Professor Oak
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Professor Oak | |
|---|---|
 Prof. Oak, from an illustration for Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Japanese name | Ōkido-Hakase |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Stan Hart (Season 1-8), Billy Beach (Season 9+) |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Unshou Ishizuka |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | Ep. 1, "Pokémon, I Choose You!" |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | Chap. 1 |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Occupation | Pokémon researcher |
Professor Samuel Oak is a human character who appears in the Pokémon video games, anime series, and manga. In Japanese, Professor Oak's name is Yukinari Ōkido-Hakase (オーキド博士), a rough translation of which is "Professor Yukinari Orchid, PhD", though the name Ōkido is still often used in fan translations. He is a Pokémon researcher, and generally considered the best of his kind. 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. Although he is an expert on all matters relating to Pokémon, Professor Oak specializes in Pokémon behavioural science. Like the later "Pokémon Prof"s, his English name is taken from a tree of the same name.
Contents |
[edit] In the anime
The Pokémon anime series and films are a meta-series of adventures separate from the canon that most of the Pokémon video games follow (with the exception of Pokémon Yellow, a game based on the anime storyline). The anime follows the quest of the main character, Ash Ketchum[1]—an in-training Pokémon Master—as he, May, Hikari, and several other companions[1]) travel around the fictitious world of Pokémon along with their Pokémon partners, Pikachu, Blaziken,[2] and Pochama.[3]
In the anime, Professor Oak (or Sammy, as he was called back then) was a Pokémon Trainer and he owned a Charmeleon (probably his own evolved starter Pokémon) as a youth. He met the legendary Pokémon Celebi while it was being pursued by hunters and through its time travelling powers was transported decades into the future for a short while. During this time he met Ash Ketchum, who gave him the idea for the Pokédex.
Professor Oak later battled against Pokémon trainer Agatha for supremacy, but his trainer days came to an end when he decided to study Pokémon rather than train them. This annoyed Agatha greatly, even though it meant her rival was now out of the picture.
At present, Professor Oak is an elderly man. His usual attire is a white lab coat over a brown pair of trousers and a red polo shirt. His personality is that of the stereotypical absent-minded professor: slightly eccentric and not always focused yet nonetheless very intelligent.
Professor Oak lives and conducts his research from a large laboratory complex situated in the Kanto reigon's Pallet Town, which is based on Yokohama, Japan. His duties include tending to the surplus Pokémon that trainers send him for safekeeping, and getting local rookie trainers started by giving them their first Pokémon (a choice between Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander) along with a Pokédex.
There is no information on Professor Oak's parents or children. His grandson, Gary Oak, is a wandering Pokémon trainer turned researcher and former rival of Ash Ketchum, the protagonist of the Pokémon television series. Gary's rivalry with Ash ends when he becomes a researcher, paralleling Oak's old rivalry with Agatha.
Professor Oak has caught a Charmeleon, Pidgey, and even a Dragonite. He also mentions he once had a Seaking in the chronicles episode "Putting the Air in Aerodactyl".
[edit] In video games
Professor Oak's appears in Pokémon Red and Blue (and their remakes, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen) where he introduces himself and gives a brief lecture on what Pokémon are. At some point, he asks the player for his or her name. Here, the player can either create his or her own, or choose a pre-made one. He also allows the player to pick one of three Starter Pokémon, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. The player keeps the Pokémon of their choice but may not catch any of the others in the wild. In Pokémon Yellow, which is loosely based on the anime, he gives the player a Pikachu instead.
Professor Oak also appears in Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal as Professor Elm's colleague. In these games, he stars in a radio show broadcast from Goldenrod City.
He also makes a major appearance in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl as Professor Nanakamado's friend. In these games, he gives the player the National Pokédex.
[edit] In manga
Oak appears in several Pokémon manga series. In Pokémon: The Electrical Adventures of Pikachu, a manga which does not follow strict anime continuity, it is revealed he has a grand-daughter named May who Ash has a crush on. He has caught a Charmander (which he nicknamed "Char" and which evolved into its full evolution, Charizard) and a Sandshrew.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b Pokémon anime overview Psypokes.com. URL Accessed May 25, 2006.
- ^ Pokémon anime; May character bio Serebii.net. URL Accessed May 25, 2006.
- ^ Pokémon anime character bio; Hikario bio Serebii.net. URL Accessed October 13, 2006.
| Pokémon Professors |
|---|
|
Professor Oak | Professor Felina Ivy | Professor Elm | Professor Birch | Professor Nanakamado |
