List of Pokémon anime characters

This article is about the characters in the anime TV series. For the characters in the whole franchise, see List of Pokémon characters. For the characters in the manga series, see List of Pokémon Adventures characters. For the creatures known as "Pokémon", see List of Pokémon.

Pokémon, known in Japan as Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター, Poketto Monsutā), is a Japanese anime television series based on the Pokémon video game series published by Nintendo. It began broadcasting on TV Tokyo on April 1, 1997, in association with MediaNet (formerly TV Tokyo MediaNet and Softx) and Shopro, stands for Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd. (formerly Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd.). The series follows protagonist Ash Ketchum for the majority of its run. He is a young boy who strives to become a "Pokémon Master," often seeking to become Champion- the strongest trainer of a given "region"- as a result. These travels lead through various regions, various continent-like landmasses that inhabit a wider world. On his journey, he encounters many other characters, who often appear as main characters who accompany him on his travels, or as recurring characters which reappear throughout the series. He is succeeded as main character by Liko, who accompanies a travelling band of explorers known as the Rising Volt Tacklers to travel the world.

In the world of Pokémon, Pokémon are animal-like creatures with special, elemental attributes- known as Types- which can be captured by special capture devices known as "Poke Balls." Humans who wield these Pokémon often befriend them and can use them for a variety of things. One goal is that of the Gym Challenge, which involves a human- known as a Pokémon Trainer- challenging specials "Gyms" headed by "Gym Leaders." Defeating a Leader allows a Trainer to obtain a Badge, of which eight are needed in order to register to participate in a Tournament, the winner of whom often moving on to either battle the Region's Champion- the Strongest Trainer in the Region- or their respective Elite Four, who are strong Trainers that must be battled before the Champion.

Other avenues for Trainers include Contests, which are beauty-pageant like events where Trainers- here named Coordinators- must compete to gain "Ribbons." Those with enough Ribbons can move onto a Grand Festival, where a Top Coordinator will be determined. There are also numerous antagonistic organizations that act as villains in the series, the most prominent of which is Team Rocket, with a specific trio acting as recurring characters for a large portion of the show's run.

Protagonists

Ash Ketchum (サトシ, Satoshi)

Voiced by: Rica Matsumoto; Hana Takeda (young, JN001) (Japanese); Veronica Taylor (4Kids); Sarah Natochenny (TPCI) (English)

Ash Ketchum is the main protagonist of the Pokémon anime for the first twenty-five seasons. A ten-year-old Pokémon trainer, he travels with many traveling companions throughout the series. Ash's dream is to become a "Pokémon Master", and as a result often attempts to defeat the Pokémon League− a competition of the strongest Trainers in a given region− in whatever region he is in. Though his attempts are typically unsuccessful, he eventually succeeded in becoming a regional Champion, and later defeated Leon to become crowned as the "Monarch."

Misty (カスミ, Kasumi)

Voiced by: Mayumi Iizuka (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (4Kids), Michele Knotz (TPCI) (English)

Misty is one of Ash's travelling companions who first appeared in the original series. She was one of the four gym leaders of Cerulean City along with her three older sisters, and after the original series Misty became the sole Gym Leader of Cerulean City Gym. After her departure from the series, Misty reappeared in Advanced Generation, Sun & Moon, and Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

Brock (タケシ, Takeshi)

Voiced by: Yūji Ueda (Japanese); Eric Stuart (4Kids), Bill Rogers (TPCI) (English)

Brock is the former Pewter City Gym Leader and a ladies' man. In his earliest appearances, Brock has dreams of being the world's best Pokémon breeder, though in later series he instead aspires to be a doctor. There is a running gag in the series where Brock falls in love with every girl he meets and is either pulled away by the ear by Misty or Max or is hit with his Croagunk's Poison Jab. Brock stayed on the series for several seasons, eventually leaving at the end of the Diamond and Pearl series. Brock had guest appearances in Sun & Moon and Journeys.

Tracey Sketchit (ケンジ, Kenji)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Ted Lewis (4Kids, TPCI (Current)), Craig Blair (TPCI, season 9) (English)

One of Ash's traveling companions in Orange Islands, Tracey Sketchit is a Pokémon watcher, someone who studies Pokémon in the field similarly to bird watchers. He later becomes an assistant to Professor Oak after the end of the Orange Islands.

May and Max (ハルカ and マサト, Haruka and Masato)

Voiced by: Kaori Suzuki (May) and Fushigi Yamada (Max) (Japanese); Veronica Taylor (4Kids), Michele Knotz (TPCI) Amy Birnbaum (4Kids); Kayzie Rogers (TPCI) (Max) (English)

May is the daughter of the Petalburg City Gym Leader, Norman and the older sister of Max. She meets Ash in Advanced Generation and starts traveling with him after obtaining her first Pokémon, Torchic. She takes interest in Pokémon Contests, competitions focusing on a Pokémon's appearance or appeal. She departs at the end of Pokémon: Battle Frontier, though she later reappears in Pokémon the Series; Diamond and Pearl and Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

Max is May's younger brother, who acts as one of the group's travelling companions in the Hoenn-associated series, and he leaves the series at the end of Pokémon: Battle Frontier.

Dawn (ヒカリ, Hikari)

Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese); Emily Bauer (English)

Dawn is a Pokémon Coordinator who travels with Ash and Brock in Sinnoh. Following in her mother's footsteps as a Coordinator- a trainer who partakes in Pokémon Contests- she chooses Piplup and sets out with the goal of becoming Top Coordinator. She eventually departs at the end of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. She later reappeared in Pokémon the Series: Black & White and Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

Iris (アイリス, Airisu, Iris)

Voiced by: Aoi Yūki (Japanese); Eileen Stevens(Season 14-Season 24), Anairis Quiñones (Current) (English)

One of Ash's companions in Black and White series. Iris hails from a village where Dragon-type Pokémon are a major focus. She notably travels with an Axew. She reappears in Pokémon Journeys series, where she is revealed to have become the Champion of the Unova region: the strongest trainer in the region. She battles Cynthia in the Masters Eight tournament, only to lose.

Cilan (デント, Dento, Dent)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese); Jason Griffith (English)

Cilan is a Pokémon Connoisseur who has the ability to determine the compatibility between Pokémon and their trainers. He travels with Ash in Black and White series. He is one of the Gym Leaders of the Unova Region, a position he shares with his brothers Chili and Cress, but he leaves his post to join Ash and Iris on their journey. He has numerous hobbies seen throughout the series such as fishing, cinema and subway trains. He has the Grass-type Pokémon Pansage as his partner. He acts as a mentor figure to Ash and Iris. He reappears Pokémon the Series: XYZ and Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

Serena (セレナ, Serena)

Voiced by: Mayuki Makiguchi (Japanese); Haven Burton-Paschall (English)

Serena is a Pokémon Performer, who acts as one of Ash's travelling companions in Pokémon the Series: XY. She met Ash in her youth, and after seeing him on TV many years later, decides to join him on his journey. She partakes in Pokémon Showcases- beauty pageant-like contests- in an attempt to become the "Kalos Queen," an honorary title for the best Performer. At the end of the series, she prepares to compete in the Pokémon Contests that occur in Hoenn. Before parting, she gives Ash a kiss. She returned in Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, where she encouraged Chloe to perform at the Lilycove City Pokémon Contest.

Clemont and Bonnie (シトロン and ユリーカ, Shitoron and Yurīka, Citron and Eureka)

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (Clemont), Mariya Ise (EP803-887, 903–942); and Mika Kanai (EP888-902) (Bonnie) (Japanese); Michael Liscio Jr. (Clemont) and Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (Bonnie) (English)

Clemont is an Electric-type Gym Leader from Lumiose City. He is a young inventor and always has a large backpack that contains numerous strange gadgets, most of which explode. He travels with Ash during the XY series to become a better Gym Leader. This culminates when Ash challenges and successfully defeats Clemont at the Lumiose Gym, acquiring his fifth badge in Kalos. Before Ash leaves Kalos, he asks for one final battle with Ash, and the result is not revealed to the audience. He returns in Pokémon Journeys: The Series alongside Bonnie.

Bonnie is Clemont's younger sister. Bonnie, due to her youth, cannot have a Pokémon yet, and thus has Clemont catch a Dedenne for her, which acts as her partner throughout the series. She later befriended one of Zygarde's cores, which she affectionately nicknamed "Squishy" and developed a close friendship with. A running gag involves her attempt to get other women to marry her brother, though Clemont often drags Bonnie away before it gets anywhere.

Lana (スイレン, Suiren)

Voiced by: Hitomi Kikuchi (Japanese); Rosie Reyes (English)

Lana is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in Sun and Moon series. She is a master in fishing and loves Water-type Pokémon.

Kiawe (カキ, Kaki)

Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa (Japanese); Marc Swint (English)

Among the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in the Sun and Moon series, Kiawe is the oldest and most experienced, being the only among them to have obtained a Z-Ring, which allows him to use "Z-Moves." He runs a dairy farm on Akala Island along with his parents. He specializes in Fire-type Pokémon, due to being inspired by his grandfather's words.

Lillie (リーリエ, Rīrie, Lillie)

Voiced by: Kei Shindō (Japanese); Laurie Hymes (English)

Lillie is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in the Sun and Moon series. Hailing from a very rich family, she loves to study and usually helps the other students with their research, but has an inherent fear of touching any kind of Pokémon due to an incident involving Nihilego in her youth. She eventually overcomes her fears by the end of the series, and eventually departs to the world to try and find her missing father, Mohn. She later reunites with him in Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

Sophocles (マーマネ, Māmane)

Voiced by: Fumiko Takekuma (Japanese); Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (English)

Sophocles is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in Sun and Moon series. He specializes in Electric-type Pokémon and is good with machines.

Mallow (マオ, Mao)

Voiced by: Reina Ueda (Japanese); Rebecca Soler (Sun & Moon); Emily Cramer (Journeys) (English)

Mallow is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in Sun and Moon series. She specializes in Grass-type Pokémon. She is a dedicated chef who works at her family's restaurant.

Goh (ゴウ, Gō)

Voiced by: Daiki Yamashita; Kei Shindō (young, JN001) (Japanese); Zeno Robinson (English)

Goh is a Pokémon Trainer who meets Ash in Pokémon Journeys: The Series and travels with Ash throughout the world. His dream is to catch every Pokémon to work his way up to capturing the rare and Mythical Pokémon Mew. He was lonely in his youth, with Chloe being his only friend. He later ends up joining Project Mew, an organization dedicated to researching and finding Mew.

Liko (リコ, Liko)

Voiced by: Minori Suzuki (Japanese); Alejandra Reynoso (English)

The female protagonist of the Horizons series, she is a trainer from Cabo Poco in the Paldea region who owns a mysterious pendant which was given to her by her grandmother, Diana, which is actually the Legendary Pokémon Terapagos in a dormant state. After she is targeted by the organization known as The Explorers for her pendant, she joins The Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of travelling explorers, in order to travel the world.

Roy (ロイ, Roy)

Voiced by: Yuka Terasaki (Japanese); Anjali Kunapaneni (English)

The male protagonist of the Horizons series, he is a trainer from Kanto who joins the Rising Volt Tacklers after encountering a mysterious Shiny Rayquaza.

Rising Volt Tacklers

The Rising Volt Tacklers (ライジングボルテッカーズ, Rising Volteccers) are adventurers in the Horizons series who travel the world through their airship, the Brave Olivine, to learn secrets of mysteries and discover them, especially if they are Pokémon.

• Friede (フリード, Furīdo, Freed)

Voiced by: Taku Yashiro (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)

The commander of the Rising Volt Tacklers who is a Pokémon professor. His partner Pokémon are a Pikachu nicknamed Captain Pikachu that captains the group's airship and a Charizard. Friede used to be a researcher, but lost interest and mostly hung out on Ludlow's boat. When he met Liko's mother, Lucca, she showed him a Pikachu that wanted to soar high in the skies reigniting his researcher skills and passion. Because of this interest, he formed the Rising Volt Tacklers alongside Ludlow and Orla.

• Orla (オリオ, Orio, Orio)

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Mara Junot (English)

An engineer of the team who is a machine enthusiast. Her partner Pokémon are a Metagross and an Elekid. It's revealed that she was childhood friends with Friede and they grew up together in Kanto, before she moved away to Hoenn. Orla once worked on the docks in Slateport City, Hoenn, until she met Ludlow and reunited with Friede, the latter of which asked her to use her mechanical skills to convert Ludlow's fishing boat into an airship, the Brave Olivine.

• Mollie (モリー, Morī)

Voiced by: Kei Shindō (Japanese); Erica Mendez (English)

A healing specialist of the team. Her partner Pokémon is a Chansey. Mollie is revealed to come from a family of doctors and did pursue that career at a young age. However, rather than working in a Pokémon Center, she decided to join the Rising Volt Tacklers as to help various Pokémon around the world she came across.

• Murdock (マードック, Mādokku)

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese); Major Attaway (English)

A chef of the team who is skilled in his craft. He is Dot's uncle. His partner Pokémon are a Rockruff and an Alcremie. Murdock used to work as a patisserie chef selling strawberry flavored cakes alongside his friend and coworker, Mitchell, who made matcha flavored cakes. However, when Murdock's Milcery evolved into Alcremie and helped further improved Murdock's skills, a rift between the two pastry chefs ensued which ended their partnership. Fortunately, Murdock did reunite and made amends with Mitchell.

• Ludlow (ランドウ, Randō, Landau)

Voiced by: Ikkyū Juku (Japanese); Larry Kenney (English)

A fisherman of the team. His partner Pokémon are a Quagsire and Sharpedo. Ludlow is a former mentor of Friede, who frequently hung out with Ludlow on his fishing boat. After Friede met a Pikachu, which became Captain Pikachu, Ludlow lended his boat to Friede and allowed it to become the airship, the Brave Olivine. He also has a superhero alter ego known as Mighty G.

• Dot (ドット, Dotto)

Voiced by: Yoshino Aoyama (Japanese); Faye Mata (English)

A popular online streamer who goes by the alias Nidothing (ぐるみん, Gurumin). As an influencer, she acts perky and uses exaggerated methods as well as providing advice to beginner trainers. Dot spends most of her time in her quarters making videos, though she got to know Liko and Roy more as well as reveal her Nidothing persona to Liko. She is Murdock's niece. Her partner Pokémon are a Quaxly and Tinkatink.

Rivals

• Gary Oak (オーキド・シゲル, Ōkido Shigeru, Shigeru Ōkido)

Voiced by: Yuko Kobayashi (Japanese); James Carter Cathcart (Season 1-25, ending in "In the Palm of our Hands!"), SungWon Cho (Current) (English)

Gary Oak is Ash's childhood rival. Gary hails from Pallet Town and is the grandson of Professor Oak. Like Ash, Gary collects Gym Badges and competes in Pokémon League tournaments in Kanto and Johto. At first, Gary is arrogant, but after losing to a more powerful opponent in the Indigo League, Gary experiences a change of heart. After losing to Ash in the Johto League, Gary decides to pursue a career in Pokémon research, ending his rivalry with Ash. Gary eventually works with Professor Rowan in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. He returns in Journeys, where he takes part in Project Mew, an organization attempting to locate the Mythical Pokémon Mew.

• Ritchie (ヒロシ, Hiroshi)

Voiced by: Minami Takayama (Japanese); Tara Sands (English)

Ritchie is a traveling Pokémon trainer from the Kanto region. Ritchie first appears during the Indigo League, where he meets and forms a friendship with Ash. Ritchie defeats Ash, but then loses his next match. Afterward, Ash and Ritchie part ways but pledge an oath to become Pokémon Masters. Ritchie re-appears in Pokémon: Master Quest and is a major protagonist in Pokémon Chronicles.

• Drew (シュウ, Shū)

Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese); Oliver Wyman (4Kids); Bill Rogers (TPCi) (English)

Drew is an experienced Pokémon Coordinator who acts as May's rival. May and Drew continue their rivalry throughout the series, but May eventually manages to defeat Drew at the Indigo League Grand Festival. At the end of Pokémon: Battle Frontier, he heads towards to Johto to compete in more contests along with May and Harley, another coordinator.

• Harley (ハーリー, Hārī, Harley)

Voiced by: Jun'ichi Kanemaru (Japanese); Andrew Rannells (4Kids); Billy Regan (TPCi) (English)

Arrogant, flamboyant and proud, Harley is a Pokémon Coordinator and May's sinister rival. During their first meeting, Harley takes May's unwitting comments as insults to his abilities and he takes an instant dislike to her. Since then, Harley takes every opportunity to sabotage May before her contests.

• Morrison (マサムネ, Masamune)

Voiced by: Masako Nozawa (Japanese); Sean Schemmel (English)

Morrison is Ash's rival in the Hoenn region, and is a spirited person who likes to challenge other people to almost everything and never gives up in battle. Owing to this, he always challenges Ash to various events such as Pokémon battles or even a food eating contest.

• Paul (シンジ, Shinji)

Voiced by: Kiyotaka Furushima (Japanese); Julian Rebolledo (English)

Paul is a roaming Pokémon trainer from Veilstone City in Sinnoh. As a Pokémon Trainer, Paul is experienced and has traveled across the regional areas of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh, much like Ash. During Diamond and Pearl series, he begins to travel through Sinnoh, where he meets and develops a rivalry with Ash. Paul is a grumpy and serious trainer whose only concern towards Pokémon is their ability to act in battle, believing that forming bonds with Pokémon dilutes their potential. He shows respect for strong trainers, such as Champion Cynthia, but he never respects Trainers who he deems weak, and sometimes openly shows rudeness to others in battle. After a defeat by Pyramid King Brandon, Paul was forced to fix his attitude as well as understand that strength was not everything. He ultimately loses his final battle against Ash in the Sinnoh League. He later reunites with Ash in Pokémon Journeys: The Series. He helps train Ash's Pokémon for the Masters Eight tournament, and it is revealed he has become a Gym Leader as well as mellowing out most of his poor attitude.

• Zoey (ノゾミ, Nozomi)

Voiced by: Risa Hayamizu (Japanese); Emlyn Morinelli McFarland (English)

Zoey is an experienced Pokémon coordinator from Snowpoint City in Sinnoh and Dawn's rival. She often gives out helpful advice and helps out in certain situations to Dawn. Zoey is initially disdainful of those who participate in both Gym battles and contests because she believes that trainers who divide their efforts do not full-heartedly compete in both disciplines. However, she changes her outlook as she meets trainers who are able to successfully manage both while respecting the hard work required. Zoey competes against Dawn in Pokémon Contests, and eventually defeats Dawn in the Grand Festival.

• Kenny (ケンゴ, Kengo)

Voiced by: Yūko Mita (Japanese); Rhonda Krempa (Season 10–12), Erica Schroeder (Current) (English)

Kenny is one of Dawn's childhood friends and a rival. He frequently calls her by her nickname, "Dee Dee" (ピカリ, Pikari), a nickname from their childhood that Dawn actively dislikes. Kenny competes against Dawn in Pokémon Contests, but is unable to make it to the Grand Festival. Kenny is revealed to have romantic feelings towards Dawn and eventually challenges Ash to a battle with the outcome determining who Dawn would travel with. Though he wins the battle, Dawn leaves him a note stating that she wishes to remain travelling with Ash.

• Barry (ジュン, Jun)

Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese); Jamie McGonnigal (English)

Barry is Ash's rival in Sinnoh. He is an impatient and overconfident boy who, while competent and skilled, tends to lose most of his battles against Ash. He is an admirer of Paul and uses the same technique though he cares for his Pokémon. He dreams of being the strongest Pokémon trainer in the world. Barry is friends with Kenny and the son of Palmer, the Tower Tycoon of Sinnoh's Frontier Brains.

• Nando (ナオシ, Naoshi)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese); Billy Regan (English)

A talented Pokémon trainer and wandering minstrel, Nando is a calm young man deeply conflicted as to whether he should challenge gyms or become a Pokémon Coordinator. After battling both Ash and Dawn, he chooses to pursue both paths, regardless of the difficulty. By the time of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, he has acquired seven Gym Badges and five Contest Ribbons. In the Grand Festival, he is able to reach the Top 4, losing to Zoey. After the Grand Festival, he obtains the necessary badges to compete in the Sinnoh League; he is Ash's first opponent but is eliminated after putting up a good battle. Nando makes his debut appearance in "Dawn of a New Era!". He is usually seen playing his golden Mew harp. The harp has often been shown to attract large groups of wild Pokémon.

• Conway (コウヘイ, Kōhei)

Voiced by: Kōzō Mito (Japanese); Billy Regan (English)

Conway is a particularly smart and cunning trainer, who carefully studies and analyzes trainers to create a strategy. He first encounters Ash during the Hearthome City Tag Battle Tournament, where he battles alongside Dawn and makes their way to the finals, only to be defeated by Ash and Paul. He also appeaered in the Sinnoh Summer Academy where he was captain of the Blue team only for his team to lose to Ash and the Red Team. He later battles Ash in the third round of the Sinnoh League where he loses. A common gag of Conway is that he appears out of nowhere in a creepy manner, of which Dawn is usually the victim.

• Ursula (ウララ, Urara)

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese); Melissa Schoenberg (English)

One of Dawn's rivals, Ursula is a Coordinator from the Sinnoh region who enters the Chocovine Contest at the same time as Dawn. During the Sinnoh Grand Festival, she loses to Dawn and is eliminated from the contest, unable to make it into the Top 16.

• Trip (シューティー, Shūtī, Shooty)

Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese); Jamie McGonnigal (English)

Trip is a trainer taking the Unova League challenge who appears in the Black and White series and whose ultimate ambition is to compete in the Champion League and defeat Alder, the Unova champion. In addition to being a Pokémon Trainer, he is also an amateur Pokémon photographer. Trip believes in strength when training, but after repeated defeats, eventually changes his views.

• Bianca (ベル, Beru, Bel)

Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Japanese); Erica Schroeder (English)

Bianca is a trainer who appears in the Black and White series. She encounters Ash and his companions several times throughout the series which usually ends with a battle between herself and Ash. She is also shown to be excitable and clumsy. At one point, Ash ends up battling her father, who is overprotective and does not wish for her to stay on the road. Though Ash loses, Bianca's father agrees to let Bianca continue her journey.

• Burgundy (カベルネ, Kaberune, Cabernet)

Voiced by: Ikumi Hayama (Japanese); Suzy Myers (English)

Burgundy is a Pokémon Connoisseur and Cilan's rival. She participated in the Club Battle, Clubsplosion, and Junior Cup tournaments with the group, held in Nimbasa Town, Ambiga Town and Lacunosa Town respectively, but loses in round one in all of them. She also tried to help a millionaire's daughter find a perfect Pokémon partner, but ends up being rejected as she was a C-Class Connoisseur.

• Georgia (ラングレー, Rangurē, Langley)

Voiced by: Misato Fukuen (Japanese); Brittney Lee Hamilton (English)

Georgia is a trainer and Iris's rival who calls herself a Dragon Buster, someone who specializes in defeating Dragon-type Pokémon. Georgia participates in the Club Battle, Clubsplosion, and Junior Cup tournaments. She is initially hostile but later become a bit nicer to Iris during the Ferroseed Research Center crisis. Georgia cameoed in Journeys watching Iris' match against Cynthia.

• Stephan (ケニヤン, Keniyan, Kenyan)

Voiced by: Tomohiro Waki (Japanese); Darren Dunstan (English)

Stephan is a trainer whom Ash meets on the way to Nimbasa City. He participates in the Unova League, where he makes it to the Top 16. A recurring gag is where everyone keeps mispronouncing his name causing Stephan to correct them until the Unova League where they pronounce his name correctly.

• Cameron (コテツ, Kotetsu)

Voiced by: Kōki Uchiyama (Japanese); Rory Max Kaplan (English)

Cameron is a rival of Ash's. He tends to be very disorganized such as not realizing that eight badges are needed for the Unova League. Cameron participates in the Unova League alongside, he defeats Bianca and during the Top 8 manages to defeat Ash despite being one Pokémon short but is subsequently defeated by Virgil in the Top 4.

• Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna (ティエルノ, トロバ, and サナ, Tieruno, Toroba, and Sana)

Voiced by: Anri Katsu (Tierno), Minami Fujii (Trevor), Yurie Kobori (Shauna) (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (Tierno), Michael Lockwood Crouch (Trevor), Jo Armeniox (Shauna) (English)

Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna are a trio of trainers Ash and his friends meet at a Pokémon Summer Camp. Tierno is an aspiring dancer, Trevor is an avid photographer, and Shauna is a Performer who partakes in Pokémon Showcases, acting as a rival of Serena. Tierno and Trevor later compete in the Lumiose Conference, but both lose before making it to the final round.

• Sawyer (ショータ, Shōta)

Voiced by: Ikue Ōtani (Japanese); Robby Duncan Sharpe (English)

Sawyer is a trainer from the Hoenn region who appears in Pokémon the Series: XY. He first appears as an inexperienced trainer who idolizes Steven Stone, and through repeated battles with Ash, grows to become significantly more adept at battling. He eventually battles Ash one last time in the Lumiose Conference, though he is defeated by Ash. He later aids Steven following this.

• Miette (ミルフィ, Mirufi, Millefeui)

Voiced by: Saori Hayashi (season 17) (Japanese); Kei Shindō (seasons 18–19)(Japanese) (English)

Miette is Serena's rival. She meets Ash and his friends when her Slurpuff eats one of Serena's PokePuffs. When she reveals they were not good, she and Serena soon start a rivalry with each other. During her time with the group, Miette soon realizes Serena's true feelings for Ash and warns her that if she does not confess her feelings then she will admit her own feelings and take Ash for herself. Miette later participated in the Master Class Showcase but is defeated by Serena.

• Nini (ネネ, Nene)

Voiced by: Motoko Kumai (Japanese) (Japanese); Jenny Emm (English) (English)

Nini is a polite person and a confident Performer, aiming for the top. Serena and Nini show each other the performances they intend to show at the Showcase and become a rival to Serena. Nini later participates in the Master Class Showcase but loses to Jessie in the first round.

• Alain (アラン, Aran, Alan)

Voiced by: Kenshō Ono (Japanese); Jonathan Silver (English)

Alain is a trainer who acts as one of Ash's rivals in Kalos. He is a former assistant of Professor Sycamore, but left his side a long time prior to the series. He has a close bond with his Charizard and directly aids Lysandre with his goals. During his travels, Alain meets a girl named Mairin, who he comes to care for. However, her Chespin, Chespie, falls into a coma, which Alain blames himself for. After his encounters with Ash, Alain begins to enjoy battling, and defeats all of Kalos's Gyms in order to confront Ash in the Lumiose Conference. The pair engage in a final battle, resulting in Ash's loss. Lysandre unleashes Zygarde on Lumiose, but Alain defects from him and helps Ash in taking down Lysandre and Zygarde. He later returns in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where he is a member of the Masters Eight. He battles Leon in the first round, but loses to him.

• Gladion (グラジオ, Gurajio, Glazio)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto (Japanese); Eddy Lee (English)

Gladion is Ash's rival in Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon. He is Lillie's older brother and highly protective of her. He is partnered with Silvally, whom he stole from Faba. Believing his mother, Lusamine, to be aware of the incident that caused his sister deep trauma, he distances himself from his family. After helping Ash and his classmates defeat Faba and Lusamine, Gladion opens up to them more, and aids the group as a member of the "Ultra Guardians." Gladion later fights Ash in a final battle, only to lose. He later leaves with his family to search for his missing father, Mohn, whom they eventually find in Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

• Hau (ハウ, Hau)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese); Neo Cihi (English)

Hau is Ash's rival and Hala's grandson who participated in Alola league. He once fought Hala but lost and left Alola sometime prior to the series. Hau returned to do his Island Challenges and encountered Ash for the first time. While Ash lost the battle the first time due to Ash dropping his Z-Crystal, he was able to defeat Hau and execute the Z-move. Hau later faces Ash again at the Alola League but lost.

• Horace (トキオ, Tokio)

Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki (Japanese); Jenny Yokobori (English)

Horace is a childhood friend of Goh as well as a member of the Project Mew mission. Three years prior to the events of Journeys, Horace first met Goh while searching for Celebi. Both of them searched for Celebi only to be scared off by wild Pokémon. The pair decided to try against the next day, but Horace fell ill and was unable to come, causing Goh to hold a grudge against him. Horace wrote a letter to Goh, hoping to undo his mistake. When the two met again, they both made amends with each other. Horace later joined Project Mew, participating in missions with Goh in order to encounter the elusive Mythical Pokémon, Mew.

Gym Leaders and Island Kahunas

Kanto Gym Leaders

• Lt. Surge (マチス, Machisu, Matis)

Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese); Maddie Blaustein (English)

Lt. Surge is the Electric-type Gym Leader from Vermillion City. Rude, arrogant and loud, he views challengers as "babies" unless they defeat him and prefers to evolve his Pokémon as soon as possible. One of the most dangerous tactics is his reliance on brute strength and has defeated multiple trainers with that tactic. He looks down on anyone with non-fully evolved Pokémon. When Ash first fought him, Pikachu was easily overwhelmed by Raichu in terms of brute strength. When it was time for a rematch, Ash was able to exploit Lt. Surge's Raichu's fatal flaw. Because Lt. Surge evolved his Pikachu into Raichu immeadiately after catching it, it ended up having no speed tactics. Ash was able to use Pikachu's tail to ground the electricity and use his speed to knock out Raichu. Afterwards, Lt. Surge stops being rude to Ash and congratulates and respects him on the win.

• Sabrina (ナツメ, Natsume)

Voiced by: Kae Araki (Japanese); Lisa Ortiz (English)

The Psychic-type Gym Leader of Saffron City. It is revealed she came from a family of psychics, and she has psychic powers as well. Unfortunately, she grew way too obsessed with developing them, making her an emotionless Gym Leader while her eerie cheeriness is manifested in a form of a doll, resembling her younger self, creating a split personality. Although she hosts a school to train Psychics, she can also use her powers to turn any defeated challengers into dolls for her dollhouse. At first glance in her debut series, she appeared as a young girl who helped rescue Ash and company from Team Rocket, until she reveals her true identity. She almost succeeded in turning Ash into a doll when he forfeits her battle but was saved by Sabrina's father. Her father told Ash to acquire a Ghost-type Pokémon to counter Psychic-types. After befriending a wild Haunter, he takes it back to the Gym. At first, things were looking bad for Ash as Haunter was nowhere in sight. Luckily, Haunter appears and starts cheering Sabrina up by making funny faces. Sabrina laughed which caused her and Kadabra to be incapacitated, and both personalities merged as one, costing her match. While Haunter stayed behind to stabilize Sabrina's mentality, she gives Ash her Gym badge for making her laugh and become friendly again.

• Erika (エリカ, Erika)

Voiced by: Kyoko Hikami (Japanese); Leah Applebaum (4kids era), Nathalie Gorham (TPCi, M20), Lauren Landa (TPCi, Journeys) (English)

The Grass-type Gym Leader of Celadon City, Erika also runs a perfume shop, which contains the essence of her Gloom as her main ingredient. As a child, she had a nasty run in with a wild Grimer. Fortunately, she was saved by a wild Gloom, which drove the Grimer off. Since then, the two became inseparable. In her debut, while everyone enjoyed the perfume scent, Ash insulted the perfume. A furious Erika and her employees kicked him out and banned him from the store and her gym. Posing as a girl named 'Ashley' (サトコ, Satoko) with Team Rocket's help, he was able to gain access and learn more about Erika's background. Unfortunately, his disguise was unveiled, and he challenges her to a Gym Battle. However, during the match, the Gym gets set on fire thanks to Team Rocket bombing it, causing everyone to evacuate and put out the fire. Although Ash felt guilty of being part of this retaliation, he immediately goes in and rescues Erika's Gloom that was trapped inside the burning building. Both Erika and Ash made peace with each other, and she gave Ash his Rainbow Badge for saving her Pokémon. She also appears in Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You, where Ash defeats Erika and earn his Rainbow Badge. Erika returns in Ultimate Journeys, where she was hosting a Pokémon Flower Arranging class, in which trainers decorate their Pokémon with flowers and have them perform to mirror their characteristics and designs. Her gym was also rebuilt since the last encounter. Erika also reunites with Ash while acknowledging his past heroics and is much friendlier than her debut appearance.

• Koga (キョウ, Kyō)

Voiced by: Hōchū Ōtsuka (Japanese); Stan Hart (English)

Koga is the Poison-type Gym Leader from Fuchsia City and a ninja. Unlike in the games, he does not have a daughter named Janine but has a younger sister and student named Aya. Aya challenged Ash to make his way through Koga's booby-trapped infested Gym and fight her first. After merging successful, Ash earned the right to face off against Koga. Although the battle was interrupted by Team Rocket, Ash and Koga resumed their battle where Ash emerged victorious.

• Blaine (カツラ, Katsura)

Voiced by: Toshiya Ueda (Japanese); Roger Kay (English)

Blaine is the Fire-type Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island. He closed down his Gym prior to his debut appearance, as the island became a tourist attraction, due to the hot springs and runs an inn. He challenges people with riddles and tends to make puns even at inappropriate times. By providing riddles to Ash, Misty and Brock, Misty solves each one which led them straight towards to his gym, where Blaine revealed himself. Ash fought him on a three-on-three battle but forfeited due to Pikachu almost falling into the lava and Charizard's disobedience. Later, after stopping a volcanic eruption, Ash battles him in a rematch and emerges victorious.

Orange Island Gym Leaders

• Cissy (アツミ, Atsumi)

Voiced by: Miki Nagasawa (Japanese); Tara Sands (English)

Cissy is the Gym Leader from the Mikan Island Gym of the Orange Islands. To obtain the Coral-Eye Badge, trainers must win in an accuracy test and a race against her by using Water type Pokémon. When facing Cissy as his first Orange League Gym Challenge, Ash had to participate in two contests against her. Using her Seadra against Ash's Squirtle in an accuracy test, both sides had an equal precision for hitting the cans and the result was a tie. In the aquatic race, Ash was losing, but Ash's Lapras froze the water so that it could slide on it, making Ash win the race and the badge.

• Danny (ダン, Dan)

Voiced by: Yasunori Matsumoto (Japanese); Jim Malone (English)

Danny is the Gym Leader of the Navel Island Gym from the Orange Islands. Danny approached Ash, Misty and Tracey and complimented Misty, causing her to be flattered. He accompanied Ash when they climbed the mountain, then fought against Team Rocket for their attempt at stealing Pikachu. At the top, Misty and Tracey realized he was the Gym Leader. After this revelation, Ash and Danny had three challenges. He used Nidoqueen against Ash's Lapras to freeze the geyser and won. The next challenge was to shape the ice like a sledge, which Ash won as his Charizard burned him, melting the parts of the ice. The last challenge was a race and while the odds were in Danny's favor, Ash's slide spun around, and he landed in the sea, winning the race and the badge.

• Rudy (ジギー, Jigī, Ziggy)

Voiced by: Ryō Horikawa (Japanese); Matt Mitler (English)

Rudy is the Gym Leader of Trovita Island, who gives trainers the Spike Shell Badge if they beat him. While the gang was on the way to the island they spotted a little girl, who happens to be Rudy's little sister. Misty saved the little girl and Rudy falls instantly in love with Misty. Ash and Tracey were confused about this but Misty was excited about it. Eventually, Rudy wanted Misty to stay with him for good. He had a battle with Ash, using the Pokémon's dancing moves to evade the attacks and counter them. He saw that Misty actually cared for Ash more than him. Knowing it was the right thing to do, he let her go and continue her journey.

• Luana (ルリコ, Ruriko)

Voiced by: Mami Koyama (Japanese); Kayzie Rogers (English)

Luana is the Gym Leader of the Kumquat Island Gym from the Orange Islands. She mistook Ash to be her son, as Travis went on his own journey, dressed like Ash and having a Pikachu as well. After Team Rocket were defeated, Luana let him, Misty and Tracey into her hotel, as they saw the luxury. She had a tag battle against Ash, using her Alakazam and Marowak against his Charizard and Pikachu. Although she had the advantage, as Pikachu and Charizard did not get along with each other but was soon defeated when Pikachu and Charizard started working together. She gave Ash the Jade Star Badge, who promised to greet her son and tell him his mom misses him.

• Drake (ユウジ, Yūji)

Voiced by: Kōji Yusa (Japanese); Scott Rayow (English)

Drake is the strongest trainer of the Orange Islands and the Champion of the Islands. Despite his skills as a trainer, he grew bored with being unbeatable. Eventually, Ash arrived with the four Orange Island badges which earned him the right to face Drake. Ash was eventually able to defeat Drake, making the former the new Champion of the Orange Islands.

Johto Gym Leaders

• Falkner (ハヤト, Hayato)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Matthew Mitler (English)

Falkner is the Flying-type Gym Leader from Violet City. He has a self-righteous attitude and does not like people assuming that every Flying-type Pokémon will always lose to Electric-types. Despite this, he does care about his Pokémon and has a friendly personality. His Gym is located on the rooftop on one of the buildings and he also trains his students there. He bonds with his Pokémon by hang-gliding across the city. He first appeared in the series helping Ash rescue his Pikachu from Team Rocket. After the ordeal was done, he and Ash had their battle. Upon noticing Falkner using the same attack combos, Ash was able to overcome and defeat Falkner.

• Bugsy (ツクシ, Tsukushi)

Voiced by: Hiromi Ishikawa (Japanese); Tara Sands (English)

Bugsy is the Bug-type Gym Leader from Azalea Town. When Ash and co. first arrived in the Gym, he was nowhere to be found. However, after Misty gets startled by the Bug-types in the Gym, she unintentionally knocked down a ladder as Bugsy was viewing them from a tree. Bugsy criticized Misty for her ignorance towards them. Afterwards, Ash challenges Bugsy to a Gym battle which he accepts, and Ash also had to help Bugsy down from the tree. Bugsy uses a variety of defense tactics against Ash's Pokémon to cover up type disadvantages. However, as he failed to cover all the weak spots, Ash found an opening and defeated all of Bugsy's Pokémon easily.

• Whitney (アカネ, Akane)

Voiced by: Yūko Miyamura (Japanese); Megan Hollingshead (English)

Whitney is the Normal-type Gym Leader from Goldenrod City. Her uncle, Milton, owns a Miltank dairy farm which produced delicious Moomoo milk and where Whitney obtained her Miltank. In her debut appearance, she and her Clefairy bumped into Ash and Pikachu. She kisses Pikachu's bruised forehead, much to his amusement. She took Ash and co. all around the city, where they ended up taking wrong routes. Team Rocket attempted to steal her Clefairy, but they sent Team Rocket blasting down the unfinished magnet train rail. When it was time for the Gym battle, Ash was able to defeat Whitney's Nidorina easily and her Clefairy forfeited due to using Splash (via Metronome). Unfortunately, Whitney turns the tables and defeats Ash's team using Miltank's Rollout. The next day, Whitney invited Ash and co. to her uncle's farm where they enjoyed the milk and learn how to handle a Miltank. When Team Rocket used a barrel-shaped mech to attack the farm, Ash came up with a strategy to counter the Rollout tactic. Using it, he was able to defeat Whitney. Although the rematch took place outside her Gym, Whitney counted it as an official win and gives Ash his Gym badge.

• Morty (マツバ, Matsuba)

Voiced by: Masaya Matsukaze (Japanese); Andrew Rannells (English)

Morty is the Ghost-type Gym Leader from Ecruteak City. His family had lived there for centuries, and he teaches his students about Ghost-types. He also allows them to watch official Gym battles. Morty meets Ash and co. when the gang went to the Burned Tower, which they had mistaken for a Gym. It turns out the Burned Tower was inhabited by Ghost Pokémon, which Morty was able to befriend. Afterwards, he and Ash had a Gym battle where Ash emerged victorious. While heading to Mahogany Town, Ash and friends arrived in Ectruteak City again and run into Morty and his friend, Eusine. This time, they along with Ash and co. prevented Team Rocket from stealing the silver bells of Tin Tower. While blasting Team Rocket off, the gang see Suicune in the process.

• Chuck (シジマ, Shijima)

Voiced by: Nobuaki Kakuda (1st appearance), Takahiro Fujiwara (2nd appearance) (Japanese); Dan Green (English)

Chuck is the Fighting-type Gym Leader from Cianwood City. He once travelled to Galar where he studied karate and met a younger Bea, trained Brawly, the Fighting-type Gym Leader from Hoenn, and served as a role model for Frontier Brain Greta. He is also happily married to his wife. In his debut, Ash and co. encountered him training with his Machoke. After meeting the gang, he brings them to his Gym, where his wife cooks up a delicious meal. Afterwards, it was time for the Gym match, where Ash emerged victorious. Upon learning that Jasmine's Ampharos still needs to rest and recover, Chuck tells Ash and co. to visit Whirl Islands. He returns in Journeys after a long absence where he trains with Bea, reunites with Ash, and later watches Bea battling Ash. Afterwards, he made desserts for Ash, Bea and their Pokémon.

• Jasmine (ミカン, Mikan)

Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu (Japanese); Tara Sands (4Kids era), Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (TPCi, Diamond and Pearl) (English)

Jasmine is the Steel-type Gym Leader from Olivine City. She initially refuses to battle Ash due to the nearby lighthouse's Ampharos being sick, requiring him to get Medicine from Cianwood City to restore its health. She also recommended to Ash to challenge the Gym there as well. After Ash and co. returned and her Ampharos recovered, she battles him but loses. She later reappears in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, where she visited Sunyshore City studying contests battles to improve her skills and lost her exhibition battle against Flint.

• Pryce (ヤナギ, Yanagi)

Voiced by: Motomu Kiyokawa, Koichi Sakaguchi (young) (Japanese); James Carter Cathcart (English)

Pryce is the Ice-type Gym Leader from Mahogany Town. Pryce and his Piloswine were best friends in their early days as a Trainer and spent battling many other trainers. After losing to a Magmar, both Pryce and Piloswine suffered severe burns. While recovering, Piloswine left one night with no explanation and disappeared. Since then, Pryce grew bitter towards challengers and their Pokémon. He refused to battle Ash due to the belief that Pokémon cannot be friends and he viewed Ash's strategies as weak. However, while battling Team Rocket, both Ash and Pryce came across a cave where his Piloswine was found frozen. It turns out that Piloswine tried to find herbs and berries to cure their burns but ended up frozen in the process. Pryce stopped being rude and helped Ash and co. defeat Team Rocket. Afterwards, Pryce accepts Ash's Gym Challenge. Although Ash and Pryce both put up a good fight, Pryce forfeited his match as his Piloswine was too exhausted and Ash knocked it down three times, which ruled as a T.K.O. This is the only time where Ash won his Gym Badge with the Gym Leader forfeiting the battle.

• Clair (イブキ, Ibuki)

Voiced by: Yuko Mita (Japanese); Megan Hollingshead (4Kids era), Eva Christensen (TPCi, Black and White) (English)

Clair is the Dragon-type Gym Leader from Blackthorn City, and the mentor of Champion Lance. After several attempts by Team Rocket to steal Pokémon as well as preventing the Holy Dragon Land from being destroyed, Clair battles Ash, with Ash winning. She later returned in Pokémon the Series: Black & White, where she is searching for a Shiny Druddigon. Clair captures it and returns home. She later reappears in the series, with Iris coming to visit her. She later battled Iris, who ends up losing the match.

Hoenn Gym Leaders

• Norman (センリ, Senri)

Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi (Japanese); Dan Green (English)

Norman is the father of May and Max, the husband of Caroline, and the Normal-type Gym Leader from Petalburg City. Ash initially goes to challenge him, but Norman denies the battle request due to Ash only having Pikachu on him and his Gym challenge requires trainers to have at least three Pokémon on hand. Ash later returns for a battle, which results in Norman's defeat.

• Roxanne (ツツジ, Tsutsuji)

Voiced by: Yuri Shiratori (Japanese); Karen Neill (English)

Roxanne is the Rustboro Gym Leader who specializes in Rock-type Pokémon. She was a top graduate at her Pokémon School in Rustboro City and now currently works as a teacher for the beginner's class. Because of her strong academic standings and excellent record, she was granted the role of a Gym Leader. Ash and pals encountered her during a school trip, where she invites them to visit the school. It is revealed that she knows Brock as he was a Rock-type Gym Leader as well as Professor Oak, as he gave remote lectures to this school. The next day, Roxanne gets to battle Ash, while allowing some of the senior students to film the Gym battle. Roxanne reveals that by filming a Gym battle, students can learn how battles play out in real life. Despite relying on various defense strategies, Roxanne loses to Ash.

• Brawly (トウキ, Tōki)

Voiced by: Kōhei Kiyasu (Japanese); Jason Griffith (English)

The Fighting-type Gym Leader from Dewford Town, Brawly is a professional surfer and teaches people how to surf. It is revealed that he once trained under Chuck. Ash wanted to battle Brawly, but he spends most of the time surfing. Unbeknownst to Ash, surfing was Brawly's method of dodging attacks, while maintaining balance and focus. When Brawly battles Ash, he beats Ash easily with his newly evolved Hariyama. Ash was harshly berated by his friends for making his Treecko continuing to battle despite gaining numerous injuries in battl as well as his arrogance. After learning his lesson, Ash learned how Brawly was able to use surfing as a strategy and taught his Pokémon that tactic. Ash decided to stay on Dewford Island for a while to train for his rematch. When a storm arrived, he interrupted Ash's battle with one of his students, Shauna, forcing everyone to seek shelter in a cave and later refereed Ash's victory against Shauna. Shortly after, Ash was able to defeat Brawly in a rematch, while using the geysers to his advantage.

• Wattson (テッセン, Tessen)

Voiced by: Ken'ichi Ogata (Japanese); Dan Green (English)

Wattson is the Electric-type Gym Leader from Mauville City. He is usually portrayed as a jolly old man. In his debut appearance, Ash and pals entered his Gym through a roller coaster ride and came across a mechanical Raikou which attacked the heroes. Thinking it was the real Raikou, Ash ordered Pikachu to attack it which not only damages the robot, but also supercharges Pikachu's electric attacks. When it was time for the battle, Ash earned his victory (albeit lopsided) by having Pikachu knock out all three of Wattson's Pokémon in one hit each. Although it was a legit win and Ash earned the badge, Wattson started to get upset and sat near the Mauville plant to think about what happened. Fortunately, a wild Electrike greeted him and cheered up Wattson. After Ash explained what had happened in the battle, Wattson allowed Ash to keep his badge. Later as Ash and friends were heading back to Petalburg City for Ash's Gym battle against Norman, they ran into Wattson again. Ash and Wattson had a friendly battle with Wattson's Manectric defeating Ash's Torkoal.

• Flannery (アスナ, Asuna)

Voiced by: Rio Natsuki (Japanese); Lisa Ortiz (English)

Flannery is the new Fire-type Gym Leader of Lavaridge Town and owner of the local hot-springs. She inherited the gym from her grandfather, after he retired and became a poet. As a new Gym Leader, Flannery tends to make a lot of errors in her duties, and she sought Ash and his friend's help to clean up the battlefield for Ash's Gym Battle. While battling Ash, she does have surprisingly good tactics such as using Smog and Sandstorm attacks to provide ambush tactics. However, due to her overusing Overheat (power level decreases after every use) and her stress temperament, Flannery ended up costing her Gym battle victory. However, her grandfather commended her for putting up a good battle.

• Winona (ナギ, Nagi)

Voiced by: Hyōsei (Japanese); Amy Birnbaum (English)

Winona is the Flying-type Gym Leader from Fortree City. She has a habit of praying to the sky to grant her good luck before a battle starts. She first appears in the show giving children a ride on her large Skarmory at the Fortree City Feather Carnival. Before her battle with Ash could take place, she and the heroes had to stop Team Rocket from stealing the various Pokémon at the Carnival. Afterwards, she has her official Gym battle with Ash, where she loses. In battle, Winona uses flight paths and angles for accurate attacks with her Pokémon and can adapt to various weather conditions (e.g., windy days). The Fortree Gym battlefield is out in the open, allowing her and her opponent's Pokémon to fly and fight. Winona's Swellow in the anime is a Shiny to differentiate hers and Ash's Swellow during the final phase of the battle.

• Tate (フウ, Fū) and Liza (ラン, Ran, Lan)

Tate is voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima (Japanese); Jason Griffith (English)

Liza is voiced by: Chisa Yokoyama (Japanese); Andi Whaley (English)

Tate and Liza are fraternal twins of the Psychic-type Gym in Mossdeep City. Their father, Jin, works as an astronaut and director of the Mossdeep Space Center, alongside their mother, Rachel, the mission control operator. Although twins, Liza is slightly older by a few minutes, and constantly teases Tate about it. Despite this, the twins care for each other deep down. In their first appearance, the twins give Ash and friends a tour of the Space Center and let them experience a zero-gravity room using only their Baltoy. They later help Ash and co. stop Team Rocket from stealing a space shuttle that was intended for Jin's space exploration. Following the space shuttle launch, Tate and Liza challenge Ash into a Double Battle. However, during the battle, both their Solrock and Lunatone's attacks keep cancelling each other out, causing the twins to bicker allowing Ash to score free hits. Eventually, they were able to patch up, after stopping Team Rocket from stealing Solrock and Lunatone. As the battle resumes, both Tate and Liza countered most of Ash's tactics but lose to Pikachu and Swellow's "Thunder Armor" tactic. Both of them realized that they still need to improve their attack combinations and remain in sync with each other.

• Juan (アダン, Adan)

Voiced by: Shō Hayami (Japanese); Sean Schemmel (English)

Since Wallace was Hoenn Champion at the time, his mentor, Juan, served as the Water-type Gym Leader of Sootopolis City. Juan was a Top Coordinator in his early life and loves Water-type Pokémon due to their streamlined characteristics and weakness to Electric Types. He is widely popular amongst women and puts on spectacular water shows. During his battle with Ash, the Gym battle was broken into two parts. The first part was a Double Battle. If the challenger defeats the two Gym Leaders' Pokémon, then they move on to the second part, which is a three-on-three battle. Despite using rapid attacks, Juan loses to Ash and congratulates him on earning his eighth and final badge for the Hoenn League. As of Ultimate Journeys, Wallace is confirmed to be the new Sootopolis Gym Leader, indicating that Juan retired from his position.

• Wallace (ミクリ, Mikuri)

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese); Sean Reyes (English)

Wallace is a Top Coordinator, the highest ranking a Coordinator can achieve, from Sootopolis City. He is famous and well-known, and also acted as the Champion of Hoenn. He first appeared in the series hosting the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh, where the winner will receive the Aqua Ribbon which grants the coordinator access to any Grand Festival regardless of region. As revealed in Mega Evolutions Special II, Steven Stone became Hoenn Champion confirming that Wallace no longer holds the title. He later reappears in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where he challenges Ash to a battle. Ash defeats him, but the battle causes him and Goh to miss Chloe's contest.

Sinnoh Gym Leaders

• Roark (ヒョウタ, Hyōta)

Voiced by: Masataka Azuma, Satsuki Yukino (young) (Japanese); Craig Blair, Zoe Martin (young) (English)

Roark is the Rock-type Gym Leader from Oreburgh City, foreman of the Oreburgh Mine and leader of the Ancient Pokémon Expedition Orienations. He inherited the Gym from his father, Byron, when Byron moved to Canalave City, which would allow Roark to further his own career. Roark also has good offence tactics but has poor defence tactics which Byron always reminded him to use. He first battled Paul and lost. Ash battled Roark next, while Paul watched, but loses due to focusing too much on pleasing his rival and Roark's offence tactics. Afterwards, Paul leaves disgusted with Ash's performance. While training for a rematch, Roark provides Ash advice on using a strategy that Ash is familiar with, while reminding Ash to concentrate on the current opponent and not the potential opponent. He helped Ash and his friends stop a rampaging Aerodactyl and sent Team Rocket blasting off. The next day, Ash goes in for a rematch and violently defeats all of Roark's Pokémon, using the improvised Spin Dodge and defense strategies. Roark later appears during Ash's visit at Canalave City where Ash learns that Byron, the Canalave Gym Leader, was in fact, Roark's father. Both father and son defeated and stopped Team Rocket from stealing the fossils. Roark later refereed Ash's Gym Battle against Byron.

• Gardenia (ナタネ, Natane)

Voiced by: Chieko Honda (Japanese); Lara Starr Rigores (English)

The Eterna City Gym Leader and a Grass-type Specialist, Gardenia always gets overenthusiastic when coming across a Grass-type Pokémon, such as James' Cacnea and Carnivine and Ash's Turtwig, causing her to cuddle them a lot much to the Pokémon's displeasure. Gardenia first appeared in the Eterna Forest arc, where Ash had a practice battle with her, but forfeited as her skills were too overwhelming. She later appeared to help stop Team Rocket from stealing the Adamant Orb. Shortly after, Gardenia then got to battle Ash in an official Gym battle, where he emerged victorious. Later, Gardenia and James engaged in a Tag Battle against Ash and Dawn but lost. During the battle, Gardenia reveals that James' Cacnea can learn the move, Drain Punch, and offers to train Cacnea to make it stronger, to which James refused. However, because James did not properly train Cacnea and felt insecure, it constantly failed to execute Drain Punch correctly. After consideration, he tearfully gave away his Cacnea to Gardenia to master Drain Punch. It is later revealed by Barry that she was successful, much to James' joy.

• Maylene (スモモ, Sumomo)

Voiced by: Aya Endō (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (English)

Maylene is the Fighting Gym Leader from Veilstone City. Six months prior to her debut appearance, Maylene became a Gym Leader, due to being a formidable opponent alongside her Lucario. However, due to the stress and new responsibilities and duties she had to carry out, she ended up losing focus too often. When Paul defeated Maylene easily due to both type-advantage and her lack of concentration, Paul called her "the weakest Gym leader [he's] ever fought." Maylene bonded with Dawn as the two were struggling throughout their careers, but they decided to battle to give each other confidence, while Ash trained with Paul's older brother, Reggie. After Dawn loses to Maylene, Maylene battled Ash next. Although the battle ended in a draw, she gave Ash the win. She returns one last time to help Ash and the gang stop Team Galactic from stealing the Veilstone City Meteorites. It appears that she might have feelings for Reggie as he is nice to Maylene, unlike Paul.

• Crasher Wake (マキシマム仮面, Makishimamu Kamen, Maximum Mask)

Voiced by: Tetsu Inada (Japanese); David Brimmer (English)

The Water-type Gym Leader from Pastoria City, Crasher Wake is also a professional wrestler. He first appeared in the anime where he brings Ash, Dawn and Brock to the Pastoria Crogaunk Festival, as he is serving as one of the judges there. Fortunately, he accepted Ash's challenge for the following day. Although Crasher Wake's Pokémon have a large amount of stamina and used the underwater portion of the battlefield for ambush tactics and sensing opponents above water, Ash was able defeat Crasher Wake's Pokémon easily without losing any one of his own.

• Fantina (メリッサ, Merissa, Melissa)

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese); Erica Schroeder (English)

Fantina is the Ghost-type Gym Leader of Hearthrome City and a former Top Coordinator. Although Ash and his friends visit Heathrome City early on in the series, Fantina was not available to battle and was often away training. Ash does not properly meet Fantina until he sees her training with Zoey for an upcoming contest. When Ash had a practice battle with Fantina, he was easily overwhelmed by her reliance on her favorite move, Hypnosis. Sometime later, Fantina returned to her Gym to make up for not doing Gym battles, as Paul revealed to have won his badge from her. She also battled Barry, who forfeited his match as he failed to knock out one of her Pokémon. When it was time for her showdown with Ash, it is revealed that Ash developed a "Counter Shield" tactic which was capable of both blocking and injuring opponents. He wipes the smirk off Fantina's face and defeats her by using "Counter Shield" along with close range attacks, much to Barry's amazement while watching the battle. Fantina later appears as a judge for the Sinnoh Grand Festival.

• Byron (トウガン, Tōgan)

Voiced by: Kazuki Yao (Japanese); Dan Green (English)

Byron is the Canalave Gym Leader, Steel-type specialist and father of Roark. Originally, Byron used to run the Oreburgh Gym, but moved to Canalave City, as there were more fossils located there and a vacant spot in the Gym opened up. His reason for letting Roark inheriting the Oreburgh Gym was for Roark to develop his own career. Despite his tough demeanour and advising Roark to use defense tactics, Byron does love his son and his unseen wife and even kept the Sunkern Fossil, which Roark discovered as a child. In his debut, he was in the middle of a family feud with Roark, while Ash arrives in the Gym. Roark calls out his father on his absence, which resulted in a feud becoming an intense showdown of which Fossil Pokémon (Roark's Rampardos vs Byron's Bastiodon) is the best and which tactic was better (offense vs. defense). Fortunately, the battle stopped when Team Rocket stole all of his fossil collection. Both father and son teamed up and defeated them. Byron then got to battle Ash, while Roark refereed, only for Ash to merge victorious due to Byron's poor offence tactics.

• Candice (スズナ, Suzuna)

Voiced by: Noriko Shitaya (Japanese); Kether Donohue (English)

Candice is the Ice-type Gym Leader of Snowpoint City. Despite her title, few challengers came to her hometown for a Gym battle. As a result, she mostly works as a teacher at the Pokémon school. She is a childhood friend of Zoey and each had nicknames. Zoey calls Candice "Miss Senior", while Candice calls Zoey "Zo-Zo" (ノゾチ, Nozotchi). She appears to be fond of the word, "kiai", and places it in sentences. When they were young, both Zoey and Candice both took care of a young homeless Glameow that would later become Zoey's main Pokémon partner. Candice greets Ash and friends when they arrived in Snowpoint City and asks Ash to help her class as Candice's assistant teacher. She is excited about a challenger coming to her city and eagerly accepts Ash's Gym Challenge. Despite using a barrage of close-range physical attacks and defence strategies, she loses to Ash. Shortly after, Paul showed up to challenge Candice. Unfortunately, as Ash had his Gym battle, Candice postponed it to a later day, which Paul accepts. She later watches Paul battle Brandon, where Paul loses. Candice has made a few appearances watching Zoey and Dawn compete through various contests.

• Volkner (デンジ, Denji)

Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima; Daisuke Sakaguchi (young) (Japanese); Eli James (Diamond & Pearl), Griffin Puatu (Journeys) (English)

Volkner is the Electric Gym Leader from Sunyshore City. He is an engineer and battler who is friends with Elite Four member Flint. In his and Flint's childhood, they spent time battling poachers and gangs together. Volkner eventually became a Gym Leader, but his skill meant he rarely was challenged, leading to him growing disinterested in battles. Volkner ended up handing out Gym Badges instead of battling, but Ash convinces him to battle him. Team Rocket attacks, resulting in the delay of their Gym Battle. However, after repairs are completed, Volkner fights Ash, only to lose. He reappears in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where he is participating in the World Coronation Series. He battles Ash, losing once again.

Unova Gym Leaders

• Chili (ポッド, Poddo, Pod) and Cress (コーン, Kōn, Corn)

Chili: Voiced by: Masakazu Morita (Japanese); Lucien Dodge (English)

Cress: Voiced by: Makoto Ishii (Japanese); Tom Wayland (English)

Chili and Cress are Cilan's brothers. They are triplets, waiters and own a restaurant that doubles as a Gym in Striaton City. When Ash arrived for his Gym Battle challenge, he is given the option to battle one of the three brothers. Ash decided to face all three of them with two victories for one side as winner. Although Ash lost to Cress, Ash defeated both Chili and Cilan, earning his first Unova Gym Badge. Inspired by the battle, Cilan decided to travel with Ash while Chili and Cress had to take care of their gym. Later when Ash, Cilan and Iris were at Driftveil City, Chili and his Pansear ran away from the Striaton Gym and met with Cilan. It is revealed that Chili has been losing a lot, due to not being defensive enough and his Pansear not having moves to cover its elemental weaknesses. Cilan taught Chili's Pansear a new move to counter the weaknesses. Chili and Cress appear again in the Decolore Islands arc. They had a nasty run in with Morana, an Ice-type trainer from Sinnoh and a dojo breaker. If the Gym Leader loses to her in a battle, then their Gym was hers. Although she defeated Chili and Cress, she had to face off against Cilan and tracked his whereabouts, with Cilan's brothers following as well. Cilan was able to defeat Morana and maintain the ownership of the Striaton Gym. Afterwards, Chili and Cress went home to Unova while Cilan, Iris and Ash head off to Kanto.

• Lenora (アロエ, Aroe, Aloe)

Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese); Norma Nongauza (English)

Lenora is a paleontologist and Normal-type Gym Leader from Nacrene City. She also works at the Nacrene Museum as a director, alongside her husband, Hawes, who is assistant director. Many trainers who attempted to challenge Lenora were required to search for a book that would help them out. Unknown to many challengers, she wanted them to find the book that will grant them access to the Gym battlefield. However, as many people wanted to find books they were interested in or can read through quickly, they failed her test before the battle could even begin. She first appears in the series stopping a rampaging Yamask who was trying to reclaim its lost mask. Once the ordeal was done, she then gave Ash the challenge to find a book that would help him become a better trainer. He does so and he gets to face Lenora. Unlike most Gym Leaders, Lenora is allowed to switch her Pokémon out. Her tactic is to disorient her opponents using a combination of Roar (which causes the opponent's Pokémon to switch out) and Mean Look (which prevents the trainer from switching out their Pokémon). Because of this tactic, Ash ended up losing his battle to her. Sometime after training with Don George, Ash returns to the Gym for a rematch. This time, Ash was able to adapt to Lenora's disorientation tactic and successfully defeats her.

• Burgh (アーティ, Āti, Arty)

Voiced by: Tōru Furuya (Japanese); Billy Bob Thompson (English)

Burgh is the Bug-type Gym Leader from Castelia City, a fashion designer and an artist. Even since he was child, he was fascinated with Bug-type Pokémon and was able to interact with them and learn about their behavior as a result. In his debut appearance, Ash and friends encountered Burgh in Pinwheel Forest. He shows Ash how to interact with Bug-types when Ash was attempting to bond with a Sewaddle, which later became Ash's. Later, when the group met Burgh in his hometown, there was a Venipede infestation. Burgh was angry that the mayor of Castelia City planned to forcibly remove them. Burgh suggested to find the leader and heal the leader so that the Venipede could leave in peace, which was successful. Shortly after the ordeal, Professor Juniper arrived and Ash and friends decided to accompany her to the Desert Resort. This would have led to the Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma two-parter, but the two episodes were cancelled due to the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. The dub removed the reference to the Desert Resort and the episode ended with Ash looking forward to his Gym battle. Ash battled Burgh for the third Gym Badge and emerged victorious.

• Elesa (カミツレ, Kamitsure)

Voiced by: Yumiko Kobayashi (Japanese); Eileen Stevens (English)

Elesa is the Electric-type Gym Leader from Nimbasa City and a famous fashion model. In her debut, Elesa was working at a fashion show displaying multiple outfits while walking down the catwalk, while Ash, Iris, Cilan and Bianca watched. Upon noticing Ash's Pikachu, she jumps off the catwalk and meets the group up close, as she has never seen a Pikachu before. Bianca first challenges Elesa only to lose the match easily. Later, Ash gets to battle Elesa next. Despite a series of mishaps, Ash ends up winning. Elesa does admit that she forgot that a strong bond between Pokémon and trainer is key to victories rather than dazzling and showing off to the crowd. Her Gym has a built-in roller coaster that grants the challengers access to the battlefield. In addition, Elesa has multiple female fans watching her Gym battles, some of which cosplay as her.

• Clay (ヤーコン, Yākon)

Voiced by: Tsuguo Mogami (Japanese); Sean Schemmel (English)

Clay is the Ground-type Gym Leader from Driftveil City and CEO of a mining industry. As a child, he and his Pokémon, Excadrill, made a living working in the mines digging for various resources. Many years later, the mine would later become the Driftveil City Gym and also earned him the title, "King of the Mines." He reminds challengers that reaching a goal in life is not easy and that hard work is the only way to achieve it. Clay first met Ash and co. briefly but could not battle Ash, due to work and discovery of a new tunnel. The second time Ash tried to challenge Clay, he was turned down, but Clay sent Ash to a nearby island to get several sacks of Revival Herbs to make the Pokémon work healthily in the mines. He does accept Ash's challenge when Ash fulfills the request. Despite his full frontal assault tactics, Clay loses the battle, but encourages Ash to continue on with his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master.

• Skyla (フウロ, Fūro)

Voiced by: Kana Ueda (Japanese); Sarah Natochenny (English)

The Flying-type Gym Leader from Mistralton City, Skyla inherited the Gym from her grandfather, Miles. While she was a skilled trainer, she had no time for other hobbies such as flying her plane, due to countless challengers coming to her gym. To resolve this problem, she created "Air Battles." The battles were more based on theory. If a challengers' Pokémon have positive type matchups, then they earn the badge without a proper battle. If not, then they do not earn the badge. She had been using it a lot, although it was highly disapproved of by Miles and Cilan. Cilan tried to challenge her into a battle to prove her air battle theories were wrong but loses, based on Skyla's predictions in terms of type matchup. Ash then challenged Skyla into a battle, which she accepts as the other challengers wanted to watch how an actual battle plays out. Although Skyla predicted that Ash would lose easily, she ends up losing the match. Afterwards, Skyla decided to drop Air Battles and not take the battles too lightly.

• Brycen (ハチク, Hachiku)

Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (Japanese); Benjamin Becker (English)

Brycen is the Ice-type Gym Leader from Icirrus City. Originally, he was once a famous movie star who had many leading roles in movies. However, an accident on set forced Brycen to retire from acting during production of another movie and he later became a Gym-Leader. He trains in the mountains and sets up traps for any poachers. He first appears in the series helping Ash train in the mountains and stops a Pokémon poacher from capturing a Volcarona. Brycen then battled Ash at the Gym. Although he had multiple counterstrategies for type disadvantages, he loses to Ash. Once Ash earned his seventh badge, Brycen suggested to head to Opelucid City for his final Gym badge, which does not sit well with Iris. Unbeknownst to Brycen, the Opelucid Gym was closed which meant that Ash has to go somewhere else.

• Roxie (ホミカ, Homika)

Voiced by: Eri Kitamura (Japanese); Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (English)

Roxie is the Poison-type Gym Leader from Virbank City and the bass guitarist for her punk rock band, Koffing and the Toxics. Her Koffing was revealed to have been caught by Roxie when she hosted a concert in the Kanto region. Originally, Ash was going to go to Opelucid City for his eighth badge, but because the Gym was closed there, Ash went to Virbank City instead. Unlike in the games where she is the second Gym Leader, Roxie serves as Ash's final Unova Gym Leader. Her Gym is a large underground concert hall where loud music plays affecting a trainer's concentration. One of the most dangerous tactics Roxie uses is to poison her opponents, regardless of type advantage, and had defeated multiple challengers with that tactic. Her Gym battles consist of Roxie using three Poison-types while the challenger is allowed to use all Pokémon on hand. Despite her poison tactics, she loses to Ash.

• Drayden (シャガ, Shaga)

Voiced by: Masaki Terasoma (Japanese); Mike Pollock (English)

Drayden is the Dragon-type Gym Leader from Opelucid City. In a flashback, Iris and her Excadrill first encountered Drayden when he visited her hometown, Village of Dragons. Iris attempted to battle him, only to suffer a bad loss due to her arrogance. Ash originally planned on heading to Opelucid Gym for his final Badge, but because Drayden was away, Ash went elsewhere. Drayden is also head of Opelucid Academy, where Iris attended. Despite Iris's inexperience and struggles, Drayden had faith in her and insisted she go on a journey. He reappears in Pokémon Journeys: The Series where he watched Iris' matches against Ash and later Cynthia.

• Marlon (シズイ, Shizui)

Voiced by: Yūji Ueda (Japanese); Ted Lewis (English)

Marlon is the Water-type Gym Leader from Humilau City. Marlon first met Cameron and Ash when the two were lost in the city looking for the gym. Fortunately, he gave the two a ride on his Wailord to the Gym, where Iris and Cilan were waiting. Once they arrived, Marlon battled Cameron. Despite using his strong Water-type Pokémon, offense tactics and the water arena to his advantage, Marlon lost to Cameron. As a result, Cameron earned his final badge for his entry in the Unova League.

• Cheren (チェレン, Cheren)

Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)

Cheren is the new Normal-type Gym Leader in Aspertia City. Unlike the games, he is not a rival of Ash, and is already a teacher at the Pokémon school. In his actual appearance, he helped the heroes round up the school's Pokémon that ran out of control and wild due to Pikachu and Axew messing with the intercoms. He was able to calm down a scared Shinx despite getting electrocuted. Afterwards, he and Ash had an unofficial Gym battle match where Cheren emerged victorious.

Kalos Gym Leaders

• Viola (ビオラ, Biora, Viola)

Voiced by: Noriko Shitaya (Japanese); Lori Gardner (English)

Viola is the Bug-type Gym Leader of Santalune City, a professional photographer and the younger sister of Alexa, the Kalos journalist Ash met during the Decolore Islands arc. Right when Ash arrived at Santalune City, Viola photographs him and Pikachu near a fountain. When Ash attempted to battle her, he loses easily due to Viola's trap tactics which counters both Pikachu and Fletchling's type advantage. When Ash goes back for a rematch, he was able to adapt to most of her tactics, but Viola's Vivillon knew Sleep Powder (which was never used in the first battle) to defeat Ash's Fletchling. During the Gym Battle rematch, Viola acts dismissive towards Ash, feeling that he had no chance of winning. Fortunately, with a bit of encouragement from Serena, Ash emerged victorious, giving Viola a reality check. She reappeared in the Battle Chateau where she runs into Ash and pals and battles Grant, where she loses easily. She makes a few cameo appearances and teams up with Ash to help stop Team Flare. She seems to have feelings for Grant, which is reciprocated.

• Grant (ザクロ, Zakuro)

Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima (Japanese); Cory Willis (English)

Grant is a professional athlete, specifically in rock-climbing, as well as the Rock-type Gym Leader of Cyllage City. Ash first met him at the Battle Chateau, where he was able to defeat Viola and her Surskit. It appears that he has feelings for Viola, which is reciprocated. Later on, when Ash arrives in the Gym, Grant accepts his challenge. Grant's philosophy is that climbing walls is a way of letting a person reach enlightenment, as long as they focus on reaching the goal. This was demonstrated when Ash had to climb up the walls inside his Gym to reach the battlefield on the top, while Ash's friends took the elevator. For the battle, Ash is allowed to use all of his Pokémon on hand, while Grant has to use two. Grant loses as Ash developed a counterstrategy against Grant's Rock Tomb and Draco Meteor attacks. Afterwards, before Ash heads off to Shalour City, Grant hoped to refight Ash at the Battle Chateau, which ended up never actually happening. He does make a few cameos and helps Ash defeat Team Flare.

• Korrina (コルニ, Koruni, Corni)

Voiced by: Yuka Terasaki (Japanese); Lisa Ortiz (English)

Korrina is the Fighting Gym Leader from Shalour City. She briefly travelled with Ash in order to find a Lucarionite, which would allow her Lucario to Mega Evolve. Though she succeeds, Lucario goes out of control. Korrina and Lucario eventually master Mega Evolution, and challenge Ash to a Gym Battle, which Ash wins. She later aids Ash against Team Flare. She reappears in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where she took part in the World Coronation Series. She battles Ash again, only to lose. Korrina later provides Ash a Key Stone and helped him head to Mega Island to search for a Lucarionite for his Lucario. She later watched Ash's match against Bea and Leon.

• Ramos (フクジ, Fukuji)

Voiced by: Minoru Inaba (Japanese); Tony Salerno (English)

Ramos is the Grass-type Gym Leader of Coumarine City. He owns a Grass-type Pokémon ranch and is a gardener. Despite his old age, he is wise and provides Ash advice on how to deal with situations such as not to rush into problems and find the "side road" to solve the problems. His tactic is all about patience and uses a combination of defence tactics and sunlight to power up his Grass-types. He first met Ash and pals when they accidentally broke a fence in his ranch and helps them defeat Team Rocket when they abducted all three members of the Vanillite line. He got to battle Ash after they enjoy some tea and do some gardening. Remembering what Ramos said about not to rush things during the gardening, Ash took this advice and defeated Ramos. Ramos also appeared when the city was having its annual Coumarine City Festival. He later made a few cameos and aids Ash in stopping Team Flare.

• Valerie (マーシュ, Māshu, Mache)

Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (Japanese); Kate Bristol (English)

Valerie is the Fairy-type Gym Leader of Laverre City and a famous fashion designer who always wanted to be a Pokémon. Her Gym also operates as a fashion show and a fashion boutique which sells women's clothing with Pokémon patterns. In her debut, Valerie was hosting a fashion show which meant that all Gym Battle requests were cancelled at the moment. When two of her models could not show up in time for the show, Valerie hired Serena, who is a fan of Valerie, and Bonnie as replacements. After the fashion show, she challenges Sawyer into a Gym battle and easily defeated him. The next day, Ash arrives for a Gym battle and defeats Valerie. She later shows up and aids Ash in defeating Team Flare. Her tactics primarily consist of using unexpected attacks and twisting the battlefield into her advantage, which she describes as "hidden fangs". Many trainers, prior to Ash, lost because of this strategy. She is also capable of speaking the Fairy-type Pokémon language. Valerie admires Ash as he mentions that he can understand how a Pokémon can feel, when she asked if he could talk to them as well during the Gym battle.

• Olympia (ゴジカ, Gojika)

Voiced by: Masako Katsuki (Japanese); Catrin Lloyd Bollard (English)

Olympia is the Psychic-type Gym Leader from Anistar City, as well as a Psychic mentor for her students. She has psychic powers that allow her to see visions of the past and future as well as levitation. In her debut, she and one of her apprentices, Charlene, furiously stop and scold her other apprentice, Carrie, for attacking Professor Sycamore and his research crew, alongside Ash and pals due to Carrie misinterpreting the prophecy involving the main characters. Once everything was cleared up, Olympia reveals Ash's Frogadier past and what the future would hold for the two. She later engages in a Gym battle with Ash in a Double Battle. Despite using deadly move combinations, Ash realized that Olympia was reusing the same tactics and, with careful timing, successfully defeated her. She briefly appeared later on in the show informing Diantha about the upcoming disaster. Olympia later assisted Ash in the battle against the Giant Rock, which was heading for the Anistar City sundial, which would destroy the world if the Giant Rock made contact with it.

• Wulfric (ウルップ, Uruppu, Urup)

Voiced by: Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (Japanese); David Brimmer (English)

Wulfric is the Ice-type gym leader from Snowbelle City. Ash first encounters him after Sawyer earned his final Gym badge for the Kalos League. While Ash puts up a good fight, he loses to Wulfric, as Ash was unable to master the Ash-Greninja technique as well as having severe trust issues with his Greninja. Sometime later, Ash returned for his rematch after mastering the Ash-Greninja tactic and learning how to stop doubting himself in his Pokémon. This time, Wulfric loses to Ash, despite Mega-evolving his Abomasnow. He later helped Ash defeat Team Flare. Wulfric is impatient and eager to battle, despite the referee being needed to explain the rules. He does have some speaking problems, usually starting sentences with, "You know what...". Like many Gym Leaders, he wants to see full potential in the challengers.

Island Kahunas

• Hala (ハラ, Hara, Hala)

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Japanese); Ryan Andes (English)

Hala is the Kahuna of Melemele Island, who uses Fighting-types as well as the grandfather of Hau. Hala mentored Kukui and Guzma prior to the events of the series when the pair were kids. Guzma grew disillusioned and ran off vowing to become strong without Hala's teachings. It's also revealed that Tapu Koko took one of Hala's Z-rings to give to Ash as to inspire him to compete in Island Trials. Hala battled Ash during the events of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, losing. He has appeared frequently since then such as welcoming Lillie and her family back from their trip.

• Olivia (ライチ, Raichi, Lychee)

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese); Marisa Kennedy (English)

Olivia is the Kahuna of Akala Island who specializes in Rock-type Pokémon. Olivia later battles Ash and loses. She also appears frequently throughout the series such as advising Ash to travel the world and expand his skills following his Alola League victory.

• Nanu (クチナシ, Kuchinashi)

Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa (Japanese); Michael McMillan (English)

Nanu is the Kahuna of Ula'ula Island who specializes in Dark types. He was once acquainted with Giovanni, though their history is unclear. The Team Rocket Trio attempt to get a Z-Ring from Nanu, eventually succeeding, and he later battles Ash. Nanu defeats Ash in his first battle with him. Sometime after training, Ash succeeds in the rematch despite being forced to use only his Lycanroc against all three of Nanu's Pokémon.

• Hapu (ハプウ, Hapū, Hapu'u)

Voiced by: Junko Takeuchi (Japanese); Brittney Lee Hamilton (English)

Hapu is the Kahuna of Poni Island, who specializes in Ground-types. She also worked as a farmer. Her grandfather was formerly the Kahuna, but he passed away under unknown circumstances. She eventually gained the title from him during the course of the series, eventually battling Ash and losing.

Galar Gym Leaders

• Bea (サイトウ, Saitō)

Voiced by: Yoko Hikasa (Japanese); Tiana Camacho (English)

Bea is the Fighting-type Gym Leader from Stow-on-Side. While she is stern and serious in battle, she does occasionally have a friendly personality and enjoys sweets. She competes in the World Coronation Series, battling Ash on multiple occasions. Bea defeated Ash the first time, then later tied with Ash at Chuck's Gym. However, after training and obtaining Mega Evolution, Ash eventually managed to defeat her on the third try. She later reappears a few times such as watching Ash Gignatamax his Gengar with Allister's help and battling Leon's younger brother Hop in a training battle.

• Raihan (キバナ, Kibana)

Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (JN027-45), Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (JN82-current) (Japanese); Danny Kramer (English)

Raihan is the Dragon-type Gym Leader from Hammerlocke. Raihan entered the World Coronation Series, where he managed to rank in the "Masters Eight"- the top eight in the tourney. Raihan was introduced in the show where he battled Leon and lost. He aids Leon and Ash in stopping the Darkest Day when Rose unleashes Eternatus, and later battles Ash in a World Coronation battle. Ash manages to defeat Raihan, allowing the former to enter the Masters Eight.

• Opal (ポプラ, Popura, Poplar)

Voiced by: Yoshino Otori (Japanese); Marin Miller (English)

Opal is the Fairy-type Gym Leader from Ballonlea. She is fond of the color pink, such as giving Ash and Goh pink clothing to wear while enjoying giving quizzes to people. However, she does it as to teach challengers about patience and not go recklessly searching for something. Opal also has a sweet tooth as she later hosted a cake decorating contest as well as sampling each of the contestant's cakes. She declares Ash the winner for creative taste and unique decorations. Because of this, she challenges Ash into a battle only to call it off after Ash's Pikachu gets "Feastamaxed" from eating Gigantamax Alcremie's cream.

• Allister (オニオン, Onion)

Voiced by: Chiyuki Miura (Japanese); Ryan Bartley (English)

Allister is the Ghost-type Gym Leader from Stow-on-Side, the same city where Bea hails from. He is shy and wears a white ghost mask over his face. Despite his creepy appearance and soft voice, he does have a caring side. Allister first appears riding a ghost train, while helping Goh drive Spiritomb out of Ash's body. He appears again to help Ash Gigantamax his Gengar. When Ash was only able to Dynamax his Gengar the first time, Allister tells Ash that the only way to unlock the Gigantamax Gengar form was to look for Max Mushrooms and convert it into a soup. Ash succeeds in this quest and Gigantamaxes his Gengar for the first time. Allister is also revealed to be friends with Bea. He also watches Ash's battles against Marnie and Leon and listening to Team Rocket's radio show.

• Piers (ネズ, Nezu)

Voiced by: Hiro Shimono (Japanese); Howard Wang (English)

Piers is the Dark-type Gym Leader from Spikemuth, leader of Team Yell and the older brother of Marnie. When Ash went to battle Marnie, he was tricked into going to Spikemuth by Team Yell. Piers gets annoyed that Team Yell were causing this problem, hinting that they do that often. After everything gets cleared up, he was able to drive Ash to Wyndon Stadium for his World Coronation series match. Piers revealed that Spikemuth Gym cannot host World Coronation Series matches as there are no power spots to Dynamax as well as Marnie's motivation of becoming Champion - to make Spikemuth be revitalized again as the city is completely empty. Piers watches the match where Marnie loses. He, alongside Marnie and Team Yell, later got to watch Ash's showdown with Leon. While Piers may look thuggish in terms of appearance, he is actually friendly and supportive of Marnie. He has low tolerance of Team Yell causing problems just to make Marnie look good. Piers is the only Team leader that is not a villain, unlike previous antagonistic groups.

• Kabu (カブ, Kabu)

Voiced by: Hiroki Tōchi (Japanese); Clyde Kusatsu (English)

Kabu is the Fire-type Gym Leader of Motostoke. Originally from Hoenn, Kabu moved to Galar and became a Gym Leader. Roy sought Kabu as a possibility of him knowing about the Shiny Rayquaza. Right after Murdock made amends with Mitchell, Kabu was revealed to have been watching the whole event and decides to test out Liko and Roy's skills. He has the two compete in two separate Gym Challenge missions where Liko had to extinguish Litwick's flames while Roy has to light them up. After Roy won his challenge, Kabu and his assistant, Wakaba, challenge the two into a Double Battle and defeats Roy while Liko forfeits her match. He does inform Liko and Roy that the Shiny Rayquaza is located at the Galar Mine. Later, Kabu checks up on the group at the mine and is relieved when Liko and Roy revealed that they have saved a Galarian Moltres.

Paldea Gym Leaders

• Brassius (コルサ, Colza)

Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese); J. Michael Tatum (English)

Brassius is the Grass-type Gym Leader from Artazon, as well as an artist. He tends to suffer from artist block if he has trouble creating an inspirational sculpture. Because of this, he constantly turns down Gym Challenges, much to the displeasure of many trainers. Nemona often times has to motivate Brassius. He does get inspiration from Roy who mentioned about the Shiny Rayquaza Brassius saw earlier. This allowed Brassius to challenge and defeat Roy in battle, while also providing Roy advice on how to improve his battle style.

• Iono (ナンジャモ, Nanjamo)

Voiced by: Kaede Hondo (Japanese); Erika Harlacher (English)

Iono is the Electric-type Gym Leader from Levincia and a famed streamer and influencer. Iono is friends with Dot, given that the two created a collaborative livestream together to find Liko. To make the search for Liko successful, Iono organized the search into a game of tag. Once Roy found Liko, Iono arrived in person to congratulate him on the success.

• Larry (アオキ, Aoki)

Voiced by: Kosuke Toriumi (Japanese); TBA (English)

Larry is the Normal-type Gym Leader and Flying-type user of the Paldea Elite Four from Medali. He first appeared in a non-speaking cameo flashback when Friede mentioned how he met his Pikachu. Larry appeared in person where he witnesses Liko defeating Ann in battle.

• Katy (カエデ, Kaede)

Voiced by: Kotono Mitsuishi (Japanese); TBA (English)

Katy is a baker and the Bug-type Gym Leader from Cortondo.

Antagonists

Team Rocket

Main article: Team Rocket

Team Rocket (ロケット団, Roketto-dan, Rocket Gang) is the criminal organization in the Kanto, Johto and Sevii Islands regions. Their goal is to catch all the Pokémon in the world so that their leader, Giovanni, can make an army of Pokémon and rule over the world. The most frequently appearing members of this organization are the "Team Rocket trio" of Jessie, James and Meowth. They have been described "as vital to the anime as Ash himself."

• Giovanni (サカキ, Sakaki)

Voiced by: Hirotaka Suzuoki (Seasons 1–8); Kenta Miyake (Season 10+) (Japanese); Ed Paul (4Kids/TPCI); Craig Blair (Season 10; TPCI) (English)

Giovanni is the crime lord and leader of Team Rocket as well as the former Viridian City Gym Leader. He normally acts from the shadows, though he has made major appearances in Pokémon the Series: Black & White. Aside from the operations of Team Rocket, he also funded the creation of Mewtwo in Mewtwo Strikes Back. Mewtwo eventually escapes from him and he attempted to recapture the Pokémon in Mewtwo Returns—resulting in Mewtwo erasing all memories of himself from Giovanni's mind.

• Jessie, James, and Meowth (ムサシ, コジロウ and ニャース, Musashi, Kojirō, and Nyāsu)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara (Jessie), Shin-ichiro Miki (James), Inuko Inuyama (Meowth) (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (4Kids); Michele Knotz (TPCI) (Jessie), Ted Lewis (up to and including episode 8; 4Kids); Eric Stuart (4Kids); Jimmy Zoppi (TPCI) (James), Matthew Sussman, Maddie Blaustein, Jimmy Zoppi (TPCI) (Meowth) (English)

Jessie, James, and Meowth are a group of Team Rocket members. They act as recurring antagonists, often coming into conflict with series protagonist Ash Ketchum in an attempt to capture his Pikachu. They primarily act as comic relief, though they have also acted as serious antagonists on several occasions. Meowth acts as the third member. He is a Meowth who is capable of communicating with human speech.

• Butch and Cassidy (コサブロウ and ヤマト, Kosaburō and Yamato)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Butch), Masako Katsuki (Cassidy) (Japanese); Eric Stuart (4Kids), James Carter Cathcart (Butch), Megan Hollingshead (Original series, 4Kids), Andi Whaley (Ruby and Sapphire, 4Kids), Emlyn Morinelli McFarland (Cassidy) (English)

Butch and Cassidy are an elite duo of Team Rocket operatives, often serving on important missions for their boss, Giovanni. The pair often come into conflict with Jessie and James due to the latter pair's jealousy of them. They reappear in several series, but eventually stopped appearing in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. They later reappeared in Pokémon Journeys: The Series having retired and went their separate ways with Butch running a bakery and Cassidy running a café and taking up wood carving as a hobby.

• Dr. Zager (ゼーゲル博士, Zēgeru-hakase, Dr. Seger)

Voiced by: Masayuki Omoro (Japanese); Marc Thompson (English)

Dr. Zager is a Team Rocket scientist assigned to help with Jessie and James throughout the Black and White series. He takes his job as a scientist seriously but that does not stop him from getting excited at times of coming across a great discovery. Dr. Zager is known when to abort missions if plans go wrong and cannot be salvaged. Following the Operation Tempest arc, Dr. Zager retreated back to the Team Rocket Headquarters in Kanto.

• Matori (マトリ, Matori)

Voiced by: Kiyomi Asai (Japanese); Emily Jenness (English)

Matori is Giovanni's secretary and the leader of Matori Matrix, who replaced Cassidy and Butch as Jessie and James' rival after Diamond and Pearl. Though she was initially a minor character, often appearing with Giovanni in video calls, she is later revealed to be in charge of an elite squad of Team Rocket operatives known as the Matori Matrix. In Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, she acts as the primary overseer of Team Rocket's operations in Alola. Later in Journeys, she along with the Matori Matrix tried to steal all the Pokémon at the Sinnoh Resort and abduct Darkrai and Cresselia only to fail.

Team Aqua and Team Magma

Team Aqua and Team Magma (アクア団・マグマ団, Akua-dan Maguma-dan, Aqua Gang and Magma Gang) are the two criminal organizations in the Hoenn Region. Team Aqua wants to raise the level of the world's oceans, while Team Magma wishes to create more land; both seek the power of the Legendary Pokémon Kyogre and Groudon, respectively.

Team Magma

• Maxie (マツブサ and, Matsubusa and)

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Marc Thompson (English)

Maxie is the leader of Team Magma. His goal is to wipe out the sea to create more land by using a volcano and Groudon. He is more misguided than truly evil, as he believes that his actions will benefit others. He plans on using the Blue Orb, which could control Groudon, and with it in his hands, he could make life better for himself. When Pikachu gets possessed by the Blue Orb, it controls Groudon, and a cataclysmic battle begins, resulting in Groudon's victory. Afterwards, Maxie thanks Ash, realizing that the land of Hoenn was perfect the way it is.

• Tabitha (ホムラ, Homura)

Voiced by: Yūto Kazama (Japanese); Greg Abbey (English)

A member of Team Magma, Tabitha leads a group of Magma Grunts in an exploration of some ancient ruins on Dewford Island in search of the Cave of Origin. They also have a confrontation with Team Aqua. He and his fellow Magma grunts later breaks into the Oceanic Museum to steal a rock sample owned by Captain Stern. Although Ash and his friends attempt to stop them, Team Magma successfully makes off with most of the sample. They headed to Mt. Chimney, first stealing a meteorite from Professor Cozmo and then using it to power an experimental machine affecting the volcano. However, their plans were ultimately thwarted by Ash and Cozmo.

• Brodie (バンナイ, Bannai)

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese); Andrew Paull (English)

A spy with Team Magma, known as The Man of a Thousand Faces or Brodie The Phantom Thief. Brodie first disguised himself as Millie, a scientist at the Weather Institute who is supposed to be collecting data on Groudon. Team Aqua tries to steal the data directly, unaware "Millie" is really Brodie. When Shelly threatens to harm Bart and the other scientists at the Institute, Brodie reveals himself as a Team Magma agent and escapes with the information on the Legendary Pokémon. Brodie later disguises himself as various people, including Officer Jenny, to steal the Ribbon Cup for the Hoenn Grand Festival. When confronted by the real Officer Jenny, Brodie willingly gives up the Ribbon Cup because upon closer inspection "it wasn't valuable enough," and flies away once again.

Team Aqua

• Archie (アオギリ, Aogiri)

Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa (Japanese); Sean Schemmel (English)

Archie is the leader of Team Aqua. His goal is to wipe out the land to create more sea by using Kyogre. He is more misguided than truly evil, as he believes that his actions will benefit others. He becomes possessed by the power of the Red Orb, much like Pikachu and the Blue Orb. His only concern from that point is to raise the sea, even if it meant drowning all of his Team Aqua members.

• Shelly (イズミ, Izumi)

Voiced by: Shōko Tsuda (Japanese); Erica Schroeder (English)

A member of Team Aqua, Shelly leads a group of Aqua grunts on a mission to intercept Team Magma, who are exploring some ancient ruins on Dewford Island in search of the Cave of Origin. She and her grunts headed to Mt. Chimney, to try to steal a meteorite from Professor Cozmo before Team Magma could do so. Though they do not obtain the meteorite, Shelly still considers the mission a success, since the meteorite is destroyed and therefore Team Magma could not use it either. She and a group of Aqua grunts then took the staff of the Weather Institute hostage to obtain their data on Groudon and Kyogre. However, their plans are thwarted by Magma agent Brodie, who makes off with the data himself. She sneaks onto Team Magma's base disguised as a Magma grunt and frees Kyogre from the cargo container, allowing Team Aqua to control it with the Red Orb, though the plan failed.

Team Galactic

Team Galactic (ギンガ団, Ginga-dan, Galaxy Gang), is the criminal organization in the Sinnoh region. Their goal is to catch and control the Legendary Pokémon that created the universe- Dialga and Palkia- so that their leader, Cyrus, can destroy the universe and create a new universe that will only be his own as an absolute god.

• Cyrus (アカギ, Akagi)

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese); Sean Schemmel (English)

Cyrus is the leader of Team Galactic. His goal is to "create a new universe" in his own image, with himself as the God of that world. Cyrus first appears under the guise of a businessman, but his villainous affiliations are eventually revealed to the protagonists. After Dialga and Palkia are bound to the Red Chain and freed by the Lake Guardians, Cyrus steps into a portal; his ultimate fate is unknown.

• Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (マーズ, ジュピター, and サターン, Māzu, Jupitā, and Satān, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn)

Mars is voiced by: Rie Tanaka (Japanese), Lisa Ortiz (English)

Jupiter is voiced by: Chinami Nishimura (Japanese), Eileen Stevens (Diamond and Pearl), Kira Buckland (Arceus Chronicles) (English)

Saturn is voiced by: Akemi Okamura (Japanese); Marc Thompson (English)

Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are a trio of commanders who lead Team Galactic. They act as Cyrus's subordinates and are fiercely loyal. Following Cyrus's disappearance, the three are arrested, but break free and attempt to use the Legendary Pokémon Heatran to get him back, while completely ignoring the fact Cyrus betrayed them. After Heatran is defeated, the three are arrested once again.

• Charon (プルート, Purūto, Pluto)

Voiced by: Ken'ichi Ogata (Japanese); Mike Pollock (English)

Charon is the scientist of Team Galactic. He is often seen with a laptop computer and does much of the technical work for Team Galactic's plans, such as monitoring energy levels and other statistics. Compared to the other Galactic members, he is the most laid back and upbeat, which often causes one-sided squabbles between him and Saturn. He aids Cyrus and the commanders by creating the Red Chain and controlling the Lake Trio Pokémon with it. He orders the grunts to fire the Red Chain on the position where Dialga and Palkia will appear and finally control them. Though the plan failed, Charon is not arrested, and makes no appearance in the Arceus Chronicles making his current whereabouts unknown.

Team Plasma

Team Plasma (プラズマ団, Purazuma-dan, Plasma Gang) is the criminal organization in the Unova region. Their goal is to catch and control the Legendary Pokémon Reshiram so that their leader, Ghetsis, can rule the world.

• Ghetsis (ゲーチス・ハルモニア, Gēchisu Harumonia, G-Cis Harmonia)

Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa (Japanese); Bill Rogers (English)

Ghetsis is the leader of Team Plasma. His goal is to take control of the Legendary Pokémon Reshiram so that he can rule over the world. He is N's surrogate father figure, and attempts to use N to accomplish his goals. Despite this, Reshiram is freed from Ghetsis's control after Colress's device is destroyed, and Ghetsis is arrested.

• Colress (アクロマ, Akuroma, Achroma)

Voiced by: Hiroki Tōchi (Japanese); Eli James (English)

Colress is a scientist of Team Plasma. His goal is to discover the true way to draw out the strength of Pokémon. He uses many different devices to gain control of Pokémon, which includes a device made to control Reshiram. After the device's destruction, Colress is arrested alongside the rest of Team Plasma.

Team Flare

Team Flare (フレア団, Furea-dan, Flare Gang), is the criminal organization in the Kalos region. Their goal is to catch and control the Legendary Pokémon Zygarde so that their leader, Lysandre, can destroy the world and recreate it with peace and beauty.

• Lysandre (フラダリ, Furadari, Fleur-de-lis)

Voiced by: Hideaki Tezuka (Japanese); H.D. Quinn (English)

Lysandre is the leader of Team Flare, and the creator of Lysandre Labs. Lysandre once sought to help people and Pokémon, but decided the human race was not worth saving after seeing their selfishness firsthand. Lysandre attempts to gain control of Zygarde so he can use it to destroy the Kalos region, but after Zygarde is freed, Lysandre attempts to use the "Giant Rock" to destroy the world. He is last seen falling into Zygarde's Core Enforcer attack, and his ultimate fate is unknown.

• Xerosic (クセロシキ, Kuseroshiki, Xerosicy)

Voiced by: Tsuguo Mogami (Japanese); Abe Goldfarb (English)

Xerosic is a scientist of Team Flare. He attempts to aid Lysandre in controlling Zygarde to destroy the region, but is defeated by Clemont. Xerosic later escapes, and attempts to get his revenge, but is defeated once again by Clemont and the others. He is convinced to step away from his villainous path as he is arrested.

Team Skull

Team Skull (スカル団, Skaru-dan, Skull Gang) is the criminal organization in the Alola region. Their goal is to steal Pokémon, and they act as a threat similar to a street gang.

• Guzma (グズマ, Guzuma, Guzma)

Voiced by: Yasuyuki Kase (Japanese); Evan Maltby (English)

Guzma is the leader of Team Skull. He is known for his violent behavior and his lack of sportsmanship, resulting in unsportsmanlike conduct. Before he founded Team Skull, he was one of Melemele Kahuna Hala's students. At one point, he lost, and since then vowed to become unbeatable. He has a personal vendetta against Kukui, and partakes in the Manalo Conference to defeat the contestants and Kukui's dream. Guzma is eventually defeated, but has a change of heart after the battle.

• Plumeria (プルメリ, Purumeri, Plumeri)

Voiced by: Saki Endō (Japanese); Jo Armeniox (English)

Plumeria is the admin of Team Skull. She has low tolerance for members being too reckless or disobedient. Plumeria is wise enough to back off if the odds of winning are not in the gang's favor. Plumeria is well aware of Guzma's past and his motivations of not being seen as a weak Trainer. She does assure Guzma that he tried his best even if he lost.

• Tupp (タッパ, Tappa, Tupper)

Voiced by: Takaaki Uchino (SM001-SM011); Toru Sakurai (SM024–present) (Japanese); Billy Bob Thompson (English)

Tupp is a member of Team Skull. He harbors a grudge against Illima, as Illima is more popular than Tupp, and was made an outcast in the process. Because of this, he joined Team Skull to regain his recognition. Despite being a member of Team Skull, Tupp is selfish as he abandons his teammates in favor of getting a Z-Crystal, while telling his Salandit to focus on the job, only to fail the trial. He is also not bright as he thought that a male Salandit can become a Salazzle (unaware that only female Salandit can evolve into Salazzle).

• Rapp (ラップ, Rappu, Wrap)

Voiced by: Madoka Asahina (Japanese); Lori Phillips (English)

Rapp is a member of Team Skull. She seems to look up to Tupp as a leader, if Guzma is not around and is a yes-lady to Tupp. Rapp is also interested in cute Pokémon such as Team Rocket's Meowth.

• Zipp (ジップ, Jippu, Zip)

Voiced by: Soshiro Hori (Japanese); Jake Paque (English)

Zipp is a member of Team Skull. Much like Rapp, he also agrees with Tupp and looks up to him as a leader when Guzma is not around. He appears to be the least evil of the group as he agreed to take his ill Garbodor to the Pokémon Center upon Ash's suggestion.

Macro Cosmos

• Chairman Rose (ローズ, Rōzu, Rose)

Voiced by: Kenichirou Matsuda (Japanese); Barron Bass (English)

Chairman Rose is the chairman of the Macro Cosmos conglomerate. His father was killed in a mining accident in Rose's youth, and as a result seeks to prevent future problems before they can occur. He seeks to reawaken the Legendary Pokémon Eternatus to this end, but Eternatus goes out of control. Rose ends up fleeing after his defeat at the hands of Ash Ketchum.

Explorers

The Explorers (エクスプローラーズ, Explorers) are a mysterious organization after Liko, Roy, and their pendant and ancient Poké Ball, and are the Rising Volt Tacklers' archenemies. They are the main antagonists of the Horizons series.

• Gibeon (ギベオン, Gibeon)

Voiced by: Show Hayami (Japanese); David Kaye (English)

The leader of the Explorers and the overarching primary antagonist of Horizons.

• Hamber (ハンベル, Hamber)

Voiced by: Hironori Kondo (Japanese); Paul Mercier (English)

The second-in-command of the Explorers and Gibeon's advisor and assistant, whom the admins contacts throughout missions. He appears to be concerned for subordinates' safety. His partner Pokémon is a Dusknoir. Hamber used to be friends with Liko's grandmother, Diana, but the two drifted apart and are now enemies as Diana is aware of Hamber's evil intentions with the pendant.

• Amethio (アメジオ, Amethio)

Voiced by: Shun Horie (Japanese); Daman Mills (English)

An admin of the Explorers who is sent to retrieve the pendant along with his two subordinates. His partner Pokémon is a Ceruledge. After failing too many times to retrieve the pendant, he gets reassigned and his mission was given to Spinel. However, he does get his mission back after reporting to Hamber about Terapagos.

• Spinel (スピネル, Spinel)

Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa (Japanese); Matthew Mercer (English)

A psychotic and intelligent admin of the Explorers who was given the mission by Gibeon to retrieve the pendant after Amethio, Onia and Zirc failed to do so too many times. Spinel appears to be a rival of Amethio as he mocks and doubts him for seeing a Shiny Rayquaza, even though Amethio did actually see it. Spinel has no problem hurting children to achieve his goals such as using his Beheeyem to brainwash Liko into giving the pendant to him.

• Sidian (オニキス, Onyx)

Voiced by: Yuki Onodera (Japanese); SungWon Cho (English)

A stoic and serious admin of the Explorers, who first appeared as a silhouette before appearing in person after Spinel loses the pendant. His partner Pokémon is a Garganacl. Despite being a villain, Sidian is also honorable and prefers to battle fairly and often times has to keep Coral's attitude in check and not stray from their objectives.

• Coral (サンゴ, Sango)

Voiced by: Ikue Otani (Japanese); Lizzie Freeman (English)

A reckless and cheerful admin of the Explorers, who first appeared as a silhouette before appearing in person after Spinel loses the pendant. She has a Glalie as her main partner Pokémon. Coral has a sassy attitude given that she taunted Spinel for failing to retrieve the pendant and often acts reckless such as ordering her Glalie to use Self-Destruct despite Sidian's warnings not to.

• Chalce (アゲート, Agate)

Voiced by: Mimi Maihane (Japanese); Shara Kirby (English)

A reserved and calm admin of the Explorers, who first appeared as a silhouette before appearing in person after Spinel loses the pendant. She uses a Medicham as her main Pokémon. Chalce has some sense of humour but will criticize her comrades, such as Spinel, for messing up on their missions.

• Zirc (ジル, Zir)

Voiced by: Kohsuke Tanabe (Japanese); Michael Schneider (English)

A grunt of the Explorers and one of Amethio's subordinates. His partner Pokémon is a Rhydon.

• Onia (コニア, Conia)

Voiced by: Arisa Shida (Japanese); Lisa Ortiz (English)

A grunt of the Explorers and one of Amethio's subordinates. Her partner Pokémon is a Golduck.

Other antagonists

• Pokémon Hunter J (ポケモン ハンター J, Pokemon Hantā J, Pokémon Hunter J)

Voiced by: Takako Honda (Japanese); Shannon Conley (English)

J was a ruthless and cruel Pokémon hunter around Sinnoh who captured and stole Pokémon to sell them on the black market to her clients for money. She eventually helps Team Galactic capture the Lake Guardians, but her ship is struck by an attack from the Guardians, resulting in her ship sinking into the water below. Her ultimate fate is unknown.

• Faba (ザオボー, Zaobō, Sauboh)

Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono (Japanese); Daniel J. Edwards, Ryan Nicolls, Kaiji Tang (Journeys) (English)

Faba is a member of the Aether Foundation, a charitable organization in the Alola region dedicated to wildlife conservation. Faba attempts to summon Nihilego, which captures Lusamine, Lillie's mother, and takes her to its dimension. After this, Faba reforms, and acts as an ally to the series protagonists.

• Viren (ブルガン, Burugan, Bourgain)

Voiced by: Kiyomitsu Mizuuchi (Japanese); H.D. Quinn (English)

Viren is the selfish and greedy owner of Rainbow Happy Resorts, building the resorts throughout Alola by illegal means while avoiding any punishments from the crimes he committed. He is thwarted at various points by the protagonists.

Champions and Elite Four

Champions

• Lance (ワタル, Wataru)

Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese); Wayne Grayson (English)

Lance is the Champion of both Kanto and Johto, as well as a member of the Pokémon G-Men detective organization. He first appeared in the Johto series, posing as a Team Rocket grunt, to infiltrate Team Rocket operations. With the help of Ash and his friends, Lance was able to stop Team Rocket and free the Red Gyarados from their control. He returns in the Pokemon: Advanced Generation where he aids the group in stopping Groudon and Kyogre. Lance returns once again in Journeys to compete in the World Coronation series. He battled Leon for the title of Monarch, only to fall short and finish as a runner-up. He maintained his Masters Eight position, and fought Diantha in the Masters Eight tournament, losing to her.

• Steven Stone (ツワブキ・ダイゴ, Tsuwabuki Daigo, Daigo Tsuwabuki)

Voiced by: Rintarō Nishi (season 6); Ken'ichi Suzumura (Mega Evolution Specials; seasons 18–present) (Japanese); Andrew Paull (English)

Steven is the Champion of Hoenn. In his debut appearance, he was not yet Champion, and helped Ash defeat Team Rocket while searching for a Fire Stone at Granite Cave. Before leaving, Steven showed Ash a deserted inlet for Ash to train for his rematch against Brawly. He later reappeared in Pokémon the Series: XY, where he acts as an ally of Alain. He later helps stop the battle between Primal Groudon and Kyogre. He later helps stop Team Flare's attempted destruction of Kalos, and takes Sawyer on as an apprentice. It's also confirmed that Steven gave Sawyer a Key Stone and Sceptilite, which enables him to Mega Evolve his Sceptile. He later reappears in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where he is a member of the Masters Eight. He battles Ash, only to lose.

• Cynthia (シロナ, Shirona)

Voiced by: Tomo Sakurai (Japanese); Emily Bauer (English)

Cynthia is the reigning Champion of the Sinnoh League. She studies archaeology and legends of the Sinnoh region. She appears many times throughout the Diamond & Pearl series where she helps Ash and his friends try to stop Team Galactic. She reappears in the Black & White series, where she aids Ash in protecting the Mythical Pokémon Meloetta. She later reappears in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where she aids Ash several times throughout the series which included stopping Team Galactic from rescuing Cyrus. She is also a member of the Masters Eight, where she defeated Iris and later considers retiring after the tournament. Her battle with Ash, which results in her loss, inspires her to continue battling in order to improve.

• Diantha (カルネ, Karune, Carnet)

Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese); Vanessa Gardner (English)

Diantha is the Kalos Champion and a famous actress. When she was a little girl, Diantha attended one of Professor Sycamore's Summer Camp programs as shown on her group portrait in the camp's hall of fame, next to Ash's. She appears several times throughout the series where her roles include battling Ash a couple times, hosting the Kalos League and later aids Ash in stopping Team Flare. She later appears as a member of the Masters Eight in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where she battles Lance and wins. She goes on to fight Leon, only to lose to him. Diantha always remains calm in battle unless someone can put up a huge fight against her. She also has a sweet tooth as she enjoys sampling desserts when visiting new towns. Like many Champions, Elite Fours and Gym Leaders, Diantha does see a lot of potential in Ash.

• Leon (ダンデ, Dande)

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Japanese); Alejandro Saab (English)

Leon is the Galar Champion from Postwick. He is friends with Sonia, who taught him how to battle. At some point, Rose took Leon under his wing so that Leon would improve his battling which caused Leon and Sonia to go their separate career paths. At the start of the series, he is the reigning Monarch of the World Coronation Series after defeating Lance. Leon encounters Ash several times throughout the series, alongside battling various opponents such as Raihan and Flint, and notably aids in stopping the Darkest Day and Eternatus. Leon also defeated Alain and Diantha and eventually battles Ash in the final battle of the World Coronation Series, where he eventually loses to Ash.

Elite Four Members

• Bruno (シバ, Siba)

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese); Maddie Blaustein (English)

Bruno is the Fighting-type user of the Kanto Elite Four. He may be a stoic individual and devoted to hard work, but it is revealed that he is a dedicated and wise advisor such as believing in catching strong Pokémon to better themselves or meditate to hone his skills and wisdom. In his debut, Ash and friends ran into some trouble in the form of a giant Onix running around. Both Ash and Brock wanted to learn from Bruno, but the two started doing chores around his place. At first, Bruno felt like a phony given that he did not have any secret techniques in training Pokémon. However, Bruno revealed his athletic prowess stopping the giant Onix, as well as removing the Sandslash that was stuck in its body. After fixing the problem, Bruno catches the Onix. It is then revealed that one of the keys to training Pokémon is to show care for each other between Trainer and Pokémon.

• Lorelei (カンナ, Kanna)

Voiced by: Maria Kawamura (Japanese); Jayne Grand (English)

Lorelei is the Ice-type user of the Elite Four in Kanto, but often relaxes in the Orange Islands. In her debut, Ash and friends meet her at a cafe and Lorelei invites the group to her lecture and battle demonstration. Here, Ash was struggling with his disobedient Charizard, forcing Lorelei to use her Slowbro to make Ash recall it. Ash then got to face off against Lorelei and her Cloyster using Pikachu only to lose easily. Lorelei does see a lot of potential in Ash, but she advises Ash to find more of his inner strength and be more connected with his Pokémon.

• Agatha (キクコ, Kikuko)

Voiced by: Kazuko Sugiyama (Japanese); Allyson Johnson (4Kids), Lisa Ortiz (TPCi, M20) (English)

Agatha is the Ghost-type user of the Kanto Elite Four. Shortly after Ash came back home from his Hoenn Journey, Ash came across her at Viridian City where it is revealed that she is the temporary substitute Gym Leader, until a replacement can be found. At the same time, Ash also met Scott who provided Ash the Battle Frontier quest. Ash attempted to battle her to prove his strength to Scott only to lose. However, both Agatha and Scott recommended Ash to challenge the Battle Frontier quest which Ash accepts. Agatha wished Ash good luck. In Movie 20: I Choose You!, Agatha only appeared in a nightmare sequence as a teacher in a world where no Pokémon existed, and Ash was attending a normal school.

• Drake (ゲンジ, Genji)

Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka (Japanese); Brian Maillard (4Kids), Edward Bosco (TPCi) (English)

Besides being the Dragon-type user of the Hoenn Elite Four, Drake is also a sea captain as he uses his ship to travel around the world. He first appeared in the Ruby and Sapphire episode, "Vanity Affair." After watching Ash using his Torkoal to defeat a trainer's Scizor, Drake meets Ash and friends at a local restaurant. He decided to test Ash's strength by challenging him into a battle. Although Ash put up a good fight, he lost easily. Drake reveals that the reason for the loss was due to Ash acting overconfident in his strength, a similar mistake Drake made when he was young. Drake advised Ash to concentrate on the match and remove all idle thoughts. He returns in Journeys, helping Ash and Goh find a Kingdra for Goh's Project Mew mission as well as seeking Ash and Goh's help for finding treasure located in a sunken submarine.

• Lucian (ゴヨウ, Goyō)

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese); David Lapkin (English)

Lucian is the Psychic-type User of the Sinnoh Elite Four, whose tactic is to analyze and wear out the opponent's energy before striking. At the Pokémon Center, Lucian first appears in person informing the heroes of the Champion League. The Champion League reveals that once you win the region League, you get to face off against the Champions and Elite Four. He also battles Dawn's Buizel and wins while pointing out where Buizel went wrong in battle. After some improving, Lucian refights Buizel again and stops the battle, pointing out that Dawn and Buizel need more work and improve their battle style. This concept was disregarded when Dawn traded her Buizel for Ash's Aipom as Buizel was into battle while Aipom was into contests. Lucian battled Cynthia in the Champion League but lost the match to her.

• Aaron (リョウ, Ryō)

Voiced by: Kenshō Ono, Chinami Nishimura (young) (Japanese); Christopher C. Adams (English)

The Bug-type user of the Sinnoh Elite Four, Aaron is known to conduct training sessions in a town near Hearthrome City. It is revealed that his first Pokémon was a Wurmple and was his close friend. However, after losing a match, he angrily abandoned his Wurmple and ran off. Aaron regretted his decision and vowed to understand Bug-type Pokémon so that he would not repeat the same mistake again, hence why he chose to be a Bug-type user of the Elite Four. He reunited with his Wurmple which had evolved into a Beautifly while apologizing for his behavior. Like Ash, Aaron always places friendship as a high value. He battled Cynthia in the Champion League only to lose to her.

• Flint (オーバ, Ōba)

Voiced by: Toru Nara (Japanese); Tom Wayland (Diamond & Pearl), Daman Mills (Journeys) (English)

Flint is the Fire-type user of the Sinnoh Elite Four. Flint spent his childhood, alongside Volkner, facing off against street hoodlums. At the age of 20, Flint moved out of Sunyshore City and became an Elite Four. He first encountered Ash and the crew when Ash was demanding a Gym Battle from Volkner, instead of just getting a Beacon Badge for free. Upon learning that Volkner refuses to fight, having grown tired of being undefeated, Flint decides to challenge Ash in an exhibition match and won with using his Infernape alone, which reinvigorated Volkner to accept Gym challenges again. He helped Ash and friends stop Team Rocket from stealing the Sunyshore Tower. Flint later watched Ash's victory against Volkner. The next day, Flint met Jasmine, the Gym Leader of Olivine City, and defeated her Steelix in an exhibition match. Eventually, he went to battle Cynthia for the Champion title only to lose to her. He returned in Journeys competing in the World Coronation series and is in the Masters Eight, only to lose to Leon easily. However, by the time Ash reached the Masters Eight, Flint was demoted back to Ultra Class.

• Bertha (キクノ, Kikuno)

Voiced by: Yōko Matsuoka (Japanese); Mary O' Brady (English)

Bertha is the Ground-type user of the Sinnoh Elite Four. She first appears in the show helping Ash and pals stop Team Rocket from stealing a trainer's Magby. Afterwards, Ash decides to challenge Bertha into a battle which she accepts. Despite a type-advantage, Ash's Torterra loses to her Hippowdon. Bertha advises Ash to always be observant in battle, though she commends Ash for working under pressure.

• Caitlin (カトレア, Katorea, Cattleya)

Voiced by: Miyu Matsuki (Japanese); Miriam Pultro (English)

Caitlin is the Psychic-type user of the Unova Elite Four. She only appeared in the Junior World Cup Tournament where she and her Gothitelle faced off against Cynthia and her Garchomp in an exhibition match. While struggling, Cynthia was able to help Caitlin to overcome her problems in battle.

• Siebold (ズミ, Zumi)

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Japanese); Eli James (English)

Siebold is the Water-type user of the Kalos Elite Four, as well as a head chef of a luxury restaurant. He only appeared in the first Mega Evolutions Special where Alain challenged Siebold into a battle. Siebold accepted the challenge and easily defeated Alain's Mega Charizard X with his own Mega Blastoise.

• Wikstrom (ガンピ, Ganpi, Gampi)

Voiced by: Eiji Hanawa (Japanese); Barrett Leddy (English)

Wikstrom is the Steel-type user of the Kalos Elite Four and is dressed as a knight. He made a cameo appearance in the 17th movie, Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, where he battled Diantha for the Champion title but lost. He would not make a proper appearance in the anime until Journeys, where he meets Ash and Goh and was hosting the Castle of Chivalry, which is a castle themed obstacle course, maze, and a training camp. To accomplish the obstacle course, both trainer and their Pokémon must wear knight armor while facing off against Wikstrom's Pokémon, as well as working together as a team. Both Ash and Goh accomplished his obstacle course and earned their medals and Wikstrom also helped Goh evolve his Scyther into Scizor. He is then shown training alongside and introducing his fellow Elite Four member, Drasna, to Ash as well as watching Ash's matches against Drasna and Leon.

• Malva (パキラ, Pakira, Pachira)

Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese); Samara Naeymi (English)

Malva is the Fire-type user of the Kalos Elite Four as well as a Team Flare agent and journalist. She appeared at numerous points reporting on the news, and later reported in the Lumiose Conference. Alain had to fight Malva in order to battle against trainers who could Mega Evolve their Pokémon. When Team Flare attacked, Malva turned against them and aided Ash and Alain in defeating them. She later decided to go after Team Flare's leftovers.

• Drasna (ドラセナ, Dorasena, Dracaena)

Voiced by: Fumi Hirano (Japanese); Laila Berzins (English)

Drasna is the Dragon-type user of the Kalos Elite Four. While a polite person outside of battle, Drasna is also a skilled battler and can Mega-evolve her Altaria. Bonnie mentioned that Drasna once fought Clemont and emerged victorious. Drasna first appears on a television show displaying her Dragon-type Pokémon as well as promoting an upcoming World Coronation series match against Ash. Seeing that she will be a tough opponent to overcome, Ash decides to train his Sirfetch'd and Dracovish with Clemont and Bonnie's help. Meanwhile, Drasna trained with Wikstrom for her upcoming match. While Drasna puts up a good fight, she loses to Ash, marking the first time Ash defeated an Elite Four member.

• Rika (チリ, Chili)

Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese); TBA (English)

Rika is the Ground-type user of the Paldea Elite Four. She saw potential in Liko after witnessing Liko winning a battle against Ann.

• Hassel (ハッサク, Hassaku)

Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese); TBA (English)

Hassel is the Dragon-type user of the Paldea Elite Four and an art teacher at Naranja Academy.

• Poppy (ポピー, Poppy)

Voiced by: Miria Takagishi (Japanese); TBA (English)

Poppy is the Steel-type user and the youngest member of the Paldea Elite Four.

Professors

• Professor Samuel Oak (オーキド博士, Ōkido Yukinari-hakase, Dr. Yurinari Ōkido)

Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka (until SM043); Kenyu Horiuchi (since SM093); Keiko Toda (child) (Japanese); Jimmy Zoppi (PUSA/DuArt), Stuart Zagnit (4Kids), Tara Sands (young; Pokémon 4ever), Mick Wingert (Current) (English)

Professor Oak is a Pokémon researcher and the grandfather of Gary Oak. He was once a competitive Trainer, and is generally considered the best in his field. As such, his role in the Pokémon games and anime is that of a mentor to young Pokémon Trainers, a source of information and an occasional plot device. Amongst other things, he is credited with inventing the Pokédex. He also hands out a Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle to beginning trainers to start their adventure in the Kanto Region. Due to waking up late, Oak gave Ash a Pikachu instead of one of the usual three, as it was the only Pokémon Oak had left. Oak frequently reappears throughout the series, and Ash often sends his Pokémon to Oak when they are not in use. Oak also occasionally reads poems about Pokémon in specific episode segments. A younger version of Oak, nicknamed Sammy, appears in Pokémon 4Ever.

• Professor Felina Ivy (ウチキド博士, Uchikido-hakase, Dr. Uchikido)

Voiced by: Keiko Han (Japanese); Kayzie Rogers (English)

Professor Ivy is the resident Pokémon professor of the Orange Islands, south of the region of Kanto. Professor Ivy is first introduced in the second season of the Pokémon anime. Ash and his friends Misty and Brock make their way to Valencia Island and meet the Professor. The unusual Pokéball that Professor Ivy discovered is dubbed the GS Ball. Brock elects to stay with Ivy, though he rejoins the group in a later season.

• Professor Elm (ウツギ博士, Utsugi-hakase, Dr. Utsugi)

Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue (Japanese); Paul Liberti (English)

Professor Elm is in charge of giving novice trainers their first Pokémon (Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile) in the Johto region. He was a student of Professor Oak and moved to New Bark Town in the Johto region where he conducts his research on Pokémon breeding. He is stereotypically depicted as a professor that has a tendency to be absent-minded, due to his immersion in his work. His forgetfulness was shown in an episode of the Pokémon anime where Team Rocket visit his laboratory, and the professor carelessly assumes them to be Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Center without looking up, and tells them to take the Pokémon, which they do. When the real Joy arrives, Elm discovers that one of his Pokémon, Totodile, has been stolen. With the help of Officer Jenny and the local Police Department, the Pokémon is recovered from Team Rocket. Professor Elm has also been described as the top student of Professor Oak, and seems to have a desire to surpass Professor Oak's accomplishments.

• Professor Birch (オダマキ博士, Odamaki-hakase, Dr. Odamaki)

Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese); Dan Green (English)

Professor Birch is considered the "Pokémon Professor" in the Hoenn region. Unlike other Pokémon scientists, he is known for his field work, rather than, in his own words, remaining "cooped up in his lab all day." He is an expert in the field of Pokémon habitual distribution. He is also responsible for giving new Pokémon Trainers one of the three Hoenn starter Pokémon: Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip. In the anime, Professor Birch appears at the start of the Hoenn Saga. When Ash arrives in the Hoenn region, his Pikachu is ill from an overexposure to magnetism and needs treatment immediately. Birch himself takes Ash and Pikachu back to his lab. Birch gives May her first Pokémon, a Torchic, a Pokédex, and some Poké Balls. He later appears when Ash, May, Brock, and Max return to Littleroot to help save the Starter Pokémon from Team Rocket, and also helps to solve the mystery of Clamperl's evolutions. He also cameoed in Journeys watching Steven's match against Ash.

• Professor Rowan (ナナカマド博士, Nanakamado-hakase, Dr. Nanakamado)

Voiced by: Iemasa Kayumi (Diamond and Pearl), Eizo Tsuda (Journeys onwards) (Japanese); Sean Reyes (English)

Professor Rowan is the authority on Pokémon in the region of Sinnoh. Rowan's laboratory is located in Sandgem Town. He specializes in the research of Pokémon evolution and is considered a senior researcher to Professor Oak, whom he is old friends with. He gives new trainers a Pokédex and allows them to keep one of the three Sinnoh Starter Pokémon (Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup). Professor Rowan appears in the first episode of Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl where he meets Dawn and later gives her Piplup. He runs a Pokémon Summer Academy; he is shown to be serious in nature as is exhibited by his breaking up Ash and Angie's constant fights and surprising them when they are late arriving to the Summer Academy. While the real Professor Rowan does not appear in Journeys, his alternate counterpart appears in the Dialga and Palkia two parter.

• Professor Aurea Juniper (アララギ博士, Araragi-hakase, Dr. Araragi)

Voiced by: Naomi Shindō (Japanese); Khristine Hvam (English)

Professor Aurea Juniper is a professor in the Unova region, who conducts research on the origins of Pokémon. Juniper's laboratory is located in Nuvema Town. In the anime, she is a friend of Professor Oak. As a present, she gives new trainers the Starter Pokémon of Unova: Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott. Professor Juniper first appears in the anime where she meets Trip and later gives him Snivy and when her Oshawott runs away and follows Ash, she allows Ash to keep the Pokémon. Professor Juniper also appears throughout the series such as researching the electric stones at Chargestone Cave as well as taking care of Ash's Unova Pokémon throughout the Black & White series before transferring them to Professor Oak's Lab when Ash left Unova.

• Professor Augustine Sycamore (プラターヌ博士, Puratānu-hakase, Dr. Platane)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Tsuchida (Japanese); Jake Paque (English)

Professor Sycamore is a professor in the Kalos region. He researches the Mega Evolution phenomenon, and acts as a recurring character throughout the series. Alain used to work for him, and he also hosts a summer camp, which Ash and the others attend during the course of the series. Sycamore later aids Ash and his friends in stopping Team Flare and Zygarde.

• Professor Kukui (ククイ博士, Kukui-hakase, Dr. Kukui)

Voiced by: Keiichi Nakagawa (Japanese); Abe Goldfarb (English)

Professor Kukui is a Professor in the Alola region. He is a teacher at the nearby Pokémon School, acting as the teacher to Ash and his friends. Kukui also lets Ash live in his house. He has a secret alias known as the Masked Royal, a celebrity Trainer who participates in "Battle Royals." He eventually marries Burnet during the course of the series, and later has a child with her. When Ash wins the Manalo Conference, Kukui challenges him to a battle. Despite the assistance of the Legendary Pokémon Tapu Koko, Ash is able to defeat Kukui.

• Professor Burnet (バーネット博士, Bānetto-hakase, Dr. Burnet)

Voiced by: Sachi Kokuryū (Japanese); Melissa Hope (English)

Professor Burnet is a researcher who specializes in the relationship between Pokémon and other dimensions. She lives with Professor Kukui and Ash, and eventually marries Kukui during the events of the series. She is later revealed to be pregnant with her and Kukui's child, and the child, Lei, is seen in Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

• Mohn (モーン, Mōn, Mohn)

Voiced by: Jirō Saitō (Japanese); Jeremy Levy (English)

Mohn was a researcher in the Alola region, working on researching the Ultra Wormhole phenomenon. He was married to Lusamine, and co-founded the Aether Foundation with his wife, and father of Lillie and Gladion, but he one day vanished after being sucked into an Ultra Wormhole. It is revealed in Pokémon Journeys: The Series that Mohn was rescued by a Shiny Nihilego, though he was rendered amnesiac. He eventually recovered, and reunited with his family.

• Professor Cerise (サクラギ博士, Sakuragi-hakase, Dr. Sakuragi)

Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese); Ray Chase (English)

Professor Cerise is a professor who appears in Pokémon Journeys: The Series. He is Chloe's father, and he runs a lab in the Kanto region. Ash and Goh often aid him in his research, and Goh keeps his Pokémon at Cerise's laboratory.

• Sonia (ソニア, Sonia)

Voiced by: Marina Inoue (Japanese); Brittany Cox (English)

Sonia is a young woman who was a childhood friend of Leon. She is also an apprentice of Professor Magnolia, a professor in Galar. She aids Ash and Goh in stopping the Darkest Day, after which Magnolia passes on her professor mantle to her.

• Professor Magnolia (マグノリア博士, Magunoria-hakase, Dr. Magnolia)

Voiced by: Shoko Tsuda (Japanese); Mary O'Brady (English)

Professor Magnolia is a friendly and gentle old lady who is the former Pokémon Professor of the Galar region. She studies the Dynamax phenomenon and its origins. After Chairman Rose nearly destroys the Galar region by summoning Eternatus, she promptly seals it away deep underground, and makes her granddaughter Sonia the new Pokémon Professor of Galar. Professor Magnolia and Sonia are also helping Leon to tame Eternatus so that it could be comfortable in interacting with people. Out of all the region professors, Professor Magnolia took the longest time to meet Ash in person.

• Professor Amaranth (ホダカ博士, Hodaka-hakase, Dr. Hodaka)

Voiced by: Yoichi Nishijima (Japanese); J. Michael Tatum (English)

Professor Amaranth is the head of the Project Mew missions. He always wanted to research Mew, but to do so, he requires several Chasers for the job. To become a Chaser, trainers must complete certain Project Mew Trial missions which includes catching a certain Pokémon, finding items that belong to a Pokémon (e.g., Moltres feather) and competing in a Battle Royale. Each accomplished missions grant the trainer a certain number of Project Mew tokens. Once trainers earn a large number of tokens at the end of the season, then they qualify as Chasers. However, if an applicant only earned less than four tokens, then they are disqualified. Amaranth also has low tolerance for poachers as he lets Chasers confiscate all the poacher's Pokémon used for illegal activities and sending them back into the wild.

Supporting characters

• Delia Ketchum (ハナコ, Hanako)

Voiced by: Masami Toyoshima (Japanese); Veronica Taylor (4Kids) Sarah Natochenny (English)

Delia Ketchum is Ash's mother. She acts as a supporting character throughout the series, often communicating with Ash via video call. She has a Mr. Mime housekeeper nicknamed Mimey (バリちゃん, Bari-chan), who helps her with chores and is also rather adept in battle.

• Nurse Joy (ジョーイ, Jōi, Joy)

Voiced by: Ayako Shiraishi (EP002-EP229); Yuriko Yamaguchi (EP245-EP488; EP517-EP656); Kikuko Inoue (Temp. Replacement from EP491-EP516); Chika Fujimura (EP659-EP795); Chinatsu Akasaki (EP802–present) (Japanese); Megan Hollingshead (Season 1–6, 23 current); Michele Knotz (Season 9–13); Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (Season 14–16); Kate Bristol (Season 17–19), Suzy Myers (season 20-22) (English)

"Joy" is the shared last name of the Joy family, in which most members are nurses. They mainly work in Pokémon Centers, but they also work in other locations. Although all of them look almost identical to each other, some do have different personalities, and a few even other occupations besides nursing. Multiple Joys are judges in Pokémon Contests. Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga author Toshihiro Ono cited her as one of his favorite characters to draw for the series, stating the reason as "because she's a girl".

• Officer Jenny (ジュンサー, Junsā, Junsar)

Voiced by: Chinami Nishimura (EP002-EP632); Chiaki Takahashi (EP663-EP795); Chiemi Ishimatsu (EP801–present) (Japanese); Lee Quick (Season 1-7); Jamie Davyous Owens (Season 8); Emlyn Morinelli McFarland (Season 9–13); Emily Bauer (Season 14–16; Season 23); Saskia Maarleveld (Season 17-19), Samantha Moon (Sun and Moon series episodes 9 to 39), Martha Harms (Sun and Moon series 70-128) (English)

"Jenny" is the shared last name of the Jenny family, in which most members are police officers and maintain the law and order in the Pokémon world and often oppose members of Team Rocket. The Japanese name, junsa (巡査), means "police officer".

• Jimmy and Marina (ケンタ and マリナ, Kenta and Marina)

Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (Jimmy), and Kazusa Murai (Marina) (Japanese); Sean Schemmel (Jimmy) and Kelly Davis (Marina) (English)

Jimmy and Marina are main characters in Pokémon Chronicles. The pair are respectively based off of the male and female player characters of Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Jimmy aims to become a Champion, and is often seen with a partner Typhlosion, while Marina is interested in dance routines, later being revealed to have become a Coordinator in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. The pair are old childhood friends.

• Brandon (ジンダイ, Jindai)

Voiced by: Masayuki Omoro (Japanese); Craig Blair (English)

Brandon is the head of the Battle Pyramid, one of the many battle facilities present at the Battle Frontier. The Pyramid is capable of flight, and as such, its location often changes. He is the final opponent of the Battle Frontier, and prior to Ash's challenge, had bested Paul's brother Reggie, which caused the latter to quit his career as a trainer and become a breeder. Brandon defeats Ash on his first two attempts , though Brandon loses on Ash's third try. Brandon notably owns three Legendary Pokémon: Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. He later travels to Sinnoh in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl to encounter Regigigas. After an encounter with Hunter J, Brandon elects to stay at with Regigigas to defend it. He also battles Paul, though Brandon defeats him.

• Alder (アデク, Adeku)

Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka (Japanese); Scottie Ray (English)

Alder was the Unova Champion in Black & White series. While laidback and reckless, he does provide advice and acts as a role model to many trainers. He appears throughout the series where amongst one of his main roles was hosting the Junior World Cup Tournament, where the winner will get to face Alder. Trip won the tournament, but he lost easily to Alder. In the Pokémon Journeys: The Series, it is revealed that Iris became the new Unova Champion, confirming that Alder no longer holds the title.

• N (N(エヌ), Enu)

Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese); Nicholas DiMichele (English)

N can hear the inner voices of Pokémon and believes that humans are using them for their own gain. Ghetsis raised N along with Anthea and Concordia, making them believe Pokémon cannot be equals with humans unless they are released from all Poké Balls. A short time before the Black & White series N was about to be crowned King of Team Plasma in Ghetsis' plan to use N's pure-hearted desire to save Pokémon to summon Reshiram and enslave it. However, the attempt backfired, leaving Team Plasma's castle destroyed by Fusion Flare. N, along with Anthea and Concordia flee to a secluded abandoned castle, where they spend their time tending to mistreat Pokémon. N goes on to encounter Ash, which begins to change his views, and he grows to oppose Ghetsis's plans.

• Meyer (リモーネ, Rimōne, Limoone) / Blaziken Mask (バシャーモかめん, Bashāmo Kamen, Bursyamo Mask)

Voiced by: Kensuke Satō (Japanese); Tom Wayland (Season 17 and the first half of season 18 ending in "Confronting the Darkness!"), Wayne Grayson (Season 18 starting from "The Moment of Lumiose Truth!" onwards) (English)

Meyer is the father of Clemont and Bonnie and the manager of an electrical appliance store. He notably holds a secret identity as "Blaziken Mask," a superhero-like vigilante who uses a Mega Evolving Blaziken. He aids Ash first by saving his life, and then by aiding in stopping Lysandre and Zygarde.

• Mairin (マノン, Manon)

Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (Japanese); Zoe Martin (English)

Mairin is a Pokémon trainer and companion of Alain. She owns a Chespin, nicknamed Chespie, who is put into a comatose state. She later befriends Ash and his friends, and accompanies Alain when he departs from Kalos alongside a fully restored Chespie.

• Rotom Pokédex (ロトム図鑑, Rotomu Zukan)

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese); Roger Callagy (English)

Rotom Pokédex is a Pokédex given to Ash by Professor Kukui, which is possessed by a Rotom. He accompanies Ash throughout the series, often acting as a supporting character in many episodes. He is also a fan of a detective show named "Detective Laki" which is the foundation for numerous episodes in the series.

• Lusamine (ルザミーネ, Ruzamīne, Lusamine)

Voiced by: Sayaka Kinoshita (Japanese); Bobbi Hartley (English)

The mother of Lillie and Gladion, Lusamine is the leader of the Aether Foundation. She is overly affectionate towards her children, though neither are initially as fond of her. After Lusamine is fused with Nihilego and separated, the three forgive each other. She heads up the "Ultra Guardians," a group which seeks to help stops Ultra Beast attacks and send them home. She once was married to Aether Professor Mohn, who moved to Alola to commence his research on the Ultra Wormhole. She, alongside Lillie and Gladion, was on a quest to find Mohn and bring him home. Along with Gladion and Lillie, she returns to the show in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where they reunite with Mohn.

• Chloe Cerise (サクラギ・コハル, Sakuragi Koharu, Koharu Sakuragi)

Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)

Chloe is a childhood friend of Goh. She is overly cautious and takes a realistic approach to life as she distances herself from making friends, with Goh being an exception. Throughout the series, Chloe grows to become more open, and begins to travel more, primarily alongside her partner Pokémon, an Eevee who is reluctant to evolve.

• Danika and Quillon (アサヒ and ツルギ, Asahi and Tsurugi)

Voiced by: Ryoko Shiraishi (Dana), Hiroshi Kamiya (Quillon) (Japanese); Anjali Kunapaneni (Dana), Max Mittelman (Quillon) (English)

Danika and Quillon are "Chasers" for Project Mew. The pair encounter Goh at various occasions, often aiding in Missions. They both own an Urshifu, with Danika owning a Rapid Strike form and Quillon a Single Strike form. Both later go to Faraway Island to encounter Mew alongside Horace, Goh, and Gary.

References

Manga volumes

• Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Electric Pikachu Boogaloo Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, April 5, 2000. ISBN 1-56931-436-5
• Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Surf's Up, Pikachu Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, June 2000. ISBN 1-56931-494-2