List of Kanto Gym Leaders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Below is a list of Gym Leaders from the Kanto region in the fictional Pokémon series of video games games, anime and manga.
Each of these gym leaders is in charge of a Pokémon gym. In Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, FireRed and LeafGreen, their main role was as one-off, more-difficult gym trainers the player had to defeat to progress through the game and face the Elite Four. They serve much the same role in the anime, each of them posing to Ash a challenge to overcome or task to complete before he earns the badges he needs to participate in the Kanto Pokémon League championships.
Contents |
[edit] Pokémon Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen
[edit] Brock
| Brock | |
|---|---|
 Brock as seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Japanese name | Takeshi |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Eric Stuart (4Kids), Bill Rogers (TAJ/Geneon) |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Yuuji Ueda |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "Showdown in Pewter City" |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | "Onix is On!" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Rock-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Pewter City Gym Leader |
Brock (タケシ? Takeshi in original Japanese language versions), is the Pewter City gym leader. His English name is a play on the word rock; his Japanese name is an archaic term translating to brave, but may also be a reference to a word meaning mountain or peak (岳 take?). He uses Rock-type Pokémon. Brock is also known in the animated series, the Pokémon manga series (Electric Tale of Pikachu), and the Ash & Pikachu manga as the character whose eyes appear to be closed all the time. This trait appears to be hereditary, as his father and ten siblings all share it.
In the video games, Brock is the first gym leader the player battles. He uses Geodude and Onix. When defeated, he gives the player a Boulder Badge.
In the anime, Brock is a parental type, and is no stranger to taking care of people. At the start of the series he was the Pewter Gym Leader, who took care of his brothers and sisters since neither his father nor his mother were around during this time. He wanted to compete in the Indigo League, but later chose to become a Pokémon breeder instead. After Ash defeats him, Brock steps down from his Gym Leader position to travel with him.
In the anime, Brock makes advances on most girls he meets.
[edit] Misty
| Misty | |
|---|---|
 Misty, as seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Rachael Lillis (4Kids), Michele Knotz (TAJ/Geneon) |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Mayumi Iizuka |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "Pokémon I Choose You!" |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | "Gyarados Splashes In!" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Water-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Cerulean City Gym Leader |
Misty (カスミ? Kasumi in original Japanese language versions) is the second gym leader, residing in Cerulean City. She specializes in Water-type Pokémon. She also appears in several seasons of the Pokémon anime, the Pokémon manga series (Electric Tale of Pikachu) and the Ash & Pikachu manga. Her English name derives from the word mist, matching the meaning of her Japanese name, which means misty or hazy.
In the Pokémon video games, Misty uses Staryu and Starmie; when defeated, she gives the player a Cascade Badge. She also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
In the anime, Misty meets Ash at the start of his Pokémon journey, and travels with him. Even after they reach Cerulean City and Ash defeats her for the Cascade Badge, she continues to accompany him on his journey and becomes a good friend. Misty leaves the group at the end of Master Quest, but appears in several episodes of Pokémon Chronicles.
[edit] Lt. Surge
| Lt. Surge | |
|---|---|
 Lt. Surge, as seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Japanese name | Matthies |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Maddie Blaustein |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Fumihiko Tachiki |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "Electric Shock Showdown" |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | "Danger: High Voltorb" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Electric-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Vermilion City Gym Leader |
Lt. Surge (マチス Machisu?, Matthies in original Japanese language versions) is the third gym leader and resides in Vermilion City. He is an expert on Electric-type Pokémon.
In Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen, Lt. Surge is depicted as a paranoid American war veteran (the war he fought in is not made clear), which is shown when the player must find two keys hidden in the Gym to challenge Surge. In Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen, one of the lesser trainers states Lt. Surge was his "strict C.O." in the war; in Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, another (possibly the same) trainer states that Lt. Surge saved his life. In the Red and Blue games he sports a Voltorb, Pikachu and Raichu, but in Yellow he sports only a supercharged Raichu, much like in the anime. In Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, he is the first Gym Leader of Kanto that can be challenged. When defeated, he gives the player a Thunder Badge.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Lt. Surge is an ex-Team Rocket Elite, and sailor on the S.S. Anne. He also served in a war as a commanding officer, using his Pokémon to defeat enemies.
In the anime, Lt. Surge is a tall, muscular tough guy who calls any opponent who hasn't beaten him a "baby". Surge compliments Misty when she, Ash and Brock first entered the Gym, thinking it was Misty who had come to challenge him. When he battles Ash, his Raichu defeats Ash's Pikachu. However, because Lt. Surge didn't give his Pokémon the chance to learn the speed and agility it could have as a Pikachu (as he evolved it right away), Ash wins the rematch by ordering Pikachu to wear out Raichu by dodging its attacks.
[edit] Erika
| Erika | |
|---|---|
 Erika, as seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Japanese name | Erika |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Leah Applebaum |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Kyoko Hikami |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "Pokémon Scent-sation" |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | "Blame It on Eevee" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Grass-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Celadon City Gym Leader |
Erika (エリカ?) is the fourth gym leader in the Kanto region and resides in Celadon City. She is an expert on Grass types. That she is often depicted wearing a kimono, and the fact that only females train in her gym, are a tribute to geisha culture. Her name comes from the Japanese word rika, which can refer to either pear blossoms (梨花?) or plum blossoms (李花?). Erika alternates between having black and violet hair.
In FireRed and LeafGreen, she practices ikebana. She fights the player with a Vileplume, Tangela, and Victreebel. When defeated, she gives the player a Rainbow Badge.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Erika is called the "only heir of the Celadon Gym" and is treated as royalty. She also practices archery, and dresses in traditional Japanese clothes. When Red challenges her to a match, she requires that he first find an Eevee. Though she says this is a test of his strength, it is, as shown, part of a secret plan. Red manages to capture the creature (a special one, at that) with the help of Bill, and brings it to Erika. With this accomplished, Erika give Red the badge, but Red accuses her of having an evil scheme after Bill sees a file about an Eevee bio-engineering plan. While the battle is taking place, Red discovers that Erika is not actually the villain, but that the Eevee was a Team Rocket experiment. In truth, Erika was a good gym leader against Team Rocket. Because Red passes the test, Erika give him the Eevee as a reward.
In the anime, Erika is the owner of a perfume shop inside of Celadon City, in addition to being the local gym leader. Her clothing is different from her other incarnations: she no longer sports the traditional kimono, instead opting for a sleeker single-piece green suit. Ash, not knowing that the owner of the shop is also the city's Gym Leader, ends up insulting her (by calling perfume a "girl thing"), which causes Erika to ban him from both her shop and her gym. Since Ash is determined to win a Rainbow Badge, he disguises himself as a girl named Ashley with Team Rocket's help and sneaks into the gym while Team Rocket pretends to be his parents. Ash is discovered by Pikachu, and Erika battles him rather than kicking him out. While they are battling, Team Rocket interrupts, setting the gym on fire. A rush ensues as trainers attempt to rescue all the Pokémon in the gym by recalling them to their Poké Balls and carrying them out, but, in the confusion, Erika's Gloom gets trapped in the inferno. Erika tries to save it, but Ash volunteers and succeeds in saving Erika's Gloom. As a reward, Erika gives him the Rainbow Badge.
[edit] Koga
| Koga | |
|---|---|
 Koga, as seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Japanese name | Kyō |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Ken Gates |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Houchu Ohtsuka |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "The Ninja-Poké Showdown" |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | "Raging Rhydon" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Poison-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Fuchsia City Gym Leader; later Johto Pokémon League Elite Four member |
Koga (キョウ? Kyō in original Japanese language versions) is a character in the Pokémon video game series. He is the second member of Johto's Elite Four that the player must face. He was also once the gym leader of Fuchsia City, but relieved his duties to his daughter Janine. He is an expert on Poison types. He is a ninja, and his students study ninjutsu in his gym. His name is a reference to the Kōga-ryū school of ninjutsu.
[edit] Video games
In Pokémon Red and Blue, Koga operates the Fuchsia city gym, which is also a training ground for the ninja arts. He is basically the fifth boss, although sometimes advertised to be the sixth boss of the game. He is also part of the guard that protects the border of the Safari Zone. He is noted as being the easiest of the later battles, as direct attacks will quickly dispatch poison Pokémon, as well as his habit of randomly switching Pokémon in and out, which allows the player to quickly take out all his Pokémon with the same strategy. When defeated, he gives the player a Soul Badge.
Later, in Pokémon Gold and Silver, he has been promoted to a member of the Elite Four, with his daughter, Janine, taking over his previous duties at the Fuchsia gym.
[edit] Anime
In the anime, Koga is a ninja-like character whose gym is full of trap doors, booby-traps, and other such hidden items. He is the fifth gym leader boss, but the sixth boss that Ash faced. After Ash, Misty, and Brock make their way around these, and finally locate Koga, Ash challenges him to a match. Team Rocket interrupts the match, but are defeated with the help of Misty's Psyduck. A rematch occurs outside, which Ash wins; Koga, impressed by Psyduck's skill, offers a trade, which Misty declines.
[edit] Manga
In the RBY saga of Pokémon Adventures, Koga, the former Gym Leader of Fuchsia City, is an ex-Team Rocket executive, and part of the former Team Rocket Triad (composed of Lt. Surge, Sabrina and himself.) During the Silph Co. battle, he uses Articuno, along with his Poison Pokémon, in order to battle Red and Blue. After the fall of Team Rocket, he vanishes along with the rest of the Team Rocket triad and his gym is taken over by his daughter, Janine. His Arbok is able to regrow its tail if it is cut off (it was once cut off by Green's Charmeleon and Agatha's Arbok). He is last seen at the end of the GSC saga, when he joins Will, Karen and Bruno to help form a good Elite Four.
[edit] Sabrina
| Sabrina | |
|---|---|
 Sabrina, as seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Japanese name | Natsume |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Lisa Ortiz |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Kae Araki |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "Abra and the Psychic Showdown" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Psychic-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Saffron City Gym Leader |
Sabrina (ナツメ? Natsume in original Japanese language versions) is a fictional character in the Pokémon video game series. She is actually the sixth Gym Leader in the Kanto region (as in Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow, her badge is listed as the sixth one), although she is sometimes advertised to be the fifth gym leader, and resides in Saffron City (Yamabuki City). She is an expert on Psychic types. Sabrina gives out the Marsh Badge to trainers who defeat her.
Her English name may have been chosen based on the Sabrina, the Teenage Witch comic or TV series
[edit] Anime
In the anime, Sabrina is very unemotional and even cruel. She is the fifth of the gym leader bosses. She turns any trainers losing in her gym into dolls (smaller versions of themselves). The reason for this, said her father (disguised as a jogger) was that, when she was small, she wanted to practice her ESP powers but her parents would not let her. In anger, she gradually lost her emotions and focused solely on developing her powers. Her lost childhood was symbolized by the sentient doll of a little girl in her lap that always wants to "play". The symbol still remained even after she became a Gym Leader.
When Ash Ketchum first battles against Sabrina, her Abra evolves into a Kadabra and defeats Ash's Pikachu. She uses her psychic abilities to shrink Ash and his friends to the size of dolls, but they are rescued by Sabrina's father, who teleports them out. Ash then leaves for the haunted Pokémon Tower of Lavender Town to catch a Ghost-type Pokémon, which Sabrina's father says are the only Pokémon that can defeat her Psychic Pokémon. Ash befriends a Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar in the tower, and the Haunter accompanies Ash back to Saffron City. The Haunter seems confident in its ability to win the battle, but when it comes time to fight, it is nowhere to be found. Ash manages to find it in town just as it foils another one of Team Rocket's schemes to capture Pikachu. Believing this to be the reason for Haunter's disappearance, Ash quickly forgives Haunter, and they march back to the gym, only to have Haunter disappear again. Pikachu offers to take on Kadabra once more. Defeat seems certain until Haunter starts making comical faces at Sabrina. This makes Sabrina laugh for the first time in years, removing her from her trance. In addition, since Sabrina is telepathically linked to her Kadabra, it is immobilized with laughter as well and unable to continue the battle, causing Ash to win by default; Sabrina then gives Ash the Marsh Badge.
[edit] Manga
In the manga Electric Tale of Pikachu, Sabrina is friendly and happy to begin with. But she finds herself joining in battle with a group of hunters against a giant ancient Haunter named The Black Fog (on account of the legion of Gastly that surround it at all times). During a fight, Sabrina gets her soul devoured by the Fog and falls into a coma. Ash and his friends have to defeat the Haunter to save Sabrina's soul.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Sabrina is, in addition to being the Saffron City Gym Leader, a member of Team Rocket. She is one of three elite "Executives", subordinate only to Giovanni himself. She makes a Barrier around Saffron City to take over Kanto by using Zapmolcuno created by herself. After Team Rocket is disbanded, Sabrina does not associate with its later incarnation, Neo Team Rocket.
[edit] Blaine
| Blaine | |
|---|---|
 Blaine, as seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Japanese name | Katsura |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Ted Lewis |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Toshiya Ueda |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "Riddle Me This" |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | "Tauros the Tyrant" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Fire-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Cinnabar Island Gym Leader; later Seafoam Islands Gym Leader |
Blaine (カツラ? Katsura in original Japanese language versions), is a character in the Pokémon video game series, the Pokémon anime series and the Pokémon manga series.
Blaine is the seventh Gym leader in the Kanto region, who is an expert on Fire-type Pokémon. Blaine resides in Cinnabar Island, and has his gym inside a volcano. One of Blaine's unique traits, at least in the video games and anime, is his affection for riddles. This, combined with his training of Fire Pokémon, has earned him the nickname "The Hotheaded Quiz Master". Due to this fact, his English name may be a reference to the character "Blaine the Mono" in Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series, who also has an affection for riddles.
[edit] Video games
In Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, FireRed and LeafGreen, Blaine is the second to last gym leader in the Kanto region (before Giovanni in Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen; or Blue in Gold, Silver and Crystal).
In Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen, battles with his underlings can be avoided by correctly answering riddles. Victory against Blaine earns the player both a Volcano Badge and TM 38, Fire Blast.
According to information gained from various characters in the game, Blaine was inspired to train fire Pokémon after he was guided out of a freezing mountain range by the fire bird Moltres. He is also an old friend of Mr. Fuji.
Blaine makes his home on Cinnabar Island in Red, Blue, Yellow, Fire Red and Leaf Green, as a native of the island who has lived there since before the creation of the island's Pokémon lab. By Gold and Silver, he has moved to the Seafoam Islands due to the eruption of the once-dormant Cinnabar Island volcano, which made it impossible for him to locate his gym there. Strangely, the volcano does not appear anywhere near Cinnabar Island in Red, Blue, Yellow, Fire Red or Leaf Green.
In the two Pokémon Stadium games, Blaine is a member of the gym leader lineups. Unlike the other games, he does not entirely rely on fire Pokémon, using the non-fire types Clefable, Kangaskhan, Chansey, Tangela, Parasect, Octillery and Vileplume. The reason for this is unknown, though it is possible the Grass Pokémon and Octillery are to thwart any Water- or Ground-type Pokémon the player may be using.
[edit] Manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Blaine is first introduced as a Team Rocket scientist working on the creation of Mewtwo. However, his appearance is brief, and he is not given a name until later. It is later revealed that he also was involved in experiments on Eevee, Gyarados, and others. He chose to work with Team Rocket based on his love of science, but regretted his decision after hearing about how Red had been taking on the organization.
As revealed in Blaine's dreams, he combined the DNA of Mew with his own DNA in order to finish Mewtwo while working with Team Rocket. This also left some of Mewtwo's DNA inside of Blaine, which not only was claiming Blaine's life, but allowed the gym leader to track the Pokémon. After Mewtwo broke free of the Team Rocket facility, Blaine left the group and went into hiding until he helped Red fight off some Team Rocket thugs.
During the escape from Team Rocket thugs and their Moltres, he discovers the old amber that Red has been carrying, and has him revive it into an Aerodactyl to fight off the Moltres, after which he lets Red keep it as he goes off to find Mewtwo. Red later reencounters Blaine and is able to help him capture Mewtwo with a Master Ball. Because of the DNA that they share, they are unable to be separated for very long without becoming ill. As a scientist, Blaine tries to find a way to separate them without hurting either.
Blaine later reappears three years later as the fourth member of the alliance of good gym leaders (the other three being Brock, Misty and Erika) to help find Red, who has gone missing. When the Elite Four launch attacks on Pewter, Cerulean and Celadon City, Blaine is forced to go to Cerise Island, the location of the Elite Four's secret base, with the aid of Yellow, Green, Blue and Bill, with the intent of dissolving the group. However, they find Lt. Surge, Sabrina and Koga instead, who state that they wish to help defeat the Elite Four, as the Elite Four are destroying the land that Team Rocket wishes to rule. He and Yellow are then paired together to fight against the Elite Four by Sabrina's "Spoons of Destiny", eventually facing off against Lance. However, the bond between Mewtwo and Blaine proves to be his undoing, as he faints before the battle is over.
Blaine first shows up in the "Mask of Ice" plot during the Johto vs. Kanto Gym Leader Competition during the tri-annual Pokémon League Tournament, in which he faces off against Claire. While the competition is apparently simply a matter of having the two regions compete against each other, in reality, it is to find out who the new leader of Team Rocket was, as fragments from the leader's Ice Mask had been discovered to be made out of the same material as gym badges. When the Legendary Dogs choose battle partners, Entei selected Blaine based on his specialty with Fire Pokémon, and it was then revealed that Blaine had been searching for Entei at the same time for his healing flame. Using the flame, Entei is able to break the bond between Blaine and Mewtwo by removing the DNA in Blane's arm, at which point Mewtwo leaves. Blaine is then able to use the legendary Pokémon to easily defeat Clair, who had insisted on holding their match on a runaway magnet train on which all the gym leaders had become trapped.
Blaine then works with Misty and Lt. Surge (who were battle partners with Suicune and Raikou) to fight against the Mask of Ice and free Lugia and Ho-oh from his control. Ultimately, however, it is the emotions of a large number of Pokémon that frees the two legendary birds.
[edit] Anime
In the anime, while Ash is on his way to Cinnabar Island in order to challenge Blaine for a Volcano Badge, he is told by Gary Oak that there is no badge. However, Ash does not believe his rival, suspecting that the latter only wants to trick him out of a badge. However, upon arriving, he learns that Gary was actually telling the truth, as a hippie-like character shows Ash and his friends the old, burned-down ruins of Blaine's abandoned gym. The hippie then tells them that as Cinnabar Island grew into a popular tourist attraction, too many non-serious Pokémon challengers arrived, driving Blaine away. He then hands them a business card for his hotel with the location disguised as a riddle.
After Ash and his friends are unable to find a place to stay (the Pokémon Center being full of tourists as well), Misty figures out this riddle, and as a reward, the hippie (who seemingly appears out of nowhere) gives them free lodging. Through Misty's Togepi, they find a secret entrance into Cinnabar Island's volcano at the hippie's hotel, and learn that the riddling hippie is Blaine in disguise. Ash, now knowing who Blaine is, challenges him to a match. While Ash calls upon Charizard early in the match, the Pokémon still refuses to listen to him, so he uses Pikachu instead. However, Magmar proves to be too much, and Ash is forced to pull out, with Pikachu nearly getting killed falling in lava.
When Team Rocket attempts to capture Magmar with ice rockets, their ice missiles freeze the inside of the entire volcano, cooling down the superheated rock. As a result, the rock compacts and starts shattering. Blaine tells Ash that the surge of the lava bursting through the cracks is enough to destroy the island. Ash and Blaine send out their Pokémon to help seal the cracks in the rock, which stops the eruption. Because of this, Blaine challenges Ash to a one-on-one rematch atop the volcano (the gym was destroyed), with Blaine choosing Magmar. While Ash considers who he should use, Charizard steps in and volunteers to fight Magmar. Since Charizard has seen how strong Magmar was while sealing the volcano, he wants to test himself. So, for the first time, Charizard follows Ash's orders and defeats Magmar with a Seismic Toss attack, winning Ash the Volcano Badge.
[edit] Miscellanea
- Along with Sabrina, Blaine was one of only two Kanto Gym leaders who had two episodes about Ash trying to win his badge.
- In Pokémon Adventures, Blaine likes to wear a disguise when he's moving about the island. He also accidentally burnt his mustache off during a training exercise.
- While his now-standard appearance is that of a bald man who wears sunglasses and has a white mustache, Blaine has had two other previously used designs. In Pokémon Red and Blue, he is a slightly-balding, clean-shaven man, with red hair and no sunglasses. In the anime, his appearance after he has reveals himself to Ash is that of a man with hair on the back of his head, no mustache, and no sunglasses.
[edit] Giovanni
| Giovanni | |
|---|---|
 Giovanni, as seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Japanese name | Sakaki |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Ted Lewis |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Hirotaka Suzuoki |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "Battle Aboard the St. Anne" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Ground-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Viridian City Gym Leader; Team Rocket's Leader. |
Giovanni (サカキ? Sakaki in original Japanese language versions) is the leader of Team Rocket in the fictional world of Pokémon, and he is also the Viridian City Gym Leader. In the Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Fire Red and LeafGreen video games, Giovanni is the owner and Gym Leader of the Viridian City Gym. When defeated, Giovanni gives the victor an Earth Badge. The gym remains closed most of the time, while Giovanni is off managing Team Rocket. His English name is both a play on the mafia stereotype and a reference to the prefex geo-, while his Japanese name may refer to Cleyera japonica, which the Earth Badge resembles.
However, in the anime, he appoints Team Rocket members to fight off challengers whenever he isn't available (when Ash Ketchum attempts to win his badge, he finds that Jessie and James are the people called to defend the gym). Since there isn't always a Team Rocket member nearby at the time Giovanni calls, many trainers often find the Gym closed the first time they come to it. But when he is present, he is seen using Mewtwo against the Trainers' Pokémon.
In the video games, the explanation for the closure of the gym is that Giovanni is too busy leading Team Rocket and only worries about his Gym when his team is beaten in Silph Co. headquarters in Saffron City, probably because the Gym is one of the few things he has left at that point.
[edit] Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal
Once the player defeats the Elite Four in Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, the player will be allowed to use the S.S. Aqua to travel to Kanto, where the Kanto gym leaders may be battled. Most of the Kanto gym leaders are the same as their Red, Blue and Yellow counterparts, except the following:
[edit] Janine
| Janine | |
|---|---|
 Janine, as seen in Pokémon Gold and Silver |
|
| Japanese name | Anzu |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Gold and Silver |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | "Suicune" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Poison-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Fuchsia City Gym Leader |
Janine (アンズ? Anzu in original Japanese language versions) is the sixth gym leader in the Kanto region and resides in Fuchsia City. She is an expert on Poison-types. In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, Janine became the gym leader when her father Koga joined the Elite Four. Janine is also the most mischievous of the Gym leaders and likes to play tricks on her opponents. Her main trick is getting all her trainers to disguise as her to confuse the opponent trainer. Her localized name is a pun on the word ninja.
In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, she speaks of training in her father's footsteps. In this game, she is called Charine (perhaps as a matter of translation).
Janine has never appeared in the Pokémon anime, but Koga instead has a sister named Aya. Ash first met her when he went to challenge Koga for a Gym Badge and again while she was training in Johto.
[edit] Blue
| Blue | |
|---|---|
 Blue, as seen in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen |
|
| Japanese name | Green |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | "A Glimpse of the Glow" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Occupation | Kanto Pokémon League Champion; later Viridian City Gym Leader |
Blue (グリーン Gurīn?, Green in original Japanese language versions as well as all versions of FireRed and LeafGreen) is the main antagonist of Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen. Although the player can change his name at the beginning of the game, the game will generically refer to the character as “Blue”. He serves as a repeated foil and recurring boss for the player.
After defeating all of the Johto Gym Leaders, the player is granted access to Kanto, the setting of the original generation of Pokémon games. The player will proceed to defeat all of the Kanto Gym Leaders, but will be unable to find the leader of the Viridian City Gym as no mention of it has been made after Giovanni departed from the Gym.
The player can find Blue on the remains of Cinnabar Island, staring out into the sea. Blue speaks to the player briefly and returns to Viridian, where he is revealed to be the Gym Leader. After beating all of the other Kanto Gym Leaders and speaking to Blue, the player can then challenge him in the Viridian Gym. If the player defeats Blue, he or she receives their 16th badge and Professor Oak will grant them access to Mt. Silver.
Blue is most commonly referred to as Gary, in the same sense of Red being known better as Ash.
[edit] Anime
The Kanto Gym Leaders in the Pokémon anime are based on the Red, Blue and Yellow Gym Leaders, except for the following:
[edit] Daisy, Lily and Violet
| Daisy, Lily and Violet | |
|---|---|
 Left to right: Violet, Daisy and Lily |
|
| Japanese name | Sakura (Daisy), Ayame (Lily) and Botan (Violet) |
| Voice actor(s) | Lisa Ortiz (Daisy) |
| First appearances | |
| Anime episode | "The Water Flowers of Cerulean City" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Water-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Cerulean City Gym Leaders |
Daisy, Lily, and Violet (Sakura, Botan, and Ayame) are the older sisters of Misty and the Cerulean City Gym Leaders, often calling themselves the "Sensational Sisters". In the Japanese versions, like their English counterparts, their names all connote flowers, as sakura refers to the "cherry blossom", botan refers to the "peony", and ayame refers to the "iris".
Their speciality is Water-type Pokémon. They are not as skilled as most Gym Leaders are, and are more concerned with beauty than their duties as Gym Leaders. As such, they will often give out badges for free; Ash Ketchum was offered one for free just because all their Pokémon were at the Pokémon Center, while a trainer they met near Lilycove City named Jimmy received one just for cleaning out the pool. Their glamorous life style leads to them winning a World Tour, at which point they hand over the running of the Gym to Misty. On returning, they let Misty continue as it gives them more free time for glamour. Another attraction they have is their aquatic shows. However, Daisy is not quite as concerned with glamour as Violet and Lily, and so finds time to spend some time at the Gym with Misty. This won her a date once when Tracey Sketchit helped out.
Before the start of the first season, their teasing of Misty — often calling her "scrawny," or "runt" — caused the redhead to run away from home.
As leaders of the Cerulean Gym, the trio have the following Pokémon, among others:
- Luvdisc - Daisy has a female Luvdisc named "Luverin" who rejected the advances of Misty's Luvdisc, "Casurin". After an attack on the gym from Butch and Cassidy, resulting in the two Pokémon working together, Casurin finally wins the love of Luverin.
- Goldeen - three respectively, caught before "The Water Flowers of Cerulean City"
- Seaking - at least one, caught before "The Misty Mermaid"
- Gyarados - at least one, evolved from Magikarp which Misty tamed and claimed as her own in "Cerulean Blues"
- Dewgong - originally a Seel, evolved into Dewgong in "The Misty Mermaid"
- Starmie - Misty's, left at the gym in "The Misty Mermaid"
- Horsea - Misty's, left at the gym in "The Misty Mermaid"
[edit] Brock's family
| Flint (Father) / Lola (Mother) / Forrest (Brother) | |
|---|---|
 Flint and Lola, Brock's parents  Forrest, Brock's Brother |
|
| Japanese name | Munoo (Father) / Mizuho (Mother) / Jirō (Brother) |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Ted Lewis (Father) / Bella Hudson (Mother) / Andrew Rannells (Brother) |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Takaya Hashi (Father) / Mako Hyōdō (Mother) / Romi Paku (Brother) |
| First appearances | |
| Anime episode | Showdown in Pewter City (Father & Brother) / A Family That Battles Together Stays Together! (Mother) |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Rock-type Pokémon (Father & Brother) / Water-type Pokémon (Mother) |
| Occupation | Pewter City Gym Leaders |
Flint (Munō in the Japanese version) and Lola (Mizuho) are Brock's parents. Flint was Brock's predecessor as the Pewter City Gym Leader. However, he left to try and become a better trainer. Soon after, Brock's mother left (though in the anime it originally stated she had died), leaving Brock the responsibility of looking after the Gym and his siblings. However, when Ash Ketchum wins the Boulder Badge, Flint returns and takes possession of the Gym, allowing Brock to accompany Ash on his journey. Brock has nine younger brothers and sisters: five boys and four girls. The oldest of Brock's siblings is Forrest (Jiro), followed by Salvador, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzy, Timmy, and fraternal twins Tilly and Billy. The majority of Brock's siblings remained unnamed until late in the Battle Frontier saga.
When Brock returns to the Gym in the Pokémon Chronicles episode "A Family That Battles Together Stays Together!" he finds that Lola has returned, and has converted the Gym into a Water-type Gym. However, Brock succeeds in reconverting the Gym to a Rock-type Gym, and hands it over to his father and Forrest.
Flint's Pokémon are a Golem and a Rhydon.
Lola's Water-type Pokémon include Slowpoke, Mantine, Poliwag, Gyarados, Vaporeon, Blastoise, Tentacruel and Marill.
Finally, Forrest has a Steelix, Crobat and Geodude, all lent to him by Brock.
[edit] Agatha
- Main Article: Agatha
| Agatha | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Japanese name | Kikuko |
| Voice actor(s) | Kayzie Rogers Kazuko Sugiyama |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "The Scheme Team" |
| Pokémon Adventures chapter | "Ponyta Tale" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Ghost-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Kanto Pokémon League Elite Four member |
Agatha appears in Advanced Generation episode 132, "The Scheme Team" as a temporary leader for the Viridian City Gym. Her anime appearance is loosely based on her appearance in FireRed and LeafGreen. As in the games, she is a member of the Elite Four.
As Ash Ketchum returns from Hoenn, he passes through Viridian City, and finds the Pokémon gym completely rebuilt. While in Viridian City, he meets Scott, an agent for the Battle Frontier, and Agatha, the temporary Leader of the reformed Gym. Agatha asks Ash if he's come for a Gym Badge, but since Ash already has the badge for this gym, they just fight for fun. The battle is a one-on-one battle between Ash's Pikachu and Agatha's Gengar in which, after a fierce fight, Gengar wins the battle. Agatha also has a Golbat which she uses while fighting Team Rocket.
[edit] Unofficial Gyms
[edit] Kiyo
| Kiyo | |
|---|---|
| Japanese name | Nobuhiko |
| First appearances | |
| Game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Anime episode | "A Tyrogue Full of Trouble" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Fighting-type Pokémon |
| Occupation | Saffron City Gym Leader; later Saffron City Fighting Dojo Gym Grand Master. |
Karate Master Kiyo is the grand master of the Fighting Dojo, an unofficial gym in Saffron City. His gym is the smaller of the two gyms in Saffron, located to the left of Sabrina's gym. Apparently, the Fighting Dojo was once an official gym until Kiyo was defeated by Sabrina of the Psychic-type gym next door. It is not clear whether or not the Fighting Dojo has or ever did have an official Pokémon League Badge, though it seems to have an emblem of some sort.
In his first appearances, in Red, Blue, and Yellow, he was only referred to as the Karate Master (because none of the NPC trainers, except for the official gym leaders, had names). Kiyo's name was finally revealed in Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal. Due to what was most likely an oversight, he is called Koichi in the enhanced remakes of Red and Blue, FireRed and LeafGreen, though an unrelated blackbelt in Viridian City's Gym is called Kiyo.
In Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen, Kiyo awards a player who defeats him either a Hitmonlee or a Hitmonchan instead of his Gym's emblem. This is the only time either Pokémon is available in the game. In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the player encounters him in Mt. Mortar, an optional dungeon. He claims to be training there, and therefore has retreated from the gym in Saffron. When he is defeated, he will bestow upon the player a level 10 Tyrogue. In addition, upon arriving in Saffron, the player can enter the Fighting Dojo. Within are the gym's trainers, who will not battle, but will tell the player that the dojo's leader is out training. A Focus Band item can be acquired in the back of the dojo, where Kiyo once stood.
Kiyo also appears in the anime episode A Tyrogue Full of Trouble. It is mentioned that he used to train under Chuck. His dream is to participate in the P-1 Grand Prix. He has a Tyrogue, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Primeape and Mankey.
[edit] A.J.
| A.J. | |
|---|---|
 A.J., as seen in the anime |
|
| Japanese name | Akira |
| First appearances | |
| Anime episode | "The Path to the Pokémon League" |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Preferred Pokémon type | Ground-type Pokémon |
A.J., a character in the Pokémon anime, runs an unofficial Gym in Kanto between Cerulean City and Vermilion City where he battles anyone willing to challenge him. His goal is to reach 100 straight wins and then compete for Gym Leader badges. After battling Ash and Team Rocket, he finally reaches 100 wins and goes off on his journey. His Pokémon include Sandshrew, Beedrill, Butterfree and multiple Rattata.
He also appears in the manga The Electric Tale of Pikachu, where he instead wants to find a Hidden Village along with the Samurai boy and Ash.
A.J. attaches a brace over his Sandshrew as a form of restraint to overcome while training. Years later in the third generation games, a similar item known as the Macho Brace was introduced. It raises the Effort Values a Pokémon gains from fighting.
[edit] Yas & Kas Gym
The Yas & Kas gyms are the two gyms in Dark City, which appeared solely in the Pokémon anime. They are constantly fighting to claim the title of official gym of the city, until Ash and friends settle them down and they are able to work together. The leader of the Yas gym uses a Scyther, and the leader of the Kas gym uses an Electabuzz.
| Pokémon Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains | |
|---|---|
| Kanto Gym Leaders | Brock • Misty • Lt. Surge • Erika • Koga • Janine • Sabrina • Blaine • Giovanni • Blue |
| Kanto in Anime Only | Brock's family • Daisy, Lily, and Violet • Jessie, James, and Meowth • Agatha |
| Orange Island Gym Leaders | Cissy • Danny • Rudy • Luana • Drake |
| Johto Gym Leaders | Falkner • Bugsy • Whitney • Morty • Chuck • Jasmine • Pryce • Clair |
| Hoenn Gym Leaders | Roxanne • Brawly • Wattson • Flannery • Norman • Winona • Tate & Liza • Wallace • Juan |
| Sinnoh Gym Leaders | Hyouta • Natane • Sumomo • Maxi • Melissa • Tougan • Suzuna • Denji |
| Leaders of Unofficial Gyms | Kiyo • A.J. • Yas & Kas Gym • Dorian |
| Frontier Brains | Noland • Greta • Tucker • Lucy • Spenser • Brandon • Anabel |
