolution: Officer Jenny got a complete makeover in the Unova region. She went from having shoulder-length hair and a blue uniform to grass-green short cropped hair with a beige uniform in Unova [dead link]. Some have commented on her appearance, saying she looks like a Butch Lesbian.
  • Between My Legs: The shot used when a Jenny first appears in Best Wishes episode 38.
  • Cowboy Cop: One particular Jenny enjoys taking down criminals with her...bowling skills. That same Jenny came all the way from Kanto just to capture Team Rocket.
  • Drives Like Crazy: The Jenny in "Pokémon Emergency!"
  • Gender Equals Breed: Ash and Co. once met a Luxray trainer named Marble, a young Jenny. As with Joy, this indicates that men have no impact on genetics in the family.
  • Genre Savvy: the Jenny in "A Poached Ego", where she instantly beats the poacher Rico by quickly stealing the Poké Ball containing his ace, Tyranitar.
  • Improbable Weapon User: "Stealing the Conversation", where one Jenny stopped criminals with a bowling ball.
  • Inexplicably Identical Individuals: Former co-Trope Namer. All Jennies look exactly alike, but each Jenny is told apart by the insignia on their hat, representing the town they're from.
  • Phrase Catcher: a Running Gag with new main characters (and Ash in Unova) is that they would always mistake the second Jenny they meet on their journey with the first one.
  • Playing with Fire: Most Jennies have a Growlithe or Arcanine.
  • Poor Predictable Rock: Though only most, since there have been Jennies that use other Pokémon as well, ranging from Luxray to Gastly.
  • Police Are Useless: Played with, as while the Jennies do try to help Ash and friends, it's usually the latter who save the day. Played completely straight, however, by the Eterna City Jenny from "A Secret Sphere of Influence".
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Most of them, but especially the Jennies in "Pokémon Emergency!" and "Spinarak Attack". The former even gives Ash a free ride to the Pokémon Center!
  • She's Got Legs: And every so often the animators decide to remind us as much.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Quite a few, like the one in "An Egg-Sitting Adventure!"
  • You Gotta Have Green Hair: In earlier episodes, it was blue.
  • Zerg Rush: The Eterna City Jenny uses this technique with a crapload of other officers to corner Nando in "A Secret Sphere of Influence".

Nurse Joy

Joy! Oh Joy! [13]

Voiced by: Ayako Shiraishi, Kikuko Inoue, and Yuriko Yamaguchi (JP); Megan Hollingshead, Bella Hudson, and Michele Knotz (EN)

Much like Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy is found anywhere that has a Pokémon center.

The numerous Joys found around the world exhibit the following tropes:

Giovanni (Sakaki)

You're just the players in my master plan!

Voiced by: Hirotaka Suzuoki (JP, original), Kenta Miyake (JP, current), Craig Blair (EN, 2nd voice), Ted Lewis (EN, 4Kids and current voice)

The boss of Team Rocket.

  • Actor Existence Failure: His original voice actor passed away towards the end of Advanced Generation, necessitating a re-casting.
  • Adaptational Villainy: Giovanni from the the original games already was a villain, but eventually ends up making a Heel Face Turn, dissolving the Team Rocket and dedicating his life to study Pokémon. This never happens in the anime, and he is portrayed as much more violent and sociopathic in his methods whenever he appears.
  • Badass: He was a Gym Leader at one point and is smoothly running his criminal enterprise without any issue. Then there was the battle with Ash where he demolished him without breaking a sweat, proving his credentials as a battler.
  • Bad Boss: Right before he was Demoted to Extra (until he became a primary antagonistic force and reminded the fans that yes, you do not mess with this man), Giovanni made the cold decision to make Jessie and James head of the blimp squad, blimps that were so old they fell apart from just one flight, which he had been intending so that the trio would crash and he could collect the insurance policy on their blimp. Yes, he was going to quite possibly kill them off.
  • Big Bad: De-facto one of the Kanto arc, back when Jessie, James and Meowth actually worked for him. He was also the Bigger Bad of the first movie, and the Big Bad of it's sequel. Afterwards he was Demoted to Extra and just sent them along on fool's errands.
    • Was restored to this role for Team Rocket's arc in Best Wishes, up until the Operation Tempest two-parter. Afterwards he dropped back Out of Focus.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: At the climax of Operation Tempest.
  • The Comically Serious: Which makes Meowth's daydreams about him all the weirder.
    • Especially the infamous one where a bunch of Pokémon...hump him.
    • Or the chibi Gene Kelly dance.
    • The Bagon and the coconut. Good Arceus Almighty, the Bagon and the coconut!.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: He owned Pokemon Land, an attraction park featuring giant robot Pokemon, implying that he is some sort of businessman, which could come along with being a Gym Leader.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: He's shown giving one to Gary by using Mewtwo. And, when he and Ash finally squared off in Best Wishes, his Persian effortlessly destroys Pikachu.
  • Demoted to Extra: At least until Best Wishes.
  • Deus Exit Machina: He goes off on some Team Rocket business just in time for Ash's eight gym battle.
  • Diabolical Mastermind: With a conqueror complex, too!
  • Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: In the 'Birth of Mewtwo' CD drama.
  • Evil Is Not a Toy: The overwhelming power of the Reveal Glass takes control of him, temporarily driving him into insanity.
    • Much earlier than that, he was using Mewtwo to curb-stomp challengers at his gym and do random tasks before he got his base destroyed from saying too much.
  • Faux Affably Evil: He's cultured, civilized, and intelligent...and one of the most repulsive people in the series. His attitude towards his enemies is one of condescension at best and derision at worst.
  • The Faceless: Until Gary fights him.
  • Freudian Excuse: He describes his mother in rather...caressing tones in the CD drama, but his mother seems cold towards him and refers to him only as her 'brat boy'. This probably caused him to become eviler than her, as part of a means to prove himself. He may have something of an Inferiority Superiority Complex in this case..
  • Graceful Loser: The resolution to Operation Tempest shows he knows when to cut his losses.
  • Infinity+1 Sword: In the first movie, it's explained how he aquired Mewtwo...and later on, how it destroyed the Team Rocket HQ.
  • Knight of Cerebus
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: He and all his Team Rocket agents (save the TRio) had their memories of Mewtwo wiped by the Mon in question towards the end of Mewtwo Returns.
  • Laughing Mad: [In the climax for Operation Tempest.]
  • Made of Iron: Please remember, Giovanni survived Mewtwo destroying his headquarters with nothing more than a few scrapes and a bad attitude. He also survived a huge super-charged Electro Ball from Pikachu. Being Made of Iron must be a prerequisite for joining Team Rocket.
  • Magnificent Bastard: That his criminal empire is still standing speaks for itself.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Of Mewtwo initially claiming that the two were partners to get him to work for Giovanni. That was until Gio got cocky enough to tell Mewtwo to its face that he lied and considered the Pokemon his most powerful puppet. Mewtwo blew up one of his headquarters in response and escaped while Gio was showhow unharmed from it.
  • Man of Wealth and Taste: Part of being such a Magnificent Bastard.
  • Milking the Giant Cow: [Shown here.]
  • Mr. Exposition: Had a Basil Exposition role towards Jessie, James, and Meowth early into Best Wishes.
  • The Other Darrin: His seiyuu had to be replaced when Hirotaka Suzuoki died. Zig Zagged in the dub where after the entire show was recast, he was played by Craig Blair in two episodes of season 10. Then Ted Lewis, his original voice actor, returned to the role and has been doing it ever since.
  • Right-Hand-Cat: Persian. In the anime inspired Yellow version, he uses it to battle!
  • Screw the Rules, I Have Money and/or Screw the Rules, I Have a Nuke: Mewtwo. Or the Meteonite. Or the Kami Trio.
  • The Sociopath: Shows himself to be this from time to time, especially in Mewtwo Returns.
  • The Unfought: Until Operation Tempest in Best Wishes.
  • Vile Villain Saccharine Show
  • Would Hurt a Child: Unsurprisingly, he was willing to crush Ash to death to convince Meloetta to further his plans in Operation Tempest.

Todd Snap (Toru)

Voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi (JP), Jimmy Zoppi (ENG)

An enthusiastic Pokémon photographer, Todd Snap loves taking photos of Pokémon in their natural habitat and learns from Ash how to properly understand their feelings. In his first appearance, he tries to catch a photo of Pikachu after misunderstanding Team Rocket's request to "catch" Pikachu. He becomes a travelling companion to Ash, Misty and Brock for a short while before departing to explore Kanto's mountain region. He reunites with his friends in Johto, trying to snap Articuno whilst accompanied by Jigglypuff. He is fittingly the star of Pokémon Snap.

Ritchie (Hiroshi)

Voiced by: Minami Takayama (JP), Tara Jayne (EN)

Cassidy and Butch (Yamato and Kosaburo)

Voiced by: Masako Katsuki and Takehito Koyasu (JP), Megan Hollingshead, Andi Whaley, Emily Williams, and Eric Stuart and Jimmy Zoppi (EN)

Two recurring agents of Team Rocket, Cassidy and Butch are far more competent than Jessie, James and Meowth and wear the tradition Team Rocket black uniform rather than the trio's white outfits. They started to suffer from Villain Decay in Pokémon Chronicles.

Doctor Namba

Voiced by: Ichiro Nagai (JP), Jimmy Zoppi (EN)

Team Rocket's resident chief Mad Scientist, Dr. Namba seems to be Cassidy and Butch's superior officer. He's got a Badass Mustache.

Professor Felina Ivy (Dr. Uchikido)

Voiced by: Keiko Han (JP), Kayzie Rogers (EN)

Professor Ivy lives in the Orange Islands. She was introduced for little more reason than to give the GS Ball to Ash, Misty, and Brock.

She exhibits the following tropes:

Casey (Nanako)

Voiced by: Nina Kumagaya (JP), Kara Edwards (EN)

One girl fan of baseball and recurrent character in Johto. Appeared in three episodes in the Johto series, in one of the openings in Johto, side to side with Ritchie and Gary and participated of two Chronicles episodes, one as the main character.

Harrison (Hazuki)

One of the participants of the Silver Conference. Originates from Hoenn and was responsible for defeating Ash.

Duplica (Imite)

Voiced by: Orine Fukushima (JP), Megan Hollingshead (EN)

A girl who manages her own theater, putting on performances for any travelers who happen to stop by.

Jigglypuff (Purin)

Voiced by: Mika Kanai (JP), Rachael Lillis (EN)

A cute, pink, balloon-like Pokémon who becomes a recurring character up until the Hoenn arc. Desiring to sing her beautiful song, Jigglypuff randomly pops up now and again to attempt her dream. However, her power causes people to fall asleep, and oblivious to this side effect, Jigglypuff assumes her victims are humiliating her, prompting her to use her marker pen (her microphone) to draw on their faces.


Kanto Gym Leaders

  • Long Bus Trip: The only Gym that was visited during the Battle Frontier saga, which was placed in Kanto instead of Hoenn [14], was the Pewter Gym. Misty traveled with the group at the beginning of the arc, but she parted ways just outside of Cerulean City.
  • One Episode Wonder: Lt. Surge, Erika & Koga.
  • Out of Focus: In the anime, compared to several other mediums (most notably Pokémon Special, where several were even Team Rocket agents). Even the Johto Gym Leaders (most of them, anyway) didn't get it this bad.

Pewter Gym

Forrest (Jiro)

Voiced by: Romi Park (JP), Andy Rannells (EN, 4Kids), Joanna Burns (EN, current).

The oldest of the Brocklings after Brock, Forrest is one of Pewter City's gym leaders, sharing the position with his parents. He finally becomes the sole official Gym Leader after passing a test posited by the PIA.

Flint (Muno)

Lola (Mizuho)

Cerulean Gym

Daisy (Sakura)

Voiced by: Rei Sakuma (JP), Lisa Ortiz (EN)

Misty's eldest sister. Got a large role in two of the Chronicles specials, proving surprisingly popular in the process.

Violet (Ayame) & Lily (Botan)

Violet voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami, (JP) Rachel Lillis (EN)
Lily voiced by: Yōko Asada (JP), Megan Hollingshead (EN)

The middle siblings in Misty's family. Share several tropes with Daisy (above).

Lt. Surge (Mathis)

  • The Brute: Surge is practically the largest human in the anime; his fighting style with his Raichu also reflects this.
  • Dark-Skinned Blond: Though it's more of a healthy tan.
  • Drill Sergeant Nasty: Possibly, judging by his attitude towards strength and power.
  • Eagle Land: Flavor 2, in contrast to the games where he's a Flavor 1. His new-earned respect for Ash (after defeating him) shows some Flavor 1, though - he's a bit of both with emphasis on the 2nd.
  • Graceful Loser: All Gym Leaders tend to be this, but even knowing Surge's attitude made him the most surprising of the bunch.
  • Gratuitous English: In the original Japanese.
  • Jerkass/Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He often belittled his opponents and mocked Ash for not evolving his Pikachu right away. His Raichu's defeat at the hands of Pikachu humbled him and he showed his respect towards Ash.
  • Precision F-Strike: Lets off a "Goddamn!" in the Japanese version.
  • Shock and Awe: Seeing his Raichu defeated by Pikachu.
  • "Wake-Up Call" Boss: Surge is also remembered as the first Gym Leader who didn't just give Ash a badge for a random good deed.

Sabrina (Natsume)

  • Adaptation Dye Job: From blue/black hair (in the games), to dark green (in the anime).
  • Ax Crazy: A more controlled, tranquil version of this, but Sabrina is clearly nuts, clearly dangerous to anyone who crosses her way, is the only Gym Leader (aside from Giovanni, of course) you could truly call "evil", and has the power to warp reality for little provocation. Before Ash and his Haunter made her sane again, she routinely turned anyone who lost to her into toys for her split personality to play with, usually in highly dangerous ways (bowling, anyone?). No wonder her gym is nigh deserted most of the time.
  • Badass
  • Creepy Doll
  • Creepy Monotone
  • Defeat Means Friendship: Or to explain it in episodes in which Ash faces her in battle: Defeat means being doomed to spend an eternity playing with her split personality.
    • Defeating Sabrina, on the other hand, ends up redeeming her (though it was done unconventionally - due to her telepathic link with Kadabra, neither of them were able to continue battling after Haunter made her laugh and reignited the flame of her human soul).
  • Emotionless Girl: Her state of being until Haunter and Ash helped her reconnect with her humanity, causing a Split Personality Merge.
  • Enfant Terrible: When she was a child, after developing psychic powers. This catches up to her, with her split personality being the playful little girl who was buried by the obsessive psychic perfectionist.
  • Heel Face Turn
  • Knight of Cerebus
  • One Arc Wonder
  • Playing Against Type: Who's more shocking, Chibiusa or Lina Inverse?
  • Psychopathic Manchild: Her split personality, manifested by a Creepy Doll.
  • Psychic Powers
  • Redemption Earns Life: In more than one way - Ash's determination to beat her not only turned her good, but essentially saved her soul as well.
  • Split Personality
  • That One Boss: In-Universe, even many of the more powerful Gym Leaders later in the series weren't as much of a pain for Ash to battle as Sabrina - who else did he have to challenge thrice (though to be fair, the second time there was no actual battle).
  • When She Laughs
  • You Gotta Have Green Hair

Erika

  • Adaptation Dye Job: From black hair in the games to blue.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen: Towards Ash.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Apparently thinks that badmouthing her perfume shop is enough reason to disallow challengers access to her Gym. She does accept Ash's direct challenge, though, and give him the badge in gratitude for saving her Gloom's life.
    • Considering Brock and Erika herself said gym leaders have to accept all challenges, Ash should have reported her to the league for her immature behavior.
      • It should be noted that she says nothing of the sort in the original Japanese version, meaning that even if her reasons were petty, she did have a right to refuse his challenge. It's implied she only accepted face-to-face in order to badmouth him/kick his ass.
  • Green Thumb: She specialises in Grass types:
  • Hannibal Lecture: Tries this with Ash during their Gym Battle by criticising his "lack of compassion" towards his Pokémon, either to demoralise him or to teach him a lesson.
  • Ojou
  • Poisonous Pokémon: Gloom and Weepinbell's secondary type.
  • What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: Insulting perfume constitutes for you getting banned from her gym.
  • Yamato Nadeshiko
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Koga (Kyou)

Blaine (Katsura)


Kanto Elite Four

Lorelei (Kanna)

  • An Ice Pokémon: She has Ice Pokémon.
  • Break the Haughty: Ash had been getting a pretty big head about his winning streak, and even tries to goad Lorelei by claiming she is afraid to battle him. Sure, one of the best trainers in the region is intimidated by a random big mouth.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: Lorelei's Slowbro makes quick work of Charizard.
  • Dub Name Change: Was called Prima in the English dub of the series, rumor has it that it was due to trying to match the mouth movements. (Namely due to how "Prima" has the same amount of syllables as "Kanna" which is her name in the Japanese version.) But in Pokémon Puzzle League for the N64, her name was restored to Lorelei.
  • Even the Girls Want Her: People often joke that this is how Misty reacted to her in Lorelei's episode in the series.
  • Hotter and Sexier: While Lorelei was never ugly to begin with in the anime they made her body to be considerably "curvier" sort to speak, though Pokémon Puzzle League for the N64 plays around with this by even making her personality a little bit flirty.
  • Meaningful Name: Lorelei is known as Kanna in Japan which means "Well Blossomed Flower" which did cause some dirty jokes about how "Well Blossomed" she is.
  • Meganekko
  • Ms. Fanservice
  • One-Scene Wonder: Was only in one episode of the anime.
  • Sexy Mentor: Tried to be one to Ash in her only episode in the anime series.

Bruno (Shiba)

  • Ambiguously Brown
  • Broken Pedestal: A subversion, after Ash and Brock begged Bruno to take them as students Bruno agreed to it as long as they do what he says. However to Bruno it was a rather transparent plot to get Ash and Brock to do some chores for him in which he inevitably admitted to that. Brock tried to do a sneak attack on Bruno in which Brock almost knocked Bruno out and over the course of the episode Misty suspects that Bruno is a phony. However Bruno definitely proves how powerful he is while giving them a lesson in The Power of Friendship while taming a wild Onix.
  • Charles Atlas Superpower: His strength and agility does slightly border on being superhuman.
  • Gentle Giant: Became one in Pokémon Puzzle League for the N64.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Is the only Elite Four member mentioned here in this page whom Ash got to meet before he went through the Kanto Pokémon League.
  • One-Scene Wonder: Alike the aforementioned Lorelei, he was only in one episode.
  • Rated "M" for Manly: The reason why Ash and Brock wanted to become his students.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene

Agatha (Kikuko)

  • Cool Old Lady: She may have been a really late cameo as a temporary gym leader of Viridian City and does not do all that much more than that but at least she certainly gets to show off her skills as a Pokémon Trainer.
  • One-Scene Wonder: Like Lorelei and Bruno she was only in one episode of the series so far.

Lance (Wataru)


Johto Gym Leaders

Faulkner (Hayato)

Bugsy (Tsukushi)

Whitney (Akane)

Morty (Matsuba)

  • The Bus Came Back: Returned in "For Ho-Oh The Bells Toll".
  • Elemental Powers: He uses Ghost type Pokémon.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: He has little reason to believe that Ash truly saw Ho-Oh (a Pokémon last seen three centuries ago), but he doesn't completely dismiss the notion and later, impressed by Ash's victory and "spirit", he concedes his challenger may indeed have seen Ho-Oh. He's also quite forgiving of their disturbing the Pokémon that live at the Burned Tower.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to his friend Eusine's red.
  • The Stoic: He doesn't show an excess of emotion and mostly expresses himself with controlled smiles or frowns.
  • Talking To Ghost Pokémon: Though unlike most examples, Morty mastered this through practice rather than inherent talent.

Chuck (Shijima)

Jasmine (Mikan)

Pryce (Yanagi)

Clair (Ibuki)

  1. ↑ minus Butterfree and Pidgeot
  2. ↑ where he limited himself to using only the mons he caught in the region
  3. ↑ or, at least, all Pokémon at that point in time (during the Battle Frontier arc)
  4. ↑ "Charizard Chills" has him scratching at his neck with his feet, and in their reunion in "Great Bowls of Fire", Charizard licked Ash and Pikachu affectionately.
  5. ↑ A 16-Episode Filler Arc which occurred between Ash's battles for his 5th and 6th Johto badges. You know, when most players would just use Fly.
  6. ↑ which, if she were a true Lethal Chef, the "medicine" would have turned out to be poison
  7. ↑ when they arrived in Pewter City, Ash commented that it's been two weeks since he started his journey, indicating that they spent at least 13 days in Viridian Forest, and given how Ash handled his first day, its unlikely he would have been the one who cooked
  8. ↑ What happened in that particular episode was that she confused her ingredients and didn't just dump the mixture cutting her losses.
  9. ↑ For those who don't understand, the two were previously chased by fans, lawnmowers, and washing machines that were inhabited by Rotom, and now the fridge is being inhabited, and the change is visually noticeable
  10. ↑ he uses Double-Edge
  11. ↑ When he was called out to battle the leader of a school of Sharpedo, Lotad quickly noticed something was wrong (Sharpedo had been poisened by Jessie's Seviper), and along with Brock stayed by Sharpedo's side, even overnight. He was quite ecstatic to see that Sharpedo seemed to be recovering, and had its fin wrapped around Brock's back
  12. ↑ when Brock was sincere in helping the girl-of-the-day
  13. ↑ A one-woman man's what I wanna be, but there's two perfect girls for me!
  14. ↑ to advertise FireRed/LeafGreen
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