Post by Kyo's Girl on Jul 13, 2006 17:32:46 GMT -5
Ash Ketchum
(サトシ, Satoshi?) is the main character whose adventures are followed in the anime Pokémon.
The Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, based on the character from the original games, is the main character of the Pokémon anime, the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, and the Ash & Pikachu manga. Like Red of Pokémon Adventures, he is loosely based on the protagonist of Pokémon Red and Blue.
The names Ash and Satoshi (as in the creator of the Pokémon franchise, Satoshi Tajiri) were default choices for names in Pokémon Red (and similarly, Gary and Shigeru (named for Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of many other Nintendo franchises such as Mario and Zelda) for Pokémon Blue). The surname Ketchum is a pun on Pokémon's now-defunct slogan, "Gotta catch 'em all!" It is possible that he was given this surname to match the number of mouth movements in the anime (Satoshi has 2 more syllables than Ash), so as to make redubbing easier.
Ash is voiced by Rica Matsumoto in the Japanese version and currently by Veronica Taylor in the English dub. However, in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, his dub voice was provided by Jamie Peacock.
Brock, known in Japan as Takeshi
(タケシ, Takeshi?), is a character in the fictional world of Pokémon.
Brock is the Pewter City gym leader. In the animated series, he steps down from this position to travel with Ash. His English name is a word play off of Rock. Brock uses Rock/Ground 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 has led to many nicknames given by fans relating to this appearance. This trait appears to be hereditary, as his father and nine siblings all share it.
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 brother and sisters because neither his father nor his mother were around at the time. (The English dub erroneously stated that his mother had died, but she has been seen in several episodes after that incident.)
Misty, known in Japan as Kasumi
(カスミ, Kasumi?), is a fictional character who appears in several seasons of the Pokémon anime, the Pokémon manga series (Electric Tale of Pikachu) and the Ash & Pikachu manga.
Misty also refers to a gym leader in the Pokémon video games, who the anime's character is based.
Her English name derives obviously from "mist", which matches the meaning of her Japanese name (Kasumi means misty or hazy, in a given name sense).
In the Japanese version of the anime, Misty is voiced by Mayumi Iizuka, and in the English version she's currently voiced by Rachael Lillis. However, in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, her dub voice was provided by Michele Knotz.
In the fictional world of Pokémon, Tracey Sketchit
(ケンジ, Kenji?)is a Pokémon watcher and artist (his first name derives from 'trace', his last is a combination of the phrase 'sketch it'). Assisted by Pokémon Marill and Venonat, Tracey searches for Pokémon, makes notes on them, and draws them. Occasionally, he is also caught drawing things other than Pokémon (such as Cissy, the Mikan Island Gym Leader). He runs into Ash and Misty in the Orange Islands after they had to say good-bye to their good friend Brock. He appears only in the anime and Pokémon Puzzle League, the latter of which was not released in Japan.
When he first met Ash and Misty he could tell that a Spearow wasn't getting enough vitamins, a Beedrill's coloring was off, and a Hitmonchan wasn't getting enough exercise, just by taking a quick look at the Pokémon. Later in the anime, on Murcott Island, Tracey saves a Scyther and then captures it, adding to his team a 'power' Pokémon (if Marill is to be interpreted as a 'swimming' Pokémon and Venonat a 'speed' Pokémon).
Tracey sees Professor Oak as his idol, a fascination that would be shared with Max in later seasons. He joins Ash because he is in contact with Prof. Oak, and later leaves to become his assistant. He's a bit quiet, but he knows as much about Pokémon as Brock and Max.
Tracey appears in more episodes of Pokémon Chronicles than any other non-villain character, either as an assistant to Professor Oak, or visiting Misty in the Cerulean Gym.
Tracey is voiced by Ted Lewis (English) and Tomokazu Seki (Japanese).
May
(ハルカ, Haruka?) is a fictional character in the Pokémon universe.
May is the daughter of the Petalburg City Gym Leader, Norman and sister of Max. May also appears in the manga series Ash & Pikachu.
She is not to be confused with May Oak ( or Daisy Oak), Gary's sister in the Pokémon manga series The Electrical Adventures of Pikachu, one of the translated, and unrelated in terms of continuity, Pokémon manga.
May is voiced by Midori Kawana in the Japanese original, and is currently voiced by Veronica Taylor in the English dub. However, in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, her dub voice was provided by Michelle Knotz.
Max
(マサト, Masato?)In the fictional Pokémon universe,Max is the younger brother of May (Haruka), another main character in the Advanced Generation episodes of the Pokémon anime and the Ash & Pikachu manga series.
Max is voiced by Fushigi Yamada in the Japanese version and currently by Amy Birnbaum in the English dub. However, in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, his dub voice was provided by "sound-alike", Jamie Peacock.
Pikachu
(ピカチュウ, Pikachū?) is one of the 400 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar[1] Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. Pikachu is most famous for being the "face" of the Pokémon franchise, perhaps being the most widely recognized around the world. In 2002, Pikachu placed #15 as on of the Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of all Time by TV Guide for its role in the Pokémon anime.[2] Its main purpose in the games, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both "wild" Pokémon, untamed creatures that are encountered while players pass through various natural environments in the game, and to fight against "tamed" Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers.
Pikachu is the most popular and notable Pokémon, and is generally regarded as the mascot of the Pokémon franchise, in the same way Link is the mascot of the Legend of Zelda series, or Mario is the mascot for the Super Mario franchise and Nintendo. It is obtainable in all of the Pokémon RPGs on Game Boy systems to date, with a prominent role in Pokémon Yellow. The protagonists of the Pokémon anime, the Pokémon Adventures, Electric Tale of Pikachu and the Ash & Pikachu manga all own a Pikachu.
"Pikachu" is a portmanteau of the words, pika, meaning to spark or meaning a sparkle of lightning in the Japanese language, and "chū", an onomatopoeia in the Japanese language for the squeak made by a mouse. Coincidentally, there also is a mouse-like lagomorph that makes its habitat in North America, known as a pika which may have affected the North American name, Pikachu. The "Advanced Generation" drawing and sprite design of Pikachu was created by Ken Sugimori's team for its 2003 release on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance.
Team Rocket
Giovanni
(サカキ, Sakaki?) is the leader of Team Rocket in the fictional world of Pokémon, and once was the Viridian City Gym Leader, although Gary Oak is the current Viridian City Gym Leader.
Jessica "Jessie"
(ムサシ, Musashi?) is considered the sole female member of the "Team Rocket" trio. Her Japanese name, Musashi, is taken from Miyamoto Musashi, a famous samurai. Her regular name, Jessie, is taken from the famous outlaw Jesse James Jessie is intelligent and sociable, but very headstrong and dislikes being criticized or being called “old”.
Jessie was poor as a child, living in near-poverty conditions. Her mother, named Miyamoto in the Japanese CD drama, was trapped in an avalanche when Jessie was very young while on a Team Rocket expedition to find the legendary Pokémon Mew. Not much more is known about Jessie’s earlier past, but, while on a boat nearing the Hoenn region, she made a sad comment about her past, hinting that she had grown up there. When James and Meowth inquired further, she did not elaborate. Jessie later entered Team Rocket after failing to become a nurse, in part due to the fact that the Pokémon nursing school she attended was for Pokémon intending to become nurses (and not for people specializing in Pokémon nursing).
Some people consider Jessie to be the sex symbol of the Pokémon world (though she is one of the very few attractive women who Brock has never shown interest in). In the games, Jessie and James are supposed to be as old as Ash. However, according to a CD special available only in Japan, Jessie and James are around their mid-twenties in the second episode of the anime. The CD special takes place 18-20 years before Ash’s Pokémon journey. In an episode of the Pokémon Master Quest season of the anime, an elderly woman reveals her age of 120 to Jessie. Jessie, astonished, replies “That’s ten times my age!”. Since Jessie is obviously older than 12, Meowth asks her, “Where did you learn that math?”
In Hoenn, Jessie began competing as a Pokémon Coordinator, and while she has thus far had no success, she continues to participate in every Pokémon Contest she can. Initially, she cheated, using technological assistance and covert intervention by James and Meowth, but has since begun competing fairly. Though she has yet to win a Contest, Jessie regularly makes it through the appeal stage to the battle portion (where the eight highest-scoring Coordinators in the appeal stage compete), usually through novel usage of her chosen Pokémon’s techniques. She also frequently borrows Pokémon from James for contests, and in one case even used Meowth as her Pokémon.
Jessie has a few running gags. She can sometimes forget her missions, more interested in how she looks. She occasionally beats up James, Meowth, and even her own Pokémon. Jessie’s hair has been chopped in half by Tracey’s Scyther, accidentally bitten off by Seviper (it miraculously grew back to full length after Jessie captured Seviper), and had to be cut after James' Cacnea hugged her and got stuck to her hair; she also once had the ends of her hair frayed by May's Skitty, who chases anything that dangles or droops.
James
(コジロウ, Kojirou?, Kojiro[1]) is the male member of the team.
James is considered by many fans as a "pretty boy", or a "bishōnen." His Japanese name, Kojiro, is taken from Sasaki Kojirō, a famous samurai known for his very long sword who challenged the Swordsmaster Musashi to a duel. James has a beloved bottlecap collection and had quite wealthy parents, who are portrayed in the English dub as Southern aristocrats. He left home after their attempts to goad him into an engagement, ironically, to Jessiebelle (Rumika), a girl almost identical in appearance to Jessie, differing only in hairstyle and love of whips. (Her English name appears to be a pun, combining Jessie’s name and the idea of a Southern belle to suggest the appellation Jezebel for an evil woman.)
Prior to leaving home, James knew very little about the world outside his home, where he was spoiled and sheltered. His dislike of the many upper-class rules led him to believe that living a life struggling on the streets was better than a life where everything was given, which eventually led him to Team Rocket. Although the team often appears in disguise, a common source of fan humor is James’s habit of crossdressing or wearing women’s clothes (to contrast with Jessie, even if she is also dressed in women’s clothes -- suitable for her), makeup, and a history with violent, domineering women. This is rumored to have been played up slightly by the dub actors, although even the most teasing barbs generally assume James is, at most extreme, merely heterosexual with a penchant for crossdressing. It was this that led to the initial banning (the episode has aired after being severely edited) of the episode Beauty and the Beach, that had James wearing fake breasts in order to win a bikini competition.
In the original Japanese, Kojiro’s effeminate tendencies are played up as a contrast to his smooth, baritone voice; while the English dub originally took this tack, James’s voice has become progressively high-pitched and clownish as time has gone on, a transition that has been compared to Dan Castellaneta’s portrayal of Homer Simpson.
The episode in which James returns home has a scene in which he goes to a cellar, only to be met by Jessiebelle dressed as a dominatrix, much to James’s terror. The cellar is equipped as a full S&M dungeon which Meowth refers to as “weird gym equipment” in the dub. James carries a rose wherever he goes.
Meowth
(ニャース, Nyāsu?, Nyarth) is a fictional character of the Pokémon franchise. It is one of the more popular Pokémon species, largely thanks to the Pokémon anime, which features a Meowth as a main character. Meowth is one of the few Pokemon that can speak. He has a Koban on his forehead.
Meowth's name probably comes from "meow", the sound made by cats, possibly by combining it with "mouth". This is supported in the cartoon; whenever Meowth says something rude or demoralizing to Jessie and James, Jessie usually retorts "Shut your big Meowth!". It is also possible that Meowth's name is an English approximation of its Japanese name (which can be Romanized as Nyarth), which is similarly derived from onomatopoeia for the sound cats make, which is commonly "nyā" in Japan.
Cassidy
also called Yamato, and Jessie are rivals: their banter back-and-forth, in which they are very candid about their dislike for the other, has revealed that they knew each other when they were young. Many fans have speculated that the two women were once friends. This theory would be logical, as since both women clearly knew each other and both women chose to join Team Rocket, it would make sense that Cassidy, as was the case with Jessie, had at least one parent who was a Rocket.
As for fact, there is very little to no information on Cassidy's life before joining Team Rocket. She trained to become a Rocket at the same time as did Jessie and James (who knew one another) and Butch, who she did not know at the time. Upon being a certified Rocket, she was assigned to be on a team with Butch, and since then, the two have traveled the world stealing Pokémon.
Butch and Cassidy are favored by the Boss, Giovanni. He once personally sprang the pair from jail, much to the shock of Jessie and James, who have never received such treatment. However, it is worth noting that the trio is very rarely thrown in jail, and on the rare occasions that they are, they are able to escape by themselves almost immediately.
Cassidy seems to be the brains behind the operation; between she and Butch, she also seems to be the leader and the more capable battler.
Also, in a Battle Frointer eposide, Brock fails for Cassidy who is disgused as a Nurse Joy. At this time, this episode has only aired in Japan.
In the Japanese version, Yamato is voiced by Masako Katsuki, while in the English version, Cassidy is voiced by Lisa Ortiz.
Like Charizard and Aggron, it is likely that most of Butch and Cassidy's Pokemon were supplied by Team Rocket and aren't technically theirs and were probably returned to Team Rocket after.
Butch
Very little is known about Butch's early life. At one point in time, he was training to become a Rocket member at the same time as Jessie, James, and Cassidy. Cassidy and Butch were assigned together and now work as a team, capturing Pokémon for Team Rocket.
Butch's voice is of particuar interest: his raspy, gravely voice is reminicent of the voice of a chainsmoker. Older fans have taken to this idea, and he is often comically written as a manic depressive, passive-aggressive chainsmoker in fan fiction.
Strangely, Butch was not seen with Pokémon in his possession until his third appearance; before that time, Cassidy had always been the one to battle with her Pokémon. Butch, however, has other skills typical of Rockets, including disguise and some physical prowess. He was able to pick up and throw Jessie into a wall.
One running gag in the animated series is how Butch is often referred to as "Botch" ("Kosanji") or "Biff" in recent appearances, as Jessie, James, and Meowth are not familiar with him and forget his name. Once, Butch got even with James (the character who most often mis-pronounces his name)by calling him "John." These occurrences strengthen the idea that Jessie and Cassidy have known one another for many years (as they are very aware of one another), as well as the assumption that Butch and Cassidy were not confidantes before joining Team Rocket.
In the Japanese version, Kosaburo is voiced by Takehito Koyasu; Butch is voiced by Matt Mitler.
Professers
Professor Samuel Oak
is a human character appearing in all products of the Pokémon merchandise, from which all information appearing below has been derived. 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"; however, the name Ōkido is still often used in fan translations. He is a Pokémon researcher, generally considered the best of his kind. As such, his role in the Pokémon games, television series, films, etc, is that of mentor to young Pokémon Trainers, source of information and occasional plot device. Among 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.
In the world of Pokémon,Professor Elm
(Utsugi-Hakase as he is known in Japan) is the "Pokémon Professor" in charge of giving starting-off trainers their first Pokémon in the video games Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. An old student of Professor Oak, he lives in New Bark Town in the fictional region of Johto where he conducts his Pokémon research on Pokémon evolution and breeding.
He dresses with a shirt that has a stripe across it under his lab robe, pants, and sometimes in night slippers or moccasins.
He is depicted as a professor that has a tendency to be absentminded, perhaps due to his immersion in his work. His lack of attention to the ouside world was shown in an episode of the Pokémon anime where Team Rocket comes into his lab lost and the professor, not looking up from his work, takes them to be Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Center and tells them to take the Pokémon, which they do. When the real Nurse Joy comes by later on, Elm discovers that his 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. This was meant to reproduce the moment in the game where one of his Pokémon is stolen by the rival character and is never recovered.
In the game, this is hinted in a much more subtle manner for only if the player speaks to Elm's wife (neither she nor their child appear in the anime), who worries that Elm hasn't eaten lunch, and checks the trash can in his lab, will he see that he gets so involved in his work that he doesn't have any time left to even worry about eating!
Pro. Birch
This is a list of characters in the Pokémon games, anime, and manga. Save for notable specific Pokémon, the specific species of Pokémon are not listed here; they are instead detailed further at List of Pokémon.
Note that this list includes characters from all of the various incarnations of the Pokémon franchise. This includes characters from a number of discrete, similar-but-separate continuities, including but not limited to the video game continuity, the anime continuity, the Pokémon Adventures continuity, the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga continuity, and the Magical Pokémon Journey manga continuity. The anime continuity and most of the manga continuities are based to varying degrees on the games, but they all diverge at key points. A single character may appear in multiple continuities, sometimes in the same basic role (e.g. Giovanni), sometimes in very different roles (e.g. Brock).
All references to the "video games" collectively refer to Pokémon Red and Blue, Pocket Monsters: Green, Pokémon Yellow, Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and Pokémon Emerald only, unless noted otherwise.
Likewise, references to the Pokémon anime also include, in addition to the eponymous anime itself, the related sidestory Pokémon Chronicles anime, the game Pokémon Channel, and Ash & Pikachu manga unless otherwise noted.
All Japanese names (which are in parentheses), unless otherwise noted, are romanized from katakana. For the sake of simplicity, English-language names will be used in this and other articles in Wikipedia about Pokémon, unless explicitly referring to the Japanese version.
(サトシ, Satoshi?) is the main character whose adventures are followed in the anime Pokémon.
The Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, based on the character from the original games, is the main character of the Pokémon anime, the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, and the Ash & Pikachu manga. Like Red of Pokémon Adventures, he is loosely based on the protagonist of Pokémon Red and Blue.
The names Ash and Satoshi (as in the creator of the Pokémon franchise, Satoshi Tajiri) were default choices for names in Pokémon Red (and similarly, Gary and Shigeru (named for Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of many other Nintendo franchises such as Mario and Zelda) for Pokémon Blue). The surname Ketchum is a pun on Pokémon's now-defunct slogan, "Gotta catch 'em all!" It is possible that he was given this surname to match the number of mouth movements in the anime (Satoshi has 2 more syllables than Ash), so as to make redubbing easier.
Ash is voiced by Rica Matsumoto in the Japanese version and currently by Veronica Taylor in the English dub. However, in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, his dub voice was provided by Jamie Peacock.
Brock, known in Japan as Takeshi
(タケシ, Takeshi?), is a character in the fictional world of Pokémon.
Brock is the Pewter City gym leader. In the animated series, he steps down from this position to travel with Ash. His English name is a word play off of Rock. Brock uses Rock/Ground 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 has led to many nicknames given by fans relating to this appearance. This trait appears to be hereditary, as his father and nine siblings all share it.
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 brother and sisters because neither his father nor his mother were around at the time. (The English dub erroneously stated that his mother had died, but she has been seen in several episodes after that incident.)
Misty, known in Japan as Kasumi
(カスミ, Kasumi?), is a fictional character who appears in several seasons of the Pokémon anime, the Pokémon manga series (Electric Tale of Pikachu) and the Ash & Pikachu manga.
Misty also refers to a gym leader in the Pokémon video games, who the anime's character is based.
Her English name derives obviously from "mist", which matches the meaning of her Japanese name (Kasumi means misty or hazy, in a given name sense).
In the Japanese version of the anime, Misty is voiced by Mayumi Iizuka, and in the English version she's currently voiced by Rachael Lillis. However, in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, her dub voice was provided by Michele Knotz.
In the fictional world of Pokémon, Tracey Sketchit
(ケンジ, Kenji?)is a Pokémon watcher and artist (his first name derives from 'trace', his last is a combination of the phrase 'sketch it'). Assisted by Pokémon Marill and Venonat, Tracey searches for Pokémon, makes notes on them, and draws them. Occasionally, he is also caught drawing things other than Pokémon (such as Cissy, the Mikan Island Gym Leader). He runs into Ash and Misty in the Orange Islands after they had to say good-bye to their good friend Brock. He appears only in the anime and Pokémon Puzzle League, the latter of which was not released in Japan.
When he first met Ash and Misty he could tell that a Spearow wasn't getting enough vitamins, a Beedrill's coloring was off, and a Hitmonchan wasn't getting enough exercise, just by taking a quick look at the Pokémon. Later in the anime, on Murcott Island, Tracey saves a Scyther and then captures it, adding to his team a 'power' Pokémon (if Marill is to be interpreted as a 'swimming' Pokémon and Venonat a 'speed' Pokémon).
Tracey sees Professor Oak as his idol, a fascination that would be shared with Max in later seasons. He joins Ash because he is in contact with Prof. Oak, and later leaves to become his assistant. He's a bit quiet, but he knows as much about Pokémon as Brock and Max.
Tracey appears in more episodes of Pokémon Chronicles than any other non-villain character, either as an assistant to Professor Oak, or visiting Misty in the Cerulean Gym.
Tracey is voiced by Ted Lewis (English) and Tomokazu Seki (Japanese).
May
(ハルカ, Haruka?) is a fictional character in the Pokémon universe.
May is the daughter of the Petalburg City Gym Leader, Norman and sister of Max. May also appears in the manga series Ash & Pikachu.
She is not to be confused with May Oak ( or Daisy Oak), Gary's sister in the Pokémon manga series The Electrical Adventures of Pikachu, one of the translated, and unrelated in terms of continuity, Pokémon manga.
May is voiced by Midori Kawana in the Japanese original, and is currently voiced by Veronica Taylor in the English dub. However, in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, her dub voice was provided by Michelle Knotz.
Max
(マサト, Masato?)In the fictional Pokémon universe,Max is the younger brother of May (Haruka), another main character in the Advanced Generation episodes of the Pokémon anime and the Ash & Pikachu manga series.
Max is voiced by Fushigi Yamada in the Japanese version and currently by Amy Birnbaum in the English dub. However, in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, his dub voice was provided by "sound-alike", Jamie Peacock.
Pikachu
(ピカチュウ, Pikachū?) is one of the 400 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar[1] Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. Pikachu is most famous for being the "face" of the Pokémon franchise, perhaps being the most widely recognized around the world. In 2002, Pikachu placed #15 as on of the Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of all Time by TV Guide for its role in the Pokémon anime.[2] Its main purpose in the games, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both "wild" Pokémon, untamed creatures that are encountered while players pass through various natural environments in the game, and to fight against "tamed" Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers.
Pikachu is the most popular and notable Pokémon, and is generally regarded as the mascot of the Pokémon franchise, in the same way Link is the mascot of the Legend of Zelda series, or Mario is the mascot for the Super Mario franchise and Nintendo. It is obtainable in all of the Pokémon RPGs on Game Boy systems to date, with a prominent role in Pokémon Yellow. The protagonists of the Pokémon anime, the Pokémon Adventures, Electric Tale of Pikachu and the Ash & Pikachu manga all own a Pikachu.
"Pikachu" is a portmanteau of the words, pika, meaning to spark or meaning a sparkle of lightning in the Japanese language, and "chū", an onomatopoeia in the Japanese language for the squeak made by a mouse. Coincidentally, there also is a mouse-like lagomorph that makes its habitat in North America, known as a pika which may have affected the North American name, Pikachu. The "Advanced Generation" drawing and sprite design of Pikachu was created by Ken Sugimori's team for its 2003 release on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance.
Team Rocket
Giovanni
(サカキ, Sakaki?) is the leader of Team Rocket in the fictional world of Pokémon, and once was the Viridian City Gym Leader, although Gary Oak is the current Viridian City Gym Leader.
Jessica "Jessie"
(ムサシ, Musashi?) is considered the sole female member of the "Team Rocket" trio. Her Japanese name, Musashi, is taken from Miyamoto Musashi, a famous samurai. Her regular name, Jessie, is taken from the famous outlaw Jesse James Jessie is intelligent and sociable, but very headstrong and dislikes being criticized or being called “old”.
Jessie was poor as a child, living in near-poverty conditions. Her mother, named Miyamoto in the Japanese CD drama, was trapped in an avalanche when Jessie was very young while on a Team Rocket expedition to find the legendary Pokémon Mew. Not much more is known about Jessie’s earlier past, but, while on a boat nearing the Hoenn region, she made a sad comment about her past, hinting that she had grown up there. When James and Meowth inquired further, she did not elaborate. Jessie later entered Team Rocket after failing to become a nurse, in part due to the fact that the Pokémon nursing school she attended was for Pokémon intending to become nurses (and not for people specializing in Pokémon nursing).
Some people consider Jessie to be the sex symbol of the Pokémon world (though she is one of the very few attractive women who Brock has never shown interest in). In the games, Jessie and James are supposed to be as old as Ash. However, according to a CD special available only in Japan, Jessie and James are around their mid-twenties in the second episode of the anime. The CD special takes place 18-20 years before Ash’s Pokémon journey. In an episode of the Pokémon Master Quest season of the anime, an elderly woman reveals her age of 120 to Jessie. Jessie, astonished, replies “That’s ten times my age!”. Since Jessie is obviously older than 12, Meowth asks her, “Where did you learn that math?”
In Hoenn, Jessie began competing as a Pokémon Coordinator, and while she has thus far had no success, she continues to participate in every Pokémon Contest she can. Initially, she cheated, using technological assistance and covert intervention by James and Meowth, but has since begun competing fairly. Though she has yet to win a Contest, Jessie regularly makes it through the appeal stage to the battle portion (where the eight highest-scoring Coordinators in the appeal stage compete), usually through novel usage of her chosen Pokémon’s techniques. She also frequently borrows Pokémon from James for contests, and in one case even used Meowth as her Pokémon.
Jessie has a few running gags. She can sometimes forget her missions, more interested in how she looks. She occasionally beats up James, Meowth, and even her own Pokémon. Jessie’s hair has been chopped in half by Tracey’s Scyther, accidentally bitten off by Seviper (it miraculously grew back to full length after Jessie captured Seviper), and had to be cut after James' Cacnea hugged her and got stuck to her hair; she also once had the ends of her hair frayed by May's Skitty, who chases anything that dangles or droops.
James
(コジロウ, Kojirou?, Kojiro[1]) is the male member of the team.
James is considered by many fans as a "pretty boy", or a "bishōnen." His Japanese name, Kojiro, is taken from Sasaki Kojirō, a famous samurai known for his very long sword who challenged the Swordsmaster Musashi to a duel. James has a beloved bottlecap collection and had quite wealthy parents, who are portrayed in the English dub as Southern aristocrats. He left home after their attempts to goad him into an engagement, ironically, to Jessiebelle (Rumika), a girl almost identical in appearance to Jessie, differing only in hairstyle and love of whips. (Her English name appears to be a pun, combining Jessie’s name and the idea of a Southern belle to suggest the appellation Jezebel for an evil woman.)
Prior to leaving home, James knew very little about the world outside his home, where he was spoiled and sheltered. His dislike of the many upper-class rules led him to believe that living a life struggling on the streets was better than a life where everything was given, which eventually led him to Team Rocket. Although the team often appears in disguise, a common source of fan humor is James’s habit of crossdressing or wearing women’s clothes (to contrast with Jessie, even if she is also dressed in women’s clothes -- suitable for her), makeup, and a history with violent, domineering women. This is rumored to have been played up slightly by the dub actors, although even the most teasing barbs generally assume James is, at most extreme, merely heterosexual with a penchant for crossdressing. It was this that led to the initial banning (the episode has aired after being severely edited) of the episode Beauty and the Beach, that had James wearing fake breasts in order to win a bikini competition.
In the original Japanese, Kojiro’s effeminate tendencies are played up as a contrast to his smooth, baritone voice; while the English dub originally took this tack, James’s voice has become progressively high-pitched and clownish as time has gone on, a transition that has been compared to Dan Castellaneta’s portrayal of Homer Simpson.
The episode in which James returns home has a scene in which he goes to a cellar, only to be met by Jessiebelle dressed as a dominatrix, much to James’s terror. The cellar is equipped as a full S&M dungeon which Meowth refers to as “weird gym equipment” in the dub. James carries a rose wherever he goes.
Meowth
(ニャース, Nyāsu?, Nyarth) is a fictional character of the Pokémon franchise. It is one of the more popular Pokémon species, largely thanks to the Pokémon anime, which features a Meowth as a main character. Meowth is one of the few Pokemon that can speak. He has a Koban on his forehead.
Meowth's name probably comes from "meow", the sound made by cats, possibly by combining it with "mouth". This is supported in the cartoon; whenever Meowth says something rude or demoralizing to Jessie and James, Jessie usually retorts "Shut your big Meowth!". It is also possible that Meowth's name is an English approximation of its Japanese name (which can be Romanized as Nyarth), which is similarly derived from onomatopoeia for the sound cats make, which is commonly "nyā" in Japan.
Cassidy
also called Yamato, and Jessie are rivals: their banter back-and-forth, in which they are very candid about their dislike for the other, has revealed that they knew each other when they were young. Many fans have speculated that the two women were once friends. This theory would be logical, as since both women clearly knew each other and both women chose to join Team Rocket, it would make sense that Cassidy, as was the case with Jessie, had at least one parent who was a Rocket.
As for fact, there is very little to no information on Cassidy's life before joining Team Rocket. She trained to become a Rocket at the same time as did Jessie and James (who knew one another) and Butch, who she did not know at the time. Upon being a certified Rocket, she was assigned to be on a team with Butch, and since then, the two have traveled the world stealing Pokémon.
Butch and Cassidy are favored by the Boss, Giovanni. He once personally sprang the pair from jail, much to the shock of Jessie and James, who have never received such treatment. However, it is worth noting that the trio is very rarely thrown in jail, and on the rare occasions that they are, they are able to escape by themselves almost immediately.
Cassidy seems to be the brains behind the operation; between she and Butch, she also seems to be the leader and the more capable battler.
Also, in a Battle Frointer eposide, Brock fails for Cassidy who is disgused as a Nurse Joy. At this time, this episode has only aired in Japan.
In the Japanese version, Yamato is voiced by Masako Katsuki, while in the English version, Cassidy is voiced by Lisa Ortiz.
Like Charizard and Aggron, it is likely that most of Butch and Cassidy's Pokemon were supplied by Team Rocket and aren't technically theirs and were probably returned to Team Rocket after.
Butch
Very little is known about Butch's early life. At one point in time, he was training to become a Rocket member at the same time as Jessie, James, and Cassidy. Cassidy and Butch were assigned together and now work as a team, capturing Pokémon for Team Rocket.
Butch's voice is of particuar interest: his raspy, gravely voice is reminicent of the voice of a chainsmoker. Older fans have taken to this idea, and he is often comically written as a manic depressive, passive-aggressive chainsmoker in fan fiction.
Strangely, Butch was not seen with Pokémon in his possession until his third appearance; before that time, Cassidy had always been the one to battle with her Pokémon. Butch, however, has other skills typical of Rockets, including disguise and some physical prowess. He was able to pick up and throw Jessie into a wall.
One running gag in the animated series is how Butch is often referred to as "Botch" ("Kosanji") or "Biff" in recent appearances, as Jessie, James, and Meowth are not familiar with him and forget his name. Once, Butch got even with James (the character who most often mis-pronounces his name)by calling him "John." These occurrences strengthen the idea that Jessie and Cassidy have known one another for many years (as they are very aware of one another), as well as the assumption that Butch and Cassidy were not confidantes before joining Team Rocket.
In the Japanese version, Kosaburo is voiced by Takehito Koyasu; Butch is voiced by Matt Mitler.
Professers
Professor Samuel Oak
is a human character appearing in all products of the Pokémon merchandise, from which all information appearing below has been derived. 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"; however, the name Ōkido is still often used in fan translations. He is a Pokémon researcher, generally considered the best of his kind. As such, his role in the Pokémon games, television series, films, etc, is that of mentor to young Pokémon Trainers, source of information and occasional plot device. Among 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.
In the world of Pokémon,Professor Elm
(Utsugi-Hakase as he is known in Japan) is the "Pokémon Professor" in charge of giving starting-off trainers their first Pokémon in the video games Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. An old student of Professor Oak, he lives in New Bark Town in the fictional region of Johto where he conducts his Pokémon research on Pokémon evolution and breeding.
He dresses with a shirt that has a stripe across it under his lab robe, pants, and sometimes in night slippers or moccasins.
He is depicted as a professor that has a tendency to be absentminded, perhaps due to his immersion in his work. His lack of attention to the ouside world was shown in an episode of the Pokémon anime where Team Rocket comes into his lab lost and the professor, not looking up from his work, takes them to be Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Center and tells them to take the Pokémon, which they do. When the real Nurse Joy comes by later on, Elm discovers that his 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. This was meant to reproduce the moment in the game where one of his Pokémon is stolen by the rival character and is never recovered.
In the game, this is hinted in a much more subtle manner for only if the player speaks to Elm's wife (neither she nor their child appear in the anime), who worries that Elm hasn't eaten lunch, and checks the trash can in his lab, will he see that he gets so involved in his work that he doesn't have any time left to even worry about eating!
Pro. Birch
This is a list of characters in the Pokémon games, anime, and manga. Save for notable specific Pokémon, the specific species of Pokémon are not listed here; they are instead detailed further at List of Pokémon.
Note that this list includes characters from all of the various incarnations of the Pokémon franchise. This includes characters from a number of discrete, similar-but-separate continuities, including but not limited to the video game continuity, the anime continuity, the Pokémon Adventures continuity, the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga continuity, and the Magical Pokémon Journey manga continuity. The anime continuity and most of the manga continuities are based to varying degrees on the games, but they all diverge at key points. A single character may appear in multiple continuities, sometimes in the same basic role (e.g. Giovanni), sometimes in very different roles (e.g. Brock).
All references to the "video games" collectively refer to Pokémon Red and Blue, Pocket Monsters: Green, Pokémon Yellow, Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and Pokémon Emerald only, unless noted otherwise.
Likewise, references to the Pokémon anime also include, in addition to the eponymous anime itself, the related sidestory Pokémon Chronicles anime, the game Pokémon Channel, and Ash & Pikachu manga unless otherwise noted.
All Japanese names (which are in parentheses), unless otherwise noted, are romanized from katakana. For the sake of simplicity, English-language names will be used in this and other articles in Wikipedia about Pokémon, unless explicitly referring to the Japanese version.