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[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocket Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocketOthers Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationOpponents Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | '''''Supporting Cast''''' | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYMegaEvolutionSpecial Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]]-]]]]]
[[foldercontrol]]
!Main characters
[[folder:Dawn (Hikari)]]
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_bw2.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MegumiToyoguchi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Bauer\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gaby Ugarte (seasons 10,11, and 13), Leyla Rangel (season 12 and 15)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alexandra Corréa
Dawn is a newbie trainer from Sinnoh who met Ash after she ran into Pikachu, who’d been separated from his trainer by Team Rocket. Like May before her, Dawn aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator. Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:
----
* ActionGirl:
** Out of all of Ash's traveling companions, she's the most likely to take immediate action against Team Rocket or other antagonists when they show up, frequently having Piplup dealing the finishing blow alongside Pikachu.
** In one episode, she once rescued all her Pokémon ''all by herself''.
* AdaptationalModesty: In the ''Pokémon Learning League'' educational series, she wears a long-sleeved shirt and white tights under her usual sleeveless top and short skirt.
* AgeInappropriateDress:
** [[AvertedTrope But]] her mother forbade her from bringing it on her journey. Then again, her normal outfit...
** Lampshaded in episode 171 by Princess Salvia, who comments on the length of Dawn's skirt.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: In terms of Contest skill, she's on both ends of this trope. She has never managed to surpass the more experienced Zoey, but she always comes ahead of Ursula.
* AshFace: Her Cyndaquil has done this to her [[RunningGag several times]] by flaring up its back flames while she's holding it. Some of her various electrocution and explosion mishaps have also left her singed.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Similar to May and later Serena, Dawn is good natured, but not a doormat and isn't afraid to sic her strongest Pokémon on you if you piss her off, which Team Rocket know from experience. When Meowth pulled a HeelFaceMole on the heroes, Dawn, who had been sympathetic enough to offer getting him media ties, angrily vowed to beat him to tears for selling them out ([[TooKinkyToTorture he didn't surprisingly]], but still).
* BigDamnHeroes: A short time after becoming a trainer and getting her first Pokémon, she protects Pikachu with her Piplup.
* BreakTheCutie: Disturbingly often. Gets this when losing contests and became a StepfordSmiler afterwards.
* BrickJoke: The second [=DP=] episode continued the RunningGag of Pikachu frying a bike, but it took 36 episodes for Ash to know about it.
* TheBusCameBack: She returned for the ''Best Wishes'' series for an arc.
* ButtMonkey: Out of all the main characters, she’s the biggest one of the “butt of every joke” type. Several characters have poked fun at her, including Ash, Brock, and her own Pokémon, and her skill as a Coordinator was called into question several times prior to her victory at the Wallace Cup.
* {{Catchphrase}}:
** "Daijobu!", or "No need to worry!" in the dub. How ironic.
** And like May, she has a phrase to use when calling Pokémon out for a Contest -- "Charm up!" / "Spotlight!"
** BorrowedCatchphrase: She also copied Iris' "such a kid" remarks at Ash (a little anyways), and once used, "Buneary, I choose you!" when sending it out to battle Pachirisu.
* TheChosenOne: Chosen by Mesprit since the beginning of the DP series due to her strong empathy.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has both hair and eyes that are dark-blue.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Rather famous for having a skirt that barely covers her hips. Lucky she's wearing a leotard underneath...
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Of "Diamond and Pearl", to Ash's protagonist. Her name is even added in the Japanese openings of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series right next to Ash's.
* DisappearedDad: Unlike Ash, no mention is ever made of her father.
* DistaffCounterpart: Dawn in many ways is like a female counterpart to Ash. Like May before and Serena after, she exchanges RotatingArcs with Ash's Gym quest, but she stands out thanks to her status as the {{Deuteragonist}} and that she shares more in common with him than just about any of his companions. Like Ash, she is an optimistic and initially overconfident NiceGirl who had decided on her life goal long before her debut. She started her journey with an initially stubborn Pokémon that stays outside his Poké Ball and refuses to evolve, and bonded with him after [[FireForgedFriends fending off a large swarm of wild Pokemon]] in an adventure that culminated in them meeting a [[OlympusMons Legendary]] Pokemon. She also has a knack for developing [[OutsideTheBoxTactic Outside-the-Box Tactics]] in battle similarly to Ash, many of which are borrowed between the two.
* DubInducedPlotHole: Against all odds, averted when it came to explaining "Dee-Dee".
* DudeMagnet: Kenny, Kendall, and Conway have all shown signs of being attracted to her. She also has a few moments with Ash that could be seen as ShipTease (though, Ash being [[ChasteHero Ash,]] these moments are up to the audience's interpretation). This being ''Pokémon,'' [[NoHuggingNoKissing it never goes anywhere.]]
* FailedASpotCheck: If she would look around at the audience during contests more often, she would notice some [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/027 VERY familar faces]]. Namely, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet.
* FailureHero: [[BreakTheCutie Poor girl lost]] ''[[BreakTheCutie two]]'' [[BreakTheCutie Contests in the Appeal Stage in a row!]]
* FanGirl: To Professor Oak's (and Gary's) poetry, and Wallace (Contest master).
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Dawn is good at baking Poffins, unlike Ash who burns all of his to a crisp.
* FireForgedFriends: When she and Piplup first meet, they can't stand each other, but they form a bond after escaping from a horde of wild Ariados, and Dawn doesn't hesitate to choose him as her starter when they get back to Prof. Rowan's lab. They continue to grow closer throughout the ''Diamond & Pearl'' series.
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: She and Brock had fairly little interaction.
* GenerationXerox: She gets her passion from Pokémon Contests from her mother, who is a retired Top Coordinator.
* GoGetterGirl: Right from the start, she knew she wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator, and never lost sight of her goal since.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Became this in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Best Wishes Season 2]]'', joining the group for eight episodes prior to and during the Junior Cup.
* HarmlessElectrocution: A running gag by itself, Dawn needs to use Piplup's Bubble Beam to [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/Dawnshair.jpg condition her hair back to normal after she gets zapped]].
* AnIcePerson: While she doesn't specializes in Ice-types, as her journey goes on she uses more and more ice moves in her Appeals and battles, often in combination with fire and electricity.
* IdenticalStranger: She and Princess Salvia from the episode "Dawn of a Royal Day!" look exactly alike. They take advantage of this and switch places for a day so Salvia can compete in a Contest with her Togekiss.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: She befriended Nando, a traveling bard, and Lila, a dressmaker and retired Coordinator who was also her mother's childhood friend.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "By Your Side". Used primarily in the Japanese edit, though some instrumental versions still accompany her in parts of the English dub (thus making it one of very few Japanese image songs to at least partway survive the transition).
* LeotardOfPower: As seen in "Two Degrees of Separation!", Dawn appears to be wearing a black leotard under her minidress.
* LettingHerHairDown: Most notably [[http://images5.fanpop.com/image/polls/991000/991163_1333460097101_full.png two]] [[http://pm1.narvii.com/6341/c358a4b8d243806b999f5e28a3690780ebafe008_hq.jpg times]].
* LittleMissBadass: Younger than Ash but able to single-handedly kick Team Rocket's ass.
* MagicSkirt: She has a short skirt, but she remains covered throughout the series, except for one occasion - "Steamboat Willies!".
* MementoMacGuffin: At the beginning of her Pokémon journey, her mother gave to her the first Contest ribbon she won as a good luck charm. After her run in the Grand Festival, she gives it back.
* NaiveEverygirl: It took her an entire episode to find Professor Rowan, despite it normally not being that difficult.
* NiceGirl: Easily the most straightforwardly kind of all the leading females (before Serena), and very empathetic (she never held Pikachu ''or'' Ash responsible for her bike's destruction given the circumstances, for instance, knowing that she attacked Pikachu first and Ash wasn't even there, thanks to team rocket). Must be the main reason Mesprit chose her.
* NiceHat: It covers her hair because it gets frizzy when exposed to shock.
* NoodleIncident: The origins of her nickname Pikari/Dee-Dee. In a subversion, it's later revealed she got shocked by a Plusle and Minun in kindergarten, making her hair all sparkly. [[note]]"Pikapika" is the [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud spoken sound effect for "sparkle"]][[/note]]. In the dub, it's short for "Diamond Dandruff", which is indeed pretty embarrassing.
* ObliviousToLove: She has no trouble understanding others people's romance, but seems rather blind when said affection is directed to her (except with Conway, but subtle he isn't). She doesn't get Kenny has a crush on her, and totally misses Lyla acting as a ShipperOnDeck for her and Ash in "Dressed For Jess Success".
* OjouRinglets: Not an {{Ojou}}, but she used this hairstyle in a couple of contests as shown [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Dawn_DP027_contest.png here]] and [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/diamond_pearl/ep177.html here]].
* PhraseCatcher:
** The reply to her own {{Catchphrase}} is usually "That's when [we] worry the most."
** A few times she gets her catchphrase, "No need to worry!", back at her.
* PimpedOutDress: She wears a lot of them. Makes sense, considering part of her job as a Coordinator is to look stylish alongside her Pokémon and she also has a sense of fashion.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her usual Contest dress is pink. Idem her cheerleader outfit. Her regular outfit features a pink skirt and she wears a pink coat when traveling in colder climes.
* PomPomGirl: She sometime act like a cheerleader and donned a pink cheerleading outfit (her Pokèmon also) to support Ash in his Gym battles with Roark, Maylene and Volkner.
* PluckyGirl: She always remains optimistic, even when the odds are against her.
* RunningGag:
** She's frequently on the receiving end of electric attacks, which always leaves her hair messy and frazzled. Her Pachirisu is the main offender, but Pikachu and other electric types have also found reasons to electrocute her.
** Once she acquires her Cyndaquil, it develops a habit of flaring up its back flames while Dawn is holding it, leaving her with an AshFace. In fact, it's the very first thing it does upon hatching.
* ScarfOfAssKicking: Wears a scarf, and fights often.
* ShesGotLegs: Thick and sturdy legs.
* ShipperOnDeck: While normally embarrassed about Brock's antics like everyone else, when it was suggested to him that he [[spoiler:become a Pokémon Doctor]], she's the one to point out that it will help him get closer to all Nurse Joys.
* ShipTease: Naturally, she gets these with Ash. Not to mention that, out of every girl so far, she's the only one to go as far as to be his personal cheerleader during a few of his Gym Battles.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Poor Dawn isn't immune to being zapped, drenched, frozen, or burned by her own Pokémon.
* StaticCharacter: While she matures a good deal, the basic person she is never changes and has never even changed from childhood, right down to her CatchPhrase. She's also the only female companion so far to not have undergone a change in outfit or party lineup aside from an evolution.
* StepfordSmiler: Tries to put on a good face after her first losing streak. Doesn't work in the end.
* SupremeChef: A few hands-on lessons are enough to get her cooking Poffins like a pro.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Probably the most explicit example of any of Ash’s friends; like May before her, Dawn is a NiceGirl Pokémon coordinator whose quest [[RotatingArcs alternates in focus with Ash]] and who has a famous parent. The writers did work to make them distinct however [[note]] Dawn was more traditionally feminine than the sometimes tomboyish May and lacked the latter’s BigEater tendencies. Dawn also knew she wanted to be a Coordinator from the start, but conversely, struggled in her early contests much more than May ever did [[/note]].
* SkywardScream: Does this in "Dawn's Early Night" after losing the Hearthome contest.
-->'''Dawn:''' ''[as she runs to the balcony]'' AAAAAAAAAAH!
* ATasteOfDefeat: Tying in with her ButtMonkey role, Dawn is the first of few "twerps" to suffer [[TeamRocketWins an unnegated defeat from Team Rocket]] in an episode. ''Twice'' for that matter:
** In "Team Shocker" Jessie (as Jessilina) wins her first ribbon in the Solaceon contest, one Dawn doesn't even pass the Appeals Round for. [[HeroicBSOD She does not take it well.]]
** James (disguised as Jessilina) directly defeats her in the battle round of the Lilypad contest in "Dressed For Jess Success". While Dawn was a GracefulLoser this time round, it didn't remotely taint James and Meowth's victory over her.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl:
** Girly Girl to Zoey's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to her predecessor May's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to Iris' Tomboy in ''Best Wishes''. Dawn really is the eternal Girly Girl of this anime, huh?
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She's terrified of Plusle and Minun, because of an incident in kindergarten when she hugged them too hard and they shocked her, making her hair stand on end and everyone laugh at her.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Her fantasy in the LotusEaterMachine episode shows us that she even wants to surpass her mother.
* WorthyOpponent: When Dawn finally eliminated her in the Grand Festival, Jessie admitted (albeit infuriated) that she was this. Jessie herself managed to achieve her most even handed rivalry against Dawn, equalling and even besting her at times. Since Dawn never saw through her "Jesselina" alias, she was rather respectful towards her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dawn's Pokémon]]
* BadassAdorable: The majority of her team are comprised of cute-looking Pokémon who are all competent in Pokémon Contests. Even her not-so-cute ones, specifically Mamoswine, used to be a very cute but strong Swinub.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: Mamoswine and Togekiss are the big guys, Piplup, Buneary, Cyndaquil and Pachirisu are the little guys.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: All but Mamoswine are adorable Pokémon, and even he was cute as a Swinub. Buizel was another exception, since he used to be the cool guy in the group, but he's soon replaced by the cute GenkiGirl Aipom.
!!Piplup (Pochama)
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piplup_5642.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/EtsukoKozakura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MicheleKnotz
Piplup is Dawn's first Pokémon. She befriended him after saving him from a wild Ariados' attack, when Piplup and Chimchar had fled from Professor Rowan's lab.
----
* AttentionWhore: Regarding Dawn's attention, at least. Piplup sometimes has a fit when Dawn isn't giving him the attention it wants. Heck, the episode "Piplup Up and Away" was dedicated to Piplup getting upset because Dawn and the gang wasn't giving him the attention he wanted.
* BerserkButton: His EstablishingCharacterMoment was throwing a fit when Professor Rowan's Chimchar stole the last bite of his food.
* BigEater: Gets a GrowlingGut often, and enjoys food.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally just a starter Pokémon for the regional main girl Dawn, Piplup became very popular with viewers during the DP saga, especially in Japan. Noticeably, he began appearing outside of his Poké Ball more and more often until he eventually stopped being seen inside it altogether (save for rare occasions). He also got promoted to being a co-star with Ash's Pikachu in the merchandising, a feat that only Misty's Togepi had accomplished prior.
* BubbleGun: Bubble Beam, which fires several bubbles in quick succession, was the very first attack he was seen using, and it's still his SignatureMove to date.
* ButtMonkey: To clarify it has been:
** Attacked by Elekid and Electabuzz [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/066 on two]] [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/137 different occasions]].
** Zapped by Pikachu ([[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash%27s_Pikachu yes That Pikachu]]) [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/149 after bumping into it]].
** Knocked into a crater by Ash and Gible (using Draco Meteor) on purpose and [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/626ps11.shtml having to fend off against a Magnezone and a Metagross]].
** Not to mention [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP156 all]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP157 those]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP164 other]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP172 times]] it got hit by Draco Meteor ([[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/174 except for that one time that Kenny got hit by it]]).
* CampStraight: Very campy, but showed attraction to Meloetta. Though Meloetta is gender less, so...
* TheChewToy: It is always nailed by Ash's Gible's Draco Meteor while the latter was trying to master that move.
* ColorFailure:
** In "Battling a Cute Drama!" when Marilyn said he wasn't cute.
** In "Piplup, Up, And Away!" when he overheard Dawn telling Gible it wasn't at fault for dropping Draco Meteors on him.
** When Dawn had her reappearance in Unova, in "Piplup, Pasage, and a Meeting of the Times!", he shares one with Dawn in reaction to Cilan's "Evaluation Time" during a training battle with Pansage.
* {{Determinator}}:
* DramaQueen: If something annoys him, he'll let you know. Loudly.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He'a based off of a penguin, and a hero.
* {{Expy}}: There are lots of similarities between Piplup and Pikachu. Both befriended their trainers after serious peril, and resist evolution to their next forms. Piplup also prefers to travel outside his Poké Ball, though he will come out of one for Performances to accrue Charm Points.
* FireForgedFriends: At the end of the Junior Cup arc in [=BW2=], he seems to have formed a close bond with Oshawott (who was his rival for Meloetta's affection).
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Did this to Dawn when she was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown before one Contest. Instead of slapping her, he blasted her with Bubble Beam.
* GreenEyedMonster: Piplup can't stand sharing Dawn's attention, so her fawning over [[TheLancer Cyndaquil]] does not sit well with him.
* GrowlingGut: In his debut. This is what made him to accept food from Dawn.
* HeroicBSOD: He had this when he was trying to evolve but didn't want to.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pikachu during the DP series. They two spend a lot of time together due to mostly being outside of their Pokeballs, and are shown to be extremely close. When it's time for Pikachu and Ash to move on, Piplup is ''devestated''.
%%* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam.
* InterspeciesRomance: "Piplup, Up, and Away" makes it pretty clear he has a huge crush on Dawn. The music is what puts it over the top.
* JerkassBall: He could be seen as downright selfish in some of the episodes. In "Different Strokes for Different Blokes", he ate Aipom's orange causing them to argue. He also collided with Turtwig in "The Champ Twins!" and they started arguing again. He also didn't accept Turtwig's apology when Turtwig is trying to make up with him. In "Gone with the Wildworks", he's shown to be selfish towards Cyndaquil for Dawn's attention. He even slapped Cyndaquil out of the way and ate the poffin which causes them to start a fight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is rather selfish but does love Dawn and always tries to do his best for her.
* MakingASplash: He's a Water-Type and knows common water moves such as Bubblebeam, Whirlpool and Hydro Pump.
%%* NoSenseOfDirection
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Occasionally bickers with Dawn, even though it's clear they care about each other at the same level that Ash and Pikachu do.
* LostFoodGrievance: In his first episode, he got mad at the starter Chimchar when it stole the last bite of his food, starting a fight that wrecked Professor Rowan's lab and led to both of them escaping out a broken window, along with a Starly and Staraptor.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The Mean to Cyndaquil's Nice and Pikachu's In-Between. He's more hot-headed, assertive, cranky and grumpy compared to the more quiet, calm, friendly and polite Cyndaquil while Pikachu mediates between the two.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: This is apparently due less to its infamous "forced mascot" status and more because the producer considers Prinplup and Empoleon ugly. In series, it's because he's afraid of changing personalities when he evolves, and in the dub because he wants to protect Dawn as he is.
* NotQuiteFlight: Piplup, being based on a penguin, doesn't actually fly naturally.[[note]]The entire Piplup line [[ShownTheirWork never picks up the Flying type]].[[/note]] He's shown occasionally to be capable of flying a very short distance from the momentum of using [=BubbleBeam=] or being sent out from his Poké Ball.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: From Bide, to Whirlpool, to even Hydro Pump, all while not even approaching Dawn's knees in height.
* PluckyComicRelief: Goofy and funny, and [[ButtMonkey hapless to match.]]
* RealMenWearPink: On several occasions he has sported a ''pink female'' cheerleading outfit. Later on they opted for more masculine clothing though.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Cyndaquil's blue. He is more hot-headed and assertive compared to the more quiet and calm Cyndaquil, an ironic inverse given their color schemes.
* SignatureMove: Bubble Beam is used the most out of every move he knows, and he never forgot how to use it.
* TookALevelInBadass: Upon learning Hydro Pump, one of the most powerful water attacks known.
* WaveMotionGun: When he uses Hydro Pump, he blasts a massive cannon of water at his opponent that is at least 10x bigger than he is.
* WouldHitAGirl: Repeatedly attacks his master when angered as a RunningGag.
!!Buneary (Mimirol)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Buneary_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (first voice), Creator/SatsukiYukino (current)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
From the beginning of ''Diamond and Pearl'', Dawn wanted a Buneary. This Buneary was [[ThirdTimesTheCharm her third attempt to capture one]]. Of course, it helps that this particular Buneary had developed an intense crush on Ash's Pikachu.
----
* ActionGirl: Especially noteable in "Hold the Phione" - after the titular Pokémon challenges Pikachu for her, she's offended because (A) Pikachu's in a tight spot, and (B) she's being treated like some sort of prize. She demands Phione battle ''her'' instead. And ''wins''.
* BadassAdorable: She's a little bunny that's capable of both giving you a run for your money in battle and making you go "aww" at the same time.
* BunniesForCuteness: Is based off of a rabbit, and is ''adorable.''
* CrushBlush: She cannot resist Pikachu.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First she jumps to save Pikachu from an incoming motorcycle, then when he tries to thank her she hides her face and bounds away, in the process [[WatchOutForThatTree crashing into a tree]]. This sets her up as a graceful ActionGirl who nonetheless crushes ''hard'' on Pikachu.
* TheFashionista: Not an extreme example, but she's occasionally seen sporting a vest that Dawn made for her, and the Sinnoh arc ends with her becoming a model.
* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam, which is also her signature move for Contests.
* NonElemental: She's the Normal-type of the team.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's tiny, but she froze Ash, Dawn, and Brock in her debut episode, and she frequently holds her own against larger opponents..
* WingdingEyes: Gets hearts in her eyes when she looks at Pikachu.
!!Pachirisu
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Pachirisu_5914.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
----
* AmbiguousGender: It's probably male, given its design and an incident in DP138[[note]]Johanna's Umbreon and Glameow used Attract against both Pachirisu and Piplup, and it worked on both. Umbreon and Glameow do not have known genders.[[/note]], but never explicitly confirmed.
* DeathGlare: Gave one to Ursula's Gabite after its Poffin was stepped on - an ''impressive one'' for normally happy-go-lucky Pachirisu.
* KidAppealCharacter: The second youngest of Dawn's Pokémon, and the one who acts like a kid the most.
* LostFoodGrievance: Pachirisu does ''not'' like its Poffins being [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/084 stolen]] or [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/114 smashed]]. Do any of those, and it'll make sure you pay for dearly for it.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Despite a major type disadvantage, it crushed Ursula's Gabite in the Chocovine Contest with is newly learned Super Fang.
* ScissorsCutsRock: It was able to defeat Ursula's Gabite in a Contest battle with Super Fang, despite Gabite being immune to Electric-type moves.
* StaticElectricity: Sometimes buzzes Dawn with this, and makes her hair pop out.
* SuperSpeed: Like most Electric-types, but in its debut episode it outran six of the gang's Pokémon at once (including ''Pikachu'') in a very silly game of high-speed chase.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins. The first time it was denied them, it shocked everyone until Pikachu snapped it out of it. Then there's the BerserkButton...
* YellowLightningBlueLightning: Emits the blue variety when using Discharge.
!!Buizel (Buoysel)
Traded to Ash for Aipom. For more info, see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Aipom-Ambipom (Eipam-Eteboth)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Aipom_8895.png]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Ambipom_9427.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Miyako Ito (Eipam), Chie Sato (Eteboth)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Miyako Ito (Aipom), Emily Jenness (Ambipom)
Aipom was a Pokémon that Ash caught during his journey through the Battle Frontier in Kanto. She is very affectionate towards him and secretly follows him when Ash set off to Sinnoh. While Aipom was shown to be a capable battler in Gym Battles, she develops a big interest in Contests, which would later lead to Ash trading her with Dawn's BloodKnight Buizel. She is competent in Contests, but she eventually develops an interest in Pokémon Ping Pong and later leaves Dawn's team, so the Ping Pong master can foster her talent.
----
* TheAce: She instantly excels everything she sets her interest on: pranking, battle, Contest and finally Pokemon ping pong.
* ActionGirl:
** While she preferred Contests, she was used several times in battle when she was under the ownership of Ash and didn't seem to mind.
** She beat Gardenia's strongest Pokémon, Roserade, so it's safe to say that although she prefers Contests, her battling skills are something to be proud of.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: After being traded over to Dawn, her crush on Ash was all but completely forgotten. The last time she even acknowledged Ash as her former trainer was when she was getting ready to be PutOnABus, and even then it wasn't much.
* ClingyMacGuffin: Gets a crown that was was too small for Aipom, thus it being stuck to her head for most of the episode.
* EleventhHourRanger: She was caught by Ash ten episodes before the end of the Advanced Generation series.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: It basically goes without saying, since she is a monkey-based Pokémon.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ever since Ash captured her at such a late time (during the Battle Frontier saga) and the fact that Aipom followed Ash and Pikachu to Sinnoh, it was rather obvious that the writers were planning to evolve her.
* GenkiGirl: Of course; most of her species tend to be this.
* LittleStowaway: Decided to sneak to Sinnoh with Ash instead of stay with Professor Oak like the rest of his Hoenn (and before) Pokémon. Ash decides to keep her in his Sinnoh crew until her trade to Dawn.
* NiceHat: Has a fondness for them, famously Ash's hat, or, in one episode, a ''crown''.
* NonElemental: As a normal type. Most of its moves do normal type damage as well.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: As Aipom, it's ankle-high to Ash and still capable of fighting much tougher apponents. .
* ThePrankster: When it was with Ash as an Aipom, she would play silly pranks on him, such as taking his hat for instance.
* PutOnABus: Similar to Ash's Primeape and ironically they are both ape-like Pokémon. She was last seen going away from the gang on a bus.
* RunningOnAllFours: Sometimes, such as when chasing Pachirisu in "Twice Smitten, Once Shy!"
!!Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine (Urimoo-->Inomoo-->Mammoo)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Swinub_7259.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piloswine_8918.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Mamoswine_8039.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' InukoInuyama (Urimoo and Inomoo), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (Mammoo)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Swinub), Tim Werenko (Piloswine), Creator/MarcThompson (Mamoswine)
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his huge size, he can make an impressive jump, shown off in ''Playing the Performance Encore.'' Lampshaded by Ursula: "Huh? With that huge body?!"
* TheBerserker: As a Mamoswine it has a violent temper and tends to go berserk when angry. This costs Dawn a contest when it loses control and goes on a rampage.
* BigEater: To the point where all the other Pokémon might actually be in danger of starving to death. It's a species trait, actually.
* BlindingBangs: Piloswine has bangs that cover his eyes.
* BrilliantButLazy: By far the most powerful of Dawn's pokemon, but also completely uninterested in anything besides eating and sleeping. Dawn eventually trains him out of it.
* CuttingTheKnot: Mamoswine has almost never won a Contest by retaining the lead when the buzzer sounds. It tends to simply KO the competition. As Dawn has noted, this can be seen as missing the point of Contests.
* DefrostingIceKing: Mamoswine initially doesn't respect Dawn at all and refuses to follow her commands.
* ElementalArmor: In dual Contests, the strategy of choice often involves encasing the smaller partner in ice.
* {{Expy}}: In many ways similar to Ash's Charizard. Three stage evolution caught in first stage, in which it has a sweet overall disposition and ''likes'' its new trainer? Check. Personality change upon evolving into second stage? Check. A surprisingly quick transition to its third stage? Check. TookALevelInBadass after evolving, becoming a large powerhouse who lazes around? Check. Has a lifechanging experience with the trainer, involving a defeat against another Pokémon that it both has an advantage and disadvantage to, and restores its loyalty, and beats said mon with trainers help, followed by gradual further CharacterDevelopment? Check, check and ''check''.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Swinub had these perpetually, and they never do open. It's a species trait.
* FullBoarAction: As a Piloswine and later Mamoswine, he is partly based on pigs, hence the name Pilo'''swine''' and Mamo'''swine'''.
* HairTriggerTemper: From his Piloswine form on he becomes frighteningly easy to set off, though he mellows out over time.
* HeroismIncentive: Prior to becoming obedient to Dawn, this is the only way for the latter to motivate him to do anything.
* AnIcePerson: His primary type is Ice. In Contests, Dawn utilizes his Ice-type moves to great effects, which allows him to be presented as a cool and powerful Pokémon next to her cute ones. He's often covered in ice spikes and he can surround his partners in ice for glamorous presentations.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gradually grows into this role, having shown a soft side as well as an (eventual) fascination to Contests. [[LampshadeHanging Noted in-series, once the other characters observe it]].
* MessyPig: All three of his forms were messy eaters.
* ObliviouslyEvil: He doesn't even realize that the other Pokémon initially have contempt for him because of his enormous appetite.
* PinkIsForSissies: He initially seemed... embarrassed at the fact that he was fascinated by Contests and tried to hide it even when Ash pointed it out. He finally got over it in "Promoting Healthy Tangrowth".
* SpikesOfDoom: He can create gigantic ice spikes on his back by swallowing his own Ice Shard.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins, it seems. All her Pokémon enjoy them, but Mamoswine ''really'' [[BigEater can't get enough of them]].
!!Cyndaquil-->Quilava (Hinoarashi-->Magmarashi)
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Cyndaquil_9405.png]]
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Quilava_1694.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Cyndaquil), Bill Rogers (Quilava)
----
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Hatched from an egg late in the ''DP'' season.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: As a Cyndaquil, it usually only got angry at Piplup when it was provoked.
* {{Keet}}: He did become pretty excitable when he first saw Dawn practicing for a Contest, and visibly slumped when she said she wouldn't be using him just yet.
* NiceGuy: Her Quilava was always mild-mannered, gentle, and always kept to itself.
* PlayingWithFire: Quilava is a fire type {{Mon}} who knows Flame Wheel.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as Cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
* SmokeOut: Her Quilava knows Smokescreen, which can cause places to be filled with smoke.
!!Togekiss
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Togekiss_1158.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KikukoInoue
----
* EleventhHourRanger: Not only the first time Dawn had six Pokémon at once, but she obtained her ''after'' winning her fifth ribbon, and just two episodes before the Grand Festival. Bear in mind that Princess Salvia had been training her to be a Contest Pokémon for quite a while, so it's a JustifiedTrope.
* {{Flight}}: Due to being a flying type, she can fly.
* ItWasAGift: She was given to Dawn by Princess Salvia.
* LadyOfWar: Because she was raised by a princess, she fights with grace and elegance.
* TeamMom: In the episode after she was obtained, Togekiss is seen caring for the ButtMonkey penguin, to the point of scolding Ash's Gible for [[RunningGag targeting Piplup with Draco Meteor]].
* WindFromBeneathMyWings: It's a flying type and naturally knows Air Slash.
[[/folder]]
!Supporting Cast
[[folder: Professor Rowan (Dr. Nanakamado)]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_ProfessorRowan2_3803.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/IemasaKayumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sean Reyes\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Salvador Reyes (season 10), Humberto Sorlózano (season 11), José María Negri (season 12)
The Pokémon professor living in the Sinnoh region. After Dawn unknowingly bumped into him while trying to find his lab, he helped her start her journey as a trainer by giving her the choice of Piplup, Chimchar, or Turtwig as a starter Pokémon. Rowan exhibits the following tropes:
----
%%* BadassMoustache: He has one that covers his entire lower face.
* TheComicallySerious: He's almost too serious even when he's trying to be genuine.
* CoolOldGuy: He's one of the oldest professors, but is still cool with Sinnoh's youth.
* ADayInTheLimelight: The Summer School arc gave him some much-deserved extra screentime.
* DeadpanSnarker: Very frequently. For instance, see his first appearance, in [=DP001=]:
--> '''Dawn:''' ''[after bumping into him]'' I'm - I'm so sorry!\\
'''Rowan:''' ''[turning to face her]'' Hello. You're looking lost.\\
'''Dawn:''' Huh? Are you talking to me, sir?\\
'''Rowan:''' Right. There's no one else here and you're looking very lost.
* TheMentor: Took Gary under his wing after he decided to become a Pokémon Professor.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's a bit heavy-handed, but ultimately serves as a valuable mentor to the main cast.
* TheStraightMan: To his old friend Professor Oak. Oak's a bit silly, whereas Rowan is all business. Rowan even chides Oak for this, criticizing him for slacking in his research when Dawn can only recognize him as a poet.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Johanna (Ayako)]]
[[quoteright:313:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Johanna-pokemon_4536.jpg]]
[[quoteright:313:Johanna as a Pokémon coordinator champion.]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' MakotoTsumura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Elena Ramírez (season 10), Belinda Martínez (season 13)
Dawn's mom. It's quickly revealed that she was a world famous Pokémon coordinator contest champion when she was a trainer, and she hasn't lost any of her touch as a mother either (as Dawn is quickly proven first-hand). Her favorite Pokémon is her Glameow.
----
* ActionMom: She was a champion Coordinator in her days and hasn't missed a step since then. She still easily beats Dawn in battle.
* AscendedExtra: In the games, Johanna was notable for having noticeably more character than previous moms, who before her mostly provided overnight healing and the occasional item[[note]]Barring the mom from GSC, who ran a bank for you[[/note]], having had a history as a Coordinator and occasionally showing up to compete in the Master Class contests with her Kangaskhan. Here, Johanna not only has a history, but has plenty of presence in Dawn's own character arc, with a history as a champion Pokémon Coordinator, with Dawn seeking to follow in her footsteps.
* CuteKitten: Glameow, who she used in contests.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Her Umbreon is a Dark type, which is Evil type in Japan. She also used it in contests.
* GoodParents: A loving and supportive mother who wholeheartedly encourages Dawn to pursue her dream of becoming a Contest champion.
* PimpedOutDress: Like Dawn, she's an experienced Coordinator and has a few of those on hand for Contests. Her green standby has OperaGloves and a CoolCrown.
* RetiredBadass: DP's first episode showcases an entire wall of Contest trophies in her house.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: She created Dawn's Grand Festival ballgown and Buneary's vest. Possibly justified by a later episode that shows her to be friends with Lila, a fashion designer.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: It appears to be a family trait. Like mother, like daughter, right?
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Reggie (Reiji)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Reggie_8291.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TetsuyaKakihara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Edson Matus (season 11 and 13), Javier Olguín (season 12).
Paul's older brother and a Pokémon breeder.
----
* BrokenAce: Defeated by the Pyramid King Brandon, but quickly recovered unlike his brother.
* ChekhovsGun: in "''Lost Leader Strategy''", Reggie's revealed to have completed the badges in each of the four regions. He also has the Symbols from the Battle Frontier, but there's one missing, which means a lot more when Paul's backstory is elaborated further.
* CommonalityConnection: Inverted with Ash. The main reason Paul hates Ash is because all that talk about bring out a Pokemon's inner strength reminds Paul of Reggie, whose loss to Brandon had profound psychological consequences on Paul. They share another point of connection between them in that Reggie has earned all the same badges and Frontier Symbols Ash had before quitting.
* CoolBigBro: Even if Paul's not the easiest to get along with, he looks after his Pokémon for him and encourages him as best he can.
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Subverted. Paul respects Reggie enough to leave his Pokémon with the latter. However, Paul sees Reggie’s "kindness to his Pokemon" part of his training style as a disappointment. While he does not hold a grudge against Reggie for it, it is the reason for Paul's animosity towards Ash.
* {{Foil}}: To Paul, being much happier, kinder and more generous to Pokemon than his cold and grumpy little brother.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: He's a Pokémon Breeder with an unusual talent for raising them. He's so good that even Paul trusts him to raise his own.
* MasterOfNone: When he lost to Brandon, the Pyramid King stated this was the main reason he lost. Reggie may have had a lot of achievements, but he hasn't developed a special form of battle strategy to give him any real strengths to deal with the elite trainers.
* MoralDissonance: He's quite aware of Paul's [[TrainingFromHell training methods]], but doesn't even lift a finger to discipline his brother or teach him the error of his ways. Some depth is revealed when Maylene relates her [[BreakTheCutie ego-crushing encounter with Paul]] to Ash, he admits Paul's always had a cruel streak. It could be that he's tried to curb this side of him, but failed. This is TruthInTelevision - stubborn people like Paul often can't be convinced that they are wrong, especially not with just words.
* MoralityPet: To Paul. Reggie is the only person Paul is even kind of friendly with, despite Paul viewing Reggie as a disappointment. Their conversations also reveal a softer side of Paul, showing that he really does depend on his big brother's support.
* NiceGuy: He's much kinder and more pleasant than his little brother.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. A character of the day from ''Best Wishes'' has the same Japanese, but not English, name as him.
* RealMenWearPink: He wears a pink shirt.
* RetiredBadass: Four complete sets of 8 Gym Badges, and six of the Kanto Frontier Brain Symbols (the only one he doesn't have is Brandon's). His defeat to Brandon is the reason he's given up taking League challenges, something his younger brother Paul is not happy about.
* SiblingYinYang: He's the exact opposite of Paul. He's a nice guy who trains hard, values friendship, and succeeds in his goals and ambitions. Paul is a {{Jerkass}} of the highest calibur who thinks friendship is a [[UnusualEuphemism load of Tauros]]. All because his older brother is the successful one.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has the same downward-slanted eyes as Paul and a similar shade of purple hair, though his is a darker color.
* ThemeNaming: In Japanese, Reiji contains ''rei,'' meaning "courtesy" or "propriety", while his little brother's name, Shinji, contains ''shin,'' "trust" or "confidence".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Looker (Handsome)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/looker_badge.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MasakiTerasoma\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JasonGriffith\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Emmanuel Bernal
A detective with the International Police who is investigating Team Galactic. He will also appear against Team Plasma in ''Best Wishes''.
----
* AdaptedOut: His Croagunk from the games and ''Anime/PokemonGenerations'' is nowhere to be found in the main anime series.
* BadassLongcoat: The kind of trenchcoat you'd expect from a G-man.
* BadassNormal: Unlike the games, he doesn't have any Pokémon to help in his assignments. He's extremely competent despite this. Case in point, he manages to get a hold of and subdue [[MookLieutenant Aldith]], and keep her in place with a pipe until Colress arrived and took over the Golurks. Impressive!
* TheBusCameBack: Returns in ''Black and White 2: Episode N'' to investigate Team Plasma, possibly to reflect his appearance in the games.
* MasterOfDisguise: It's surprising he doesn't give off any clues it is him until he reveals himself.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: When we first meet him, he comes off as a bit quirky due to having bought too many lunches on the train (the fact he gave some to Team Rocket [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe explains why they're loyal to him later]]). At the end of that episode, we find out he's investigating Team Galactic.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Looker is just a code name. We never do learn what his real name is.
* OddFriendship: Looker and Team Rocket get along pretty damn well despite the former being with the police and the latter being known criminals. Hell, Looker was the one that convinced Team Rocket to help Ash and the others out against Team Plasma.
* PoliceAreUseless: Averted! If anything, he is ''more'' useful than most Officer Jennies we've seen.
* TheWorfEffect: He is captured during the climax of both the Team Galactic and the Team Plasma arc.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhonda (Yuka)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHiyamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/SarahNatochenny (Season 10 up until episode 29), Creator/RhondaKrempa (rest of Season 10 to episode 155 of Season 13), Creator/BellaHudson (rest of Season 13)
The hostess of the news channel ''Sinnoh Now!''
----
* ButtMonkey: Almost all of her major appearances has some kind of misfortune happening to her, whether it's constantly getting smacked on the head with a boom mic or missing out on a chance to cover an exciting story. Poor woman can't catch a break.
* TheCameo: Has a small appearance in the credits of ''Zoroark: Master of Illusions'' on the TV Johanna is watching.
* IntrepidReporter: If Rhonda's not broadcasting news in the studio, she’s usually out trying to cover whatever kind of event that's currently going on. However, due to outside forces and the incompetence of her film crew, her success rate is kinda 50/50.
* IsThisThingStillOn: Whenever she's broadcasting live and starts berating her boom operator, it's always caught on camera, with an embarrassed Rhonda trying to continue her story and trying to pretend it didn't happen.
* MsExposition: Is usually the one that delivers information to viewers about current events happening in the Sinnoh region.
* RunningGag: She's almost always getting smacked on the head with the boom mic held by her incompetent boom operator, with her always threatening to get said operator demoted to the mail room.
* ThrowTheDogABone: Her final appearance in the anime has her able to successfully perform interviews with the Sinnoh Grand Festival participants without anything bad happening, not even a single incident caused by her film crew or her boom operator.
[[/folder]]
!Rivals
[[folder:In General]]
* TheCameo: They appear among the other recurring ''Diamond & Pearl'' characters in the ending credits of ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions.''
* GenderEqualEnsemble: Specifically, Dawn's rivals; two are male and two are female.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This series introduced eight recurring rivals with a total of 60 Pokémon between them. Because of this, some had a lot less screentime than others, which may be the reason for future series cutting down on the number of rivals.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: Due to their varying personalities.
** Nice--Zoey (TheMentor), Nando (NiceGuy), Barry (GenkiBoy)
** Mean--Paul (GrumpyBear), Ursula (AlphaBitch)
** In-between--Kenny (JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]LovingBully), Conway (StalkerWithACrush), Tobias (DarkIsNotEvil)
* PromotedToOpeningTitles: Paul in Season 10, Zoey in Season 11, Barry in Season 12 (theme version 1), Kenny in Season 12 (theme version 2), Tobias, Nando, Conway, and Ursula in Season 13.
* TheRival: Each of these characters is competing with either Ash, for Gym Badges, or Dawn, for Ribbons. Nando is doing both.
* TwoGirlsToATeam: If this gang of rivals can be considered a "team", Zoey and Ursula are the only female rivals in this series.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul (Shinji)]]
[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Anime_Paul_5006.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Julian Rebolledo\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gerardo García (seasons 10, 11 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz, Eduardo Ramírez and Ricardo Bautista (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alessandro Bevilacqua (1st voice), Gauthier De Fauconval (2nd voice)
Ash's main rival in the Sinnoh region. Paul only cares about one thing: Becoming the best through sheer technical discipline. He only goes after Pokémon who have the best moves and abandons those who fail him, which is how Ash acquired Chimchar. In short, he doesn't care how his Pokémon feel, but only how they perform. Ash doesn't take too kindly to this.
----
* AbusiveParents: Or rather, an abusive trainer. He was this to Chimchar, always verbally (and eventually physically) abusing him, and pushing him way past his limits to get his [[UnstoppableRage Blaze]] ability to activate.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Paul is this to Ash, becoming a formidable wall he must overcome.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He makes no effort to hide how much superior he thinks he is to everyone else. He may mostly be an overconfident {{Jerkass}}, but there's no denying that he's a good battler.
* AwesomeByAnalysis:
** Paul was able to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] Ash in a full battle by building his team specifically to counter Ash's Sinnoh Pokémon.
** During the Sinnoh League, [[spoiler:he has his Pokémon use the Counter-Shield technique that Ash developed]].
* BadBoss: Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon kindly and puts them into a harsh training regiment without caring much about their well-being as long as they can bring out results. Particularly Chimchar is put under a lot of abuse, since Blaze can only be activated once Chimchar's stamina is at its limit. The rest of his Pokémon like him, though we only find out at the very end of the series.
* BadassBoast: "The challenge you always present to Trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do. But I'm not like my brother! My will gives me strength! And now, you'll see it firsthand!" Subverted when he immediately gets crushed in the ensuing battle by Brandon.
* TheBadGuyWins: While not exactly a villain, Paul is Ash's most antagonistic rival by far, and he beats Ash in the majority of their battles.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: His cruel treatment of his Pokémon is what makes him so despicable. It really says something about him that even the ruder rivals, most notably Harley, Ursula, and Burgundy, [[PetTheDog show more caring toward their Pokémon]] than he does to his own.
* BatmanGambit: Pulls off several at Lake Acuity.
** He purposely allows his Torterra to miss its first Frenzy Plant, baiting Ash into using several close-range attacks with Gliscor while Torterra recharges. This allows Paul to trap its tail with Crunch and get off a point-blank hit with Giga Drain, badly damaging Gliscor while healing off most of the damage taken earlier. This is immediately followed up with another Batman Gambit as Ash switches to Staraptor, allowing Paul to nail it with a super effective Stone Edge.
** He sends out his Honchkrow to battle Grotle, knowing that despite the type disadvantage, Ash will likely stay in with Grotle to avenge its loss to Honchkrow [[ContinuityNod earlier in the series]]. He is correct, and Honchkrow defeats Grotle easily.
** He throws Ash off guard by choosing [[PlayingWithFire Magmortar]] and [[BadassNormal Ursaring]] to battle Pikachu, knowing that Ash will take initiative and battle head-on. This turns out to be a ploy to activate their respective abilities in [[StatusAilment Flame Body]] and [[StatusBuff Guts]], while also taking advantage of ''Pikachu's'' natural ability Static, completely overwhelming him.
** He pulls this in their battle in the Pokemon League as well, knowing that Ash's personality would compel him to choose all of the same Pokemon that he used in their battle at Lake Acuity. Paul uses this knowledge to build a team to specifically counter Ash's, and ultimately is able to control the pace of the battle from start to finish. He only loses due to the one thing he didn't predict: Ash's Infernape finally getting control of its [[HeroicSecondWind Blaze ability]].
* BreakTheHaughty: His defeat against Brandon. It triggers his first step towards rethinking his ways.
* BringIt: In the battle between Ash and Paul in the Sinnoh League Tournament. Electivire uses this to get Infernape to stand up, and Paul even calls Infernape pathetic. In the Japanese version, he just tells Infernape to stop disappointing him again and again.
* BrokenAce: He was even more shaken by Reggie's loss to Brandon than Reggie was. His harsh style of training does show good results, but it is driven in part by his crushing disappointment in his brother's methods.
* BrokenPedestal: He lost faith in his older brother's skills after seeing him lose to Brandon and subsequently give up on Pokémon training.
* CatchPhrase:
-->'''Original:''' "[Pokémon], battle standby."\\
'''English Dub:''' "[Pokémon], stand by for battle."
** Another catchphrase of his from the English dub is "pathetic."
* CharacterDevelopment: Paul starts off as arrogant, alienating, and cruel to the core. By the time he finally loses to Ash at the Pokémon League, he is significantly kinder. He briefly admits that Barry put up a good battle after defeating him, and thanks his Electivire for trying his best after losing to Infernape. He's still distant and stoic, but he's come a long way.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: He was more visibly sinister and prone to [[PsychoticSmirk psychotic smirks]] in his first appearance, but from his second and onward he was more [[TheStoic stoic]] in his jerkassery.
* CombatPragmatist: In the earlier episodes of the Sinnoh saga, this boy was not above commanding his Pokémon to attack Team Rocket while they were reciting their motto. He even managed to capture a Gliscor by having his Electabuzz and Weavile blast it while Ash and co. were trying to negotiate with it.
* TheComicallySerious: He can be this when he's put in situations in which Ash and co are goofing off.
* CrazyPrepared: Particularly against Ash in the late stages of their rivalry.
** He teaches his Torterra Stone Edge to deal with the Fire- and Flying-types on Ash's Sinnoh team, and furthermore teaches it to [[HomingProjectile change the direction]] of the stones to prevent more agile Pokemon from dodging it.
** He temporarily teaches his Electabuzz Light Screen to serve a more supportive role. With the extra defensive buff, Paul's MightyGlacier Torterra because exceedingly hard to touch, as special attacks are halved in power while physical attacks are stopped cold with Stone Edge.
** In the Sinnoh League, Paul has his Gastrodon use the [[SpinToDeflectStuff Counter Shield]] technique [[VariantPowerCopying coined by Ash]], creating a large vortex of Muddy Water that makes it difficult to get in close. Ash sees a weak spot close to the ground and has Staraptor go after it, but Paul sees this coming and is able to trap it with Body Slam. Ash manages to escape Body Slam by banging the ground with Close Combat, but Paul is ''[[UpToEleven still]]'' prepared for that and nails it with Ice Beam as it escapes.
* CurbStompBattle:
** He got on the ''receiving'' side of it when he challenged Cynthia, whose Garchomp single-handedly defeated four of his Pokémon without breaking a sweat.
** He lost again against Frontier Brain Brandon without defeating a single one of his Pokémon, which led to his breakdown.
** His battle with Ash by Lake Acuity was heavily dominated by Paul. While Ash delivered a good match, Paul only lost two of six Pokémon, while Ash lost completely, half of his team being beaten by Paul's Ursaring alone.
* DeadpanSnarker: Paul also had some more snarky and cynical moments. He was snarkier in the beginning of the series and becomes outright hateful later on, despite being and looking way more mature than the other characters.
* DeathGlare: His default expression. He gives this to a lot of people he is annoyed with.
* {{Deconstruction}}:
** His whole character is one of [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
** He also serves as a deconstruction toward Ash's reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship and the IndyPloy. Almost every time Ash tries to prove to Paul that a strong bond can overcome any matchup, he gets shown up ''hard''. Ash has to significantly up his game and battle far more strategically to finally defeat him.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Downplayed. In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry. They're not exactly friends on account of the immense personality clash, but they've come a long way from the borderline [[ArchEnemy arch-enemies]] they were at first.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: After a long, grueling battle during the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash finally brings him down...and then Tobias comes in.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Acts like a huge {{Jerkass}} to ''everyone'' just because his older brother failed to live up to the expectations Paul had of him.
* EnemyMine: He's paired up with Ash in the Tag Battle tournament.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** While he dislikes Ash and friends, his last appearance before the Sinnoh League, where he has Electabuzz use Protect to shield them from the falling debris of a Team Rocket mecha, shows that his dislike doesn't extend to outright ''murderous'' levels.
** Notably, he always uses a surprisingly-calm tone when speaking to Dawn, and he (somewhat) rationally and calmly explains his hatred of Ash to her before the Sinnoh League. The shippers took this and ran with it, thus giving birth to Ikarishipping (named due to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Paul's Japanese name]]).
** While Paul is a SoreLoser only interested in winning, even he hates Volkner for just giving out badges without a battle.
* EvilCounterpart: TheStoic, SocialDarwinist to contrast Ash's [[{{Keet}} expressive]], AllLovingHero. He's meant to represent what Ash would be if he only cared about his Pokémon's strength, and not them as individuals.
* {{Expy}}: Of Silver from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver GSC/HGSS]]'', given that he's a {{Jerkass}} rival to the main character who only cares about his Pokémon's power rather than connecting to them. They even have similar outfits and hair styles.
* FlatWhat: Expresses shock and disbelief when he finds out Ash defeated the leader of the Frontier Brains, Brandon.
* {{Foil}}: To Ash. Both are seasoned trainers who aim ToBeAMaster, but their philosophies are completely different. Whereas Ash succeeds through teamwork and love, Paul thrives on cold calculations and sheer power. Ash first wins his Pokémon's hearts, then improves their skills. Paul does not bother with bonding and gets straight to intense training.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: He once forgot who Dawn was, despite having met her twice before. [[DemonHead To say Dawn reacted poorly would be an understatement.]]
* FreudianExcuse: Paul resents his brother Reggie for giving up his dreams after a single loss and vows to never be like him (as a matter of fact, it's also why he hates Ash so much -- Ash talks about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength much like Reggie has). He patches things up with his brother eventually.
* GoodTamingEvilTaming: In contrast to Ash, Paul is cold (if not [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals abusive]]) to his own Pokémon. He captures them, using his [=PokéDex=] to measure their strengths and skill sets and either releasing them or giving them to somebody else if they fail to meet his expectations. He has even stated that developing an attachment to his Pokémon would make them weak. He becomes less so as the series progresses, but that does not stop him from being a dick.
* GrumpyBear: Paul's usual expression is anger and being in a bad mood. Despite not showing too many other emotions, grumpiness for Paul seems to be his second most well known trait.
* HeyYou: Barely acknowledges Ash by name, particularly in the Japanese version.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Beaten by his own former Pokémon, Chimchar, that he had mistreated. It personally took out half of his team.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Despite saying that when a Pokémon loses, it's the trainer's fault for not training it correctly, he blames his own Pokémon, especially Chimchar, for their losses.
** In the finals of the Tag Team Tournament, he maintains his belief that Chimchar and Ash are weak since Heracross was still briefly standing despite being hit point blank by a Flanethrower, and that it only fainted because Buizel collided with it when hit by Electabuzz's Thunder. While accurate, the exact same thing would apply for Paul and Electabuzz as Buizel was briefly still standing despite being hit point blank by a move it was weak too as well.
** He criticized Ash for using Grotle in [[AnIcePerson Candice's]] gym. This is coming from the guy who used Chimchar against [[DishingOutDirt Roark]].
* HypocriteHasAPoint: While Paul was a hypocrite for criticizing Ash for him using Pokémon that have type disadvantages to their opponents, Paul is still correct.
* IWasJustPassingThrough: Despite his disdain for Ash, he actually stuck around to watch his gym battle with Roark, if only in hopes of seeing him lose.
* IgnoredEpiphany: After being on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle against Cynthia, she told that he must care more by his Pokémon, but he refuses to take it to heart.
* IneffectualLoner: He does not like socializing with others, instead focusing all of his energy on getting stronger. Even so, he has yet to become a Pokémon Master or defeat Brandon.
* {{Irony}}: A fountain of it. Tried to activate a DesperationAttack, faces both Barry and Ash using one. His backstory involves his brother losing to Brandon and his Regi's, with himself losing in time as well. Chimchar's evolution Infernape can counter all three.
* JackOfAllStats: In keeping with his skill as a Trainer, he uses a well-balanced team of many different types.
* {{Jerkass}}: Paul's main characteristic. He's a cantankerous dick who abuses and releases his Pokémon who fail to reach up to his expectations. Even after CharacterDevelopment, he becomes only slightly less of a jerk, and does not become a good person until his final speaking appearance.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** When he meets Ash at the Sinnoh League, Ash claims he'll be giving it all he's got in their battle. Paul states that ''everyone'' participating has gotten all 8 badges too, so going all out against him and the other trainers Ash is battling amounts next to nothing. Even Ash admitted that Paul was right.
** When Ash praises Staravia during the Tag Team Tournament after Paul's Torterra defeats Brock and Holly, Paul sarcastically asks Ash if they even did anything. While rude to say, it's not inaccurate as Torterra single handedly defeated both of their opponents.
** In one episode, he criticized Ash for using his Grotle, a grass type Pokémon against an ice type in his gym battle against Candace. Considering the type advantage, Paul's complaint wasn't without merit.
** Barry keeps praising Sunyshore gym as one of the best which Paul criticizes as undeserving. It's later reveal the Sunyshore Gym leader gave badges without any challenge of any sort. Ash effectively agrees with Paul by demanding a proper battle.
** During the Sinnoh League episodes, he also tells Barry that overestimating his abilities will only backfire on him. Paul is proven right when Barry gets curb-stomped HARD by Paul.
** He justifies giving away his Azumarill claiming it was dead weight. Seeing as his Azumarill lost to a Geodude despite not only having a type advantage, but hitting it with ''Hydro Pump'', his analysis might've been fair.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite having very limited redeeming traits as a person, Paul eventually does have a lighter side to him. He shows it especially later in the Diamond and Pearl Series.
* KnightOfCerebus: Prior to Paul, many of the jerk trainers Ash had defeated in the past were swiftly beaten down. Paul is the first he's crossed who is highly competent. Also, despite his high standards and brutal training, one cannot deny that it has achieved results. Both his Ursaring and his Drapion flattened half of Ash's team in different battles.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Surrenders to Cynthia upon realizing that he just isn't capable of beating her.
* LackOfEmpathy: When he releases Pokémon, they look visibly upset and sad. Paul doesn't bat an eye.
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** Him getting curb stomped by Brandon in one episode counts.
** Ash is ultimately able to defeat him using Infernape, the Pokémon Paul released for supposedly being weak. To make it even better, Infernape defeats his Electivire by using its ability of Blaze, which Paul tried and failed to get it to master.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: His "match" with Barry in the Pokemon League ends with all three of Barry's Pokemon getting trounced badly while Paul doesn't lose a single one. Paul also treates Marlene to one in their battle. It mostly happens offscreen, but the battle was so one-sideded that Marlene briefly considers retiring for good.
* NeverMyFault: Combined with hypocrisy. Paul stated that when someone loses a battle, it’s the trainer’s fault. Then when ''he'' were to ever lose, he would blame his Pokémon for supposedly being weak or find another way to take the blame off of himself. When he sends out Chimchar against Cynthia's Garchomp and it gets knocked out without landing a scratch, being an unevolved Pokémon with a type disadvantage, he simply recalls it and says to it, "You ought to be ashamed."
* NoSell: Ash's out-of-the-box strategies that generally give him the edge in battles barely works on Paul if ever fazes him. In their second battle, one of Ash's old tricks, using a "dig" attack's hole against the user, backfires ''hard'' on him when Paul counters the strategy. Even the counter shield, Ash's signature strategy in Sinnoh, not only barely gave him some advantage, but Paul learned it and used it against Ash in the league. Soon after, he flat out copied Ash and Infernape's tactics to rid off toxic spikes, using it to stop Ash's Gliscor.
* NotSoStoic: During his battle with Brandon. Also shows annoyance whenever he sees Ash.
** When Ash asked him if he wanted to watch his battle with Roark, Paul actually ''[[HaHaHaNo laughs.]]''
* ThePerfectionist: He has incredibly high standards for his Pokémon, to the point where he'll abandon those who don't live up to his expectations.
* PerpetualFrowner: He's almost always scowling.
* PetTheDog:
** Despite his harsh treatment towards Chimchar, he and Ursaring save him when Team Rocket attempts to steal him from Paul.
** After he [[spoiler:defeats Barry in the Sinnoh League, he commends him for the effort he put up instead of putting him down. This is a massive change from how he treated others who lost to him]].
** He actually thanks and commends his [[spoiler:Electivire]] for a well-fought battle instead of scolding it after its loss to Infernape.
* PsychoticSmirk: Early on, he smirks when he knows he has the upper hand. The first sign Paul is not a goody two-shoes like Ash.
* RedOniBlueOni: The callous blue to Ash's warmhearted red of the "Diamond and Pearl" series.
* TheRival: Ash's primary rival in Sinnoh and whom Ash held the most bitter rivalry with in the entire series by far. Their differing ideologies on raising Pokémon was the source of most of their antagonistic relationship, which escalated further after Paul released his Chimchar.
* RunningGag: A minor one, but twice he was in the midst of capturing a Pokémon, only to be interrupted by Ash & friends, allowing the Pokémon to escape. The first time it was a Fearow, the second it was a Drapion.
* SiblingYinYang: His older brother Reggie is kind and cheerful, and treats his Pokémon very well.
* SingleIssueWonk: Paul is obsessed with one thing and one thing only--becoming the strongest Pokémon trainer by putting his team through TrainingFromHell. Nothing else matters to him.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Only the best can be a part of his team. The rest get released.
* SoreLoser:
** Sometimes when he loses, he would blame his Pokémon for everything.
** Averted in the last few episodes of Diamond & Pearl. [[GracefulLoser Much to the shock of fans, he takes his loss against Ash in the League rather well, complemented with Paul complimenting his Electivire for a well-fought battle]].
* StrongAndSkilled: Despite his obsession with strength, Paul is arguably the most strategic battler ever shown in the anime. He thoroughly researches his opponents and employs strategies to target their physical and psychological weaknesses, and unlike most of Ash's opponents, he can quickly adapt to Ash's {{Outside The Box Tactic}}s as he's roughly just as experienced as Ash. It's most on display in his full battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, where Paul pulls off numerous {{Batman Gambit}}s to put Ash in a virtually unwinnable situation. Later on in the Sinnoh League, he purposely sets up two of his Pokemon as {{Sacrificial Lamb}}s in order to lower Ash's guard, only to reveal he was in control the whole time.
* TheStoic: He rarely shows emotion bar occasional bouts of frustration.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The Technician to Ash's Performer. Paul is obsessively focused on catching the best Pokemon from a purely technical perspective, subjects them to spartan training conditions, and relies on carefully thought-out strategies to win. Ash prefers to bring out the potential of any Pokemon he captures, treats them as equal partners, and improvises heavily in battles. In a more literal sense, Paul ridiculs Ash's interest in Pokeon Contests, thinking it's a waste of time for any serious battler.
* TookALevelInKindness: Incredibly slowly, but it seems like he finally starts to understand his errors by the end.
* ToughLove: For all his faults, Paul is not incapable of treating his Pokémon decently - they are seen relaxing in [=DP100=], and Paul arranged for Torterra to be groomed. While he would probably bite off his tongue before he admitted to being affectionate, the small number of Pokémon he ''does'' keep in his team seem well-treated overall (Chimchar is ''noted'' to be an exceptional case), and their reaction to hearing about his loss in the Sinnoh League indicates that they are, in fact, loyal to him. Torterra appears to be the most loyal to him as well as receiving the most respect from Paul (most likely due to being his starter) because in one episode Torterra went to help Ash's Grotle out of empathy but when Paul discovered what happened, Torterra received no punishment suggesting that Torterra acts as an HonestAdvisor to Paul because he (alongside Paul) witnessed Reggie's defeat at the Battle Pyramid, which in turn caused both of them to form Paul's ideology so that he doesn't follow in Reggie's footsteps.
* TrainingFromHell: Expects nothing but the best from his Pokémon. Any lower and they are released back into the wild. Chimchar got the worst of it, due to Paul's desire to harness the immense power of its Blaze ability.
* TsurimeEyes: He has very sharply shaped eyes, showing that he is not a friendly fellow.
* TheUnfettered: A [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior chillingly accurate portrayal]] for a kid's show. While he is not incapable of showing respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, he is a ruthless and cruel Trainer who [[TrainingFromHell trains his Pokémon harshly]], [[TheSocialDarwinist treats weak Pokémon and even other Trainers with utter contempt]] (like Maylene) and has released or given away no less than six Pokémon on screen for [[YouHaveFailedMe poor performance in battle]] and feels no remorse for his actions, seeing his actions as the only way to make an efficient team. He also [[TheStoic shows little to no emotions]] apart from his ever present scowl (and occasionally a [[PsychoticSmirk condescending smirk]], usually for Ash), is quick and firm in his choices, sees nothing morally wrong in his abuse of both people and Pokémon, and has no qualms about using borderline illegal moves in battle (Elekid using Brick Break on Cranidos' leg, Torterra biting Gliscor's tail, and pretty much every move by [[BearsAreBadNews Ursaring]]), and is by far one of Ash's most powerful rivals, serving almost as a living antithesis to his entire philosophy on Pokémon. Unlike his other rivals Gary and Trip, who were simply at odds with Ash, Paul is a full-blown antagonist.
* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: After beating Gym Leader Maylene and getting the Cobble Badge, he proceeds to insult her:
-->''"You're weakest Leader I've ever fought, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and this lightweight Badge is just like you]]."''
* UsedToBeASweetKid: In Reggie's flashback before Paul starts his battle against Brandon, Paul traveled from Sinnoh to Kanto after receiving his Turtwig because he wanted to see his brother win his final Battle Frontier Symbol. Paul and Turtwig were shown to have notably pleasant dispositions prior to [[BrokenPedestal witnessing Reggie's loss]] and watch Brandon call him out on his lack of true inner strength, though how different Paul is now compared to back then is still debatable.
* VocalDissonance: To a degree. His voice makes him sound ''way'' older than he really is [[note]] it's never said exactly how old he is, but he's likely a young teenager at most[[/note]].
* TheWorfEffect: Brandon effortlessly defeats Paul in a full battle, with the latter failing to knock out any of his opponent's Pokémon, which goes to show that Brandon's status as a Frontier Brain isn't just for show. At the same time, however, Paul's inability to maintain his composure also contributed to his loss.
* WorthyOpponent:
** Paul shows the proper respect to the likes of Roark, Cynthia, and any other trainer whose power he acknowledges. The only exception is Brandon, who Paul greatly resents.
** For most of their rivalry, Paul barely regards Ash at all, treating him more as an annoyance than a true rival. However, this changes after their battle in the Pokemon League, due to Ash doing what Paul couldn't: bringing out Infernape's latent potential.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Releases Pokémon which he perceives as being weak or useless without a second thought, which is how Ash came across Chimchar. Paul only kept Chimchar around hoping to utilize its ability Blaze. When Chimchar was unable to summon it exactly when Paul wanted it, Paul released Chimchar. However, Paul does try to utilize their potential as much as possible, and if it still doesn't work out, then goodbye.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul's Pokémon]]
Throughout Paul's several journeys, he has caught a large number of Pokémon, many of them being based on power, but he does use Pokémon who have more tricks in their pockets than just pure strength. While the majority of them are {{Jerkass}}es, they do like him as a trainer.
----
* AmbiguousGender: With the exception of Froslass and Nidoking, who can only be one gender, none of their genders are known. Although, given their personalities, it can assumed that most of them tend to be male.
* CurbStompBattle: 10 of his Pokémon are victims of this trope, being easily defeated by Champion Cynthia's Garchomp and Pyramid King Brandon's Regi Trio.
* HighTurnoverRate: Paul's tendency to boot party members that don't live up to his standards means that he's released more Pokémon than most side characters have even owned. Even aside from those, he fields a ''ton'' of different Pokémon over various battles, to the point that he almost never uses the same team twice.
* {{Jerkass}}: Most of them are nasty in nature and aren't very nice to others, even among themselves. They are a few exceptions, though.
* LightningBruiser: Paul definitely favors these, with Electivire, Ursaring, Honchkrow, and Drapion being both extremely strong and fast enough to deal with more agile opponents.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Like Gary, Paul is one of the few rival characters to have such a high number of Pokémon, which often leads to many of them being under developed as characters. And the series does show Paul constantly capturing new ones.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In the opening ''Together'' and its remix, Paul's team gets updated from time to time, starting from [=DP041=] onwards, even though Ursaring has been caught since [=DP006=].
* YouHaveFailedMe: Those who don't manage to live up to Paul's high standards, they are released. Those who do have great potential, but aren't able to use it, are released when Paul has enough of them.
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!!Elekid-->Electabuzz-->Electivire (Elekid-->Eleboo-->Elekible)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_electivire.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
The first Pokémon shown alongside Paul as well as his most prominent one. It is the Pokémon who represents his trainer the most: a total {{Jerkass}}, but extremely capable in battle. Elekid was present when Chimchar joined Paul and since the latter was released, they have developed a rivalry with each other, witnessing each other evolving at least once.
----
* EleventhHourSuperpower: During the finale of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, Elekid evolves into Electabuzz, which gives it enough power to win alongside with Ash's Chimchar against Dawn's Buizel and Conway's Heracross.
* BarrierWarrior: Since its introduction, it is shown to know Protect, a move that protects it from any move. It also uses Light Screen during the Lake Acuity battle to support Paul's team, halving the damage inflicted on Paul's Pokémon for a short amount of time.
* BloodKnight: It becomes quite enthusiastic when in battle, and during the Sinnoh League tournament, [[BringIt it taunts Ash's Infernape to get back up and keep battling]].
* BringIt: Electivire taunts its rival, Infernape, to get back up when the latter is down and about to be declared as knocked out.
* DoubleKnockOut: During their first battle, Elekid and Pikachu end up knocking each other out, which also ends the match in a draw. While Ash admits defeat since Pikachu fell down first, Paul does acknowledge it as a draw.
* TheDragon: As Paul's most prominent Pokémon, it serves this role for most of the series, being one of Paul's most capable and reliable Pokémon, and during the league, it is the last Pokémon on Paul's side.
* ElementalPunch: It knows Thunder Punch since its debut, a move that covers its fist in electricity. It's Fighting-type move Brick Break is portayed in a similar manner, as its arm gets covered in electric sparks, making it some kind of a sparking chop.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Like Gastrodon, Paul taught Electivire how to use Counter Shield. By spinning its Thunder, it can defend itself from the opponent while attacking.
* JackOfAllTrades: It is living proof that Paul is a competent trainer. Elekid/Electabuzz/Electivire can be used as a straight up battler with defensive moves or as a supporting member with offensive capabilities.
* {{Jerkass}}: The most prominent example of Paul's Pokémon. It outright antagonizes Ash's Pokémon for no reason other than for its own amusement. Even when Paul is not present.
* LightningBruiser: Electivire is shown to be one of Paul's more powerful and tougher Pokémon, and if its Motor Drive ability kicks in, its speed increases massively.
* NoSell: Electivire's ability is Motor Drive, which makes it immune to Electric-type moves and instead increases its speed immensely.
* PrehensileTail: Electivire can capture its opponent with its tails, which allows it to perform a point blank Thunder.
* PsychoElectro: Electivire is just as much of a {{Jerkass}} as Paul is; in its debut, it shocked Pikachu without provocation and laughed about it, and it often taunts its opponents (particularly Ash's Infernape).
* TheRival: To Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape. They are introduced in the same episode and Elekid was already a jerk to Chimchar when he was still with Paul. They have become rivals once Chimchar was released and joined Ash's team. Chimchar witnesses Elekid's evolution, while Electabuzz witnesses Monferno's evolution. During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz briefly fights Chimchar and is later switched back on the field to see that he has suddenly evolved into Monferno, which fires Electabuzz up. The climax of their rivalry is during the Lily of the Valley Conference where both of them are the final Pokémon of their respective sides.
* ShockAndAwe: It is Paul's only known Electric-type Pokémon, and since its debut it knows Thunder and Thunder Punch.
* StatusAilment: Elekid's ability is Static, which can paralyze the opponent when it makes contact with Elekid. The ability has been changed to Motor Drive once it became Electivire.
* SupportPartyMember: During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz's main role is activating Light Screen to half the damage inflicted on Paul's team. It still is capable of battling the opponent by its own, though, but it doesn't get to fight for long until its fight with its rival, Monferno.
* TheWorfEffect: Like all of Paul's Pokémon used against Pyramid King Brandon, the reliable Electabuzz is quickly defeated, showing how powerful Bradon's Pokémon are.
* WorthyOpponent: It is generally excited to battle Pikachu and Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape who are very strong opponents.
!!Starly (3x) (Mukkuru)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_first_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's first two Starly]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's third Starly]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
During Paul's debut, he catches three Starly at once, but releases two of them right away once he checked their movesets. The third one is used against Ash's newly captured Starly, but despite its victory, Paul releases it as well.
----
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Two of the Starly were released right away after capturing, since they only knew Tackle and Sand-Attack, while the third at least knew Aerial Ace and Double Team. However, it didn't live up to Paul's standard and he could find a better Starly anyway.
* SacrificialLamb: Non-lethal example. They are released as soon as they are captured to demonstrate what kind of a trainer Paul is.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: All three are released before we knew anything about them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The third Starly that has the luck to stay with Paul and manages to defeat Ash's Starly does not live up to Paul's standards and is released after the battle as well.
!!Chimchar (Hikozaru)
A Pokémon that caught Paul's interest due to its abnormally powerful Blaze ability. After many failed attempts to draw out his potential, Paul's releases him after he failed him too many times. For more information see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Stantler (Odishishi)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_stantler.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
Another Pokémon caught and released right away.
----
* WeHardlyKnewYe: It is only shown being captured and released.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Another extreme example, since it was released immediately after its capture, just because it only knew Tackle.
!!Ursaring (Ringuma)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ursaring.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
Ursaring is captured by Paul when it was chasing after Ash's group. Thanks to its immense brute strength, it has remained as one of Paul's most competent battlers.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Using its claws, it shreds its opponents with its Normal-type move Slash.
* BadassNormal: Ursaring is a Normal-type Pokémon and one of Paul's strongest battlers, having defeated half of Ash's team during the Lake Acuity battle.
* BattleAura: When its Guts kicks in, it is covered in a red aura to show its activation.
* BareFistedMonk: Ursaring knows the powerful fighting type move Hammer Arm. It's usually powerful enough to end battles in one hit, but against Brandon's Regi Trio, even the type advantage isn't enough.
* BearsAreBadNews: Ursaring is a bear and it is always aggressive and angry since its debut.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyber Beam from its mouth.
* TheBrute: Ursaring is an absolute powerhouse and manages to defeat three of Ash's Pokémon during the Lake Acuity battle.
* ButtMonkey: Ursaring has the tendency to lose against Chimchar everytime they battle.
* EnergyWeapon: It used to know Hyper Beam, a powerful beam attack fired from its mouth.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When its Guts kicks in, its eyes glow in crimson red to show of how dangerous it is now.
* HotBlooded: Of the angry kind. Ursaring is rarely calm at all and is always angry for no particular reason. It also has the Guts ability to match its personality, which makes it even stronger, angrier and more hot-blooded once it suffers from status changes.
* KamehameHadouken: It knows the move Focus Blast. It concentrates its energy into a powerful energy ball and throws it at the opponent.
* MadeOfIron: During its battle against Barry's Hitmonlee, it gets hits by many Fighting-type moves and is even burned by Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick. Not only does Ursaring not lose, it completely defeats Hitmonlee thanks to its Guts. And during the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, Ursaring took the most hits before being taken down.
* OneManArmy: Ursaring takes down half of Ash's team during their Lake Acuity battle.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Its eyes burn red when Guts is activated, which makes its already angry look even scarier.
* StatusBuff:
** It knows Bulk Up, a move that increases its attack and defensive power.
** Guts is an ability that kicks in when Ursaring is inflicted with a status change, which doubles its power.
* TurnRed: When it suffers from status changes, Ursaring's Guts kicks in which doubles its attack power.
* UnstoppableRage: It is already extremely angry from the get-go, but whenever its Guts ability kicks in, it gains [[RedEyesTakeWarning burning crimson eyes]] and [[BattleAura a visible aura]] that scream "be even more careful".
* TheWorfEffect: During the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, the very powerful Ursaring cannot take on Brandon's Regice and in the end, it is quickly finished off by Regirock while being paralyzed from Regice's Zap Cannon.
!!Azumarill (Marilli)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_azumarill.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers
A Water-type Pokémon that was caught by Paul for the Gym Battle against the Rock-type specialist Roark. However, it easily loses to Roark's Geodude, prompting Paul to give it away to a young boy after the match ended.
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* BunniesForCuteness: Azumarill looks like an adorable egg-shaped bunny, but that is not the reason why Paul caught it, so no bonus points for being cute.
* {{Irony}}: Because of its type, Azumarill is used during the Rock-type Gym Battle to give Paul an advantage. Not only does it fail miserably, Paul wins the Gym Battle by using two Pokémon who have type disadvantages against Rock-type and/or Ground-type Pokémon.
* MakingASplash: It is a Water-type Pokémon and that is the whole reason why Paul even caught it. However, its Hydro Pump fails to inflict damage on Roark's Geodude and it gets defeated before it can even use Water Gun.
* WorfBarrage: Hydro Pump is one of the most powerful Water-type moves, but Roark's Geodude easily blocks that with Hidden Power alone.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite its type advantage over Rock-type Pokémon, it loses because Roark is ''that'' much of a skilled trainer, which teaches Paul and Ash to use their head more to overcome Roark's strategy.
* YouHaveFailedMe: After Roark outmaneuvers him, Paul decides that the failure is Azumarill's and foists it onto a little boy while declaring it to be without potential.
!!Murkrow-->Honchkrow (Yamikarasu-->Donkarasu)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_honchkrow.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that has travelled with Paul through several regions, it is a reliable Pokémon that rarely fails him.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Shadow Ball from its mouth.
* CastingAShadow: It is part Dark-type and it knows the Dark-type move Night Slash; its wing glows purple and it strikes the opponent down with it.
* CreepyCrows: Murkrow and Honchkrow are crow-based Pokémon, who also happen to be Dark-type Pokémon. If Paul commands it to attack its own allies, it doesn't hesitate to do so.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Since the first opening of ''Diamond & Pearl'' that started airing in episode [=DP002=], the viewers knew about Paul's Murkrow, but it didn't show up until [=DP040=].
* TheReliableOne: Although it lost to Cynthia's Garchomp and failed to win the [=PokéRinger=] competition against Ash's Staraptor, it hasn't lost any other battle it's participated in.
* TheRival:
** During [=PokéRinger=] competition, Honchkrow serves as the rival to Staravia/Staraptor, due to the rivalry of their respective trainers. They end up competing against each other in the final round.
** It serves as one to Grotle. Turtwig evolves during his battle against Honchkrow, but he loses because of his unexpected loss in mobility. During the Lake Acuity battle, Paul uses Grotle's resentment over Honchkrow to his advantage, preventing Ash from switching Grotle out to defeat it.
* SignatureAttack: Its most powerful move is Sky Attack, which it uses in every battle it is in.
* SoulPower: It knows the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball, firing a dark energy ball from its mouth.
!!Weavile (Manyula)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_weavile.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that journeyed with Paul through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. It tends to lose a lot, yet it hasn't been released yet.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It attacks the opponent with its claws by using the Steel-type move Metal Claw. It is the only close-range move it has.
* BreathWeapon: It breathes Blizzard from its mouth and fires Ice Beam with its mouth as well, making it mainly a LongRangeFighter.
* ButtMonkey: Weavile loses every battle it is in without defeating anyone. It is a miracle that Paul has not released it yet.
* ExtraOreDinary: It knows the Steel-type move Metal Claw, which makes its claws as hard as metal and very sharp.
* GlassCannon: One of the few of Paul's Pokémon to be this, since he prefers brute physical strength as a fighting style.
* AnIcePerson: Weavile is primary an Ice-type Pokémon and is shown to use Blizzard, Ice Beam and Ice Shard. Paul uses it against Pokémon who are weak to Ice-type moves, but it never works for him.
* InformedAbility: It's implied to be one of Paul's strongest Pokemon, since he chose it to battle Cynthia. Its onscreen performance suggests otherwise.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Not explicitly confirmed, but logically, it must be the case. Paul is known to release Pokemon he deems weak; on top of that, Weavile has failed Paul in both of its onscreen battles, and in his first Full Battle against Ash, Weavile was one of only two of Paul's Pokemon to be knocked out (note that the other one, Ursaring, knocked out half of Ash's team before falling, whereas Weavile didn't knock out one). It must be the case that Weavile is doing good things for Paul off-screen if he hasn't released it yet.
* SignatureMove: Its most prominent move is Blizzard, which is often the subject to WorfBarrage.
* StatusBuff: Weavile can sharply increase its attack power with Sword Dance. In the Lake Acuity battle, it doesn't really help, since it loses to Staraptor anyway.
* WorfBarrage: Its Blizzard never defeats anyone and it doesn't seem to deal that much damage either. Which is rather accurate to the games, since Weavile's Special Attack stat is pretty awful.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite Ice-type Pokémon having a huge advantage against Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon like Garchomp, Weavile gets curb-stomped like the others, showing off that Cynthia's Garchomp is beyond the level of ordinary ones. It also loses to Ash's Staraptor, despite its type advantage.
!!Turtwig-->Grotle-->Torterra (Naetle-->Hayashigame-->Dodaitoise)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_torterra.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
Torterra is Paul's first Pokémon, as well as one of his strongest. He got it as his Starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan and it has been travelling with its trainer through four different regions. While it accepts Paul's harsh training regiment, Torterra does have a soft spot for Ash's Grotle.
----
* BigBrotherMentor: In [=DP100=], after witnessing Ash's Turtwig evolving into a Grotle and seeing him struggle with his gained weight and loss in mobility, Torterra sympathizes him, properly because they share the same evolution line, and it teaches Grotle how to battle as a MightyGlacier...by ''almost'' beating the living crap out of Ash's Gliscor. From there on, Ash has to teach Grotle that new battle style by himself.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyper Beam from its mouth as a long range attack.
* CurbStompBattle: Torterra wins the semi-final match of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition singlehandedly with no much difficulty while almost taking its tag partner (Ash's Staravia) out as well.
* DishingOutDirt: Torterra is part Ground-type and it knows the Rock-type move Stone Edge, throwing stone projectiles at the opponent which it can even control.
* {{Foil}}: Acts as a much more experienced one to Ash's Torterra. Paul's Torterra is a very powerful Pokémon that barely loses and is perfectly capable as a MightyGlacier. Ash's Torterra on the other hand, while still a powerful Pokémon, loses every battle it is in once it reaches its final stage (except against Team Rocket) and struggles quite a bit at adapting to battling as a MightyGlacier.
* GreenThumb: It is Paul's only known Grass-type Pokémon and is shown to know the most powerful Grass-type moves, Frenzy Plant and Leaf Storm. It also knows Giga Drain to suck the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Torterra is actually one of Paul's kinder Pokémon, despite the grumpy and jerky image they all represent. It helps Ash's Grotle how to change to a new battle style and how to adapt his MightyGlacier situation, all without Paul's permission. That said, it still is not a NiceGuy.
* LifeDrain: It uses the Grass-type move Giga Drain to drain the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* ManBitesMan: It knows the Dark-type move Crunch, which it uses to trap its opponent with its teeth while damaging them and suck their health with Giga Drain while still biting them.
* MightyGlacier: Torterra barely moves in battles since its too heavy, but thanks to his high endurance, it takes hits from its opponent fairly easily until it is the perfect time to smash them with its powerful strength.
* PetTheDog: Paul once arranged for Torterra to be groomed, and in general it seems to be the only one of his Pokémon that he has even a slight amount of affection for, likely due to it also being his starter.
* TurtlePower: Torterra and his pre-evolved forms are based on the TurtleIsland. As expected from turtles, Torterra is a MightyGlacier.
* WorfBarrage: Its most powerful move, Frenzy Plant, does barely anything to Cynthia's Garchomp, leading to it being open for a counterattack.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being Paul's strongest Pokémon, it gets one-shotted by Cynthia's Garchomp just to show off how ridiculously powerful she is. This even applies retroactively, as Torterra never loses afterwards and wins its battles pretty easily, which makes Garchomp look even more impressive.
!!Ninjask (Tekkanin)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ninjask.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by: Billy Beach
First introduced in a flashback, Ninjask was caught shortly before Chimchar's capture. In the present, it is used during the Lily of the Valley Conference against Ash's Gliscor and Infernape which used to be said Chimchar.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Ninjask is primary a Bug-type Pokémon and its size would freak out many people if it was real. It also knows the Bug-type move Fury Cutter, which becomes stronger with each hit.
* ChekhovMIA: It first appeared in a flashback centred around Chimchar. It finally reappears in a battle against the fully evolved Infernape.
* FlashStep: With Agility, it manages to move so quick, it is nearly impossible to see its movements.
* {{Flight}}: Being part Flying-type Pokémon, Ninjask is capable of flying. It is used in sky battles against other flying opponents like Ash's Gliscor. With its immense speed and the growing power of Fury Cutter, Ninjask is specialized to take the opponent down on the ground and poison them with Drapion's Toxic Spikes.
* FragileSpeedster: Ninjask is extremely fast and is capable of increasing its speed with Agility and Speed Boost, but it's a very frail Pokémon.
* GreenThumb: It knows the Grass-type move Giga Drain, which drains the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When Ninjask uses Giga Drain to heal itself, it has to circle around the opponent, but because of the damage it has taken from Infernape's Flare Blitz, its movements drastically slow down, allowing Infernape to aim for Ninjask and defeat it with Mach Punch.
* LifeDrain: It uses Giga Drain by circling around the opponent to suck out their energy and heal itself with the stolen energy.
* StatusBuff:
** Its ability Speed Boost [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin boosts its speed]] over time.
** The move Agility increases Ninjask speed even further.
* SuperSpeed: While already very fast, it has Speed Boost as its ability which increases its speed over time. It even has Agility to make it even faster, making it to move so fast, it is almost impossible to hit it.
!!Gliscor (Glion)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gliscor.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Marc Thompson
This Gliscor used to be the leader of a flock of Gligar that were flying wild in a city. Before Ash manages to convince it to lead its flock out of the city, Paul catches it which causes the flock to fall into chaos. It is used against Ash's Gligar which used to be member of the flock as well and easily defeats the little guy, leading to its HeroicBSOD.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: The opening ''Together'' alludes that Paul's Gliscor would become the rival to Ash's Gliscor, but this is never developed beyond their first battle.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: It is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant flying scorpion, and it even has the Bug-type move X-Scissor to match.
* {{Foil}}: Just like Torterra, even in its brief appearances it manages to act as one towards Ash's Gligar, a younger member of its species. Ash's Gligar is a [[LovableCoward meek]], [[ProneToTears emotional Pokémon]] who struggles to learn to battle effectively, and although he [[TookALevelInBadass becomes easily one of Ash's strongest team members]], even as a Gliscor he never loses his charming and comical disposition. Paul's Gliscor, on the other hand, acts entirely competent from the start and maintains an unfazed and ruthless demeanor during battle.
* TheLeader: It used to lead a flock of Gligar prior to its capture. Its sudden capture led its flock to fall apart and fall into chaos, giving Ash's group a hard time to drive them out of the city.
* OneHitKill: It knows the OHKO move Guillotine, giving Ash's Gligar a crushing defeat that scarred it mentally.
* PowerPincers: Since Gliscor is partially based on scorpions, it has two big pincers.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After [=DP100=], it is not seen again, unlike some of Paul's other Pokémon.
!!Magmar-->Magmortar (Boober-->Booburn)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_magmortar.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
A replacement for Chimchar, Magmar was used to deal with Maylene's Lucario, leading to the Gym Leader's HeroicBSOD. Unlike Chimchar, Magmar does manages to live up to Paul's standards and is shown to be more effective as a Magmortar.
----
* BookEnd: The battle against Pyramid King Brandon starts with Magmar facing Regirock and ends with Magmar being defeated by Regirock.
* DishingOutDirt: Magmortar knows the Rock-type move Rock Tomb, which it launches from its arm cannons. Paul uses it to lead his fast opponents into a trap.
* ElementalPunch: Magmar was shown to know Fire Punch, a move that covers its fist in flames.
* MadeOfIron: It gets hit directly with Hydro Cannon from Barry's Empoleon. Hydro Cannon is one of the most powerful Water-type moves and is super effective against Magmortar, yet it doesn't get down.
* PlayingWithFire: It is a Fire-type Pokémon, replacing Chimchar and the perfect counter against Maylene's Lucario. It is shown to know the Fire-type moves Fire Spin, Fire Punch, Flamethrower and Will-o-Wisp.
* PoisonousPerson: It knows the move Smog, which it uses like [[SmokeOut Smokescreen]] to blind the opponent and to poison them.
* ReplacementGoldFish: Magmar replaces fellow Fire-type Pokémon Chimchar and does a good job at doing it, since it does live up to Paul's standards.
* StatusAilment:
** It has Flame Body as its ability, which can burn the opponent while making contact. Pikachu suffers from that.
** Will-O-Wisp is a status move that burns the opponent. However, Magmar fails to use it against Brandon's Registeel due to flinching.
* WorfBarrage: Its super effective Flamethrower doesn't do much against Brandon's Registeel to everyone's surprise.
!!Hariyama (Hariteyama)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_hariyama.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regirock.
----
* BareFistedMonk: It is a Fighting-type Pokémon, thus it has a type advantage over the Rock-type Pokémon Regirock. It also knows the Fighting-type moves Arm Thrust and Force Palm, but it ultimately loses to Regirock.
* CurbStompBattle: It doesn't do too bad against Brandon's Regirock, but it loses quickly once it is put in close range, ironically enough.
* WorfBarrage: It hits Regirock multiple times with the super effect Arm Thrust, yet it did barely any damage.
* TheWorfEffect: It is actually quite strong, but despite its type advantage over Regirock, it loses, showing that more than type advantages is needed to defeat the Pyramid King.
!!Nidoking
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_nidoking_7.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. He fights and loses to Brandon's Registeel.
----
* BareFistedMonk: He knows the Fighting-type move Double Kick, which is super effective against Steel-type moves like Registeel. He doesn't even manages to take it down on ground with it.
* CurbStompBattle: He actually puts a good fight against Brandon's Registeel, but he still loses rather easily nonetheless.
* DishingOutDirt: Since he is part Ground-type and knows the Ground-type move Earth Power, he has a type advantage over Registeel...which doesn't help at all.
* PoisonousPerson: Dawn notes that Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoking are usually in disadvantage against Steel-type Pokémon, but since Nidoking is also part Ground-type, he actually has the advantage.
* ShockAndAwe: He knows the Electric-type move Thunderbolt which he fires from his horn, but Registeel just shrugs it off while charging in with Iron Head and knocks Nidoking out.
* WorfBarrage: His super effective Earth Power merely slows Registeel down and his Thunderbolt doesn't do any damage against Registeel at all.
* TheWorfEffect: He has a type advantage over Registeel and out of all six Pokémon, Nidoking performed the best, but even he was defeated very easily, which shows how powerful the Pyramid King's Pokémon are.
!!Lairon-->Aggron (Kodora-->Bossgodora)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_aggron.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regice. It reappears later in the Lily of the Valley Conference during the match against Ash. It puts a good fight against Pikachu, but is ultimately defeated by Infernape.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It knows Metal Claw; it slashes its opponent with its claws in close combat situations.
* BreathWeapon: Its long range move is Flash Cannon, which it fires from its mouth.
* CurbStompBattle: Out of all six Pokémon, Lairon gets the worst performance against Pyramid King Brandon; being frozen by Regice's Ice Beam and finished off by its Zap Cannon in a matter of seconds.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: It knows the Normal-type move Double-Edge; the user smashes with its body full force at the opponent, but it receives recoil damage from that. However, since Aggron has Rock Head as its ability, it doesn't take damage from recoil moves.
* ExtraOreDinary: Aggron is part Steel-type and knows the Steel-type moves Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Metal Sound and Flash Cannon. It's type advantage over Regice doesn't help, though.
* MakeMeWannaShout: It makes a loud shriek when using Metal Sound, creating a soundwave with lots of air pressure, which not only weakens the opponent's (special) defense, but it also stops their movements temporarily.
* NoSell: Aggron has the ability Rock Head, which nullifies recoil damage from moves, allowing it to use Double-Edge without any risk.
* SacrificialLamb: Aggron and Gastrodon are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
* StatusAilment: Aggron knows Metal Sound which can decrease the (special) defense power of its opponent.
* StatusBuff: Lairon used Iron Defense to sharply raise its defensive power, a desperate move from Paul to stand a chance against Pyramid King Brandon. It didn't help at all. Even worse, it's the only move Lairon used during the battle.
* TheWorfEffect: While it has a type advantage over Regice, even trying to defend itself makes things only worse, causing Lairon to be defeated really quickly.
!!Gastrodon (Tritodon)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gastrodon.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
An Eastern Gastrodon which is used as one of the two Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their match in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is one Paul's two Pokémon shown to use Counter Shield.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Ice Beam and Water Pulse out of its mouth, making it primarily a LongRangeFighter.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Gastrodon uses Counter Shield with Muddy Water, spinning around on the ground to trap a flying opponent in the air with Muddy Water. If the opponent flies near the ground to avoid Counter Shield, it can be easily pinned down with Body Slam.
* FinishingMove: What Water Pulse is intended to be. When Gastrodon pins its opponent down with Body Slam, it fires Water Pulse directly into the air, planning to dodge the attack descending at an increased speed at the last second. It almost works, but Ash's Staraptor breaks free by using Close Combat on the ground. However, Paul had already predicted that maneuver and hits Staraptor with Ice Beam anyway.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Gastrodon freezes Buizel covered in Aqua Jet, but Paul doesn't know that Ash would improvise an Ice Aqua Jet, which leads to Gastrodon's defeat.
* AnIcePerson: It knows the Ice-type move Ice Beam, which is super effective against Flying-type Pokémon like Staraptor. It bites it in the ass though, since Paul is not prepared for an improvised Ice Aqua Jet from Ash's Buizel.
* MakingASplash: Gastrodon is part Water-type and knows the Water-type moves Muddy Water and Water Pulse. With Muddy Water, it is capable of utilizing Counter Shield, while Water Pulse is used as a FinishingMove.
* SacrificialLamb: Gastrodon and Aggron are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
!!Drapion (Dorapion)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_drapion.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
A powerful Poison/Dark-type Pokémon used during the battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is another one of Paul's most competent Pokémon, defeating half of Ash's team with its traps and strength.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Drapion is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant, purple poisonous scorpion and it appropriately knows the Bug-type move Pin Missile.
* TheBrute: A Pokémon who is designated to poison the opponent and make them suffer, and it has enough brute strength to take on powerful Pokémon like Ash's Torterra and Gliscor.
* EvilCounterpart: Drapion appears to be one to Ash's Gliscor. Both of them are used in the same league battle, both are purple scorpions yet neither of them are Bug-type Pokémon, but they do know Bug-type moves. Their moves are also similar; Drapion knows Cross Poison, Gliscor knows X-Scissor; Drapion knows Poison Fang, Gliscor knows Fire Fang; Drapion has the long range barrage attack Pin Missile, Gliscor has the long range barrage attack Stone Edge..
* KillItWithFire: After a long battle, Drapion is taken down by burn damage inflicted from Gliscor's Fire Fang.
* ManBitesMan: Subverted. It knows Poison Fang, a move that normally involves utilizing the user's teeth. But instead of biting the opponent with its teeth, Drapion transfers Poison Fang's power from its fangs to its claws while keeping the same effect.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: When using Pin Missile, it fires lots of missiles towards the opponent. Ash's Buizel and Torterra are taken down by barrages of Pin Missile. It also serves as Drapion's long range attack.
* OneManArmy: Drapion takes down half of Ash's Pokémon during his league match with paul.
* PoisonousPerson: Drapion is primarily a Poison-type Pokémon and Paul uses its poison to great effects. Drapion lays out Toxic Spikes to poison any opponent touching the ground, and in close combat it strikes down with Cross Poison and Poison Fang.
* PrehensileTail: Drapion uses its tail to capture its opponents.
* StatusAilment: Drapion is all about poisoning the opponent. By laying Toxic Spike on the field, it almost guarantees to poison the opponent's entire team.
* TrapMaster: Drapion can lay out Toxic Spikes on the field, which will poison any opposing Pokémon who touches the ground. It also tends to capture its opponents with its tail, slamming them on the ground to poison them with Toxic Spike's effect and attacking them while still holding them with its tail.
!!Froslass (Yukimenoko)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_froslass.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/SatsukiYukino\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bella Hudson
An Ice/Ghost-type Pokémon used during the match against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It puts a tough fight against Pikachu, but she nevertheless defeated by the electric mouse. She is the only one of Paul's Pokémon to fight only one of Ash's Pokémon during the match.
----
* BreathWeapon: She fires her Ice Beam from her mouth like many other Pokémon. She freezes Pikachu with it, but he breaks through the ice with his Volt Tackle and knocks her out.
* AnIcePerson: Froslass is primarily an Ice-type Pokémon, knowing the Ice-type moves Hail, Ice Shard and Ice Beam and has the ability Snow Cloak to match. With Hail, she not only creates a snowstorm, her Snow Cloak also activates, allowing her to disappear and reappear in battle, which makes it difficult to hit her while the opponent takes damage from Hail.
* KamehameHadouken: Her Ice Shard is an energy ball of ice which she throws at the opponent. Similar like Focus Blast, it takes some time to charge it, which causes her to lose against Pikachu.
* LadyOfWar: An elegant female Pokémon, who has the graceful characteristics of a ''yuki onna'' and merciless freezes her opponent in ice.
* PowerFloats: Froslass is capable of floating in mid-air, which adds to her ghostly appearance.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She is the only known female Pokémon in Paul's possession.
* SoulPower: While part Ghost-type, Froslass is not shown to use Ghost-type moves. However, her Snow Cloak ability gives her the presence of a ghost, allowing her to disappear and reappear throughout the battle, which makes it harder to fight her, since attacks can go through her.
* StatusBuff: What Snow Cloak does is increasing her evasiveness in Hail. This is shown as her disappearing and reappearing in battle and being more or less tangible.
* {{Yokai}}: Froslass is based on the ''yuki onna'' and she lives up to this trope. With her Snow Cloak ability, she can disappear and reappear during battle, giving her an elegant yet ghostly and mystical presence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Zoey (Nozomi)]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Zoey_5191.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHayamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Elisabeth Morinelli\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/MariaFernandaMorales\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Claire Tefnin
Dawn's main rival in the Sinnoh region as a Pokémon coordinator. Despite her tomboyish appearance, she gets along with everyone pretty well, though she does get angry at Ash when he first thought it would be a good idea to be both a Pokémon trainer and coordinator. She mellows out, however, after some experience with him and Nando.
----
* TheAce: Zoey is one of the most skilled Pokémon Coordinators in the series. She ends up winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival and comes away with the prized Ribbon Cup, after a long and hard match with Dawn that comes straight down to the wire.
* AffectionateNickname: Her best buddy Candice calls her "Zozo" (in English) or "Nozotchi" (in Japanese).
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To date, Dawn has never beaten her directly in a Contest.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Her Contest outfits are tuxes or pantsuits, save for her Grand Festival one which looks more like a stylized kimono.
* BoyishShortHair: She's easily the most tomboyish of Dawn's rivals. She also has short and spiky hair.
* BreakTheHaughty: A fairly mild example in ''Dawn's Early Night.'' At the beginning of the episode, she is confident in her belief that a Trainer who does both Contests and Gym Battles cannot be as skilled as someone who dedicates themselves to only a single goal. She begins to rethink her position after she loses the Hearthome Ribbon to Nando, who she had previously scorned for being both a Trainer and a Coordinator.
* BrutalHonesty: She doesn't bother softening her opinions for others. When she's told that Nando does both Contests and Gym Battles, her response is, "[He] really needs to make up his mind."
* CatchPhrase:
** "[Pokémon]! Ready? Go!"
** At least in the first season of Diamond and Pearl: "[Pokémon]! Curtain!"
* CharacterDevelopment: Zoey, being so devoted to her own dream of becoming Top Coordinator, originally took offense at Trainers who tried both coordinating and battling, assuming them to be less invested in their dreams. This brought her into conflict with both Ash (who early in his Sinnoh adventure dabbled in Contests himself) and Nando (for whom doing both was his primary goal). While she eased off after facing off with Ash, they still agreed he'd not be the best fit for Contests due to his temperament. Then Nando blew her away by clobbering her at the Hearthome Contest. By the time of the Wallace Cup, she accepted her perspective to have been closed-off and properly apologized to Ash for her attitude; later, she battled Gym Leader Fantina (a former Top Coordinator) in a straight match which she enjoyed.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Candice, who helped her raise her Glameow in secret.
* CoolBigSis: Zoey served as both rival and mentor early on, helping Dawn get prepared for contests even as an opponent.
* CoolShades: She's frequently seen wearing these on top of her head.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Red hair, red eyes.
* CuteKitten: Glameow (who Zoey actually ''did'' find as a kitten!)
* DoppelgangerSpin: Mismagius and Leafeon's Double Team.
* EnergyBall: Leafeon's attack of the same name.
* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow's Iron Tail.
* {{Fauxshadow}}: Before Dawn's contest debut, Zoey tells Dawn that she's gonna win, but in the next episode, cue her CurbStompBattle at the hands of Zoey.
* FieryRedhead: Toyed with. She's normally [[TheStoic rather mellow]], except when it comes to Paul's abuse of his Pokémon, which angers her like everyone else. Or discussing Trainers who partake in Gym Battles and Contests.
* {{Foil}}: To three characters, all other Coordinators.
** To Dawn; as her mentor and rival, she provides the straightest parallel to her while sharing the same goal. She's experienced where Dawn is a rookie and the tomboy to her girly girl. On and off the Contest field, her Pokémon present flawlessly synchronized teamwork while Dawn often has to struggle to get her sometimes-disobedient Pokémon to follow her lead. Her strategy for turning in winning Contest performances is to plan and perfect every move beforehand, as opposed to the unexpected yet stunning combinations Dawn pulls out on the fly, as a result of quick thinking, luck with a little prior planning, or both.
** To Nando. While it's less obvious due to his conspicuous lack of screentime, he and Zoey are complete opposites in nearly all aspects. He devotes himself to Gym Battles and Contests, she puts all of her energy solely into Contests. [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy She's a tomboyish teenage girl, Nando is a feminine male.]] She's easily fired up, open with her opinions and not afraid to say what she thinks, he's soft spoken and polite with a cool facade that rarely breaks. She lacks a preferred type specialty, as opposed to his team of Bug and Grass types. Their differences can even be seen in the way they perform; her combinations vary in effects and style while Nando's preferred techniques reflect a single central theme (music).
** To Kenny. A departure from the previous two mentioned above, the parallel between him and Zoey isn't so much the differences between them as it is the opposing ways that they help Dawn to grow through their relationships with her. Zoey's way of helping her improve as a person and as a coordinator is more straightforward and older sister-like, teaching her necessary skills and encouraging her to do her best, while the majority of Kenny's interactions with Dawn volley between [[TheGadfly childish teasing]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sincere encouragement,]] posing as a source of annoyance for her and at the same time motivating her to prove that she's capable of besting him and her other rivals in battle.
* FromStrayToPet: The episode ''Classroom Training!'' explains how she met her Glameow. As a child, she found it in a cardboard box on the street. Her parents refused to let her keep it, but with Candice's help, she secretly raised it in a shed behind her house until she was old enough to become a Trainer.
* GreenThumb: Leafeon, Gallade's Magical Leaf.
* AnIcePerson: Gastrodon's Blizzard.
* LaserBlade: Leafeon's Leaf Blade, due to PowerGlows.
* MakingASplash: Lumineon is water-type.
* MeaningfulName: The Nozomi is a Japanese bullet train service that goes in the opposite direction of the Hikari bullet train service. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter The Nozomi is faster than the Hikari]].
* NonElemental: Glameow is Normal-Type.
* PrinciplesZealot: When she started, Zoey would presume any trainers dabbling in both the gyms and contests to be TheDitherer and would criticize them for a lack of conviction; she backed off once Nando proved it was a viable path.
* RedOniBlueOni: She's cast as the red to Nando and Dawn's blue during contest battles.
* SempaiKohai: Kohai to Snowpoint Gym Leader Candice. This is explicit in the Japanese, where they do actually use the titles.
* ShockAndAwe: Both her Glameow and her Mismagius can use electric attacks, with both knowing Shock Wave and Glameow knowing the more powerful Thunderbolt.
* SoulPower: Uses the ghost type Mismagius as one of her main Pokemon. Her Glameow can also use the ghost type Shadow Claw move.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name is frequently misspelled as "Zoe".
* SpikyHair: Fitting her tomboy nature.
* StraightMan: To Dawn and her friend's antics quite frequently.
* TheStoic: In Contests and sometimes outside of them, Zoey usually seems very collected and is not one to lose her cool. This is one thing that makes her NotSoDifferent from Nando, who has a similar attitude.
* PsychicPowers: Her Mismagius can use Psywave. Its a powerful offensive move, but is also useful in performances to accentuate her costumes.
* ATasteOfDefeat: She's a highly skilled and competent Coordinator, but even she isn't immune to losing once in a while. She loses to Nando at the Hearthome Contest finals and May in the Wallace Cup semifinals.
* TechnicolorEyes: Red ones, matching her [[CurtainsMatchTheWindow eyes.]]
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Dawn's Girly Girl. Accentuated by the fact that she always wears suits in her Contests, never dresses. In addition to the contrast, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it shows that she's no less feminine than Dawn]], just unconventional about it - her flashy suit in the Grand Festival was particularly fashionable and made to accentuate her femininity instead of negating it.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She's a short-haired tomboy who regularly competes in the fashionable and flashy Contests.
* {{Tsundere}}: Towards Nando in ''Dawn's Early Night!''
* TheUnreveal: Her battle with Nando for the Hearthome Ribbon in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' which she loses, is never actually seen, and only its aftermath is shown. Whatever he did during it, he managed to impress her a great deal.
-->'''Zoey:''' Nando really is something else. The way he's chosen to compete in Contests and Gym Battles, it's like he knows it's his destiny!
* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Her Leafeon can use the flying type Aerial Ace.
* WiseBeyondHerYears: She's a very knowledgeable and insightful character. Not without her flaws, but still rather mature for her apparent age.
* WorthyOpponent: For Dawn. Coming to see Nando as one is a key step in her CharacterDevelopment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kenny (Kengo)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Kenny_80.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' YukoMita\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Rhonda Krempa\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín (seasons 10 and 13), Xóchitl Ugarte (season 11), Bruno Coronel (season 12).
Dawn's childhood friend and another Pokémon Coordinator. He gave her the nickname of Dee-Dee/Pikari, and never lets her forget... not that she has a hard time forgetting it.
----
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Heavily implied in ''Four Roads Diverged in a Pokémon Port!'' when Dawn chooses to travel with [[ChasteHero Ash]] to cheer him on in the Lily of the Valley Conference and not him when he made the offer. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools He takes it quite well though.]]
%%* BubbleGun: Empoleon's, as a Prinplup, Bubble Beam.
* ColorMotif: Blue, serving to reflect his rivalry with Dawn and their similar roots. Two of his Pokémon are Water type, one of which is the evolved form of Dawn's starter, he has a blue Pokétch, he was seen wearing a blue shirt in a flashback and he dons a blue suit for the Grand Festival.
* DecompositeCharacter: He fills the role that Barry does for Dawn as the player character in the games, being (one of) her main rivals.
* EpicFail: His performance at the Grand Festival. He washes out in the performance round due to not having practiced his routine with his newly evolved Empoleon. Empoleon unfortunately didn't know its own strength, and knocked out his partner.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He starts with the Piplup line like Dawn, making him one of the few rivals that has the same starter as their main cast counterpart.
* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: Dawn apparently didn't know he was going to be a Coordinator.
* TheGadfly: He ''loves'' to get under Dawn's skin.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Seems to express his crush on Dawn by relentlessly teasing her about their childhood days.
* KidsAreCruel: He looks this way when we find out the backstory of "Dee Dee", the EmbarrassingNickname he hung on Dawn. Especially since he got the entire class hooked to that nickname where the entire class calls her by that very name he coined. He and Dawn ended up friends eventually though.
%%* MegatonPunch: Breloom's Mach Punch.
%%* MindOverMatter: Alakazam
* TheNicknamer: Came up with Dee-Dee/Pikari.
%%* OddFriendship: With Barry.
%%* RazorWind: Floatzel's attack.
%%* ShonenHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barry (Jun)]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Barry_8307.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Jamie [=McGonnigal=]\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Ricardo Bautista (seasons 11 and 13), Miguel Ángel Ruiz (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Grégory Praet
Another of Ash's rivals in the Sinnoh Region, though neither one really considers the other to be a rival. Barry wants to go after Paul, and oftens encounters Ash during his travels. They share a competitive friendship as trainers, and Barry isn't too bad as one himself.
----
%%* AnimeHair: It's pretty gravity defiant.
* AttackAttackAttack: This is typical his strategy in battle. And it doesn't help that he's not particularly creative either.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: His usual approach to events. Though he once waited long enough for a Heracross to be attracted by slathered honey.
* ButtMonkey: Silly, unfortunate things happen to him all the time. He forgets things, people keep getting in his way while he's running around, Gible eats his bike and gym battle ticket, etc.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "I'm going to make you pay a fine for that! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four -- "
* CharacterExaggeration: He doesn't have the level of characterization (and CharacterDevelopment) his game counterpart had, nearly to the point of being a SatelliteCharacter.
* CharacterTics: Snapping his fingers.
* CrashIntoHello: Every single time he appears, it's by crashing into someone at full speed. [[HypocriticalHumor And then admonsishing them to watch where they're going]].
* CurbStompBattle: He tried. [[{{Determinator}} Good lord]], [[DiedStandingUp he tried]]. Yet in the end, [[HardWorkHardlyWorks all he ended up with]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog was a devastating 3-0 loss to]] [[ArchEnemy Paul]].
* DeathOrGloryAttack: His Empoleon's signature move is Hydro Cannon and it also learns Hyper Beam, which puts alot of power into a single attack but leaves it defenseless afterwards. And after a Torrent boost on top of that it's completely stopped by Electivire's Protect and unable to do nothing but stand and take the retaliation.
* {{Determinator}}: Just watch how hard he and his team try to win when they face Paul.
* TheDitz: Barry tends to act faster than he thinks.
* DumbBlonde: While not at all unintelligent, he's seriously [[HotBlooded impatient and rushes into things without thinking]].
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He also starts with Empoleon, who seems to be a popular choice in-universe.
* FailedASpotCheck: He was so absorbed in telling Dawn and Brock about Tobias the OlympusMons trainer that it took him a while to even notice Ash's match.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:After losing to Paul in the Sinnoh League, he commends Paul for the battle the two shared. Paul, surprisingly, returns the favor]].
* GratuitousEnglish: Most notably, [[OddFriendship "BEST FRIENDS!"]] and "DADDY!?"
* HotBlooded: He is the son of Palmer after all. He throws his Poké Ball so hard, he does a ''complete forward flip'' in the process.
* HypocriticalHumor: He tells others to watch where they are going, but Barry himself doesn't watch where ''he'' is going.
* {{Keet}}: He has a near limitless supply of chaotic energy, which he expresses by running full-tilt wherever he goes, gesticulating like a madman, and never saying a single word below a yell.
* LargeHam: Barry honestly could pursue a career in theatrics with the level of drama he acts out.
* MotorMouth: Barry talks entirely too much sometimes.
* NoIndoorVoice: Every line he has is yelled at the top of his lungs.
* NoodleIncident: According to Dawn, he was once involved in a singing duet with an ''Exploud''.
* RunningGag: He always interrupts Team Rocket before they can finish their motto.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: His wails are always very silly and over the top.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Barry treats himself like he's a world class trainer. Paul barely even acknowledges his existence. Not to mention even after Ash proves himself a better trainer than him, Barry still thought the opposite for a time.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has spiky blond hair similar to Palmer's.
* TechnicolorEyes: Orange.
* UnknownRival: Wants to be a Rival of Paul's. But if it was even possible, Paul treats him with more disdain than he does with Ash. [[spoiler:After his loss in the Sinnoh League, Paul does acknowledge his skill.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In "To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!" he pretty much disappears after losing and is not heard from until his next appearance in "Historical Mystery Tour".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ursula (Urara)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Ursula_4230.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Melisa Schroenburg\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Betzabé Jara (season 12), Creator/CristinaHernandez (season 13)
A fellow Pokémon Coordinator with a rather poisonous personality who Dawn met at the Chocovine Pokémon Contest. Believing that Dawn's Wallace Cup victory was a fluke, she's determined to knock her down a peg or two.
----
* AlphaBitch: She's the only one of Dawn's rivals that is openly hostile to her, mainly because she's a snob who doesn't think Dawn is good enough to compete with her.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: In her first appearance, she refuses to believe Dawn's win against May was based on skill.
* BitingTheHandkerchief: In Jessie's flashback, she is seen doing this after losing in the first round of the Wallace Cup, out of rage for having been eliminated in the first round.
* BreakTheHaughty: The only way for Dawn to do it was to knock out her Pokémon in their third battle. Ursula has no choice but to acknowledge that Dawn is her superior, and she significantly mellows out.
* CharacterTics: When giving commands in a Pokémon Contest, she makes the "ILY" hand sign with both hands and her arms crossed.
* CombatPragmatist: Just like Harley before her, but more subtle and strategic. She has no qualms about using Dawn's fear of Plusle and Minun against her in a Contest, or having them use Encore to force her opponent's Pokémon to perform the same move over and over, causing them to lose points with the judges.
* DoppelgangerSpin: Her Gabite can use Double Team, which it uses effectively as a diversionary tactic in battles.
* DecompositeCharacter: She takes after Harley in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions, while Nando takes after him in appearance, voice, and mannerisms.
* EvilCounterpart:
** To Dawn. They're both ambitious and talented at Contests, but the difference is that Dawn is kind and sweet to nearly everyone she meets, while Ursula taunts her opponents, boasts about her abilities, and has no qualms about humiliating her opponents in public.
** She could be considered one to Zoey as she belittles Dawn and puts her down while Zoey is a helpful [[BigBrotherMentor big sister mentor]] to her instead.
* EvilIsPetty: She goes out of her way to spite Dawn at every turn, simply because she believes her to be an incompetent Coordinator who scrapes by on dumb luck.
-->'''Ursula:''' ''(addressing Zoey)'' I'll make sure you and Dawn never meet in the final round!
* EvilLaugh: "Ahahahahahaha!"
* {{Expy}}: Ursula has a good set of mixed influences.
** As a red-head with elaborately curled pigtails, she bears a striking resemblance to [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Amy Sorel]] and [[Music/{{UTAU}} Kasane Teto]], and has a less direct resemblance to [[Anime/YesPrecure5 Urara Kasugano]].
** She also inherits the role of the harshest of Dawn's rivals from Harley, who was much the same for May.
* FelonyMisdemeanor: "The horror! My beautiful Gabite's been soiled! How dare you!"
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Being a Coordinator, she has some skill at cooking Poffins, though Dawn's Pachirisu doesn't like the ones she makes.
* GameBreaker: InUniverse. In one contest, where the goal was to impress the judges with ''varied'' moves, she used Encore, forcing the opponents to repeat moves and thus lose points.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Her hair ribbons are a pale lavender.
* ImprobableHairstyle: She wears her hair in pink twin drills.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: She appears three times in the series. Each time, she gets her butt kicked by Dawn, including one time when her Gabite lost to ''Pachirisu.''
* InsufferableGenius: She's a skilled Pokémon coordinator...and she makes sure everyone knows it.
* ItOnlyWorksOnce: Her Grand Festival appeal involves her two Eevee evolving into Vaporeon and Flareon mid-performance. It makes for an impressive display, but as Brock notes, it can only be pulled off once.
* ManipulativeBitch: In battles, she specializes in psyching her opponents out by confusing and intimidating them. This is even more effective in contest battles than in regular ones, as her opponents flinching and stumbling costs them performance points.
* MeaningfulName: In the original version, her name is derived from 麗らか ''uraraka,'' Japanese for beautiful or glorious.
* MegaTwintails: Her pink hair is styled in large drill-shaped pigtails.
* PetTheDog:
** In her first appearance, she offers Dawn's Pachirisu a Poffin to replace the one her Gabite stepped on. Pachirisu didn't like the taste, but it's the thought that counts.
** Despite her arrogance, Ursula cares for her Pokémon and treats them well, unlike Paul. When her Gabite loses the Chocovine Contest, she comforts her and tells her that she did a great job. [[spoiler: And she comes to have ''some'' respect for Dawn in the end, as much as she may deny it.]]
* RememberTheNewGuy: She participated in the Wallace Cup and lost in the first round, but didn't appear during that arc.
* RollingAttack: Jigglypuff's Rollout, also Plusle and Minun's "twin attack formation" in ''Playing the Performance Encore!''
* TechnicolorEyes: A dark pink that matches her hair.
* TrueBlueFemininity: Her Grand Festival dress is three different shades of blue.
* WonderTwinPowers: Not only do her Plusle and Minun know Helping Hand, they work perfectly together in Contests, making them a fantastic choice for Double Battles.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Her hair and eyes are light pink.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Conway (Kōhei/Kouhei)]]
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conway_screenshot_6447.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kozo Mito\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/IrwinDaayan (season 10 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz (season 11).
Dawn's partner in the Hearthome Tag Battle competition, who took a liking to her. He was only intended to appear for a few episodes, but [[EnsembleDarkhorse unexpected popularity among the fanbase]] brought him back for more.
----
* AdjustingYourGlasses: His CharacterTic is adjusting his glasses by the lens, accompanied by a [[ScaryShinyGlasses distinctive glare]].
* BadassBookworm: He's big on battle strategy, even giving Ash a hard time in their League battle.
* BattleCouple: Formed one with Dawn in the Tag Battle Tournament. Although the affection is one-sided...
* BlueWithShock: When he found out the "little girl" he partnered with in a Pokémon Summer Academy race was [[spoiler:a ghost.]]
* BreakoutCharacter: He was originally just a supporting character in a plot-significant three-parter, but he made such an impact that he became a recurring rival.
* CharacterTics: Tweaking and/or [[ScaryShinyGlasses shining]] his glasses.
* ConfusionFu: His battle plan against Ash involves using moves designed to keep Ash guessing, like Trick Room to make his slower pokemon into {{LightningBruiser|s}}, or Power Trick to turn his StoneWall Shuckle into a MightyGlacier. Of course, Ash lives and breathes being unpredictable, and so he manages to out-weird Conway for the win.
* CreepyMonotone: Speaks like this briefly in "Ghoul Daze!" when under the ghost girl's mind-control.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: For a creepy, nerdy stalker, it's very surprising to see how ridiculously competent Conway can be in battle. In addition, he sports a nice variety of Pokémon despite his battling skills not being highlighted often.
* DidNotSeeThatComing: Like many of Ash's opponents, Conway gets thrown off when his opponent improvises. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Namely, Gible catching Dusknoir's Shadow Punch with his mouth and not letting go]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
-->'''Conway:''' ''(off-screen)'' Well, how are you, Number 28?\\
'''Dawn:''' ''(cheerfully)'' I'm fine!\\
''(cut to a close-up of Conway with ScaryShinyGlasses)''\\
'''Conway:''' That's good. Conway is the name. A pleasure.
* {{Expy}}: His design is based on the Super Nerd Trainer class in the main ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games.
* FlawExploitation: In the battle against Paul and Ash, he exploited the fact Paul loved to use Protect by having a Pokémon with Feint. Later, he was well aware Ash had a preference for using FragileSpeedster type Pokémon by using Trick Room.
* GuileHero: What makes him so formidable. He's an extremely tricky and clever strategist, and can fight on par with Ash and Paul on sheer wit alone.
* LightningBruiser:
** Dusknoir when using Trick Room outspeeds almost everything on Ash's team due to Trick Room causing slower Pokémon to go first. Finally, Dusknoir was shown taking and dealing out hits with ease.
** His Shuckle is not fast, but its defenses are really good, and there's a special move that unlocks its offensive powers...
* MightyGlacier: Dusknoir, out of Trick Room, due to its low speed but amazing ability to take hits and dish them out.
* NearDeathExperience: In ''Ghoul Daze,'' he almost gets lured off a cliff by a creepy ghost girl. Luckily, he's saved by a Dusknoir.
* NonActionGuy: Despite making good showings in the first two legs of the Pokémon Triathlon, making good use of Dugtrio's Dig and Floatzel's Dive to bypass the other competitors, he ultimately loses in the final leg because he's bad at long-distance running.
-->'''Conway:''' Big mistake. Not doing a little cardio training was pretty dumb.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: He could sometimes engage in this, particularly with Dawn.
* OverlyLongTongue: Conway's Lickilicky has a tongue twice the length of its body. ''Exactly'' twice
* ReusedCharacterDesign: He looks very similar to a grown-up version of Max.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with a creepy chuckle and a SlasherSmile.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: In the English dub, he's got a pretty impressive vocabulary that he makes full use of.
* ShirtlessScene: In ''Up Close and Personable,'' justified in that said episode involved the Pokémon Summer Academy students diving underwater to search for aquatic Pokémon.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Never shows any attraction towards anyone but Dawn.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His Japanese name can be spelled either "Kōhei" or "Kouhei".
* StalkerWithACrush: He follows Dawn everywhere, popping up behind her at random times and offering her advice. Apparently, he went to the Pokémon Summer Academy ''just'' because he knew she would be there.
* StealthHiBye: A running gag is him randomly appearing from behind Dawn and startling her (as well as anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity).
-->'''Dawn:''' No one makes an entrance like Conway.
* ThirdPersonPerson: "That was quite nice...but Conway never gives up!"
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is dark green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nando (Naoshi)]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TV_Tropes_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KazuyaNakai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' José Arenas
A soft-spoken minstrel with a liking for music and Grass-type Pokémon. In his debut episode, Ash and Dawn helped him decide to participate in both Gym Battles and Contests, making him a rival for both of them.
----
* AdaptationalNationality: The English dub implies that he's Hispanic (or whatever the equivalent is in the Pokémon world), by giving him a name of that origin and an accent that sounds vaguely European, but never confirms it.
* AerithAndBob: On the "Aerith" side of the scale.
* AgentPeacock: Like Harley before him, he acts quite feminine yet proves to be a skilled Trainer and Coordinator.
* AllLovingHero: Doesn't hate or resent ''anyone.''
* AntiquatedLinguistics: His manner of speech is noticeably more formal than most other characters tend to use, for example, saying "I am in your debt" instead of "thank you".
* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/472ps1.shtml this]] (''Dawn of a New Era'') to [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100702033443/es.pokemon/images/2/24/EP652_Nando.png this]] (''League Unleashed'').
* AscendedExtra: Appeared in one of the the very first episodes, seemingly as a one-shot character, and after several noteworthy apearances he ultimately features in both the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh Conference.
* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: He's wearing what appears to be Victorian dress in a modern setting.
* BadassCape: His cape is shaped like a bitten lily, which his perfect for his Bug-type theme.
* BenevolentBoss: He is shown to be kind to his Pokémon, even giving them polite requests during battle instead of commands.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Nando might be sweet and gentle, but in his debut episode, he sends Team Rocket blasting off with Budew's Bullet Seed and comments, [[BondOneLiner "Such a shame. I was having such a pleasant evening before they showed up."]]
* BigDamnHeroes: He had his Budew save Ash and friends from Team Rocket in his debut episode.
* {{Bishonen}}: His character design is pretty feminine. He even appears to be wearing mascara during his Contest performance in "Dawn's Early Night".
* BigNo: [[spoiler:Drops one when Ash's Heracross KO's his Kricketune with Megahorn in the Sinnoh League.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Say what you will about him, but consider this--while most other major characters were practically scrambling to get either eight badges ''or'' five ribbons in time for their event, Nando managed to attain ''both complete sets'' in time for each major competition. He also reached the Top 4 in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and if he ''hadn't'' been matched up against [[PlotArmor Ash]] so early in the Lily of the Valley Conference, it's quite probable he'd have gotten further than just the Top 64 in that competition, as well. He may act as a musical bard most of the time, but he is able to be a very competent coordinator and battler, with Zoey even commenting that the latter was giving him a big edge in their contest battle in the festival.
* CastingGag: This isn't the first time Billy Regan has voiced [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast a flamboyant, green-clad young man with a goal of collecting Contest ribbons and a humanoid, half-Grass-type Pokémon for a partner.]]
* CharacterTics: He often says things in a sing-song voice.
* ClearTheirName: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!'', he's suspected of stealing the Adamant Orb on the grounds that he has a Sunflora, a Pokémon that was seen escaping with the artifact in question. It turned out to be Team Rocket's Meowth in a Sunflora costume.
* ColorMotif: Green, owing to his love of nature and relaxed attitude.
* ConflictKiller: His establishing character moment was breaking up an argument between Ash and Dawn.
* CowardlyLion: Not Nando himself, but his Sunflora. It abandoned him when he was arrested by Officer Jenny, but hunted down Team Rocket for framing him and exposed their disguises, preventing them from successfully escaping the museum with the Adamant Orb.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite his polite and very feminine demeanor, he's no pushover when it comes to Pokémon battles.
* CulturedBadass: He's a skilled musician and studies Sinnoh's history in his spare time.
* DanceBattler: His Lopunny, Roserade and Sunflora all fighting using graceful moves evocative of a dance. Nando sets their rhythm with is music.
* DarkHorseVictory: In the Hearthome Contest. He's underestimated by everyone because he's relatively new to contests and splits his time with gym battles. He ends up crushing the competition in the first round and defeats Zoey to earn the ribbon. Zoey, who had given him a lot of grief for purusing both paths, is extremely caught off-guard.
* ADayInTheLimelight: "Coming Full Festival Circle" sidelines Dawn to feature Nando fighting hard against Zoey to make it to the finals of the Grand Festival.
* DeathByIrony: Defeat, anyway. [[spoiler:Both of his final matches in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League were against a Pokémon matching one of his specialty types -- Leafeon, a Grass-type, and Heracross, a Bug-type.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: He takes after Harley in appearance, voice, and mannerisms, while Ursula takes after him in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After he clobbered Zoey off-screen in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' she changed her mind about not accepting Trainers who choose to participate in both Gyms and Contests.
* DependingOnTheArtist: In early episodes, his bangs were sometimes drawn facing different directions. This stopped by "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* {{Determinator}}: An understated example. Many characters are shown to struggle with obtaining either eight Gym Badges before the regional League or five Contest Ribbons before the Grand Festival. Nando collecting both sets is a testament to his skill in both fields.
* TheDitherer: In his first episode, he could not decide if he wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer or Coordinator. After battling both Ash and Dawn, he took a third option and went down both paths at once.
* TheDogBitesBack: Got Jessie back for the Adamant Orb incident when he defeated her in the Hearthome Contest five episodes later.
* DramaticWind: A gentle breeze follows him wherever he goes, billowing his cape and hair as it does.
* EasilyForgiven: Nando does not seem to hold grudges, as he did not hold any ill will against Officer Jenny for falsely arresting him on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb, nor Zoey for being cold and dismissive to him when she found out he did both Contests and Gym Battles.
* EffeminateVoice: The American dub gives him a soft, gentle voice with a thick, vaguely European accent.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Briefly. When James and Meowth are selling Pokémon Coordinator merchandise during ''Opposites Interact,'' you can hear a male voice saying, "I'd like a photo of Nando..."
* ExtremeDoormat: He let the Eterna City Officer Jenny tie him up in "A Secret Sphere of Influence!". That should tell you something.
* {{Expy}}: Visually a dead ringer for Harley, down to sharing the same voice actor. His personality, though, is a closer match to Robert's, being a polite gentleman and skilled Coordinator.
* FatalFlaw: His over-reliance on his SignatureMove, Sing, was exploited by Zoey in the Grand Festival and Ash in the Sinnoh League.
* FlatCharacter: Gets this accusation thrown at him a lot because unlike the other Sinnoh rivals he's just a straight-up NiceGuy whose spirit never wavers at all.
* FluffyFashionFeathers: He wears them in his hat during Contests.
* {{Foil}}: The calm, even-tempered dual-duty Pokémon trainer to match Zoey the determined, competitive Pokémon Coordinator.
* FrameUp: Victim of an unintentional one in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' when Team Rocket breaks into the Eterna Museum and steals the Adamant Orb with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, at the exact same time Nando happens to be there with his own Sunflora.
* FriendToAllChildren: He gets along pretty well with Ash, Brock, and Dawn.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: The night before the Grand Festival semifinals has him playing harp music to a gathering of wild Pokémon in the forest.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' he visits the Eterna Museum to study the history of Sinnoh. Unfortunately for him, he's there at the exact same time Team Rocket is stealing the Adamant Orb, with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, a Pokémon he just happens to have on hand.
* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: His iconic Mew harp. He also wears a gold shoulderplate while performing in Contests.
* HarpOfFemininity: Inverted and played straight at the same time -- he's a guy who plays the harp, but an extremely feminine guy at that.
* IconicItem: He is never seen without his golden Mew-shaped harp.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Everyone else was surprised when he was revealed to have a Lopunny in the Grand Festival, a Pokémon that doesn't fit the theme of his team, as it's not a Bug- or Grass-type and can't use Sing.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Zoey, Dawn, Brock, and Ash. They are all children and teenagers while Nando appears to be in his early twenties.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: Pronounces his own name the way it would be said by a Spanish speaker ("Nahn-do").
* JackOfAllTrades: He's a skilled battler and Pokemon coordinator, and his skills in both compliment each other.
** MasterOfNone: Ultimately, as while he made good showings in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League, he won neither of them. It doesn't seem to bother him, though.
* JustAStupidAccent: He's inexplicably given an accent in the English dub that sounds vaguely Spanish. Where he would have picked it up is anyone's guess.
* LimitedWardrobe: Like many other things about him, this is a departure from the traditional mold of Pokémon characters. While it's not unusual for minor characters to have only one or two outfits, most Sinnoh Coordinators have a variety of ensembles to wear while performing (Dawn's PimpedOutDress[=es=] and Zoey's tuxedos come to mind). The most he does during a Contest is stick a feather in his hat, put on a gold shoulderplate, and swap out his single-Mew harp for a double-Mew one.
* LongBusTrip: Ignoring his cameo in ''A Breed Stampede,'' he disappeared for a year after ''Dawn's Early Night.''
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Shoulder-length dark hair and a fey appearance.
* LuckyTranslation: His English name, which is in Spanish, just happens to actually be a Japanese word that means "many times", which matches up with the large number of battles he has to do as both a pursuer of Gym Badges and a Coordinator.
* MagicMusic: His harp has an inexplicable ability to calm any
* MeaningfulName:
** He shares his Japanese name with Naoshi Mizuta, another musician.
** In English, his name rhymes with "gliss'''ando'''", a musical term denoting a glide from one pitch to another. It can be played on many instruments, including a harp.
* MellowFellow: Always remains nonchalant and even-tempered. Even when he was accused by Officer Jenny of stealing a priceless artifact from the Eterna Museum, he calmly defended himself without blinking an eye.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: He loses his calm demeanor when he gets really into the Heracross vs. Kricketune match in the Sinnoh League, gesticulating wildly with his hands and even dramatically swishing his cape.
* {{Motifs}}: Music notes.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Nando sticks out somewhat awkwardly among the typical rival lineup, doing contests and battles at the same time, dressing up in an anachronistic minstrel outfit, and hanging out with kids several years younger than he is.
* MythologyGag: Possibly; he wasn't the first [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Bard#The_bard bard]] to appear in the Pokémon continuity.
* NatureHero: Most of his Pokémon are Bug and Grass types, and his first episode had him camping outside with Ash and friends.
* NervesOfSteel: Arrested on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb? Criticized for being a Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon Coordinator at the same time? Not a problem for this even-tempered minstrel. [[spoiler:Realizing his Kricketune is on the losing end of a sparring match with Ash's Heracross might be a different story, though...]]
* NeverBareheaded: He never takes his hat off, although [[http://pkmncoordinators.tumblr.com/post/62569836544/pokemon-settei-pokemon-settei-nando-naoshi production art]] shows what he looks like without it.
* NiceGuy: Always unfailingly kind and polite, so much so that he gives polite requests to his Pokémon in battle instead of commands.
* NiceHat: A wide brimmed, high-crowned hat that's the same forest green as his cape. It's easily his most notable feature.
* NonSpecificallyForeign: Implied by the dub, which gives him a name of Spanish origin and a thick, vaguely European-sounding accent.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Downplayed -- he has smaller and more realistically drawn eyes than other characters. It's especially obvious when his headshot is visible among the others on a Pokémon Contest screen.
* NotSoStoic: He projects an air of serenity no matter what. However, in his battles with Ash in the Sinnoh League and Zoey in the Grand Festival, he's intensely passionate.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Only character to regularly participate in both Contests and Gym Battles.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: No matter the situation, Nando nearly always remains calm and level-headed, rarely losing his cool. But when his Pokémon start showing signs of being in trouble during the Grand Festival and League Conference battles, he actually starts to raise his voice and [[MilkingTheGiantCow gesture with his hands]] when giving them battle commands.
* OutOfFocus: And ''how'' - he disappeared for 125 episodes after "Dawn's Early Night!" (barring a brief cameo), before finally returning for real during the Grand Festival and the Lily of the Valley Conference.
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his left eye.
* PerpetualSmiler: Always has a calm smile on his face, unless he's fighting a particularly difficult opponent.
* PersonalityPowers: His calm, composed and harmonious nature perfectly fits his preference for musical attacks.
* ThePollyanna: Nothing shakes his unflapple demeanor except briefly. He does regret his defeats, but he shakes them off and simply commits to trying harder.
* RhymesOnADime: As a minstrel he often speaks in rhyming couplets.
* SayMyName:
-->'''Officer Jenny:''' Excuse me. I've just captured Suspect #1. ''(she pulls Nando into the shot)'' Get this. He calls himself a Pokémon troubadour, but I don't buy it at all.
-->'''Ash/Brock/Dawn:''' ''Nando?!''
* SharpDressedMan: Overdressed, in fact, wearing a waistcoat and a cape while traveling.
* SilkHidingSteel: Although he's not female as this trope usually implies, this seems to be Nando's philosophy when it comes to battle. Most of his Pokémon are ones that are beautiful and graceful, yet powerful fighters.
* StealthPun: He's a musician who's always incredibly calm. You could say he's very composed.
* TheStoryteller: "In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos. And at the heart of the chaos, where all things become one, came the one."
* TakeAThirdOption: When we first see Nando, he was having trouble if he wanted to pursue gym battles or contest ones before eventually settling on both. It did wonders for him.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: The "tall" part is more noticeable since he usually hangs around kids, but "A Secret Sphere of Influence" and "A Breed Stampede" show him to be even taller than Officer Jenny and Mr. Contesta, respectively.
* TokenAdult: Ash's and Dawn's only adult rival.
* UncattyResemblance: Wears a green cape similar to his Roserade's.
* UnexplainedAccent: The American dub gives him a European accent that seems to vary from episode to episode.
* TheUnfought: Dawn never faced him directly in an actual Contest battle (though they did have a practice bout in [=DP004=], which he won).
* TheUnreveal: When he shows his badge case to Ash and Dawn in ''Last Call, First Round!,'' it has seven badges and one empty slot for the Mine Badge (which is Byron's), but we never find out where and from whom he got his last badge in-between that episode and ''An Old Family Blend!''
* VagueAge: Appears to be in his early 20s, but his outfit and old-fashioned speech patterns give the impression of someone much older.
* VocalEvolution: After a year long absence, his accent became slightly more pronounced.
* WanderingMinstrel: He self-describes as such, a rare example of this trope in a modern setting.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: Wears one under his cape. Oddly for the trope, it's the ''least'' notable part of his ensemble, but it's still inordinately fancy for his surroundings.
* WarriorPoet: He is a skilled Pokémon Trainer and musician with a love for songs and stories. His habit of rhyming is shown to have rubbed off on Gardenia when she quotes a piece of philosophical poetry in "A Secret Sphere of Influence".
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent?: It sounds vaguely like a mixture of Spanish and Irish.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:He makes it all the way to the top four of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, only to get thrown out of the competition by Zoey. Come the Sinnoh League, Ash wipes the floor with Nando in the ''very first round'' of the Qualifying Matches (the Top 64). In fairness, you can probably blame this on the writers for making Ash his first opponent, or perhaps Zoey was right all along that he should have just stuck with contests. But he sure didn't go out without a fight.]]
* WorthyOpponent: To Zoey and Ash. It takes some time with Zoey, as she dismisses him as a dabbler, but the two times they fight he more than proves himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tobias (Takuto)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Tobias_7240.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/HirokiTakahashi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JMichaelTatum\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Jaime Alberto Carrillo
A mysterious trainer who first appears during the Sinnoh League Tournament, and one of the most formidable trainers seen in the series by far, due to his possession of extremely rare and powerful legendary Pokémon. Using only [[spoiler:Darkrai]], he has [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] through the Sinnoh Gym Leaders and the League Tournament. [[spoiler: One might be tempted to think that Darkrai is his go-to Pokémon and the rest of his team is comprised of ordinary Pokémon, but only because not a single opponent is able to get past Darkrai in a match with it until Ash has a go at it with his team. When Ash actually does defeat Darkrai, Tobias reveals he has ''several'' legendaries in tow, and plan B is to call on his Latios.]]
----
* TheAce: He is the most skilled trainer shown in the Sinnoh region next to Cynthia, steamrolling ''everyone'' he encounters in the Pokémon League. His character even might be a nod to the acquired term "sweeping" in the {{Metagame}} of the Pokémon games (i.e. a player is able to take down entire teams using only one Pokémon with little effort, and do so regularly against many other players in competitive play).
* BadassCape: His cape flows with the wind, much like Nando.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:He beat Sinnoh's Gym Leaders and got to the League Semifinals using ''just'' Darkrai. Against Ash, he is forced to bust out a Latios, which get knocked out as well in a double KO that defeats Ash. Even in the final battle, [most of which is not shown] he actually wins with only Darkrai.]]
* CurbStompCushion: Even though Ash does get his ass handed to him on a silver platter, he does manage to [[spoiler:take out two of his legendaries, the closest ''anybody'' actually gets to him.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Grayish-blue hair, light blue eyes.
* DarkIsNotEvil: No, the creepy guy with the [[spoiler:Darkrai]] is not evil. He actually congratulates Ash on a good battle after he wins.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Ash is the ''only'' person that actually manages to [[spoiler:defeat his Darkrai, and Latios by extension.]] Even the announcer acknowledges it.
* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler:Just after Ash finally beats his rival in the quarter-finals, and it looks like he'll ''finally'' win a major championship, he gets thoroughly trounced by Tobias' ''two'' legendary Pokémon. The trainer's appearance was never hinted at before the Tournament Arc, and it's never explained how he got his hands on two OlympusMons.]] One gets the feeling he was created merely as an excuse to get Ash to Unova quicker.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Thrice. First when Ash's Sceptile [[spoiler:breaks out of sleep status ''immediately'']] with the second coming when Sceptile [[spoiler:hands Darkrai its ass for the first time.]] And after that? Tobias [[spoiler:sends out a Latios.]] That was unexpected. Not to mention wholly unexplained. [[spoiler:The fact Pikachu managed to help Ash make a repeat performance to Tobias and take it out also counted, towards Tobias and the crowd.]]
* TheFaceless: For about a couple episodes. Although [[EarlyBirdCameo pay attention and you can see his face relatively clearly in the tournament standings.]] He's the only one with hair like that.
* GlassCannon: [[spoiler:In keeping to Darkrai's stats in the game, his is this by Legendaries standards. Even healing with Dream Eater, Darkrai goes down to a relatively small amount of direct hits.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:A lot of people were predicting that Darkrai would be the most he'd bring to the table.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's creepy, arrogant, and uses arguably underhanded strategy, but when all's said and done, he congratulates Ash on a well fought battle.
* TheJuggernaut: ''Nobody'' so far has taken this guy's Darkrai and Latios down in a fight. [[spoiler:Well, Ash did, but he lost all of his Pokémon in the process and therefore the tournament]].
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: He plows through every Trainer he comes up against with minimal effort, [[spoiler:including Ash]], and goes on to [[spoiler:win the Sinnoh League.]] He also wears a red cape.
* LargeHam: The way he releases [[spoiler:Latios]] comes to mind.
* MeaningfulName: Tobias is a powerful trainer who relies mainly on Darkrai to fight. Tobias is also the name of a biblical hero from the book of Tobit who drove a demon out with the help of the archangel Raphael.
* OlympusMons: [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios.]]
* OneManArmy: His Darkrai. It single-handedly carries him through the entire Sinnoh League [[spoiler:with the exception of Ash, who, using Sceptile and Pikachu, respectively, manages to take it and his Latios down with him.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the Japanese version. Tommy from the Pokémon Trainer's School (a Hoenn character of the day) shares the same Japanese name as him. [[spoiler:And, to an extent, the fact that Tobias' Darkrai makes the THIRD we've seen so far (movies are {{Canon}}). Legendaries have been proven to come in multiples before ([=PowerOfOne=]!Lugia, Silver, and his mother; Heroes has practically a herd of Latios and Latias in flashback).]]
* PalsWithJesus: [[spoiler:He has two legendary Pokémon that obey his every command.]]
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his eye, like his [[spoiler:Darkrai]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:His second Pokémon is '''Latios.''' Didn't see that coming, did you? Arceus knows what the rest of his team looks like...]]
* RiddleForTheAges:
** How he caught a [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios]] is never explained.
** There is a lot of theories and wonder as to what the other four Pokémon are in his party, [[spoiler:considering two of them are legendaries.]]
* SmugSuper: Downplayed. He is ''very'' well aware he is packing [[spoiler:high-grade legendaries]] and will let his opponents know how even bringing their A-game might not be enough, but he does respect the effort his opponents put in the battle. Especially Ash [[spoiler:given he actually did defeat his Darkrai and Latios.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: His design is similar to Nando's, wearing a long cape and an [[PeekABangs emo-bang hairstyle]] as well as having a [[AerithAndBob slightly unusual name.]] He even has a slight accent in the English dub, though it's very faint.
* TakeThat: He is one to players who use [[spoiler:legendaries]] to breeze through the games instead of bothering to actually train a team.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Non-lethal, competitive example. [[spoiler: He was the first major character of sorts to bring Legendary Pokémon in a League tournament, who are viewed as physical deities that make most fully-evolved mons look like weaklings. And Tobias used ''at least two of them''.]]
* TheUnreveal: Only two of his Pokémon were shown in his fight against Ash. [[spoiler:Also, no explanation was given as how did he caught them even after the battle.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Mentioning him will get you to [[spoiler:reveal how Ash lost the Sinnoh league]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: As is the case with ''every'' Conference Winner, there is no mention of him going on to face the Elite Four and the region's Champion, but he stands out for obvious reasons. Cynthia is still the Sinnoh Champion in her later appearances in ''Black and White'', meaning Tobias either lost to her, to the Elite Four, or inexplicably decided not to challenge them.
[[/folder]]
!Sinnoh League
[[folder:In General]]
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: As with all the regions, the Elite Four are selected based on the strongest trainers in the region.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Cynthia (Shirona)]]
[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shirona.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomoSakurai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Jenness\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Adriana Casas
The Champion of the Sinnoh League.
----
* TheAce: Well she is the Champion of Sinnoh so this should be given.
* BadassLongcoat: She wears her black signature coat for the entirety of ''Diamond & Pearl''.
* BadassBookworm: Has a love and fascination for history, when she makes her debut she's visiting a site of ruins in Sinnoh.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: She is a very polite and somewhat quirky LadyOfWar, but will immediately react to whatever region-wide threat is present and will unleash her Garchomp at a moment's notice.
* BigDamnHeroes: She takes down Jupiter easily and frees Ash and co. just in time for them to stop Cyrus' plan.
* BigGood: Portrayed this way in D/P.
* TheBusCameBack: As a reference to her appearance in the B&W games, she has a recurring role in BWS2 - her villa in Undella Town accommodated Ash and his friends as they prepared for the Junior Cup and the Vertress Conference. During one particular arc, she even brought Dawn along with her.
* CombatPragmatist: Not usually, but when she shows up to help Ash against Team Galactic, she has her Garchomp do a surprise attack against Jupiter's Skuntank, and then when Jupiter starts to take out another Pokémon, Garchomp lands behind her and rests its claws right near her throat. [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim When the world's at stake, it isn't the time to play fair]].
* CurbStompBattle: People who try to face her in battle usually receive one of these, most notably Paul. The known exceptions are Flint (who took down three of her Pokémon before losing to her Garchomp), Aaron (who [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome took down five of her team, including Garchomp]], before finally losing to Gastrodon), and Caitlin (who battled Cynthia's Garchomp to a standstill with her Gothitelle, resulting the battle going into overtime).
* TheDitherer: Every time she needs to pick a flavor of ice cream, she takes ages.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Sort of has this happen in the [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 B2W2]] season - she doesn't ''join'' Ash's group, but they lounge about in her villa for a while, and she participates in several of their adventures.
* HelpingWouldBeKillStealing: ''Subverted'' in the "Operation Tempest" two-parter - her Garchomp proves vital, along with Dragonite and Golurk, in holding back the [[OneWingedAngel Therian Forme]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Kami Trio]]. She also helped directly in fighting Team Galactic, even though anything connecting with the Lake Trio had to be done by Ash, Dawn, and Brock since they were the ones linked to them.
* IceCreamKoan: Plenty of times in DP, though nowhere near as much in BW, she'll go into random tangents with vague words and meanings that may or may not even relate to what's going on.
* {{Irony}}: She loves ice cream, but her signature Pokémon, Garchomp, sports a quadruple weakness to the Ice-type.
* LadyOfWar: Cynthia herself, though her female Garchomp also qualifies by merit of being both powerful and graceful.
* TheMentor: Her main role during the plot of the DP series, though she ''does'' get actively involved in the effort to stop Team Galactic, doing her duty as Champion very well. She also mentors Iris, particularly in regards to her new, disobedient Dragonite. Iris in turn [[HeroWorshipper looks up to her]], thanks in no small part to Cynthia having trained her own powerful Dragon-type, Garchomp.
* OneManArmy: Her Garchomp tears through Paul's team like a lawnmower through a notebook factory, finishing by one-shotting his powerful Torterra with a single Brick Break.
* PeekABangs: Her left eye is covered by her hair, which is part of her "mysterious beauty" look.
* PlayingWithFire: Her Garchomp can use Flamethrower.
* RecurringCharacter: Cynthia appears every now and then in ''Diamond & Pearl'' and she also appears a lot in the early episodes of ''Best Wishes! Season 2''.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Along with Lance. Steven and Diantha, she is one of the champions we seen on-screen that take proactive measures against wide-scale threats.
* RunningGag: A good number of times Ash meets her she's having trouble deciding on what flavor of ice cream she wants...
* SkewedPriorities: During the introduction of the Meloetta arc in ''Pokemon Black and White'', while Ash and Company take care of Meloetta on the roadside, Cynthia receives an urgent call that requires her to drive back to the city immediately. She forgot her change when she bought an ice cream cone.
* SweetTooth: Her introductory moments in the series show her being indecisive over what flavor of ice cream to get, a gag that shows up several more times later on. Towards the end of DP (during the Lily of the Valley Conference), Team Rocket ''use'' this gag to attract customers. Comes up yet again in BW when Ash meets up with her again in a similar manner, down to her indecisiveness on picking a flavor.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ice cream, but she takes hours to decide which one she wants to choose.
* WeaponOfChoice: [[InfinityMinusOneSword Her Garchomp]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lucian (Goyō)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucian_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeNamikawa\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' David Lapkin\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/EduardoGarza
* BadassBookworm: Like his game counterpart, he can be frequently seen with a book in his hands.
* EarlyBirdCameo: If you count that he's the sole Sinnoh Elite Four member who appeared ''prior'' to Cynthia.
* ElementalPowers: He uses [[PsychicPowers Psychic types]].
* ExtraOreDinary: Bronzong's primary type.
* SharpDressedMan: Wears a full suit, even while training is Pokemon.
* WorthyOpponent: Perceived as such by Buizel, who thus became highly depressed at losing so badly to him the first time.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is blue.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aaron (Ryou)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aaron_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KenshoOno\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Christopher C. Adams\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Christophe Hespel
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Specializes in bug types
* ComeBackMyPet: His Beautifly.
* MrFanservice: In-universe. Even the local ''Officer Jenny'' {{Fangirl}}s him. Rare case of ''both'' {{Bishounen}} and RatedMForManly, judging by his appearance.
* MyGreatestFailure: Abandoning his Wurmple for being a weak Pokémon when he was younger (which prompted him to better understand Bug-types, so it wouldn't happen again). It eventually comes back to him as a Beautifly.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Though it was cut from the dub, the original Japanese of [=DP100=] has announcer state Cynthia was down to her ''last'' Pokémon when she sent out Gastrodon against Aaron's Beautifly. This means that [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Aaron must have actually defeated her Garchomp]], something even Flint didn't quite manage! Oddly, in the preceding episode his Pokémon had trouble dealing with ''the Team Rocket trio''.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub, which also has [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew Sir Aaron]].
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He is apparently able to understand insects.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Flint (Ōba)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flint_e4_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Toru Nara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Arturo Castañeda
* AfroAsskicker: Has a pretty massive one, and is one of the strongest trainers in the entire Sinnoh region.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: After fully evolving, Ash's Infernape only lost once in the entire remaining series. To Flint's Infernape.
* BareFistedMonk: Infernape's 2nd Type and it knows Close Combat, Mach Punch, and Thunderpunch
* BigBrotherMentor: Has this vibe with Ash and they share a similar philosophy in the way they battle with their Pokémon and he shares some advice with the younger boy. Not to mention that he is obviously fond of Ash...
* BigDamnHeroes: in his first appearance, using Infernape to save Ash from the Sunyshore gym's security system, and again to rescue Kenny's Floatzel from Team Rocket.
* BloodKnight: If his Infernape's reaction to Pikachu is anything to go by than he '''''LOVES''''' a good fight where he can go out. Flint may qualify as well since he also thought Pikachu was well trained and worth more effort to battle against.
* CurbstompBattle: Defeats Ash in a 3 vs. 3 battle with minimal effort. His Infernape outright one shotted Ash's own Infernape and Buizel and was tanking hits from Pikachu while tossing him around.
* CurbStompCushion: Flint admitted Infernape was putting some degree of effort into fighting Pikachu, which is more than most would manage.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Infernape was able to go head to head with Cynthia's Garchomp and deal some brutal blows in. It's the second-closest anyone has come to take her down (Aaron got closer). Not to mention it swatted Ash's Pokémon like flies!
* FieryRedhead: Invoked, as it tends to be, being a fire type trainer with the hot blood to match.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Volkner.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Every time he shows up you can hear a subtle jungle beat with drums. It's actually quite awesome.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub. The other Flint is Brock's father.
* PlayingWithFire: Infernape
* TheRival: Volkner's old friend and adversary.
* WorthyOpponent: His Infernape seems to view Ash's Pikachu as this. After [[OneHitKill casually ragdolling Ash's Infernape and Buizel]] he had to face Pikachu and seemed quite excited to do so the instant Pikachu made his opening attack. Flint was even surprise to see that his Infernape was excited to fight Pikachu and felt like he was putting some effort into battling. [[CurbstompBattle Granted Infernape wins quite easily]], but he still felt Pikachu was worth more effort compared to the others.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bertha (Kikuno)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bertha_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yoko Matsuoka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Mary O' Brady\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Magda Giner
* BerserkButton: When Team Rocket decided to enhance their Pokémon's performance using PoweredArmor, she didn't take it too kindly.
* CoolOldLady: She's ancient, but she's also one of the most powerful Pokemon trainers in the world.
* ElementalPowers: She specializes in [[DishingOutDirt Ground type]] Pokémon:
* ExtraOreDinary: Hippowdon's Iron Head.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: She engages in some CarFu with her van against Team Rocket.
* ManBitesMan: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Team Rocket learns this the hard way after being on the business end of her car and her extremely powerful Pokemon.
* OneHitKO: Gliscor's Guillotine
* OneShotCharacter: She only appeared in a single episode, barring her cameo in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''.
* PlayingWithFire: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* StealthMentor: In two ways. She not only acts in a way intended to subtly teach the other person, but also hides her status as an Elite Four member and tells Brock not to reveal it.
[[/folder]]
----
%%
%% All examples must explain the trope and how it applies in its context. All examples lacking the proper context have been commented out.
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExamples
%%
%%
[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocket Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocketOthers Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationOpponents Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | '''''Supporting Cast''''' | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYMegaEvolutionSpecial Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]]-]]]]]
[[foldercontrol]]
!Main characters
[[folder:Dawn (Hikari)]]
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_bw2.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MegumiToyoguchi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Bauer\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gaby Ugarte (seasons 10,11, and 13), Leyla Rangel (season 12 and 15)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alexandra Corréa
Dawn is a newbie trainer from Sinnoh who met Ash after she ran into Pikachu, who’d been separated from his trainer by Team Rocket. Like May before her, Dawn aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator. Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:
----
* ActionGirl:
** Out of all of Ash's traveling companions, she's the most likely to take immediate action against Team Rocket or other antagonists when they show up, frequently having Piplup dealing the finishing blow alongside Pikachu.
** In one episode, she once rescued all her Pokémon ''all by herself''.
* AdaptationalModesty: In the ''Pokémon Learning League'' educational series, she wears a long-sleeved shirt and white tights under her usual sleeveless top and short skirt.
* AgeInappropriateDress:
** [[AvertedTrope But]] her mother forbade her from bringing it on her journey. Then again, her normal outfit...
** Lampshaded in episode 171 by Princess Salvia, who comments on the length of Dawn's skirt.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: In terms of Contest skill, she's on both ends of this trope. She has never managed to surpass the more experienced Zoey, but she always comes ahead of Ursula.
* AshFace: Her Cyndaquil has done this to her [[RunningGag several times]] by flaring up its back flames while she's holding it. Some of her various electrocution and explosion mishaps have also left her singed.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Similar to May and later Serena, Dawn is good natured, but not a doormat and isn't afraid to sic her strongest Pokémon on you if you piss her off, which Team Rocket know from experience. When Meowth pulled a HeelFaceMole on the heroes, Dawn, who had been sympathetic enough to offer getting him media ties, angrily vowed to beat him to tears for selling them out ([[TooKinkyToTorture he didn't surprisingly]], but still).
* BigDamnHeroes: A short time after becoming a trainer and getting her first Pokémon, she protects Pikachu with her Piplup.
* BreakTheCutie: Disturbingly often. Gets this when losing contests and became a StepfordSmiler afterwards.
* BrickJoke: The second [=DP=] episode continued the RunningGag of Pikachu frying a bike, but it took 36 episodes for Ash to know about it.
* TheBusCameBack: She returned for the ''Best Wishes'' series for an arc.
* ButtMonkey: Out of all the main characters, she’s the biggest one of the “butt of every joke” type. Several characters have poked fun at her, including Ash, Brock, and her own Pokémon, and her skill as a Coordinator was called into question several times prior to her victory at the Wallace Cup.
* {{Catchphrase}}:
** "Daijobu!", or "No need to worry!" in the dub. How ironic.
** And like May, she has a phrase to use when calling Pokémon out for a Contest -- "Charm up!" / "Spotlight!"
** BorrowedCatchphrase: She also copied Iris' "such a kid" remarks at Ash (a little anyways), and once used, "Buneary, I choose you!" when sending it out to battle Pachirisu.
* TheChosenOne: Chosen by Mesprit since the beginning of the DP series due to her strong empathy.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has both hair and eyes that are dark-blue.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Rather famous for having a skirt that barely covers her hips. Lucky she's wearing a leotard underneath...
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Of "Diamond and Pearl", to Ash's protagonist. Her name is even added in the Japanese openings of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series right next to Ash's.
* DisappearedDad: Unlike Ash, no mention is ever made of her father.
* DistaffCounterpart: Dawn in many ways is like a female counterpart to Ash. Like May before and Serena after, she exchanges RotatingArcs with Ash's Gym quest, but she stands out thanks to her status as the {{Deuteragonist}} and that she shares more in common with him than just about any of his companions. Like Ash, she is an optimistic and initially overconfident NiceGirl who had decided on her life goal long before her debut. She started her journey with an initially stubborn Pokémon that stays outside his Poké Ball and refuses to evolve, and bonded with him after [[FireForgedFriends fending off a large swarm of wild Pokemon]] in an adventure that culminated in them meeting a [[OlympusMons Legendary]] Pokemon. She also has a knack for developing [[OutsideTheBoxTactic Outside-the-Box Tactics]] in battle similarly to Ash, many of which are borrowed between the two.
* DubInducedPlotHole: Against all odds, averted when it came to explaining "Dee-Dee".
* DudeMagnet: Kenny, Kendall, and Conway have all shown signs of being attracted to her. She also has a few moments with Ash that could be seen as ShipTease (though, Ash being [[ChasteHero Ash,]] these moments are up to the audience's interpretation). This being ''Pokémon,'' [[NoHuggingNoKissing it never goes anywhere.]]
* FailedASpotCheck: If she would look around at the audience during contests more often, she would notice some [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/027 VERY familar faces]]. Namely, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet.
* FailureHero: [[BreakTheCutie Poor girl lost]] ''[[BreakTheCutie two]]'' [[BreakTheCutie Contests in the Appeal Stage in a row!]]
* FanGirl: To Professor Oak's (and Gary's) poetry, and Wallace (Contest master).
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Dawn is good at baking Poffins, unlike Ash who burns all of his to a crisp.
* FireForgedFriends: When she and Piplup first meet, they can't stand each other, but they form a bond after escaping from a horde of wild Ariados, and Dawn doesn't hesitate to choose him as her starter when they get back to Prof. Rowan's lab. They continue to grow closer throughout the ''Diamond & Pearl'' series.
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: She and Brock had fairly little interaction.
* GenerationXerox: She gets her passion from Pokémon Contests from her mother, who is a retired Top Coordinator.
* GoGetterGirl: Right from the start, she knew she wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator, and never lost sight of her goal since.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Became this in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Best Wishes Season 2]]'', joining the group for eight episodes prior to and during the Junior Cup.
* HarmlessElectrocution: A running gag by itself, Dawn needs to use Piplup's Bubble Beam to [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/Dawnshair.jpg condition her hair back to normal after she gets zapped]].
* AnIcePerson: While she doesn't specializes in Ice-types, as her journey goes on she uses more and more ice moves in her Appeals and battles, often in combination with fire and electricity.
* IdenticalStranger: She and Princess Salvia from the episode "Dawn of a Royal Day!" look exactly alike. They take advantage of this and switch places for a day so Salvia can compete in a Contest with her Togekiss.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: She befriended Nando, a traveling bard, and Lila, a dressmaker and retired Coordinator who was also her mother's childhood friend.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "By Your Side". Used primarily in the Japanese edit, though some instrumental versions still accompany her in parts of the English dub (thus making it one of very few Japanese image songs to at least partway survive the transition).
* LeotardOfPower: As seen in "Two Degrees of Separation!", Dawn appears to be wearing a black leotard under her minidress.
* LettingHerHairDown: Most notably [[http://images5.fanpop.com/image/polls/991000/991163_1333460097101_full.png two]] [[http://pm1.narvii.com/6341/c358a4b8d243806b999f5e28a3690780ebafe008_hq.jpg times]].
* LittleMissBadass: Younger than Ash but able to single-handedly kick Team Rocket's ass.
* MagicSkirt: She has a short skirt, but she remains covered throughout the series, except for one occasion - "Steamboat Willies!".
* MementoMacGuffin: At the beginning of her Pokémon journey, her mother gave to her the first Contest ribbon she won as a good luck charm. After her run in the Grand Festival, she gives it back.
* NaiveEverygirl: It took her an entire episode to find Professor Rowan, despite it normally not being that difficult.
* NiceGirl: Easily the most straightforwardly kind of all the leading females (before Serena), and very empathetic (she never held Pikachu ''or'' Ash responsible for her bike's destruction given the circumstances, for instance, knowing that she attacked Pikachu first and Ash wasn't even there, thanks to team rocket). Must be the main reason Mesprit chose her.
* NiceHat: It covers her hair because it gets frizzy when exposed to shock.
* NoodleIncident: The origins of her nickname Pikari/Dee-Dee. In a subversion, it's later revealed she got shocked by a Plusle and Minun in kindergarten, making her hair all sparkly. [[note]]"Pikapika" is the [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud spoken sound effect for "sparkle"]][[/note]]. In the dub, it's short for "Diamond Dandruff", which is indeed pretty embarrassing.
* ObliviousToLove: She has no trouble understanding others people's romance, but seems rather blind when said affection is directed to her (except with Conway, but subtle he isn't). She doesn't get Kenny has a crush on her, and totally misses Lyla acting as a ShipperOnDeck for her and Ash in "Dressed For Jess Success".
* OjouRinglets: Not an {{Ojou}}, but she used this hairstyle in a couple of contests as shown [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Dawn_DP027_contest.png here]] and [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/diamond_pearl/ep177.html here]].
* PhraseCatcher:
** The reply to her own {{Catchphrase}} is usually "That's when [we] worry the most."
** A few times she gets her catchphrase, "No need to worry!", back at her.
* PimpedOutDress: She wears a lot of them. Makes sense, considering part of her job as a Coordinator is to look stylish alongside her Pokémon and she also has a sense of fashion.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her usual Contest dress is pink. Idem her cheerleader outfit. Her regular outfit features a pink skirt and she wears a pink coat when traveling in colder climes.
* PomPomGirl: She sometime act like a cheerleader and donned a pink cheerleading outfit (her Pokèmon also) to support Ash in his Gym battles with Roark, Maylene and Volkner.
* PluckyGirl: She always remains optimistic, even when the odds are against her.
* RunningGag:
** She's frequently on the receiving end of electric attacks, which always leaves her hair messy and frazzled. Her Pachirisu is the main offender, but Pikachu and other electric types have also found reasons to electrocute her.
** Once she acquires her Cyndaquil, it develops a habit of flaring up its back flames while Dawn is holding it, leaving her with an AshFace. In fact, it's the very first thing it does upon hatching.
* ScarfOfAssKicking: Wears a scarf, and fights often.
* ShesGotLegs: Thick and sturdy legs.
* ShipperOnDeck: While normally embarrassed about Brock's antics like everyone else, when it was suggested to him that he [[spoiler:become a Pokémon Doctor]], she's the one to point out that it will help him get closer to all Nurse Joys.
* ShipTease: Naturally, she gets these with Ash. Not to mention that, out of every girl so far, she's the only one to go as far as to be his personal cheerleader during a few of his Gym Battles.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Poor Dawn isn't immune to being zapped, drenched, frozen, or burned by her own Pokémon.
* StaticCharacter: While she matures a good deal, the basic person she is never changes and has never even changed from childhood, right down to her CatchPhrase. She's also the only female companion so far to not have undergone a change in outfit or party lineup aside from an evolution.
* StepfordSmiler: Tries to put on a good face after her first losing streak. Doesn't work in the end.
* SupremeChef: A few hands-on lessons are enough to get her cooking Poffins like a pro.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Probably the most explicit example of any of Ash’s friends; like May before her, Dawn is a NiceGirl Pokémon coordinator whose quest [[RotatingArcs alternates in focus with Ash]] and who has a famous parent. The writers did work to make them distinct however [[note]] Dawn was more traditionally feminine than the sometimes tomboyish May and lacked the latter’s BigEater tendencies. Dawn also knew she wanted to be a Coordinator from the start, but conversely, struggled in her early contests much more than May ever did [[/note]].
* SkywardScream: Does this in "Dawn's Early Night" after losing the Hearthome contest.
-->'''Dawn:''' ''[as she runs to the balcony]'' AAAAAAAAAAH!
* ATasteOfDefeat: Tying in with her ButtMonkey role, Dawn is the first of few "twerps" to suffer [[TeamRocketWins an unnegated defeat from Team Rocket]] in an episode. ''Twice'' for that matter:
** In "Team Shocker" Jessie (as Jessilina) wins her first ribbon in the Solaceon contest, one Dawn doesn't even pass the Appeals Round for. [[HeroicBSOD She does not take it well.]]
** James (disguised as Jessilina) directly defeats her in the battle round of the Lilypad contest in "Dressed For Jess Success". While Dawn was a GracefulLoser this time round, it didn't remotely taint James and Meowth's victory over her.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl:
** Girly Girl to Zoey's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to her predecessor May's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to Iris' Tomboy in ''Best Wishes''. Dawn really is the eternal Girly Girl of this anime, huh?
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She's terrified of Plusle and Minun, because of an incident in kindergarten when she hugged them too hard and they shocked her, making her hair stand on end and everyone laugh at her.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Her fantasy in the LotusEaterMachine episode shows us that she even wants to surpass her mother.
* WorthyOpponent: When Dawn finally eliminated her in the Grand Festival, Jessie admitted (albeit infuriated) that she was this. Jessie herself managed to achieve her most even handed rivalry against Dawn, equalling and even besting her at times. Since Dawn never saw through her "Jesselina" alias, she was rather respectful towards her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dawn's Pokémon]]
* BadassAdorable: The majority of her team are comprised of cute-looking Pokémon who are all competent in Pokémon Contests. Even her not-so-cute ones, specifically Mamoswine, used to be a very cute but strong Swinub.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: Mamoswine and Togekiss are the big guys, Piplup, Buneary, Cyndaquil and Pachirisu are the little guys.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: All but Mamoswine are adorable Pokémon, and even he was cute as a Swinub. Buizel was another exception, since he used to be the cool guy in the group, but he's soon replaced by the cute GenkiGirl Aipom.
!!Piplup (Pochama)
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piplup_5642.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/EtsukoKozakura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MicheleKnotz
Piplup is Dawn's first Pokémon. She befriended him after saving him from a wild Ariados' attack, when Piplup and Chimchar had fled from Professor Rowan's lab.
----
* AttentionWhore: Regarding Dawn's attention, at least. Piplup sometimes has a fit when Dawn isn't giving him the attention it wants. Heck, the episode "Piplup Up and Away" was dedicated to Piplup getting upset because Dawn and the gang wasn't giving him the attention he wanted.
* BerserkButton: His EstablishingCharacterMoment was throwing a fit when Professor Rowan's Chimchar stole the last bite of his food.
* BigEater: Gets a GrowlingGut often, and enjoys food.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally just a starter Pokémon for the regional main girl Dawn, Piplup became very popular with viewers during the DP saga, especially in Japan. Noticeably, he began appearing outside of his Poké Ball more and more often until he eventually stopped being seen inside it altogether (save for rare occasions). He also got promoted to being a co-star with Ash's Pikachu in the merchandising, a feat that only Misty's Togepi had accomplished prior.
* BubbleGun: Bubble Beam, which fires several bubbles in quick succession, was the very first attack he was seen using, and it's still his SignatureMove to date.
* ButtMonkey: To clarify it has been:
** Attacked by Elekid and Electabuzz [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/066 on two]] [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/137 different occasions]].
** Zapped by Pikachu ([[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash%27s_Pikachu yes That Pikachu]]) [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/149 after bumping into it]].
** Knocked into a crater by Ash and Gible (using Draco Meteor) on purpose and [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/626ps11.shtml having to fend off against a Magnezone and a Metagross]].
** Not to mention [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP156 all]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP157 those]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP164 other]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP172 times]] it got hit by Draco Meteor ([[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/174 except for that one time that Kenny got hit by it]]).
* CampStraight: Very campy, but showed attraction to Meloetta. Though Meloetta is gender less, so...
* TheChewToy: It is always nailed by Ash's Gible's Draco Meteor while the latter was trying to master that move.
* ColorFailure:
** In "Battling a Cute Drama!" when Marilyn said he wasn't cute.
** In "Piplup, Up, And Away!" when he overheard Dawn telling Gible it wasn't at fault for dropping Draco Meteors on him.
** When Dawn had her reappearance in Unova, in "Piplup, Pasage, and a Meeting of the Times!", he shares one with Dawn in reaction to Cilan's "Evaluation Time" during a training battle with Pansage.
* {{Determinator}}:
* DramaQueen: If something annoys him, he'll let you know. Loudly.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He'a based off of a penguin, and a hero.
* {{Expy}}: There are lots of similarities between Piplup and Pikachu. Both befriended their trainers after serious peril, and resist evolution to their next forms. Piplup also prefers to travel outside his Poké Ball, though he will come out of one for Performances to accrue Charm Points.
* FireForgedFriends: At the end of the Junior Cup arc in [=BW2=], he seems to have formed a close bond with Oshawott (who was his rival for Meloetta's affection).
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Did this to Dawn when she was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown before one Contest. Instead of slapping her, he blasted her with Bubble Beam.
* GreenEyedMonster: Piplup can't stand sharing Dawn's attention, so her fawning over [[TheLancer Cyndaquil]] does not sit well with him.
* GrowlingGut: In his debut. This is what made him to accept food from Dawn.
* HeroicBSOD: He had this when he was trying to evolve but didn't want to.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pikachu during the DP series. They two spend a lot of time together due to mostly being outside of their Pokeballs, and are shown to be extremely close. When it's time for Pikachu and Ash to move on, Piplup is ''devestated''.
%%* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam.
* InterspeciesRomance: "Piplup, Up, and Away" makes it pretty clear he has a huge crush on Dawn. The music is what puts it over the top.
* JerkassBall: He could be seen as downright selfish in some of the episodes. In "Different Strokes for Different Blokes", he ate Aipom's orange causing them to argue. He also collided with Turtwig in "The Champ Twins!" and they started arguing again. He also didn't accept Turtwig's apology when Turtwig is trying to make up with him. In "Gone with the Wildworks", he's shown to be selfish towards Cyndaquil for Dawn's attention. He even slapped Cyndaquil out of the way and ate the poffin which causes them to start a fight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is rather selfish but does love Dawn and always tries to do his best for her.
* MakingASplash: He's a Water-Type and knows common water moves such as Bubblebeam, Whirlpool and Hydro Pump.
%%* NoSenseOfDirection
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Occasionally bickers with Dawn, even though it's clear they care about each other at the same level that Ash and Pikachu do.
* LostFoodGrievance: In his first episode, he got mad at the starter Chimchar when it stole the last bite of his food, starting a fight that wrecked Professor Rowan's lab and led to both of them escaping out a broken window, along with a Starly and Staraptor.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The Mean to Cyndaquil's Nice and Pikachu's In-Between. He's more hot-headed, assertive, cranky and grumpy compared to the more quiet, calm, friendly and polite Cyndaquil while Pikachu mediates between the two.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: This is apparently due less to its infamous "forced mascot" status and more because the producer considers Prinplup and Empoleon ugly. In series, it's because he's afraid of changing personalities when he evolves, and in the dub because he wants to protect Dawn as he is.
* NotQuiteFlight: Piplup, being based on a penguin, doesn't actually fly naturally.[[note]]The entire Piplup line [[ShownTheirWork never picks up the Flying type]].[[/note]] He's shown occasionally to be capable of flying a very short distance from the momentum of using [=BubbleBeam=] or being sent out from his Poké Ball.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: From Bide, to Whirlpool, to even Hydro Pump, all while not even approaching Dawn's knees in height.
* PluckyComicRelief: Goofy and funny, and [[ButtMonkey hapless to match.]]
* RealMenWearPink: On several occasions he has sported a ''pink female'' cheerleading outfit. Later on they opted for more masculine clothing though.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Cyndaquil's blue. He is more hot-headed and assertive compared to the more quiet and calm Cyndaquil, an ironic inverse given their color schemes.
* SignatureMove: Bubble Beam is used the most out of every move he knows, and he never forgot how to use it.
* TookALevelInBadass: Upon learning Hydro Pump, one of the most powerful water attacks known.
* WaveMotionGun: When he uses Hydro Pump, he blasts a massive cannon of water at his opponent that is at least 10x bigger than he is.
* WouldHitAGirl: Repeatedly attacks his master when angered as a RunningGag.
!!Buneary (Mimirol)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Buneary_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (first voice), Creator/SatsukiYukino (current)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
From the beginning of ''Diamond and Pearl'', Dawn wanted a Buneary. This Buneary was [[ThirdTimesTheCharm her third attempt to capture one]]. Of course, it helps that this particular Buneary had developed an intense crush on Ash's Pikachu.
----
* ActionGirl: Especially noteable in "Hold the Phione" - after the titular Pokémon challenges Pikachu for her, she's offended because (A) Pikachu's in a tight spot, and (B) she's being treated like some sort of prize. She demands Phione battle ''her'' instead. And ''wins''.
* BadassAdorable: She's a little bunny that's capable of both giving you a run for your money in battle and making you go "aww" at the same time.
* BunniesForCuteness: Is based off of a rabbit, and is ''adorable.''
* CrushBlush: She cannot resist Pikachu.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First she jumps to save Pikachu from an incoming motorcycle, then when he tries to thank her she hides her face and bounds away, in the process [[WatchOutForThatTree crashing into a tree]]. This sets her up as a graceful ActionGirl who nonetheless crushes ''hard'' on Pikachu.
* TheFashionista: Not an extreme example, but she's occasionally seen sporting a vest that Dawn made for her, and the Sinnoh arc ends with her becoming a model.
* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam, which is also her signature move for Contests.
* NonElemental: She's the Normal-type of the team.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's tiny, but she froze Ash, Dawn, and Brock in her debut episode, and she frequently holds her own against larger opponents..
* WingdingEyes: Gets hearts in her eyes when she looks at Pikachu.
!!Pachirisu
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Pachirisu_5914.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
----
* AmbiguousGender: It's probably male, given its design and an incident in DP138[[note]]Johanna's Umbreon and Glameow used Attract against both Pachirisu and Piplup, and it worked on both. Umbreon and Glameow do not have known genders.[[/note]], but never explicitly confirmed.
* DeathGlare: Gave one to Ursula's Gabite after its Poffin was stepped on - an ''impressive one'' for normally happy-go-lucky Pachirisu.
* KidAppealCharacter: The second youngest of Dawn's Pokémon, and the one who acts like a kid the most.
* LostFoodGrievance: Pachirisu does ''not'' like its Poffins being [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/084 stolen]] or [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/114 smashed]]. Do any of those, and it'll make sure you pay for dearly for it.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Despite a major type disadvantage, it crushed Ursula's Gabite in the Chocovine Contest with is newly learned Super Fang.
* ScissorsCutsRock: It was able to defeat Ursula's Gabite in a Contest battle with Super Fang, despite Gabite being immune to Electric-type moves.
* StaticElectricity: Sometimes buzzes Dawn with this, and makes her hair pop out.
* SuperSpeed: Like most Electric-types, but in its debut episode it outran six of the gang's Pokémon at once (including ''Pikachu'') in a very silly game of high-speed chase.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins. The first time it was denied them, it shocked everyone until Pikachu snapped it out of it. Then there's the BerserkButton...
* YellowLightningBlueLightning: Emits the blue variety when using Discharge.
!!Buizel (Buoysel)
Traded to Ash for Aipom. For more info, see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Aipom-Ambipom (Eipam-Eteboth)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Aipom_8895.png]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Ambipom_9427.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Miyako Ito (Eipam), Chie Sato (Eteboth)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Miyako Ito (Aipom), Emily Jenness (Ambipom)
Aipom was a Pokémon that Ash caught during his journey through the Battle Frontier in Kanto. She is very affectionate towards him and secretly follows him when Ash set off to Sinnoh. While Aipom was shown to be a capable battler in Gym Battles, she develops a big interest in Contests, which would later lead to Ash trading her with Dawn's BloodKnight Buizel. She is competent in Contests, but she eventually develops an interest in Pokémon Ping Pong and later leaves Dawn's team, so the Ping Pong master can foster her talent.
----
* TheAce: She instantly excels everything she sets her interest on: pranking, battle, Contest and finally Pokemon ping pong.
* ActionGirl:
** While she preferred Contests, she was used several times in battle when she was under the ownership of Ash and didn't seem to mind.
** She beat Gardenia's strongest Pokémon, Roserade, so it's safe to say that although she prefers Contests, her battling skills are something to be proud of.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: After being traded over to Dawn, her crush on Ash was all but completely forgotten. The last time she even acknowledged Ash as her former trainer was when she was getting ready to be PutOnABus, and even then it wasn't much.
* ClingyMacGuffin: Gets a crown that was was too small for Aipom, thus it being stuck to her head for most of the episode.
* EleventhHourRanger: She was caught by Ash ten episodes before the end of the Advanced Generation series.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: It basically goes without saying, since she is a monkey-based Pokémon.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ever since Ash captured her at such a late time (during the Battle Frontier saga) and the fact that Aipom followed Ash and Pikachu to Sinnoh, it was rather obvious that the writers were planning to evolve her.
* GenkiGirl: Of course; most of her species tend to be this.
* LittleStowaway: Decided to sneak to Sinnoh with Ash instead of stay with Professor Oak like the rest of his Hoenn (and before) Pokémon. Ash decides to keep her in his Sinnoh crew until her trade to Dawn.
* NiceHat: Has a fondness for them, famously Ash's hat, or, in one episode, a ''crown''.
* NonElemental: As a normal type. Most of its moves do normal type damage as well.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: As Aipom, it's ankle-high to Ash and still capable of fighting much tougher apponents. .
* ThePrankster: When it was with Ash as an Aipom, she would play silly pranks on him, such as taking his hat for instance.
* PutOnABus: Similar to Ash's Primeape and ironically they are both ape-like Pokémon. She was last seen going away from the gang on a bus.
* RunningOnAllFours: Sometimes, such as when chasing Pachirisu in "Twice Smitten, Once Shy!"
!!Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine (Urimoo-->Inomoo-->Mammoo)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Swinub_7259.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piloswine_8918.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Mamoswine_8039.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' InukoInuyama (Urimoo and Inomoo), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (Mammoo)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Swinub), Tim Werenko (Piloswine), Creator/MarcThompson (Mamoswine)
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his huge size, he can make an impressive jump, shown off in ''Playing the Performance Encore.'' Lampshaded by Ursula: "Huh? With that huge body?!"
* TheBerserker: As a Mamoswine it has a violent temper and tends to go berserk when angry. This costs Dawn a contest when it loses control and goes on a rampage.
* BigEater: To the point where all the other Pokémon might actually be in danger of starving to death. It's a species trait, actually.
* BlindingBangs: Piloswine has bangs that cover his eyes.
* BrilliantButLazy: By far the most powerful of Dawn's pokemon, but also completely uninterested in anything besides eating and sleeping. Dawn eventually trains him out of it.
* CuttingTheKnot: Mamoswine has almost never won a Contest by retaining the lead when the buzzer sounds. It tends to simply KO the competition. As Dawn has noted, this can be seen as missing the point of Contests.
* DefrostingIceKing: Mamoswine initially doesn't respect Dawn at all and refuses to follow her commands.
* ElementalArmor: In dual Contests, the strategy of choice often involves encasing the smaller partner in ice.
* {{Expy}}: In many ways similar to Ash's Charizard. Three stage evolution caught in first stage, in which it has a sweet overall disposition and ''likes'' its new trainer? Check. Personality change upon evolving into second stage? Check. A surprisingly quick transition to its third stage? Check. TookALevelInBadass after evolving, becoming a large powerhouse who lazes around? Check. Has a lifechanging experience with the trainer, involving a defeat against another Pokémon that it both has an advantage and disadvantage to, and restores its loyalty, and beats said mon with trainers help, followed by gradual further CharacterDevelopment? Check, check and ''check''.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Swinub had these perpetually, and they never do open. It's a species trait.
* FullBoarAction: As a Piloswine and later Mamoswine, he is partly based on pigs, hence the name Pilo'''swine''' and Mamo'''swine'''.
* HairTriggerTemper: From his Piloswine form on he becomes frighteningly easy to set off, though he mellows out over time.
* HeroismIncentive: Prior to becoming obedient to Dawn, this is the only way for the latter to motivate him to do anything.
* AnIcePerson: His primary type is Ice. In Contests, Dawn utilizes his Ice-type moves to great effects, which allows him to be presented as a cool and powerful Pokémon next to her cute ones. He's often covered in ice spikes and he can surround his partners in ice for glamorous presentations.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gradually grows into this role, having shown a soft side as well as an (eventual) fascination to Contests. [[LampshadeHanging Noted in-series, once the other characters observe it]].
* MessyPig: All three of his forms were messy eaters.
* ObliviouslyEvil: He doesn't even realize that the other Pokémon initially have contempt for him because of his enormous appetite.
* PinkIsForSissies: He initially seemed... embarrassed at the fact that he was fascinated by Contests and tried to hide it even when Ash pointed it out. He finally got over it in "Promoting Healthy Tangrowth".
* SpikesOfDoom: He can create gigantic ice spikes on his back by swallowing his own Ice Shard.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins, it seems. All her Pokémon enjoy them, but Mamoswine ''really'' [[BigEater can't get enough of them]].
!!Cyndaquil-->Quilava (Hinoarashi-->Magmarashi)
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Cyndaquil_9405.png]]
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Quilava_1694.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Cyndaquil), Bill Rogers (Quilava)
----
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Hatched from an egg late in the ''DP'' season.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: As a Cyndaquil, it usually only got angry at Piplup when it was provoked.
* {{Keet}}: He did become pretty excitable when he first saw Dawn practicing for a Contest, and visibly slumped when she said she wouldn't be using him just yet.
* NiceGuy: Her Quilava was always mild-mannered, gentle, and always kept to itself.
* PlayingWithFire: Quilava is a fire type {{Mon}} who knows Flame Wheel.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as Cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
* SmokeOut: Her Quilava knows Smokescreen, which can cause places to be filled with smoke.
!!Togekiss
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Togekiss_1158.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KikukoInoue
----
* EleventhHourRanger: Not only the first time Dawn had six Pokémon at once, but she obtained her ''after'' winning her fifth ribbon, and just two episodes before the Grand Festival. Bear in mind that Princess Salvia had been training her to be a Contest Pokémon for quite a while, so it's a JustifiedTrope.
* {{Flight}}: Due to being a flying type, she can fly.
* ItWasAGift: She was given to Dawn by Princess Salvia.
* LadyOfWar: Because she was raised by a princess, she fights with grace and elegance.
* TeamMom: In the episode after she was obtained, Togekiss is seen caring for the ButtMonkey penguin, to the point of scolding Ash's Gible for [[RunningGag targeting Piplup with Draco Meteor]].
* WindFromBeneathMyWings: It's a flying type and naturally knows Air Slash.
[[/folder]]
!Supporting Cast
[[folder: Professor Rowan (Dr. Nanakamado)]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_ProfessorRowan2_3803.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/IemasaKayumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sean Reyes\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Salvador Reyes (season 10), Humberto Sorlózano (season 11), José María Negri (season 12)
The Pokémon professor living in the Sinnoh region. After Dawn unknowingly bumped into him while trying to find his lab, he helped her start her journey as a trainer by giving her the choice of Piplup, Chimchar, or Turtwig as a starter Pokémon. Rowan exhibits the following tropes:
----
%%* BadassMoustache: He has one that covers his entire lower face.
* TheComicallySerious: He's almost too serious even when he's trying to be genuine.
* CoolOldGuy: He's one of the oldest professors, but is still cool with Sinnoh's youth.
* ADayInTheLimelight: The Summer School arc gave him some much-deserved extra screentime.
* DeadpanSnarker: Very frequently. For instance, see his first appearance, in [=DP001=]:
--> '''Dawn:''' ''[after bumping into him]'' I'm - I'm so sorry!\\
'''Rowan:''' ''[turning to face her]'' Hello. You're looking lost.\\
'''Dawn:''' Huh? Are you talking to me, sir?\\
'''Rowan:''' Right. There's no one else here and you're looking very lost.
* TheMentor: Took Gary under his wing after he decided to become a Pokémon Professor.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's a bit heavy-handed, but ultimately serves as a valuable mentor to the main cast.
* TheStraightMan: To his old friend Professor Oak. Oak's a bit silly, whereas Rowan is all business. Rowan even chides Oak for this, criticizing him for slacking in his research when Dawn can only recognize him as a poet.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Johanna (Ayako)]]
[[quoteright:313:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Johanna-pokemon_4536.jpg]]
[[quoteright:313:Johanna as a Pokémon coordinator champion.]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' MakotoTsumura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Elena Ramírez (season 10), Belinda Martínez (season 13)
Dawn's mom. It's quickly revealed that she was a world famous Pokémon coordinator contest champion when she was a trainer, and she hasn't lost any of her touch as a mother either (as Dawn is quickly proven first-hand). Her favorite Pokémon is her Glameow.
----
* ActionMom: She was a champion Coordinator in her days and hasn't missed a step since then. She still easily beats Dawn in battle.
* AscendedExtra: In the games, Johanna was notable for having noticeably more character than previous moms, who before her mostly provided overnight healing and the occasional item[[note]]Barring the mom from GSC, who ran a bank for you[[/note]], having had a history as a Coordinator and occasionally showing up to compete in the Master Class contests with her Kangaskhan. Here, Johanna not only has a history, but has plenty of presence in Dawn's own character arc, with a history as a champion Pokémon Coordinator, with Dawn seeking to follow in her footsteps.
* CuteKitten: Glameow, who she used in contests.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Her Umbreon is a Dark type, which is Evil type in Japan. She also used it in contests.
* GoodParents: A loving and supportive mother who wholeheartedly encourages Dawn to pursue her dream of becoming a Contest champion.
* PimpedOutDress: Like Dawn, she's an experienced Coordinator and has a few of those on hand for Contests. Her green standby has OperaGloves and a CoolCrown.
* RetiredBadass: DP's first episode showcases an entire wall of Contest trophies in her house.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: She created Dawn's Grand Festival ballgown and Buneary's vest. Possibly justified by a later episode that shows her to be friends with Lila, a fashion designer.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: It appears to be a family trait. Like mother, like daughter, right?
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Reggie (Reiji)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Reggie_8291.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TetsuyaKakihara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Edson Matus (season 11 and 13), Javier Olguín (season 12).
Paul's older brother and a Pokémon breeder.
----
* BrokenAce: Defeated by the Pyramid King Brandon, but quickly recovered unlike his brother.
* ChekhovsGun: in "''Lost Leader Strategy''", Reggie's revealed to have completed the badges in each of the four regions. He also has the Symbols from the Battle Frontier, but there's one missing, which means a lot more when Paul's backstory is elaborated further.
* CommonalityConnection: Inverted with Ash. The main reason Paul hates Ash is because all that talk about bring out a Pokemon's inner strength reminds Paul of Reggie, whose loss to Brandon had profound psychological consequences on Paul. They share another point of connection between them in that Reggie has earned all the same badges and Frontier Symbols Ash had before quitting.
* CoolBigBro: Even if Paul's not the easiest to get along with, he looks after his Pokémon for him and encourages him as best he can.
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Subverted. Paul respects Reggie enough to leave his Pokémon with the latter. However, Paul sees Reggie’s "kindness to his Pokemon" part of his training style as a disappointment. While he does not hold a grudge against Reggie for it, it is the reason for Paul's animosity towards Ash.
* {{Foil}}: To Paul, being much happier, kinder and more generous to Pokemon than his cold and grumpy little brother.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: He's a Pokémon Breeder with an unusual talent for raising them. He's so good that even Paul trusts him to raise his own.
* MasterOfNone: When he lost to Brandon, the Pyramid King stated this was the main reason he lost. Reggie may have had a lot of achievements, but he hasn't developed a special form of battle strategy to give him any real strengths to deal with the elite trainers.
* MoralDissonance: He's quite aware of Paul's [[TrainingFromHell training methods]], but doesn't even lift a finger to discipline his brother or teach him the error of his ways. Some depth is revealed when Maylene relates her [[BreakTheCutie ego-crushing encounter with Paul]] to Ash, he admits Paul's always had a cruel streak. It could be that he's tried to curb this side of him, but failed. This is TruthInTelevision - stubborn people like Paul often can't be convinced that they are wrong, especially not with just words.
* MoralityPet: To Paul. Reggie is the only person Paul is even kind of friendly with, despite Paul viewing Reggie as a disappointment. Their conversations also reveal a softer side of Paul, showing that he really does depend on his big brother's support.
* NiceGuy: He's much kinder and more pleasant than his little brother.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. A character of the day from ''Best Wishes'' has the same Japanese, but not English, name as him.
* RealMenWearPink: He wears a pink shirt.
* RetiredBadass: Four complete sets of 8 Gym Badges, and six of the Kanto Frontier Brain Symbols (the only one he doesn't have is Brandon's). His defeat to Brandon is the reason he's given up taking League challenges, something his younger brother Paul is not happy about.
* SiblingYinYang: He's the exact opposite of Paul. He's a nice guy who trains hard, values friendship, and succeeds in his goals and ambitions. Paul is a {{Jerkass}} of the highest calibur who thinks friendship is a [[UnusualEuphemism load of Tauros]]. All because his older brother is the successful one.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has the same downward-slanted eyes as Paul and a similar shade of purple hair, though his is a darker color.
* ThemeNaming: In Japanese, Reiji contains ''rei,'' meaning "courtesy" or "propriety", while his little brother's name, Shinji, contains ''shin,'' "trust" or "confidence".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Looker (Handsome)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/looker_badge.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MasakiTerasoma\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JasonGriffith\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Emmanuel Bernal
A detective with the International Police who is investigating Team Galactic. He will also appear against Team Plasma in ''Best Wishes''.
----
* AdaptedOut: His Croagunk from the games and ''Anime/PokemonGenerations'' is nowhere to be found in the main anime series.
* BadassLongcoat: The kind of trenchcoat you'd expect from a G-man.
* BadassNormal: Unlike the games, he doesn't have any Pokémon to help in his assignments. He's extremely competent despite this. Case in point, he manages to get a hold of and subdue [[MookLieutenant Aldith]], and keep her in place with a pipe until Colress arrived and took over the Golurks. Impressive!
* TheBusCameBack: Returns in ''Black and White 2: Episode N'' to investigate Team Plasma, possibly to reflect his appearance in the games.
* MasterOfDisguise: It's surprising he doesn't give off any clues it is him until he reveals himself.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: When we first meet him, he comes off as a bit quirky due to having bought too many lunches on the train (the fact he gave some to Team Rocket [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe explains why they're loyal to him later]]). At the end of that episode, we find out he's investigating Team Galactic.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Looker is just a code name. We never do learn what his real name is.
* OddFriendship: Looker and Team Rocket get along pretty damn well despite the former being with the police and the latter being known criminals. Hell, Looker was the one that convinced Team Rocket to help Ash and the others out against Team Plasma.
* PoliceAreUseless: Averted! If anything, he is ''more'' useful than most Officer Jennies we've seen.
* TheWorfEffect: He is captured during the climax of both the Team Galactic and the Team Plasma arc.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhonda (Yuka)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHiyamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/SarahNatochenny (Season 10 up until episode 29), Creator/RhondaKrempa (rest of Season 10 to episode 155 of Season 13), Creator/BellaHudson (rest of Season 13)
The hostess of the news channel ''Sinnoh Now!''
----
* ButtMonkey: Almost all of her major appearances has some kind of misfortune happening to her, whether it's constantly getting smacked on the head with a boom mic or missing out on a chance to cover an exciting story. Poor woman can't catch a break.
* TheCameo: Has a small appearance in the credits of ''Zoroark: Master of Illusions'' on the TV Johanna is watching.
* IntrepidReporter: If Rhonda's not broadcasting news in the studio, she’s usually out trying to cover whatever kind of event that's currently going on. However, due to outside forces and the incompetence of her film crew, her success rate is kinda 50/50.
* IsThisThingStillOn: Whenever she's broadcasting live and starts berating her boom operator, it's always caught on camera, with an embarrassed Rhonda trying to continue her story and trying to pretend it didn't happen.
* MsExposition: Is usually the one that delivers information to viewers about current events happening in the Sinnoh region.
* RunningGag: She's almost always getting smacked on the head with the boom mic held by her incompetent boom operator, with her always threatening to get said operator demoted to the mail room.
* ThrowTheDogABone: Her final appearance in the anime has her able to successfully perform interviews with the Sinnoh Grand Festival participants without anything bad happening, not even a single incident caused by her film crew or her boom operator.
[[/folder]]
!Rivals
[[folder:In General]]
* TheCameo: They appear among the other recurring ''Diamond & Pearl'' characters in the ending credits of ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions.''
* GenderEqualEnsemble: Specifically, Dawn's rivals; two are male and two are female.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This series introduced eight recurring rivals with a total of 60 Pokémon between them. Because of this, some had a lot less screentime than others, which may be the reason for future series cutting down on the number of rivals.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: Due to their varying personalities.
** Nice--Zoey (TheMentor), Nando (NiceGuy), Barry (GenkiBoy)
** Mean--Paul (GrumpyBear), Ursula (AlphaBitch)
** In-between--Kenny (JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]LovingBully), Conway (StalkerWithACrush), Tobias (DarkIsNotEvil)
* PromotedToOpeningTitles: Paul in Season 10, Zoey in Season 11, Barry in Season 12 (theme version 1), Kenny in Season 12 (theme version 2), Tobias, Nando, Conway, and Ursula in Season 13.
* TheRival: Each of these characters is competing with either Ash, for Gym Badges, or Dawn, for Ribbons. Nando is doing both.
* TwoGirlsToATeam: If this gang of rivals can be considered a "team", Zoey and Ursula are the only female rivals in this series.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul (Shinji)]]
[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Anime_Paul_5006.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Julian Rebolledo\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gerardo García (seasons 10, 11 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz, Eduardo Ramírez and Ricardo Bautista (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alessandro Bevilacqua (1st voice), Gauthier De Fauconval (2nd voice)
Ash's main rival in the Sinnoh region. Paul only cares about one thing: Becoming the best through sheer technical discipline. He only goes after Pokémon who have the best moves and abandons those who fail him, which is how Ash acquired Chimchar. In short, he doesn't care how his Pokémon feel, but only how they perform. Ash doesn't take too kindly to this.
----
* AbusiveParents: Or rather, an abusive trainer. He was this to Chimchar, always verbally (and eventually physically) abusing him, and pushing him way past his limits to get his [[UnstoppableRage Blaze]] ability to activate.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Paul is this to Ash, becoming a formidable wall he must overcome.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He makes no effort to hide how much superior he thinks he is to everyone else. He may mostly be an overconfident {{Jerkass}}, but there's no denying that he's a good battler.
* AwesomeByAnalysis:
** Paul was able to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] Ash in a full battle by building his team specifically to counter Ash's Sinnoh Pokémon.
** During the Sinnoh League, [[spoiler:he has his Pokémon use the Counter-Shield technique that Ash developed]].
* BadBoss: Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon kindly and puts them into a harsh training regiment without caring much about their well-being as long as they can bring out results. Particularly Chimchar is put under a lot of abuse, since Blaze can only be activated once Chimchar's stamina is at its limit. The rest of his Pokémon like him, though we only find out at the very end of the series.
* BadassBoast: "The challenge you always present to Trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do. But I'm not like my brother! My will gives me strength! And now, you'll see it firsthand!" Subverted when he immediately gets crushed in the ensuing battle by Brandon.
* TheBadGuyWins: While not exactly a villain, Paul is Ash's most antagonistic rival by far, and he beats Ash in the majority of their battles.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: His cruel treatment of his Pokémon is what makes him so despicable. It really says something about him that even the ruder rivals, most notably Harley, Ursula, and Burgundy, [[PetTheDog show more caring toward their Pokémon]] than he does to his own.
* BatmanGambit: Pulls off several at Lake Acuity.
** He purposely allows his Torterra to miss its first Frenzy Plant, baiting Ash into using several close-range attacks with Gliscor while Torterra recharges. This allows Paul to trap its tail with Crunch and get off a point-blank hit with Giga Drain, badly damaging Gliscor while healing off most of the damage taken earlier. This is immediately followed up with another Batman Gambit as Ash switches to Staraptor, allowing Paul to nail it with a super effective Stone Edge.
** He sends out his Honchkrow to battle Grotle, knowing that despite the type disadvantage, Ash will likely stay in with Grotle to avenge its loss to Honchkrow [[ContinuityNod earlier in the series]]. He is correct, and Honchkrow defeats Grotle easily.
** He throws Ash off guard by choosing [[PlayingWithFire Magmortar]] and [[BadassNormal Ursaring]] to battle Pikachu, knowing that Ash will take initiative and battle head-on. This turns out to be a ploy to activate their respective abilities in [[StatusAilment Flame Body]] and [[StatusBuff Guts]], while also taking advantage of ''Pikachu's'' natural ability Static, completely overwhelming him.
** He pulls this in their battle in the Pokemon League as well, knowing that Ash's personality would compel him to choose all of the same Pokemon that he used in their battle at Lake Acuity. Paul uses this knowledge to build a team to specifically counter Ash's, and ultimately is able to control the pace of the battle from start to finish. He only loses due to the one thing he didn't predict: Ash's Infernape finally getting control of its [[HeroicSecondWind Blaze ability]].
* BreakTheHaughty: His defeat against Brandon. It triggers his first step towards rethinking his ways.
* BringIt: In the battle between Ash and Paul in the Sinnoh League Tournament. Electivire uses this to get Infernape to stand up, and Paul even calls Infernape pathetic. In the Japanese version, he just tells Infernape to stop disappointing him again and again.
* BrokenAce: He was even more shaken by Reggie's loss to Brandon than Reggie was. His harsh style of training does show good results, but it is driven in part by his crushing disappointment in his brother's methods.
* BrokenPedestal: He lost faith in his older brother's skills after seeing him lose to Brandon and subsequently give up on Pokémon training.
* CatchPhrase:
-->'''Original:''' "[Pokémon], battle standby."\\
'''English Dub:''' "[Pokémon], stand by for battle."
** Another catchphrase of his from the English dub is "pathetic."
* CharacterDevelopment: Paul starts off as arrogant, alienating, and cruel to the core. By the time he finally loses to Ash at the Pokémon League, he is significantly kinder. He briefly admits that Barry put up a good battle after defeating him, and thanks his Electivire for trying his best after losing to Infernape. He's still distant and stoic, but he's come a long way.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: He was more visibly sinister and prone to [[PsychoticSmirk psychotic smirks]] in his first appearance, but from his second and onward he was more [[TheStoic stoic]] in his jerkassery.
* CombatPragmatist: In the earlier episodes of the Sinnoh saga, this boy was not above commanding his Pokémon to attack Team Rocket while they were reciting their motto. He even managed to capture a Gliscor by having his Electabuzz and Weavile blast it while Ash and co. were trying to negotiate with it.
* TheComicallySerious: He can be this when he's put in situations in which Ash and co are goofing off.
* CrazyPrepared: Particularly against Ash in the late stages of their rivalry.
** He teaches his Torterra Stone Edge to deal with the Fire- and Flying-types on Ash's Sinnoh team, and furthermore teaches it to [[HomingProjectile change the direction]] of the stones to prevent more agile Pokemon from dodging it.
** He temporarily teaches his Electabuzz Light Screen to serve a more supportive role. With the extra defensive buff, Paul's MightyGlacier Torterra because exceedingly hard to touch, as special attacks are halved in power while physical attacks are stopped cold with Stone Edge.
** In the Sinnoh League, Paul has his Gastrodon use the [[SpinToDeflectStuff Counter Shield]] technique [[VariantPowerCopying coined by Ash]], creating a large vortex of Muddy Water that makes it difficult to get in close. Ash sees a weak spot close to the ground and has Staraptor go after it, but Paul sees this coming and is able to trap it with Body Slam. Ash manages to escape Body Slam by banging the ground with Close Combat, but Paul is ''[[UpToEleven still]]'' prepared for that and nails it with Ice Beam as it escapes.
* CurbStompBattle:
** He got on the ''receiving'' side of it when he challenged Cynthia, whose Garchomp single-handedly defeated four of his Pokémon without breaking a sweat.
** He lost again against Frontier Brain Brandon without defeating a single one of his Pokémon, which led to his breakdown.
** His battle with Ash by Lake Acuity was heavily dominated by Paul. While Ash delivered a good match, Paul only lost two of six Pokémon, while Ash lost completely, half of his team being beaten by Paul's Ursaring alone.
* DeadpanSnarker: Paul also had some more snarky and cynical moments. He was snarkier in the beginning of the series and becomes outright hateful later on, despite being and looking way more mature than the other characters.
* DeathGlare: His default expression. He gives this to a lot of people he is annoyed with.
* {{Deconstruction}}:
** His whole character is one of [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
** He also serves as a deconstruction toward Ash's reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship and the IndyPloy. Almost every time Ash tries to prove to Paul that a strong bond can overcome any matchup, he gets shown up ''hard''. Ash has to significantly up his game and battle far more strategically to finally defeat him.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Downplayed. In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry. They're not exactly friends on account of the immense personality clash, but they've come a long way from the borderline [[ArchEnemy arch-enemies]] they were at first.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: After a long, grueling battle during the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash finally brings him down...and then Tobias comes in.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Acts like a huge {{Jerkass}} to ''everyone'' just because his older brother failed to live up to the expectations Paul had of him.
* EnemyMine: He's paired up with Ash in the Tag Battle tournament.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** While he dislikes Ash and friends, his last appearance before the Sinnoh League, where he has Electabuzz use Protect to shield them from the falling debris of a Team Rocket mecha, shows that his dislike doesn't extend to outright ''murderous'' levels.
** Notably, he always uses a surprisingly-calm tone when speaking to Dawn, and he (somewhat) rationally and calmly explains his hatred of Ash to her before the Sinnoh League. The shippers took this and ran with it, thus giving birth to Ikarishipping (named due to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Paul's Japanese name]]).
** While Paul is a SoreLoser only interested in winning, even he hates Volkner for just giving out badges without a battle.
* EvilCounterpart: TheStoic, SocialDarwinist to contrast Ash's [[{{Keet}} expressive]], AllLovingHero. He's meant to represent what Ash would be if he only cared about his Pokémon's strength, and not them as individuals.
* {{Expy}}: Of Silver from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver GSC/HGSS]]'', given that he's a {{Jerkass}} rival to the main character who only cares about his Pokémon's power rather than connecting to them. They even have similar outfits and hair styles.
* FlatWhat: Expresses shock and disbelief when he finds out Ash defeated the leader of the Frontier Brains, Brandon.
* {{Foil}}: To Ash. Both are seasoned trainers who aim ToBeAMaster, but their philosophies are completely different. Whereas Ash succeeds through teamwork and love, Paul thrives on cold calculations and sheer power. Ash first wins his Pokémon's hearts, then improves their skills. Paul does not bother with bonding and gets straight to intense training.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: He once forgot who Dawn was, despite having met her twice before. [[DemonHead To say Dawn reacted poorly would be an understatement.]]
* FreudianExcuse: Paul resents his brother Reggie for giving up his dreams after a single loss and vows to never be like him (as a matter of fact, it's also why he hates Ash so much -- Ash talks about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength much like Reggie has). He patches things up with his brother eventually.
* GoodTamingEvilTaming: In contrast to Ash, Paul is cold (if not [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals abusive]]) to his own Pokémon. He captures them, using his [=PokéDex=] to measure their strengths and skill sets and either releasing them or giving them to somebody else if they fail to meet his expectations. He has even stated that developing an attachment to his Pokémon would make them weak. He becomes less so as the series progresses, but that does not stop him from being a dick.
* GrumpyBear: Paul's usual expression is anger and being in a bad mood. Despite not showing too many other emotions, grumpiness for Paul seems to be his second most well known trait.
* HeyYou: Barely acknowledges Ash by name, particularly in the Japanese version.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Beaten by his own former Pokémon, Chimchar, that he had mistreated. It personally took out half of his team.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Despite saying that when a Pokémon loses, it's the trainer's fault for not training it correctly, he blames his own Pokémon, especially Chimchar, for their losses.
** In the finals of the Tag Team Tournament, he maintains his belief that Chimchar and Ash are weak since Heracross was still briefly standing despite being hit point blank by a Flanethrower, and that it only fainted because Buizel collided with it when hit by Electabuzz's Thunder. While accurate, the exact same thing would apply for Paul and Electabuzz as Buizel was briefly still standing despite being hit point blank by a move it was weak too as well.
** He criticized Ash for using Grotle in [[AnIcePerson Candice's]] gym. This is coming from the guy who used Chimchar against [[DishingOutDirt Roark]].
* HypocriteHasAPoint: While Paul was a hypocrite for criticizing Ash for him using Pokémon that have type disadvantages to their opponents, Paul is still correct.
* IWasJustPassingThrough: Despite his disdain for Ash, he actually stuck around to watch his gym battle with Roark, if only in hopes of seeing him lose.
* IgnoredEpiphany: After being on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle against Cynthia, she told that he must care more by his Pokémon, but he refuses to take it to heart.
* IneffectualLoner: He does not like socializing with others, instead focusing all of his energy on getting stronger. Even so, he has yet to become a Pokémon Master or defeat Brandon.
* {{Irony}}: A fountain of it. Tried to activate a DesperationAttack, faces both Barry and Ash using one. His backstory involves his brother losing to Brandon and his Regi's, with himself losing in time as well. Chimchar's evolution Infernape can counter all three.
* JackOfAllStats: In keeping with his skill as a Trainer, he uses a well-balanced team of many different types.
* {{Jerkass}}: Paul's main characteristic. He's a cantankerous dick who abuses and releases his Pokémon who fail to reach up to his expectations. Even after CharacterDevelopment, he becomes only slightly less of a jerk, and does not become a good person until his final speaking appearance.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** When he meets Ash at the Sinnoh League, Ash claims he'll be giving it all he's got in their battle. Paul states that ''everyone'' participating has gotten all 8 badges too, so going all out against him and the other trainers Ash is battling amounts next to nothing. Even Ash admitted that Paul was right.
** When Ash praises Staravia during the Tag Team Tournament after Paul's Torterra defeats Brock and Holly, Paul sarcastically asks Ash if they even did anything. While rude to say, it's not inaccurate as Torterra single handedly defeated both of their opponents.
** In one episode, he criticized Ash for using his Grotle, a grass type Pokémon against an ice type in his gym battle against Candace. Considering the type advantage, Paul's complaint wasn't without merit.
** Barry keeps praising Sunyshore gym as one of the best which Paul criticizes as undeserving. It's later reveal the Sunyshore Gym leader gave badges without any challenge of any sort. Ash effectively agrees with Paul by demanding a proper battle.
** During the Sinnoh League episodes, he also tells Barry that overestimating his abilities will only backfire on him. Paul is proven right when Barry gets curb-stomped HARD by Paul.
** He justifies giving away his Azumarill claiming it was dead weight. Seeing as his Azumarill lost to a Geodude despite not only having a type advantage, but hitting it with ''Hydro Pump'', his analysis might've been fair.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite having very limited redeeming traits as a person, Paul eventually does have a lighter side to him. He shows it especially later in the Diamond and Pearl Series.
* KnightOfCerebus: Prior to Paul, many of the jerk trainers Ash had defeated in the past were swiftly beaten down. Paul is the first he's crossed who is highly competent. Also, despite his high standards and brutal training, one cannot deny that it has achieved results. Both his Ursaring and his Drapion flattened half of Ash's team in different battles.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Surrenders to Cynthia upon realizing that he just isn't capable of beating her.
* LackOfEmpathy: When he releases Pokémon, they look visibly upset and sad. Paul doesn't bat an eye.
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** Him getting curb stomped by Brandon in one episode counts.
** Ash is ultimately able to defeat him using Infernape, the Pokémon Paul released for supposedly being weak. To make it even better, Infernape defeats his Electivire by using its ability of Blaze, which Paul tried and failed to get it to master.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: His "match" with Barry in the Pokemon League ends with all three of Barry's Pokemon getting trounced badly while Paul doesn't lose a single one. Paul also treates Marlene to one in their battle. It mostly happens offscreen, but the battle was so one-sideded that Marlene briefly considers retiring for good.
* NeverMyFault: Combined with hypocrisy. Paul stated that when someone loses a battle, it’s the trainer’s fault. Then when ''he'' were to ever lose, he would blame his Pokémon for supposedly being weak or find another way to take the blame off of himself. When he sends out Chimchar against Cynthia's Garchomp and it gets knocked out without landing a scratch, being an unevolved Pokémon with a type disadvantage, he simply recalls it and says to it, "You ought to be ashamed."
* NoSell: Ash's out-of-the-box strategies that generally give him the edge in battles barely works on Paul if ever fazes him. In their second battle, one of Ash's old tricks, using a "dig" attack's hole against the user, backfires ''hard'' on him when Paul counters the strategy. Even the counter shield, Ash's signature strategy in Sinnoh, not only barely gave him some advantage, but Paul learned it and used it against Ash in the league. Soon after, he flat out copied Ash and Infernape's tactics to rid off toxic spikes, using it to stop Ash's Gliscor.
* NotSoStoic: During his battle with Brandon. Also shows annoyance whenever he sees Ash.
** When Ash asked him if he wanted to watch his battle with Roark, Paul actually ''[[HaHaHaNo laughs.]]''
* ThePerfectionist: He has incredibly high standards for his Pokémon, to the point where he'll abandon those who don't live up to his expectations.
* PerpetualFrowner: He's almost always scowling.
* PetTheDog:
** Despite his harsh treatment towards Chimchar, he and Ursaring save him when Team Rocket attempts to steal him from Paul.
** After he [[spoiler:defeats Barry in the Sinnoh League, he commends him for the effort he put up instead of putting him down. This is a massive change from how he treated others who lost to him]].
** He actually thanks and commends his [[spoiler:Electivire]] for a well-fought battle instead of scolding it after its loss to Infernape.
* PsychoticSmirk: Early on, he smirks when he knows he has the upper hand. The first sign Paul is not a goody two-shoes like Ash.
* RedOniBlueOni: The callous blue to Ash's warmhearted red of the "Diamond and Pearl" series.
* TheRival: Ash's primary rival in Sinnoh and whom Ash held the most bitter rivalry with in the entire series by far. Their differing ideologies on raising Pokémon was the source of most of their antagonistic relationship, which escalated further after Paul released his Chimchar.
* RunningGag: A minor one, but twice he was in the midst of capturing a Pokémon, only to be interrupted by Ash & friends, allowing the Pokémon to escape. The first time it was a Fearow, the second it was a Drapion.
* SiblingYinYang: His older brother Reggie is kind and cheerful, and treats his Pokémon very well.
* SingleIssueWonk: Paul is obsessed with one thing and one thing only--becoming the strongest Pokémon trainer by putting his team through TrainingFromHell. Nothing else matters to him.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Only the best can be a part of his team. The rest get released.
* SoreLoser:
** Sometimes when he loses, he would blame his Pokémon for everything.
** Averted in the last few episodes of Diamond & Pearl. [[GracefulLoser Much to the shock of fans, he takes his loss against Ash in the League rather well, complemented with Paul complimenting his Electivire for a well-fought battle]].
* StrongAndSkilled: Despite his obsession with strength, Paul is arguably the most strategic battler ever shown in the anime. He thoroughly researches his opponents and employs strategies to target their physical and psychological weaknesses, and unlike most of Ash's opponents, he can quickly adapt to Ash's {{Outside The Box Tactic}}s as he's roughly just as experienced as Ash. It's most on display in his full battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, where Paul pulls off numerous {{Batman Gambit}}s to put Ash in a virtually unwinnable situation. Later on in the Sinnoh League, he purposely sets up two of his Pokemon as {{Sacrificial Lamb}}s in order to lower Ash's guard, only to reveal he was in control the whole time.
* TheStoic: He rarely shows emotion bar occasional bouts of frustration.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The Technician to Ash's Performer. Paul is obsessively focused on catching the best Pokemon from a purely technical perspective, subjects them to spartan training conditions, and relies on carefully thought-out strategies to win. Ash prefers to bring out the potential of any Pokemon he captures, treats them as equal partners, and improvises heavily in battles. In a more literal sense, Paul ridiculs Ash's interest in Pokeon Contests, thinking it's a waste of time for any serious battler.
* TookALevelInKindness: Incredibly slowly, but it seems like he finally starts to understand his errors by the end.
* ToughLove: For all his faults, Paul is not incapable of treating his Pokémon decently - they are seen relaxing in [=DP100=], and Paul arranged for Torterra to be groomed. While he would probably bite off his tongue before he admitted to being affectionate, the small number of Pokémon he ''does'' keep in his team seem well-treated overall (Chimchar is ''noted'' to be an exceptional case), and their reaction to hearing about his loss in the Sinnoh League indicates that they are, in fact, loyal to him. Torterra appears to be the most loyal to him as well as receiving the most respect from Paul (most likely due to being his starter) because in one episode Torterra went to help Ash's Grotle out of empathy but when Paul discovered what happened, Torterra received no punishment suggesting that Torterra acts as an HonestAdvisor to Paul because he (alongside Paul) witnessed Reggie's defeat at the Battle Pyramid, which in turn caused both of them to form Paul's ideology so that he doesn't follow in Reggie's footsteps.
* TrainingFromHell: Expects nothing but the best from his Pokémon. Any lower and they are released back into the wild. Chimchar got the worst of it, due to Paul's desire to harness the immense power of its Blaze ability.
* TsurimeEyes: He has very sharply shaped eyes, showing that he is not a friendly fellow.
* TheUnfettered: A [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior chillingly accurate portrayal]] for a kid's show. While he is not incapable of showing respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, he is a ruthless and cruel Trainer who [[TrainingFromHell trains his Pokémon harshly]], [[TheSocialDarwinist treats weak Pokémon and even other Trainers with utter contempt]] (like Maylene) and has released or given away no less than six Pokémon on screen for [[YouHaveFailedMe poor performance in battle]] and feels no remorse for his actions, seeing his actions as the only way to make an efficient team. He also [[TheStoic shows little to no emotions]] apart from his ever present scowl (and occasionally a [[PsychoticSmirk condescending smirk]], usually for Ash), is quick and firm in his choices, sees nothing morally wrong in his abuse of both people and Pokémon, and has no qualms about using borderline illegal moves in battle (Elekid using Brick Break on Cranidos' leg, Torterra biting Gliscor's tail, and pretty much every move by [[BearsAreBadNews Ursaring]]), and is by far one of Ash's most powerful rivals, serving almost as a living antithesis to his entire philosophy on Pokémon. Unlike his other rivals Gary and Trip, who were simply at odds with Ash, Paul is a full-blown antagonist.
* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: After beating Gym Leader Maylene and getting the Cobble Badge, he proceeds to insult her:
-->''"You're weakest Leader I've ever fought, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and this lightweight Badge is just like you]]."''
* UsedToBeASweetKid: In Reggie's flashback before Paul starts his battle against Brandon, Paul traveled from Sinnoh to Kanto after receiving his Turtwig because he wanted to see his brother win his final Battle Frontier Symbol. Paul and Turtwig were shown to have notably pleasant dispositions prior to [[BrokenPedestal witnessing Reggie's loss]] and watch Brandon call him out on his lack of true inner strength, though how different Paul is now compared to back then is still debatable.
* VocalDissonance: To a degree. His voice makes him sound ''way'' older than he really is [[note]] it's never said exactly how old he is, but he's likely a young teenager at most[[/note]].
* TheWorfEffect: Brandon effortlessly defeats Paul in a full battle, with the latter failing to knock out any of his opponent's Pokémon, which goes to show that Brandon's status as a Frontier Brain isn't just for show. At the same time, however, Paul's inability to maintain his composure also contributed to his loss.
* WorthyOpponent:
** Paul shows the proper respect to the likes of Roark, Cynthia, and any other trainer whose power he acknowledges. The only exception is Brandon, who Paul greatly resents.
** For most of their rivalry, Paul barely regards Ash at all, treating him more as an annoyance than a true rival. However, this changes after their battle in the Pokemon League, due to Ash doing what Paul couldn't: bringing out Infernape's latent potential.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Releases Pokémon which he perceives as being weak or useless without a second thought, which is how Ash came across Chimchar. Paul only kept Chimchar around hoping to utilize its ability Blaze. When Chimchar was unable to summon it exactly when Paul wanted it, Paul released Chimchar. However, Paul does try to utilize their potential as much as possible, and if it still doesn't work out, then goodbye.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul's Pokémon]]
Throughout Paul's several journeys, he has caught a large number of Pokémon, many of them being based on power, but he does use Pokémon who have more tricks in their pockets than just pure strength. While the majority of them are {{Jerkass}}es, they do like him as a trainer.
----
* AmbiguousGender: With the exception of Froslass and Nidoking, who can only be one gender, none of their genders are known. Although, given their personalities, it can assumed that most of them tend to be male.
* CurbStompBattle: 10 of his Pokémon are victims of this trope, being easily defeated by Champion Cynthia's Garchomp and Pyramid King Brandon's Regi Trio.
* HighTurnoverRate: Paul's tendency to boot party members that don't live up to his standards means that he's released more Pokémon than most side characters have even owned. Even aside from those, he fields a ''ton'' of different Pokémon over various battles, to the point that he almost never uses the same team twice.
* {{Jerkass}}: Most of them are nasty in nature and aren't very nice to others, even among themselves. They are a few exceptions, though.
* LightningBruiser: Paul definitely favors these, with Electivire, Ursaring, Honchkrow, and Drapion being both extremely strong and fast enough to deal with more agile opponents.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Like Gary, Paul is one of the few rival characters to have such a high number of Pokémon, which often leads to many of them being under developed as characters. And the series does show Paul constantly capturing new ones.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In the opening ''Together'' and its remix, Paul's team gets updated from time to time, starting from [=DP041=] onwards, even though Ursaring has been caught since [=DP006=].
* YouHaveFailedMe: Those who don't manage to live up to Paul's high standards, they are released. Those who do have great potential, but aren't able to use it, are released when Paul has enough of them.
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!!Elekid-->Electabuzz-->Electivire (Elekid-->Eleboo-->Elekible)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_electivire.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
The first Pokémon shown alongside Paul as well as his most prominent one. It is the Pokémon who represents his trainer the most: a total {{Jerkass}}, but extremely capable in battle. Elekid was present when Chimchar joined Paul and since the latter was released, they have developed a rivalry with each other, witnessing each other evolving at least once.
----
* EleventhHourSuperpower: During the finale of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, Elekid evolves into Electabuzz, which gives it enough power to win alongside with Ash's Chimchar against Dawn's Buizel and Conway's Heracross.
* BarrierWarrior: Since its introduction, it is shown to know Protect, a move that protects it from any move. It also uses Light Screen during the Lake Acuity battle to support Paul's team, halving the damage inflicted on Paul's Pokémon for a short amount of time.
* BloodKnight: It becomes quite enthusiastic when in battle, and during the Sinnoh League tournament, [[BringIt it taunts Ash's Infernape to get back up and keep battling]].
* BringIt: Electivire taunts its rival, Infernape, to get back up when the latter is down and about to be declared as knocked out.
* DoubleKnockOut: During their first battle, Elekid and Pikachu end up knocking each other out, which also ends the match in a draw. While Ash admits defeat since Pikachu fell down first, Paul does acknowledge it as a draw.
* TheDragon: As Paul's most prominent Pokémon, it serves this role for most of the series, being one of Paul's most capable and reliable Pokémon, and during the league, it is the last Pokémon on Paul's side.
* ElementalPunch: It knows Thunder Punch since its debut, a move that covers its fist in electricity. It's Fighting-type move Brick Break is portayed in a similar manner, as its arm gets covered in electric sparks, making it some kind of a sparking chop.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Like Gastrodon, Paul taught Electivire how to use Counter Shield. By spinning its Thunder, it can defend itself from the opponent while attacking.
* JackOfAllTrades: It is living proof that Paul is a competent trainer. Elekid/Electabuzz/Electivire can be used as a straight up battler with defensive moves or as a supporting member with offensive capabilities.
* {{Jerkass}}: The most prominent example of Paul's Pokémon. It outright antagonizes Ash's Pokémon for no reason other than for its own amusement. Even when Paul is not present.
* LightningBruiser: Electivire is shown to be one of Paul's more powerful and tougher Pokémon, and if its Motor Drive ability kicks in, its speed increases massively.
* NoSell: Electivire's ability is Motor Drive, which makes it immune to Electric-type moves and instead increases its speed immensely.
* PrehensileTail: Electivire can capture its opponent with its tails, which allows it to perform a point blank Thunder.
* PsychoElectro: Electivire is just as much of a {{Jerkass}} as Paul is; in its debut, it shocked Pikachu without provocation and laughed about it, and it often taunts its opponents (particularly Ash's Infernape).
* TheRival: To Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape. They are introduced in the same episode and Elekid was already a jerk to Chimchar when he was still with Paul. They have become rivals once Chimchar was released and joined Ash's team. Chimchar witnesses Elekid's evolution, while Electabuzz witnesses Monferno's evolution. During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz briefly fights Chimchar and is later switched back on the field to see that he has suddenly evolved into Monferno, which fires Electabuzz up. The climax of their rivalry is during the Lily of the Valley Conference where both of them are the final Pokémon of their respective sides.
* ShockAndAwe: It is Paul's only known Electric-type Pokémon, and since its debut it knows Thunder and Thunder Punch.
* StatusAilment: Elekid's ability is Static, which can paralyze the opponent when it makes contact with Elekid. The ability has been changed to Motor Drive once it became Electivire.
* SupportPartyMember: During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz's main role is activating Light Screen to half the damage inflicted on Paul's team. It still is capable of battling the opponent by its own, though, but it doesn't get to fight for long until its fight with its rival, Monferno.
* TheWorfEffect: Like all of Paul's Pokémon used against Pyramid King Brandon, the reliable Electabuzz is quickly defeated, showing how powerful Bradon's Pokémon are.
* WorthyOpponent: It is generally excited to battle Pikachu and Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape who are very strong opponents.
!!Starly (3x) (Mukkuru)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_first_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's first two Starly]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's third Starly]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
During Paul's debut, he catches three Starly at once, but releases two of them right away once he checked their movesets. The third one is used against Ash's newly captured Starly, but despite its victory, Paul releases it as well.
----
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Two of the Starly were released right away after capturing, since they only knew Tackle and Sand-Attack, while the third at least knew Aerial Ace and Double Team. However, it didn't live up to Paul's standard and he could find a better Starly anyway.
* SacrificialLamb: Non-lethal example. They are released as soon as they are captured to demonstrate what kind of a trainer Paul is.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: All three are released before we knew anything about them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The third Starly that has the luck to stay with Paul and manages to defeat Ash's Starly does not live up to Paul's standards and is released after the battle as well.
!!Chimchar (Hikozaru)
A Pokémon that caught Paul's interest due to its abnormally powerful Blaze ability. After many failed attempts to draw out his potential, Paul's releases him after he failed him too many times. For more information see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Stantler (Odishishi)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_stantler.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
Another Pokémon caught and released right away.
----
* WeHardlyKnewYe: It is only shown being captured and released.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Another extreme example, since it was released immediately after its capture, just because it only knew Tackle.
!!Ursaring (Ringuma)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ursaring.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
Ursaring is captured by Paul when it was chasing after Ash's group. Thanks to its immense brute strength, it has remained as one of Paul's most competent battlers.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Using its claws, it shreds its opponents with its Normal-type move Slash.
* BadassNormal: Ursaring is a Normal-type Pokémon and one of Paul's strongest battlers, having defeated half of Ash's team during the Lake Acuity battle.
* BattleAura: When its Guts kicks in, it is covered in a red aura to show its activation.
* BareFistedMonk: Ursaring knows the powerful fighting type move Hammer Arm. It's usually powerful enough to end battles in one hit, but against Brandon's Regi Trio, even the type advantage isn't enough.
* BearsAreBadNews: Ursaring is a bear and it is always aggressive and angry since its debut.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyber Beam from its mouth.
* TheBrute: Ursaring is an absolute powerhouse and manages to defeat three of Ash's Pokémon during the Lake Acuity battle.
* ButtMonkey: Ursaring has the tendency to lose against Chimchar everytime they battle.
* EnergyWeapon: It used to know Hyper Beam, a powerful beam attack fired from its mouth.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When its Guts kicks in, its eyes glow in crimson red to show of how dangerous it is now.
* HotBlooded: Of the angry kind. Ursaring is rarely calm at all and is always angry for no particular reason. It also has the Guts ability to match its personality, which makes it even stronger, angrier and more hot-blooded once it suffers from status changes.
* KamehameHadouken: It knows the move Focus Blast. It concentrates its energy into a powerful energy ball and throws it at the opponent.
* MadeOfIron: During its battle against Barry's Hitmonlee, it gets hits by many Fighting-type moves and is even burned by Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick. Not only does Ursaring not lose, it completely defeats Hitmonlee thanks to its Guts. And during the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, Ursaring took the most hits before being taken down.
* OneManArmy: Ursaring takes down half of Ash's team during their Lake Acuity battle.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Its eyes burn red when Guts is activated, which makes its already angry look even scarier.
* StatusBuff:
** It knows Bulk Up, a move that increases its attack and defensive power.
** Guts is an ability that kicks in when Ursaring is inflicted with a status change, which doubles its power.
* TurnRed: When it suffers from status changes, Ursaring's Guts kicks in which doubles its attack power.
* UnstoppableRage: It is already extremely angry from the get-go, but whenever its Guts ability kicks in, it gains [[RedEyesTakeWarning burning crimson eyes]] and [[BattleAura a visible aura]] that scream "be even more careful".
* TheWorfEffect: During the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, the very powerful Ursaring cannot take on Brandon's Regice and in the end, it is quickly finished off by Regirock while being paralyzed from Regice's Zap Cannon.
!!Azumarill (Marilli)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_azumarill.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers
A Water-type Pokémon that was caught by Paul for the Gym Battle against the Rock-type specialist Roark. However, it easily loses to Roark's Geodude, prompting Paul to give it away to a young boy after the match ended.
----
* BunniesForCuteness: Azumarill looks like an adorable egg-shaped bunny, but that is not the reason why Paul caught it, so no bonus points for being cute.
* {{Irony}}: Because of its type, Azumarill is used during the Rock-type Gym Battle to give Paul an advantage. Not only does it fail miserably, Paul wins the Gym Battle by using two Pokémon who have type disadvantages against Rock-type and/or Ground-type Pokémon.
* MakingASplash: It is a Water-type Pokémon and that is the whole reason why Paul even caught it. However, its Hydro Pump fails to inflict damage on Roark's Geodude and it gets defeated before it can even use Water Gun.
* WorfBarrage: Hydro Pump is one of the most powerful Water-type moves, but Roark's Geodude easily blocks that with Hidden Power alone.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite its type advantage over Rock-type Pokémon, it loses because Roark is ''that'' much of a skilled trainer, which teaches Paul and Ash to use their head more to overcome Roark's strategy.
* YouHaveFailedMe: After Roark outmaneuvers him, Paul decides that the failure is Azumarill's and foists it onto a little boy while declaring it to be without potential.
!!Murkrow-->Honchkrow (Yamikarasu-->Donkarasu)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_honchkrow.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that has travelled with Paul through several regions, it is a reliable Pokémon that rarely fails him.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Shadow Ball from its mouth.
* CastingAShadow: It is part Dark-type and it knows the Dark-type move Night Slash; its wing glows purple and it strikes the opponent down with it.
* CreepyCrows: Murkrow and Honchkrow are crow-based Pokémon, who also happen to be Dark-type Pokémon. If Paul commands it to attack its own allies, it doesn't hesitate to do so.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Since the first opening of ''Diamond & Pearl'' that started airing in episode [=DP002=], the viewers knew about Paul's Murkrow, but it didn't show up until [=DP040=].
* TheReliableOne: Although it lost to Cynthia's Garchomp and failed to win the [=PokéRinger=] competition against Ash's Staraptor, it hasn't lost any other battle it's participated in.
* TheRival:
** During [=PokéRinger=] competition, Honchkrow serves as the rival to Staravia/Staraptor, due to the rivalry of their respective trainers. They end up competing against each other in the final round.
** It serves as one to Grotle. Turtwig evolves during his battle against Honchkrow, but he loses because of his unexpected loss in mobility. During the Lake Acuity battle, Paul uses Grotle's resentment over Honchkrow to his advantage, preventing Ash from switching Grotle out to defeat it.
* SignatureAttack: Its most powerful move is Sky Attack, which it uses in every battle it is in.
* SoulPower: It knows the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball, firing a dark energy ball from its mouth.
!!Weavile (Manyula)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_weavile.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that journeyed with Paul through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. It tends to lose a lot, yet it hasn't been released yet.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It attacks the opponent with its claws by using the Steel-type move Metal Claw. It is the only close-range move it has.
* BreathWeapon: It breathes Blizzard from its mouth and fires Ice Beam with its mouth as well, making it mainly a LongRangeFighter.
* ButtMonkey: Weavile loses every battle it is in without defeating anyone. It is a miracle that Paul has not released it yet.
* ExtraOreDinary: It knows the Steel-type move Metal Claw, which makes its claws as hard as metal and very sharp.
* GlassCannon: One of the few of Paul's Pokémon to be this, since he prefers brute physical strength as a fighting style.
* AnIcePerson: Weavile is primary an Ice-type Pokémon and is shown to use Blizzard, Ice Beam and Ice Shard. Paul uses it against Pokémon who are weak to Ice-type moves, but it never works for him.
* InformedAbility: It's implied to be one of Paul's strongest Pokemon, since he chose it to battle Cynthia. Its onscreen performance suggests otherwise.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Not explicitly confirmed, but logically, it must be the case. Paul is known to release Pokemon he deems weak; on top of that, Weavile has failed Paul in both of its onscreen battles, and in his first Full Battle against Ash, Weavile was one of only two of Paul's Pokemon to be knocked out (note that the other one, Ursaring, knocked out half of Ash's team before falling, whereas Weavile didn't knock out one). It must be the case that Weavile is doing good things for Paul off-screen if he hasn't released it yet.
* SignatureMove: Its most prominent move is Blizzard, which is often the subject to WorfBarrage.
* StatusBuff: Weavile can sharply increase its attack power with Sword Dance. In the Lake Acuity battle, it doesn't really help, since it loses to Staraptor anyway.
* WorfBarrage: Its Blizzard never defeats anyone and it doesn't seem to deal that much damage either. Which is rather accurate to the games, since Weavile's Special Attack stat is pretty awful.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite Ice-type Pokémon having a huge advantage against Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon like Garchomp, Weavile gets curb-stomped like the others, showing off that Cynthia's Garchomp is beyond the level of ordinary ones. It also loses to Ash's Staraptor, despite its type advantage.
!!Turtwig-->Grotle-->Torterra (Naetle-->Hayashigame-->Dodaitoise)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_torterra.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
Torterra is Paul's first Pokémon, as well as one of his strongest. He got it as his Starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan and it has been travelling with its trainer through four different regions. While it accepts Paul's harsh training regiment, Torterra does have a soft spot for Ash's Grotle.
----
* BigBrotherMentor: In [=DP100=], after witnessing Ash's Turtwig evolving into a Grotle and seeing him struggle with his gained weight and loss in mobility, Torterra sympathizes him, properly because they share the same evolution line, and it teaches Grotle how to battle as a MightyGlacier...by ''almost'' beating the living crap out of Ash's Gliscor. From there on, Ash has to teach Grotle that new battle style by himself.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyper Beam from its mouth as a long range attack.
* CurbStompBattle: Torterra wins the semi-final match of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition singlehandedly with no much difficulty while almost taking its tag partner (Ash's Staravia) out as well.
* DishingOutDirt: Torterra is part Ground-type and it knows the Rock-type move Stone Edge, throwing stone projectiles at the opponent which it can even control.
* {{Foil}}: Acts as a much more experienced one to Ash's Torterra. Paul's Torterra is a very powerful Pokémon that barely loses and is perfectly capable as a MightyGlacier. Ash's Torterra on the other hand, while still a powerful Pokémon, loses every battle it is in once it reaches its final stage (except against Team Rocket) and struggles quite a bit at adapting to battling as a MightyGlacier.
* GreenThumb: It is Paul's only known Grass-type Pokémon and is shown to know the most powerful Grass-type moves, Frenzy Plant and Leaf Storm. It also knows Giga Drain to suck the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Torterra is actually one of Paul's kinder Pokémon, despite the grumpy and jerky image they all represent. It helps Ash's Grotle how to change to a new battle style and how to adapt his MightyGlacier situation, all without Paul's permission. That said, it still is not a NiceGuy.
* LifeDrain: It uses the Grass-type move Giga Drain to drain the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* ManBitesMan: It knows the Dark-type move Crunch, which it uses to trap its opponent with its teeth while damaging them and suck their health with Giga Drain while still biting them.
* MightyGlacier: Torterra barely moves in battles since its too heavy, but thanks to his high endurance, it takes hits from its opponent fairly easily until it is the perfect time to smash them with its powerful strength.
* PetTheDog: Paul once arranged for Torterra to be groomed, and in general it seems to be the only one of his Pokémon that he has even a slight amount of affection for, likely due to it also being his starter.
* TurtlePower: Torterra and his pre-evolved forms are based on the TurtleIsland. As expected from turtles, Torterra is a MightyGlacier.
* WorfBarrage: Its most powerful move, Frenzy Plant, does barely anything to Cynthia's Garchomp, leading to it being open for a counterattack.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being Paul's strongest Pokémon, it gets one-shotted by Cynthia's Garchomp just to show off how ridiculously powerful she is. This even applies retroactively, as Torterra never loses afterwards and wins its battles pretty easily, which makes Garchomp look even more impressive.
!!Ninjask (Tekkanin)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ninjask.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by: Billy Beach
First introduced in a flashback, Ninjask was caught shortly before Chimchar's capture. In the present, it is used during the Lily of the Valley Conference against Ash's Gliscor and Infernape which used to be said Chimchar.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Ninjask is primary a Bug-type Pokémon and its size would freak out many people if it was real. It also knows the Bug-type move Fury Cutter, which becomes stronger with each hit.
* ChekhovMIA: It first appeared in a flashback centred around Chimchar. It finally reappears in a battle against the fully evolved Infernape.
* FlashStep: With Agility, it manages to move so quick, it is nearly impossible to see its movements.
* {{Flight}}: Being part Flying-type Pokémon, Ninjask is capable of flying. It is used in sky battles against other flying opponents like Ash's Gliscor. With its immense speed and the growing power of Fury Cutter, Ninjask is specialized to take the opponent down on the ground and poison them with Drapion's Toxic Spikes.
* FragileSpeedster: Ninjask is extremely fast and is capable of increasing its speed with Agility and Speed Boost, but it's a very frail Pokémon.
* GreenThumb: It knows the Grass-type move Giga Drain, which drains the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When Ninjask uses Giga Drain to heal itself, it has to circle around the opponent, but because of the damage it has taken from Infernape's Flare Blitz, its movements drastically slow down, allowing Infernape to aim for Ninjask and defeat it with Mach Punch.
* LifeDrain: It uses Giga Drain by circling around the opponent to suck out their energy and heal itself with the stolen energy.
* StatusBuff:
** Its ability Speed Boost [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin boosts its speed]] over time.
** The move Agility increases Ninjask speed even further.
* SuperSpeed: While already very fast, it has Speed Boost as its ability which increases its speed over time. It even has Agility to make it even faster, making it to move so fast, it is almost impossible to hit it.
!!Gliscor (Glion)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gliscor.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Marc Thompson
This Gliscor used to be the leader of a flock of Gligar that were flying wild in a city. Before Ash manages to convince it to lead its flock out of the city, Paul catches it which causes the flock to fall into chaos. It is used against Ash's Gligar which used to be member of the flock as well and easily defeats the little guy, leading to its HeroicBSOD.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: The opening ''Together'' alludes that Paul's Gliscor would become the rival to Ash's Gliscor, but this is never developed beyond their first battle.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: It is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant flying scorpion, and it even has the Bug-type move X-Scissor to match.
* {{Foil}}: Just like Torterra, even in its brief appearances it manages to act as one towards Ash's Gligar, a younger member of its species. Ash's Gligar is a [[LovableCoward meek]], [[ProneToTears emotional Pokémon]] who struggles to learn to battle effectively, and although he [[TookALevelInBadass becomes easily one of Ash's strongest team members]], even as a Gliscor he never loses his charming and comical disposition. Paul's Gliscor, on the other hand, acts entirely competent from the start and maintains an unfazed and ruthless demeanor during battle.
* TheLeader: It used to lead a flock of Gligar prior to its capture. Its sudden capture led its flock to fall apart and fall into chaos, giving Ash's group a hard time to drive them out of the city.
* OneHitKill: It knows the OHKO move Guillotine, giving Ash's Gligar a crushing defeat that scarred it mentally.
* PowerPincers: Since Gliscor is partially based on scorpions, it has two big pincers.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After [=DP100=], it is not seen again, unlike some of Paul's other Pokémon.
!!Magmar-->Magmortar (Boober-->Booburn)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_magmortar.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
A replacement for Chimchar, Magmar was used to deal with Maylene's Lucario, leading to the Gym Leader's HeroicBSOD. Unlike Chimchar, Magmar does manages to live up to Paul's standards and is shown to be more effective as a Magmortar.
----
* BookEnd: The battle against Pyramid King Brandon starts with Magmar facing Regirock and ends with Magmar being defeated by Regirock.
* DishingOutDirt: Magmortar knows the Rock-type move Rock Tomb, which it launches from its arm cannons. Paul uses it to lead his fast opponents into a trap.
* ElementalPunch: Magmar was shown to know Fire Punch, a move that covers its fist in flames.
* MadeOfIron: It gets hit directly with Hydro Cannon from Barry's Empoleon. Hydro Cannon is one of the most powerful Water-type moves and is super effective against Magmortar, yet it doesn't get down.
* PlayingWithFire: It is a Fire-type Pokémon, replacing Chimchar and the perfect counter against Maylene's Lucario. It is shown to know the Fire-type moves Fire Spin, Fire Punch, Flamethrower and Will-o-Wisp.
* PoisonousPerson: It knows the move Smog, which it uses like [[SmokeOut Smokescreen]] to blind the opponent and to poison them.
* ReplacementGoldFish: Magmar replaces fellow Fire-type Pokémon Chimchar and does a good job at doing it, since it does live up to Paul's standards.
* StatusAilment:
** It has Flame Body as its ability, which can burn the opponent while making contact. Pikachu suffers from that.
** Will-O-Wisp is a status move that burns the opponent. However, Magmar fails to use it against Brandon's Registeel due to flinching.
* WorfBarrage: Its super effective Flamethrower doesn't do much against Brandon's Registeel to everyone's surprise.
!!Hariyama (Hariteyama)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_hariyama.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regirock.
----
* BareFistedMonk: It is a Fighting-type Pokémon, thus it has a type advantage over the Rock-type Pokémon Regirock. It also knows the Fighting-type moves Arm Thrust and Force Palm, but it ultimately loses to Regirock.
* CurbStompBattle: It doesn't do too bad against Brandon's Regirock, but it loses quickly once it is put in close range, ironically enough.
* WorfBarrage: It hits Regirock multiple times with the super effect Arm Thrust, yet it did barely any damage.
* TheWorfEffect: It is actually quite strong, but despite its type advantage over Regirock, it loses, showing that more than type advantages is needed to defeat the Pyramid King.
!!Nidoking
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_nidoking_7.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. He fights and loses to Brandon's Registeel.
----
* BareFistedMonk: He knows the Fighting-type move Double Kick, which is super effective against Steel-type moves like Registeel. He doesn't even manages to take it down on ground with it.
* CurbStompBattle: He actually puts a good fight against Brandon's Registeel, but he still loses rather easily nonetheless.
* DishingOutDirt: Since he is part Ground-type and knows the Ground-type move Earth Power, he has a type advantage over Registeel...which doesn't help at all.
* PoisonousPerson: Dawn notes that Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoking are usually in disadvantage against Steel-type Pokémon, but since Nidoking is also part Ground-type, he actually has the advantage.
* ShockAndAwe: He knows the Electric-type move Thunderbolt which he fires from his horn, but Registeel just shrugs it off while charging in with Iron Head and knocks Nidoking out.
* WorfBarrage: His super effective Earth Power merely slows Registeel down and his Thunderbolt doesn't do any damage against Registeel at all.
* TheWorfEffect: He has a type advantage over Registeel and out of all six Pokémon, Nidoking performed the best, but even he was defeated very easily, which shows how powerful the Pyramid King's Pokémon are.
!!Lairon-->Aggron (Kodora-->Bossgodora)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_aggron.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regice. It reappears later in the Lily of the Valley Conference during the match against Ash. It puts a good fight against Pikachu, but is ultimately defeated by Infernape.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It knows Metal Claw; it slashes its opponent with its claws in close combat situations.
* BreathWeapon: Its long range move is Flash Cannon, which it fires from its mouth.
* CurbStompBattle: Out of all six Pokémon, Lairon gets the worst performance against Pyramid King Brandon; being frozen by Regice's Ice Beam and finished off by its Zap Cannon in a matter of seconds.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: It knows the Normal-type move Double-Edge; the user smashes with its body full force at the opponent, but it receives recoil damage from that. However, since Aggron has Rock Head as its ability, it doesn't take damage from recoil moves.
* ExtraOreDinary: Aggron is part Steel-type and knows the Steel-type moves Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Metal Sound and Flash Cannon. It's type advantage over Regice doesn't help, though.
* MakeMeWannaShout: It makes a loud shriek when using Metal Sound, creating a soundwave with lots of air pressure, which not only weakens the opponent's (special) defense, but it also stops their movements temporarily.
* NoSell: Aggron has the ability Rock Head, which nullifies recoil damage from moves, allowing it to use Double-Edge without any risk.
* SacrificialLamb: Aggron and Gastrodon are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
* StatusAilment: Aggron knows Metal Sound which can decrease the (special) defense power of its opponent.
* StatusBuff: Lairon used Iron Defense to sharply raise its defensive power, a desperate move from Paul to stand a chance against Pyramid King Brandon. It didn't help at all. Even worse, it's the only move Lairon used during the battle.
* TheWorfEffect: While it has a type advantage over Regice, even trying to defend itself makes things only worse, causing Lairon to be defeated really quickly.
!!Gastrodon (Tritodon)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gastrodon.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
An Eastern Gastrodon which is used as one of the two Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their match in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is one Paul's two Pokémon shown to use Counter Shield.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Ice Beam and Water Pulse out of its mouth, making it primarily a LongRangeFighter.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Gastrodon uses Counter Shield with Muddy Water, spinning around on the ground to trap a flying opponent in the air with Muddy Water. If the opponent flies near the ground to avoid Counter Shield, it can be easily pinned down with Body Slam.
* FinishingMove: What Water Pulse is intended to be. When Gastrodon pins its opponent down with Body Slam, it fires Water Pulse directly into the air, planning to dodge the attack descending at an increased speed at the last second. It almost works, but Ash's Staraptor breaks free by using Close Combat on the ground. However, Paul had already predicted that maneuver and hits Staraptor with Ice Beam anyway.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Gastrodon freezes Buizel covered in Aqua Jet, but Paul doesn't know that Ash would improvise an Ice Aqua Jet, which leads to Gastrodon's defeat.
* AnIcePerson: It knows the Ice-type move Ice Beam, which is super effective against Flying-type Pokémon like Staraptor. It bites it in the ass though, since Paul is not prepared for an improvised Ice Aqua Jet from Ash's Buizel.
* MakingASplash: Gastrodon is part Water-type and knows the Water-type moves Muddy Water and Water Pulse. With Muddy Water, it is capable of utilizing Counter Shield, while Water Pulse is used as a FinishingMove.
* SacrificialLamb: Gastrodon and Aggron are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
!!Drapion (Dorapion)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_drapion.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
A powerful Poison/Dark-type Pokémon used during the battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is another one of Paul's most competent Pokémon, defeating half of Ash's team with its traps and strength.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Drapion is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant, purple poisonous scorpion and it appropriately knows the Bug-type move Pin Missile.
* TheBrute: A Pokémon who is designated to poison the opponent and make them suffer, and it has enough brute strength to take on powerful Pokémon like Ash's Torterra and Gliscor.
* EvilCounterpart: Drapion appears to be one to Ash's Gliscor. Both of them are used in the same league battle, both are purple scorpions yet neither of them are Bug-type Pokémon, but they do know Bug-type moves. Their moves are also similar; Drapion knows Cross Poison, Gliscor knows X-Scissor; Drapion knows Poison Fang, Gliscor knows Fire Fang; Drapion has the long range barrage attack Pin Missile, Gliscor has the long range barrage attack Stone Edge..
* KillItWithFire: After a long battle, Drapion is taken down by burn damage inflicted from Gliscor's Fire Fang.
* ManBitesMan: Subverted. It knows Poison Fang, a move that normally involves utilizing the user's teeth. But instead of biting the opponent with its teeth, Drapion transfers Poison Fang's power from its fangs to its claws while keeping the same effect.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: When using Pin Missile, it fires lots of missiles towards the opponent. Ash's Buizel and Torterra are taken down by barrages of Pin Missile. It also serves as Drapion's long range attack.
* OneManArmy: Drapion takes down half of Ash's Pokémon during his league match with paul.
* PoisonousPerson: Drapion is primarily a Poison-type Pokémon and Paul uses its poison to great effects. Drapion lays out Toxic Spikes to poison any opponent touching the ground, and in close combat it strikes down with Cross Poison and Poison Fang.
* PrehensileTail: Drapion uses its tail to capture its opponents.
* StatusAilment: Drapion is all about poisoning the opponent. By laying Toxic Spike on the field, it almost guarantees to poison the opponent's entire team.
* TrapMaster: Drapion can lay out Toxic Spikes on the field, which will poison any opposing Pokémon who touches the ground. It also tends to capture its opponents with its tail, slamming them on the ground to poison them with Toxic Spike's effect and attacking them while still holding them with its tail.
!!Froslass (Yukimenoko)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_froslass.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/SatsukiYukino\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bella Hudson
An Ice/Ghost-type Pokémon used during the match against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It puts a tough fight against Pikachu, but she nevertheless defeated by the electric mouse. She is the only one of Paul's Pokémon to fight only one of Ash's Pokémon during the match.
----
* BreathWeapon: She fires her Ice Beam from her mouth like many other Pokémon. She freezes Pikachu with it, but he breaks through the ice with his Volt Tackle and knocks her out.
* AnIcePerson: Froslass is primarily an Ice-type Pokémon, knowing the Ice-type moves Hail, Ice Shard and Ice Beam and has the ability Snow Cloak to match. With Hail, she not only creates a snowstorm, her Snow Cloak also activates, allowing her to disappear and reappear in battle, which makes it difficult to hit her while the opponent takes damage from Hail.
* KamehameHadouken: Her Ice Shard is an energy ball of ice which she throws at the opponent. Similar like Focus Blast, it takes some time to charge it, which causes her to lose against Pikachu.
* LadyOfWar: An elegant female Pokémon, who has the graceful characteristics of a ''yuki onna'' and merciless freezes her opponent in ice.
* PowerFloats: Froslass is capable of floating in mid-air, which adds to her ghostly appearance.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She is the only known female Pokémon in Paul's possession.
* SoulPower: While part Ghost-type, Froslass is not shown to use Ghost-type moves. However, her Snow Cloak ability gives her the presence of a ghost, allowing her to disappear and reappear throughout the battle, which makes it harder to fight her, since attacks can go through her.
* StatusBuff: What Snow Cloak does is increasing her evasiveness in Hail. This is shown as her disappearing and reappearing in battle and being more or less tangible.
* {{Yokai}}: Froslass is based on the ''yuki onna'' and she lives up to this trope. With her Snow Cloak ability, she can disappear and reappear during battle, giving her an elegant yet ghostly and mystical presence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Zoey (Nozomi)]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Zoey_5191.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHayamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Elisabeth Morinelli\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/MariaFernandaMorales\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Claire Tefnin
Dawn's main rival in the Sinnoh region as a Pokémon coordinator. Despite her tomboyish appearance, she gets along with everyone pretty well, though she does get angry at Ash when he first thought it would be a good idea to be both a Pokémon trainer and coordinator. She mellows out, however, after some experience with him and Nando.
----
* TheAce: Zoey is one of the most skilled Pokémon Coordinators in the series. She ends up winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival and comes away with the prized Ribbon Cup, after a long and hard match with Dawn that comes straight down to the wire.
* AffectionateNickname: Her best buddy Candice calls her "Zozo" (in English) or "Nozotchi" (in Japanese).
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To date, Dawn has never beaten her directly in a Contest.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Her Contest outfits are tuxes or pantsuits, save for her Grand Festival one which looks more like a stylized kimono.
* BoyishShortHair: She's easily the most tomboyish of Dawn's rivals. She also has short and spiky hair.
* BreakTheHaughty: A fairly mild example in ''Dawn's Early Night.'' At the beginning of the episode, she is confident in her belief that a Trainer who does both Contests and Gym Battles cannot be as skilled as someone who dedicates themselves to only a single goal. She begins to rethink her position after she loses the Hearthome Ribbon to Nando, who she had previously scorned for being both a Trainer and a Coordinator.
* BrutalHonesty: She doesn't bother softening her opinions for others. When she's told that Nando does both Contests and Gym Battles, her response is, "[He] really needs to make up his mind."
* CatchPhrase:
** "[Pokémon]! Ready? Go!"
** At least in the first season of Diamond and Pearl: "[Pokémon]! Curtain!"
* CharacterDevelopment: Zoey, being so devoted to her own dream of becoming Top Coordinator, originally took offense at Trainers who tried both coordinating and battling, assuming them to be less invested in their dreams. This brought her into conflict with both Ash (who early in his Sinnoh adventure dabbled in Contests himself) and Nando (for whom doing both was his primary goal). While she eased off after facing off with Ash, they still agreed he'd not be the best fit for Contests due to his temperament. Then Nando blew her away by clobbering her at the Hearthome Contest. By the time of the Wallace Cup, she accepted her perspective to have been closed-off and properly apologized to Ash for her attitude; later, she battled Gym Leader Fantina (a former Top Coordinator) in a straight match which she enjoyed.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Candice, who helped her raise her Glameow in secret.
* CoolBigSis: Zoey served as both rival and mentor early on, helping Dawn get prepared for contests even as an opponent.
* CoolShades: She's frequently seen wearing these on top of her head.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Red hair, red eyes.
* CuteKitten: Glameow (who Zoey actually ''did'' find as a kitten!)
* DoppelgangerSpin: Mismagius and Leafeon's Double Team.
* EnergyBall: Leafeon's attack of the same name.
* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow's Iron Tail.
* {{Fauxshadow}}: Before Dawn's contest debut, Zoey tells Dawn that she's gonna win, but in the next episode, cue her CurbStompBattle at the hands of Zoey.
* FieryRedhead: Toyed with. She's normally [[TheStoic rather mellow]], except when it comes to Paul's abuse of his Pokémon, which angers her like everyone else. Or discussing Trainers who partake in Gym Battles and Contests.
* {{Foil}}: To three characters, all other Coordinators.
** To Dawn; as her mentor and rival, she provides the straightest parallel to her while sharing the same goal. She's experienced where Dawn is a rookie and the tomboy to her girly girl. On and off the Contest field, her Pokémon present flawlessly synchronized teamwork while Dawn often has to struggle to get her sometimes-disobedient Pokémon to follow her lead. Her strategy for turning in winning Contest performances is to plan and perfect every move beforehand, as opposed to the unexpected yet stunning combinations Dawn pulls out on the fly, as a result of quick thinking, luck with a little prior planning, or both.
** To Nando. While it's less obvious due to his conspicuous lack of screentime, he and Zoey are complete opposites in nearly all aspects. He devotes himself to Gym Battles and Contests, she puts all of her energy solely into Contests. [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy She's a tomboyish teenage girl, Nando is a feminine male.]] She's easily fired up, open with her opinions and not afraid to say what she thinks, he's soft spoken and polite with a cool facade that rarely breaks. She lacks a preferred type specialty, as opposed to his team of Bug and Grass types. Their differences can even be seen in the way they perform; her combinations vary in effects and style while Nando's preferred techniques reflect a single central theme (music).
** To Kenny. A departure from the previous two mentioned above, the parallel between him and Zoey isn't so much the differences between them as it is the opposing ways that they help Dawn to grow through their relationships with her. Zoey's way of helping her improve as a person and as a coordinator is more straightforward and older sister-like, teaching her necessary skills and encouraging her to do her best, while the majority of Kenny's interactions with Dawn volley between [[TheGadfly childish teasing]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sincere encouragement,]] posing as a source of annoyance for her and at the same time motivating her to prove that she's capable of besting him and her other rivals in battle.
* FromStrayToPet: The episode ''Classroom Training!'' explains how she met her Glameow. As a child, she found it in a cardboard box on the street. Her parents refused to let her keep it, but with Candice's help, she secretly raised it in a shed behind her house until she was old enough to become a Trainer.
* GreenThumb: Leafeon, Gallade's Magical Leaf.
* AnIcePerson: Gastrodon's Blizzard.
* LaserBlade: Leafeon's Leaf Blade, due to PowerGlows.
* MakingASplash: Lumineon is water-type.
* MeaningfulName: The Nozomi is a Japanese bullet train service that goes in the opposite direction of the Hikari bullet train service. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter The Nozomi is faster than the Hikari]].
* NonElemental: Glameow is Normal-Type.
* PrinciplesZealot: When she started, Zoey would presume any trainers dabbling in both the gyms and contests to be TheDitherer and would criticize them for a lack of conviction; she backed off once Nando proved it was a viable path.
* RedOniBlueOni: She's cast as the red to Nando and Dawn's blue during contest battles.
* SempaiKohai: Kohai to Snowpoint Gym Leader Candice. This is explicit in the Japanese, where they do actually use the titles.
* ShockAndAwe: Both her Glameow and her Mismagius can use electric attacks, with both knowing Shock Wave and Glameow knowing the more powerful Thunderbolt.
* SoulPower: Uses the ghost type Mismagius as one of her main Pokemon. Her Glameow can also use the ghost type Shadow Claw move.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name is frequently misspelled as "Zoe".
* SpikyHair: Fitting her tomboy nature.
* StraightMan: To Dawn and her friend's antics quite frequently.
* TheStoic: In Contests and sometimes outside of them, Zoey usually seems very collected and is not one to lose her cool. This is one thing that makes her NotSoDifferent from Nando, who has a similar attitude.
* PsychicPowers: Her Mismagius can use Psywave. Its a powerful offensive move, but is also useful in performances to accentuate her costumes.
* ATasteOfDefeat: She's a highly skilled and competent Coordinator, but even she isn't immune to losing once in a while. She loses to Nando at the Hearthome Contest finals and May in the Wallace Cup semifinals.
* TechnicolorEyes: Red ones, matching her [[CurtainsMatchTheWindow eyes.]]
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Dawn's Girly Girl. Accentuated by the fact that she always wears suits in her Contests, never dresses. In addition to the contrast, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it shows that she's no less feminine than Dawn]], just unconventional about it - her flashy suit in the Grand Festival was particularly fashionable and made to accentuate her femininity instead of negating it.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She's a short-haired tomboy who regularly competes in the fashionable and flashy Contests.
* {{Tsundere}}: Towards Nando in ''Dawn's Early Night!''
* TheUnreveal: Her battle with Nando for the Hearthome Ribbon in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' which she loses, is never actually seen, and only its aftermath is shown. Whatever he did during it, he managed to impress her a great deal.
-->'''Zoey:''' Nando really is something else. The way he's chosen to compete in Contests and Gym Battles, it's like he knows it's his destiny!
* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Her Leafeon can use the flying type Aerial Ace.
* WiseBeyondHerYears: She's a very knowledgeable and insightful character. Not without her flaws, but still rather mature for her apparent age.
* WorthyOpponent: For Dawn. Coming to see Nando as one is a key step in her CharacterDevelopment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kenny (Kengo)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Kenny_80.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' YukoMita\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Rhonda Krempa\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín (seasons 10 and 13), Xóchitl Ugarte (season 11), Bruno Coronel (season 12).
Dawn's childhood friend and another Pokémon Coordinator. He gave her the nickname of Dee-Dee/Pikari, and never lets her forget... not that she has a hard time forgetting it.
----
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Heavily implied in ''Four Roads Diverged in a Pokémon Port!'' when Dawn chooses to travel with [[ChasteHero Ash]] to cheer him on in the Lily of the Valley Conference and not him when he made the offer. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools He takes it quite well though.]]
%%* BubbleGun: Empoleon's, as a Prinplup, Bubble Beam.
* ColorMotif: Blue, serving to reflect his rivalry with Dawn and their similar roots. Two of his Pokémon are Water type, one of which is the evolved form of Dawn's starter, he has a blue Pokétch, he was seen wearing a blue shirt in a flashback and he dons a blue suit for the Grand Festival.
* DecompositeCharacter: He fills the role that Barry does for Dawn as the player character in the games, being (one of) her main rivals.
* EpicFail: His performance at the Grand Festival. He washes out in the performance round due to not having practiced his routine with his newly evolved Empoleon. Empoleon unfortunately didn't know its own strength, and knocked out his partner.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He starts with the Piplup line like Dawn, making him one of the few rivals that has the same starter as their main cast counterpart.
* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: Dawn apparently didn't know he was going to be a Coordinator.
* TheGadfly: He ''loves'' to get under Dawn's skin.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Seems to express his crush on Dawn by relentlessly teasing her about their childhood days.
* KidsAreCruel: He looks this way when we find out the backstory of "Dee Dee", the EmbarrassingNickname he hung on Dawn. Especially since he got the entire class hooked to that nickname where the entire class calls her by that very name he coined. He and Dawn ended up friends eventually though.
%%* MegatonPunch: Breloom's Mach Punch.
%%* MindOverMatter: Alakazam
* TheNicknamer: Came up with Dee-Dee/Pikari.
%%* OddFriendship: With Barry.
%%* RazorWind: Floatzel's attack.
%%* ShonenHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barry (Jun)]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Barry_8307.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Jamie [=McGonnigal=]\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Ricardo Bautista (seasons 11 and 13), Miguel Ángel Ruiz (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Grégory Praet
Another of Ash's rivals in the Sinnoh Region, though neither one really considers the other to be a rival. Barry wants to go after Paul, and oftens encounters Ash during his travels. They share a competitive friendship as trainers, and Barry isn't too bad as one himself.
----
%%* AnimeHair: It's pretty gravity defiant.
* AttackAttackAttack: This is typical his strategy in battle. And it doesn't help that he's not particularly creative either.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: His usual approach to events. Though he once waited long enough for a Heracross to be attracted by slathered honey.
* ButtMonkey: Silly, unfortunate things happen to him all the time. He forgets things, people keep getting in his way while he's running around, Gible eats his bike and gym battle ticket, etc.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "I'm going to make you pay a fine for that! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four -- "
* CharacterExaggeration: He doesn't have the level of characterization (and CharacterDevelopment) his game counterpart had, nearly to the point of being a SatelliteCharacter.
* CharacterTics: Snapping his fingers.
* CrashIntoHello: Every single time he appears, it's by crashing into someone at full speed. [[HypocriticalHumor And then admonsishing them to watch where they're going]].
* CurbStompBattle: He tried. [[{{Determinator}} Good lord]], [[DiedStandingUp he tried]]. Yet in the end, [[HardWorkHardlyWorks all he ended up with]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog was a devastating 3-0 loss to]] [[ArchEnemy Paul]].
* DeathOrGloryAttack: His Empoleon's signature move is Hydro Cannon and it also learns Hyper Beam, which puts alot of power into a single attack but leaves it defenseless afterwards. And after a Torrent boost on top of that it's completely stopped by Electivire's Protect and unable to do nothing but stand and take the retaliation.
* {{Determinator}}: Just watch how hard he and his team try to win when they face Paul.
* TheDitz: Barry tends to act faster than he thinks.
* DumbBlonde: While not at all unintelligent, he's seriously [[HotBlooded impatient and rushes into things without thinking]].
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He also starts with Empoleon, who seems to be a popular choice in-universe.
* FailedASpotCheck: He was so absorbed in telling Dawn and Brock about Tobias the OlympusMons trainer that it took him a while to even notice Ash's match.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:After losing to Paul in the Sinnoh League, he commends Paul for the battle the two shared. Paul, surprisingly, returns the favor]].
* GratuitousEnglish: Most notably, [[OddFriendship "BEST FRIENDS!"]] and "DADDY!?"
* HotBlooded: He is the son of Palmer after all. He throws his Poké Ball so hard, he does a ''complete forward flip'' in the process.
* HypocriticalHumor: He tells others to watch where they are going, but Barry himself doesn't watch where ''he'' is going.
* {{Keet}}: He has a near limitless supply of chaotic energy, which he expresses by running full-tilt wherever he goes, gesticulating like a madman, and never saying a single word below a yell.
* LargeHam: Barry honestly could pursue a career in theatrics with the level of drama he acts out.
* MotorMouth: Barry talks entirely too much sometimes.
* NoIndoorVoice: Every line he has is yelled at the top of his lungs.
* NoodleIncident: According to Dawn, he was once involved in a singing duet with an ''Exploud''.
* RunningGag: He always interrupts Team Rocket before they can finish their motto.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: His wails are always very silly and over the top.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Barry treats himself like he's a world class trainer. Paul barely even acknowledges his existence. Not to mention even after Ash proves himself a better trainer than him, Barry still thought the opposite for a time.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has spiky blond hair similar to Palmer's.
* TechnicolorEyes: Orange.
* UnknownRival: Wants to be a Rival of Paul's. But if it was even possible, Paul treats him with more disdain than he does with Ash. [[spoiler:After his loss in the Sinnoh League, Paul does acknowledge his skill.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In "To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!" he pretty much disappears after losing and is not heard from until his next appearance in "Historical Mystery Tour".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ursula (Urara)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Ursula_4230.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Melisa Schroenburg\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Betzabé Jara (season 12), Creator/CristinaHernandez (season 13)
A fellow Pokémon Coordinator with a rather poisonous personality who Dawn met at the Chocovine Pokémon Contest. Believing that Dawn's Wallace Cup victory was a fluke, she's determined to knock her down a peg or two.
----
* AlphaBitch: She's the only one of Dawn's rivals that is openly hostile to her, mainly because she's a snob who doesn't think Dawn is good enough to compete with her.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: In her first appearance, she refuses to believe Dawn's win against May was based on skill.
* BitingTheHandkerchief: In Jessie's flashback, she is seen doing this after losing in the first round of the Wallace Cup, out of rage for having been eliminated in the first round.
* BreakTheHaughty: The only way for Dawn to do it was to knock out her Pokémon in their third battle. Ursula has no choice but to acknowledge that Dawn is her superior, and she significantly mellows out.
* CharacterTics: When giving commands in a Pokémon Contest, she makes the "ILY" hand sign with both hands and her arms crossed.
* CombatPragmatist: Just like Harley before her, but more subtle and strategic. She has no qualms about using Dawn's fear of Plusle and Minun against her in a Contest, or having them use Encore to force her opponent's Pokémon to perform the same move over and over, causing them to lose points with the judges.
* DoppelgangerSpin: Her Gabite can use Double Team, which it uses effectively as a diversionary tactic in battles.
* DecompositeCharacter: She takes after Harley in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions, while Nando takes after him in appearance, voice, and mannerisms.
* EvilCounterpart:
** To Dawn. They're both ambitious and talented at Contests, but the difference is that Dawn is kind and sweet to nearly everyone she meets, while Ursula taunts her opponents, boasts about her abilities, and has no qualms about humiliating her opponents in public.
** She could be considered one to Zoey as she belittles Dawn and puts her down while Zoey is a helpful [[BigBrotherMentor big sister mentor]] to her instead.
* EvilIsPetty: She goes out of her way to spite Dawn at every turn, simply because she believes her to be an incompetent Coordinator who scrapes by on dumb luck.
-->'''Ursula:''' ''(addressing Zoey)'' I'll make sure you and Dawn never meet in the final round!
* EvilLaugh: "Ahahahahahaha!"
* {{Expy}}: Ursula has a good set of mixed influences.
** As a red-head with elaborately curled pigtails, she bears a striking resemblance to [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Amy Sorel]] and [[Music/{{UTAU}} Kasane Teto]], and has a less direct resemblance to [[Anime/YesPrecure5 Urara Kasugano]].
** She also inherits the role of the harshest of Dawn's rivals from Harley, who was much the same for May.
* FelonyMisdemeanor: "The horror! My beautiful Gabite's been soiled! How dare you!"
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Being a Coordinator, she has some skill at cooking Poffins, though Dawn's Pachirisu doesn't like the ones she makes.
* GameBreaker: InUniverse. In one contest, where the goal was to impress the judges with ''varied'' moves, she used Encore, forcing the opponents to repeat moves and thus lose points.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Her hair ribbons are a pale lavender.
* ImprobableHairstyle: She wears her hair in pink twin drills.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: She appears three times in the series. Each time, she gets her butt kicked by Dawn, including one time when her Gabite lost to ''Pachirisu.''
* InsufferableGenius: She's a skilled Pokémon coordinator...and she makes sure everyone knows it.
* ItOnlyWorksOnce: Her Grand Festival appeal involves her two Eevee evolving into Vaporeon and Flareon mid-performance. It makes for an impressive display, but as Brock notes, it can only be pulled off once.
* ManipulativeBitch: In battles, she specializes in psyching her opponents out by confusing and intimidating them. This is even more effective in contest battles than in regular ones, as her opponents flinching and stumbling costs them performance points.
* MeaningfulName: In the original version, her name is derived from 麗らか ''uraraka,'' Japanese for beautiful or glorious.
* MegaTwintails: Her pink hair is styled in large drill-shaped pigtails.
* PetTheDog:
** In her first appearance, she offers Dawn's Pachirisu a Poffin to replace the one her Gabite stepped on. Pachirisu didn't like the taste, but it's the thought that counts.
** Despite her arrogance, Ursula cares for her Pokémon and treats them well, unlike Paul. When her Gabite loses the Chocovine Contest, she comforts her and tells her that she did a great job. [[spoiler: And she comes to have ''some'' respect for Dawn in the end, as much as she may deny it.]]
* RememberTheNewGuy: She participated in the Wallace Cup and lost in the first round, but didn't appear during that arc.
* RollingAttack: Jigglypuff's Rollout, also Plusle and Minun's "twin attack formation" in ''Playing the Performance Encore!''
* TechnicolorEyes: A dark pink that matches her hair.
* TrueBlueFemininity: Her Grand Festival dress is three different shades of blue.
* WonderTwinPowers: Not only do her Plusle and Minun know Helping Hand, they work perfectly together in Contests, making them a fantastic choice for Double Battles.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Her hair and eyes are light pink.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Conway (Kōhei/Kouhei)]]
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conway_screenshot_6447.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kozo Mito\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/IrwinDaayan (season 10 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz (season 11).
Dawn's partner in the Hearthome Tag Battle competition, who took a liking to her. He was only intended to appear for a few episodes, but [[EnsembleDarkhorse unexpected popularity among the fanbase]] brought him back for more.
----
* AdjustingYourGlasses: His CharacterTic is adjusting his glasses by the lens, accompanied by a [[ScaryShinyGlasses distinctive glare]].
* BadassBookworm: He's big on battle strategy, even giving Ash a hard time in their League battle.
* BattleCouple: Formed one with Dawn in the Tag Battle Tournament. Although the affection is one-sided...
* BlueWithShock: When he found out the "little girl" he partnered with in a Pokémon Summer Academy race was [[spoiler:a ghost.]]
* BreakoutCharacter: He was originally just a supporting character in a plot-significant three-parter, but he made such an impact that he became a recurring rival.
* CharacterTics: Tweaking and/or [[ScaryShinyGlasses shining]] his glasses.
* ConfusionFu: His battle plan against Ash involves using moves designed to keep Ash guessing, like Trick Room to make his slower pokemon into {{LightningBruiser|s}}, or Power Trick to turn his StoneWall Shuckle into a MightyGlacier. Of course, Ash lives and breathes being unpredictable, and so he manages to out-weird Conway for the win.
* CreepyMonotone: Speaks like this briefly in "Ghoul Daze!" when under the ghost girl's mind-control.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: For a creepy, nerdy stalker, it's very surprising to see how ridiculously competent Conway can be in battle. In addition, he sports a nice variety of Pokémon despite his battling skills not being highlighted often.
* DidNotSeeThatComing: Like many of Ash's opponents, Conway gets thrown off when his opponent improvises. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Namely, Gible catching Dusknoir's Shadow Punch with his mouth and not letting go]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
-->'''Conway:''' ''(off-screen)'' Well, how are you, Number 28?\\
'''Dawn:''' ''(cheerfully)'' I'm fine!\\
''(cut to a close-up of Conway with ScaryShinyGlasses)''\\
'''Conway:''' That's good. Conway is the name. A pleasure.
* {{Expy}}: His design is based on the Super Nerd Trainer class in the main ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games.
* FlawExploitation: In the battle against Paul and Ash, he exploited the fact Paul loved to use Protect by having a Pokémon with Feint. Later, he was well aware Ash had a preference for using FragileSpeedster type Pokémon by using Trick Room.
* GuileHero: What makes him so formidable. He's an extremely tricky and clever strategist, and can fight on par with Ash and Paul on sheer wit alone.
* LightningBruiser:
** Dusknoir when using Trick Room outspeeds almost everything on Ash's team due to Trick Room causing slower Pokémon to go first. Finally, Dusknoir was shown taking and dealing out hits with ease.
** His Shuckle is not fast, but its defenses are really good, and there's a special move that unlocks its offensive powers...
* MightyGlacier: Dusknoir, out of Trick Room, due to its low speed but amazing ability to take hits and dish them out.
* NearDeathExperience: In ''Ghoul Daze,'' he almost gets lured off a cliff by a creepy ghost girl. Luckily, he's saved by a Dusknoir.
* NonActionGuy: Despite making good showings in the first two legs of the Pokémon Triathlon, making good use of Dugtrio's Dig and Floatzel's Dive to bypass the other competitors, he ultimately loses in the final leg because he's bad at long-distance running.
-->'''Conway:''' Big mistake. Not doing a little cardio training was pretty dumb.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: He could sometimes engage in this, particularly with Dawn.
* OverlyLongTongue: Conway's Lickilicky has a tongue twice the length of its body. ''Exactly'' twice
* ReusedCharacterDesign: He looks very similar to a grown-up version of Max.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with a creepy chuckle and a SlasherSmile.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: In the English dub, he's got a pretty impressive vocabulary that he makes full use of.
* ShirtlessScene: In ''Up Close and Personable,'' justified in that said episode involved the Pokémon Summer Academy students diving underwater to search for aquatic Pokémon.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Never shows any attraction towards anyone but Dawn.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His Japanese name can be spelled either "Kōhei" or "Kouhei".
* StalkerWithACrush: He follows Dawn everywhere, popping up behind her at random times and offering her advice. Apparently, he went to the Pokémon Summer Academy ''just'' because he knew she would be there.
* StealthHiBye: A running gag is him randomly appearing from behind Dawn and startling her (as well as anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity).
-->'''Dawn:''' No one makes an entrance like Conway.
* ThirdPersonPerson: "That was quite nice...but Conway never gives up!"
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is dark green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nando (Naoshi)]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TV_Tropes_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KazuyaNakai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' José Arenas
A soft-spoken minstrel with a liking for music and Grass-type Pokémon. In his debut episode, Ash and Dawn helped him decide to participate in both Gym Battles and Contests, making him a rival for both of them.
----
* AdaptationalNationality: The English dub implies that he's Hispanic (or whatever the equivalent is in the Pokémon world), by giving him a name of that origin and an accent that sounds vaguely European, but never confirms it.
* AerithAndBob: On the "Aerith" side of the scale.
* AgentPeacock: Like Harley before him, he acts quite feminine yet proves to be a skilled Trainer and Coordinator.
* AllLovingHero: Doesn't hate or resent ''anyone.''
* AntiquatedLinguistics: His manner of speech is noticeably more formal than most other characters tend to use, for example, saying "I am in your debt" instead of "thank you".
* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/472ps1.shtml this]] (''Dawn of a New Era'') to [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100702033443/es.pokemon/images/2/24/EP652_Nando.png this]] (''League Unleashed'').
* AscendedExtra: Appeared in one of the the very first episodes, seemingly as a one-shot character, and after several noteworthy apearances he ultimately features in both the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh Conference.
* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: He's wearing what appears to be Victorian dress in a modern setting.
* BadassCape: His cape is shaped like a bitten lily, which his perfect for his Bug-type theme.
* BenevolentBoss: He is shown to be kind to his Pokémon, even giving them polite requests during battle instead of commands.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Nando might be sweet and gentle, but in his debut episode, he sends Team Rocket blasting off with Budew's Bullet Seed and comments, [[BondOneLiner "Such a shame. I was having such a pleasant evening before they showed up."]]
* BigDamnHeroes: He had his Budew save Ash and friends from Team Rocket in his debut episode.
* {{Bishonen}}: His character design is pretty feminine. He even appears to be wearing mascara during his Contest performance in "Dawn's Early Night".
* BigNo: [[spoiler:Drops one when Ash's Heracross KO's his Kricketune with Megahorn in the Sinnoh League.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Say what you will about him, but consider this--while most other major characters were practically scrambling to get either eight badges ''or'' five ribbons in time for their event, Nando managed to attain ''both complete sets'' in time for each major competition. He also reached the Top 4 in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and if he ''hadn't'' been matched up against [[PlotArmor Ash]] so early in the Lily of the Valley Conference, it's quite probable he'd have gotten further than just the Top 64 in that competition, as well. He may act as a musical bard most of the time, but he is able to be a very competent coordinator and battler, with Zoey even commenting that the latter was giving him a big edge in their contest battle in the festival.
* CastingGag: This isn't the first time Billy Regan has voiced [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast a flamboyant, green-clad young man with a goal of collecting Contest ribbons and a humanoid, half-Grass-type Pokémon for a partner.]]
* CharacterTics: He often says things in a sing-song voice.
* ClearTheirName: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!'', he's suspected of stealing the Adamant Orb on the grounds that he has a Sunflora, a Pokémon that was seen escaping with the artifact in question. It turned out to be Team Rocket's Meowth in a Sunflora costume.
* ColorMotif: Green, owing to his love of nature and relaxed attitude.
* ConflictKiller: His establishing character moment was breaking up an argument between Ash and Dawn.
* CowardlyLion: Not Nando himself, but his Sunflora. It abandoned him when he was arrested by Officer Jenny, but hunted down Team Rocket for framing him and exposed their disguises, preventing them from successfully escaping the museum with the Adamant Orb.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite his polite and very feminine demeanor, he's no pushover when it comes to Pokémon battles.
* CulturedBadass: He's a skilled musician and studies Sinnoh's history in his spare time.
* DanceBattler: His Lopunny, Roserade and Sunflora all fighting using graceful moves evocative of a dance. Nando sets their rhythm with is music.
* DarkHorseVictory: In the Hearthome Contest. He's underestimated by everyone because he's relatively new to contests and splits his time with gym battles. He ends up crushing the competition in the first round and defeats Zoey to earn the ribbon. Zoey, who had given him a lot of grief for purusing both paths, is extremely caught off-guard.
* ADayInTheLimelight: "Coming Full Festival Circle" sidelines Dawn to feature Nando fighting hard against Zoey to make it to the finals of the Grand Festival.
* DeathByIrony: Defeat, anyway. [[spoiler:Both of his final matches in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League were against a Pokémon matching one of his specialty types -- Leafeon, a Grass-type, and Heracross, a Bug-type.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: He takes after Harley in appearance, voice, and mannerisms, while Ursula takes after him in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After he clobbered Zoey off-screen in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' she changed her mind about not accepting Trainers who choose to participate in both Gyms and Contests.
* DependingOnTheArtist: In early episodes, his bangs were sometimes drawn facing different directions. This stopped by "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* {{Determinator}}: An understated example. Many characters are shown to struggle with obtaining either eight Gym Badges before the regional League or five Contest Ribbons before the Grand Festival. Nando collecting both sets is a testament to his skill in both fields.
* TheDitherer: In his first episode, he could not decide if he wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer or Coordinator. After battling both Ash and Dawn, he took a third option and went down both paths at once.
* TheDogBitesBack: Got Jessie back for the Adamant Orb incident when he defeated her in the Hearthome Contest five episodes later.
* DramaticWind: A gentle breeze follows him wherever he goes, billowing his cape and hair as it does.
* EasilyForgiven: Nando does not seem to hold grudges, as he did not hold any ill will against Officer Jenny for falsely arresting him on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb, nor Zoey for being cold and dismissive to him when she found out he did both Contests and Gym Battles.
* EffeminateVoice: The American dub gives him a soft, gentle voice with a thick, vaguely European accent.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Briefly. When James and Meowth are selling Pokémon Coordinator merchandise during ''Opposites Interact,'' you can hear a male voice saying, "I'd like a photo of Nando..."
* ExtremeDoormat: He let the Eterna City Officer Jenny tie him up in "A Secret Sphere of Influence!". That should tell you something.
* {{Expy}}: Visually a dead ringer for Harley, down to sharing the same voice actor. His personality, though, is a closer match to Robert's, being a polite gentleman and skilled Coordinator.
* FatalFlaw: His over-reliance on his SignatureMove, Sing, was exploited by Zoey in the Grand Festival and Ash in the Sinnoh League.
* FlatCharacter: Gets this accusation thrown at him a lot because unlike the other Sinnoh rivals he's just a straight-up NiceGuy whose spirit never wavers at all.
* FluffyFashionFeathers: He wears them in his hat during Contests.
* {{Foil}}: The calm, even-tempered dual-duty Pokémon trainer to match Zoey the determined, competitive Pokémon Coordinator.
* FrameUp: Victim of an unintentional one in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' when Team Rocket breaks into the Eterna Museum and steals the Adamant Orb with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, at the exact same time Nando happens to be there with his own Sunflora.
* FriendToAllChildren: He gets along pretty well with Ash, Brock, and Dawn.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: The night before the Grand Festival semifinals has him playing harp music to a gathering of wild Pokémon in the forest.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' he visits the Eterna Museum to study the history of Sinnoh. Unfortunately for him, he's there at the exact same time Team Rocket is stealing the Adamant Orb, with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, a Pokémon he just happens to have on hand.
* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: His iconic Mew harp. He also wears a gold shoulderplate while performing in Contests.
* HarpOfFemininity: Inverted and played straight at the same time -- he's a guy who plays the harp, but an extremely feminine guy at that.
* IconicItem: He is never seen without his golden Mew-shaped harp.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Everyone else was surprised when he was revealed to have a Lopunny in the Grand Festival, a Pokémon that doesn't fit the theme of his team, as it's not a Bug- or Grass-type and can't use Sing.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Zoey, Dawn, Brock, and Ash. They are all children and teenagers while Nando appears to be in his early twenties.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: Pronounces his own name the way it would be said by a Spanish speaker ("Nahn-do").
* JackOfAllTrades: He's a skilled battler and Pokemon coordinator, and his skills in both compliment each other.
** MasterOfNone: Ultimately, as while he made good showings in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League, he won neither of them. It doesn't seem to bother him, though.
* JustAStupidAccent: He's inexplicably given an accent in the English dub that sounds vaguely Spanish. Where he would have picked it up is anyone's guess.
* LimitedWardrobe: Like many other things about him, this is a departure from the traditional mold of Pokémon characters. While it's not unusual for minor characters to have only one or two outfits, most Sinnoh Coordinators have a variety of ensembles to wear while performing (Dawn's PimpedOutDress[=es=] and Zoey's tuxedos come to mind). The most he does during a Contest is stick a feather in his hat, put on a gold shoulderplate, and swap out his single-Mew harp for a double-Mew one.
* LongBusTrip: Ignoring his cameo in ''A Breed Stampede,'' he disappeared for a year after ''Dawn's Early Night.''
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Shoulder-length dark hair and a fey appearance.
* LuckyTranslation: His English name, which is in Spanish, just happens to actually be a Japanese word that means "many times", which matches up with the large number of battles he has to do as both a pursuer of Gym Badges and a Coordinator.
* MagicMusic: His harp has an inexplicable ability to calm any
* MeaningfulName:
** He shares his Japanese name with Naoshi Mizuta, another musician.
** In English, his name rhymes with "gliss'''ando'''", a musical term denoting a glide from one pitch to another. It can be played on many instruments, including a harp.
* MellowFellow: Always remains nonchalant and even-tempered. Even when he was accused by Officer Jenny of stealing a priceless artifact from the Eterna Museum, he calmly defended himself without blinking an eye.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: He loses his calm demeanor when he gets really into the Heracross vs. Kricketune match in the Sinnoh League, gesticulating wildly with his hands and even dramatically swishing his cape.
* {{Motifs}}: Music notes.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Nando sticks out somewhat awkwardly among the typical rival lineup, doing contests and battles at the same time, dressing up in an anachronistic minstrel outfit, and hanging out with kids several years younger than he is.
* MythologyGag: Possibly; he wasn't the first [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Bard#The_bard bard]] to appear in the Pokémon continuity.
* NatureHero: Most of his Pokémon are Bug and Grass types, and his first episode had him camping outside with Ash and friends.
* NervesOfSteel: Arrested on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb? Criticized for being a Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon Coordinator at the same time? Not a problem for this even-tempered minstrel. [[spoiler:Realizing his Kricketune is on the losing end of a sparring match with Ash's Heracross might be a different story, though...]]
* NeverBareheaded: He never takes his hat off, although [[http://pkmncoordinators.tumblr.com/post/62569836544/pokemon-settei-pokemon-settei-nando-naoshi production art]] shows what he looks like without it.
* NiceGuy: Always unfailingly kind and polite, so much so that he gives polite requests to his Pokémon in battle instead of commands.
* NiceHat: A wide brimmed, high-crowned hat that's the same forest green as his cape. It's easily his most notable feature.
* NonSpecificallyForeign: Implied by the dub, which gives him a name of Spanish origin and a thick, vaguely European-sounding accent.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Downplayed -- he has smaller and more realistically drawn eyes than other characters. It's especially obvious when his headshot is visible among the others on a Pokémon Contest screen.
* NotSoStoic: He projects an air of serenity no matter what. However, in his battles with Ash in the Sinnoh League and Zoey in the Grand Festival, he's intensely passionate.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Only character to regularly participate in both Contests and Gym Battles.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: No matter the situation, Nando nearly always remains calm and level-headed, rarely losing his cool. But when his Pokémon start showing signs of being in trouble during the Grand Festival and League Conference battles, he actually starts to raise his voice and [[MilkingTheGiantCow gesture with his hands]] when giving them battle commands.
* OutOfFocus: And ''how'' - he disappeared for 125 episodes after "Dawn's Early Night!" (barring a brief cameo), before finally returning for real during the Grand Festival and the Lily of the Valley Conference.
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his left eye.
* PerpetualSmiler: Always has a calm smile on his face, unless he's fighting a particularly difficult opponent.
* PersonalityPowers: His calm, composed and harmonious nature perfectly fits his preference for musical attacks.
* ThePollyanna: Nothing shakes his unflapple demeanor except briefly. He does regret his defeats, but he shakes them off and simply commits to trying harder.
* RhymesOnADime: As a minstrel he often speaks in rhyming couplets.
* SayMyName:
-->'''Officer Jenny:''' Excuse me. I've just captured Suspect #1. ''(she pulls Nando into the shot)'' Get this. He calls himself a Pokémon troubadour, but I don't buy it at all.
-->'''Ash/Brock/Dawn:''' ''Nando?!''
* SharpDressedMan: Overdressed, in fact, wearing a waistcoat and a cape while traveling.
* SilkHidingSteel: Although he's not female as this trope usually implies, this seems to be Nando's philosophy when it comes to battle. Most of his Pokémon are ones that are beautiful and graceful, yet powerful fighters.
* StealthPun: He's a musician who's always incredibly calm. You could say he's very composed.
* TheStoryteller: "In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos. And at the heart of the chaos, where all things become one, came the one."
* TakeAThirdOption: When we first see Nando, he was having trouble if he wanted to pursue gym battles or contest ones before eventually settling on both. It did wonders for him.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: The "tall" part is more noticeable since he usually hangs around kids, but "A Secret Sphere of Influence" and "A Breed Stampede" show him to be even taller than Officer Jenny and Mr. Contesta, respectively.
* TokenAdult: Ash's and Dawn's only adult rival.
* UncattyResemblance: Wears a green cape similar to his Roserade's.
* UnexplainedAccent: The American dub gives him a European accent that seems to vary from episode to episode.
* TheUnfought: Dawn never faced him directly in an actual Contest battle (though they did have a practice bout in [=DP004=], which he won).
* TheUnreveal: When he shows his badge case to Ash and Dawn in ''Last Call, First Round!,'' it has seven badges and one empty slot for the Mine Badge (which is Byron's), but we never find out where and from whom he got his last badge in-between that episode and ''An Old Family Blend!''
* VagueAge: Appears to be in his early 20s, but his outfit and old-fashioned speech patterns give the impression of someone much older.
* VocalEvolution: After a year long absence, his accent became slightly more pronounced.
* WanderingMinstrel: He self-describes as such, a rare example of this trope in a modern setting.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: Wears one under his cape. Oddly for the trope, it's the ''least'' notable part of his ensemble, but it's still inordinately fancy for his surroundings.
* WarriorPoet: He is a skilled Pokémon Trainer and musician with a love for songs and stories. His habit of rhyming is shown to have rubbed off on Gardenia when she quotes a piece of philosophical poetry in "A Secret Sphere of Influence".
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent?: It sounds vaguely like a mixture of Spanish and Irish.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:He makes it all the way to the top four of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, only to get thrown out of the competition by Zoey. Come the Sinnoh League, Ash wipes the floor with Nando in the ''very first round'' of the Qualifying Matches (the Top 64). In fairness, you can probably blame this on the writers for making Ash his first opponent, or perhaps Zoey was right all along that he should have just stuck with contests. But he sure didn't go out without a fight.]]
* WorthyOpponent: To Zoey and Ash. It takes some time with Zoey, as she dismisses him as a dabbler, but the two times they fight he more than proves himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tobias (Takuto)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Tobias_7240.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/HirokiTakahashi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JMichaelTatum\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Jaime Alberto Carrillo
A mysterious trainer who first appears during the Sinnoh League Tournament, and one of the most formidable trainers seen in the series by far, due to his possession of extremely rare and powerful legendary Pokémon. Using only [[spoiler:Darkrai]], he has [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] through the Sinnoh Gym Leaders and the League Tournament. [[spoiler: One might be tempted to think that Darkrai is his go-to Pokémon and the rest of his team is comprised of ordinary Pokémon, but only because not a single opponent is able to get past Darkrai in a match with it until Ash has a go at it with his team. When Ash actually does defeat Darkrai, Tobias reveals he has ''several'' legendaries in tow, and plan B is to call on his Latios.]]
----
* TheAce: He is the most skilled trainer shown in the Sinnoh region next to Cynthia, steamrolling ''everyone'' he encounters in the Pokémon League. His character even might be a nod to the acquired term "sweeping" in the {{Metagame}} of the Pokémon games (i.e. a player is able to take down entire teams using only one Pokémon with little effort, and do so regularly against many other players in competitive play).
* BadassCape: His cape flows with the wind, much like Nando.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:He beat Sinnoh's Gym Leaders and got to the League Semifinals using ''just'' Darkrai. Against Ash, he is forced to bust out a Latios, which get knocked out as well in a double KO that defeats Ash. Even in the final battle, [most of which is not shown] he actually wins with only Darkrai.]]
* CurbStompCushion: Even though Ash does get his ass handed to him on a silver platter, he does manage to [[spoiler:take out two of his legendaries, the closest ''anybody'' actually gets to him.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Grayish-blue hair, light blue eyes.
* DarkIsNotEvil: No, the creepy guy with the [[spoiler:Darkrai]] is not evil. He actually congratulates Ash on a good battle after he wins.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Ash is the ''only'' person that actually manages to [[spoiler:defeat his Darkrai, and Latios by extension.]] Even the announcer acknowledges it.
* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler:Just after Ash finally beats his rival in the quarter-finals, and it looks like he'll ''finally'' win a major championship, he gets thoroughly trounced by Tobias' ''two'' legendary Pokémon. The trainer's appearance was never hinted at before the Tournament Arc, and it's never explained how he got his hands on two OlympusMons.]] One gets the feeling he was created merely as an excuse to get Ash to Unova quicker.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Thrice. First when Ash's Sceptile [[spoiler:breaks out of sleep status ''immediately'']] with the second coming when Sceptile [[spoiler:hands Darkrai its ass for the first time.]] And after that? Tobias [[spoiler:sends out a Latios.]] That was unexpected. Not to mention wholly unexplained. [[spoiler:The fact Pikachu managed to help Ash make a repeat performance to Tobias and take it out also counted, towards Tobias and the crowd.]]
* TheFaceless: For about a couple episodes. Although [[EarlyBirdCameo pay attention and you can see his face relatively clearly in the tournament standings.]] He's the only one with hair like that.
* GlassCannon: [[spoiler:In keeping to Darkrai's stats in the game, his is this by Legendaries standards. Even healing with Dream Eater, Darkrai goes down to a relatively small amount of direct hits.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:A lot of people were predicting that Darkrai would be the most he'd bring to the table.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's creepy, arrogant, and uses arguably underhanded strategy, but when all's said and done, he congratulates Ash on a well fought battle.
* TheJuggernaut: ''Nobody'' so far has taken this guy's Darkrai and Latios down in a fight. [[spoiler:Well, Ash did, but he lost all of his Pokémon in the process and therefore the tournament]].
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: He plows through every Trainer he comes up against with minimal effort, [[spoiler:including Ash]], and goes on to [[spoiler:win the Sinnoh League.]] He also wears a red cape.
* LargeHam: The way he releases [[spoiler:Latios]] comes to mind.
* MeaningfulName: Tobias is a powerful trainer who relies mainly on Darkrai to fight. Tobias is also the name of a biblical hero from the book of Tobit who drove a demon out with the help of the archangel Raphael.
* OlympusMons: [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios.]]
* OneManArmy: His Darkrai. It single-handedly carries him through the entire Sinnoh League [[spoiler:with the exception of Ash, who, using Sceptile and Pikachu, respectively, manages to take it and his Latios down with him.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the Japanese version. Tommy from the Pokémon Trainer's School (a Hoenn character of the day) shares the same Japanese name as him. [[spoiler:And, to an extent, the fact that Tobias' Darkrai makes the THIRD we've seen so far (movies are {{Canon}}). Legendaries have been proven to come in multiples before ([=PowerOfOne=]!Lugia, Silver, and his mother; Heroes has practically a herd of Latios and Latias in flashback).]]
* PalsWithJesus: [[spoiler:He has two legendary Pokémon that obey his every command.]]
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his eye, like his [[spoiler:Darkrai]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:His second Pokémon is '''Latios.''' Didn't see that coming, did you? Arceus knows what the rest of his team looks like...]]
* RiddleForTheAges:
** How he caught a [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios]] is never explained.
** There is a lot of theories and wonder as to what the other four Pokémon are in his party, [[spoiler:considering two of them are legendaries.]]
* SmugSuper: Downplayed. He is ''very'' well aware he is packing [[spoiler:high-grade legendaries]] and will let his opponents know how even bringing their A-game might not be enough, but he does respect the effort his opponents put in the battle. Especially Ash [[spoiler:given he actually did defeat his Darkrai and Latios.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: His design is similar to Nando's, wearing a long cape and an [[PeekABangs emo-bang hairstyle]] as well as having a [[AerithAndBob slightly unusual name.]] He even has a slight accent in the English dub, though it's very faint.
* TakeThat: He is one to players who use [[spoiler:legendaries]] to breeze through the games instead of bothering to actually train a team.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Non-lethal, competitive example. [[spoiler: He was the first major character of sorts to bring Legendary Pokémon in a League tournament, who are viewed as physical deities that make most fully-evolved mons look like weaklings. And Tobias used ''at least two of them''.]]
* TheUnreveal: Only two of his Pokémon were shown in his fight against Ash. [[spoiler:Also, no explanation was given as how did he caught them even after the battle.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Mentioning him will get you to [[spoiler:reveal how Ash lost the Sinnoh league]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: As is the case with ''every'' Conference Winner, there is no mention of him going on to face the Elite Four and the region's Champion, but he stands out for obvious reasons. Cynthia is still the Sinnoh Champion in her later appearances in ''Black and White'', meaning Tobias either lost to her, to the Elite Four, or inexplicably decided not to challenge them.
[[/folder]]
!Sinnoh League
[[folder:In General]]
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: As with all the regions, the Elite Four are selected based on the strongest trainers in the region.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Cynthia (Shirona)]]
[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shirona.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomoSakurai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Jenness\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Adriana Casas
The Champion of the Sinnoh League.
----
* TheAce: Well she is the Champion of Sinnoh so this should be given.
* BadassLongcoat: She wears her black signature coat for the entirety of ''Diamond & Pearl''.
* BadassBookworm: Has a love and fascination for history, when she makes her debut she's visiting a site of ruins in Sinnoh.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: She is a very polite and somewhat quirky LadyOfWar, but will immediately react to whatever region-wide threat is present and will unleash her Garchomp at a moment's notice.
* BigDamnHeroes: She takes down Jupiter easily and frees Ash and co. just in time for them to stop Cyrus' plan.
* BigGood: Portrayed this way in D/P.
* TheBusCameBack: As a reference to her appearance in the B&W games, she has a recurring role in BWS2 - her villa in Undella Town accommodated Ash and his friends as they prepared for the Junior Cup and the Vertress Conference. During one particular arc, she even brought Dawn along with her.
* CombatPragmatist: Not usually, but when she shows up to help Ash against Team Galactic, she has her Garchomp do a surprise attack against Jupiter's Skuntank, and then when Jupiter starts to take out another Pokémon, Garchomp lands behind her and rests its claws right near her throat. [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim When the world's at stake, it isn't the time to play fair]].
* CurbStompBattle: People who try to face her in battle usually receive one of these, most notably Paul. The known exceptions are Flint (who took down three of her Pokémon before losing to her Garchomp), Aaron (who [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome took down five of her team, including Garchomp]], before finally losing to Gastrodon), and Caitlin (who battled Cynthia's Garchomp to a standstill with her Gothitelle, resulting the battle going into overtime).
* TheDitherer: Every time she needs to pick a flavor of ice cream, she takes ages.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Sort of has this happen in the [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 B2W2]] season - she doesn't ''join'' Ash's group, but they lounge about in her villa for a while, and she participates in several of their adventures.
* HelpingWouldBeKillStealing: ''Subverted'' in the "Operation Tempest" two-parter - her Garchomp proves vital, along with Dragonite and Golurk, in holding back the [[OneWingedAngel Therian Forme]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Kami Trio]]. She also helped directly in fighting Team Galactic, even though anything connecting with the Lake Trio had to be done by Ash, Dawn, and Brock since they were the ones linked to them.
* IceCreamKoan: Plenty of times in DP, though nowhere near as much in BW, she'll go into random tangents with vague words and meanings that may or may not even relate to what's going on.
* {{Irony}}: She loves ice cream, but her signature Pokémon, Garchomp, sports a quadruple weakness to the Ice-type.
* LadyOfWar: Cynthia herself, though her female Garchomp also qualifies by merit of being both powerful and graceful.
* TheMentor: Her main role during the plot of the DP series, though she ''does'' get actively involved in the effort to stop Team Galactic, doing her duty as Champion very well. She also mentors Iris, particularly in regards to her new, disobedient Dragonite. Iris in turn [[HeroWorshipper looks up to her]], thanks in no small part to Cynthia having trained her own powerful Dragon-type, Garchomp.
* OneManArmy: Her Garchomp tears through Paul's team like a lawnmower through a notebook factory, finishing by one-shotting his powerful Torterra with a single Brick Break.
* PeekABangs: Her left eye is covered by her hair, which is part of her "mysterious beauty" look.
* PlayingWithFire: Her Garchomp can use Flamethrower.
* RecurringCharacter: Cynthia appears every now and then in ''Diamond & Pearl'' and she also appears a lot in the early episodes of ''Best Wishes! Season 2''.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Along with Lance. Steven and Diantha, she is one of the champions we seen on-screen that take proactive measures against wide-scale threats.
* RunningGag: A good number of times Ash meets her she's having trouble deciding on what flavor of ice cream she wants...
* SkewedPriorities: During the introduction of the Meloetta arc in ''Pokemon Black and White'', while Ash and Company take care of Meloetta on the roadside, Cynthia receives an urgent call that requires her to drive back to the city immediately. She forgot her change when she bought an ice cream cone.
* SweetTooth: Her introductory moments in the series show her being indecisive over what flavor of ice cream to get, a gag that shows up several more times later on. Towards the end of DP (during the Lily of the Valley Conference), Team Rocket ''use'' this gag to attract customers. Comes up yet again in BW when Ash meets up with her again in a similar manner, down to her indecisiveness on picking a flavor.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ice cream, but she takes hours to decide which one she wants to choose.
* WeaponOfChoice: [[InfinityMinusOneSword Her Garchomp]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lucian (Goyō)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucian_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeNamikawa\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' David Lapkin\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/EduardoGarza
* BadassBookworm: Like his game counterpart, he can be frequently seen with a book in his hands.
* EarlyBirdCameo: If you count that he's the sole Sinnoh Elite Four member who appeared ''prior'' to Cynthia.
* ElementalPowers: He uses [[PsychicPowers Psychic types]].
* ExtraOreDinary: Bronzong's primary type.
* SharpDressedMan: Wears a full suit, even while training is Pokemon.
* WorthyOpponent: Perceived as such by Buizel, who thus became highly depressed at losing so badly to him the first time.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is blue.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aaron (Ryou)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aaron_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KenshoOno\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Christopher C. Adams\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Christophe Hespel
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Specializes in bug types
* ComeBackMyPet: His Beautifly.
* MrFanservice: In-universe. Even the local ''Officer Jenny'' {{Fangirl}}s him. Rare case of ''both'' {{Bishounen}} and RatedMForManly, judging by his appearance.
* MyGreatestFailure: Abandoning his Wurmple for being a weak Pokémon when he was younger (which prompted him to better understand Bug-types, so it wouldn't happen again). It eventually comes back to him as a Beautifly.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Though it was cut from the dub, the original Japanese of [=DP100=] has announcer state Cynthia was down to her ''last'' Pokémon when she sent out Gastrodon against Aaron's Beautifly. This means that [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Aaron must have actually defeated her Garchomp]], something even Flint didn't quite manage! Oddly, in the preceding episode his Pokémon had trouble dealing with ''the Team Rocket trio''.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub, which also has [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew Sir Aaron]].
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He is apparently able to understand insects.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Flint (Ōba)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flint_e4_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Toru Nara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Arturo Castañeda
* AfroAsskicker: Has a pretty massive one, and is one of the strongest trainers in the entire Sinnoh region.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: After fully evolving, Ash's Infernape only lost once in the entire remaining series. To Flint's Infernape.
* BareFistedMonk: Infernape's 2nd Type and it knows Close Combat, Mach Punch, and Thunderpunch
* BigBrotherMentor: Has this vibe with Ash and they share a similar philosophy in the way they battle with their Pokémon and he shares some advice with the younger boy. Not to mention that he is obviously fond of Ash...
* BigDamnHeroes: in his first appearance, using Infernape to save Ash from the Sunyshore gym's security system, and again to rescue Kenny's Floatzel from Team Rocket.
* BloodKnight: If his Infernape's reaction to Pikachu is anything to go by than he '''''LOVES''''' a good fight where he can go out. Flint may qualify as well since he also thought Pikachu was well trained and worth more effort to battle against.
* CurbstompBattle: Defeats Ash in a 3 vs. 3 battle with minimal effort. His Infernape outright one shotted Ash's own Infernape and Buizel and was tanking hits from Pikachu while tossing him around.
* CurbStompCushion: Flint admitted Infernape was putting some degree of effort into fighting Pikachu, which is more than most would manage.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Infernape was able to go head to head with Cynthia's Garchomp and deal some brutal blows in. It's the second-closest anyone has come to take her down (Aaron got closer). Not to mention it swatted Ash's Pokémon like flies!
* FieryRedhead: Invoked, as it tends to be, being a fire type trainer with the hot blood to match.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Volkner.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Every time he shows up you can hear a subtle jungle beat with drums. It's actually quite awesome.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub. The other Flint is Brock's father.
* PlayingWithFire: Infernape
* TheRival: Volkner's old friend and adversary.
* WorthyOpponent: His Infernape seems to view Ash's Pikachu as this. After [[OneHitKill casually ragdolling Ash's Infernape and Buizel]] he had to face Pikachu and seemed quite excited to do so the instant Pikachu made his opening attack. Flint was even surprise to see that his Infernape was excited to fight Pikachu and felt like he was putting some effort into battling. [[CurbstompBattle Granted Infernape wins quite easily]], but he still felt Pikachu was worth more effort compared to the others.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bertha (Kikuno)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bertha_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yoko Matsuoka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Mary O' Brady\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Magda Giner
* BerserkButton: When Team Rocket decided to enhance their Pokémon's performance using PoweredArmor, she didn't take it too kindly.
* CoolOldLady: She's ancient, but she's also one of the most powerful Pokemon trainers in the world.
* ElementalPowers: She specializes in [[DishingOutDirt Ground type]] Pokémon:
* ExtraOreDinary: Hippowdon's Iron Head.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: She engages in some CarFu with her van against Team Rocket.
* ManBitesMan: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Team Rocket learns this the hard way after being on the business end of her car and her extremely powerful Pokemon.
* OneHitKO: Gliscor's Guillotine
* OneShotCharacter: She only appeared in a single episode, barring her cameo in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''.
* PlayingWithFire: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* StealthMentor: In two ways. She not only acts in a way intended to subtly teach the other person, but also hides her status as an Elite Four member and tells Brock not to reveal it.
[[/folder]]
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to:
%%
%% All examples must explain the trope and how it applies in its context. All examples lacking the proper context have been commented out.
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExamples
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[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocket Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocketOthers Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationOpponents Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | '''''Supporting Cast''''' | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYMegaEvolutionSpecial Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]]-]]]]]
[[foldercontrol]]
!Main characters
[[folder:Dawn (Hikari)]]
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_bw2.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MegumiToyoguchi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Bauer\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gaby Ugarte (seasons 10,11, and 13), Leyla Rangel (season 12 and 15)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alexandra Corréa
Dawn is a newbie trainer from Sinnoh who met Ash after she ran into Pikachu, who’d been separated from his trainer by Team Rocket. Like May before her, Dawn aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator. Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:
----
* ActionGirl:
** Out of all of Ash's traveling companions, she's the most likely to take immediate action against Team Rocket or other antagonists when they show up, frequently having Piplup dealing the finishing blow alongside Pikachu.
** In one episode, she once rescued all her Pokémon ''all by herself''.
* AdaptationalModesty: In the ''Pokémon Learning League'' educational series, she wears a long-sleeved shirt and white tights under her usual sleeveless top and short skirt.
* AgeInappropriateDress:
** [[AvertedTrope But]] her mother forbade her from bringing it on her journey. Then again, her normal outfit...
** Lampshaded in episode 171 by Princess Salvia, who comments on the length of Dawn's skirt.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: In terms of Contest skill, she's on both ends of this trope. She has never managed to surpass the more experienced Zoey, but she always comes ahead of Ursula.
* AshFace: Her Cyndaquil has done this to her [[RunningGag several times]] by flaring up its back flames while she's holding it. Some of her various electrocution and explosion mishaps have also left her singed.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Similar to May and later Serena, Dawn is good natured, but not a doormat and isn't afraid to sic her strongest Pokémon on you if you piss her off, which Team Rocket know from experience. When Meowth pulled a HeelFaceMole on the heroes, Dawn, who had been sympathetic enough to offer getting him media ties, angrily vowed to beat him to tears for selling them out ([[TooKinkyToTorture he didn't surprisingly]], but still).
* BigDamnHeroes: A short time after becoming a trainer and getting her first Pokémon, she protects Pikachu with her Piplup.
* BreakTheCutie: Disturbingly often. Gets this when losing contests and became a StepfordSmiler afterwards.
* BrickJoke: The second [=DP=] episode continued the RunningGag of Pikachu frying a bike, but it took 36 episodes for Ash to know about it.
* TheBusCameBack: She returned for the ''Best Wishes'' series for an arc.
* ButtMonkey: Out of all the main characters, she’s the biggest one of the “butt of every joke” type. Several characters have poked fun at her, including Ash, Brock, and her own Pokémon, and her skill as a Coordinator was called into question several times prior to her victory at the Wallace Cup.
* {{Catchphrase}}:
** "Daijobu!", or "No need to worry!" in the dub. How ironic.
** And like May, she has a phrase to use when calling Pokémon out for a Contest -- "Charm up!" / "Spotlight!"
** BorrowedCatchphrase: She also copied Iris' "such a kid" remarks at Ash (a little anyways), and once used, "Buneary, I choose you!" when sending it out to battle Pachirisu.
* TheChosenOne: Chosen by Mesprit since the beginning of the DP series due to her strong empathy.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has both hair and eyes that are dark-blue.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Rather famous for having a skirt that barely covers her hips. Lucky she's wearing a leotard underneath...
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Of "Diamond and Pearl", to Ash's protagonist. Her name is even added in the Japanese openings of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series right next to Ash's.
* DisappearedDad: Unlike Ash, no mention is ever made of her father.
* DistaffCounterpart: Dawn in many ways is like a female counterpart to Ash. Like May before and Serena after, she exchanges RotatingArcs with Ash's Gym quest, but she stands out thanks to her status as the {{Deuteragonist}} and that she shares more in common with him than just about any of his companions. Like Ash, she is an optimistic and initially overconfident NiceGirl who had decided on her life goal long before her debut. She started her journey with an initially stubborn Pokémon that stays outside his Poké Ball and refuses to evolve, and bonded with him after [[FireForgedFriends fending off a large swarm of wild Pokemon]] in an adventure that culminated in them meeting a [[OlympusMons Legendary]] Pokemon. She also has a knack for developing [[OutsideTheBoxTactic Outside-the-Box Tactics]] in battle similarly to Ash, many of which are borrowed between the two.
* DubInducedPlotHole: Against all odds, averted when it came to explaining "Dee-Dee".
* DudeMagnet: Kenny, Kendall, and Conway have all shown signs of being attracted to her. She also has a few moments with Ash that could be seen as ShipTease (though, Ash being [[ChasteHero Ash,]] these moments are up to the audience's interpretation). This being ''Pokémon,'' [[NoHuggingNoKissing it never goes anywhere.]]
* FailedASpotCheck: If she would look around at the audience during contests more often, she would notice some [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/027 VERY familar faces]]. Namely, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet.
* FailureHero: [[BreakTheCutie Poor girl lost]] ''[[BreakTheCutie two]]'' [[BreakTheCutie Contests in the Appeal Stage in a row!]]
* FanGirl: To Professor Oak's (and Gary's) poetry, and Wallace (Contest master).
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Dawn is good at baking Poffins, unlike Ash who burns all of his to a crisp.
* FireForgedFriends: When she and Piplup first meet, they can't stand each other, but they form a bond after escaping from a horde of wild Ariados, and Dawn doesn't hesitate to choose him as her starter when they get back to Prof. Rowan's lab. They continue to grow closer throughout the ''Diamond & Pearl'' series.
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: She and Brock had fairly little interaction.
* GenerationXerox: She gets her passion from Pokémon Contests from her mother, who is a retired Top Coordinator.
* GoGetterGirl: Right from the start, she knew she wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator, and never lost sight of her goal since.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Became this in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Best Wishes Season 2]]'', joining the group for eight episodes prior to and during the Junior Cup.
* HarmlessElectrocution: A running gag by itself, Dawn needs to use Piplup's Bubble Beam to [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/Dawnshair.jpg condition her hair back to normal after she gets zapped]].
* AnIcePerson: While she doesn't specializes in Ice-types, as her journey goes on she uses more and more ice moves in her Appeals and battles, often in combination with fire and electricity.
* IdenticalStranger: She and Princess Salvia from the episode "Dawn of a Royal Day!" look exactly alike. They take advantage of this and switch places for a day so Salvia can compete in a Contest with her Togekiss.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: She befriended Nando, a traveling bard, and Lila, a dressmaker and retired Coordinator who was also her mother's childhood friend.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "By Your Side". Used primarily in the Japanese edit, though some instrumental versions still accompany her in parts of the English dub (thus making it one of very few Japanese image songs to at least partway survive the transition).
* LeotardOfPower: As seen in "Two Degrees of Separation!", Dawn appears to be wearing a black leotard under her minidress.
* LettingHerHairDown: Most notably [[http://images5.fanpop.com/image/polls/991000/991163_1333460097101_full.png two]] [[http://pm1.narvii.com/6341/c358a4b8d243806b999f5e28a3690780ebafe008_hq.jpg times]].
* LittleMissBadass: Younger than Ash but able to single-handedly kick Team Rocket's ass.
* MagicSkirt: She has a short skirt, but she remains covered throughout the series, except for one occasion - "Steamboat Willies!".
* MementoMacGuffin: At the beginning of her Pokémon journey, her mother gave to her the first Contest ribbon she won as a good luck charm. After her run in the Grand Festival, she gives it back.
* NaiveEverygirl: It took her an entire episode to find Professor Rowan, despite it normally not being that difficult.
* NiceGirl: Easily the most straightforwardly kind of all the leading females (before Serena), and very empathetic (she never held Pikachu ''or'' Ash responsible for her bike's destruction given the circumstances, for instance, knowing that she attacked Pikachu first and Ash wasn't even there, thanks to team rocket). Must be the main reason Mesprit chose her.
* NiceHat: It covers her hair because it gets frizzy when exposed to shock.
* NoodleIncident: The origins of her nickname Pikari/Dee-Dee. In a subversion, it's later revealed she got shocked by a Plusle and Minun in kindergarten, making her hair all sparkly. [[note]]"Pikapika" is the [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud spoken sound effect for "sparkle"]][[/note]]. In the dub, it's short for "Diamond Dandruff", which is indeed pretty embarrassing.
* ObliviousToLove: She has no trouble understanding others people's romance, but seems rather blind when said affection is directed to her (except with Conway, but subtle he isn't). She doesn't get Kenny has a crush on her, and totally misses Lyla acting as a ShipperOnDeck for her and Ash in "Dressed For Jess Success".
* OjouRinglets: Not an {{Ojou}}, but she used this hairstyle in a couple of contests as shown [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Dawn_DP027_contest.png here]] and [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/diamond_pearl/ep177.html here]].
* PhraseCatcher:
** The reply to her own {{Catchphrase}} is usually "That's when [we] worry the most."
** A few times she gets her catchphrase, "No need to worry!", back at her.
* PimpedOutDress: She wears a lot of them. Makes sense, considering part of her job as a Coordinator is to look stylish alongside her Pokémon and she also has a sense of fashion.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her usual Contest dress is pink. Idem her cheerleader outfit. Her regular outfit features a pink skirt and she wears a pink coat when traveling in colder climes.
* PomPomGirl: She sometime act like a cheerleader and donned a pink cheerleading outfit (her Pokèmon also) to support Ash in his Gym battles with Roark, Maylene and Volkner.
* PluckyGirl: She always remains optimistic, even when the odds are against her.
* RunningGag:
** She's frequently on the receiving end of electric attacks, which always leaves her hair messy and frazzled. Her Pachirisu is the main offender, but Pikachu and other electric types have also found reasons to electrocute her.
** Once she acquires her Cyndaquil, it develops a habit of flaring up its back flames while Dawn is holding it, leaving her with an AshFace. In fact, it's the very first thing it does upon hatching.
* ScarfOfAssKicking: Wears a scarf, and fights often.
* ShesGotLegs: Thick and sturdy legs.
* ShipperOnDeck: While normally embarrassed about Brock's antics like everyone else, when it was suggested to him that he [[spoiler:become a Pokémon Doctor]], she's the one to point out that it will help him get closer to all Nurse Joys.
* ShipTease: Naturally, she gets these with Ash. Not to mention that, out of every girl so far, she's the only one to go as far as to be his personal cheerleader during a few of his Gym Battles.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Poor Dawn isn't immune to being zapped, drenched, frozen, or burned by her own Pokémon.
* StaticCharacter: While she matures a good deal, the basic person she is never changes and has never even changed from childhood, right down to her CatchPhrase. She's also the only female companion so far to not have undergone a change in outfit or party lineup aside from an evolution.
* StepfordSmiler: Tries to put on a good face after her first losing streak. Doesn't work in the end.
* SupremeChef: A few hands-on lessons are enough to get her cooking Poffins like a pro.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Probably the most explicit example of any of Ash’s friends; like May before her, Dawn is a NiceGirl Pokémon coordinator whose quest [[RotatingArcs alternates in focus with Ash]] and who has a famous parent. The writers did work to make them distinct however [[note]] Dawn was more traditionally feminine than the sometimes tomboyish May and lacked the latter’s BigEater tendencies. Dawn also knew she wanted to be a Coordinator from the start, but conversely, struggled in her early contests much more than May ever did [[/note]].
* SkywardScream: Does this in "Dawn's Early Night" after losing the Hearthome contest.
-->'''Dawn:''' ''[as she runs to the balcony]'' AAAAAAAAAAH!
* ATasteOfDefeat: Tying in with her ButtMonkey role, Dawn is the first of few "twerps" to suffer [[TeamRocketWins an unnegated defeat from Team Rocket]] in an episode. ''Twice'' for that matter:
** In "Team Shocker" Jessie (as Jessilina) wins her first ribbon in the Solaceon contest, one Dawn doesn't even pass the Appeals Round for. [[HeroicBSOD She does not take it well.]]
** James (disguised as Jessilina) directly defeats her in the battle round of the Lilypad contest in "Dressed For Jess Success". While Dawn was a GracefulLoser this time round, it didn't remotely taint James and Meowth's victory over her.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl:
** Girly Girl to Zoey's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to her predecessor May's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to Iris' Tomboy in ''Best Wishes''. Dawn really is the eternal Girly Girl of this anime, huh?
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She's terrified of Plusle and Minun, because of an incident in kindergarten when she hugged them too hard and they shocked her, making her hair stand on end and everyone laugh at her.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Her fantasy in the LotusEaterMachine episode shows us that she even wants to surpass her mother.
* WorthyOpponent: When Dawn finally eliminated her in the Grand Festival, Jessie admitted (albeit infuriated) that she was this. Jessie herself managed to achieve her most even handed rivalry against Dawn, equalling and even besting her at times. Since Dawn never saw through her "Jesselina" alias, she was rather respectful towards her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dawn's Pokémon]]
* BadassAdorable: The majority of her team are comprised of cute-looking Pokémon who are all competent in Pokémon Contests. Even her not-so-cute ones, specifically Mamoswine, used to be a very cute but strong Swinub.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: Mamoswine and Togekiss are the big guys, Piplup, Buneary, Cyndaquil and Pachirisu are the little guys.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: All but Mamoswine are adorable Pokémon, and even he was cute as a Swinub. Buizel was another exception, since he used to be the cool guy in the group, but he's soon replaced by the cute GenkiGirl Aipom.
!!Piplup (Pochama)
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piplup_5642.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/EtsukoKozakura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MicheleKnotz
Piplup is Dawn's first Pokémon. She befriended him after saving him from a wild Ariados' attack, when Piplup and Chimchar had fled from Professor Rowan's lab.
----
* AttentionWhore: Regarding Dawn's attention, at least. Piplup sometimes has a fit when Dawn isn't giving him the attention it wants. Heck, the episode "Piplup Up and Away" was dedicated to Piplup getting upset because Dawn and the gang wasn't giving him the attention he wanted.
* BerserkButton: His EstablishingCharacterMoment was throwing a fit when Professor Rowan's Chimchar stole the last bite of his food.
* BigEater: Gets a GrowlingGut often, and enjoys food.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally just a starter Pokémon for the regional main girl Dawn, Piplup became very popular with viewers during the DP saga, especially in Japan. Noticeably, he began appearing outside of his Poké Ball more and more often until he eventually stopped being seen inside it altogether (save for rare occasions). He also got promoted to being a co-star with Ash's Pikachu in the merchandising, a feat that only Misty's Togepi had accomplished prior.
* BubbleGun: Bubble Beam, which fires several bubbles in quick succession, was the very first attack he was seen using, and it's still his SignatureMove to date.
* ButtMonkey: To clarify it has been:
** Attacked by Elekid and Electabuzz [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/066 on two]] [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/137 different occasions]].
** Zapped by Pikachu ([[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash%27s_Pikachu yes That Pikachu]]) [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/149 after bumping into it]].
** Knocked into a crater by Ash and Gible (using Draco Meteor) on purpose and [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/626ps11.shtml having to fend off against a Magnezone and a Metagross]].
** Not to mention [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP156 all]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP157 those]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP164 other]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP172 times]] it got hit by Draco Meteor ([[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/174 except for that one time that Kenny got hit by it]]).
* CampStraight: Very campy, but showed attraction to Meloetta. Though Meloetta is gender less, so...
* TheChewToy: It is always nailed by Ash's Gible's Draco Meteor while the latter was trying to master that move.
* ColorFailure:
** In "Battling a Cute Drama!" when Marilyn said he wasn't cute.
** In "Piplup, Up, And Away!" when he overheard Dawn telling Gible it wasn't at fault for dropping Draco Meteors on him.
** When Dawn had her reappearance in Unova, in "Piplup, Pasage, and a Meeting of the Times!", he shares one with Dawn in reaction to Cilan's "Evaluation Time" during a training battle with Pansage.
* {{Determinator}}:
* DramaQueen: If something annoys him, he'll let you know. Loudly.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He'a based off of a penguin, and a hero.
* {{Expy}}: There are lots of similarities between Piplup and Pikachu. Both befriended their trainers after serious peril, and resist evolution to their next forms. Piplup also prefers to travel outside his Poké Ball, though he will come out of one for Performances to accrue Charm Points.
* FireForgedFriends: At the end of the Junior Cup arc in [=BW2=], he seems to have formed a close bond with Oshawott (who was his rival for Meloetta's affection).
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Did this to Dawn when she was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown before one Contest. Instead of slapping her, he blasted her with Bubble Beam.
* GreenEyedMonster: Piplup can't stand sharing Dawn's attention, so her fawning over [[TheLancer Cyndaquil]] does not sit well with him.
* GrowlingGut: In his debut. This is what made him to accept food from Dawn.
* HeroicBSOD: He had this when he was trying to evolve but didn't want to.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pikachu during the DP series. They two spend a lot of time together due to mostly being outside of their Pokeballs, and are shown to be extremely close. When it's time for Pikachu and Ash to move on, Piplup is ''devestated''.
%%* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam.
* InterspeciesRomance: "Piplup, Up, and Away" makes it pretty clear he has a huge crush on Dawn. The music is what puts it over the top.
* JerkassBall: He could be seen as downright selfish in some of the episodes. In "Different Strokes for Different Blokes", he ate Aipom's orange causing them to argue. He also collided with Turtwig in "The Champ Twins!" and they started arguing again. He also didn't accept Turtwig's apology when Turtwig is trying to make up with him. In "Gone with the Wildworks", he's shown to be selfish towards Cyndaquil for Dawn's attention. He even slapped Cyndaquil out of the way and ate the poffin which causes them to start a fight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is rather selfish but does love Dawn and always tries to do his best for her.
* MakingASplash: He's a Water-Type and knows common water moves such as Bubblebeam, Whirlpool and Hydro Pump.
%%* NoSenseOfDirection
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Occasionally bickers with Dawn, even though it's clear they care about each other at the same level that Ash and Pikachu do.
* LostFoodGrievance: In his first episode, he got mad at the starter Chimchar when it stole the last bite of his food, starting a fight that wrecked Professor Rowan's lab and led to both of them escaping out a broken window, along with a Starly and Staraptor.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The Mean to Cyndaquil's Nice and Pikachu's In-Between. He's more hot-headed, assertive, cranky and grumpy compared to the more quiet, calm, friendly and polite Cyndaquil while Pikachu mediates between the two.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: This is apparently due less to its infamous "forced mascot" status and more because the producer considers Prinplup and Empoleon ugly. In series, it's because he's afraid of changing personalities when he evolves, and in the dub because he wants to protect Dawn as he is.
* NotQuiteFlight: Piplup, being based on a penguin, doesn't actually fly naturally.[[note]]The entire Piplup line [[ShownTheirWork never picks up the Flying type]].[[/note]] He's shown occasionally to be capable of flying a very short distance from the momentum of using [=BubbleBeam=] or being sent out from his Poké Ball.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: From Bide, to Whirlpool, to even Hydro Pump, all while not even approaching Dawn's knees in height.
* PluckyComicRelief: Goofy and funny, and [[ButtMonkey hapless to match.]]
* RealMenWearPink: On several occasions he has sported a ''pink female'' cheerleading outfit. Later on they opted for more masculine clothing though.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Cyndaquil's blue. He is more hot-headed and assertive compared to the more quiet and calm Cyndaquil, an ironic inverse given their color schemes.
* SignatureMove: Bubble Beam is used the most out of every move he knows, and he never forgot how to use it.
* TookALevelInBadass: Upon learning Hydro Pump, one of the most powerful water attacks known.
* WaveMotionGun: When he uses Hydro Pump, he blasts a massive cannon of water at his opponent that is at least 10x bigger than he is.
* WouldHitAGirl: Repeatedly attacks his master when angered as a RunningGag.
!!Buneary (Mimirol)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Buneary_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (first voice), Creator/SatsukiYukino (current)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
From the beginning of ''Diamond and Pearl'', Dawn wanted a Buneary. This Buneary was [[ThirdTimesTheCharm her third attempt to capture one]]. Of course, it helps that this particular Buneary had developed an intense crush on Ash's Pikachu.
----
* ActionGirl: Especially noteable in "Hold the Phione" - after the titular Pokémon challenges Pikachu for her, she's offended because (A) Pikachu's in a tight spot, and (B) she's being treated like some sort of prize. She demands Phione battle ''her'' instead. And ''wins''.
* BadassAdorable: She's a little bunny that's capable of both giving you a run for your money in battle and making you go "aww" at the same time.
* BunniesForCuteness: Is based off of a rabbit, and is ''adorable.''
* CrushBlush: She cannot resist Pikachu.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First she jumps to save Pikachu from an incoming motorcycle, then when he tries to thank her she hides her face and bounds away, in the process [[WatchOutForThatTree crashing into a tree]]. This sets her up as a graceful ActionGirl who nonetheless crushes ''hard'' on Pikachu.
* TheFashionista: Not an extreme example, but she's occasionally seen sporting a vest that Dawn made for her, and the Sinnoh arc ends with her becoming a model.
* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam, which is also her signature move for Contests.
* NonElemental: She's the Normal-type of the team.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's tiny, but she froze Ash, Dawn, and Brock in her debut episode, and she frequently holds her own against larger opponents..
* WingdingEyes: Gets hearts in her eyes when she looks at Pikachu.
!!Pachirisu
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Pachirisu_5914.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
----
* AmbiguousGender: It's probably male, given its design and an incident in DP138[[note]]Johanna's Umbreon and Glameow used Attract against both Pachirisu and Piplup, and it worked on both. Umbreon and Glameow do not have known genders.[[/note]], but never explicitly confirmed.
* DeathGlare: Gave one to Ursula's Gabite after its Poffin was stepped on - an ''impressive one'' for normally happy-go-lucky Pachirisu.
* KidAppealCharacter: The second youngest of Dawn's Pokémon, and the one who acts like a kid the most.
* LostFoodGrievance: Pachirisu does ''not'' like its Poffins being [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/084 stolen]] or [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/114 smashed]]. Do any of those, and it'll make sure you pay for dearly for it.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Despite a major type disadvantage, it crushed Ursula's Gabite in the Chocovine Contest with is newly learned Super Fang.
* ScissorsCutsRock: It was able to defeat Ursula's Gabite in a Contest battle with Super Fang, despite Gabite being immune to Electric-type moves.
* StaticElectricity: Sometimes buzzes Dawn with this, and makes her hair pop out.
* SuperSpeed: Like most Electric-types, but in its debut episode it outran six of the gang's Pokémon at once (including ''Pikachu'') in a very silly game of high-speed chase.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins. The first time it was denied them, it shocked everyone until Pikachu snapped it out of it. Then there's the BerserkButton...
* YellowLightningBlueLightning: Emits the blue variety when using Discharge.
!!Buizel (Buoysel)
Traded to Ash for Aipom. For more info, see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Aipom-Ambipom (Eipam-Eteboth)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Aipom_8895.png]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Ambipom_9427.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Miyako Ito (Eipam), Chie Sato (Eteboth)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Miyako Ito (Aipom), Emily Jenness (Ambipom)
Aipom was a Pokémon that Ash caught during his journey through the Battle Frontier in Kanto. She is very affectionate towards him and secretly follows him when Ash set off to Sinnoh. While Aipom was shown to be a capable battler in Gym Battles, she develops a big interest in Contests, which would later lead to Ash trading her with Dawn's BloodKnight Buizel. She is competent in Contests, but she eventually develops an interest in Pokémon Ping Pong and later leaves Dawn's team, so the Ping Pong master can foster her talent.
----
* TheAce: She instantly excels everything she sets her interest on: pranking, battle, Contest and finally Pokemon ping pong.
* ActionGirl:
** While she preferred Contests, she was used several times in battle when she was under the ownership of Ash and didn't seem to mind.
** She beat Gardenia's strongest Pokémon, Roserade, so it's safe to say that although she prefers Contests, her battling skills are something to be proud of.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: After being traded over to Dawn, her crush on Ash was all but completely forgotten. The last time she even acknowledged Ash as her former trainer was when she was getting ready to be PutOnABus, and even then it wasn't much.
* ClingyMacGuffin: Gets a crown that was was too small for Aipom, thus it being stuck to her head for most of the episode.
* EleventhHourRanger: She was caught by Ash ten episodes before the end of the Advanced Generation series.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: It basically goes without saying, since she is a monkey-based Pokémon.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ever since Ash captured her at such a late time (during the Battle Frontier saga) and the fact that Aipom followed Ash and Pikachu to Sinnoh, it was rather obvious that the writers were planning to evolve her.
* GenkiGirl: Of course; most of her species tend to be this.
* LittleStowaway: Decided to sneak to Sinnoh with Ash instead of stay with Professor Oak like the rest of his Hoenn (and before) Pokémon. Ash decides to keep her in his Sinnoh crew until her trade to Dawn.
* NiceHat: Has a fondness for them, famously Ash's hat, or, in one episode, a ''crown''.
* NonElemental: As a normal type. Most of its moves do normal type damage as well.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: As Aipom, it's ankle-high to Ash and still capable of fighting much tougher apponents. .
* ThePrankster: When it was with Ash as an Aipom, she would play silly pranks on him, such as taking his hat for instance.
* PutOnABus: Similar to Ash's Primeape and ironically they are both ape-like Pokémon. She was last seen going away from the gang on a bus.
* RunningOnAllFours: Sometimes, such as when chasing Pachirisu in "Twice Smitten, Once Shy!"
!!Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine (Urimoo-->Inomoo-->Mammoo)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Swinub_7259.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piloswine_8918.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Mamoswine_8039.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' InukoInuyama (Urimoo and Inomoo), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (Mammoo)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Swinub), Tim Werenko (Piloswine), Creator/MarcThompson (Mamoswine)
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his huge size, he can make an impressive jump, shown off in ''Playing the Performance Encore.'' Lampshaded by Ursula: "Huh? With that huge body?!"
* TheBerserker: As a Mamoswine it has a violent temper and tends to go berserk when angry. This costs Dawn a contest when it loses control and goes on a rampage.
* BigEater: To the point where all the other Pokémon might actually be in danger of starving to death. It's a species trait, actually.
* BlindingBangs: Piloswine has bangs that cover his eyes.
* BrilliantButLazy: By far the most powerful of Dawn's pokemon, but also completely uninterested in anything besides eating and sleeping. Dawn eventually trains him out of it.
* CuttingTheKnot: Mamoswine has almost never won a Contest by retaining the lead when the buzzer sounds. It tends to simply KO the competition. As Dawn has noted, this can be seen as missing the point of Contests.
* DefrostingIceKing: Mamoswine initially doesn't respect Dawn at all and refuses to follow her commands.
* ElementalArmor: In dual Contests, the strategy of choice often involves encasing the smaller partner in ice.
* {{Expy}}: In many ways similar to Ash's Charizard. Three stage evolution caught in first stage, in which it has a sweet overall disposition and ''likes'' its new trainer? Check. Personality change upon evolving into second stage? Check. A surprisingly quick transition to its third stage? Check. TookALevelInBadass after evolving, becoming a large powerhouse who lazes around? Check. Has a lifechanging experience with the trainer, involving a defeat against another Pokémon that it both has an advantage and disadvantage to, and restores its loyalty, and beats said mon with trainers help, followed by gradual further CharacterDevelopment? Check, check and ''check''.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Swinub had these perpetually, and they never do open. It's a species trait.
* FullBoarAction: As a Piloswine and later Mamoswine, he is partly based on pigs, hence the name Pilo'''swine''' and Mamo'''swine'''.
* HairTriggerTemper: From his Piloswine form on he becomes frighteningly easy to set off, though he mellows out over time.
* HeroismIncentive: Prior to becoming obedient to Dawn, this is the only way for the latter to motivate him to do anything.
* AnIcePerson: His primary type is Ice. In Contests, Dawn utilizes his Ice-type moves to great effects, which allows him to be presented as a cool and powerful Pokémon next to her cute ones. He's often covered in ice spikes and he can surround his partners in ice for glamorous presentations.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gradually grows into this role, having shown a soft side as well as an (eventual) fascination to Contests. [[LampshadeHanging Noted in-series, once the other characters observe it]].
* MessyPig: All three of his forms were messy eaters.
* ObliviouslyEvil: He doesn't even realize that the other Pokémon initially have contempt for him because of his enormous appetite.
* PinkIsForSissies: He initially seemed... embarrassed at the fact that he was fascinated by Contests and tried to hide it even when Ash pointed it out. He finally got over it in "Promoting Healthy Tangrowth".
* SpikesOfDoom: He can create gigantic ice spikes on his back by swallowing his own Ice Shard.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins, it seems. All her Pokémon enjoy them, but Mamoswine ''really'' [[BigEater can't get enough of them]].
!!Cyndaquil-->Quilava (Hinoarashi-->Magmarashi)
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Cyndaquil_9405.png]]
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Quilava_1694.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Cyndaquil), Bill Rogers (Quilava)
----
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Hatched from an egg late in the ''DP'' season.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: As a Cyndaquil, it usually only got angry at Piplup when it was provoked.
* {{Keet}}: He did become pretty excitable when he first saw Dawn practicing for a Contest, and visibly slumped when she said she wouldn't be using him just yet.
* NiceGuy: Her Quilava was always mild-mannered, gentle, and always kept to itself.
* PlayingWithFire: Quilava is a fire type {{Mon}} who knows Flame Wheel.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as Cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
* SmokeOut: Her Quilava knows Smokescreen, which can cause places to be filled with smoke.
!!Togekiss
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Togekiss_1158.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KikukoInoue
----
* EleventhHourRanger: Not only the first time Dawn had six Pokémon at once, but she obtained her ''after'' winning her fifth ribbon, and just two episodes before the Grand Festival. Bear in mind that Princess Salvia had been training her to be a Contest Pokémon for quite a while, so it's a JustifiedTrope.
* {{Flight}}: Due to being a flying type, she can fly.
* ItWasAGift: She was given to Dawn by Princess Salvia.
* LadyOfWar: Because she was raised by a princess, she fights with grace and elegance.
* TeamMom: In the episode after she was obtained, Togekiss is seen caring for the ButtMonkey penguin, to the point of scolding Ash's Gible for [[RunningGag targeting Piplup with Draco Meteor]].
* WindFromBeneathMyWings: It's a flying type and naturally knows Air Slash.
[[/folder]]
!Supporting Cast
[[folder: Professor Rowan (Dr. Nanakamado)]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_ProfessorRowan2_3803.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/IemasaKayumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sean Reyes\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Salvador Reyes (season 10), Humberto Sorlózano (season 11), José María Negri (season 12)
The Pokémon professor living in the Sinnoh region. After Dawn unknowingly bumped into him while trying to find his lab, he helped her start her journey as a trainer by giving her the choice of Piplup, Chimchar, or Turtwig as a starter Pokémon. Rowan exhibits the following tropes:
----
%%* BadassMoustache: He has one that covers his entire lower face.
* TheComicallySerious: He's almost too serious even when he's trying to be genuine.
* CoolOldGuy: He's one of the oldest professors, but is still cool with Sinnoh's youth.
* ADayInTheLimelight: The Summer School arc gave him some much-deserved extra screentime.
* DeadpanSnarker: Very frequently. For instance, see his first appearance, in [=DP001=]:
--> '''Dawn:''' ''[after bumping into him]'' I'm - I'm so sorry!\\
'''Rowan:''' ''[turning to face her]'' Hello. You're looking lost.\\
'''Dawn:''' Huh? Are you talking to me, sir?\\
'''Rowan:''' Right. There's no one else here and you're looking very lost.
* TheMentor: Took Gary under his wing after he decided to become a Pokémon Professor.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's a bit heavy-handed, but ultimately serves as a valuable mentor to the main cast.
* TheStraightMan: To his old friend Professor Oak. Oak's a bit silly, whereas Rowan is all business. Rowan even chides Oak for this, criticizing him for slacking in his research when Dawn can only recognize him as a poet.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Johanna (Ayako)]]
[[quoteright:313:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Johanna-pokemon_4536.jpg]]
[[quoteright:313:Johanna as a Pokémon coordinator champion.]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' MakotoTsumura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Elena Ramírez (season 10), Belinda Martínez (season 13)
Dawn's mom. It's quickly revealed that she was a world famous Pokémon coordinator contest champion when she was a trainer, and she hasn't lost any of her touch as a mother either (as Dawn is quickly proven first-hand). Her favorite Pokémon is her Glameow.
----
* ActionMom: She was a champion Coordinator in her days and hasn't missed a step since then. She still easily beats Dawn in battle.
* AscendedExtra: In the games, Johanna was notable for having noticeably more character than previous moms, who before her mostly provided overnight healing and the occasional item[[note]]Barring the mom from GSC, who ran a bank for you[[/note]], having had a history as a Coordinator and occasionally showing up to compete in the Master Class contests with her Kangaskhan. Here, Johanna not only has a history, but has plenty of presence in Dawn's own character arc, with a history as a champion Pokémon Coordinator, with Dawn seeking to follow in her footsteps.
* CuteKitten: Glameow, who she used in contests.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Her Umbreon is a Dark type, which is Evil type in Japan. She also used it in contests.
* GoodParents: A loving and supportive mother who wholeheartedly encourages Dawn to pursue her dream of becoming a Contest champion.
* PimpedOutDress: Like Dawn, she's an experienced Coordinator and has a few of those on hand for Contests. Her green standby has OperaGloves and a CoolCrown.
* RetiredBadass: DP's first episode showcases an entire wall of Contest trophies in her house.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: She created Dawn's Grand Festival ballgown and Buneary's vest. Possibly justified by a later episode that shows her to be friends with Lila, a fashion designer.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: It appears to be a family trait. Like mother, like daughter, right?
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Reggie (Reiji)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Reggie_8291.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TetsuyaKakihara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Edson Matus (season 11 and 13), Javier Olguín (season 12).
Paul's older brother and a Pokémon breeder.
----
* BrokenAce: Defeated by the Pyramid King Brandon, but quickly recovered unlike his brother.
* ChekhovsGun: in "''Lost Leader Strategy''", Reggie's revealed to have completed the badges in each of the four regions. He also has the Symbols from the Battle Frontier, but there's one missing, which means a lot more when Paul's backstory is elaborated further.
* CommonalityConnection: Inverted with Ash. The main reason Paul hates Ash is because all that talk about bring out a Pokemon's inner strength reminds Paul of Reggie, whose loss to Brandon had profound psychological consequences on Paul. They share another point of connection between them in that Reggie has earned all the same badges and Frontier Symbols Ash had before quitting.
* CoolBigBro: Even if Paul's not the easiest to get along with, he looks after his Pokémon for him and encourages him as best he can.
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Subverted. Paul respects Reggie enough to leave his Pokémon with the latter. However, Paul sees Reggie’s "kindness to his Pokemon" part of his training style as a disappointment. While he does not hold a grudge against Reggie for it, it is the reason for Paul's animosity towards Ash.
* {{Foil}}: To Paul, being much happier, kinder and more generous to Pokemon than his cold and grumpy little brother.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: He's a Pokémon Breeder with an unusual talent for raising them. He's so good that even Paul trusts him to raise his own.
* MasterOfNone: When he lost to Brandon, the Pyramid King stated this was the main reason he lost. Reggie may have had a lot of achievements, but he hasn't developed a special form of battle strategy to give him any real strengths to deal with the elite trainers.
* MoralDissonance: He's quite aware of Paul's [[TrainingFromHell training methods]], but doesn't even lift a finger to discipline his brother or teach him the error of his ways. Some depth is revealed when Maylene relates her [[BreakTheCutie ego-crushing encounter with Paul]] to Ash, he admits Paul's always had a cruel streak. It could be that he's tried to curb this side of him, but failed. This is TruthInTelevision - stubborn people like Paul often can't be convinced that they are wrong, especially not with just words.
* MoralityPet: To Paul. Reggie is the only person Paul is even kind of friendly with, despite Paul viewing Reggie as a disappointment. Their conversations also reveal a softer side of Paul, showing that he really does depend on his big brother's support.
* NiceGuy: He's much kinder and more pleasant than his little brother.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. A character of the day from ''Best Wishes'' has the same Japanese, but not English, name as him.
* RealMenWearPink: He wears a pink shirt.
* RetiredBadass: Four complete sets of 8 Gym Badges, and six of the Kanto Frontier Brain Symbols (the only one he doesn't have is Brandon's). His defeat to Brandon is the reason he's given up taking League challenges, something his younger brother Paul is not happy about.
* SiblingYinYang: He's the exact opposite of Paul. He's a nice guy who trains hard, values friendship, and succeeds in his goals and ambitions. Paul is a {{Jerkass}} of the highest calibur who thinks friendship is a [[UnusualEuphemism load of Tauros]]. All because his older brother is the successful one.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has the same downward-slanted eyes as Paul and a similar shade of purple hair, though his is a darker color.
* ThemeNaming: In Japanese, Reiji contains ''rei,'' meaning "courtesy" or "propriety", while his little brother's name, Shinji, contains ''shin,'' "trust" or "confidence".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Looker (Handsome)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/looker_badge.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MasakiTerasoma\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JasonGriffith\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Emmanuel Bernal
A detective with the International Police who is investigating Team Galactic. He will also appear against Team Plasma in ''Best Wishes''.
----
* AdaptedOut: His Croagunk from the games and ''Anime/PokemonGenerations'' is nowhere to be found in the main anime series.
* BadassLongcoat: The kind of trenchcoat you'd expect from a G-man.
* BadassNormal: Unlike the games, he doesn't have any Pokémon to help in his assignments. He's extremely competent despite this. Case in point, he manages to get a hold of and subdue [[MookLieutenant Aldith]], and keep her in place with a pipe until Colress arrived and took over the Golurks. Impressive!
* TheBusCameBack: Returns in ''Black and White 2: Episode N'' to investigate Team Plasma, possibly to reflect his appearance in the games.
* MasterOfDisguise: It's surprising he doesn't give off any clues it is him until he reveals himself.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: When we first meet him, he comes off as a bit quirky due to having bought too many lunches on the train (the fact he gave some to Team Rocket [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe explains why they're loyal to him later]]). At the end of that episode, we find out he's investigating Team Galactic.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Looker is just a code name. We never do learn what his real name is.
* OddFriendship: Looker and Team Rocket get along pretty damn well despite the former being with the police and the latter being known criminals. Hell, Looker was the one that convinced Team Rocket to help Ash and the others out against Team Plasma.
* PoliceAreUseless: Averted! If anything, he is ''more'' useful than most Officer Jennies we've seen.
* TheWorfEffect: He is captured during the climax of both the Team Galactic and the Team Plasma arc.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhonda (Yuka)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHiyamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/SarahNatochenny (Season 10 up until episode 29), Creator/RhondaKrempa (rest of Season 10 to episode 155 of Season 13), Creator/BellaHudson (rest of Season 13)
The hostess of the news channel ''Sinnoh Now!''
----
* ButtMonkey: Almost all of her major appearances has some kind of misfortune happening to her, whether it's constantly getting smacked on the head with a boom mic or missing out on a chance to cover an exciting story. Poor woman can't catch a break.
* TheCameo: Has a small appearance in the credits of ''Zoroark: Master of Illusions'' on the TV Johanna is watching.
* IntrepidReporter: If Rhonda's not broadcasting news in the studio, she’s usually out trying to cover whatever kind of event that's currently going on. However, due to outside forces and the incompetence of her film crew, her success rate is kinda 50/50.
* IsThisThingStillOn: Whenever she's broadcasting live and starts berating her boom operator, it's always caught on camera, with an embarrassed Rhonda trying to continue her story and trying to pretend it didn't happen.
* MsExposition: Is usually the one that delivers information to viewers about current events happening in the Sinnoh region.
* RunningGag: She's almost always getting smacked on the head with the boom mic held by her incompetent boom operator, with her always threatening to get said operator demoted to the mail room.
* ThrowTheDogABone: Her final appearance in the anime has her able to successfully perform interviews with the Sinnoh Grand Festival participants without anything bad happening, not even a single incident caused by her film crew or her boom operator.
[[/folder]]
!Rivals
[[folder:In General]]
* TheCameo: They appear among the other recurring ''Diamond & Pearl'' characters in the ending credits of ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions.''
* GenderEqualEnsemble: Specifically, Dawn's rivals; two are male and two are female.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This series introduced eight recurring rivals with a total of 60 Pokémon between them. Because of this, some had a lot less screentime than others, which may be the reason for future series cutting down on the number of rivals.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: Due to their varying personalities.
** Nice--Zoey (TheMentor), Nando (NiceGuy), Barry (GenkiBoy)
** Mean--Paul (GrumpyBear), Ursula (AlphaBitch)
** In-between--Kenny (JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]LovingBully), Conway (StalkerWithACrush), Tobias (DarkIsNotEvil)
* PromotedToOpeningTitles: Paul in Season 10, Zoey in Season 11, Barry in Season 12 (theme version 1), Kenny in Season 12 (theme version 2), Tobias, Nando, Conway, and Ursula in Season 13.
* TheRival: Each of these characters is competing with either Ash, for Gym Badges, or Dawn, for Ribbons. Nando is doing both.
* TwoGirlsToATeam: If this gang of rivals can be considered a "team", Zoey and Ursula are the only female rivals in this series.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul (Shinji)]]
[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Anime_Paul_5006.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Julian Rebolledo\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gerardo García (seasons 10, 11 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz, Eduardo Ramírez and Ricardo Bautista (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alessandro Bevilacqua (1st voice), Gauthier De Fauconval (2nd voice)
Ash's main rival in the Sinnoh region. Paul only cares about one thing: Becoming the best through sheer technical discipline. He only goes after Pokémon who have the best moves and abandons those who fail him, which is how Ash acquired Chimchar. In short, he doesn't care how his Pokémon feel, but only how they perform. Ash doesn't take too kindly to this.
----
* AbusiveParents: Or rather, an abusive trainer. He was this to Chimchar, always verbally (and eventually physically) abusing him, and pushing him way past his limits to get his [[UnstoppableRage Blaze]] ability to activate.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Paul is this to Ash, becoming a formidable wall he must overcome.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He makes no effort to hide how much superior he thinks he is to everyone else. He may mostly be an overconfident {{Jerkass}}, but there's no denying that he's a good battler.
* AwesomeByAnalysis:
** Paul was able to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] Ash in a full battle by building his team specifically to counter Ash's Sinnoh Pokémon.
** During the Sinnoh League, [[spoiler:he has his Pokémon use the Counter-Shield technique that Ash developed]].
* BadBoss: Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon kindly and puts them into a harsh training regiment without caring much about their well-being as long as they can bring out results. Particularly Chimchar is put under a lot of abuse, since Blaze can only be activated once Chimchar's stamina is at its limit. The rest of his Pokémon like him, though we only find out at the very end of the series.
* BadassBoast: "The challenge you always present to Trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do. But I'm not like my brother! My will gives me strength! And now, you'll see it firsthand!" Subverted when he immediately gets crushed in the ensuing battle by Brandon.
* TheBadGuyWins: While not exactly a villain, Paul is Ash's most antagonistic rival by far, and he beats Ash in the majority of their battles.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: His cruel treatment of his Pokémon is what makes him so despicable. It really says something about him that even the ruder rivals, most notably Harley, Ursula, and Burgundy, [[PetTheDog show more caring toward their Pokémon]] than he does to his own.
* BatmanGambit: Pulls off several at Lake Acuity.
** He purposely allows his Torterra to miss its first Frenzy Plant, baiting Ash into using several close-range attacks with Gliscor while Torterra recharges. This allows Paul to trap its tail with Crunch and get off a point-blank hit with Giga Drain, badly damaging Gliscor while healing off most of the damage taken earlier. This is immediately followed up with another Batman Gambit as Ash switches to Staraptor, allowing Paul to nail it with a super effective Stone Edge.
** He sends out his Honchkrow to battle Grotle, knowing that despite the type disadvantage, Ash will likely stay in with Grotle to avenge its loss to Honchkrow [[ContinuityNod earlier in the series]]. He is correct, and Honchkrow defeats Grotle easily.
** He throws Ash off guard by choosing [[PlayingWithFire Magmortar]] and [[BadassNormal Ursaring]] to battle Pikachu, knowing that Ash will take initiative and battle head-on. This turns out to be a ploy to activate their respective abilities in [[StatusAilment Flame Body]] and [[StatusBuff Guts]], while also taking advantage of ''Pikachu's'' natural ability Static, completely overwhelming him.
** He pulls this in their battle in the Pokemon League as well, knowing that Ash's personality would compel him to choose all of the same Pokemon that he used in their battle at Lake Acuity. Paul uses this knowledge to build a team to specifically counter Ash's, and ultimately is able to control the pace of the battle from start to finish. He only loses due to the one thing he didn't predict: Ash's Infernape finally getting control of its [[HeroicSecondWind Blaze ability]].
* BreakTheHaughty: His defeat against Brandon. It triggers his first step towards rethinking his ways.
* BringIt: In the battle between Ash and Paul in the Sinnoh League Tournament. Electivire uses this to get Infernape to stand up, and Paul even calls Infernape pathetic. In the Japanese version, he just tells Infernape to stop disappointing him again and again.
* BrokenAce: He was even more shaken by Reggie's loss to Brandon than Reggie was. His harsh style of training does show good results, but it is driven in part by his crushing disappointment in his brother's methods.
* BrokenPedestal: He lost faith in his older brother's skills after seeing him lose to Brandon and subsequently give up on Pokémon training.
* CatchPhrase:
-->'''Original:''' "[Pokémon], battle standby."\\
'''English Dub:''' "[Pokémon], stand by for battle."
** Another catchphrase of his from the English dub is "pathetic."
* CharacterDevelopment: Paul starts off as arrogant, alienating, and cruel to the core. By the time he finally loses to Ash at the Pokémon League, he is significantly kinder. He briefly admits that Barry put up a good battle after defeating him, and thanks his Electivire for trying his best after losing to Infernape. He's still distant and stoic, but he's come a long way.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: He was more visibly sinister and prone to [[PsychoticSmirk psychotic smirks]] in his first appearance, but from his second and onward he was more [[TheStoic stoic]] in his jerkassery.
* CombatPragmatist: In the earlier episodes of the Sinnoh saga, this boy was not above commanding his Pokémon to attack Team Rocket while they were reciting their motto. He even managed to capture a Gliscor by having his Electabuzz and Weavile blast it while Ash and co. were trying to negotiate with it.
* TheComicallySerious: He can be this when he's put in situations in which Ash and co are goofing off.
* CrazyPrepared: Particularly against Ash in the late stages of their rivalry.
** He teaches his Torterra Stone Edge to deal with the Fire- and Flying-types on Ash's Sinnoh team, and furthermore teaches it to [[HomingProjectile change the direction]] of the stones to prevent more agile Pokemon from dodging it.
** He temporarily teaches his Electabuzz Light Screen to serve a more supportive role. With the extra defensive buff, Paul's MightyGlacier Torterra because exceedingly hard to touch, as special attacks are halved in power while physical attacks are stopped cold with Stone Edge.
** In the Sinnoh League, Paul has his Gastrodon use the [[SpinToDeflectStuff Counter Shield]] technique [[VariantPowerCopying coined by Ash]], creating a large vortex of Muddy Water that makes it difficult to get in close. Ash sees a weak spot close to the ground and has Staraptor go after it, but Paul sees this coming and is able to trap it with Body Slam. Ash manages to escape Body Slam by banging the ground with Close Combat, but Paul is ''[[UpToEleven still]]'' prepared for that and nails it with Ice Beam as it escapes.
* CurbStompBattle:
** He got on the ''receiving'' side of it when he challenged Cynthia, whose Garchomp single-handedly defeated four of his Pokémon without breaking a sweat.
** He lost again against Frontier Brain Brandon without defeating a single one of his Pokémon, which led to his breakdown.
** His battle with Ash by Lake Acuity was heavily dominated by Paul. While Ash delivered a good match, Paul only lost two of six Pokémon, while Ash lost completely, half of his team being beaten by Paul's Ursaring alone.
* DeadpanSnarker: Paul also had some more snarky and cynical moments. He was snarkier in the beginning of the series and becomes outright hateful later on, despite being and looking way more mature than the other characters.
* DeathGlare: His default expression. He gives this to a lot of people he is annoyed with.
* {{Deconstruction}}:
** His whole character is one of [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
** He also serves as a deconstruction toward Ash's reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship and the IndyPloy. Almost every time Ash tries to prove to Paul that a strong bond can overcome any matchup, he gets shown up ''hard''. Ash has to significantly up his game and battle far more strategically to finally defeat him.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Downplayed. In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry. They're not exactly friends on account of the immense personality clash, but they've come a long way from the borderline [[ArchEnemy arch-enemies]] they were at first.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: After a long, grueling battle during the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash finally brings him down...and then Tobias comes in.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Acts like a huge {{Jerkass}} to ''everyone'' just because his older brother failed to live up to the expectations Paul had of him.
* EnemyMine: He's paired up with Ash in the Tag Battle tournament.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** While he dislikes Ash and friends, his last appearance before the Sinnoh League, where he has Electabuzz use Protect to shield them from the falling debris of a Team Rocket mecha, shows that his dislike doesn't extend to outright ''murderous'' levels.
** Notably, he always uses a surprisingly-calm tone when speaking to Dawn, and he (somewhat) rationally and calmly explains his hatred of Ash to her before the Sinnoh League. The shippers took this and ran with it, thus giving birth to Ikarishipping (named due to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Paul's Japanese name]]).
** While Paul is a SoreLoser only interested in winning, even he hates Volkner for just giving out badges without a battle.
* EvilCounterpart: TheStoic, SocialDarwinist to contrast Ash's [[{{Keet}} expressive]], AllLovingHero. He's meant to represent what Ash would be if he only cared about his Pokémon's strength, and not them as individuals.
* {{Expy}}: Of Silver from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver GSC/HGSS]]'', given that he's a {{Jerkass}} rival to the main character who only cares about his Pokémon's power rather than connecting to them. They even have similar outfits and hair styles.
* FlatWhat: Expresses shock and disbelief when he finds out Ash defeated the leader of the Frontier Brains, Brandon.
* {{Foil}}: To Ash. Both are seasoned trainers who aim ToBeAMaster, but their philosophies are completely different. Whereas Ash succeeds through teamwork and love, Paul thrives on cold calculations and sheer power. Ash first wins his Pokémon's hearts, then improves their skills. Paul does not bother with bonding and gets straight to intense training.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: He once forgot who Dawn was, despite having met her twice before. [[DemonHead To say Dawn reacted poorly would be an understatement.]]
* FreudianExcuse: Paul resents his brother Reggie for giving up his dreams after a single loss and vows to never be like him (as a matter of fact, it's also why he hates Ash so much -- Ash talks about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength much like Reggie has). He patches things up with his brother eventually.
* GoodTamingEvilTaming: In contrast to Ash, Paul is cold (if not [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals abusive]]) to his own Pokémon. He captures them, using his [=PokéDex=] to measure their strengths and skill sets and either releasing them or giving them to somebody else if they fail to meet his expectations. He has even stated that developing an attachment to his Pokémon would make them weak. He becomes less so as the series progresses, but that does not stop him from being a dick.
* GrumpyBear: Paul's usual expression is anger and being in a bad mood. Despite not showing too many other emotions, grumpiness for Paul seems to be his second most well known trait.
* HeyYou: Barely acknowledges Ash by name, particularly in the Japanese version.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Beaten by his own former Pokémon, Chimchar, that he had mistreated. It personally took out half of his team.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Despite saying that when a Pokémon loses, it's the trainer's fault for not training it correctly, he blames his own Pokémon, especially Chimchar, for their losses.
** In the finals of the Tag Team Tournament, he maintains his belief that Chimchar and Ash are weak since Heracross was still briefly standing despite being hit point blank by a Flanethrower, and that it only fainted because Buizel collided with it when hit by Electabuzz's Thunder. While accurate, the exact same thing would apply for Paul and Electabuzz as Buizel was briefly still standing despite being hit point blank by a move it was weak too as well.
** He criticized Ash for using Grotle in [[AnIcePerson Candice's]] gym. This is coming from the guy who used Chimchar against [[DishingOutDirt Roark]].
* HypocriteHasAPoint: While Paul was a hypocrite for criticizing Ash for him using Pokémon that have type disadvantages to their opponents, Paul is still correct.
* IWasJustPassingThrough: Despite his disdain for Ash, he actually stuck around to watch his gym battle with Roark, if only in hopes of seeing him lose.
* IgnoredEpiphany: After being on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle against Cynthia, she told that he must care more by his Pokémon, but he refuses to take it to heart.
* IneffectualLoner: He does not like socializing with others, instead focusing all of his energy on getting stronger. Even so, he has yet to become a Pokémon Master or defeat Brandon.
* {{Irony}}: A fountain of it. Tried to activate a DesperationAttack, faces both Barry and Ash using one. His backstory involves his brother losing to Brandon and his Regi's, with himself losing in time as well. Chimchar's evolution Infernape can counter all three.
* JackOfAllStats: In keeping with his skill as a Trainer, he uses a well-balanced team of many different types.
* {{Jerkass}}: Paul's main characteristic. He's a cantankerous dick who abuses and releases his Pokémon who fail to reach up to his expectations. Even after CharacterDevelopment, he becomes only slightly less of a jerk, and does not become a good person until his final speaking appearance.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** When he meets Ash at the Sinnoh League, Ash claims he'll be giving it all he's got in their battle. Paul states that ''everyone'' participating has gotten all 8 badges too, so going all out against him and the other trainers Ash is battling amounts next to nothing. Even Ash admitted that Paul was right.
** When Ash praises Staravia during the Tag Team Tournament after Paul's Torterra defeats Brock and Holly, Paul sarcastically asks Ash if they even did anything. While rude to say, it's not inaccurate as Torterra single handedly defeated both of their opponents.
** In one episode, he criticized Ash for using his Grotle, a grass type Pokémon against an ice type in his gym battle against Candace. Considering the type advantage, Paul's complaint wasn't without merit.
** Barry keeps praising Sunyshore gym as one of the best which Paul criticizes as undeserving. It's later reveal the Sunyshore Gym leader gave badges without any challenge of any sort. Ash effectively agrees with Paul by demanding a proper battle.
** During the Sinnoh League episodes, he also tells Barry that overestimating his abilities will only backfire on him. Paul is proven right when Barry gets curb-stomped HARD by Paul.
** He justifies giving away his Azumarill claiming it was dead weight. Seeing as his Azumarill lost to a Geodude despite not only having a type advantage, but hitting it with ''Hydro Pump'', his analysis might've been fair.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite having very limited redeeming traits as a person, Paul eventually does have a lighter side to him. He shows it especially later in the Diamond and Pearl Series.
* KnightOfCerebus: Prior to Paul, many of the jerk trainers Ash had defeated in the past were swiftly beaten down. Paul is the first he's crossed who is highly competent. Also, despite his high standards and brutal training, one cannot deny that it has achieved results. Both his Ursaring and his Drapion flattened half of Ash's team in different battles.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Surrenders to Cynthia upon realizing that he just isn't capable of beating her.
* LackOfEmpathy: When he releases Pokémon, they look visibly upset and sad. Paul doesn't bat an eye.
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** Him getting curb stomped by Brandon in one episode counts.
** Ash is ultimately able to defeat him using Infernape, the Pokémon Paul released for supposedly being weak. To make it even better, Infernape defeats his Electivire by using its ability of Blaze, which Paul tried and failed to get it to master.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: His "match" with Barry in the Pokemon League ends with all three of Barry's Pokemon getting trounced badly while Paul doesn't lose a single one. Paul also treates Marlene to one in their battle. It mostly happens offscreen, but the battle was so one-sideded that Marlene briefly considers retiring for good.
* NeverMyFault: Combined with hypocrisy. Paul stated that when someone loses a battle, it’s the trainer’s fault. Then when ''he'' were to ever lose, he would blame his Pokémon for supposedly being weak or find another way to take the blame off of himself. When he sends out Chimchar against Cynthia's Garchomp and it gets knocked out without landing a scratch, being an unevolved Pokémon with a type disadvantage, he simply recalls it and says to it, "You ought to be ashamed."
* NoSell: Ash's out-of-the-box strategies that generally give him the edge in battles barely works on Paul if ever fazes him. In their second battle, one of Ash's old tricks, using a "dig" attack's hole against the user, backfires ''hard'' on him when Paul counters the strategy. Even the counter shield, Ash's signature strategy in Sinnoh, not only barely gave him some advantage, but Paul learned it and used it against Ash in the league. Soon after, he flat out copied Ash and Infernape's tactics to rid off toxic spikes, using it to stop Ash's Gliscor.
* NotSoStoic: During his battle with Brandon. Also shows annoyance whenever he sees Ash.
** When Ash asked him if he wanted to watch his battle with Roark, Paul actually ''[[HaHaHaNo laughs.]]''
* ThePerfectionist: He has incredibly high standards for his Pokémon, to the point where he'll abandon those who don't live up to his expectations.
* PerpetualFrowner: He's almost always scowling.
* PetTheDog:
** Despite his harsh treatment towards Chimchar, he and Ursaring save him when Team Rocket attempts to steal him from Paul.
** After he [[spoiler:defeats Barry in the Sinnoh League, he commends him for the effort he put up instead of putting him down. This is a massive change from how he treated others who lost to him]].
** He actually thanks and commends his [[spoiler:Electivire]] for a well-fought battle instead of scolding it after its loss to Infernape.
* PsychoticSmirk: Early on, he smirks when he knows he has the upper hand. The first sign Paul is not a goody two-shoes like Ash.
* RedOniBlueOni: The callous blue to Ash's warmhearted red of the "Diamond and Pearl" series.
* TheRival: Ash's primary rival in Sinnoh and whom Ash held the most bitter rivalry with in the entire series by far. Their differing ideologies on raising Pokémon was the source of most of their antagonistic relationship, which escalated further after Paul released his Chimchar.
* RunningGag: A minor one, but twice he was in the midst of capturing a Pokémon, only to be interrupted by Ash & friends, allowing the Pokémon to escape. The first time it was a Fearow, the second it was a Drapion.
* SiblingYinYang: His older brother Reggie is kind and cheerful, and treats his Pokémon very well.
* SingleIssueWonk: Paul is obsessed with one thing and one thing only--becoming the strongest Pokémon trainer by putting his team through TrainingFromHell. Nothing else matters to him.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Only the best can be a part of his team. The rest get released.
* SoreLoser:
** Sometimes when he loses, he would blame his Pokémon for everything.
** Averted in the last few episodes of Diamond & Pearl. [[GracefulLoser Much to the shock of fans, he takes his loss against Ash in the League rather well, complemented with Paul complimenting his Electivire for a well-fought battle]].
* StrongAndSkilled: Despite his obsession with strength, Paul is arguably the most strategic battler ever shown in the anime. He thoroughly researches his opponents and employs strategies to target their physical and psychological weaknesses, and unlike most of Ash's opponents, he can quickly adapt to Ash's {{Outside The Box Tactic}}s as he's roughly just as experienced as Ash. It's most on display in his full battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, where Paul pulls off numerous {{Batman Gambit}}s to put Ash in a virtually unwinnable situation. Later on in the Sinnoh League, he purposely sets up two of his Pokemon as {{Sacrificial Lamb}}s in order to lower Ash's guard, only to reveal he was in control the whole time.
* TheStoic: He rarely shows emotion bar occasional bouts of frustration.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The Technician to Ash's Performer. Paul is obsessively focused on catching the best Pokemon from a purely technical perspective, subjects them to spartan training conditions, and relies on carefully thought-out strategies to win. Ash prefers to bring out the potential of any Pokemon he captures, treats them as equal partners, and improvises heavily in battles. In a more literal sense, Paul ridiculs Ash's interest in Pokeon Contests, thinking it's a waste of time for any serious battler.
* TookALevelInKindness: Incredibly slowly, but it seems like he finally starts to understand his errors by the end.
* ToughLove: For all his faults, Paul is not incapable of treating his Pokémon decently - they are seen relaxing in [=DP100=], and Paul arranged for Torterra to be groomed. While he would probably bite off his tongue before he admitted to being affectionate, the small number of Pokémon he ''does'' keep in his team seem well-treated overall (Chimchar is ''noted'' to be an exceptional case), and their reaction to hearing about his loss in the Sinnoh League indicates that they are, in fact, loyal to him. Torterra appears to be the most loyal to him as well as receiving the most respect from Paul (most likely due to being his starter) because in one episode Torterra went to help Ash's Grotle out of empathy but when Paul discovered what happened, Torterra received no punishment suggesting that Torterra acts as an HonestAdvisor to Paul because he (alongside Paul) witnessed Reggie's defeat at the Battle Pyramid, which in turn caused both of them to form Paul's ideology so that he doesn't follow in Reggie's footsteps.
* TrainingFromHell: Expects nothing but the best from his Pokémon. Any lower and they are released back into the wild. Chimchar got the worst of it, due to Paul's desire to harness the immense power of its Blaze ability.
* TsurimeEyes: He has very sharply shaped eyes, showing that he is not a friendly fellow.
* TheUnfettered: A [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior chillingly accurate portrayal]] for a kid's show. While he is not incapable of showing respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, he is a ruthless and cruel Trainer who [[TrainingFromHell trains his Pokémon harshly]], [[TheSocialDarwinist treats weak Pokémon and even other Trainers with utter contempt]] (like Maylene) and has released or given away no less than six Pokémon on screen for [[YouHaveFailedMe poor performance in battle]] and feels no remorse for his actions, seeing his actions as the only way to make an efficient team. He also [[TheStoic shows little to no emotions]] apart from his ever present scowl (and occasionally a [[PsychoticSmirk condescending smirk]], usually for Ash), is quick and firm in his choices, sees nothing morally wrong in his abuse of both people and Pokémon, and has no qualms about using borderline illegal moves in battle (Elekid using Brick Break on Cranidos' leg, Torterra biting Gliscor's tail, and pretty much every move by [[BearsAreBadNews Ursaring]]), and is by far one of Ash's most powerful rivals, serving almost as a living antithesis to his entire philosophy on Pokémon. Unlike his other rivals Gary and Trip, who were simply at odds with Ash, Paul is a full-blown antagonist.
* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: After beating Gym Leader Maylene and getting the Cobble Badge, he proceeds to insult her:
-->''"You're weakest Leader I've ever fought, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and this lightweight Badge is just like you]]."''
* UsedToBeASweetKid: In Reggie's flashback before Paul starts his battle against Brandon, Paul traveled from Sinnoh to Kanto after receiving his Turtwig because he wanted to see his brother win his final Battle Frontier Symbol. Paul and Turtwig were shown to have notably pleasant dispositions prior to [[BrokenPedestal witnessing Reggie's loss]] and watch Brandon call him out on his lack of true inner strength, though how different Paul is now compared to back then is still debatable.
* VocalDissonance: To a degree. His voice makes him sound ''way'' older than he really is [[note]] it's never said exactly how old he is, but he's likely a young teenager at most[[/note]].
* TheWorfEffect: Brandon effortlessly defeats Paul in a full battle, with the latter failing to knock out any of his opponent's Pokémon, which goes to show that Brandon's status as a Frontier Brain isn't just for show. At the same time, however, Paul's inability to maintain his composure also contributed to his loss.
* WorthyOpponent:
** Paul shows the proper respect to the likes of Roark, Cynthia, and any other trainer whose power he acknowledges. The only exception is Brandon, who Paul greatly resents.
** For most of their rivalry, Paul barely regards Ash at all, treating him more as an annoyance than a true rival. However, this changes after their battle in the Pokemon League, due to Ash doing what Paul couldn't: bringing out Infernape's latent potential.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Releases Pokémon which he perceives as being weak or useless without a second thought, which is how Ash came across Chimchar. Paul only kept Chimchar around hoping to utilize its ability Blaze. When Chimchar was unable to summon it exactly when Paul wanted it, Paul released Chimchar. However, Paul does try to utilize their potential as much as possible, and if it still doesn't work out, then goodbye.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul's Pokémon]]
Throughout Paul's several journeys, he has caught a large number of Pokémon, many of them being based on power, but he does use Pokémon who have more tricks in their pockets than just pure strength. While the majority of them are {{Jerkass}}es, they do like him as a trainer.
----
* AmbiguousGender: With the exception of Froslass and Nidoking, who can only be one gender, none of their genders are known. Although, given their personalities, it can assumed that most of them tend to be male.
* CurbStompBattle: 10 of his Pokémon are victims of this trope, being easily defeated by Champion Cynthia's Garchomp and Pyramid King Brandon's Regi Trio.
* HighTurnoverRate: Paul's tendency to boot party members that don't live up to his standards means that he's released more Pokémon than most side characters have even owned. Even aside from those, he fields a ''ton'' of different Pokémon over various battles, to the point that he almost never uses the same team twice.
* {{Jerkass}}: Most of them are nasty in nature and aren't very nice to others, even among themselves. They are a few exceptions, though.
* LightningBruiser: Paul definitely favors these, with Electivire, Ursaring, Honchkrow, and Drapion being both extremely strong and fast enough to deal with more agile opponents.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Like Gary, Paul is one of the few rival characters to have such a high number of Pokémon, which often leads to many of them being under developed as characters. And the series does show Paul constantly capturing new ones.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In the opening ''Together'' and its remix, Paul's team gets updated from time to time, starting from [=DP041=] onwards, even though Ursaring has been caught since [=DP006=].
* YouHaveFailedMe: Those who don't manage to live up to Paul's high standards, they are released. Those who do have great potential, but aren't able to use it, are released when Paul has enough of them.
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!!Elekid-->Electabuzz-->Electivire (Elekid-->Eleboo-->Elekible)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_electivire.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
The first Pokémon shown alongside Paul as well as his most prominent one. It is the Pokémon who represents his trainer the most: a total {{Jerkass}}, but extremely capable in battle. Elekid was present when Chimchar joined Paul and since the latter was released, they have developed a rivalry with each other, witnessing each other evolving at least once.
----
* EleventhHourSuperpower: During the finale of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, Elekid evolves into Electabuzz, which gives it enough power to win alongside with Ash's Chimchar against Dawn's Buizel and Conway's Heracross.
* BarrierWarrior: Since its introduction, it is shown to know Protect, a move that protects it from any move. It also uses Light Screen during the Lake Acuity battle to support Paul's team, halving the damage inflicted on Paul's Pokémon for a short amount of time.
* BloodKnight: It becomes quite enthusiastic when in battle, and during the Sinnoh League tournament, [[BringIt it taunts Ash's Infernape to get back up and keep battling]].
* BringIt: Electivire taunts its rival, Infernape, to get back up when the latter is down and about to be declared as knocked out.
* DoubleKnockOut: During their first battle, Elekid and Pikachu end up knocking each other out, which also ends the match in a draw. While Ash admits defeat since Pikachu fell down first, Paul does acknowledge it as a draw.
* TheDragon: As Paul's most prominent Pokémon, it serves this role for most of the series, being one of Paul's most capable and reliable Pokémon, and during the league, it is the last Pokémon on Paul's side.
* ElementalPunch: It knows Thunder Punch since its debut, a move that covers its fist in electricity. It's Fighting-type move Brick Break is portayed in a similar manner, as its arm gets covered in electric sparks, making it some kind of a sparking chop.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Like Gastrodon, Paul taught Electivire how to use Counter Shield. By spinning its Thunder, it can defend itself from the opponent while attacking.
* JackOfAllTrades: It is living proof that Paul is a competent trainer. Elekid/Electabuzz/Electivire can be used as a straight up battler with defensive moves or as a supporting member with offensive capabilities.
* {{Jerkass}}: The most prominent example of Paul's Pokémon. It outright antagonizes Ash's Pokémon for no reason other than for its own amusement. Even when Paul is not present.
* LightningBruiser: Electivire is shown to be one of Paul's more powerful and tougher Pokémon, and if its Motor Drive ability kicks in, its speed increases massively.
* NoSell: Electivire's ability is Motor Drive, which makes it immune to Electric-type moves and instead increases its speed immensely.
* PrehensileTail: Electivire can capture its opponent with its tails, which allows it to perform a point blank Thunder.
* PsychoElectro: Electivire is just as much of a {{Jerkass}} as Paul is; in its debut, it shocked Pikachu without provocation and laughed about it, and it often taunts its opponents (particularly Ash's Infernape).
* TheRival: To Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape. They are introduced in the same episode and Elekid was already a jerk to Chimchar when he was still with Paul. They have become rivals once Chimchar was released and joined Ash's team. Chimchar witnesses Elekid's evolution, while Electabuzz witnesses Monferno's evolution. During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz briefly fights Chimchar and is later switched back on the field to see that he has suddenly evolved into Monferno, which fires Electabuzz up. The climax of their rivalry is during the Lily of the Valley Conference where both of them are the final Pokémon of their respective sides.
* ShockAndAwe: It is Paul's only known Electric-type Pokémon, and since its debut it knows Thunder and Thunder Punch.
* StatusAilment: Elekid's ability is Static, which can paralyze the opponent when it makes contact with Elekid. The ability has been changed to Motor Drive once it became Electivire.
* SupportPartyMember: During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz's main role is activating Light Screen to half the damage inflicted on Paul's team. It still is capable of battling the opponent by its own, though, but it doesn't get to fight for long until its fight with its rival, Monferno.
* TheWorfEffect: Like all of Paul's Pokémon used against Pyramid King Brandon, the reliable Electabuzz is quickly defeated, showing how powerful Bradon's Pokémon are.
* WorthyOpponent: It is generally excited to battle Pikachu and Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape who are very strong opponents.
!!Starly (3x) (Mukkuru)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_first_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's first two Starly]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's third Starly]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
During Paul's debut, he catches three Starly at once, but releases two of them right away once he checked their movesets. The third one is used against Ash's newly captured Starly, but despite its victory, Paul releases it as well.
----
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Two of the Starly were released right away after capturing, since they only knew Tackle and Sand-Attack, while the third at least knew Aerial Ace and Double Team. However, it didn't live up to Paul's standard and he could find a better Starly anyway.
* SacrificialLamb: Non-lethal example. They are released as soon as they are captured to demonstrate what kind of a trainer Paul is.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: All three are released before we knew anything about them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The third Starly that has the luck to stay with Paul and manages to defeat Ash's Starly does not live up to Paul's standards and is released after the battle as well.
!!Chimchar (Hikozaru)
A Pokémon that caught Paul's interest due to its abnormally powerful Blaze ability. After many failed attempts to draw out his potential, Paul's releases him after he failed him too many times. For more information see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Stantler (Odishishi)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_stantler.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
Another Pokémon caught and released right away.
----
* WeHardlyKnewYe: It is only shown being captured and released.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Another extreme example, since it was released immediately after its capture, just because it only knew Tackle.
!!Ursaring (Ringuma)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ursaring.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
Ursaring is captured by Paul when it was chasing after Ash's group. Thanks to its immense brute strength, it has remained as one of Paul's most competent battlers.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Using its claws, it shreds its opponents with its Normal-type move Slash.
* BadassNormal: Ursaring is a Normal-type Pokémon and one of Paul's strongest battlers, having defeated half of Ash's team during the Lake Acuity battle.
* BattleAura: When its Guts kicks in, it is covered in a red aura to show its activation.
* BareFistedMonk: Ursaring knows the powerful fighting type move Hammer Arm. It's usually powerful enough to end battles in one hit, but against Brandon's Regi Trio, even the type advantage isn't enough.
* BearsAreBadNews: Ursaring is a bear and it is always aggressive and angry since its debut.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyber Beam from its mouth.
* TheBrute: Ursaring is an absolute powerhouse and manages to defeat three of Ash's Pokémon during the Lake Acuity battle.
* ButtMonkey: Ursaring has the tendency to lose against Chimchar everytime they battle.
* EnergyWeapon: It used to know Hyper Beam, a powerful beam attack fired from its mouth.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When its Guts kicks in, its eyes glow in crimson red to show of how dangerous it is now.
* HotBlooded: Of the angry kind. Ursaring is rarely calm at all and is always angry for no particular reason. It also has the Guts ability to match its personality, which makes it even stronger, angrier and more hot-blooded once it suffers from status changes.
* KamehameHadouken: It knows the move Focus Blast. It concentrates its energy into a powerful energy ball and throws it at the opponent.
* MadeOfIron: During its battle against Barry's Hitmonlee, it gets hits by many Fighting-type moves and is even burned by Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick. Not only does Ursaring not lose, it completely defeats Hitmonlee thanks to its Guts. And during the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, Ursaring took the most hits before being taken down.
* OneManArmy: Ursaring takes down half of Ash's team during their Lake Acuity battle.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Its eyes burn red when Guts is activated, which makes its already angry look even scarier.
* StatusBuff:
** It knows Bulk Up, a move that increases its attack and defensive power.
** Guts is an ability that kicks in when Ursaring is inflicted with a status change, which doubles its power.
* TurnRed: When it suffers from status changes, Ursaring's Guts kicks in which doubles its attack power.
* UnstoppableRage: It is already extremely angry from the get-go, but whenever its Guts ability kicks in, it gains [[RedEyesTakeWarning burning crimson eyes]] and [[BattleAura a visible aura]] that scream "be even more careful".
* TheWorfEffect: During the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, the very powerful Ursaring cannot take on Brandon's Regice and in the end, it is quickly finished off by Regirock while being paralyzed from Regice's Zap Cannon.
!!Azumarill (Marilli)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_azumarill.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers
A Water-type Pokémon that was caught by Paul for the Gym Battle against the Rock-type specialist Roark. However, it easily loses to Roark's Geodude, prompting Paul to give it away to a young boy after the match ended.
----
* BunniesForCuteness: Azumarill looks like an adorable egg-shaped bunny, but that is not the reason why Paul caught it, so no bonus points for being cute.
* {{Irony}}: Because of its type, Azumarill is used during the Rock-type Gym Battle to give Paul an advantage. Not only does it fail miserably, Paul wins the Gym Battle by using two Pokémon who have type disadvantages against Rock-type and/or Ground-type Pokémon.
* MakingASplash: It is a Water-type Pokémon and that is the whole reason why Paul even caught it. However, its Hydro Pump fails to inflict damage on Roark's Geodude and it gets defeated before it can even use Water Gun.
* WorfBarrage: Hydro Pump is one of the most powerful Water-type moves, but Roark's Geodude easily blocks that with Hidden Power alone.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite its type advantage over Rock-type Pokémon, it loses because Roark is ''that'' much of a skilled trainer, which teaches Paul and Ash to use their head more to overcome Roark's strategy.
* YouHaveFailedMe: After Roark outmaneuvers him, Paul decides that the failure is Azumarill's and foists it onto a little boy while declaring it to be without potential.
!!Murkrow-->Honchkrow (Yamikarasu-->Donkarasu)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_honchkrow.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that has travelled with Paul through several regions, it is a reliable Pokémon that rarely fails him.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Shadow Ball from its mouth.
* CastingAShadow: It is part Dark-type and it knows the Dark-type move Night Slash; its wing glows purple and it strikes the opponent down with it.
* CreepyCrows: Murkrow and Honchkrow are crow-based Pokémon, who also happen to be Dark-type Pokémon. If Paul commands it to attack its own allies, it doesn't hesitate to do so.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Since the first opening of ''Diamond & Pearl'' that started airing in episode [=DP002=], the viewers knew about Paul's Murkrow, but it didn't show up until [=DP040=].
* TheReliableOne: Although it lost to Cynthia's Garchomp and failed to win the [=PokéRinger=] competition against Ash's Staraptor, it hasn't lost any other battle it's participated in.
* TheRival:
** During [=PokéRinger=] competition, Honchkrow serves as the rival to Staravia/Staraptor, due to the rivalry of their respective trainers. They end up competing against each other in the final round.
** It serves as one to Grotle. Turtwig evolves during his battle against Honchkrow, but he loses because of his unexpected loss in mobility. During the Lake Acuity battle, Paul uses Grotle's resentment over Honchkrow to his advantage, preventing Ash from switching Grotle out to defeat it.
* SignatureAttack: Its most powerful move is Sky Attack, which it uses in every battle it is in.
* SoulPower: It knows the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball, firing a dark energy ball from its mouth.
!!Weavile (Manyula)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_weavile.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that journeyed with Paul through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. It tends to lose a lot, yet it hasn't been released yet.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It attacks the opponent with its claws by using the Steel-type move Metal Claw. It is the only close-range move it has.
* BreathWeapon: It breathes Blizzard from its mouth and fires Ice Beam with its mouth as well, making it mainly a LongRangeFighter.
* ButtMonkey: Weavile loses every battle it is in without defeating anyone. It is a miracle that Paul has not released it yet.
* ExtraOreDinary: It knows the Steel-type move Metal Claw, which makes its claws as hard as metal and very sharp.
* GlassCannon: One of the few of Paul's Pokémon to be this, since he prefers brute physical strength as a fighting style.
* AnIcePerson: Weavile is primary an Ice-type Pokémon and is shown to use Blizzard, Ice Beam and Ice Shard. Paul uses it against Pokémon who are weak to Ice-type moves, but it never works for him.
* InformedAbility: It's implied to be one of Paul's strongest Pokemon, since he chose it to battle Cynthia. Its onscreen performance suggests otherwise.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Not explicitly confirmed, but logically, it must be the case. Paul is known to release Pokemon he deems weak; on top of that, Weavile has failed Paul in both of its onscreen battles, and in his first Full Battle against Ash, Weavile was one of only two of Paul's Pokemon to be knocked out (note that the other one, Ursaring, knocked out half of Ash's team before falling, whereas Weavile didn't knock out one). It must be the case that Weavile is doing good things for Paul off-screen if he hasn't released it yet.
* SignatureMove: Its most prominent move is Blizzard, which is often the subject to WorfBarrage.
* StatusBuff: Weavile can sharply increase its attack power with Sword Dance. In the Lake Acuity battle, it doesn't really help, since it loses to Staraptor anyway.
* WorfBarrage: Its Blizzard never defeats anyone and it doesn't seem to deal that much damage either. Which is rather accurate to the games, since Weavile's Special Attack stat is pretty awful.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite Ice-type Pokémon having a huge advantage against Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon like Garchomp, Weavile gets curb-stomped like the others, showing off that Cynthia's Garchomp is beyond the level of ordinary ones. It also loses to Ash's Staraptor, despite its type advantage.
!!Turtwig-->Grotle-->Torterra (Naetle-->Hayashigame-->Dodaitoise)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_torterra.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
Torterra is Paul's first Pokémon, as well as one of his strongest. He got it as his Starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan and it has been travelling with its trainer through four different regions. While it accepts Paul's harsh training regiment, Torterra does have a soft spot for Ash's Grotle.
----
* BigBrotherMentor: In [=DP100=], after witnessing Ash's Turtwig evolving into a Grotle and seeing him struggle with his gained weight and loss in mobility, Torterra sympathizes him, properly because they share the same evolution line, and it teaches Grotle how to battle as a MightyGlacier...by ''almost'' beating the living crap out of Ash's Gliscor. From there on, Ash has to teach Grotle that new battle style by himself.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyper Beam from its mouth as a long range attack.
* CurbStompBattle: Torterra wins the semi-final match of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition singlehandedly with no much difficulty while almost taking its tag partner (Ash's Staravia) out as well.
* DishingOutDirt: Torterra is part Ground-type and it knows the Rock-type move Stone Edge, throwing stone projectiles at the opponent which it can even control.
* {{Foil}}: Acts as a much more experienced one to Ash's Torterra. Paul's Torterra is a very powerful Pokémon that barely loses and is perfectly capable as a MightyGlacier. Ash's Torterra on the other hand, while still a powerful Pokémon, loses every battle it is in once it reaches its final stage (except against Team Rocket) and struggles quite a bit at adapting to battling as a MightyGlacier.
* GreenThumb: It is Paul's only known Grass-type Pokémon and is shown to know the most powerful Grass-type moves, Frenzy Plant and Leaf Storm. It also knows Giga Drain to suck the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Torterra is actually one of Paul's kinder Pokémon, despite the grumpy and jerky image they all represent. It helps Ash's Grotle how to change to a new battle style and how to adapt his MightyGlacier situation, all without Paul's permission. That said, it still is not a NiceGuy.
* LifeDrain: It uses the Grass-type move Giga Drain to drain the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* ManBitesMan: It knows the Dark-type move Crunch, which it uses to trap its opponent with its teeth while damaging them and suck their health with Giga Drain while still biting them.
* MightyGlacier: Torterra barely moves in battles since its too heavy, but thanks to his high endurance, it takes hits from its opponent fairly easily until it is the perfect time to smash them with its powerful strength.
* PetTheDog: Paul once arranged for Torterra to be groomed, and in general it seems to be the only one of his Pokémon that he has even a slight amount of affection for, likely due to it also being his starter.
* TurtlePower: Torterra and his pre-evolved forms are based on the TurtleIsland. As expected from turtles, Torterra is a MightyGlacier.
* WorfBarrage: Its most powerful move, Frenzy Plant, does barely anything to Cynthia's Garchomp, leading to it being open for a counterattack.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being Paul's strongest Pokémon, it gets one-shotted by Cynthia's Garchomp just to show off how ridiculously powerful she is. This even applies retroactively, as Torterra never loses afterwards and wins its battles pretty easily, which makes Garchomp look even more impressive.
!!Ninjask (Tekkanin)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ninjask.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by: Billy Beach
First introduced in a flashback, Ninjask was caught shortly before Chimchar's capture. In the present, it is used during the Lily of the Valley Conference against Ash's Gliscor and Infernape which used to be said Chimchar.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Ninjask is primary a Bug-type Pokémon and its size would freak out many people if it was real. It also knows the Bug-type move Fury Cutter, which becomes stronger with each hit.
* ChekhovMIA: It first appeared in a flashback centred around Chimchar. It finally reappears in a battle against the fully evolved Infernape.
* FlashStep: With Agility, it manages to move so quick, it is nearly impossible to see its movements.
* {{Flight}}: Being part Flying-type Pokémon, Ninjask is capable of flying. It is used in sky battles against other flying opponents like Ash's Gliscor. With its immense speed and the growing power of Fury Cutter, Ninjask is specialized to take the opponent down on the ground and poison them with Drapion's Toxic Spikes.
* FragileSpeedster: Ninjask is extremely fast and is capable of increasing its speed with Agility and Speed Boost, but it's a very frail Pokémon.
* GreenThumb: It knows the Grass-type move Giga Drain, which drains the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When Ninjask uses Giga Drain to heal itself, it has to circle around the opponent, but because of the damage it has taken from Infernape's Flare Blitz, its movements drastically slow down, allowing Infernape to aim for Ninjask and defeat it with Mach Punch.
* LifeDrain: It uses Giga Drain by circling around the opponent to suck out their energy and heal itself with the stolen energy.
* StatusBuff:
** Its ability Speed Boost [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin boosts its speed]] over time.
** The move Agility increases Ninjask speed even further.
* SuperSpeed: While already very fast, it has Speed Boost as its ability which increases its speed over time. It even has Agility to make it even faster, making it to move so fast, it is almost impossible to hit it.
!!Gliscor (Glion)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gliscor.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Marc Thompson
This Gliscor used to be the leader of a flock of Gligar that were flying wild in a city. Before Ash manages to convince it to lead its flock out of the city, Paul catches it which causes the flock to fall into chaos. It is used against Ash's Gligar which used to be member of the flock as well and easily defeats the little guy, leading to its HeroicBSOD.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: The opening ''Together'' alludes that Paul's Gliscor would become the rival to Ash's Gliscor, but this is never developed beyond their first battle.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: It is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant flying scorpion, and it even has the Bug-type move X-Scissor to match.
* {{Foil}}: Just like Torterra, even in its brief appearances it manages to act as one towards Ash's Gligar, a younger member of its species. Ash's Gligar is a [[LovableCoward meek]], [[ProneToTears emotional Pokémon]] who struggles to learn to battle effectively, and although he [[TookALevelInBadass becomes easily one of Ash's strongest team members]], even as a Gliscor he never loses his charming and comical disposition. Paul's Gliscor, on the other hand, acts entirely competent from the start and maintains an unfazed and ruthless demeanor during battle.
* TheLeader: It used to lead a flock of Gligar prior to its capture. Its sudden capture led its flock to fall apart and fall into chaos, giving Ash's group a hard time to drive them out of the city.
* OneHitKill: It knows the OHKO move Guillotine, giving Ash's Gligar a crushing defeat that scarred it mentally.
* PowerPincers: Since Gliscor is partially based on scorpions, it has two big pincers.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After [=DP100=], it is not seen again, unlike some of Paul's other Pokémon.
!!Magmar-->Magmortar (Boober-->Booburn)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_magmortar.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
A replacement for Chimchar, Magmar was used to deal with Maylene's Lucario, leading to the Gym Leader's HeroicBSOD. Unlike Chimchar, Magmar does manages to live up to Paul's standards and is shown to be more effective as a Magmortar.
----
* BookEnd: The battle against Pyramid King Brandon starts with Magmar facing Regirock and ends with Magmar being defeated by Regirock.
* DishingOutDirt: Magmortar knows the Rock-type move Rock Tomb, which it launches from its arm cannons. Paul uses it to lead his fast opponents into a trap.
* ElementalPunch: Magmar was shown to know Fire Punch, a move that covers its fist in flames.
* MadeOfIron: It gets hit directly with Hydro Cannon from Barry's Empoleon. Hydro Cannon is one of the most powerful Water-type moves and is super effective against Magmortar, yet it doesn't get down.
* PlayingWithFire: It is a Fire-type Pokémon, replacing Chimchar and the perfect counter against Maylene's Lucario. It is shown to know the Fire-type moves Fire Spin, Fire Punch, Flamethrower and Will-o-Wisp.
* PoisonousPerson: It knows the move Smog, which it uses like [[SmokeOut Smokescreen]] to blind the opponent and to poison them.
* ReplacementGoldFish: Magmar replaces fellow Fire-type Pokémon Chimchar and does a good job at doing it, since it does live up to Paul's standards.
* StatusAilment:
** It has Flame Body as its ability, which can burn the opponent while making contact. Pikachu suffers from that.
** Will-O-Wisp is a status move that burns the opponent. However, Magmar fails to use it against Brandon's Registeel due to flinching.
* WorfBarrage: Its super effective Flamethrower doesn't do much against Brandon's Registeel to everyone's surprise.
!!Hariyama (Hariteyama)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_hariyama.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regirock.
----
* BareFistedMonk: It is a Fighting-type Pokémon, thus it has a type advantage over the Rock-type Pokémon Regirock. It also knows the Fighting-type moves Arm Thrust and Force Palm, but it ultimately loses to Regirock.
* CurbStompBattle: It doesn't do too bad against Brandon's Regirock, but it loses quickly once it is put in close range, ironically enough.
* WorfBarrage: It hits Regirock multiple times with the super effect Arm Thrust, yet it did barely any damage.
* TheWorfEffect: It is actually quite strong, but despite its type advantage over Regirock, it loses, showing that more than type advantages is needed to defeat the Pyramid King.
!!Nidoking
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_nidoking_7.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. He fights and loses to Brandon's Registeel.
----
* BareFistedMonk: He knows the Fighting-type move Double Kick, which is super effective against Steel-type moves like Registeel. He doesn't even manages to take it down on ground with it.
* CurbStompBattle: He actually puts a good fight against Brandon's Registeel, but he still loses rather easily nonetheless.
* DishingOutDirt: Since he is part Ground-type and knows the Ground-type move Earth Power, he has a type advantage over Registeel...which doesn't help at all.
* PoisonousPerson: Dawn notes that Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoking are usually in disadvantage against Steel-type Pokémon, but since Nidoking is also part Ground-type, he actually has the advantage.
* ShockAndAwe: He knows the Electric-type move Thunderbolt which he fires from his horn, but Registeel just shrugs it off while charging in with Iron Head and knocks Nidoking out.
* WorfBarrage: His super effective Earth Power merely slows Registeel down and his Thunderbolt doesn't do any damage against Registeel at all.
* TheWorfEffect: He has a type advantage over Registeel and out of all six Pokémon, Nidoking performed the best, but even he was defeated very easily, which shows how powerful the Pyramid King's Pokémon are.
!!Lairon-->Aggron (Kodora-->Bossgodora)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_aggron.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regice. It reappears later in the Lily of the Valley Conference during the match against Ash. It puts a good fight against Pikachu, but is ultimately defeated by Infernape.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It knows Metal Claw; it slashes its opponent with its claws in close combat situations.
* BreathWeapon: Its long range move is Flash Cannon, which it fires from its mouth.
* CurbStompBattle: Out of all six Pokémon, Lairon gets the worst performance against Pyramid King Brandon; being frozen by Regice's Ice Beam and finished off by its Zap Cannon in a matter of seconds.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: It knows the Normal-type move Double-Edge; the user smashes with its body full force at the opponent, but it receives recoil damage from that. However, since Aggron has Rock Head as its ability, it doesn't take damage from recoil moves.
* ExtraOreDinary: Aggron is part Steel-type and knows the Steel-type moves Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Metal Sound and Flash Cannon. It's type advantage over Regice doesn't help, though.
* MakeMeWannaShout: It makes a loud shriek when using Metal Sound, creating a soundwave with lots of air pressure, which not only weakens the opponent's (special) defense, but it also stops their movements temporarily.
* NoSell: Aggron has the ability Rock Head, which nullifies recoil damage from moves, allowing it to use Double-Edge without any risk.
* SacrificialLamb: Aggron and Gastrodon are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
* StatusAilment: Aggron knows Metal Sound which can decrease the (special) defense power of its opponent.
* StatusBuff: Lairon used Iron Defense to sharply raise its defensive power, a desperate move from Paul to stand a chance against Pyramid King Brandon. It didn't help at all. Even worse, it's the only move Lairon used during the battle.
* TheWorfEffect: While it has a type advantage over Regice, even trying to defend itself makes things only worse, causing Lairon to be defeated really quickly.
!!Gastrodon (Tritodon)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gastrodon.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
An Eastern Gastrodon which is used as one of the two Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their match in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is one Paul's two Pokémon shown to use Counter Shield.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Ice Beam and Water Pulse out of its mouth, making it primarily a LongRangeFighter.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Gastrodon uses Counter Shield with Muddy Water, spinning around on the ground to trap a flying opponent in the air with Muddy Water. If the opponent flies near the ground to avoid Counter Shield, it can be easily pinned down with Body Slam.
* FinishingMove: What Water Pulse is intended to be. When Gastrodon pins its opponent down with Body Slam, it fires Water Pulse directly into the air, planning to dodge the attack descending at an increased speed at the last second. It almost works, but Ash's Staraptor breaks free by using Close Combat on the ground. However, Paul had already predicted that maneuver and hits Staraptor with Ice Beam anyway.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Gastrodon freezes Buizel covered in Aqua Jet, but Paul doesn't know that Ash would improvise an Ice Aqua Jet, which leads to Gastrodon's defeat.
* AnIcePerson: It knows the Ice-type move Ice Beam, which is super effective against Flying-type Pokémon like Staraptor. It bites it in the ass though, since Paul is not prepared for an improvised Ice Aqua Jet from Ash's Buizel.
* MakingASplash: Gastrodon is part Water-type and knows the Water-type moves Muddy Water and Water Pulse. With Muddy Water, it is capable of utilizing Counter Shield, while Water Pulse is used as a FinishingMove.
* SacrificialLamb: Gastrodon and Aggron are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
!!Drapion (Dorapion)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_drapion.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
A powerful Poison/Dark-type Pokémon used during the battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is another one of Paul's most competent Pokémon, defeating half of Ash's team with its traps and strength.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Drapion is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant, purple poisonous scorpion and it appropriately knows the Bug-type move Pin Missile.
* TheBrute: A Pokémon who is designated to poison the opponent and make them suffer, and it has enough brute strength to take on powerful Pokémon like Ash's Torterra and Gliscor.
* EvilCounterpart: Drapion appears to be one to Ash's Gliscor. Both of them are used in the same league battle, both are purple scorpions yet neither of them are Bug-type Pokémon, but they do know Bug-type moves. Their moves are also similar; Drapion knows Cross Poison, Gliscor knows X-Scissor; Drapion knows Poison Fang, Gliscor knows Fire Fang; Drapion has the long range barrage attack Pin Missile, Gliscor has the long range barrage attack Stone Edge..
* KillItWithFire: After a long battle, Drapion is taken down by burn damage inflicted from Gliscor's Fire Fang.
* ManBitesMan: Subverted. It knows Poison Fang, a move that normally involves utilizing the user's teeth. But instead of biting the opponent with its teeth, Drapion transfers Poison Fang's power from its fangs to its claws while keeping the same effect.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: When using Pin Missile, it fires lots of missiles towards the opponent. Ash's Buizel and Torterra are taken down by barrages of Pin Missile. It also serves as Drapion's long range attack.
* OneManArmy: Drapion takes down half of Ash's Pokémon during his league match with paul.
* PoisonousPerson: Drapion is primarily a Poison-type Pokémon and Paul uses its poison to great effects. Drapion lays out Toxic Spikes to poison any opponent touching the ground, and in close combat it strikes down with Cross Poison and Poison Fang.
* PrehensileTail: Drapion uses its tail to capture its opponents.
* StatusAilment: Drapion is all about poisoning the opponent. By laying Toxic Spike on the field, it almost guarantees to poison the opponent's entire team.
* TrapMaster: Drapion can lay out Toxic Spikes on the field, which will poison any opposing Pokémon who touches the ground. It also tends to capture its opponents with its tail, slamming them on the ground to poison them with Toxic Spike's effect and attacking them while still holding them with its tail.
!!Froslass (Yukimenoko)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_froslass.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/SatsukiYukino\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bella Hudson
An Ice/Ghost-type Pokémon used during the match against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It puts a tough fight against Pikachu, but she nevertheless defeated by the electric mouse. She is the only one of Paul's Pokémon to fight only one of Ash's Pokémon during the match.
----
* BreathWeapon: She fires her Ice Beam from her mouth like many other Pokémon. She freezes Pikachu with it, but he breaks through the ice with his Volt Tackle and knocks her out.
* AnIcePerson: Froslass is primarily an Ice-type Pokémon, knowing the Ice-type moves Hail, Ice Shard and Ice Beam and has the ability Snow Cloak to match. With Hail, she not only creates a snowstorm, her Snow Cloak also activates, allowing her to disappear and reappear in battle, which makes it difficult to hit her while the opponent takes damage from Hail.
* KamehameHadouken: Her Ice Shard is an energy ball of ice which she throws at the opponent. Similar like Focus Blast, it takes some time to charge it, which causes her to lose against Pikachu.
* LadyOfWar: An elegant female Pokémon, who has the graceful characteristics of a ''yuki onna'' and merciless freezes her opponent in ice.
* PowerFloats: Froslass is capable of floating in mid-air, which adds to her ghostly appearance.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She is the only known female Pokémon in Paul's possession.
* SoulPower: While part Ghost-type, Froslass is not shown to use Ghost-type moves. However, her Snow Cloak ability gives her the presence of a ghost, allowing her to disappear and reappear throughout the battle, which makes it harder to fight her, since attacks can go through her.
* StatusBuff: What Snow Cloak does is increasing her evasiveness in Hail. This is shown as her disappearing and reappearing in battle and being more or less tangible.
* {{Yokai}}: Froslass is based on the ''yuki onna'' and she lives up to this trope. With her Snow Cloak ability, she can disappear and reappear during battle, giving her an elegant yet ghostly and mystical presence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Zoey (Nozomi)]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Zoey_5191.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHayamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Elisabeth Morinelli\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/MariaFernandaMorales\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Claire Tefnin
Dawn's main rival in the Sinnoh region as a Pokémon coordinator. Despite her tomboyish appearance, she gets along with everyone pretty well, though she does get angry at Ash when he first thought it would be a good idea to be both a Pokémon trainer and coordinator. She mellows out, however, after some experience with him and Nando.
----
* TheAce: Zoey is one of the most skilled Pokémon Coordinators in the series. She ends up winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival and comes away with the prized Ribbon Cup, after a long and hard match with Dawn that comes straight down to the wire.
* AffectionateNickname: Her best buddy Candice calls her "Zozo" (in English) or "Nozotchi" (in Japanese).
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To date, Dawn has never beaten her directly in a Contest.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Her Contest outfits are tuxes or pantsuits, save for her Grand Festival one which looks more like a stylized kimono.
* BoyishShortHair: She's easily the most tomboyish of Dawn's rivals. She also has short and spiky hair.
* BreakTheHaughty: A fairly mild example in ''Dawn's Early Night.'' At the beginning of the episode, she is confident in her belief that a Trainer who does both Contests and Gym Battles cannot be as skilled as someone who dedicates themselves to only a single goal. She begins to rethink her position after she loses the Hearthome Ribbon to Nando, who she had previously scorned for being both a Trainer and a Coordinator.
* BrutalHonesty: She doesn't bother softening her opinions for others. When she's told that Nando does both Contests and Gym Battles, her response is, "[He] really needs to make up his mind."
* CatchPhrase:
** "[Pokémon]! Ready? Go!"
** At least in the first season of Diamond and Pearl: "[Pokémon]! Curtain!"
* CharacterDevelopment: Zoey, being so devoted to her own dream of becoming Top Coordinator, originally took offense at Trainers who tried both coordinating and battling, assuming them to be less invested in their dreams. This brought her into conflict with both Ash (who early in his Sinnoh adventure dabbled in Contests himself) and Nando (for whom doing both was his primary goal). While she eased off after facing off with Ash, they still agreed he'd not be the best fit for Contests due to his temperament. Then Nando blew her away by clobbering her at the Hearthome Contest. By the time of the Wallace Cup, she accepted her perspective to have been closed-off and properly apologized to Ash for her attitude; later, she battled Gym Leader Fantina (a former Top Coordinator) in a straight match which she enjoyed.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Candice, who helped her raise her Glameow in secret.
* CoolBigSis: Zoey served as both rival and mentor early on, helping Dawn get prepared for contests even as an opponent.
* CoolShades: She's frequently seen wearing these on top of her head.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Red hair, red eyes.
* CuteKitten: Glameow (who Zoey actually ''did'' find as a kitten!)
* DoppelgangerSpin: Mismagius and Leafeon's Double Team.
* EnergyBall: Leafeon's attack of the same name.
* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow's Iron Tail.
* {{Fauxshadow}}: Before Dawn's contest debut, Zoey tells Dawn that she's gonna win, but in the next episode, cue her CurbStompBattle at the hands of Zoey.
* FieryRedhead: Toyed with. She's normally [[TheStoic rather mellow]], except when it comes to Paul's abuse of his Pokémon, which angers her like everyone else. Or discussing Trainers who partake in Gym Battles and Contests.
* {{Foil}}: To three characters, all other Coordinators.
** To Dawn; as her mentor and rival, she provides the straightest parallel to her while sharing the same goal. She's experienced where Dawn is a rookie and the tomboy to her girly girl. On and off the Contest field, her Pokémon present flawlessly synchronized teamwork while Dawn often has to struggle to get her sometimes-disobedient Pokémon to follow her lead. Her strategy for turning in winning Contest performances is to plan and perfect every move beforehand, as opposed to the unexpected yet stunning combinations Dawn pulls out on the fly, as a result of quick thinking, luck with a little prior planning, or both.
** To Nando. While it's less obvious due to his conspicuous lack of screentime, he and Zoey are complete opposites in nearly all aspects. He devotes himself to Gym Battles and Contests, she puts all of her energy solely into Contests. [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy She's a tomboyish teenage girl, Nando is a feminine male.]] She's easily fired up, open with her opinions and not afraid to say what she thinks, he's soft spoken and polite with a cool facade that rarely breaks. She lacks a preferred type specialty, as opposed to his team of Bug and Grass types. Their differences can even be seen in the way they perform; her combinations vary in effects and style while Nando's preferred techniques reflect a single central theme (music).
** To Kenny. A departure from the previous two mentioned above, the parallel between him and Zoey isn't so much the differences between them as it is the opposing ways that they help Dawn to grow through their relationships with her. Zoey's way of helping her improve as a person and as a coordinator is more straightforward and older sister-like, teaching her necessary skills and encouraging her to do her best, while the majority of Kenny's interactions with Dawn volley between [[TheGadfly childish teasing]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sincere encouragement,]] posing as a source of annoyance for her and at the same time motivating her to prove that she's capable of besting him and her other rivals in battle.
* FromStrayToPet: The episode ''Classroom Training!'' explains how she met her Glameow. As a child, she found it in a cardboard box on the street. Her parents refused to let her keep it, but with Candice's help, she secretly raised it in a shed behind her house until she was old enough to become a Trainer.
* GreenThumb: Leafeon, Gallade's Magical Leaf.
* AnIcePerson: Gastrodon's Blizzard.
* LaserBlade: Leafeon's Leaf Blade, due to PowerGlows.
* MakingASplash: Lumineon is water-type.
* MeaningfulName: The Nozomi is a Japanese bullet train service that goes in the opposite direction of the Hikari bullet train service. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter The Nozomi is faster than the Hikari]].
* NonElemental: Glameow is Normal-Type.
* PrinciplesZealot: When she started, Zoey would presume any trainers dabbling in both the gyms and contests to be TheDitherer and would criticize them for a lack of conviction; she backed off once Nando proved it was a viable path.
* RedOniBlueOni: She's cast as the red to Nando and Dawn's blue during contest battles.
* SempaiKohai: Kohai to Snowpoint Gym Leader Candice. This is explicit in the Japanese, where they do actually use the titles.
* ShockAndAwe: Both her Glameow and her Mismagius can use electric attacks, with both knowing Shock Wave and Glameow knowing the more powerful Thunderbolt.
* SoulPower: Uses the ghost type Mismagius as one of her main Pokemon. Her Glameow can also use the ghost type Shadow Claw move.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name is frequently misspelled as "Zoe".
* SpikyHair: Fitting her tomboy nature.
* StraightMan: To Dawn and her friend's antics quite frequently.
* TheStoic: In Contests and sometimes outside of them, Zoey usually seems very collected and is not one to lose her cool. This is one thing that makes her NotSoDifferent from Nando, who has a similar attitude.
* PsychicPowers: Her Mismagius can use Psywave. Its a powerful offensive move, but is also useful in performances to accentuate her costumes.
* ATasteOfDefeat: She's a highly skilled and competent Coordinator, but even she isn't immune to losing once in a while. She loses to Nando at the Hearthome Contest finals and May in the Wallace Cup semifinals.
* TechnicolorEyes: Red ones, matching her [[CurtainsMatchTheWindow eyes.]]
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Dawn's Girly Girl. Accentuated by the fact that she always wears suits in her Contests, never dresses. In addition to the contrast, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it shows that she's no less feminine than Dawn]], just unconventional about it - her flashy suit in the Grand Festival was particularly fashionable and made to accentuate her femininity instead of negating it.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She's a short-haired tomboy who regularly competes in the fashionable and flashy Contests.
* {{Tsundere}}: Towards Nando in ''Dawn's Early Night!''
* TheUnreveal: Her battle with Nando for the Hearthome Ribbon in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' which she loses, is never actually seen, and only its aftermath is shown. Whatever he did during it, he managed to impress her a great deal.
-->'''Zoey:''' Nando really is something else. The way he's chosen to compete in Contests and Gym Battles, it's like he knows it's his destiny!
* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Her Leafeon can use the flying type Aerial Ace.
* WiseBeyondHerYears: She's a very knowledgeable and insightful character. Not without her flaws, but still rather mature for her apparent age.
* WorthyOpponent: For Dawn. Coming to see Nando as one is a key step in her CharacterDevelopment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kenny (Kengo)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Kenny_80.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' YukoMita\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Rhonda Krempa\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín (seasons 10 and 13), Xóchitl Ugarte (season 11), Bruno Coronel (season 12).
Dawn's childhood friend and another Pokémon Coordinator. He gave her the nickname of Dee-Dee/Pikari, and never lets her forget... not that she has a hard time forgetting it.
----
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Heavily implied in ''Four Roads Diverged in a Pokémon Port!'' when Dawn chooses to travel with [[ChasteHero Ash]] to cheer him on in the Lily of the Valley Conference and not him when he made the offer. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools He takes it quite well though.]]
%%* BubbleGun: Empoleon's, as a Prinplup, Bubble Beam.
* ColorMotif: Blue, serving to reflect his rivalry with Dawn and their similar roots. Two of his Pokémon are Water type, one of which is the evolved form of Dawn's starter, he has a blue Pokétch, he was seen wearing a blue shirt in a flashback and he dons a blue suit for the Grand Festival.
* DecompositeCharacter: He fills the role that Barry does for Dawn as the player character in the games, being (one of) her main rivals.
* EpicFail: His performance at the Grand Festival. He washes out in the performance round due to not having practiced his routine with his newly evolved Empoleon. Empoleon unfortunately didn't know its own strength, and knocked out his partner.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He starts with the Piplup line like Dawn, making him one of the few rivals that has the same starter as their main cast counterpart.
* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: Dawn apparently didn't know he was going to be a Coordinator.
* TheGadfly: He ''loves'' to get under Dawn's skin.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Seems to express his crush on Dawn by relentlessly teasing her about their childhood days.
* KidsAreCruel: He looks this way when we find out the backstory of "Dee Dee", the EmbarrassingNickname he hung on Dawn. Especially since he got the entire class hooked to that nickname where the entire class calls her by that very name he coined. He and Dawn ended up friends eventually though.
%%* MegatonPunch: Breloom's Mach Punch.
%%* MindOverMatter: Alakazam
* TheNicknamer: Came up with Dee-Dee/Pikari.
%%* OddFriendship: With Barry.
%%* RazorWind: Floatzel's attack.
%%* ShonenHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barry (Jun)]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Barry_8307.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Jamie [=McGonnigal=]\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Ricardo Bautista (seasons 11 and 13), Miguel Ángel Ruiz (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Grégory Praet
Another of Ash's rivals in the Sinnoh Region, though neither one really considers the other to be a rival. Barry wants to go after Paul, and oftens encounters Ash during his travels. They share a competitive friendship as trainers, and Barry isn't too bad as one himself.
----
%%* AnimeHair: It's pretty gravity defiant.
* AttackAttackAttack: This is typical his strategy in battle. And it doesn't help that he's not particularly creative either.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: His usual approach to events. Though he once waited long enough for a Heracross to be attracted by slathered honey.
* ButtMonkey: Silly, unfortunate things happen to him all the time. He forgets things, people keep getting in his way while he's running around, Gible eats his bike and gym battle ticket, etc.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "I'm going to make you pay a fine for that! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four -- "
* CharacterExaggeration: He doesn't have the level of characterization (and CharacterDevelopment) his game counterpart had, nearly to the point of being a SatelliteCharacter.
* CharacterTics: Snapping his fingers.
* CrashIntoHello: Every single time he appears, it's by crashing into someone at full speed. [[HypocriticalHumor And then admonsishing them to watch where they're going]].
* CurbStompBattle: He tried. [[{{Determinator}} Good lord]], [[DiedStandingUp he tried]]. Yet in the end, [[HardWorkHardlyWorks all he ended up with]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog was a devastating 3-0 loss to]] [[ArchEnemy Paul]].
* DeathOrGloryAttack: His Empoleon's signature move is Hydro Cannon and it also learns Hyper Beam, which puts alot of power into a single attack but leaves it defenseless afterwards. And after a Torrent boost on top of that it's completely stopped by Electivire's Protect and unable to do nothing but stand and take the retaliation.
* {{Determinator}}: Just watch how hard he and his team try to win when they face Paul.
* TheDitz: Barry tends to act faster than he thinks.
* DumbBlonde: While not at all unintelligent, he's seriously [[HotBlooded impatient and rushes into things without thinking]].
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He also starts with Empoleon, who seems to be a popular choice in-universe.
* FailedASpotCheck: He was so absorbed in telling Dawn and Brock about Tobias the OlympusMons trainer that it took him a while to even notice Ash's match.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:After losing to Paul in the Sinnoh League, he commends Paul for the battle the two shared. Paul, surprisingly, returns the favor]].
* GratuitousEnglish: Most notably, [[OddFriendship "BEST FRIENDS!"]] and "DADDY!?"
* HotBlooded: He is the son of Palmer after all. He throws his Poké Ball so hard, he does a ''complete forward flip'' in the process.
* HypocriticalHumor: He tells others to watch where they are going, but Barry himself doesn't watch where ''he'' is going.
* {{Keet}}: He has a near limitless supply of chaotic energy, which he expresses by running full-tilt wherever he goes, gesticulating like a madman, and never saying a single word below a yell.
* LargeHam: Barry honestly could pursue a career in theatrics with the level of drama he acts out.
* MotorMouth: Barry talks entirely too much sometimes.
* NoIndoorVoice: Every line he has is yelled at the top of his lungs.
* NoodleIncident: According to Dawn, he was once involved in a singing duet with an ''Exploud''.
* RunningGag: He always interrupts Team Rocket before they can finish their motto.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: His wails are always very silly and over the top.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Barry treats himself like he's a world class trainer. Paul barely even acknowledges his existence. Not to mention even after Ash proves himself a better trainer than him, Barry still thought the opposite for a time.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has spiky blond hair similar to Palmer's.
* TechnicolorEyes: Orange.
* UnknownRival: Wants to be a Rival of Paul's. But if it was even possible, Paul treats him with more disdain than he does with Ash. [[spoiler:After his loss in the Sinnoh League, Paul does acknowledge his skill.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In "To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!" he pretty much disappears after losing and is not heard from until his next appearance in "Historical Mystery Tour".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ursula (Urara)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Ursula_4230.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Melisa Schroenburg\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Betzabé Jara (season 12), Creator/CristinaHernandez (season 13)
A fellow Pokémon Coordinator with a rather poisonous personality who Dawn met at the Chocovine Pokémon Contest. Believing that Dawn's Wallace Cup victory was a fluke, she's determined to knock her down a peg or two.
----
* AlphaBitch: She's the only one of Dawn's rivals that is openly hostile to her, mainly because she's a snob who doesn't think Dawn is good enough to compete with her.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: In her first appearance, she refuses to believe Dawn's win against May was based on skill.
* BitingTheHandkerchief: In Jessie's flashback, she is seen doing this after losing in the first round of the Wallace Cup, out of rage for having been eliminated in the first round.
* BreakTheHaughty: The only way for Dawn to do it was to knock out her Pokémon in their third battle. Ursula has no choice but to acknowledge that Dawn is her superior, and she significantly mellows out.
* CharacterTics: When giving commands in a Pokémon Contest, she makes the "ILY" hand sign with both hands and her arms crossed.
* CombatPragmatist: Just like Harley before her, but more subtle and strategic. She has no qualms about using Dawn's fear of Plusle and Minun against her in a Contest, or having them use Encore to force her opponent's Pokémon to perform the same move over and over, causing them to lose points with the judges.
* DoppelgangerSpin: Her Gabite can use Double Team, which it uses effectively as a diversionary tactic in battles.
* DecompositeCharacter: She takes after Harley in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions, while Nando takes after him in appearance, voice, and mannerisms.
* EvilCounterpart:
** To Dawn. They're both ambitious and talented at Contests, but the difference is that Dawn is kind and sweet to nearly everyone she meets, while Ursula taunts her opponents, boasts about her abilities, and has no qualms about humiliating her opponents in public.
** She could be considered one to Zoey as she belittles Dawn and puts her down while Zoey is a helpful [[BigBrotherMentor big sister mentor]] to her instead.
* EvilIsPetty: She goes out of her way to spite Dawn at every turn, simply because she believes her to be an incompetent Coordinator who scrapes by on dumb luck.
-->'''Ursula:''' ''(addressing Zoey)'' I'll make sure you and Dawn never meet in the final round!
* EvilLaugh: "Ahahahahahaha!"
* {{Expy}}: Ursula has a good set of mixed influences.
** As a red-head with elaborately curled pigtails, she bears a striking resemblance to [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Amy Sorel]] and [[Music/{{UTAU}} Kasane Teto]], and has a less direct resemblance to [[Anime/YesPrecure5 Urara Kasugano]].
** She also inherits the role of the harshest of Dawn's rivals from Harley, who was much the same for May.
* FelonyMisdemeanor: "The horror! My beautiful Gabite's been soiled! How dare you!"
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Being a Coordinator, she has some skill at cooking Poffins, though Dawn's Pachirisu doesn't like the ones she makes.
* GameBreaker: InUniverse. In one contest, where the goal was to impress the judges with ''varied'' moves, she used Encore, forcing the opponents to repeat moves and thus lose points.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Her hair ribbons are a pale lavender.
* ImprobableHairstyle: She wears her hair in pink twin drills.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: She appears three times in the series. Each time, she gets her butt kicked by Dawn, including one time when her Gabite lost to ''Pachirisu.''
* InsufferableGenius: She's a skilled Pokémon coordinator...and she makes sure everyone knows it.
* ItOnlyWorksOnce: Her Grand Festival appeal involves her two Eevee evolving into Vaporeon and Flareon mid-performance. It makes for an impressive display, but as Brock notes, it can only be pulled off once.
* ManipulativeBitch: In battles, she specializes in psyching her opponents out by confusing and intimidating them. This is even more effective in contest battles than in regular ones, as her opponents flinching and stumbling costs them performance points.
* MeaningfulName: In the original version, her name is derived from 麗らか ''uraraka,'' Japanese for beautiful or glorious.
* MegaTwintails: Her pink hair is styled in large drill-shaped pigtails.
* PetTheDog:
** In her first appearance, she offers Dawn's Pachirisu a Poffin to replace the one her Gabite stepped on. Pachirisu didn't like the taste, but it's the thought that counts.
** Despite her arrogance, Ursula cares for her Pokémon and treats them well, unlike Paul. When her Gabite loses the Chocovine Contest, she comforts her and tells her that she did a great job. [[spoiler: And she comes to have ''some'' respect for Dawn in the end, as much as she may deny it.]]
* RememberTheNewGuy: She participated in the Wallace Cup and lost in the first round, but didn't appear during that arc.
* RollingAttack: Jigglypuff's Rollout, also Plusle and Minun's "twin attack formation" in ''Playing the Performance Encore!''
* TechnicolorEyes: A dark pink that matches her hair.
* TrueBlueFemininity: Her Grand Festival dress is three different shades of blue.
* WonderTwinPowers: Not only do her Plusle and Minun know Helping Hand, they work perfectly together in Contests, making them a fantastic choice for Double Battles.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Her hair and eyes are light pink.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Conway (Kōhei/Kouhei)]]
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conway_screenshot_6447.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kozo Mito\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/IrwinDaayan (season 10 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz (season 11).
Dawn's partner in the Hearthome Tag Battle competition, who took a liking to her. He was only intended to appear for a few episodes, but [[EnsembleDarkhorse unexpected popularity among the fanbase]] brought him back for more.
----
* AdjustingYourGlasses: His CharacterTic is adjusting his glasses by the lens, accompanied by a [[ScaryShinyGlasses distinctive glare]].
* BadassBookworm: He's big on battle strategy, even giving Ash a hard time in their League battle.
* BattleCouple: Formed one with Dawn in the Tag Battle Tournament. Although the affection is one-sided...
* BlueWithShock: When he found out the "little girl" he partnered with in a Pokémon Summer Academy race was [[spoiler:a ghost.]]
* BreakoutCharacter: He was originally just a supporting character in a plot-significant three-parter, but he made such an impact that he became a recurring rival.
* CharacterTics: Tweaking and/or [[ScaryShinyGlasses shining]] his glasses.
* ConfusionFu: His battle plan against Ash involves using moves designed to keep Ash guessing, like Trick Room to make his slower pokemon into {{LightningBruiser|s}}, or Power Trick to turn his StoneWall Shuckle into a MightyGlacier. Of course, Ash lives and breathes being unpredictable, and so he manages to out-weird Conway for the win.
* CreepyMonotone: Speaks like this briefly in "Ghoul Daze!" when under the ghost girl's mind-control.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: For a creepy, nerdy stalker, it's very surprising to see how ridiculously competent Conway can be in battle. In addition, he sports a nice variety of Pokémon despite his battling skills not being highlighted often.
* DidNotSeeThatComing: Like many of Ash's opponents, Conway gets thrown off when his opponent improvises. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Namely, Gible catching Dusknoir's Shadow Punch with his mouth and not letting go]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
-->'''Conway:''' ''(off-screen)'' Well, how are you, Number 28?\\
'''Dawn:''' ''(cheerfully)'' I'm fine!\\
''(cut to a close-up of Conway with ScaryShinyGlasses)''\\
'''Conway:''' That's good. Conway is the name. A pleasure.
* {{Expy}}: His design is based on the Super Nerd Trainer class in the main ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games.
* FlawExploitation: In the battle against Paul and Ash, he exploited the fact Paul loved to use Protect by having a Pokémon with Feint. Later, he was well aware Ash had a preference for using FragileSpeedster type Pokémon by using Trick Room.
* GuileHero: What makes him so formidable. He's an extremely tricky and clever strategist, and can fight on par with Ash and Paul on sheer wit alone.
* LightningBruiser:
** Dusknoir when using Trick Room outspeeds almost everything on Ash's team due to Trick Room causing slower Pokémon to go first. Finally, Dusknoir was shown taking and dealing out hits with ease.
** His Shuckle is not fast, but its defenses are really good, and there's a special move that unlocks its offensive powers...
* MightyGlacier: Dusknoir, out of Trick Room, due to its low speed but amazing ability to take hits and dish them out.
* NearDeathExperience: In ''Ghoul Daze,'' he almost gets lured off a cliff by a creepy ghost girl. Luckily, he's saved by a Dusknoir.
* NonActionGuy: Despite making good showings in the first two legs of the Pokémon Triathlon, making good use of Dugtrio's Dig and Floatzel's Dive to bypass the other competitors, he ultimately loses in the final leg because he's bad at long-distance running.
-->'''Conway:''' Big mistake. Not doing a little cardio training was pretty dumb.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: He could sometimes engage in this, particularly with Dawn.
* OverlyLongTongue: Conway's Lickilicky has a tongue twice the length of its body. ''Exactly'' twice
* ReusedCharacterDesign: He looks very similar to a grown-up version of Max.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with a creepy chuckle and a SlasherSmile.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: In the English dub, he's got a pretty impressive vocabulary that he makes full use of.
* ShirtlessScene: In ''Up Close and Personable,'' justified in that said episode involved the Pokémon Summer Academy students diving underwater to search for aquatic Pokémon.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Never shows any attraction towards anyone but Dawn.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His Japanese name can be spelled either "Kōhei" or "Kouhei".
* StalkerWithACrush: He follows Dawn everywhere, popping up behind her at random times and offering her advice. Apparently, he went to the Pokémon Summer Academy ''just'' because he knew she would be there.
* StealthHiBye: A running gag is him randomly appearing from behind Dawn and startling her (as well as anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity).
-->'''Dawn:''' No one makes an entrance like Conway.
* ThirdPersonPerson: "That was quite nice...but Conway never gives up!"
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is dark green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nando (Naoshi)]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TV_Tropes_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KazuyaNakai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' José Arenas
A soft-spoken minstrel with a liking for music and Grass-type Pokémon. In his debut episode, Ash and Dawn helped him decide to participate in both Gym Battles and Contests, making him a rival for both of them.
----
* AdaptationalNationality: The English dub implies that he's Hispanic (or whatever the equivalent is in the Pokémon world), by giving him a name of that origin and an accent that sounds vaguely European, but never confirms it.
* AerithAndBob: On the "Aerith" side of the scale.
* AgentPeacock: Like Harley before him, he acts quite feminine yet proves to be a skilled Trainer and Coordinator.
* AllLovingHero: Doesn't hate or resent ''anyone.''
* AntiquatedLinguistics: His manner of speech is noticeably more formal than most other characters tend to use, for example, saying "I am in your debt" instead of "thank you".
* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/472ps1.shtml this]] (''Dawn of a New Era'') to [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100702033443/es.pokemon/images/2/24/EP652_Nando.png this]] (''League Unleashed'').
* AscendedExtra: Appeared in one of the the very first episodes, seemingly as a one-shot character, and after several noteworthy apearances he ultimately features in both the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh Conference.
* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: He's wearing what appears to be Victorian dress in a modern setting.
* BadassCape: His cape is shaped like a bitten lily, which his perfect for his Bug-type theme.
* BenevolentBoss: He is shown to be kind to his Pokémon, even giving them polite requests during battle instead of commands.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Nando might be sweet and gentle, but in his debut episode, he sends Team Rocket blasting off with Budew's Bullet Seed and comments, [[BondOneLiner "Such a shame. I was having such a pleasant evening before they showed up."]]
* BigDamnHeroes: He had his Budew save Ash and friends from Team Rocket in his debut episode.
* {{Bishonen}}: His character design is pretty feminine. He even appears to be wearing mascara during his Contest performance in "Dawn's Early Night".
* BigNo: [[spoiler:Drops one when Ash's Heracross KO's his Kricketune with Megahorn in the Sinnoh League.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Say what you will about him, but consider this--while most other major characters were practically scrambling to get either eight badges ''or'' five ribbons in time for their event, Nando managed to attain ''both complete sets'' in time for each major competition. He also reached the Top 4 in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and if he ''hadn't'' been matched up against [[PlotArmor Ash]] so early in the Lily of the Valley Conference, it's quite probable he'd have gotten further than just the Top 64 in that competition, as well. He may act as a musical bard most of the time, but he is able to be a very competent coordinator and battler, with Zoey even commenting that the latter was giving him a big edge in their contest battle in the festival.
* CastingGag: This isn't the first time Billy Regan has voiced [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast a flamboyant, green-clad young man with a goal of collecting Contest ribbons and a humanoid, half-Grass-type Pokémon for a partner.]]
* CharacterTics: He often says things in a sing-song voice.
* ClearTheirName: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!'', he's suspected of stealing the Adamant Orb on the grounds that he has a Sunflora, a Pokémon that was seen escaping with the artifact in question. It turned out to be Team Rocket's Meowth in a Sunflora costume.
* ColorMotif: Green, owing to his love of nature and relaxed attitude.
* ConflictKiller: His establishing character moment was breaking up an argument between Ash and Dawn.
* CowardlyLion: Not Nando himself, but his Sunflora. It abandoned him when he was arrested by Officer Jenny, but hunted down Team Rocket for framing him and exposed their disguises, preventing them from successfully escaping the museum with the Adamant Orb.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite his polite and very feminine demeanor, he's no pushover when it comes to Pokémon battles.
* CulturedBadass: He's a skilled musician and studies Sinnoh's history in his spare time.
* DanceBattler: His Lopunny, Roserade and Sunflora all fighting using graceful moves evocative of a dance. Nando sets their rhythm with is music.
* DarkHorseVictory: In the Hearthome Contest. He's underestimated by everyone because he's relatively new to contests and splits his time with gym battles. He ends up crushing the competition in the first round and defeats Zoey to earn the ribbon. Zoey, who had given him a lot of grief for purusing both paths, is extremely caught off-guard.
* ADayInTheLimelight: "Coming Full Festival Circle" sidelines Dawn to feature Nando fighting hard against Zoey to make it to the finals of the Grand Festival.
* DeathByIrony: Defeat, anyway. [[spoiler:Both of his final matches in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League were against a Pokémon matching one of his specialty types -- Leafeon, a Grass-type, and Heracross, a Bug-type.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: He takes after Harley in appearance, voice, and mannerisms, while Ursula takes after him in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After he clobbered Zoey off-screen in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' she changed her mind about not accepting Trainers who choose to participate in both Gyms and Contests.
* DependingOnTheArtist: In early episodes, his bangs were sometimes drawn facing different directions. This stopped by "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* {{Determinator}}: An understated example. Many characters are shown to struggle with obtaining either eight Gym Badges before the regional League or five Contest Ribbons before the Grand Festival. Nando collecting both sets is a testament to his skill in both fields.
* TheDitherer: In his first episode, he could not decide if he wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer or Coordinator. After battling both Ash and Dawn, he took a third option and went down both paths at once.
* TheDogBitesBack: Got Jessie back for the Adamant Orb incident when he defeated her in the Hearthome Contest five episodes later.
* DramaticWind: A gentle breeze follows him wherever he goes, billowing his cape and hair as it does.
* EasilyForgiven: Nando does not seem to hold grudges, as he did not hold any ill will against Officer Jenny for falsely arresting him on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb, nor Zoey for being cold and dismissive to him when she found out he did both Contests and Gym Battles.
* EffeminateVoice: The American dub gives him a soft, gentle voice with a thick, vaguely European accent.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Briefly. When James and Meowth are selling Pokémon Coordinator merchandise during ''Opposites Interact,'' you can hear a male voice saying, "I'd like a photo of Nando..."
* ExtremeDoormat: He let the Eterna City Officer Jenny tie him up in "A Secret Sphere of Influence!". That should tell you something.
* {{Expy}}: Visually a dead ringer for Harley, down to sharing the same voice actor. His personality, though, is a closer match to Robert's, being a polite gentleman and skilled Coordinator.
* FatalFlaw: His over-reliance on his SignatureMove, Sing, was exploited by Zoey in the Grand Festival and Ash in the Sinnoh League.
* FlatCharacter: Gets this accusation thrown at him a lot because unlike the other Sinnoh rivals he's just a straight-up NiceGuy whose spirit never wavers at all.
* FluffyFashionFeathers: He wears them in his hat during Contests.
* {{Foil}}: The calm, even-tempered dual-duty Pokémon trainer to match Zoey the determined, competitive Pokémon Coordinator.
* FrameUp: Victim of an unintentional one in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' when Team Rocket breaks into the Eterna Museum and steals the Adamant Orb with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, at the exact same time Nando happens to be there with his own Sunflora.
* FriendToAllChildren: He gets along pretty well with Ash, Brock, and Dawn.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: The night before the Grand Festival semifinals has him playing harp music to a gathering of wild Pokémon in the forest.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' he visits the Eterna Museum to study the history of Sinnoh. Unfortunately for him, he's there at the exact same time Team Rocket is stealing the Adamant Orb, with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, a Pokémon he just happens to have on hand.
* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: His iconic Mew harp. He also wears a gold shoulderplate while performing in Contests.
* HarpOfFemininity: Inverted and played straight at the same time -- he's a guy who plays the harp, but an extremely feminine guy at that.
* IconicItem: He is never seen without his golden Mew-shaped harp.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Everyone else was surprised when he was revealed to have a Lopunny in the Grand Festival, a Pokémon that doesn't fit the theme of his team, as it's not a Bug- or Grass-type and can't use Sing.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Zoey, Dawn, Brock, and Ash. They are all children and teenagers while Nando appears to be in his early twenties.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: Pronounces his own name the way it would be said by a Spanish speaker ("Nahn-do").
* JackOfAllTrades: He's a skilled battler and Pokemon coordinator, and his skills in both compliment each other.
** MasterOfNone: Ultimately, as while he made good showings in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League, he won neither of them. It doesn't seem to bother him, though.
* JustAStupidAccent: He's inexplicably given an accent in the English dub that sounds vaguely Spanish. Where he would have picked it up is anyone's guess.
* LimitedWardrobe: Like many other things about him, this is a departure from the traditional mold of Pokémon characters. While it's not unusual for minor characters to have only one or two outfits, most Sinnoh Coordinators have a variety of ensembles to wear while performing (Dawn's PimpedOutDress[=es=] and Zoey's tuxedos come to mind). The most he does during a Contest is stick a feather in his hat, put on a gold shoulderplate, and swap out his single-Mew harp for a double-Mew one.
* LongBusTrip: Ignoring his cameo in ''A Breed Stampede,'' he disappeared for a year after ''Dawn's Early Night.''
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Shoulder-length dark hair and a fey appearance.
* LuckyTranslation: His English name, which is in Spanish, just happens to actually be a Japanese word that means "many times", which matches up with the large number of battles he has to do as both a pursuer of Gym Badges and a Coordinator.
* MagicMusic: His harp has an inexplicable ability to calm any
* MeaningfulName:
** He shares his Japanese name with Naoshi Mizuta, another musician.
** In English, his name rhymes with "gliss'''ando'''", a musical term denoting a glide from one pitch to another. It can be played on many instruments, including a harp.
* MellowFellow: Always remains nonchalant and even-tempered. Even when he was accused by Officer Jenny of stealing a priceless artifact from the Eterna Museum, he calmly defended himself without blinking an eye.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: He loses his calm demeanor when he gets really into the Heracross vs. Kricketune match in the Sinnoh League, gesticulating wildly with his hands and even dramatically swishing his cape.
* {{Motifs}}: Music notes.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Nando sticks out somewhat awkwardly among the typical rival lineup, doing contests and battles at the same time, dressing up in an anachronistic minstrel outfit, and hanging out with kids several years younger than he is.
* MythologyGag: Possibly; he wasn't the first [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Bard#The_bard bard]] to appear in the Pokémon continuity.
* NatureHero: Most of his Pokémon are Bug and Grass types, and his first episode had him camping outside with Ash and friends.
* NervesOfSteel: Arrested on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb? Criticized for being a Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon Coordinator at the same time? Not a problem for this even-tempered minstrel. [[spoiler:Realizing his Kricketune is on the losing end of a sparring match with Ash's Heracross might be a different story, though...]]
* NeverBareheaded: He never takes his hat off, although [[http://pkmncoordinators.tumblr.com/post/62569836544/pokemon-settei-pokemon-settei-nando-naoshi production art]] shows what he looks like without it.
* NiceGuy: Always unfailingly kind and polite, so much so that he gives polite requests to his Pokémon in battle instead of commands.
* NiceHat: A wide brimmed, high-crowned hat that's the same forest green as his cape. It's easily his most notable feature.
* NonSpecificallyForeign: Implied by the dub, which gives him a name of Spanish origin and a thick, vaguely European-sounding accent.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Downplayed -- he has smaller and more realistically drawn eyes than other characters. It's especially obvious when his headshot is visible among the others on a Pokémon Contest screen.
* NotSoStoic: He projects an air of serenity no matter what. However, in his battles with Ash in the Sinnoh League and Zoey in the Grand Festival, he's intensely passionate.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Only character to regularly participate in both Contests and Gym Battles.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: No matter the situation, Nando nearly always remains calm and level-headed, rarely losing his cool. But when his Pokémon start showing signs of being in trouble during the Grand Festival and League Conference battles, he actually starts to raise his voice and [[MilkingTheGiantCow gesture with his hands]] when giving them battle commands.
* OutOfFocus: And ''how'' - he disappeared for 125 episodes after "Dawn's Early Night!" (barring a brief cameo), before finally returning for real during the Grand Festival and the Lily of the Valley Conference.
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his left eye.
* PerpetualSmiler: Always has a calm smile on his face, unless he's fighting a particularly difficult opponent.
* PersonalityPowers: His calm, composed and harmonious nature perfectly fits his preference for musical attacks.
* ThePollyanna: Nothing shakes his unflapple demeanor except briefly. He does regret his defeats, but he shakes them off and simply commits to trying harder.
* RhymesOnADime: As a minstrel he often speaks in rhyming couplets.
* SayMyName:
-->'''Officer Jenny:''' Excuse me. I've just captured Suspect #1. ''(she pulls Nando into the shot)'' Get this. He calls himself a Pokémon troubadour, but I don't buy it at all.
-->'''Ash/Brock/Dawn:''' ''Nando?!''
* SharpDressedMan: Overdressed, in fact, wearing a waistcoat and a cape while traveling.
* SilkHidingSteel: Although he's not female as this trope usually implies, this seems to be Nando's philosophy when it comes to battle. Most of his Pokémon are ones that are beautiful and graceful, yet powerful fighters.
* StealthPun: He's a musician who's always incredibly calm. You could say he's very composed.
* TheStoryteller: "In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos. And at the heart of the chaos, where all things become one, came the one."
* TakeAThirdOption: When we first see Nando, he was having trouble if he wanted to pursue gym battles or contest ones before eventually settling on both. It did wonders for him.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: The "tall" part is more noticeable since he usually hangs around kids, but "A Secret Sphere of Influence" and "A Breed Stampede" show him to be even taller than Officer Jenny and Mr. Contesta, respectively.
* TokenAdult: Ash's and Dawn's only adult rival.
* UncattyResemblance: Wears a green cape similar to his Roserade's.
* UnexplainedAccent: The American dub gives him a European accent that seems to vary from episode to episode.
* TheUnfought: Dawn never faced him directly in an actual Contest battle (though they did have a practice bout in [=DP004=], which he won).
* TheUnreveal: When he shows his badge case to Ash and Dawn in ''Last Call, First Round!,'' it has seven badges and one empty slot for the Mine Badge (which is Byron's), but we never find out where and from whom he got his last badge in-between that episode and ''An Old Family Blend!''
* VagueAge: Appears to be in his early 20s, but his outfit and old-fashioned speech patterns give the impression of someone much older.
* VocalEvolution: After a year long absence, his accent became slightly more pronounced.
* WanderingMinstrel: He self-describes as such, a rare example of this trope in a modern setting.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: Wears one under his cape. Oddly for the trope, it's the ''least'' notable part of his ensemble, but it's still inordinately fancy for his surroundings.
* WarriorPoet: He is a skilled Pokémon Trainer and musician with a love for songs and stories. His habit of rhyming is shown to have rubbed off on Gardenia when she quotes a piece of philosophical poetry in "A Secret Sphere of Influence".
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent?: It sounds vaguely like a mixture of Spanish and Irish.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:He makes it all the way to the top four of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, only to get thrown out of the competition by Zoey. Come the Sinnoh League, Ash wipes the floor with Nando in the ''very first round'' of the Qualifying Matches (the Top 64). In fairness, you can probably blame this on the writers for making Ash his first opponent, or perhaps Zoey was right all along that he should have just stuck with contests. But he sure didn't go out without a fight.]]
* WorthyOpponent: To Zoey and Ash. It takes some time with Zoey, as she dismisses him as a dabbler, but the two times they fight he more than proves himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tobias (Takuto)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Tobias_7240.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/HirokiTakahashi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JMichaelTatum\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Jaime Alberto Carrillo
A mysterious trainer who first appears during the Sinnoh League Tournament, and one of the most formidable trainers seen in the series by far, due to his possession of extremely rare and powerful legendary Pokémon. Using only [[spoiler:Darkrai]], he has [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] through the Sinnoh Gym Leaders and the League Tournament. [[spoiler: One might be tempted to think that Darkrai is his go-to Pokémon and the rest of his team is comprised of ordinary Pokémon, but only because not a single opponent is able to get past Darkrai in a match with it until Ash has a go at it with his team. When Ash actually does defeat Darkrai, Tobias reveals he has ''several'' legendaries in tow, and plan B is to call on his Latios.]]
----
* TheAce: He is the most skilled trainer shown in the Sinnoh region next to Cynthia, steamrolling ''everyone'' he encounters in the Pokémon League. His character even might be a nod to the acquired term "sweeping" in the {{Metagame}} of the Pokémon games (i.e. a player is able to take down entire teams using only one Pokémon with little effort, and do so regularly against many other players in competitive play).
* BadassCape: His cape flows with the wind, much like Nando.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:He beat Sinnoh's Gym Leaders and got to the League Semifinals using ''just'' Darkrai. Against Ash, he is forced to bust out a Latios, which get knocked out as well in a double KO that defeats Ash. Even in the final battle, [most of which is not shown] he actually wins with only Darkrai.]]
* CurbStompCushion: Even though Ash does get his ass handed to him on a silver platter, he does manage to [[spoiler:take out two of his legendaries, the closest ''anybody'' actually gets to him.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Grayish-blue hair, light blue eyes.
* DarkIsNotEvil: No, the creepy guy with the [[spoiler:Darkrai]] is not evil. He actually congratulates Ash on a good battle after he wins.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Ash is the ''only'' person that actually manages to [[spoiler:defeat his Darkrai, and Latios by extension.]] Even the announcer acknowledges it.
* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler:Just after Ash finally beats his rival in the quarter-finals, and it looks like he'll ''finally'' win a major championship, he gets thoroughly trounced by Tobias' ''two'' legendary Pokémon. The trainer's appearance was never hinted at before the Tournament Arc, and it's never explained how he got his hands on two OlympusMons.]] One gets the feeling he was created merely as an excuse to get Ash to Unova quicker.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Thrice. First when Ash's Sceptile [[spoiler:breaks out of sleep status ''immediately'']] with the second coming when Sceptile [[spoiler:hands Darkrai its ass for the first time.]] And after that? Tobias [[spoiler:sends out a Latios.]] That was unexpected. Not to mention wholly unexplained. [[spoiler:The fact Pikachu managed to help Ash make a repeat performance to Tobias and take it out also counted, towards Tobias and the crowd.]]
* TheFaceless: For about a couple episodes. Although [[EarlyBirdCameo pay attention and you can see his face relatively clearly in the tournament standings.]] He's the only one with hair like that.
* GlassCannon: [[spoiler:In keeping to Darkrai's stats in the game, his is this by Legendaries standards. Even healing with Dream Eater, Darkrai goes down to a relatively small amount of direct hits.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:A lot of people were predicting that Darkrai would be the most he'd bring to the table.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's creepy, arrogant, and uses arguably underhanded strategy, but when all's said and done, he congratulates Ash on a well fought battle.
* TheJuggernaut: ''Nobody'' so far has taken this guy's Darkrai and Latios down in a fight. [[spoiler:Well, Ash did, but he lost all of his Pokémon in the process and therefore the tournament]].
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: He plows through every Trainer he comes up against with minimal effort, [[spoiler:including Ash]], and goes on to [[spoiler:win the Sinnoh League.]] He also wears a red cape.
* LargeHam: The way he releases [[spoiler:Latios]] comes to mind.
* MeaningfulName: Tobias is a powerful trainer who relies mainly on Darkrai to fight. Tobias is also the name of a biblical hero from the book of Tobit who drove a demon out with the help of the archangel Raphael.
* OlympusMons: [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios.]]
* OneManArmy: His Darkrai. It single-handedly carries him through the entire Sinnoh League [[spoiler:with the exception of Ash, who, using Sceptile and Pikachu, respectively, manages to take it and his Latios down with him.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the Japanese version. Tommy from the Pokémon Trainer's School (a Hoenn character of the day) shares the same Japanese name as him. [[spoiler:And, to an extent, the fact that Tobias' Darkrai makes the THIRD we've seen so far (movies are {{Canon}}). Legendaries have been proven to come in multiples before ([=PowerOfOne=]!Lugia, Silver, and his mother; Heroes has practically a herd of Latios and Latias in flashback).]]
* PalsWithJesus: [[spoiler:He has two legendary Pokémon that obey his every command.]]
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his eye, like his [[spoiler:Darkrai]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:His second Pokémon is '''Latios.''' Didn't see that coming, did you? Arceus knows what the rest of his team looks like...]]
* RiddleForTheAges:
** How he caught a [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios]] is never explained.
** There is a lot of theories and wonder as to what the other four Pokémon are in his party, [[spoiler:considering two of them are legendaries.]]
* SmugSuper: Downplayed. He is ''very'' well aware he is packing [[spoiler:high-grade legendaries]] and will let his opponents know how even bringing their A-game might not be enough, but he does respect the effort his opponents put in the battle. Especially Ash [[spoiler:given he actually did defeat his Darkrai and Latios.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: His design is similar to Nando's, wearing a long cape and an [[PeekABangs emo-bang hairstyle]] as well as having a [[AerithAndBob slightly unusual name.]] He even has a slight accent in the English dub, though it's very faint.
* TakeThat: He is one to players who use [[spoiler:legendaries]] to breeze through the games instead of bothering to actually train a team.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Non-lethal, competitive example. [[spoiler: He was the first major character of sorts to bring Legendary Pokémon in a League tournament, who are viewed as physical deities that make most fully-evolved mons look like weaklings. And Tobias used ''at least two of them''.]]
* TheUnreveal: Only two of his Pokémon were shown in his fight against Ash. [[spoiler:Also, no explanation was given as how did he caught them even after the battle.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Mentioning him will get you to [[spoiler:reveal how Ash lost the Sinnoh league]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: As is the case with ''every'' Conference Winner, there is no mention of him going on to face the Elite Four and the region's Champion, but he stands out for obvious reasons. Cynthia is still the Sinnoh Champion in her later appearances in ''Black and White'', meaning Tobias either lost to her, to the Elite Four, or inexplicably decided not to challenge them.
[[/folder]]
!Sinnoh League
[[folder:In General]]
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: As with all the regions, the Elite Four are selected based on the strongest trainers in the region.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Cynthia (Shirona)]]
[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shirona.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomoSakurai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Jenness\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Adriana Casas
The Champion of the Sinnoh League.
----
* TheAce: Well she is the Champion of Sinnoh so this should be given.
* BadassLongcoat: She wears her black signature coat for the entirety of ''Diamond & Pearl''.
* BadassBookworm: Has a love and fascination for history, when she makes her debut she's visiting a site of ruins in Sinnoh.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: She is a very polite and somewhat quirky LadyOfWar, but will immediately react to whatever region-wide threat is present and will unleash her Garchomp at a moment's notice.
* BigDamnHeroes: She takes down Jupiter easily and frees Ash and co. just in time for them to stop Cyrus' plan.
* BigGood: Portrayed this way in D/P.
* TheBusCameBack: As a reference to her appearance in the B&W games, she has a recurring role in BWS2 - her villa in Undella Town accommodated Ash and his friends as they prepared for the Junior Cup and the Vertress Conference. During one particular arc, she even brought Dawn along with her.
* CombatPragmatist: Not usually, but when she shows up to help Ash against Team Galactic, she has her Garchomp do a surprise attack against Jupiter's Skuntank, and then when Jupiter starts to take out another Pokémon, Garchomp lands behind her and rests its claws right near her throat. [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim When the world's at stake, it isn't the time to play fair]].
* CurbStompBattle: People who try to face her in battle usually receive one of these, most notably Paul. The known exceptions are Flint (who took down three of her Pokémon before losing to her Garchomp), Aaron (who [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome took down five of her team, including Garchomp]], before finally losing to Gastrodon), and Caitlin (who battled Cynthia's Garchomp to a standstill with her Gothitelle, resulting the battle going into overtime).
* TheDitherer: Every time she needs to pick a flavor of ice cream, she takes ages.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Sort of has this happen in the [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 B2W2]] season - she doesn't ''join'' Ash's group, but they lounge about in her villa for a while, and she participates in several of their adventures.
* HelpingWouldBeKillStealing: ''Subverted'' in the "Operation Tempest" two-parter - her Garchomp proves vital, along with Dragonite and Golurk, in holding back the [[OneWingedAngel Therian Forme]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Kami Trio]]. She also helped directly in fighting Team Galactic, even though anything connecting with the Lake Trio had to be done by Ash, Dawn, and Brock since they were the ones linked to them.
* IceCreamKoan: Plenty of times in DP, though nowhere near as much in BW, she'll go into random tangents with vague words and meanings that may or may not even relate to what's going on.
* {{Irony}}: She loves ice cream, but her signature Pokémon, Garchomp, sports a quadruple weakness to the Ice-type.
* LadyOfWar: Cynthia herself, though her female Garchomp also qualifies by merit of being both powerful and graceful.
* TheMentor: Her main role during the plot of the DP series, though she ''does'' get actively involved in the effort to stop Team Galactic, doing her duty as Champion very well. She also mentors Iris, particularly in regards to her new, disobedient Dragonite. Iris in turn [[HeroWorshipper looks up to her]], thanks in no small part to Cynthia having trained her own powerful Dragon-type, Garchomp.
* OneManArmy: Her Garchomp tears through Paul's team like a lawnmower through a notebook factory, finishing by one-shotting his powerful Torterra with a single Brick Break.
* PeekABangs: Her left eye is covered by her hair, which is part of her "mysterious beauty" look.
* PlayingWithFire: Her Garchomp can use Flamethrower.
* RecurringCharacter: Cynthia appears every now and then in ''Diamond & Pearl'' and she also appears a lot in the early episodes of ''Best Wishes! Season 2''.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Along with Lance. Steven and Diantha, she is one of the champions we seen on-screen that take proactive measures against wide-scale threats.
* RunningGag: A good number of times Ash meets her she's having trouble deciding on what flavor of ice cream she wants...
* SkewedPriorities: During the introduction of the Meloetta arc in ''Pokemon Black and White'', while Ash and Company take care of Meloetta on the roadside, Cynthia receives an urgent call that requires her to drive back to the city immediately. She forgot her change when she bought an ice cream cone.
* SweetTooth: Her introductory moments in the series show her being indecisive over what flavor of ice cream to get, a gag that shows up several more times later on. Towards the end of DP (during the Lily of the Valley Conference), Team Rocket ''use'' this gag to attract customers. Comes up yet again in BW when Ash meets up with her again in a similar manner, down to her indecisiveness on picking a flavor.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ice cream, but she takes hours to decide which one she wants to choose.
* WeaponOfChoice: [[InfinityMinusOneSword Her Garchomp]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lucian (Goyō)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucian_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeNamikawa\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' David Lapkin\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/EduardoGarza
* BadassBookworm: Like his game counterpart, he can be frequently seen with a book in his hands.
* EarlyBirdCameo: If you count that he's the sole Sinnoh Elite Four member who appeared ''prior'' to Cynthia.
* ElementalPowers: He uses [[PsychicPowers Psychic types]].
* ExtraOreDinary: Bronzong's primary type.
* SharpDressedMan: Wears a full suit, even while training is Pokemon.
* WorthyOpponent: Perceived as such by Buizel, who thus became highly depressed at losing so badly to him the first time.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is blue.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aaron (Ryou)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aaron_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KenshoOno\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Christopher C. Adams\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Christophe Hespel
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Specializes in bug types
* ComeBackMyPet: His Beautifly.
* MrFanservice: In-universe. Even the local ''Officer Jenny'' {{Fangirl}}s him. Rare case of ''both'' {{Bishounen}} and RatedMForManly, judging by his appearance.
* MyGreatestFailure: Abandoning his Wurmple for being a weak Pokémon when he was younger (which prompted him to better understand Bug-types, so it wouldn't happen again). It eventually comes back to him as a Beautifly.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Though it was cut from the dub, the original Japanese of [=DP100=] has announcer state Cynthia was down to her ''last'' Pokémon when she sent out Gastrodon against Aaron's Beautifly. This means that [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Aaron must have actually defeated her Garchomp]], something even Flint didn't quite manage! Oddly, in the preceding episode his Pokémon had trouble dealing with ''the Team Rocket trio''.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub, which also has [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew Sir Aaron]].
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He is apparently able to understand insects.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Flint (Ōba)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flint_e4_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Toru Nara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Arturo Castañeda
* AfroAsskicker: Has a pretty massive one, and is one of the strongest trainers in the entire Sinnoh region.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: After fully evolving, Ash's Infernape only lost once in the entire remaining series. To Flint's Infernape.
* BareFistedMonk: Infernape's 2nd Type and it knows Close Combat, Mach Punch, and Thunderpunch
* BigBrotherMentor: Has this vibe with Ash and they share a similar philosophy in the way they battle with their Pokémon and he shares some advice with the younger boy. Not to mention that he is obviously fond of Ash...
* BigDamnHeroes: in his first appearance, using Infernape to save Ash from the Sunyshore gym's security system, and again to rescue Kenny's Floatzel from Team Rocket.
* BloodKnight: If his Infernape's reaction to Pikachu is anything to go by than he '''''LOVES''''' a good fight where he can go out. Flint may qualify as well since he also thought Pikachu was well trained and worth more effort to battle against.
* CurbstompBattle: Defeats Ash in a 3 vs. 3 battle with minimal effort. His Infernape outright one shotted Ash's own Infernape and Buizel and was tanking hits from Pikachu while tossing him around.
* CurbStompCushion: Flint admitted Infernape was putting some degree of effort into fighting Pikachu, which is more than most would manage.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Infernape was able to go head to head with Cynthia's Garchomp and deal some brutal blows in. It's the second-closest anyone has come to take her down (Aaron got closer). Not to mention it swatted Ash's Pokémon like flies!
* FieryRedhead: Invoked, as it tends to be, being a fire type trainer with the hot blood to match.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Volkner.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Every time he shows up you can hear a subtle jungle beat with drums. It's actually quite awesome.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub. The other Flint is Brock's father.
* PlayingWithFire: Infernape
* TheRival: Volkner's old friend and adversary.
* WorthyOpponent: His Infernape seems to view Ash's Pikachu as this. After [[OneHitKill casually ragdolling Ash's Infernape and Buizel]] he had to face Pikachu and seemed quite excited to do so the instant Pikachu made his opening attack. Flint was even surprise to see that his Infernape was excited to fight Pikachu and felt like he was putting some effort into battling. [[CurbstompBattle Granted Infernape wins quite easily]], but he still felt Pikachu was worth more effort compared to the others.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bertha (Kikuno)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bertha_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yoko Matsuoka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Mary O' Brady\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Magda Giner
* BerserkButton: When Team Rocket decided to enhance their Pokémon's performance using PoweredArmor, she didn't take it too kindly.
* CoolOldLady: She's ancient, but she's also one of the most powerful Pokemon trainers in the world.
* ElementalPowers: She specializes in [[DishingOutDirt Ground type]] Pokémon:
* ExtraOreDinary: Hippowdon's Iron Head.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: She engages in some CarFu with her van against Team Rocket.
* ManBitesMan: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Team Rocket learns this the hard way after being on the business end of her car and her extremely powerful Pokemon.
* OneHitKO: Gliscor's Guillotine
* OneShotCharacter: She only appeared in a single episode, barring her cameo in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''.
* PlayingWithFire: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* StealthMentor: In two ways. She not only acts in a way intended to subtly teach the other person, but also hides her status as an Elite Four member and tells Brock not to reveal it.
[[/folder]]
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%%* TheMcCoy
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%%* BalloonBelly: In [=DP084=].
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%%* DeathGlare: Mamoswine has an impressive one.
%%* DefrostingIceKing: Mamoswine in the early stages.
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%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Piplup's red.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
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%%* BarrierWarrior: Knows Safeguard.
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%%* TheStraightMan: To his old friend Professor Oak.
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* TheStraightMan: To his old friend Professor
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%%* EmotionBomb: Umbreon's Attract.
%%* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow and Umbreon's Iron Tail.
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%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** PoisonousPerson: Swalot
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]MakingASplash: Bibarel
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Staraptor
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type.
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Staraptor's Steel Wing.
%%*** [[AnIcePerson An Ice Pokémon]]: Bibarel's Ice Beam.
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** PoisonousPerson: Swalot
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]MakingASplash: Bibarel
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Staraptor
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type.
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Staraptor's Steel Wing.
%%*** [[AnIcePerson An Ice Pokémon]]: Bibarel's Ice Beam.
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[[redirect:Characters/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearlCast]]
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%%
%% All examples must explain the trope and how it applies in its context. All examples lacking the proper context have been commented out.
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExamples
%%
%%
[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocket Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocketOthers Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationOpponents Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | '''''Supporting Cast''''' | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYMegaEvolutionSpecial Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]]-]]]]]
[[foldercontrol]]
!Main characters
[[folder:Dawn (Hikari)]]
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_bw2.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MegumiToyoguchi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Bauer\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gaby Ugarte (seasons 10,11, and 13), Leyla Rangel (season 12 and 15)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alexandra Corréa
Dawn is a newbie trainer from Sinnoh who met Ash after she ran into Pikachu, who’d been separated from his trainer by Team Rocket. Like May before her, Dawn aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator. Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:
----
* ActionGirl:
** Out of all of Ash's traveling companions, she's the most likely to take immediate action against Team Rocket or other antagonists when they show up, frequently having Piplup dealing the finishing blow alongside Pikachu.
** In one episode, she once rescued all her Pokémon ''all by herself''.
* AdaptationalModesty: In the ''Pokémon Learning League'' educational series, she wears a long-sleeved shirt and white tights under her usual sleeveless top and short skirt.
* AgeInappropriateDress:
** [[AvertedTrope But]] her mother forbade her from bringing it on her journey. Then again, her normal outfit...
** Lampshaded in episode 171 by Princess Salvia, who comments on the length of Dawn's skirt.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: In terms of Contest skill, she's on both ends of this trope. She has never managed to surpass the more experienced Zoey, but she always comes ahead of Ursula.
* AshFace: Her Cyndaquil has done this to her [[RunningGag several times]] by flaring up its back flames while she's holding it. Some of her various electrocution and explosion mishaps have also left her singed.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Similar to May and later Serena, Dawn is good natured, but not a doormat and isn't afraid to sic her strongest Pokémon on you if you piss her off, which Team Rocket know from experience. When Meowth pulled a HeelFaceMole on the heroes, Dawn, who had been sympathetic enough to offer getting him media ties, angrily vowed to beat him to tears for selling them out ([[TooKinkyToTorture he didn't surprisingly]], but still).
* BigDamnHeroes: A short time after becoming a trainer and getting her first Pokémon, she protects Pikachu with her Piplup.
* BreakTheCutie: Disturbingly often. Gets this when losing contests and became a StepfordSmiler afterwards.
* BrickJoke: The second [=DP=] episode continued the RunningGag of Pikachu frying a bike, but it took 36 episodes for Ash to know about it.
* TheBusCameBack: She returned for the ''Best Wishes'' series for an arc.
* ButtMonkey: Out of all the main characters, she’s the biggest one of the “butt of every joke” type. Several characters have poked fun at her, including Ash, Brock, and her own Pokémon, and her skill as a Coordinator was called into question several times prior to her victory at the Wallace Cup.
* {{Catchphrase}}:
** "Daijobu!", or "No need to worry!" in the dub. How ironic.
** And like May, she has a phrase to use when calling Pokémon out for a Contest -- "Charm up!" / "Spotlight!"
** BorrowedCatchphrase: She also copied Iris' "such a kid" remarks at Ash (a little anyways), and once used, "Buneary, I choose you!" when sending it out to battle Pachirisu.
* TheChosenOne: Chosen by Mesprit since the beginning of the DP series due to her strong empathy.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has both hair and eyes that are dark-blue.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Rather famous for having a skirt that barely covers her hips. Lucky she's wearing a leotard underneath...
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Of "Diamond and Pearl", to Ash's protagonist. Her name is even added in the Japanese openings of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series right next to Ash's.
* DisappearedDad: Unlike Ash, no mention is ever made of her father.
* DistaffCounterpart: Dawn in many ways is like a female counterpart to Ash. Like May before and Serena after, she exchanges RotatingArcs with Ash's Gym quest, but she stands out thanks to her status as the {{Deuteragonist}} and that she shares more in common with him than just about any of his companions. Like Ash, she is an optimistic and initially overconfident NiceGirl who had decided on her life goal long before her debut. She started her journey with an initially stubborn Pokémon that stays outside his Poké Ball and refuses to evolve, and bonded with him after [[FireForgedFriends fending off a large swarm of wild Pokemon]] in an adventure that culminated in them meeting a [[OlympusMons Legendary]] Pokemon. She also has a knack for developing [[OutsideTheBoxTactic Outside-the-Box Tactics]] in battle similarly to Ash, many of which are borrowed between the two.
* DubInducedPlotHole: Against all odds, averted when it came to explaining "Dee-Dee".
* DudeMagnet: Kenny, Kendall, and Conway have all shown signs of being attracted to her. She also has a few moments with Ash that could be seen as ShipTease (though, Ash being [[ChasteHero Ash,]] these moments are up to the audience's interpretation). This being ''Pokémon,'' [[NoHuggingNoKissing it never goes anywhere.]]
* FailedASpotCheck: If she would look around at the audience during contests more often, she would notice some [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/027 VERY familar faces]]. Namely, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet.
* FailureHero: [[BreakTheCutie Poor girl lost]] ''[[BreakTheCutie two]]'' [[BreakTheCutie Contests in the Appeal Stage in a row!]]
* FanGirl: To Professor Oak's (and Gary's) poetry, and Wallace (Contest master).
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Dawn is good at baking Poffins, unlike Ash who burns all of his to a crisp.
* FireForgedFriends: When she and Piplup first meet, they can't stand each other, but they form a bond after escaping from a horde of wild Ariados, and Dawn doesn't hesitate to choose him as her starter when they get back to Prof. Rowan's lab. They continue to grow closer throughout the ''Diamond & Pearl'' series.
%%* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Sanguine.
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: She and Brock had fairly little interaction.
* GenerationXerox: She gets her passion from Pokémon Contests from her mother, who is a retired Top Coordinator.
* GoGetterGirl: Right from the start, she knew she wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator, and never lost sight of her goal since.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Became this in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Best Wishes Season 2]]'', joining the group for eight episodes prior to and during the Junior Cup.
* HarmlessElectrocution: A running gag by itself, Dawn needs to use Piplup's Bubble Beam to [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/Dawnshair.jpg condition her hair back to normal after she gets zapped]].
* AnIcePerson: While she doesn't specializes in Ice-types, as her journey goes on she uses more and more ice moves in her Appeals and battles, often in combination with fire and electricity.
* IdenticalStranger: She and Princess Salvia from the episode "Dawn of a Royal Day!" look exactly alike. They take advantage of this and switch places for a day so Salvia can compete in a Contest with her Togekiss.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: She befriended Nando, a traveling bard, and Lila, a dressmaker and retired Coordinator who was also her mother's childhood friend.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "By Your Side". Used primarily in the Japanese edit, though some instrumental versions still accompany her in parts of the English dub (thus making it one of very few Japanese image songs to at least partway survive the transition).
* LeotardOfPower: As seen in "Two Degrees of Separation!", Dawn appears to be wearing a black leotard under her minidress.
* LettingHerHairDown: Most notably [[http://images5.fanpop.com/image/polls/991000/991163_1333460097101_full.png two]] [[http://pm1.narvii.com/6341/c358a4b8d243806b999f5e28a3690780ebafe008_hq.jpg times]].
%%* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The light to Ursula's dark.
* LittleMissBadass: Younger than Ash but able to single-handedly kick Team Rocket's ass.
* MagicSkirt: She has a short skirt, but she remains covered throughout the series, except for one occasion - "Steamboat Willies!".
%%* TheMcCoy
* MementoMacGuffin: At the beginning of her Pokémon journey, her mother gave to her the first Contest ribbon she won as a good luck charm. After her run in the Grand Festival, she gives it back.
* NaiveEverygirl: It took her an entire episode to find Professor Rowan, despite it normally not being that difficult.
* NiceGirl: Easily the most straightforwardly kind of all the leading females (before Serena), and very empathetic (she never held Pikachu ''or'' Ash responsible for her bike's destruction given the circumstances, for instance, knowing that she attacked Pikachu first and Ash wasn't even there, thanks to team rocket). Must be the main reason Mesprit chose her.
* NiceHat: It covers her hair because it gets frizzy when exposed to shock.
* NoodleIncident: The origins of her nickname Pikari/Dee-Dee. In a subversion, it's later revealed she got shocked by a Plusle and Minun in kindergarten, making her hair all sparkly. [[note]]"Pikapika" is the [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud spoken sound effect for "sparkle"]][[/note]]. In the dub, it's short for "Diamond Dandruff", which is indeed pretty embarrassing.
* ObliviousToLove: She has no trouble understanding others people's romance, but seems rather blind when said affection is directed to her (except with Conway, but subtle he isn't). She doesn't get Kenny has a crush on her, and totally misses Lyla acting as a ShipperOnDeck for her and Ash in "Dressed For Jess Success".
* OjouRinglets: Not an {{Ojou}}, but she used this hairstyle in a couple of contests as shown [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Dawn_DP027_contest.png here]] and [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/diamond_pearl/ep177.html here]].
* PhraseCatcher:
** The reply to her own {{Catchphrase}} is usually "That's when [we] worry the most."
** A few times she gets her catchphrase, "No need to worry!", back at her.
* PimpedOutDress: She wears a lot of them. Makes sense, considering part of her job as a Coordinator is to look stylish alongside her Pokémon and she also has a sense of fashion.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her usual Contest dress is pink. Idem her cheerleader outfit. Her regular outfit features a pink skirt and she wears a pink coat when traveling in colder climes.
* PomPomGirl: She sometime act like a cheerleader and donned a pink cheerleading outfit (her Pokèmon also) to support Ash in his Gym battles with Roark, Maylene and Volkner.
* PluckyGirl: She always remains optimistic, even when the odds are against her.
* RunningGag:
** She's frequently on the receiving end of electric attacks, which always leaves her hair messy and frazzled. Her Pachirisu is the main offender, but Pikachu and other electric types have also found reasons to electrocute her.
** Once she acquires her Cyndaquil, it develops a habit of flaring up its back flames while Dawn is holding it, leaving her with an AshFace. In fact, it's the very first thing it does upon hatching.
* ScarfOfAssKicking: Wears a scarf, and fights often.
* ShesGotLegs: Thick and sturdy legs.
* ShipperOnDeck: While normally embarrassed about Brock's antics like everyone else, when it was suggested to him that he [[spoiler:become a Pokémon Doctor]], she's the one to point out that it will help him get closer to all Nurse Joys.
* ShipTease: Naturally, she gets these with Ash. Not to mention that, out of every girl so far, she's the only one to go as far as to be his personal cheerleader during a few of his Gym Battles.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Poor Dawn isn't immune to being zapped, drenched, frozen, or burned by her own Pokémon.
* StaticCharacter: While she matures a good deal, the basic person she is never changes and has never even changed from childhood, right down to her CatchPhrase. She's also the only female companion so far to not have undergone a change in outfit or party lineup aside from an evolution.
* StepfordSmiler: Tries to put on a good face after her first losing streak. Doesn't work in the end.
* SupremeChef: A few hands-on lessons are enough to get her cooking Poffins like a pro.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Probably the most explicit example of any of Ash’s friends; like May before her, Dawn is a NiceGirl Pokémon coordinator whose quest [[RotatingArcs alternates in focus with Ash]] and who has a famous parent. The writers did work to make them distinct however [[note]] Dawn was more traditionally feminine than the sometimes tomboyish May and lacked the latter’s BigEater tendencies. Dawn also knew she wanted to be a Coordinator from the start, but conversely, struggled in her early contests much more than May ever did [[/note]].
* SkywardScream: Does this in "Dawn's Early Night" after losing the Hearthome contest.
-->'''Dawn:''' ''[as she runs to the balcony]'' AAAAAAAAAAH!
* ATasteOfDefeat: Tying in with her ButtMonkey role, Dawn is the first of few "twerps" to suffer [[TeamRocketWins an unnegated defeat from Team Rocket]] in an episode. ''Twice'' for that matter:
** In "Team Shocker" Jessie (as Jessilina) wins her first ribbon in the Solaceon contest, one Dawn doesn't even pass the Appeals Round for. [[HeroicBSOD She does not take it well.]]
** James (disguised as Jessilina) directly defeats her in the battle round of the Lilypad contest in "Dressed For Jess Success". While Dawn was a GracefulLoser this time round, it didn't remotely taint James and Meowth's victory over her.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl:
** Girly Girl to Zoey's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to her predecessor May's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to Iris' Tomboy in ''Best Wishes''. Dawn really is the eternal Girly Girl of this anime, huh?
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She's terrified of Plusle and Minun, because of an incident in kindergarten when she hugged them too hard and they shocked her, making her hair stand on end and everyone laugh at her.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Her fantasy in the LotusEaterMachine episode shows us that she even wants to surpass her mother.
* WorthyOpponent: When Dawn finally eliminated her in the Grand Festival, Jessie admitted (albeit infuriated) that she was this. Jessie herself managed to achieve her most even handed rivalry against Dawn, equalling and even besting her at times. Since Dawn never saw through her "Jesselina" alias, she was rather respectful towards her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dawn's Pokémon]]
* BadassAdorable: The majority of her team are comprised of cute-looking Pokémon who are all competent in Pokémon Contests. Even her not-so-cute ones, specifically Mamoswine, used to be a very cute but strong Swinub.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: Mamoswine and Togekiss are the big guys, Piplup, Buneary, Cyndaquil and Pachirisu are the little guys.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: All but Mamoswine are adorable Pokémon, and even he was cute as a Swinub. Buizel was another exception, since he used to be the cool guy in the group, but he's soon replaced by the cute GenkiGirl Aipom.
!!Piplup (Pochama)
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piplup_5642.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/EtsukoKozakura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MicheleKnotz
Piplup is Dawn's first Pokémon. She befriended him after saving him from a wild Ariados' attack, when Piplup and Chimchar had fled from Professor Rowan's lab.
----
* AttentionWhore: Regarding Dawn's attention, at least. Piplup sometimes has a fit when Dawn isn't giving him the attention it wants. Heck, the episode "Piplup Up and Away" was dedicated to Piplup getting upset because Dawn and the gang wasn't giving him the attention he wanted.
* BerserkButton: His EstablishingCharacterMoment was throwing a fit when Professor Rowan's Chimchar stole the last bite of his food.
* BigEater: Gets a GrowlingGut often, and enjoys food.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally just a starter Pokémon for the regional main girl Dawn, Piplup became very popular with viewers during the DP saga, especially in Japan. Noticeably, he began appearing outside of his Poké Ball more and more often until he eventually stopped being seen inside it altogether (save for rare occasions). He also got promoted to being a co-star with Ash's Pikachu in the merchandising, a feat that only Misty's Togepi had accomplished prior.
* BubbleGun: Bubble Beam, which fires several bubbles in quick succession, was the very first attack he was seen using, and it's still his SignatureMove to date.
* ButtMonkey: To clarify it has been:
** Attacked by Elekid and Electabuzz [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/066 on two]] [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/137 different occasions]].
** Zapped by Pikachu ([[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash%27s_Pikachu yes That Pikachu]]) [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/149 after bumping into it]].
** Knocked into a crater by Ash and Gible (using Draco Meteor) on purpose and [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/626ps11.shtml having to fend off against a Magnezone and a Metagross]].
** Not to mention [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP156 all]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP157 those]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP164 other]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP172 times]] it got hit by Draco Meteor ([[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/174 except for that one time that Kenny got hit by it]]).
* CampStraight: Very campy, but showed attraction to Meloetta. Though Meloetta is gender less, so...
* TheChewToy: It is always nailed by Ash's Gible's Draco Meteor while the latter was trying to master that move.
* ColorFailure:
** In "Battling a Cute Drama!" when Marilyn said he wasn't cute.
** In "Piplup, Up, And Away!" when he overheard Dawn telling Gible it wasn't at fault for dropping Draco Meteors on him.
** When Dawn had her reappearance in Unova, in "Piplup, Pasage, and a Meeting of the Times!", he shares one with Dawn in reaction to Cilan's "Evaluation Time" during a training battle with Pansage.
%%* {{Determinator}}
* DramaQueen: If something annoys him, he'll let you know. Loudly.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He'a based off of a penguin, and a hero.
* {{Expy}}: There are lots of similarities between Piplup and Pikachu. Both befriended their trainers after serious peril, and resist evolution to their next forms. Piplup also prefers to travel outside his Poké Ball, though he will come out of one for Performances to accrue Charm Points.
* FireForgedFriends: At the end of the Junior Cup arc in [=BW2=], he seems to have formed a close bond with Oshawott (who was his rival for Meloetta's affection).
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Did this to Dawn when she was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown before one Contest. Instead of slapping her, he blasted her with Bubble Beam.
%%* GreenEyedMonster: For Dawn, regarding [[TheLancer Cyndaquil]].
* GrowlingGut: In his debut. This is what made him to accept food from Dawn.
* HeroicBSOD: He had this when he was trying to evolve but didn't want to.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pikachu during the DP series.
%%* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam.
* InterspeciesRomance: "Piplup, Up, and Away" makes it pretty clear he has a huge crush on Dawn. The music is what puts it over the top.
* JerkassBall: He could be seen as downright selfish in some of the episodes. In "Different Strokes for Different Blokes", he ate Aipom's orange causing them to argue. He also collided with Turtwig in "The Champ Twins!" and they started arguing again. He also didn't accept Turtwig's apology when Turtwig is trying to make up with him. In "Gone with the Wildworks", he's shown to be selfish towards Cyndaquil for Dawn's attention. He even slapped Cyndaquil out of the way and ate the poffin which causes them to start a fight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is rather selfish but does love Dawn and always tries to do his best for her.
* MakingASplash: He's a Water-Type and knows common water moves such as Bubblebeam, Whirlpool and Hydro Pump.
%%* NoSenseOfDirection
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Occasionally bickers with Dawn, even though it's clear they care about each other at the same level that Ash and Pikachu do.
* LostFoodGrievance: In his first episode, he got mad at the starter Chimchar when it stole the last bite of his food, starting a fight that wrecked Professor Rowan's lab and led to both of them escaping out a broken window, along with a Starly and Staraptor.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The Mean to Cyndaquil's Nice and Pikachu's In-Between. He's more hot-headed, assertive, cranky and grumpy compared to the more quiet, calm, friendly and polite Cyndaquil while Pikachu mediates between the two.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: This is apparently due less to its infamous "forced mascot" status and more because the producer considers Prinplup and Empoleon ugly. In series, it's because he's afraid of changing personalities when he evolves, and in the dub because he wants to protect Dawn as he is.
* NotQuiteFlight: Piplup, being based on a penguin, doesn't actually fly naturally.[[note]]The entire Piplup line [[ShownTheirWork never picks up the Flying type]].[[/note]] He's shown occasionally to be capable of flying a very short distance from the momentum of using [=BubbleBeam=] or being sent out from his Poké Ball.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: From Bide, to Whirlpool, to even Hydro Pump, all while not even approaching Dawn's knees in height.
* PluckyComicRelief: Goofy and funny, and [[ButtMonkey hapless to match.]]
* RealMenWearPink: On several occasions he has sported a ''pink female'' cheerleading outfit. Later on they opted for more masculine clothing though.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Cyndaquil's blue. He is more hot-headed and assertive compared to the more quiet and calm Cyndaquil, an ironic inverse given their color schemes.
* SignatureMove: Bubble Beam is used the most out of every move he knows, and he never forgot how to use it.
* TookALevelInBadass: Upon learning Hydro Pump, one of the most powerful water attacks known.
* WaveMotionGun: When he uses Hydro Pump, he blasts a massive cannon of water at his opponent that is at least 10x bigger than he is.
* WouldHitAGirl: Repeatedly attacks his master when angered as a RunningGag.
!!Buneary (Mimirol)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Buneary_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (first voice), Creator/SatsukiYukino (current)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
From the beginning of ''Diamond and Pearl'', Dawn wanted a Buneary. This Buneary was [[ThirdTimesTheCharm her third attempt to capture one]]. Of course, it helps that this particular Buneary had developed an intense crush on Ash's Pikachu.
----
* ActionGirl: Especially noteable in "Hold the Phione" - after the titular Pokémon challenges Pikachu for her, she's offended because (A) Pikachu's in a tight spot, and (B) she's being treated like some sort of prize. She demands Phione battle ''her'' instead. And ''wins''.
* BadassAdorable: She's a little bunny that's capable of both giving you a run for your money in battle and making you go "aww" at the same time.
* BunniesForCuteness: Is based off of a rabbit, and is ''adorable.''
* CrushBlush: She cannot resist Pikachu.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First she jumps to save Pikachu from an incoming motorcycle, then when he tries to thank her she hides her face and bounds away, in the process [[WatchOutForThatTree crashing into a tree]]. This sets her up as a graceful ActionGirl who nonetheless crushes ''hard'' on Pikachu.
* TheFashionista: Not an extreme example, but she's occasionally seen sporting a vest that Dawn made for her, and the Sinnoh arc ends with her becoming a model.
* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam, which is also her signature move for Contests.
* NonElemental: She's the Normal-type of the team.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's tiny, but she froze Ash, Dawn, and Brock in her debut episode, and she frequently holds her own against larger opponents..
* WingdingEyes: Gets hearts in her eyes when she looks at Pikachu.
!!Pachirisu
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Pachirisu_5914.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
----
* AmbiguousGender: It's probably male, given its design and an incident in DP138[[note]]Johanna's Umbreon and Glameow used Attract against both Pachirisu and Piplup, and it worked on both. Umbreon and Glameow do not have known genders.[[/note]], but never explicitly confirmed.
* DeathGlare: Gave one to Ursula's Gabite after its Poffin was stepped on - an ''impressive one'' for normally happy-go-lucky Pachirisu.
* KidAppealCharacter: The second youngest of Dawn's Pokémon, and the one who acts like a kid the most.
* LostFoodGrievance: Pachirisu does ''not'' like its Poffins being [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/084 stolen]] or [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/114 smashed]]. Do any of those, and it'll make sure you pay for dearly for it.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Despite a major type disadvantage, it crushed Ursula's Gabite in the Chocovine Contest with is newly learned Super Fang.
* ScissorsCutsRock: It was able to defeat Ursula's Gabite in a Contest battle with Super Fang, despite Gabite being immune to Electric-type moves.
* StaticElectricity: Sometimes buzzes Dawn with this, and makes her hair pop out.
* SuperSpeed: Like most Electric-types, but in its debut episode it outran six of the gang's Pokémon at once (including ''Pikachu'') in a very silly game of high-speed chase.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins. The first time it was denied them, it shocked everyone until Pikachu snapped it out of it. Then there's the BerserkButton...
* YellowLightningBlueLightning: Emits the blue variety when using Discharge.
!!Buizel (Buoysel)
Traded to Ash for Aipom. For more info, see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Aipom-Ambipom (Eipam-Eteboth)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Aipom_8895.png]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Ambipom_9427.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Miyako Ito (Eipam), Chie Sato (Eteboth)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Miyako Ito (Aipom), Emily Jenness (Ambipom)
Aipom was a Pokémon that Ash caught during his journey through the Battle Frontier in Kanto. She is very affectionate towards him and secretly follows him when Ash set off to Sinnoh. While Aipom was shown to be a capable battler in Gym Battles, she develops a big interest in Contests, which would later lead to Ash trading her with Dawn's BloodKnight Buizel. She is competent in Contests, but she eventually develops an interest in Pokémon Ping Pong and later leaves Dawn's team, so the Ping Pong master can foster her talent.
----
* TheAce: She instantly excels everything she sets her interest on: pranking, battle, Contest and finally Pokemon ping pong.
* ActionGirl:
** While she preferred Contests, she was used several times in battle when she was under the ownership of Ash and didn't seem to mind.
** She beat Gardenia's strongest Pokémon, Roserade, so it's safe to say that although she prefers Contests, her battling skills are something to be proud of.
%%* BareFistedMonk: Knows Focus Punch.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: After being traded over to Dawn, her crush on Ash was all but completely forgotten. The last time she even acknowledged Ash as her former trainer was when she was getting ready to be PutOnABus, and even then it wasn't much.
* ClingyMacGuffin: Gets a crown that was was too small for Aipom, thus it being stuck to her head for most of the episode.
%%* DoppelgangerSpin: Knows Double Team.
* EleventhHourRanger: She was caught by Ash ten episodes before the end of the Advanced Generation series.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: It basically goes without saying, since she is a monkey-based Pokémon.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ever since Ash captured her at such a late time (during the Battle Frontier saga) and the fact that Aipom followed Ash and Pikachu to Sinnoh, it was rather obvious that the writers were planning to evolve her.
* GenkiGirl: Of course; most of her species tend to be this.
* LittleStowaway: Decided to sneak to Sinnoh with Ash instead of stay with Professor Oak like the rest of his Hoenn (and before) Pokémon. Ash decides to keep her in his Sinnoh crew until her trade to Dawn.
* NiceHat: Has a fondness for them, famously Ash's hat, or, in one episode, a ''crown''.
%%* NonElemental
%%* PintsizedPowerhouse: As Aipom.
* ThePrankster: When it was with Ash as an Aipom, she would play silly pranks on him, such as taking his hat for instance.
* PutOnABus: Similar to Ash's Primeape and ironically they are both ape-like Pokémon. She was last seen going away from the gang on a bus.
* RunningOnAllFours: Sometimes, such as when chasing Pachirisu in "Twice Smitten, Once Shy!"
%%* SpamAttack: Knows Fury Swipes.
!!Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine (Urimoo-->Inomoo-->Mammoo)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Swinub_7259.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piloswine_8918.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Mamoswine_8039.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' InukoInuyama (Urimoo and Inomoo), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (Mammoo)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Swinub), Tim Werenko (Piloswine), Creator/MarcThompson (Mamoswine)
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his huge size, he can make an impressive jump, shown off in ''Playing the Performance Encore.'' Lampshaded by Ursula: "Huh? With that huge body?!"
%%* BalloonBelly: In [=DP084=].
%%* TheBerserker: This once cost Dawn a contest.
* BigEater: To the point where all the other Pokémon might actually be in danger of starving to death. It's a species trait, actually.
* BlindingBangs: Piloswine has bangs that cover his eyes.
%%* BrilliantButLazy: Acts this way towards Dawn for a while.
* CuttingTheKnot: Mamoswine has almost never won a Contest by retaining the lead when the buzzer sounds. It tends to simply KO the competition. As Dawn has noted, this can be seen as missing the point of Contests.
%%* DeathGlare: Mamoswine has an impressive one.
%%* DefrostingIceKing: Mamoswine in the early stages.
%%* DishingOutDirt: Secondary type (Ground).
* ElementalArmor: In dual Contests, the strategy of choice often involves encasing the smaller partner in ice.
* {{Expy}}: In many ways similar to Ash's Charizard. Three stage evolution caught in first stage, in which it has a sweet overall disposition and ''likes'' its new trainer? Check. Personality change upon evolving into second stage? Check. A surprisingly quick transition to its third stage? Check. TookALevelInBadass after evolving, becoming a large powerhouse who lazes around? Check. Has a lifechanging experience with the trainer, involving a defeat against another Pokémon that it both has an advantage and disadvantage to, and restores its loyalty, and beats said mon with trainers help, followed by gradual further CharacterDevelopment? Check, check and ''check''.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Swinub had these perpetually, and they never do open. It's a species trait.
* FullBoarAction: As a Piloswine and later Mamoswine, he is partly based on pigs, hence the name Pilo'''swine''' and Mamo'''swine'''.
* HairTriggerTemper: From his Piloswine form on he becomes frighteningly easy to set off, though he mellows out over time.
* HeroismIncentive: Prior to becoming obedient to Dawn, this is the only way for the latter to motivate him to do anything.
* AnIcePerson: His primary type is Ice. In Contests, Dawn utilizes his Ice-type moves to great effects, which allows him to be presented as a cool and powerful Pokémon next to her cute ones. He's often covered in ice spikes and he can surround his partners in ice for glamorous presentations.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gradually grows into this role, having shown a soft side as well as an (eventual) fascination to Contests. [[LampshadeHanging Noted in-series, once the other characters observe it]].
* MessyPig: All three of his forms were messy eaters.
* ObliviouslyEvil: He doesn't even realize that the other Pokémon initially have contempt for him because of his enormous appetite.
* PinkIsForSissies: He initially seemed... embarrassed at the fact that he was fascinated by Contests and tried to hide it even when Ash pointed it out. He finally got over it in "Promoting Healthy Tangrowth".
* SpikesOfDoom: He can create gigantic ice spikes on his back by swallowing his own Ice Shard.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins, it seems. All her Pokémon enjoy them, but Mamoswine ''really'' [[BigEater can't get enough of them]].
!!Cyndaquil-->Quilava (Hinoarashi-->Magmarashi)
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Cyndaquil_9405.png]]
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Quilava_1694.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Cyndaquil), Bill Rogers (Quilava)
----
%%* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Knows Flame Wheel.
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Hatched from an egg late in the ''DP'' season.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: As a Cyndaquil, it usually only got angry at Piplup when it was provoked.
* {{Keet}}: He did become pretty excitable when he first saw Dawn practicing for a Contest, and visibly slumped when she said she wouldn't be using him just yet.
* NiceGuy: Her Quilava was always mild-mannered, gentle, and always kept to itself.
* PlayingWithFire: Quilava is a fire type {{Mon}} who knows Flame Wheel.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Piplup's red.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
* SmokeOut: Her Quilava knows Smokescreen, which can cause places to be filled with smoke.
!!Togekiss
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Togekiss_1158.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KikukoInoue
----
%%* BareFistedMonk: Knows Aura Sphere.
%%* BarrierWarrior: Knows Safeguard.
%%* BlowYouAway: Knows Air Slash.
* EleventhHourRanger: Not only the first time Dawn had six Pokémon at once, but she obtained her ''after'' winning her fifth ribbon, and just two episodes before the Grand Festival. Bear in mind that Princess Salvia had been training her to be a Contest Pokémon for quite a while, so it's a JustifiedTrope.
* {{Flight}}: Due to being a flying type, she can fly.
* ItWasAGift: She was given to Dawn by Princess Salvia.
* LadyOfWar: Because she was raised by a princess, she fights with grace and elegance.
%%* NonElemental: Primary type (this was before the species was {{Retcon}}ned to fairy).
* TeamMom: In the episode after she was obtained, Togekiss is seen caring for the ButtMonkey penguin, to the point of scolding Ash's Gible for [[RunningGag targeting Piplup with Draco Meteor]].
%%* YamatoNadeshiko: Just listen to [[Creator/KikukoInoue that voice]].
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Flying Type
[[/folder]]
!Supporting Cast
[[folder: Professor Rowan (Dr. Nanakamado)]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_ProfessorRowan2_3803.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/IemasaKayumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sean Reyes\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Salvador Reyes (season 10), Humberto Sorlózano (season 11), José María Negri (season 12)
The Pokémon professor living in the Sinnoh region. After Dawn unknowingly bumped into him while trying to find his lab, he helped her start her journey as a trainer by giving her the choice of Piplup, Chimchar, or Turtwig as a starter Pokémon. Rowan exhibits the following tropes:
----
%%* BadassMoustache: He has one that covers his entire lower face.
* TheComicallySerious: He's almost too serious even when he's trying to be genuine.
* CoolOldGuy: He's one of the oldest professors, but is still cool with Sinnoh's youth.
* ADayInTheLimelight: The Summer School arc gave him some much-deserved extra screentime.
* DeadpanSnarker: Very frequently. For instance, see his first appearance, in [=DP001=]:
--> '''Dawn:''' ''[after bumping into him]'' I'm - I'm so sorry!\\
'''Rowan:''' ''[turning to face her]'' Hello. You're looking lost.\\
'''Dawn:''' Huh? Are you talking to me, sir?\\
'''Rowan:''' Right. There's no one else here and you're looking very lost.
%%* LoomingSilhouetteOfRage: In the Summer School arc.
* TheMentor: Took Gary under his wing after he decided to become a Pokémon Professor.
%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
%%* TheStraightMan: To his old friend Professor Oak.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Johanna (Ayako)]]
[[quoteright:313:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Johanna-pokemon_4536.jpg]]
[[quoteright:313:Johanna as a Pokémon coordinator champion.]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' MakotoTsumura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Elena Ramírez (season 10), Belinda Martínez (season 13)
Dawn's mom. It's quickly revealed that she was a world famous Pokémon coordinator contest champion when she was a trainer, and she hasn't lost any of her touch as a mother either (as Dawn is quickly proven first-hand). Her favorite Pokémon is her Glameow.
----
* ActionMom: She was a champion Coordinator in her days and hasn't missed a step since then. She still easily beats Dawn in battle.
* AscendedExtra: In the games, Johanna was notable for having noticeably more character than previous moms, who before her mostly provided overnight healing and the occasional item[[note]]Barring the mom from GSC, who ran a bank for you[[/note]], having had a history as a Coordinator and occasionally showing up to compete in the Master Class contests with her Kangaskhan. Here, Johanna not only has a history, but has plenty of presence in Dawn's own character arc, with a history as a champion Pokémon Coordinator, with Dawn seeking to follow in her footsteps.
* CuteKitten: Glameow, who she used in contests.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Her Umbreon is a Dark type, which is Evil type in Japan. She also used it in contests.
%%* EmotionBomb: Umbreon's Attract.
%%* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow and Umbreon's Iron Tail.
* GoodParents: A loving and supportive mother who wholeheartedly encourages Dawn to pursue her dream of becoming a Contest champion.
%%* NonElemental: Glameow's type
* PimpedOutDress: Like Dawn, she's an experienced Coordinator and has a few of those on hand for Contests. Her green standby has OperaGloves and a CoolCrown.
* RetiredBadass: DP's first episode showcases an entire wall of Contest trophies in her house.
%%* SoulPower: Glameow's Shadow Ball and Shadow Claw, and Umbreon's Shadow Ball.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: She created Dawn's Grand Festival ballgown and Buneary's vest. Possibly justified by a later episode that shows her to be friends with Lila, a fashion designer.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: It appears to be a family trait. Like mother, like daughter, right?
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Reggie (Reiji)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Reggie_8291.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TetsuyaKakihara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Edson Matus (season 11 and 13), Javier Olguín (season 12).
Paul's older brother and a Pokémon breeder.
----
* BrokenAce: Defeated by the Pyramid King Brandon, but quickly recovered unlike his brother.
* ChekhovsGun: in "''Lost Leader Strategy''", Reggie's revealed to have completed the badges in each of the four regions. He also has the Symbols from the Battle Frontier, but there's one missing, which means a lot more when Paul's backstory is elaborated further.
* CommonalityConnection: Inverted with Ash. The main reason Paul hates Ash is because all that talk about bring out a Pokemon's inner strength reminds Paul of Reggie, whose loss to Brandon had profound psychological consequences on Paul. They share another point of connection between them in that Reggie has earned all the same badges and Frontier Symbols Ash had before quitting.
* CoolBigBro: Even if Paul's not the easiest to get along with, he looks after his Pokémon for him and encourages him as best he can.
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Subverted. Paul respects Reggie enough to leave his Pokémon with the latter. However, Paul sees Reggie’s "kindness to his Pokemon" part of his training style as a disappointment. While he does not hold a grudge against Reggie for it, it is the reason for Paul's animosity towards Ash.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** PoisonousPerson: Swalot
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]MakingASplash: Bibarel
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Staraptor
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type.
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Staraptor's Steel Wing.
%%*** [[AnIcePerson An Ice Pokémon]]: Bibarel's Ice Beam.
* {{Foil}}: To Paul, being much happier, kinder and more generous to Pokemon than his cold and grumpy little brother.
%%* FriendToAllLivingThings: He's a Pokémon Breeder. Comes with the territory.
* MasterOfNone: When he lost to Brandon, the Pyramid King stated this was the main reason he lost. Reggie may have had a lot of achievements, but he hasn't developed a special form of battle strategy to give him any real strengths to deal with the elite trainers.
* MoralDissonance: He's quite aware of Paul's [[TrainingFromHell training methods]], but doesn't even lift a finger to discipline his brother or teach him the error of his ways. Some depth is revealed when Maylene relates her [[BreakTheCutie ego-crushing encounter with Paul]] to Ash, he admits Paul's always had a cruel streak. It could be that he's tried to curb this side of him, but failed. This is TruthInTelevision - stubborn people like Paul often can't be convinced that they are wrong, especially not with just words.
%%* MoralityPet: Could be considered this for Paul.
* NiceGuy: He's much kinder and more pleasant than his little brother.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. A character of the day from ''Best Wishes'' has the same Japanese, but not English, name as him.
* RealMenWearPink: He wears a pink shirt.
* RetiredBadass: Four complete sets of 8 Gym Badges, and six of the Kanto Frontier Brain Symbols (the only one he doesn't have is Brandon's). His defeat to Brandon is the reason he's given up taking League challenges, something his younger brother Paul is not happy about.
* SiblingYinYang: He's the exact opposite of Paul. He's a nice guy who trains hard, values friendship, and succeeds in his goals and ambitions. Paul is a {{Jerkass}} of the highest calibur who thinks friendship is a [[UnusualEuphemism load of Tauros]]. All because his older brother is the successful one.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has the same downward-slanted eyes as Paul and a similar shade of purple hair, though his is a darker color.
* ThemeNaming: In Japanese, Reiji contains ''rei,'' meaning "courtesy" or "propriety", while his little brother's name, Shinji, contains ''shin,'' "trust" or "confidence".
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Looker (Handsome)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/looker_badge.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MasakiTerasoma\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JasonGriffith\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Emmanuel Bernal
A detective with the International Police who is investigating Team Galactic. He will also appear against Team Plasma in ''Best Wishes''.
----
* AdaptedOut: His Croagunk from the games and ''Anime/PokemonGenerations'' is nowhere to be found in the main anime series.
%%* BadassLongcoat
* BadassNormal: Unlike the games, he doesn't have any Pokémon to help in his assignments. He's extremely competent despite this. Case in point, he manages to get a hold of and subdue [[MookLieutenant Aldith]], and keep her in place with a pipe until Colress arrived and took over the Golurks. Impressive!
* TheBusCameBack: Returns in ''Black and White 2: Episode N'' to investigate Team Plasma, possibly to reflect his appearance in the games.
* MasterOfDisguise: It's surprising he doesn't give off any clues it is him until he reveals himself.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: When we first meet him, he comes off as a bit quirky due to having bought too many lunches on the train (the fact he gave some to Team Rocket [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe explains why they're loyal to him later]]). At the end of that episode, we find out he's investigating Team Galactic.
%%* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
* OddFriendship: Looker and Team Rocket get along pretty damn well despite the former being with the police and the latter being known criminals. Hell, Looker was the one that convinced Team Rocket to help Ash and the others out against Team Plasma.
* PoliceAreUseless: Averted! If anything, he is ''more'' useful than most Officer Jennies we've seen.
* TheWorfEffect: He is captured during the climax of both the Team Galactic and the Team Plasma arc.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhonda (Yuka)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHiyamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/SarahNatochenny (Season 10 up until episode 29), Creator/RhondaKrempa (rest of Season 10 to episode 155 of Season 13), Creator/BellaHudson (rest of Season 13)
The hostess of the news channel ''Sinnoh Now!''
----
* ButtMonkey: Almost all of her major appearances has some kind of misfortune happening to her, whether it's constantly getting smacked on the head with a boom mic or missing out on a chance to cover an exciting story. Poor woman can't catch a break.
* TheCameo: Has a small appearance in the credits of ''Zoroark: Master of Illusions'' on the TV Johanna is watching.
* IntrepidReporter: If Rhonda's not broadcasting news in the studio, she’s usually out trying to cover whatever kind of event that's currently going on. However, due to outside forces and the incompetence of her film crew, her success rate is kinda 50/50.
* IsThisThingStillOn: Whenever she's broadcasting live and starts berating her boom operator, it's always caught on camera, with an embarrassed Rhonda trying to continue her story and trying to pretend it didn't happen.
* MsExposition: Is usually the one that delivers information to viewers about current events happening in the Sinnoh region.
* RunningGag: She's almost always getting smacked on the head with the boom mic held by her incompetent boom operator, with her always threatening to get said operator demoted to the mail room.
* ThrowTheDogABone: Her final appearance in the anime has her able to successfully perform interviews with the Sinnoh Grand Festival participants without anything bad happening, not even a single incident caused by her film crew or her boom operator.
[[/folder]]
!Rivals
[[folder:In General]]
* TheCameo: They appear among the other recurring ''Diamond & Pearl'' characters in the ending credits of ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions.''
* GenderEqualEnsemble: Specifically, Dawn's rivals; two are male and two are female.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This series introduced eight recurring rivals with a total of 60 Pokémon between them. Because of this, some had a lot less screentime than others, which may be the reason for future series cutting down on the number of rivals.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: Due to their varying personalities.
** Nice--Zoey (TheMentor), Nando (NiceGuy), Barry (GenkiBoy)
** Mean--Paul (GrumpyBear), Ursula (AlphaBitch)
** In-between--Kenny (JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]LovingBully), Conway (StalkerWithACrush), Tobias (DarkIsNotEvil)
* PromotedToOpeningTitles: Paul in Season 10, Zoey in Season 11, Barry in Season 12 (theme version 1), Kenny in Season 12 (theme version 2), Tobias, Nando, Conway, and Ursula in Season 13.
* TheRival: Each of these characters is competing with either Ash, for Gym Badges, or Dawn, for Ribbons. Nando is doing both.
* TwoGirlsToATeam: If this gang of rivals can be considered a "team", Zoey and Ursula are the only female rivals in this series.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul (Shinji)]]
[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Anime_Paul_5006.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Julian Rebolledo\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gerardo García (seasons 10, 11 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz, Eduardo Ramírez and Ricardo Bautista (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alessandro Bevilacqua (1st voice), Gauthier De Fauconval (2nd voice)
Ash's main rival in the Sinnoh region. Paul only cares about one thing: Becoming the best through sheer technical discipline. He only goes after Pokémon who have the best moves and abandons those who fail him, which is how Ash acquired Chimchar. In short, he doesn't care how his Pokémon feel, but only how they perform. Ash doesn't take too kindly to this.
----
* AbusiveParents: Or rather, an abusive trainer. He was this to Chimchar, always verbally (and eventually physically) abusing him, and pushing him way past his limits to get his [[UnstoppableRage Blaze]] ability to activate.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Paul is this to Ash, becoming a formidable wall he must overcome.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He makes no effort to hide how much superior he thinks he is to everyone else. He may mostly be an overconfident {{Jerkass}}, but there's no denying that he's a good battler.
* AwesomeByAnalysis:
** Paul was able to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] Ash in a full battle by building his team specifically to counter Ash's Sinnoh Pokémon.
** During the Sinnoh League, [[spoiler:he has his Pokémon use the Counter-Shield technique that Ash developed]].
* BadBoss: Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon kindly and puts them into a harsh training regiment without caring much about their well-being as long as they can bring out results. Particularly Chimchar is put under a lot of abuse, since Blaze can only be activated once Chimchar's stamina is at its limit. The rest of his Pokémon like him, though we only find out at the very end of the series.
* BadassBoast: "The challenge you always present to Trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do. But I'm not like my brother! My will gives me strength! And now, you'll see it firsthand!" Subverted when he immediately gets crushed in the ensuing battle by Brandon.
* TheBadGuyWins: While not exactly a villain, Paul is Ash's most antagonistic rival by far, and he beats Ash in the majority of their battles.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: His cruel treatment of his Pokémon is what makes him so despicable. It really says something about him that even the ruder rivals, most notably Harley, Ursula, and Burgundy, [[PetTheDog show more caring toward their Pokémon]] than he does to his own.
* BatmanGambit: Pulls off several at Lake Acuity.
** He purposely allows his Torterra to miss its first Frenzy Plant, baiting Ash into using several close-range attacks with Gliscor while Torterra recharges. This allows Paul to trap its tail with Crunch and get off a point-blank hit with Giga Drain, badly damaging Gliscor while healing off most of the damage taken earlier. This is immediately followed up with another Batman Gambit as Ash switches to Staraptor, allowing Paul to nail it with a super effective Stone Edge.
** He sends out his Honchkrow to battle Grotle, knowing that despite the type disadvantage, Ash will likely stay in with Grotle to avenge its loss to Honchkrow [[ContinuityNod earlier in the series]]. He is correct, and Honchkrow defeats Grotle easily.
** He throws Ash off guard by choosing [[PlayingWithFire Magmortar]] and [[BadassNormal Ursaring]] to battle Pikachu, knowing that Ash will take initiative and battle head-on. This turns out to be a ploy to activate their respective abilities in [[StatusAilment Flame Body]] and [[StatusBuff Guts]], while also taking advantage of ''Pikachu's'' natural ability Static, completely overwhelming him.
** He pulls this in their battle in the Pokemon League as well, knowing that Ash's personality would compel him to choose all of the same Pokemon that he used in their battle at Lake Acuity. Paul uses this knowledge to build a team to specifically counter Ash's, and ultimately is able to control the pace of the battle from start to finish. He only loses due to the one thing he didn't predict: Ash's Infernape finally getting control of its [[HeroicSecondWind Blaze ability]].
* BreakTheHaughty: His defeat against Brandon. It triggers his first step towards rethinking his ways.
* BringIt: In the battle between Ash and Paul in the Sinnoh League Tournament. Electivire uses this to get Infernape to stand up, and Paul even calls Infernape pathetic. In the Japanese version, he just tells Infernape to stop disappointing him again and again.
* BrokenAce: He was even more shaken by Reggie's loss to Brandon than Reggie was. His harsh style of training does show good results, but it is driven in part by his crushing disappointment in his brother's methods.
* BrokenPedestal: He lost faith in his older brother's skills after seeing him lose to Brandon and subsequently give up on Pokémon training.
* CatchPhrase:
-->'''Original:''' "[Pokémon], battle standby."\\
'''English Dub:''' "[Pokémon], stand by for battle."
** Another catchphrase of his from the English dub is "pathetic."
* CharacterDevelopment: Paul starts off as arrogant, alienating, and cruel to the core. By the time he finally loses to Ash at the Pokémon League, he is significantly kinder. He briefly admits that Barry put up a good battle after defeating him, and thanks his Electivire for trying his best after losing to Infernape. He's still distant and stoic, but he's come a long way.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: He was more visibly sinister and prone to [[PsychoticSmirk psychotic smirks]] in his first appearance, but from his second and onward he was more [[TheStoic stoic]] in his jerkassery.
* CombatPragmatist: In the earlier episodes of the Sinnoh saga, this boy was not above commanding his Pokémon to attack Team Rocket while they were reciting their motto. He even managed to capture a Gliscor by having his Electabuzz and Weavile blast it while Ash and co. were trying to negotiate with it.
* TheComicallySerious: He can be this when he's put in situations in which Ash and co are goofing off.
* CrazyPrepared: Particularly against Ash in the late stages of their rivalry.
** He teaches his Torterra Stone Edge to deal with the Fire- and Flying-types on Ash's Sinnoh team, and furthermore teaches it to [[HomingProjectile change the direction]] of the stones to prevent more agile Pokemon from dodging it.
** He temporarily teaches his Electabuzz Light Screen to serve a more supportive role. With the extra defensive buff, Paul's MightyGlacier Torterra because exceedingly hard to touch, as special attacks are halved in power while physical attacks are stopped cold with Stone Edge.
** In the Sinnoh League, Paul has his Gastrodon use the [[SpinToDeflectStuff Counter Shield]] technique [[VariantPowerCopying coined by Ash]], creating a large vortex of Muddy Water that makes it difficult to get in close. Ash sees a weak spot close to the ground and has Staraptor go after it, but Paul sees this coming and is able to trap it with Body Slam. Ash manages to escape Body Slam by banging the ground with Close Combat, but Paul is ''[[UpToEleven still]]'' prepared for that and nails it with Ice Beam as it escapes.
* CurbStompBattle:
** He got on the ''receiving'' side of it when he challenged Cynthia, whose Garchomp single-handedly defeated four of his Pokémon without breaking a sweat.
** He lost again against Frontier Brain Brandon without defeating a single one of his Pokémon, which led to his breakdown.
** His battle with Ash by Lake Acuity was heavily dominated by Paul. While Ash delivered a good match, Paul only lost two of six Pokémon, while Ash lost completely, half of his team being beaten by Paul's Ursaring alone.
* DeadpanSnarker: Paul also had some more snarky and cynical moments. He was snarkier in the beginning of the series and becomes outright hateful later on, despite being and looking way more mature than the other characters.
* DeathGlare: His default expression. He gives this to a lot of people he is annoyed with.
* {{Deconstruction}}:
** His whole character is one of [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
** He also serves as a deconstruction toward Ash's reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship and the IndyPloy. Almost every time Ash tries to prove to Paul that a strong bond can overcome any matchup, he gets shown up ''hard''. Ash has to significantly up his game and battle far more strategically to finally defeat him.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Downplayed. In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry. They're not exactly friends on account of the immense personality clash, but they've come a long way from the borderline [[ArchEnemy arch-enemies]] they were at first.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: After a long, grueling battle during the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash finally brings him down...and then Tobias comes in.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Acts like a huge {{Jerkass}} to ''everyone'' just because his older brother failed to live up to the expectations Paul had of him.
* EnemyMine: He's paired up with Ash in the Tag Battle tournament.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** While he dislikes Ash and friends, his last appearance before the Sinnoh League, where he has Electabuzz use Protect to shield them from the falling debris of a Team Rocket mecha, shows that his dislike doesn't extend to outright ''murderous'' levels.
** Notably, he always uses a surprisingly-calm tone when speaking to Dawn, and he (somewhat) rationally and calmly explains his hatred of Ash to her before the Sinnoh League. The shippers took this and ran with it, thus giving birth to Ikarishipping (named due to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Paul's Japanese name]]).
** While Paul is a SoreLoser only interested in winning, even he hates Volkner for just giving out badges without a battle.
* EvilCounterpart: TheStoic, SocialDarwinist to contrast Ash's [[{{Keet}} expressive]], AllLovingHero. He's meant to represent what Ash would be if he only cared about his Pokémon's strength, and not them as individuals.
* {{Expy}}: Of Silver from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver GSC/HGSS]]'', given that he's a {{Jerkass}} rival to the main character who only cares about his Pokémon's power rather than connecting to them. They even have similar outfits and hair styles.
* FlatWhat: Expresses shock and disbelief when he finds out Ash defeated the leader of the Frontier Brains, Brandon.
* {{Foil}}: To Ash. Both are seasoned trainers who aim ToBeAMaster, but their philosophies are completely different. Whereas Ash succeeds through teamwork and love, Paul thrives on cold calculations and sheer power. Ash first wins his Pokémon's hearts, then improves their skills. Paul does not bother with bonding and gets straight to intense training.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: He once forgot who Dawn was, despite having met her twice before. [[DemonHead To say Dawn reacted poorly would be an understatement.]]
* FreudianExcuse: Paul resents his brother Reggie for giving up his dreams after a single loss and vows to never be like him (as a matter of fact, it's also why he hates Ash so much -- Ash talks about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength much like Reggie has). He patches things up with his brother eventually.
* GoodTamingEvilTaming: In contrast to Ash, Paul is cold (if not [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals abusive]]) to his own Pokémon. He captures them, using his [=PokéDex=] to measure their strengths and skill sets and either releasing them or giving them to somebody else if they fail to meet his expectations. He has even stated that developing an attachment to his Pokémon would make them weak. He becomes less so as the series progresses, but that does not stop him from being a dick.
* GrumpyBear: Paul's usual expression is anger and being in a bad mood. Despite not showing too many other emotions, grumpiness for Paul seems to be his second most well known trait.
* HeyYou: Barely acknowledges Ash by name, particularly in the Japanese version.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Beaten by his own former Pokémon, Chimchar, that he had mistreated. It personally took out half of his team.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Despite saying that when a Pokémon loses, it's the trainer's fault for not training it correctly, he blames his own Pokémon, especially Chimchar, for their losses.
** In the finals of the Tag Team Tournament, he maintains his belief that Chimchar and Ash are weak since Heracross was still briefly standing despite being hit point blank by a Flanethrower, and that it only fainted because Buizel collided with it when hit by Electabuzz's Thunder. While accurate, the exact same thing would apply for Paul and Electabuzz as Buizel was briefly still standing despite being hit point blank by a move it was weak too as well.
** He criticized Ash for using Grotle in [[AnIcePerson Candice's]] gym. This is coming from the guy who used Chimchar against [[DishingOutDirt Roark]].
* HypocriteHasAPoint: While Paul was a hypocrite for criticizing Ash for him using Pokémon that have type disadvantages to their opponents, Paul is still correct.
* IWasJustPassingThrough: Despite his disdain for Ash, he actually stuck around to watch his gym battle with Roark, if only in hopes of seeing him lose.
* IgnoredEpiphany: After being on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle against Cynthia, she told that he must care more by his Pokémon, but he refuses to take it to heart.
* IneffectualLoner: He does not like socializing with others, instead focusing all of his energy on getting stronger. Even so, he has yet to become a Pokémon Master or defeat Brandon.
* {{Irony}}: A fountain of it. Tried to activate a DesperationAttack, faces both Barry and Ash using one. His backstory involves his brother losing to Brandon and his Regi's, with himself losing in time as well. Chimchar's evolution Infernape can counter all three.
* JackOfAllStats: In keeping with his skill as a Trainer, he uses a well-balanced team of many different types.
* {{Jerkass}}: Paul's main characteristic. He's a cantankerous dick who abuses and releases his Pokémon who fail to reach up to his expectations. Even after CharacterDevelopment, he becomes only slightly less of a jerk, and does not become a good person until his final speaking appearance.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** When he meets Ash at the Sinnoh League, Ash claims he'll be giving it all he's got in their battle. Paul states that ''everyone'' participating has gotten all 8 badges too, so going all out against him and the other trainers Ash is battling amounts next to nothing. Even Ash admitted that Paul was right.
** When Ash praises Staravia during the Tag Team Tournament after Paul's Torterra defeats Brock and Holly, Paul sarcastically asks Ash if they even did anything. While rude to say, it's not inaccurate as Torterra single handedly defeated both of their opponents.
** In one episode, he criticized Ash for using his Grotle, a grass type Pokémon against an ice type in his gym battle against Candace. Considering the type advantage, Paul's complaint wasn't without merit.
** Barry keeps praising Sunyshore gym as one of the best which Paul criticizes as undeserving. It's later reveal the Sunyshore Gym leader gave badges without any challenge of any sort. Ash effectively agrees with Paul by demanding a proper battle.
** During the Sinnoh League episodes, he also tells Barry that overestimating his abilities will only backfire on him. Paul is proven right when Barry gets curb-stomped HARD by Paul.
** He justifies giving away his Azumarill claiming it was dead weight. Seeing as his Azumarill lost to a Geodude despite not only having a type advantage, but hitting it with ''Hydro Pump'', his analysis might've been fair.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite having very limited redeeming traits as a person, Paul eventually does have a lighter side to him. He shows it especially later in the Diamond and Pearl Series.
* KnightOfCerebus: Prior to Paul, many of the jerk trainers Ash had defeated in the past were swiftly beaten down. Paul is the first he's crossed who is highly competent. Also, despite his high standards and brutal training, one cannot deny that it has achieved results. Both his Ursaring and his Drapion flattened half of Ash's team in different battles.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Surrenders to Cynthia upon realizing that he just isn't capable of beating her.
* LackOfEmpathy: When he releases Pokémon, they look visibly upset and sad. Paul doesn't bat an eye.
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** Him getting curb stomped by Brandon in one episode counts.
** Ash is ultimately able to defeat him using Infernape, the Pokémon Paul released for supposedly being weak. To make it even better, Infernape defeats his Electivire by using its ability of Blaze, which Paul tried and failed to get it to master.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: His "match" with Barry in the Pokemon League ends with all three of Barry's Pokemon getting trounced badly while Paul doesn't lose a single one. Paul also treates Marlene to one in their battle. It mostly happens offscreen, but the battle was so one-sideded that Marlene briefly considers retiring for good.
* NeverMyFault: Combined with hypocrisy. Paul stated that when someone loses a battle, it’s the trainer’s fault. Then when ''he'' were to ever lose, he would blame his Pokémon for supposedly being weak or find another way to take the blame off of himself. When he sends out Chimchar against Cynthia's Garchomp and it gets knocked out without landing a scratch, being an unevolved Pokémon with a type disadvantage, he simply recalls it and says to it, "You ought to be ashamed."
* NoSell: Ash's out-of-the-box strategies that generally give him the edge in battles barely works on Paul if ever fazes him. In their second battle, one of Ash's old tricks, using a "dig" attack's hole against the user, backfires ''hard'' on him when Paul counters the strategy. Even the counter shield, Ash's signature strategy in Sinnoh, not only barely gave him some advantage, but Paul learned it and used it against Ash in the league. Soon after, he flat out copied Ash and Infernape's tactics to rid off toxic spikes, using it to stop Ash's Gliscor.
* NotSoStoic: During his battle with Brandon. Also shows annoyance whenever he sees Ash.
** When Ash asked him if he wanted to watch his battle with Roark, Paul actually ''[[HaHaHaNo laughs.]]''
* ThePerfectionist: He has incredibly high standards for his Pokémon, to the point where he'll abandon those who don't live up to his expectations.
* PerpetualFrowner: He's almost always scowling.
* PetTheDog:
** Despite his harsh treatment towards Chimchar, he and Ursaring save him when Team Rocket attempts to steal him from Paul.
** After he [[spoiler:defeats Barry in the Sinnoh League, he commends him for the effort he put up instead of putting him down. This is a massive change from how he treated others who lost to him]].
** He actually thanks and commends his [[spoiler:Electivire]] for a well-fought battle instead of scolding it after its loss to Infernape.
* PsychoticSmirk: Early on, he smirks when he knows he has the upper hand. The first sign Paul is not a goody two-shoes like Ash.
* RedOniBlueOni: The callous blue to Ash's warmhearted red of the "Diamond and Pearl" series.
* TheRival: Ash's primary rival in Sinnoh and whom Ash held the most bitter rivalry with in the entire series by far. Their differing ideologies on raising Pokémon was the source of most of their antagonistic relationship, which escalated further after Paul released his Chimchar.
* RunningGag: A minor one, but twice he was in the midst of capturing a Pokémon, only to be interrupted by Ash & friends, allowing the Pokémon to escape. The first time it was a Fearow, the second it was a Drapion.
* SiblingYinYang: His older brother Reggie is kind and cheerful, and treats his Pokémon very well.
* SingleIssueWonk: Paul is obsessed with one thing and one thing only--becoming the strongest Pokémon trainer by putting his team through TrainingFromHell. Nothing else matters to him.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Only the best can be a part of his team. The rest get released.
* SoreLoser:
** Sometimes when he loses, he would blame his Pokémon for everything.
** Averted in the last few episodes of Diamond & Pearl. [[GracefulLoser Much to the shock of fans, he takes his loss against Ash in the League rather well, complemented with Paul complimenting his Electivire for a well-fought battle]].
* StrongAndSkilled: Despite his obsession with strength, Paul is arguably the most strategic battler ever shown in the anime. He thoroughly researches his opponents and employs strategies to target their physical and psychological weaknesses, and unlike most of Ash's opponents, he can quickly adapt to Ash's {{Outside The Box Tactic}}s as he's roughly just as experienced as Ash. It's most on display in his full battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, where Paul pulls off numerous {{Batman Gambit}}s to put Ash in a virtually unwinnable situation. Later on in the Sinnoh League, he purposely sets up two of his Pokemon as {{Sacrificial Lamb}}s in order to lower Ash's guard, only to reveal he was in control the whole time.
* TheStoic: He rarely shows emotion bar occasional bouts of frustration.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The Technician to Ash's Performer. Paul is obsessively focused on catching the best Pokemon from a purely technical perspective, subjects them to spartan training conditions, and relies on carefully thought-out strategies to win. Ash prefers to bring out the potential of any Pokemon he captures, treats them as equal partners, and improvises heavily in battles. In a more literal sense, Paul ridiculs Ash's interest in Pokeon Contests, thinking it's a waste of time for any serious battler.
* TookALevelInKindness: Incredibly slowly, but it seems like he finally starts to understand his errors by the end.
* ToughLove: For all his faults, Paul is not incapable of treating his Pokémon decently - they are seen relaxing in [=DP100=], and Paul arranged for Torterra to be groomed. While he would probably bite off his tongue before he admitted to being affectionate, the small number of Pokémon he ''does'' keep in his team seem well-treated overall (Chimchar is ''noted'' to be an exceptional case), and their reaction to hearing about his loss in the Sinnoh League indicates that they are, in fact, loyal to him. Torterra appears to be the most loyal to him as well as receiving the most respect from Paul (most likely due to being his starter) because in one episode Torterra went to help Ash's Grotle out of empathy but when Paul discovered what happened, Torterra received no punishment suggesting that Torterra acts as an HonestAdvisor to Paul because he (alongside Paul) witnessed Reggie's defeat at the Battle Pyramid, which in turn caused both of them to form Paul's ideology so that he doesn't follow in Reggie's footsteps.
* TrainingFromHell: Expects nothing but the best from his Pokémon. Any lower and they are released back into the wild. Chimchar got the worst of it, due to Paul's desire to harness the immense power of its Blaze ability.
* TsurimeEyes: He has very sharply shaped eyes, showing that he is not a friendly fellow.
* TheUnfettered: A [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior chillingly accurate portrayal]] for a kid's show. While he is not incapable of showing respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, he is a ruthless and cruel Trainer who [[TrainingFromHell trains his Pokémon harshly]], [[TheSocialDarwinist treats weak Pokémon and even other Trainers with utter contempt]] (like Maylene) and has released or given away no less than six Pokémon on screen for [[YouHaveFailedMe poor performance in battle]] and feels no remorse for his actions, seeing his actions as the only way to make an efficient team. He also [[TheStoic shows little to no emotions]] apart from his ever present scowl (and occasionally a [[PsychoticSmirk condescending smirk]], usually for Ash), is quick and firm in his choices, sees nothing morally wrong in his abuse of both people and Pokémon, and has no qualms about using borderline illegal moves in battle (Elekid using Brick Break on Cranidos' leg, Torterra biting Gliscor's tail, and pretty much every move by [[BearsAreBadNews Ursaring]]), and is by far one of Ash's most powerful rivals, serving almost as a living antithesis to his entire philosophy on Pokémon. Unlike his other rivals Gary and Trip, who were simply at odds with Ash, Paul is a full-blown antagonist.
* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: After beating Gym Leader Maylene and getting the Cobble Badge, he proceeds to insult her:
-->''"You're weakest Leader I've ever fought, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and this lightweight Badge is just like you]]."''
* UsedToBeASweetKid: In Reggie's flashback before Paul starts his battle against Brandon, Paul traveled from Sinnoh to Kanto after receiving his Turtwig because he wanted to see his brother win his final Battle Frontier Symbol. Paul and Turtwig were shown to have notably pleasant dispositions prior to [[BrokenPedestal witnessing Reggie's loss]] and watch Brandon call him out on his lack of true inner strength, though how different Paul is now compared to back then is still debatable.
* VocalDissonance: To a degree. His voice makes him sound ''way'' older than he really is [[note]] it's never said exactly how old he is, but he's likely a young teenager at most[[/note]].
* TheWorfEffect: Brandon effortlessly defeats Paul in a full battle, with the latter failing to knock out any of his opponent's Pokémon, which goes to show that Brandon's status as a Frontier Brain isn't just for show. At the same time, however, Paul's inability to maintain his composure also contributed to his loss.
* WorthyOpponent:
** Paul shows the proper respect to the likes of Roark, Cynthia, and any other trainer whose power he acknowledges. The only exception is Brandon, who Paul greatly resents.
** For most of their rivalry, Paul barely regards Ash at all, treating him more as an annoyance than a true rival. However, this changes after their battle in the Pokemon League, due to Ash doing what Paul couldn't: bringing out Infernape's latent potential.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Releases Pokémon which he perceives as being weak or useless without a second thought, which is how Ash came across Chimchar. Paul only kept Chimchar around hoping to utilize its ability Blaze. When Chimchar was unable to summon it exactly when Paul wanted it, Paul released Chimchar. However, Paul does try to utilize their potential as much as possible, and if it still doesn't work out, then goodbye.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul's Pokémon]]
Throughout Paul's several journeys, he has caught a large number of Pokémon, many of them being based on power, but he does use Pokémon who have more tricks in their pockets than just pure strength. While the majority of them are {{Jerkass}}es, they do like him as a trainer.
----
* AmbiguousGender: With the exception of Froslass and Nidoking, who can only be one gender, none of their genders are known. Although, given their personalities, it can assumed that most of them tend to be male.
* CurbStompBattle: 10 of his Pokémon are victims of this trope, being easily defeated by Champion Cynthia's Garchomp and Pyramid King Brandon's Regi Trio.
* HighTurnoverRate: Paul's tendency to boot party members that don't live up to his standards means that he's released more Pokémon than most side characters have even owned. Even aside from those, he fields a ''ton'' of different Pokémon over various battles, to the point that he almost never uses the same team twice.
* {{Jerkass}}: Most of them are nasty in nature and aren't very nice to others, even among themselves. They are a few exceptions, though.
* LightningBruiser: Paul definitely favors these, with Electivire, Ursaring, Honchkrow, and Drapion being both extremely strong and fast enough to deal with more agile opponents.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Like Gary, Paul is one of the few rival characters to have such a high number of Pokémon, which often leads to many of them being under developed as characters. And the series does show Paul constantly capturing new ones.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In the opening ''Together'' and its remix, Paul's team gets updated from time to time, starting from [=DP041=] onwards, even though Ursaring has been caught since [=DP006=].
* YouHaveFailedMe: Those who don't manage to live up to Paul's high standards, they are released. Those who do have great potential, but aren't able to use it, are released when Paul has enough of them.
----
!!Elekid-->Electabuzz-->Electivire (Elekid-->Eleboo-->Elekible)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_electivire.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
The first Pokémon shown alongside Paul as well as his most prominent one. It is the Pokémon who represents his trainer the most: a total {{Jerkass}}, but extremely capable in battle. Elekid was present when Chimchar joined Paul and since the latter was released, they have developed a rivalry with each other, witnessing each other evolving at least once.
----
* EleventhHourSuperpower: During the finale of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, Elekid evolves into Electabuzz, which gives it enough power to win alongside with Ash's Chimchar against Dawn's Buizel and Conway's Heracross.
* BarrierWarrior: Since its introduction, it is shown to know Protect, a move that protects it from any move. It also uses Light Screen during the Lake Acuity battle to support Paul's team, halving the damage inflicted on Paul's Pokémon for a short amount of time.
* BloodKnight: It becomes quite enthusiastic when in battle, and during the Sinnoh League tournament, [[BringIt it taunts Ash's Infernape to get back up and keep battling]].
* BringIt: Electivire taunts its rival, Infernape, to get back up when the latter is down and about to be declared as knocked out.
* DoubleKnockOut: During their first battle, Elekid and Pikachu end up knocking each other out, which also ends the match in a draw. While Ash admits defeat since Pikachu fell down first, Paul does acknowledge it as a draw.
* TheDragon: As Paul's most prominent Pokémon, it serves this role for most of the series, being one of Paul's most capable and reliable Pokémon, and during the league, it is the last Pokémon on Paul's side.
* ElementalPunch: It knows Thunder Punch since its debut, a move that covers its fist in electricity. It's Fighting-type move Brick Break is portayed in a similar manner, as its arm gets covered in electric sparks, making it some kind of a sparking chop.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Like Gastrodon, Paul taught Electivire how to use Counter Shield. By spinning its Thunder, it can defend itself from the opponent while attacking.
* JackOfAllTrades: It is living proof that Paul is a competent trainer. Elekid/Electabuzz/Electivire can be used as a straight up battler with defensive moves or as a supporting member with offensive capabilities.
* {{Jerkass}}: The most prominent example of Paul's Pokémon. It outright antagonizes Ash's Pokémon for no reason other than for its own amusement. Even when Paul is not present.
* LightningBruiser: Electivire is shown to be one of Paul's more powerful and tougher Pokémon, and if its Motor Drive ability kicks in, its speed increases massively.
* NoSell: Electivire's ability is Motor Drive, which makes it immune to Electric-type moves and instead increases its speed immensely.
* PrehensileTail: Electivire can capture its opponent with its tails, which allows it to perform a point blank Thunder.
* PsychoElectro: Electivire is just as much of a {{Jerkass}} as Paul is; in its debut, it shocked Pikachu without provocation and laughed about it, and it often taunts its opponents (particularly Ash's Infernape).
* TheRival: To Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape. They are introduced in the same episode and Elekid was already a jerk to Chimchar when he was still with Paul. They have become rivals once Chimchar was released and joined Ash's team. Chimchar witnesses Elekid's evolution, while Electabuzz witnesses Monferno's evolution. During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz briefly fights Chimchar and is later switched back on the field to see that he has suddenly evolved into Monferno, which fires Electabuzz up. The climax of their rivalry is during the Lily of the Valley Conference where both of them are the final Pokémon of their respective sides.
* ShockAndAwe: It is Paul's only known Electric-type Pokémon, and since its debut it knows Thunder and Thunder Punch.
* StatusAilment: Elekid's ability is Static, which can paralyze the opponent when it makes contact with Elekid. The ability has been changed to Motor Drive once it became Electivire.
* SupportPartyMember: During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz's main role is activating Light Screen to half the damage inflicted on Paul's team. It still is capable of battling the opponent by its own, though, but it doesn't get to fight for long until its fight with its rival, Monferno.
* TheWorfEffect: Like all of Paul's Pokémon used against Pyramid King Brandon, the reliable Electabuzz is quickly defeated, showing how powerful Bradon's Pokémon are.
* WorthyOpponent: It is generally excited to battle Pikachu and Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape who are very strong opponents.
!!Starly (3x) (Mukkuru)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_first_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's first two Starly]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's third Starly]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
During Paul's debut, he catches three Starly at once, but releases two of them right away once he checked their movesets. The third one is used against Ash's newly captured Starly, but despite its victory, Paul releases it as well.
----
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Two of the Starly were released right away after capturing, since they only knew Tackle and Sand-Attack, while the third at least knew Aerial Ace and Double Team. However, it didn't live up to Paul's standard and he could find a better Starly anyway.
* SacrificialLamb: Non-lethal example. They are released as soon as they are captured to demonstrate what kind of a trainer Paul is.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: All three are released before we knew anything about them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The third Starly that has the luck to stay with Paul and manages to defeat Ash's Starly does not live up to Paul's standards and is released after the battle as well.
!!Chimchar (Hikozaru)
A Pokémon that caught Paul's interest due to its abnormally powerful Blaze ability. After many failed attempts to draw out his potential, Paul's releases him after he failed him too many times. For more information see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Stantler (Odishishi)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_stantler.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
Another Pokémon caught and released right away.
----
* WeHardlyKnewYe: It is only shown being captured and released.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Another extreme example, since it was released immediately after its capture, just because it only knew Tackle.
!!Ursaring (Ringuma)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ursaring.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
Ursaring is captured by Paul when it was chasing after Ash's group. Thanks to its immense brute strength, it has remained as one of Paul's most competent battlers.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Using its claws, it shreds its opponents with its Normal-type move Slash.
* BadassNormal: Ursaring is a Normal-type Pokémon and one of Paul's strongest battlers, having defeated half of Ash's team during the Lake Acuity battle.
* BattleAura: When its Guts kicks in, it is covered in a red aura to show its activation.
* BareFistedMonk: Ursaring knows the powerful fighting type move Hammer Arm. It's usually powerful enough to end battles in one hit, but against Brandon's Regi Trio, even the type advantage isn't enough.
* BearsAreBadNews: Ursaring is a bear and it is always aggressive and angry since its debut.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyber Beam from its mouth.
* TheBrute: Ursaring is an absolute powerhouse and manages to defeat three of Ash's Pokémon during the Lake Acuity battle.
* ButtMonkey: Ursaring has the tendency to lose against Chimchar everytime they battle.
* EnergyWeapon: It used to know Hyper Beam, a powerful beam attack fired from its mouth.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When its Guts kicks in, its eyes glow in crimson red to show of how dangerous it is now.
* HotBlooded: Of the angry kind. Ursaring is rarely calm at all and is always angry for no particular reason. It also has the Guts ability to match its personality, which makes it even stronger, angrier and more hot-blooded once it suffers from status changes.
* KamehameHadouken: It knows the move Focus Blast. It concentrates its energy into a powerful energy ball and throws it at the opponent.
* MadeOfIron: During its battle against Barry's Hitmonlee, it gets hits by many Fighting-type moves and is even burned by Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick. Not only does Ursaring not lose, it completely defeats Hitmonlee thanks to its Guts. And during the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, Ursaring took the most hits before being taken down.
* OneManArmy: Ursaring takes down half of Ash's team during their Lake Acuity battle.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Its eyes burn red when Guts is activated, which makes its already angry look even scarier.
* StatusBuff:
** It knows Bulk Up, a move that increases its attack and defensive power.
** Guts is an ability that kicks in when Ursaring is inflicted with a status change, which doubles its power.
* TurnRed: When it suffers from status changes, Ursaring's Guts kicks in which doubles its attack power.
* UnstoppableRage: It is already extremely angry from the get-go, but whenever its Guts ability kicks in, it gains [[RedEyesTakeWarning burning crimson eyes]] and [[BattleAura a visible aura]] that scream "be even more careful".
* TheWorfEffect: During the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, the very powerful Ursaring cannot take on Brandon's Regice and in the end, it is quickly finished off by Regirock while being paralyzed from Regice's Zap Cannon.
!!Azumarill (Marilli)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_azumarill.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers
A Water-type Pokémon that was caught by Paul for the Gym Battle against the Rock-type specialist Roark. However, it easily loses to Roark's Geodude, prompting Paul to give it away to a young boy after the match ended.
----
* BunniesForCuteness: Azumarill looks like an adorable egg-shaped bunny, but that is not the reason why Paul caught it, so no bonus points for being cute.
* {{Irony}}: Because of its type, Azumarill is used during the Rock-type Gym Battle to give Paul an advantage. Not only does it fail miserably, Paul wins the Gym Battle by using two Pokémon who have type disadvantages against Rock-type and/or Ground-type Pokémon.
* MakingASplash: It is a Water-type Pokémon and that is the whole reason why Paul even caught it. However, its Hydro Pump fails to inflict damage on Roark's Geodude and it gets defeated before it can even use Water Gun.
* WorfBarrage: Hydro Pump is one of the most powerful Water-type moves, but Roark's Geodude easily blocks that with Hidden Power alone.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite its type advantage over Rock-type Pokémon, it loses because Roark is ''that'' much of a skilled trainer, which teaches Paul and Ash to use their head more to overcome Roark's strategy.
* YouHaveFailedMe: After Roark outmaneuvers him, Paul decides that the failure is Azumarill's and foists it onto a little boy while declaring it to be without potential.
!!Murkrow-->Honchkrow (Yamikarasu-->Donkarasu)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_honchkrow.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that has travelled with Paul through several regions, it is a reliable Pokémon that rarely fails him.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Shadow Ball from its mouth.
* CastingAShadow: It is part Dark-type and it knows the Dark-type move Night Slash; its wing glows purple and it strikes the opponent down with it.
* CreepyCrows: Murkrow and Honchkrow are crow-based Pokémon, who also happen to be Dark-type Pokémon. If Paul commands it to attack its own allies, it doesn't hesitate to do so.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Since the first opening of ''Diamond & Pearl'' that started airing in episode [=DP002=], the viewers knew about Paul's Murkrow, but it didn't show up until [=DP040=].
* TheReliableOne: Although it lost to Cynthia's Garchomp and failed to win the [=PokéRinger=] competition against Ash's Staraptor, it hasn't lost any other battle it's participated in.
* TheRival:
** During [=PokéRinger=] competition, Honchkrow serves as the rival to Staravia/Staraptor, due to the rivalry of their respective trainers. They end up competing against each other in the final round.
** It serves as one to Grotle. Turtwig evolves during his battle against Honchkrow, but he loses because of his unexpected loss in mobility. During the Lake Acuity battle, Paul uses Grotle's resentment over Honchkrow to his advantage, preventing Ash from switching Grotle out to defeat it.
* SignatureAttack: Its most powerful move is Sky Attack, which it uses in every battle it is in.
* SoulPower: It knows the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball, firing a dark energy ball from its mouth.
!!Weavile (Manyula)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_weavile.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that journeyed with Paul through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. It tends to lose a lot, yet it hasn't been released yet.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It attacks the opponent with its claws by using the Steel-type move Metal Claw. It is the only close-range move it has.
* BreathWeapon: It breathes Blizzard from its mouth and fires Ice Beam with its mouth as well, making it mainly a LongRangeFighter.
* ButtMonkey: Weavile loses every battle it is in without defeating anyone. It is a miracle that Paul has not released it yet.
* ExtraOreDinary: It knows the Steel-type move Metal Claw, which makes its claws as hard as metal and very sharp.
* GlassCannon: One of the few of Paul's Pokémon to be this, since he prefers brute physical strength as a fighting style.
* AnIcePerson: Weavile is primary an Ice-type Pokémon and is shown to use Blizzard, Ice Beam and Ice Shard. Paul uses it against Pokémon who are weak to Ice-type moves, but it never works for him.
* InformedAbility: It's implied to be one of Paul's strongest Pokemon, since he chose it to battle Cynthia. Its onscreen performance suggests otherwise.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Not explicitly confirmed, but logically, it must be the case. Paul is known to release Pokemon he deems weak; on top of that, Weavile has failed Paul in both of its onscreen battles, and in his first Full Battle against Ash, Weavile was one of only two of Paul's Pokemon to be knocked out (note that the other one, Ursaring, knocked out half of Ash's team before falling, whereas Weavile didn't knock out one). It must be the case that Weavile is doing good things for Paul off-screen if he hasn't released it yet.
* SignatureMove: Its most prominent move is Blizzard, which is often the subject to WorfBarrage.
* StatusBuff: Weavile can sharply increase its attack power with Sword Dance. In the Lake Acuity battle, it doesn't really help, since it loses to Staraptor anyway.
* WorfBarrage: Its Blizzard never defeats anyone and it doesn't seem to deal that much damage either. Which is rather accurate to the games, since Weavile's Special Attack stat is pretty awful.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite Ice-type Pokémon having a huge advantage against Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon like Garchomp, Weavile gets curb-stomped like the others, showing off that Cynthia's Garchomp is beyond the level of ordinary ones. It also loses to Ash's Staraptor, despite its type advantage.
!!Turtwig-->Grotle-->Torterra (Naetle-->Hayashigame-->Dodaitoise)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_torterra.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
Torterra is Paul's first Pokémon, as well as one of his strongest. He got it as his Starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan and it has been travelling with its trainer through four different regions. While it accepts Paul's harsh training regiment, Torterra does have a soft spot for Ash's Grotle.
----
* BigBrotherMentor: In [=DP100=], after witnessing Ash's Turtwig evolving into a Grotle and seeing him struggle with his gained weight and loss in mobility, Torterra sympathizes him, properly because they share the same evolution line, and it teaches Grotle how to battle as a MightyGlacier...by ''almost'' beating the living crap out of Ash's Gliscor. From there on, Ash has to teach Grotle that new battle style by himself.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyper Beam from its mouth as a long range attack.
* CurbStompBattle: Torterra wins the semi-final match of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition singlehandedly with no much difficulty while almost taking its tag partner (Ash's Staravia) out as well.
* DishingOutDirt: Torterra is part Ground-type and it knows the Rock-type move Stone Edge, throwing stone projectiles at the opponent which it can even control.
* {{Foil}}: Acts as a much more experienced one to Ash's Torterra. Paul's Torterra is a very powerful Pokémon that barely loses and is perfectly capable as a MightyGlacier. Ash's Torterra on the other hand, while still a powerful Pokémon, loses every battle it is in once it reaches its final stage (except against Team Rocket) and struggles quite a bit at adapting to battling as a MightyGlacier.
* GreenThumb: It is Paul's only known Grass-type Pokémon and is shown to know the most powerful Grass-type moves, Frenzy Plant and Leaf Storm. It also knows Giga Drain to suck the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Torterra is actually one of Paul's kinder Pokémon, despite the grumpy and jerky image they all represent. It helps Ash's Grotle how to change to a new battle style and how to adapt his MightyGlacier situation, all without Paul's permission. That said, it still is not a NiceGuy.
* LifeDrain: It uses the Grass-type move Giga Drain to drain the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* ManBitesMan: It knows the Dark-type move Crunch, which it uses to trap its opponent with its teeth while damaging them and suck their health with Giga Drain while still biting them.
* MightyGlacier: Torterra barely moves in battles since its too heavy, but thanks to his high endurance, it takes hits from its opponent fairly easily until it is the perfect time to smash them with its powerful strength.
* PetTheDog: Paul once arranged for Torterra to be groomed, and in general it seems to be the only one of his Pokémon that he has even a slight amount of affection for, likely due to it also being his starter.
* TurtlePower: Torterra and his pre-evolved forms are based on the TurtleIsland. As expected from turtles, Torterra is a MightyGlacier.
* WorfBarrage: Its most powerful move, Frenzy Plant, does barely anything to Cynthia's Garchomp, leading to it being open for a counterattack.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being Paul's strongest Pokémon, it gets one-shotted by Cynthia's Garchomp just to show off how ridiculously powerful she is. This even applies retroactively, as Torterra never loses afterwards and wins its battles pretty easily, which makes Garchomp look even more impressive.
!!Ninjask (Tekkanin)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ninjask.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by: Billy Beach
First introduced in a flashback, Ninjask was caught shortly before Chimchar's capture. In the present, it is used during the Lily of the Valley Conference against Ash's Gliscor and Infernape which used to be said Chimchar.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Ninjask is primary a Bug-type Pokémon and its size would freak out many people if it was real. It also knows the Bug-type move Fury Cutter, which becomes stronger with each hit.
* ChekhovMIA: It first appeared in a flashback centred around Chimchar. It finally reappears in a battle against the fully evolved Infernape.
* FlashStep: With Agility, it manages to move so quick, it is nearly impossible to see its movements.
* {{Flight}}: Being part Flying-type Pokémon, Ninjask is capable of flying. It is used in sky battles against other flying opponents like Ash's Gliscor. With its immense speed and the growing power of Fury Cutter, Ninjask is specialized to take the opponent down on the ground and poison them with Drapion's Toxic Spikes.
* FragileSpeedster: Ninjask is extremely fast and is capable of increasing its speed with Agility and Speed Boost, but it's a very frail Pokémon.
* GreenThumb: It knows the Grass-type move Giga Drain, which drains the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When Ninjask uses Giga Drain to heal itself, it has to circle around the opponent, but because of the damage it has taken from Infernape's Flare Blitz, its movements drastically slow down, allowing Infernape to aim for Ninjask and defeat it with Mach Punch.
* LifeDrain: It uses Giga Drain by circling around the opponent to suck out their energy and heal itself with the stolen energy.
* StatusBuff:
** Its ability Speed Boost [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin boosts its speed]] over time.
** The move Agility increases Ninjask speed even further.
* SuperSpeed: While already very fast, it has Speed Boost as its ability which increases its speed over time. It even has Agility to make it even faster, making it to move so fast, it is almost impossible to hit it.
!!Gliscor (Glion)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gliscor.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Marc Thompson
This Gliscor used to be the leader of a flock of Gligar that were flying wild in a city. Before Ash manages to convince it to lead its flock out of the city, Paul catches it which causes the flock to fall into chaos. It is used against Ash's Gligar which used to be member of the flock as well and easily defeats the little guy, leading to its HeroicBSOD.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: The opening ''Together'' alludes that Paul's Gliscor would become the rival to Ash's Gliscor, but this is never developed beyond their first battle.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: It is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant flying scorpion, and it even has the Bug-type move X-Scissor to match.
* {{Foil}}: Just like Torterra, even in its brief appearances it manages to act as one towards Ash's Gligar, a younger member of its species. Ash's Gligar is a [[LovableCoward meek]], [[ProneToTears emotional Pokémon]] who struggles to learn to battle effectively, and although he [[TookALevelInBadass becomes easily one of Ash's strongest team members]], even as a Gliscor he never loses his charming and comical disposition. Paul's Gliscor, on the other hand, acts entirely competent from the start and maintains an unfazed and ruthless demeanor during battle.
* TheLeader: It used to lead a flock of Gligar prior to its capture. Its sudden capture led its flock to fall apart and fall into chaos, giving Ash's group a hard time to drive them out of the city.
* OneHitKill: It knows the OHKO move Guillotine, giving Ash's Gligar a crushing defeat that scarred it mentally.
* PowerPincers: Since Gliscor is partially based on scorpions, it has two big pincers.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After [=DP100=], it is not seen again, unlike some of Paul's other Pokémon.
!!Magmar-->Magmortar (Boober-->Booburn)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_magmortar.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
A replacement for Chimchar, Magmar was used to deal with Maylene's Lucario, leading to the Gym Leader's HeroicBSOD. Unlike Chimchar, Magmar does manages to live up to Paul's standards and is shown to be more effective as a Magmortar.
----
* BookEnd: The battle against Pyramid King Brandon starts with Magmar facing Regirock and ends with Magmar being defeated by Regirock.
* DishingOutDirt: Magmortar knows the Rock-type move Rock Tomb, which it launches from its arm cannons. Paul uses it to lead his fast opponents into a trap.
* ElementalPunch: Magmar was shown to know Fire Punch, a move that covers its fist in flames.
* MadeOfIron: It gets hit directly with Hydro Cannon from Barry's Empoleon. Hydro Cannon is one of the most powerful Water-type moves and is super effective against Magmortar, yet it doesn't get down.
* PlayingWithFire: It is a Fire-type Pokémon, replacing Chimchar and the perfect counter against Maylene's Lucario. It is shown to know the Fire-type moves Fire Spin, Fire Punch, Flamethrower and Will-o-Wisp.
* PoisonousPerson: It knows the move Smog, which it uses like [[SmokeOut Smokescreen]] to blind the opponent and to poison them.
* ReplacementGoldFish: Magmar replaces fellow Fire-type Pokémon Chimchar and does a good job at doing it, since it does live up to Paul's standards.
* StatusAilment:
** It has Flame Body as its ability, which can burn the opponent while making contact. Pikachu suffers from that.
** Will-O-Wisp is a status move that burns the opponent. However, Magmar fails to use it against Brandon's Registeel due to flinching.
* WorfBarrage: Its super effective Flamethrower doesn't do much against Brandon's Registeel to everyone's surprise.
!!Hariyama (Hariteyama)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_hariyama.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regirock.
----
* BareFistedMonk: It is a Fighting-type Pokémon, thus it has a type advantage over the Rock-type Pokémon Regirock. It also knows the Fighting-type moves Arm Thrust and Force Palm, but it ultimately loses to Regirock.
* CurbStompBattle: It doesn't do too bad against Brandon's Regirock, but it loses quickly once it is put in close range, ironically enough.
* WorfBarrage: It hits Regirock multiple times with the super effect Arm Thrust, yet it did barely any damage.
* TheWorfEffect: It is actually quite strong, but despite its type advantage over Regirock, it loses, showing that more than type advantages is needed to defeat the Pyramid King.
!!Nidoking
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_nidoking_7.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. He fights and loses to Brandon's Registeel.
----
* BareFistedMonk: He knows the Fighting-type move Double Kick, which is super effective against Steel-type moves like Registeel. He doesn't even manages to take it down on ground with it.
* CurbStompBattle: He actually puts a good fight against Brandon's Registeel, but he still loses rather easily nonetheless.
* DishingOutDirt: Since he is part Ground-type and knows the Ground-type move Earth Power, he has a type advantage over Registeel...which doesn't help at all.
* PoisonousPerson: Dawn notes that Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoking are usually in disadvantage against Steel-type Pokémon, but since Nidoking is also part Ground-type, he actually has the advantage.
* ShockAndAwe: He knows the Electric-type move Thunderbolt which he fires from his horn, but Registeel just shrugs it off while charging in with Iron Head and knocks Nidoking out.
* WorfBarrage: His super effective Earth Power merely slows Registeel down and his Thunderbolt doesn't do any damage against Registeel at all.
* TheWorfEffect: He has a type advantage over Registeel and out of all six Pokémon, Nidoking performed the best, but even he was defeated very easily, which shows how powerful the Pyramid King's Pokémon are.
!!Lairon-->Aggron (Kodora-->Bossgodora)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_aggron.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regice. It reappears later in the Lily of the Valley Conference during the match against Ash. It puts a good fight against Pikachu, but is ultimately defeated by Infernape.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It knows Metal Claw; it slashes its opponent with its claws in close combat situations.
* BreathWeapon: Its long range move is Flash Cannon, which it fires from its mouth.
* CurbStompBattle: Out of all six Pokémon, Lairon gets the worst performance against Pyramid King Brandon; being frozen by Regice's Ice Beam and finished off by its Zap Cannon in a matter of seconds.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: It knows the Normal-type move Double-Edge; the user smashes with its body full force at the opponent, but it receives recoil damage from that. However, since Aggron has Rock Head as its ability, it doesn't take damage from recoil moves.
* ExtraOreDinary: Aggron is part Steel-type and knows the Steel-type moves Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Metal Sound and Flash Cannon. It's type advantage over Regice doesn't help, though.
* MakeMeWannaShout: It makes a loud shriek when using Metal Sound, creating a soundwave with lots of air pressure, which not only weakens the opponent's (special) defense, but it also stops their movements temporarily.
* NoSell: Aggron has the ability Rock Head, which nullifies recoil damage from moves, allowing it to use Double-Edge without any risk.
* SacrificialLamb: Aggron and Gastrodon are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
* StatusAilment: Aggron knows Metal Sound which can decrease the (special) defense power of its opponent.
* StatusBuff: Lairon used Iron Defense to sharply raise its defensive power, a desperate move from Paul to stand a chance against Pyramid King Brandon. It didn't help at all. Even worse, it's the only move Lairon used during the battle.
* TheWorfEffect: While it has a type advantage over Regice, even trying to defend itself makes things only worse, causing Lairon to be defeated really quickly.
!!Gastrodon (Tritodon)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gastrodon.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
An Eastern Gastrodon which is used as one of the two Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their match in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is one Paul's two Pokémon shown to use Counter Shield.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Ice Beam and Water Pulse out of its mouth, making it primarily a LongRangeFighter.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Gastrodon uses Counter Shield with Muddy Water, spinning around on the ground to trap a flying opponent in the air with Muddy Water. If the opponent flies near the ground to avoid Counter Shield, it can be easily pinned down with Body Slam.
* FinishingMove: What Water Pulse is intended to be. When Gastrodon pins its opponent down with Body Slam, it fires Water Pulse directly into the air, planning to dodge the attack descending at an increased speed at the last second. It almost works, but Ash's Staraptor breaks free by using Close Combat on the ground. However, Paul had already predicted that maneuver and hits Staraptor with Ice Beam anyway.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Gastrodon freezes Buizel covered in Aqua Jet, but Paul doesn't know that Ash would improvise an Ice Aqua Jet, which leads to Gastrodon's defeat.
* AnIcePerson: It knows the Ice-type move Ice Beam, which is super effective against Flying-type Pokémon like Staraptor. It bites it in the ass though, since Paul is not prepared for an improvised Ice Aqua Jet from Ash's Buizel.
* MakingASplash: Gastrodon is part Water-type and knows the Water-type moves Muddy Water and Water Pulse. With Muddy Water, it is capable of utilizing Counter Shield, while Water Pulse is used as a FinishingMove.
* SacrificialLamb: Gastrodon and Aggron are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
!!Drapion (Dorapion)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_drapion.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
A powerful Poison/Dark-type Pokémon used during the battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is another one of Paul's most competent Pokémon, defeating half of Ash's team with its traps and strength.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Drapion is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant, purple poisonous scorpion and it appropriately knows the Bug-type move Pin Missile.
* TheBrute: A Pokémon who is designated to poison the opponent and make them suffer, and it has enough brute strength to take on powerful Pokémon like Ash's Torterra and Gliscor.
* EvilCounterpart: Drapion appears to be one to Ash's Gliscor. Both of them are used in the same league battle, both are purple scorpions yet neither of them are Bug-type Pokémon, but they do know Bug-type moves. Their moves are also similar; Drapion knows Cross Poison, Gliscor knows X-Scissor; Drapion knows Poison Fang, Gliscor knows Fire Fang; Drapion has the long range barrage attack Pin Missile, Gliscor has the long range barrage attack Stone Edge..
* KillItWithFire: After a long battle, Drapion is taken down by burn damage inflicted from Gliscor's Fire Fang.
* ManBitesMan: Subverted. It knows Poison Fang, a move that normally involves utilizing the user's teeth. But instead of biting the opponent with its teeth, Drapion transfers Poison Fang's power from its fangs to its claws while keeping the same effect.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: When using Pin Missile, it fires lots of missiles towards the opponent. Ash's Buizel and Torterra are taken down by barrages of Pin Missile. It also serves as Drapion's long range attack.
* OneManArmy: Drapion takes down half of Ash's Pokémon during his league match with paul.
* PoisonousPerson: Drapion is primarily a Poison-type Pokémon and Paul uses its poison to great effects. Drapion lays out Toxic Spikes to poison any opponent touching the ground, and in close combat it strikes down with Cross Poison and Poison Fang.
* PrehensileTail: Drapion uses its tail to capture its opponents.
* StatusAilment: Drapion is all about poisoning the opponent. By laying Toxic Spike on the field, it almost guarantees to poison the opponent's entire team.
* TrapMaster: Drapion can lay out Toxic Spikes on the field, which will poison any opposing Pokémon who touches the ground. It also tends to capture its opponents with its tail, slamming them on the ground to poison them with Toxic Spike's effect and attacking them while still holding them with its tail.
!!Froslass (Yukimenoko)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_froslass.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/SatsukiYukino\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bella Hudson
An Ice/Ghost-type Pokémon used during the match against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It puts a tough fight against Pikachu, but she nevertheless defeated by the electric mouse. She is the only one of Paul's Pokémon to fight only one of Ash's Pokémon during the match.
----
* BreathWeapon: She fires her Ice Beam from her mouth like many other Pokémon. She freezes Pikachu with it, but he breaks through the ice with his Volt Tackle and knocks her out.
* AnIcePerson: Froslass is primarily an Ice-type Pokémon, knowing the Ice-type moves Hail, Ice Shard and Ice Beam and has the ability Snow Cloak to match. With Hail, she not only creates a snowstorm, her Snow Cloak also activates, allowing her to disappear and reappear in battle, which makes it difficult to hit her while the opponent takes damage from Hail.
* KamehameHadouken: Her Ice Shard is an energy ball of ice which she throws at the opponent. Similar like Focus Blast, it takes some time to charge it, which causes her to lose against Pikachu.
* LadyOfWar: An elegant female Pokémon, who has the graceful characteristics of a ''yuki onna'' and merciless freezes her opponent in ice.
* PowerFloats: Froslass is capable of floating in mid-air, which adds to her ghostly appearance.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She is the only known female Pokémon in Paul's possession.
* SoulPower: While part Ghost-type, Froslass is not shown to use Ghost-type moves. However, her Snow Cloak ability gives her the presence of a ghost, allowing her to disappear and reappear throughout the battle, which makes it harder to fight her, since attacks can go through her.
* StatusBuff: What Snow Cloak does is increasing her evasiveness in Hail. This is shown as her disappearing and reappearing in battle and being more or less tangible.
* {{Yokai}}: Froslass is based on the ''yuki onna'' and she lives up to this trope. With her Snow Cloak ability, she can disappear and reappear during battle, giving her an elegant yet ghostly and mystical presence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Zoey (Nozomi)]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Zoey_5191.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHayamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Elisabeth Morinelli\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/MariaFernandaMorales\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Claire Tefnin
Dawn's main rival in the Sinnoh region as a Pokémon coordinator. Despite her tomboyish appearance, she gets along with everyone pretty well, though she does get angry at Ash when he first thought it would be a good idea to be both a Pokémon trainer and coordinator. She mellows out, however, after some experience with him and Nando.
----
* TheAce: Zoey is one of the most skilled Pokémon Coordinators in the series. She ends up winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival and comes away with the prized Ribbon Cup, after a long and hard match with Dawn that comes straight down to the wire.
* AffectionateNickname: Her best buddy Candice calls her "Zozo" (in English) or "Nozotchi" (in Japanese).
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To date, Dawn has never beaten her directly in a Contest.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Her Contest outfits are tuxes or pantsuits, save for her Grand Festival one which looks more like a stylized kimono.
* BoyishShortHair: She's easily the most tomboyish of Dawn's rivals. She also has short and spiky hair.
* BreakTheHaughty: A fairly mild example in ''Dawn's Early Night.'' At the beginning of the episode, she is confident in her belief that a Trainer who does both Contests and Gym Battles cannot be as skilled as someone who dedicates themselves to only a single goal. She begins to rethink her position after she loses the Hearthome Ribbon to Nando, who she had previously scorned for being both a Trainer and a Coordinator.
* BrutalHonesty: She doesn't bother softening her opinions for others. When she's told that Nando does both Contests and Gym Battles, her response is, "[He] really needs to make up his mind."
* CatchPhrase:
** "[Pokémon]! Ready? Go!"
** At least in the first season of Diamond and Pearl: "[Pokémon]! Curtain!"
* CharacterDevelopment: Zoey, being so devoted to her own dream of becoming Top Coordinator, originally took offense at Trainers who tried both coordinating and battling, assuming them to be less invested in their dreams. This brought her into conflict with both Ash (who early in his Sinnoh adventure dabbled in Contests himself) and Nando (for whom doing both was his primary goal). While she eased off after facing off with Ash, they still agreed he'd not be the best fit for Contests due to his temperament. Then Nando blew her away by clobbering her at the Hearthome Contest. By the time of the Wallace Cup, she accepted her perspective to have been closed-off and properly apologized to Ash for her attitude; later, she battled Gym Leader Fantina (a former Top Coordinator) in a straight match which she enjoyed.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Candice, who helped her raise her Glameow in secret.
* CoolBigSis: Zoey served as both rival and mentor early on, helping Dawn get prepared for contests even as an opponent.
* CoolShades: She's frequently seen wearing these on top of her head.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Red hair, red eyes.
* CuteKitten: Glameow (who Zoey actually ''did'' find as a kitten!)
* DoppelgangerSpin: Mismagius and Leafeon's Double Team.
* EnergyBall: Leafeon's attack of the same name.
* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow's Iron Tail.
* {{Fauxshadow}}: Before Dawn's contest debut, Zoey tells Dawn that she's gonna win, but in the next episode, cue her CurbStompBattle at the hands of Zoey.
* FieryRedhead: Toyed with. She's normally [[TheStoic rather mellow]], except when it comes to Paul's abuse of his Pokémon, which angers her like everyone else. Or discussing Trainers who partake in Gym Battles and Contests.
* {{Foil}}: To three characters, all other Coordinators.
** To Dawn; as her mentor and rival, she provides the straightest parallel to her while sharing the same goal. She's experienced where Dawn is a rookie and the tomboy to her girly girl. On and off the Contest field, her Pokémon present flawlessly synchronized teamwork while Dawn often has to struggle to get her sometimes-disobedient Pokémon to follow her lead. Her strategy for turning in winning Contest performances is to plan and perfect every move beforehand, as opposed to the unexpected yet stunning combinations Dawn pulls out on the fly, as a result of quick thinking, luck with a little prior planning, or both.
** To Nando. While it's less obvious due to his conspicuous lack of screentime, he and Zoey are complete opposites in nearly all aspects. He devotes himself to Gym Battles and Contests, she puts all of her energy solely into Contests. [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy She's a tomboyish teenage girl, Nando is a feminine male.]] She's easily fired up, open with her opinions and not afraid to say what she thinks, he's soft spoken and polite with a cool facade that rarely breaks. She lacks a preferred type specialty, as opposed to his team of Bug and Grass types. Their differences can even be seen in the way they perform; her combinations vary in effects and style while Nando's preferred techniques reflect a single central theme (music).
** To Kenny. A departure from the previous two mentioned above, the parallel between him and Zoey isn't so much the differences between them as it is the opposing ways that they help Dawn to grow through their relationships with her. Zoey's way of helping her improve as a person and as a coordinator is more straightforward and older sister-like, teaching her necessary skills and encouraging her to do her best, while the majority of Kenny's interactions with Dawn volley between [[TheGadfly childish teasing]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sincere encouragement,]] posing as a source of annoyance for her and at the same time motivating her to prove that she's capable of besting him and her other rivals in battle.
* FromStrayToPet: The episode ''Classroom Training!'' explains how she met her Glameow. As a child, she found it in a cardboard box on the street. Her parents refused to let her keep it, but with Candice's help, she secretly raised it in a shed behind her house until she was old enough to become a Trainer.
* GreenThumb: Leafeon, Gallade's Magical Leaf.
* AnIcePerson: Gastrodon's Blizzard.
* LaserBlade: Leafeon's Leaf Blade, due to PowerGlows.
* MakingASplash: Lumineon is water-type.
* MeaningfulName: The Nozomi is a Japanese bullet train service that goes in the opposite direction of the Hikari bullet train service. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter The Nozomi is faster than the Hikari]].
* NonElemental: Glameow is Normal-Type.
* PrinciplesZealot: When she started, Zoey would presume any trainers dabbling in both the gyms and contests to be TheDitherer and would criticize them for a lack of conviction; she backed off once Nando proved it was a viable path.
* RedOniBlueOni: She's cast as the red to Nando and Dawn's blue during contest battles.
* SempaiKohai: Kohai to Snowpoint Gym Leader Candice. This is explicit in the Japanese, where they do actually use the titles.
* ShockAndAwe: Both her Glameow and her Mismagius can use electric attacks, with both knowing Shock Wave and Glameow knowing the more powerful Thunderbolt.
* SoulPower: Uses the ghost type Mismagius as one of her main Pokemon. Her Glameow can also use the ghost type Shadow Claw move.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name is frequently misspelled as "Zoe".
* SpikyHair: Fitting her tomboy nature.
* StraightMan: To Dawn and her friend's antics quite frequently.
* TheStoic: In Contests and sometimes outside of them, Zoey usually seems very collected and is not one to lose her cool. This is one thing that makes her NotSoDifferent from Nando, who has a similar attitude.
* PsychicPowers: Her Mismagius can use Psywave. Its a powerful offensive move, but is also useful in performances to accentuate her costumes.
* ATasteOfDefeat: She's a highly skilled and competent Coordinator, but even she isn't immune to losing once in a while. She loses to Nando at the Hearthome Contest finals and May in the Wallace Cup semifinals.
* TechnicolorEyes: Red ones, matching her [[CurtainsMatchTheWindow eyes.]]
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Dawn's Girly Girl. Accentuated by the fact that she always wears suits in her Contests, never dresses. In addition to the contrast, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it shows that she's no less feminine than Dawn]], just unconventional about it - her flashy suit in the Grand Festival was particularly fashionable and made to accentuate her femininity instead of negating it.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She's a short-haired tomboy who regularly competes in the fashionable and flashy Contests.
* {{Tsundere}}: Towards Nando in ''Dawn's Early Night!''
* TheUnreveal: Her battle with Nando for the Hearthome Ribbon in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' which she loses, is never actually seen, and only its aftermath is shown. Whatever he did during it, he managed to impress her a great deal.
-->'''Zoey:''' Nando really is something else. The way he's chosen to compete in Contests and Gym Battles, it's like he knows it's his destiny!
* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Her Leafeon can use the flying type Aerial Ace.
* WiseBeyondHerYears: She's a very knowledgeable and insightful character. Not without her flaws, but still rather mature for her apparent age.
* WorthyOpponent: For Dawn. Coming to see Nando as one is a key step in her CharacterDevelopment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kenny (Kengo)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Kenny_80.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' YukoMita\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Rhonda Krempa\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín (seasons 10 and 13), Xóchitl Ugarte (season 11), Bruno Coronel (season 12).
Dawn's childhood friend and another Pokémon Coordinator. He gave her the nickname of Dee-Dee/Pikari, and never lets her forget... not that she has a hard time forgetting it.
----
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Heavily implied in ''Four Roads Diverged in a Pokémon Port!'' when Dawn chooses to travel with [[ChasteHero Ash]] to cheer him on in the Lily of the Valley Conference and not him when he made the offer. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools He takes it quite well though.]]
%%* BubbleGun: Empoleon's, as a Prinplup, Bubble Beam.
* ColorMotif: Blue, serving to reflect his rivalry with Dawn and their similar roots. Two of his Pokémon are Water type, one of which is the evolved form of Dawn's starter, he has a blue Pokétch, he was seen wearing a blue shirt in a flashback and he dons a blue suit for the Grand Festival.
* DecompositeCharacter: He fills the role that Barry does for Dawn as the player character in the games, being (one of) her main rivals.
* EpicFail: His performance at the Grand Festival. He washes out in the performance round due to not having practiced his routine with his newly evolved Empoleon. Empoleon unfortunately didn't know its own strength, and knocked out his partner.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He starts with the Piplup line like Dawn, making him one of the few rivals that has the same starter as their main cast counterpart.
* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: Dawn apparently didn't know he was going to be a Coordinator.
* TheGadfly: He ''loves'' to get under Dawn's skin.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Seems to express his crush on Dawn by relentlessly teasing her about their childhood days.
* KidsAreCruel: He looks this way when we find out the backstory of "Dee Dee", the EmbarrassingNickname he hung on Dawn. Especially since he got the entire class hooked to that nickname where the entire class calls her by that very name he coined. He and Dawn ended up friends eventually though.
%%* MegatonPunch: Breloom's Mach Punch.
%%* MindOverMatter: Alakazam
* TheNicknamer: Came up with Dee-Dee/Pikari.
%%* OddFriendship: With Barry.
%%* RazorWind: Floatzel's attack.
%%* ShonenHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barry (Jun)]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Barry_8307.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Jamie [=McGonnigal=]\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Ricardo Bautista (seasons 11 and 13), Miguel Ángel Ruiz (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Grégory Praet
Another of Ash's rivals in the Sinnoh Region, though neither one really considers the other to be a rival. Barry wants to go after Paul, and oftens encounters Ash during his travels. They share a competitive friendship as trainers, and Barry isn't too bad as one himself.
----
%%* AnimeHair: It's pretty gravity defiant.
* AttackAttackAttack: This is typical his strategy in battle. And it doesn't help that he's not particularly creative either.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: His usual approach to events. Though he once waited long enough for a Heracross to be attracted by slathered honey.
* ButtMonkey: Silly, unfortunate things happen to him all the time. He forgets things, people keep getting in his way while he's running around, Gible eats his bike and gym battle ticket, etc.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "I'm going to make you pay a fine for that! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four -- "
* CharacterExaggeration: He doesn't have the level of characterization (and CharacterDevelopment) his game counterpart had, nearly to the point of being a SatelliteCharacter.
* CharacterTics: Snapping his fingers.
* CrashIntoHello: Every single time he appears, it's by crashing into someone at full speed. [[HypocriticalHumor And then admonsishing them to watch where they're going]].
* CurbStompBattle: He tried. [[{{Determinator}} Good lord]], [[DiedStandingUp he tried]]. Yet in the end, [[HardWorkHardlyWorks all he ended up with]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog was a devastating 3-0 loss to]] [[ArchEnemy Paul]].
* DeathOrGloryAttack: His Empoleon's signature move is Hydro Cannon and it also learns Hyper Beam, which puts alot of power into a single attack but leaves it defenseless afterwards. And after a Torrent boost on top of that it's completely stopped by Electivire's Protect and unable to do nothing but stand and take the retaliation.
* {{Determinator}}: Just watch how hard he and his team try to win when they face Paul.
* TheDitz: Barry tends to act faster than he thinks.
* DumbBlonde: While not at all unintelligent, he's seriously [[HotBlooded impatient and rushes into things without thinking]].
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He also starts with Empoleon, who seems to be a popular choice in-universe.
* FailedASpotCheck: He was so absorbed in telling Dawn and Brock about Tobias the OlympusMons trainer that it took him a while to even notice Ash's match.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:After losing to Paul in the Sinnoh League, he commends Paul for the battle the two shared. Paul, surprisingly, returns the favor]].
* GratuitousEnglish: Most notably, [[OddFriendship "BEST FRIENDS!"]] and "DADDY!?"
* HotBlooded: He is the son of Palmer after all. He throws his Poké Ball so hard, he does a ''complete forward flip'' in the process.
* HypocriticalHumor: He tells others to watch where they are going, but Barry himself doesn't watch where ''he'' is going.
* {{Keet}}: He has a near limitless supply of chaotic energy, which he expresses by running full-tilt wherever he goes, gesticulating like a madman, and never saying a single word below a yell.
* LargeHam: Barry honestly could pursue a career in theatrics with the level of drama he acts out.
* MotorMouth: Barry talks entirely too much sometimes.
* NoIndoorVoice: Every line he has is yelled at the top of his lungs.
* NoodleIncident: According to Dawn, he was once involved in a singing duet with an ''Exploud''.
* RunningGag: He always interrupts Team Rocket before they can finish their motto.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: His wails are always very silly and over the top.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Barry treats himself like he's a world class trainer. Paul barely even acknowledges his existence. Not to mention even after Ash proves himself a better trainer than him, Barry still thought the opposite for a time.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has spiky blond hair similar to Palmer's.
* TechnicolorEyes: Orange.
* UnknownRival: Wants to be a Rival of Paul's. But if it was even possible, Paul treats him with more disdain than he does with Ash. [[spoiler:After his loss in the Sinnoh League, Paul does acknowledge his skill.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In "To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!" he pretty much disappears after losing and is not heard from until his next appearance in "Historical Mystery Tour".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ursula (Urara)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Ursula_4230.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Melisa Schroenburg\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Betzabé Jara (season 12), Creator/CristinaHernandez (season 13)
A fellow Pokémon Coordinator with a rather poisonous personality who Dawn met at the Chocovine Pokémon Contest. Believing that Dawn's Wallace Cup victory was a fluke, she's determined to knock her down a peg or two.
----
* AlphaBitch: She's the only one of Dawn's rivals that is openly hostile to her, mainly because she's a snob who doesn't think Dawn is good enough to compete with her.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: In her first appearance, she refuses to believe Dawn's win against May was based on skill.
* BitingTheHandkerchief: In Jessie's flashback, she is seen doing this after losing in the first round of the Wallace Cup, out of rage for having been eliminated in the first round.
* BreakTheHaughty: The only way for Dawn to do it was to knock out her Pokémon in their third battle. Ursula has no choice but to acknowledge that Dawn is her superior, and she significantly mellows out.
* CharacterTics: When giving commands in a Pokémon Contest, she makes the "ILY" hand sign with both hands and her arms crossed.
* CombatPragmatist: Just like Harley before her, but more subtle and strategic. She has no qualms about using Dawn's fear of Plusle and Minun against her in a Contest, or having them use Encore to force her opponent's Pokémon to perform the same move over and over, causing them to lose points with the judges.
* DoppelgangerSpin: Her Gabite can use Double Team, which it uses effectively as a diversionary tactic in battles.
* DecompositeCharacter: She takes after Harley in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions, while Nando takes after him in appearance, voice, and mannerisms.
* EvilCounterpart:
** To Dawn. They're both ambitious and talented at Contests, but the difference is that Dawn is kind and sweet to nearly everyone she meets, while Ursula taunts her opponents, boasts about her abilities, and has no qualms about humiliating her opponents in public.
** She could be considered one to Zoey as she belittles Dawn and puts her down while Zoey is a helpful [[BigBrotherMentor big sister mentor]] to her instead.
* EvilIsPetty: She goes out of her way to spite Dawn at every turn, simply because she believes her to be an incompetent Coordinator who scrapes by on dumb luck.
-->'''Ursula:''' ''(addressing Zoey)'' I'll make sure you and Dawn never meet in the final round!
* EvilLaugh: "Ahahahahahaha!"
* {{Expy}}: Ursula has a good set of mixed influences.
** As a red-head with elaborately curled pigtails, she bears a striking resemblance to [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Amy Sorel]] and [[Music/{{UTAU}} Kasane Teto]], and has a less direct resemblance to [[Anime/YesPrecure5 Urara Kasugano]].
** She also inherits the role of the harshest of Dawn's rivals from Harley, who was much the same for May.
* FelonyMisdemeanor: "The horror! My beautiful Gabite's been soiled! How dare you!"
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Being a Coordinator, she has some skill at cooking Poffins, though Dawn's Pachirisu doesn't like the ones she makes.
* GameBreaker: InUniverse. In one contest, where the goal was to impress the judges with ''varied'' moves, she used Encore, forcing the opponents to repeat moves and thus lose points.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Her hair ribbons are a pale lavender.
* ImprobableHairstyle: She wears her hair in pink twin drills.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: She appears three times in the series. Each time, she gets her butt kicked by Dawn, including one time when her Gabite lost to ''Pachirisu.''
* InsufferableGenius: She's a skilled Pokémon coordinator...and she makes sure everyone knows it.
* ItOnlyWorksOnce: Her Grand Festival appeal involves her two Eevee evolving into Vaporeon and Flareon mid-performance. It makes for an impressive display, but as Brock notes, it can only be pulled off once.
* ManipulativeBitch: In battles, she specializes in psyching her opponents out by confusing and intimidating them. This is even more effective in contest battles than in regular ones, as her opponents flinching and stumbling costs them performance points.
* MeaningfulName: In the original version, her name is derived from 麗らか ''uraraka,'' Japanese for beautiful or glorious.
* MegaTwintails: Her pink hair is styled in large drill-shaped pigtails.
* PetTheDog:
** In her first appearance, she offers Dawn's Pachirisu a Poffin to replace the one her Gabite stepped on. Pachirisu didn't like the taste, but it's the thought that counts.
** Despite her arrogance, Ursula cares for her Pokémon and treats them well, unlike Paul. When her Gabite loses the Chocovine Contest, she comforts her and tells her that she did a great job. [[spoiler: And she comes to have ''some'' respect for Dawn in the end, as much as she may deny it.]]
* RememberTheNewGuy: She participated in the Wallace Cup and lost in the first round, but didn't appear during that arc.
* RollingAttack: Jigglypuff's Rollout, also Plusle and Minun's "twin attack formation" in ''Playing the Performance Encore!''
* TechnicolorEyes: A dark pink that matches her hair.
* TrueBlueFemininity: Her Grand Festival dress is three different shades of blue.
* WonderTwinPowers: Not only do her Plusle and Minun know Helping Hand, they work perfectly together in Contests, making them a fantastic choice for Double Battles.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Her hair and eyes are light pink.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Conway (Kōhei/Kouhei)]]
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conway_screenshot_6447.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kozo Mito\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/IrwinDaayan (season 10 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz (season 11).
Dawn's partner in the Hearthome Tag Battle competition, who took a liking to her. He was only intended to appear for a few episodes, but [[EnsembleDarkhorse unexpected popularity among the fanbase]] brought him back for more.
----
* AdjustingYourGlasses: His CharacterTic is adjusting his glasses by the lens, accompanied by a [[ScaryShinyGlasses distinctive glare]].
* BadassBookworm: He's big on battle strategy, even giving Ash a hard time in their League battle.
* BattleCouple: Formed one with Dawn in the Tag Battle Tournament. Although the affection is one-sided...
* BlueWithShock: When he found out the "little girl" he partnered with in a Pokémon Summer Academy race was [[spoiler:a ghost.]]
* BreakoutCharacter: He was originally just a supporting character in a plot-significant three-parter, but he made such an impact that he became a recurring rival.
* CharacterTics: Tweaking and/or [[ScaryShinyGlasses shining]] his glasses.
* ConfusionFu: His battle plan against Ash involves using moves designed to keep Ash guessing, like Trick Room to make his slower pokemon into {{LightningBruiser|s}}, or Power Trick to turn his StoneWall Shuckle into a MightyGlacier. Of course, Ash lives and breathes being unpredictable, and so he manages to out-weird Conway for the win.
* CreepyMonotone: Speaks like this briefly in "Ghoul Daze!" when under the ghost girl's mind-control.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: For a creepy, nerdy stalker, it's very surprising to see how ridiculously competent Conway can be in battle. In addition, he sports a nice variety of Pokémon despite his battling skills not being highlighted often.
* DidNotSeeThatComing: Like many of Ash's opponents, Conway gets thrown off when his opponent improvises. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Namely, Gible catching Dusknoir's Shadow Punch with his mouth and not letting go]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
-->'''Conway:''' ''(off-screen)'' Well, how are you, Number 28?\\
'''Dawn:''' ''(cheerfully)'' I'm fine!\\
''(cut to a close-up of Conway with ScaryShinyGlasses)''\\
'''Conway:''' That's good. Conway is the name. A pleasure.
* {{Expy}}: His design is based on the Super Nerd Trainer class in the main ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games.
* FlawExploitation: In the battle against Paul and Ash, he exploited the fact Paul loved to use Protect by having a Pokémon with Feint. Later, he was well aware Ash had a preference for using FragileSpeedster type Pokémon by using Trick Room.
* GuileHero: What makes him so formidable. He's an extremely tricky and clever strategist, and can fight on par with Ash and Paul on sheer wit alone.
* LightningBruiser:
** Dusknoir when using Trick Room outspeeds almost everything on Ash's team due to Trick Room causing slower Pokémon to go first. Finally, Dusknoir was shown taking and dealing out hits with ease.
** His Shuckle is not fast, but its defenses are really good, and there's a special move that unlocks its offensive powers...
* MightyGlacier: Dusknoir, out of Trick Room, due to its low speed but amazing ability to take hits and dish them out.
* NearDeathExperience: In ''Ghoul Daze,'' he almost gets lured off a cliff by a creepy ghost girl. Luckily, he's saved by a Dusknoir.
* NonActionGuy: Despite making good showings in the first two legs of the Pokémon Triathlon, making good use of Dugtrio's Dig and Floatzel's Dive to bypass the other competitors, he ultimately loses in the final leg because he's bad at long-distance running.
-->'''Conway:''' Big mistake. Not doing a little cardio training was pretty dumb.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: He could sometimes engage in this, particularly with Dawn.
* OverlyLongTongue: Conway's Lickilicky has a tongue twice the length of its body. ''Exactly'' twice
* ReusedCharacterDesign: He looks very similar to a grown-up version of Max.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with a creepy chuckle and a SlasherSmile.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: In the English dub, he's got a pretty impressive vocabulary that he makes full use of.
* ShirtlessScene: In ''Up Close and Personable,'' justified in that said episode involved the Pokémon Summer Academy students diving underwater to search for aquatic Pokémon.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Never shows any attraction towards anyone but Dawn.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His Japanese name can be spelled either "Kōhei" or "Kouhei".
* StalkerWithACrush: He follows Dawn everywhere, popping up behind her at random times and offering her advice. Apparently, he went to the Pokémon Summer Academy ''just'' because he knew she would be there.
* StealthHiBye: A running gag is him randomly appearing from behind Dawn and startling her (as well as anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity).
-->'''Dawn:''' No one makes an entrance like Conway.
* ThirdPersonPerson: "That was quite nice...but Conway never gives up!"
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is dark green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nando (Naoshi)]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TV_Tropes_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KazuyaNakai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' José Arenas
A soft-spoken minstrel with a liking for music and Grass-type Pokémon. In his debut episode, Ash and Dawn helped him decide to participate in both Gym Battles and Contests, making him a rival for both of them.
----
* AdaptationalNationality: The English dub implies that he's Hispanic (or whatever the equivalent is in the Pokémon world), by giving him a name of that origin and an accent that sounds vaguely European, but never confirms it.
* AerithAndBob: On the "Aerith" side of the scale.
* AgentPeacock: Like Harley before him, he acts quite feminine yet proves to be a skilled Trainer and Coordinator.
* AllLovingHero: Doesn't hate or resent ''anyone.''
* AntiquatedLinguistics: His manner of speech is noticeably more formal than most other characters tend to use, for example, saying "I am in your debt" instead of "thank you".
* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/472ps1.shtml this]] (''Dawn of a New Era'') to [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100702033443/es.pokemon/images/2/24/EP652_Nando.png this]] (''League Unleashed'').
* AscendedExtra: Appeared in one of the the very first episodes, seemingly as a one-shot character, and after several noteworthy apearances he ultimately features in both the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh Conference.
* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: He's wearing what appears to be Victorian dress in a modern setting.
* BadassCape: His cape is shaped like a bitten lily, which his perfect for his Bug-type theme.
* BenevolentBoss: He is shown to be kind to his Pokémon, even giving them polite requests during battle instead of commands.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Nando might be sweet and gentle, but in his debut episode, he sends Team Rocket blasting off with Budew's Bullet Seed and comments, [[BondOneLiner "Such a shame. I was having such a pleasant evening before they showed up."]]
* BigDamnHeroes: He had his Budew save Ash and friends from Team Rocket in his debut episode.
* {{Bishonen}}: His character design is pretty feminine. He even appears to be wearing mascara during his Contest performance in "Dawn's Early Night".
* BigNo: [[spoiler:Drops one when Ash's Heracross KO's his Kricketune with Megahorn in the Sinnoh League.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Say what you will about him, but consider this--while most other major characters were practically scrambling to get either eight badges ''or'' five ribbons in time for their event, Nando managed to attain ''both complete sets'' in time for each major competition. He also reached the Top 4 in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and if he ''hadn't'' been matched up against [[PlotArmor Ash]] so early in the Lily of the Valley Conference, it's quite probable he'd have gotten further than just the Top 64 in that competition, as well. He may act as a musical bard most of the time, but he is able to be a very competent coordinator and battler, with Zoey even commenting that the latter was giving him a big edge in their contest battle in the festival.
* CastingGag: This isn't the first time Billy Regan has voiced [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast a flamboyant, green-clad young man with a goal of collecting Contest ribbons and a humanoid, half-Grass-type Pokémon for a partner.]]
* CharacterTics: He often says things in a sing-song voice.
* ClearTheirName: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!'', he's suspected of stealing the Adamant Orb on the grounds that he has a Sunflora, a Pokémon that was seen escaping with the artifact in question. It turned out to be Team Rocket's Meowth in a Sunflora costume.
* ColorMotif: Green, owing to his love of nature and relaxed attitude.
* ConflictKiller: His establishing character moment was breaking up an argument between Ash and Dawn.
* CowardlyLion: Not Nando himself, but his Sunflora. It abandoned him when he was arrested by Officer Jenny, but hunted down Team Rocket for framing him and exposed their disguises, preventing them from successfully escaping the museum with the Adamant Orb.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite his polite and very feminine demeanor, he's no pushover when it comes to Pokémon battles.
* CulturedBadass: He's a skilled musician and studies Sinnoh's history in his spare time.
* DanceBattler: His Lopunny, Roserade and Sunflora all fighting using graceful moves evocative of a dance. Nando sets their rhythm with is music.
* DarkHorseVictory: In the Hearthome Contest. He's underestimated by everyone because he's relatively new to contests and splits his time with gym battles. He ends up crushing the competition in the first round and defeats Zoey to earn the ribbon. Zoey, who had given him a lot of grief for purusing both paths, is extremely caught off-guard.
* ADayInTheLimelight: "Coming Full Festival Circle" sidelines Dawn to feature Nando fighting hard against Zoey to make it to the finals of the Grand Festival.
* DeathByIrony: Defeat, anyway. [[spoiler:Both of his final matches in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League were against a Pokémon matching one of his specialty types -- Leafeon, a Grass-type, and Heracross, a Bug-type.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: He takes after Harley in appearance, voice, and mannerisms, while Ursula takes after him in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After he clobbered Zoey off-screen in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' she changed her mind about not accepting Trainers who choose to participate in both Gyms and Contests.
* DependingOnTheArtist: In early episodes, his bangs were sometimes drawn facing different directions. This stopped by "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* {{Determinator}}: An understated example. Many characters are shown to struggle with obtaining either eight Gym Badges before the regional League or five Contest Ribbons before the Grand Festival. Nando collecting both sets is a testament to his skill in both fields.
* TheDitherer: In his first episode, he could not decide if he wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer or Coordinator. After battling both Ash and Dawn, he took a third option and went down both paths at once.
* TheDogBitesBack: Got Jessie back for the Adamant Orb incident when he defeated her in the Hearthome Contest five episodes later.
* DramaticWind: A gentle breeze follows him wherever he goes, billowing his cape and hair as it does.
* EasilyForgiven: Nando does not seem to hold grudges, as he did not hold any ill will against Officer Jenny for falsely arresting him on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb, nor Zoey for being cold and dismissive to him when she found out he did both Contests and Gym Battles.
* EffeminateVoice: The American dub gives him a soft, gentle voice with a thick, vaguely European accent.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Briefly. When James and Meowth are selling Pokémon Coordinator merchandise during ''Opposites Interact,'' you can hear a male voice saying, "I'd like a photo of Nando..."
* ExtremeDoormat: He let the Eterna City Officer Jenny tie him up in "A Secret Sphere of Influence!". That should tell you something.
* {{Expy}}: Visually a dead ringer for Harley, down to sharing the same voice actor. His personality, though, is a closer match to Robert's, being a polite gentleman and skilled Coordinator.
* FatalFlaw: His over-reliance on his SignatureMove, Sing, was exploited by Zoey in the Grand Festival and Ash in the Sinnoh League.
* FlatCharacter: Gets this accusation thrown at him a lot because unlike the other Sinnoh rivals he's just a straight-up NiceGuy whose spirit never wavers at all.
* FluffyFashionFeathers: He wears them in his hat during Contests.
* {{Foil}}: The calm, even-tempered dual-duty Pokémon trainer to match Zoey the determined, competitive Pokémon Coordinator.
* FrameUp: Victim of an unintentional one in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' when Team Rocket breaks into the Eterna Museum and steals the Adamant Orb with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, at the exact same time Nando happens to be there with his own Sunflora.
* FriendToAllChildren: He gets along pretty well with Ash, Brock, and Dawn.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: The night before the Grand Festival semifinals has him playing harp music to a gathering of wild Pokémon in the forest.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' he visits the Eterna Museum to study the history of Sinnoh. Unfortunately for him, he's there at the exact same time Team Rocket is stealing the Adamant Orb, with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, a Pokémon he just happens to have on hand.
* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: His iconic Mew harp. He also wears a gold shoulderplate while performing in Contests.
* HarpOfFemininity: Inverted and played straight at the same time -- he's a guy who plays the harp, but an extremely feminine guy at that.
* IconicItem: He is never seen without his golden Mew-shaped harp.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Everyone else was surprised when he was revealed to have a Lopunny in the Grand Festival, a Pokémon that doesn't fit the theme of his team, as it's not a Bug- or Grass-type and can't use Sing.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Zoey, Dawn, Brock, and Ash. They are all children and teenagers while Nando appears to be in his early twenties.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: Pronounces his own name the way it would be said by a Spanish speaker ("Nahn-do").
* JackOfAllTrades: He's a skilled battler and Pokemon coordinator, and his skills in both compliment each other.
** MasterOfNone: Ultimately, as while he made good showings in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League, he won neither of them. It doesn't seem to bother him, though.
* JustAStupidAccent: He's inexplicably given an accent in the English dub that sounds vaguely Spanish. Where he would have picked it up is anyone's guess.
* LimitedWardrobe: Like many other things about him, this is a departure from the traditional mold of Pokémon characters. While it's not unusual for minor characters to have only one or two outfits, most Sinnoh Coordinators have a variety of ensembles to wear while performing (Dawn's PimpedOutDress[=es=] and Zoey's tuxedos come to mind). The most he does during a Contest is stick a feather in his hat, put on a gold shoulderplate, and swap out his single-Mew harp for a double-Mew one.
* LongBusTrip: Ignoring his cameo in ''A Breed Stampede,'' he disappeared for a year after ''Dawn's Early Night.''
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Shoulder-length dark hair and a fey appearance.
* LuckyTranslation: His English name, which is in Spanish, just happens to actually be a Japanese word that means "many times", which matches up with the large number of battles he has to do as both a pursuer of Gym Badges and a Coordinator.
* MagicMusic: His harp has an inexplicable ability to calm any
* MeaningfulName:
** He shares his Japanese name with Naoshi Mizuta, another musician.
** In English, his name rhymes with "gliss'''ando'''", a musical term denoting a glide from one pitch to another. It can be played on many instruments, including a harp.
* MellowFellow: Always remains nonchalant and even-tempered. Even when he was accused by Officer Jenny of stealing a priceless artifact from the Eterna Museum, he calmly defended himself without blinking an eye.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: He loses his calm demeanor when he gets really into the Heracross vs. Kricketune match in the Sinnoh League, gesticulating wildly with his hands and even dramatically swishing his cape.
* {{Motifs}}: Music notes.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Nando sticks out somewhat awkwardly among the typical rival lineup, doing contests and battles at the same time, dressing up in an anachronistic minstrel outfit, and hanging out with kids several years younger than he is.
* MythologyGag: Possibly; he wasn't the first [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Bard#The_bard bard]] to appear in the Pokémon continuity.
* NatureHero: Most of his Pokémon are Bug and Grass types, and his first episode had him camping outside with Ash and friends.
* NervesOfSteel: Arrested on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb? Criticized for being a Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon Coordinator at the same time? Not a problem for this even-tempered minstrel. [[spoiler:Realizing his Kricketune is on the losing end of a sparring match with Ash's Heracross might be a different story, though...]]
* NeverBareheaded: He never takes his hat off, although [[http://pkmncoordinators.tumblr.com/post/62569836544/pokemon-settei-pokemon-settei-nando-naoshi production art]] shows what he looks like without it.
* NiceGuy: Always unfailingly kind and polite, so much so that he gives polite requests to his Pokémon in battle instead of commands.
* NiceHat: A wide brimmed, high-crowned hat that's the same forest green as his cape. It's easily his most notable feature.
* NonSpecificallyForeign: Implied by the dub, which gives him a name of Spanish origin and a thick, vaguely European-sounding accent.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Downplayed -- he has smaller and more realistically drawn eyes than other characters. It's especially obvious when his headshot is visible among the others on a Pokémon Contest screen.
* NotSoStoic: He projects an air of serenity no matter what. However, in his battles with Ash in the Sinnoh League and Zoey in the Grand Festival, he's intensely passionate.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Only character to regularly participate in both Contests and Gym Battles.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: No matter the situation, Nando nearly always remains calm and level-headed, rarely losing his cool. But when his Pokémon start showing signs of being in trouble during the Grand Festival and League Conference battles, he actually starts to raise his voice and [[MilkingTheGiantCow gesture with his hands]] when giving them battle commands.
* OutOfFocus: And ''how'' - he disappeared for 125 episodes after "Dawn's Early Night!" (barring a brief cameo), before finally returning for real during the Grand Festival and the Lily of the Valley Conference.
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his left eye.
* PerpetualSmiler: Always has a calm smile on his face, unless he's fighting a particularly difficult opponent.
* PersonalityPowers: His calm, composed and harmonious nature perfectly fits his preference for musical attacks.
* ThePollyanna: Nothing shakes his unflapple demeanor except briefly. He does regret his defeats, but he shakes them off and simply commits to trying harder.
* RhymesOnADime: As a minstrel he often speaks in rhyming couplets.
* SayMyName:
-->'''Officer Jenny:''' Excuse me. I've just captured Suspect #1. ''(she pulls Nando into the shot)'' Get this. He calls himself a Pokémon troubadour, but I don't buy it at all.
-->'''Ash/Brock/Dawn:''' ''Nando?!''
* SharpDressedMan: Overdressed, in fact, wearing a waistcoat and a cape while traveling.
* SilkHidingSteel: Although he's not female as this trope usually implies, this seems to be Nando's philosophy when it comes to battle. Most of his Pokémon are ones that are beautiful and graceful, yet powerful fighters.
* StealthPun: He's a musician who's always incredibly calm. You could say he's very composed.
* TheStoryteller: "In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos. And at the heart of the chaos, where all things become one, came the one."
* TakeAThirdOption: When we first see Nando, he was having trouble if he wanted to pursue gym battles or contest ones before eventually settling on both. It did wonders for him.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: The "tall" part is more noticeable since he usually hangs around kids, but "A Secret Sphere of Influence" and "A Breed Stampede" show him to be even taller than Officer Jenny and Mr. Contesta, respectively.
* TokenAdult: Ash's and Dawn's only adult rival.
* UncattyResemblance: Wears a green cape similar to his Roserade's.
* UnexplainedAccent: The American dub gives him a European accent that seems to vary from episode to episode.
* TheUnfought: Dawn never faced him directly in an actual Contest battle (though they did have a practice bout in [=DP004=], which he won).
* TheUnreveal: When he shows his badge case to Ash and Dawn in ''Last Call, First Round!,'' it has seven badges and one empty slot for the Mine Badge (which is Byron's), but we never find out where and from whom he got his last badge in-between that episode and ''An Old Family Blend!''
* VagueAge: Appears to be in his early 20s, but his outfit and old-fashioned speech patterns give the impression of someone much older.
* VocalEvolution: After a year long absence, his accent became slightly more pronounced.
* WanderingMinstrel: He self-describes as such, a rare example of this trope in a modern setting.
* WaistcoatOfStyle: Wears one under his cape. Oddly for the trope, it's the ''least'' notable part of his ensemble, but it's still inordinately fancy for his surroundings.
* WarriorPoet: He is a skilled Pokémon Trainer and musician with a love for songs and stories. His habit of rhyming is shown to have rubbed off on Gardenia when she quotes a piece of philosophical poetry in "A Secret Sphere of Influence".
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent?: It sounds vaguely like a mixture of Spanish and Irish.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:He makes it all the way to the top four of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, only to get thrown out of the competition by Zoey. Come the Sinnoh League, Ash wipes the floor with Nando in the ''very first round'' of the Qualifying Matches (the Top 64). In fairness, you can probably blame this on the writers for making Ash his first opponent, or perhaps Zoey was right all along that he should have just stuck with contests. But he sure didn't go out without a fight.]]
* WorthyOpponent: To Zoey and Ash. It takes some time with Zoey, as she dismisses him as a dabbler, but the two times they fight he more than proves himself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tobias (Takuto)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Tobias_7240.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/HirokiTakahashi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JMichaelTatum\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Jaime Alberto Carrillo
A mysterious trainer who first appears during the Sinnoh League Tournament, and one of the most formidable trainers seen in the series by far, due to his possession of extremely rare and powerful legendary Pokémon. Using only [[spoiler:Darkrai]], he has [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] through the Sinnoh Gym Leaders and the League Tournament. [[spoiler: One might be tempted to think that Darkrai is his go-to Pokémon and the rest of his team is comprised of ordinary Pokémon, but only because not a single opponent is able to get past Darkrai in a match with it until Ash has a go at it with his team. When Ash actually does defeat Darkrai, Tobias reveals he has ''several'' legendaries in tow, and plan B is to call on his Latios.]]
----
* TheAce: He is the most skilled trainer shown in the Sinnoh region next to Cynthia, steamrolling ''everyone'' he encounters in the Pokémon League. His character even might be a nod to the acquired term "sweeping" in the {{Metagame}} of the Pokémon games (i.e. a player is able to take down entire teams using only one Pokémon with little effort, and do so regularly against many other players in competitive play).
* BadassCape: His cape flows with the wind, much like Nando.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:He beat Sinnoh's Gym Leaders and got to the League Semifinals using ''just'' Darkrai. Against Ash, he is forced to bust out a Latios, which get knocked out as well in a double KO that defeats Ash. Even in the final battle, [most of which is not shown] he actually wins with only Darkrai.]]
* CurbStompCushion: Even though Ash does get his ass handed to him on a silver platter, he does manage to [[spoiler:take out two of his legendaries, the closest ''anybody'' actually gets to him.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Grayish-blue hair, light blue eyes.
* DarkIsNotEvil: No, the creepy guy with the [[spoiler:Darkrai]] is not evil. He actually congratulates Ash on a good battle after he wins.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Ash is the ''only'' person that actually manages to [[spoiler:defeat his Darkrai, and Latios by extension.]] Even the announcer acknowledges it.
* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler:Just after Ash finally beats his rival in the quarter-finals, and it looks like he'll ''finally'' win a major championship, he gets thoroughly trounced by Tobias' ''two'' legendary Pokémon. The trainer's appearance was never hinted at before the Tournament Arc, and it's never explained how he got his hands on two OlympusMons.]] One gets the feeling he was created merely as an excuse to get Ash to Unova quicker.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Thrice. First when Ash's Sceptile [[spoiler:breaks out of sleep status ''immediately'']] with the second coming when Sceptile [[spoiler:hands Darkrai its ass for the first time.]] And after that? Tobias [[spoiler:sends out a Latios.]] That was unexpected. Not to mention wholly unexplained. [[spoiler:The fact Pikachu managed to help Ash make a repeat performance to Tobias and take it out also counted, towards Tobias and the crowd.]]
* TheFaceless: For about a couple episodes. Although [[EarlyBirdCameo pay attention and you can see his face relatively clearly in the tournament standings.]] He's the only one with hair like that.
* GlassCannon: [[spoiler:In keeping to Darkrai's stats in the game, his is this by Legendaries standards. Even healing with Dream Eater, Darkrai goes down to a relatively small amount of direct hits.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:A lot of people were predicting that Darkrai would be the most he'd bring to the table.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's creepy, arrogant, and uses arguably underhanded strategy, but when all's said and done, he congratulates Ash on a well fought battle.
* TheJuggernaut: ''Nobody'' so far has taken this guy's Darkrai and Latios down in a fight. [[spoiler:Well, Ash did, but he lost all of his Pokémon in the process and therefore the tournament]].
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: He plows through every Trainer he comes up against with minimal effort, [[spoiler:including Ash]], and goes on to [[spoiler:win the Sinnoh League.]] He also wears a red cape.
* LargeHam: The way he releases [[spoiler:Latios]] comes to mind.
* MeaningfulName: Tobias is a powerful trainer who relies mainly on Darkrai to fight. Tobias is also the name of a biblical hero from the book of Tobit who drove a demon out with the help of the archangel Raphael.
* OlympusMons: [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios.]]
* OneManArmy: His Darkrai. It single-handedly carries him through the entire Sinnoh League [[spoiler:with the exception of Ash, who, using Sceptile and Pikachu, respectively, manages to take it and his Latios down with him.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the Japanese version. Tommy from the Pokémon Trainer's School (a Hoenn character of the day) shares the same Japanese name as him. [[spoiler:And, to an extent, the fact that Tobias' Darkrai makes the THIRD we've seen so far (movies are {{Canon}}). Legendaries have been proven to come in multiples before ([=PowerOfOne=]!Lugia, Silver, and his mother; Heroes has practically a herd of Latios and Latias in flashback).]]
* PalsWithJesus: [[spoiler:He has two legendary Pokémon that obey his every command.]]
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his eye, like his [[spoiler:Darkrai]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:His second Pokémon is '''Latios.''' Didn't see that coming, did you? Arceus knows what the rest of his team looks like...]]
* RiddleForTheAges:
** How he caught a [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios]] is never explained.
** There is a lot of theories and wonder as to what the other four Pokémon are in his party, [[spoiler:considering two of them are legendaries.]]
* SmugSuper: Downplayed. He is ''very'' well aware he is packing [[spoiler:high-grade legendaries]] and will let his opponents know how even bringing their A-game might not be enough, but he does respect the effort his opponents put in the battle. Especially Ash [[spoiler:given he actually did defeat his Darkrai and Latios.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: His design is similar to Nando's, wearing a long cape and an [[PeekABangs emo-bang hairstyle]] as well as having a [[AerithAndBob slightly unusual name.]] He even has a slight accent in the English dub, though it's very faint.
* TakeThat: He is one to players who use [[spoiler:legendaries]] to breeze through the games instead of bothering to actually train a team.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Non-lethal, competitive example. [[spoiler: He was the first major character of sorts to bring Legendary Pokémon in a League tournament, who are viewed as physical deities that make most fully-evolved mons look like weaklings. And Tobias used ''at least two of them''.]]
* TheUnreveal: Only two of his Pokémon were shown in his fight against Ash. [[spoiler:Also, no explanation was given as how did he caught them even after the battle.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Mentioning him will get you to [[spoiler:reveal how Ash lost the Sinnoh league]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: As is the case with ''every'' Conference Winner, there is no mention of him going on to face the Elite Four and the region's Champion, but he stands out for obvious reasons. Cynthia is still the Sinnoh Champion in her later appearances in ''Black and White'', meaning Tobias either lost to her, to the Elite Four, or inexplicably decided not to challenge them.
[[/folder]]
!Sinnoh League
[[folder:In General]]
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: As with all the regions, the Elite Four are selected based on the strongest trainers in the region.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Cynthia (Shirona)]]
[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shirona.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomoSakurai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Jenness\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Adriana Casas
The Champion of the Sinnoh League.
----
* TheAce: Well she is the Champion of Sinnoh so this should be given.
* BadassLongcoat: She wears her black signature coat for the entirety of ''Diamond & Pearl''.
* BadassBookworm: Has a love and fascination for history, when she makes her debut she's visiting a site of ruins in Sinnoh.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: She is a very polite and somewhat quirky LadyOfWar, but will immediately react to whatever region-wide threat is present and will unleash her Garchomp at a moment's notice.
* BigDamnHeroes: She takes down Jupiter easily and frees Ash and co. just in time for them to stop Cyrus' plan.
* BigGood: Portrayed this way in D/P.
* TheBusCameBack: As a reference to her appearance in the B&W games, she has a recurring role in BWS2 - her villa in Undella Town accommodated Ash and his friends as they prepared for the Junior Cup and the Vertress Conference. During one particular arc, she even brought Dawn along with her.
* CombatPragmatist: Not usually, but when she shows up to help Ash against Team Galactic, she has her Garchomp do a surprise attack against Jupiter's Skuntank, and then when Jupiter starts to take out another Pokémon, Garchomp lands behind her and rests its claws right near her throat. [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim When the world's at stake, it isn't the time to play fair]].
* CurbStompBattle: People who try to face her in battle usually receive one of these, most notably Paul. The known exceptions are Flint (who took down three of her Pokémon before losing to her Garchomp), Aaron (who [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome took down five of her team, including Garchomp]], before finally losing to Gastrodon), and Caitlin (who battled Cynthia's Garchomp to a standstill with her Gothitelle, resulting the battle going into overtime).
* TheDitherer: Every time she needs to pick a flavor of ice cream, she takes ages.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Sort of has this happen in the [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 B2W2]] season - she doesn't ''join'' Ash's group, but they lounge about in her villa for a while, and she participates in several of their adventures.
* HelpingWouldBeKillStealing: ''Subverted'' in the "Operation Tempest" two-parter - her Garchomp proves vital, along with Dragonite and Golurk, in holding back the [[OneWingedAngel Therian Forme]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Kami Trio]]. She also helped directly in fighting Team Galactic, even though anything connecting with the Lake Trio had to be done by Ash, Dawn, and Brock since they were the ones linked to them.
* IceCreamKoan: Plenty of times in DP, though nowhere near as much in BW, she'll go into random tangents with vague words and meanings that may or may not even relate to what's going on.
* {{Irony}}: She loves ice cream, but her signature Pokémon, Garchomp, sports a quadruple weakness to the Ice-type.
* LadyOfWar: Cynthia herself, though her female Garchomp also qualifies by merit of being both powerful and graceful.
* TheMentor: Her main role during the plot of the DP series, though she ''does'' get actively involved in the effort to stop Team Galactic, doing her duty as Champion very well. She also mentors Iris, particularly in regards to her new, disobedient Dragonite. Iris in turn [[HeroWorshipper looks up to her]], thanks in no small part to Cynthia having trained her own powerful Dragon-type, Garchomp.
* OneManArmy: Her Garchomp tears through Paul's team like a lawnmower through a notebook factory, finishing by one-shotting his powerful Torterra with a single Brick Break.
* PeekABangs: Her left eye is covered by her hair, which is part of her "mysterious beauty" look.
* PlayingWithFire: Her Garchomp can use Flamethrower.
* RecurringCharacter: Cynthia appears every now and then in ''Diamond & Pearl'' and she also appears a lot in the early episodes of ''Best Wishes! Season 2''.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Along with Lance. Steven and Diantha, she is one of the champions we seen on-screen that take proactive measures against wide-scale threats.
* RunningGag: A good number of times Ash meets her she's having trouble deciding on what flavor of ice cream she wants...
* SkewedPriorities: During the introduction of the Meloetta arc in ''Pokemon Black and White'', while Ash and Company take care of Meloetta on the roadside, Cynthia receives an urgent call that requires her to drive back to the city immediately. She forgot her change when she bought an ice cream cone.
* SweetTooth: Her introductory moments in the series show her being indecisive over what flavor of ice cream to get, a gag that shows up several more times later on. Towards the end of DP (during the Lily of the Valley Conference), Team Rocket ''use'' this gag to attract customers. Comes up yet again in BW when Ash meets up with her again in a similar manner, down to her indecisiveness on picking a flavor.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ice cream, but she takes hours to decide which one she wants to choose.
* WeaponOfChoice: [[InfinityMinusOneSword Her Garchomp]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lucian (Goyō)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucian_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeNamikawa\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' David Lapkin\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/EduardoGarza
* BadassBookworm: Like his game counterpart, he can be frequently seen with a book in his hands.
* EarlyBirdCameo: If you count that he's the sole Sinnoh Elite Four member who appeared ''prior'' to Cynthia.
* ElementalPowers: He uses [[PsychicPowers Psychic types]].
* ExtraOreDinary: Bronzong's primary type.
* SharpDressedMan: Wears a full suit, even while training is Pokemon.
* WorthyOpponent: Perceived as such by Buizel, who thus became highly depressed at losing so badly to him the first time.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is blue.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aaron (Ryou)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aaron_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KenshoOno\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Christopher C. Adams\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Christophe Hespel
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Specializes in bug types
* ComeBackMyPet: His Beautifly.
* MrFanservice: In-universe. Even the local ''Officer Jenny'' {{Fangirl}}s him. Rare case of ''both'' {{Bishounen}} and RatedMForManly, judging by his appearance.
* MyGreatestFailure: Abandoning his Wurmple for being a weak Pokémon when he was younger (which prompted him to better understand Bug-types, so it wouldn't happen again). It eventually comes back to him as a Beautifly.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Though it was cut from the dub, the original Japanese of [=DP100=] has announcer state Cynthia was down to her ''last'' Pokémon when she sent out Gastrodon against Aaron's Beautifly. This means that [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Aaron must have actually defeated her Garchomp]], something even Flint didn't quite manage! Oddly, in the preceding episode his Pokémon had trouble dealing with ''the Team Rocket trio''.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub, which also has [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew Sir Aaron]].
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He is apparently able to understand insects.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Flint (Ōba)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flint_e4_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Toru Nara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Arturo Castañeda
* AfroAsskicker: Has a pretty massive one, and is one of the strongest trainers in the entire Sinnoh region.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: After fully evolving, Ash's Infernape only lost once in the entire remaining series. To Flint's Infernape.
* BareFistedMonk: Infernape's 2nd Type and it knows Close Combat, Mach Punch, and Thunderpunch
* BigBrotherMentor: Has this vibe with Ash and they share a similar philosophy in the way they battle with their Pokémon and he shares some advice with the younger boy. Not to mention that he is obviously fond of Ash...
* BigDamnHeroes: in his first appearance, using Infernape to save Ash from the Sunyshore gym's security system, and again to rescue Kenny's Floatzel from Team Rocket.
* BloodKnight: If his Infernape's reaction to Pikachu is anything to go by than he '''''LOVES''''' a good fight where he can go out. Flint may qualify as well since he also thought Pikachu was well trained and worth more effort to battle against.
* CurbstompBattle: Defeats Ash in a 3 vs. 3 battle with minimal effort. His Infernape outright one shotted Ash's own Infernape and Buizel and was tanking hits from Pikachu while tossing him around.
* CurbStompCushion: Flint admitted Infernape was putting some degree of effort into fighting Pikachu, which is more than most would manage.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Infernape was able to go head to head with Cynthia's Garchomp and deal some brutal blows in. It's the second-closest anyone has come to take her down (Aaron got closer). Not to mention it swatted Ash's Pokémon like flies!
* FieryRedhead: Invoked, as it tends to be, being a fire type trainer with the hot blood to match.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Volkner.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Every time he shows up you can hear a subtle jungle beat with drums. It's actually quite awesome.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub. The other Flint is Brock's father.
* PlayingWithFire: Infernape
* TheRival: Volkner's old friend and adversary.
* WorthyOpponent: His Infernape seems to view Ash's Pikachu as this. After [[OneHitKill casually ragdolling Ash's Infernape and Buizel]] he had to face Pikachu and seemed quite excited to do so the instant Pikachu made his opening attack. Flint was even surprise to see that his Infernape was excited to fight Pikachu and felt like he was putting some effort into battling. [[CurbstompBattle Granted Infernape wins quite easily]], but he still felt Pikachu was worth more effort compared to the others.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bertha (Kikuno)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bertha_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yoko Matsuoka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Mary O' Brady\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Magda Giner
* BerserkButton: When Team Rocket decided to enhance their Pokémon's performance using PoweredArmor, she didn't take it too kindly.
* CoolOldLady: She's ancient, but she's also one of the most powerful Pokemon trainers in the world.
* ElementalPowers: She specializes in [[DishingOutDirt Ground type]] Pokémon:
* ExtraOreDinary: Hippowdon's Iron Head.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: She engages in some CarFu with her van against Team Rocket.
* ManBitesMan: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Team Rocket learns this the hard way after being on the business end of her car and her extremely powerful Pokemon.
* OneHitKO: Gliscor's Guillotine
* OneShotCharacter: She only appeared in a single episode, barring her cameo in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''.
* PlayingWithFire: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* StealthMentor: In two ways. She not only acts in a way intended to subtly teach the other person, but also hides her status as an Elite Four member and tells Brock not to reveal it.
[[/folder]]
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[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocket Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocketOthers Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationOpponents Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | '''''Supporting Cast''''' | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYMegaEvolutionSpecial Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]]-]]]]]
[[foldercontrol]]
!Main characters
[[folder:Dawn (Hikari)]]
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_bw2.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MegumiToyoguchi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Bauer\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gaby Ugarte (seasons 10,11, and 13), Leyla Rangel (season 12 and 15)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alexandra Corréa
Dawn is a newbie trainer from Sinnoh who met Ash after she ran into Pikachu, who’d been separated from his trainer by Team Rocket. Like May before her, Dawn aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator. Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:
----
* ActionGirl:
** Out of all of Ash's traveling companions, she's the most likely to take immediate action against Team Rocket or other antagonists when they show up, frequently having Piplup dealing the finishing blow alongside Pikachu.
** In one episode, she once rescued all her Pokémon ''all by herself''.
* AdaptationalModesty: In the ''Pokémon Learning League'' educational series, she wears a long-sleeved shirt and white tights under her usual sleeveless top and short skirt.
* AgeInappropriateDress:
** [[AvertedTrope But]] her mother forbade her from bringing it on her journey. Then again, her normal outfit...
** Lampshaded in episode 171 by Princess Salvia, who comments on the length of Dawn's skirt.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: In terms of Contest skill, she's on both ends of this trope. She has never managed to surpass the more experienced Zoey, but she always comes ahead of Ursula.
* AshFace: Her Cyndaquil has done this to her [[RunningGag several times]] by flaring up its back flames while she's holding it. Some of her various electrocution and explosion mishaps have also left her singed.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Similar to May and later Serena, Dawn is good natured, but not a doormat and isn't afraid to sic her strongest Pokémon on you if you piss her off, which Team Rocket know from experience. When Meowth pulled a HeelFaceMole on the heroes, Dawn, who had been sympathetic enough to offer getting him media ties, angrily vowed to beat him to tears for selling them out ([[TooKinkyToTorture he didn't surprisingly]], but still).
* BigDamnHeroes: A short time after becoming a trainer and getting her first Pokémon, she protects Pikachu with her Piplup.
* BreakTheCutie: Disturbingly often. Gets this when losing contests and became a StepfordSmiler afterwards.
* BrickJoke: The second [=DP=] episode continued the RunningGag of Pikachu frying a bike, but it took 36 episodes for Ash to know about it.
* TheBusCameBack: She returned for the ''Best Wishes'' series for an arc.
* ButtMonkey: Out of all the main characters, she’s the biggest one of the “butt of every joke” type. Several characters have poked fun at her, including Ash, Brock, and her own Pokémon, and her skill as a Coordinator was called into question several times prior to her victory at the Wallace Cup.
* {{Catchphrase}}:
** "Daijobu!", or "No need to worry!" in the dub. How ironic.
** And like May, she has a phrase to use when calling Pokémon out for a Contest -- "Charm up!" / "Spotlight!"
** BorrowedCatchphrase: She also copied Iris' "such a kid" remarks at Ash (a little anyways), and once used, "Buneary, I choose you!" when sending it out to battle Pachirisu.
* TheChosenOne: Chosen by Mesprit since the beginning of the DP series due to her strong empathy.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has both hair and eyes that are dark-blue.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Rather famous for having a skirt that barely covers her hips. Lucky she's wearing a leotard underneath...
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Of "Diamond and Pearl", to Ash's protagonist. Her name is even added in the Japanese openings of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series right next to Ash's.
* DisappearedDad: Unlike Ash, no mention is ever made of her father.
* DistaffCounterpart: Dawn in many ways is like a female counterpart to Ash. Like May before and Serena after, she exchanges RotatingArcs with Ash's Gym quest, but she stands out thanks to her status as the {{Deuteragonist}} and that she shares more in common with him than just about any of his companions. Like Ash, she is an optimistic and initially overconfident NiceGirl who had decided on her life goal long before her debut. She started her journey with an initially stubborn Pokémon that stays outside his Poké Ball and refuses to evolve, and bonded with him after [[FireForgedFriends fending off a large swarm of wild Pokemon]] in an adventure that culminated in them meeting a [[OlympusMons Legendary]] Pokemon. She also has a knack for developing [[OutsideTheBoxTactic Outside-the-Box Tactics]] in battle similarly to Ash, many of which are borrowed between the two.
* DubInducedPlotHole: Against all odds, averted when it came to explaining "Dee-Dee".
* DudeMagnet: Kenny, Kendall, and Conway have all shown signs of being attracted to her. She also has a few moments with Ash that could be seen as ShipTease (though, Ash being [[ChasteHero Ash,]] these moments are up to the audience's interpretation). This being ''Pokémon,'' [[NoHuggingNoKissing it never goes anywhere.]]
* FailedASpotCheck: If she would look around at the audience during contests more often, she would notice some [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/027 VERY familar faces]]. Namely, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet.
* FailureHero: [[BreakTheCutie Poor girl lost]] ''[[BreakTheCutie two]]'' [[BreakTheCutie Contests in the Appeal Stage in a row!]]
* FanGirl: To Professor Oak's (and Gary's) poetry, and Wallace (Contest master).
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Dawn is good at baking Poffins, unlike Ash who burns all of his to a crisp.
* FireForgedFriends: When she and Piplup first meet, they can't stand each other, but they form a bond after escaping from a horde of wild Ariados, and Dawn doesn't hesitate to choose him as her starter when they get back to Prof. Rowan's lab. They continue to grow closer throughout the ''Diamond & Pearl'' series.
%%* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Sanguine.
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: She and Brock had fairly little interaction.
* GenerationXerox: She gets her passion from Pokémon Contests from her mother, who is a retired Top Coordinator.
* GoGetterGirl: Right from the start, she knew she wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator, and never lost sight of her goal since.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Became this in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Best Wishes Season 2]]'', joining the group for eight episodes prior to and during the Junior Cup.
* HarmlessElectrocution: A running gag by itself, Dawn needs to use Piplup's Bubble Beam to [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/Dawnshair.jpg condition her hair back to normal after she gets zapped]].
* AnIcePerson: While she doesn't specializes in Ice-types, as her journey goes on she uses more and more ice moves in her Appeals and battles, often in combination with fire and electricity.
* IdenticalStranger: She and Princess Salvia from the episode "Dawn of a Royal Day!" look exactly alike. They take advantage of this and switch places for a day so Salvia can compete in a Contest with her Togekiss.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: She befriended Nando, a traveling bard, and Lila, a dressmaker and retired Coordinator who was also her mother's childhood friend.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "By Your Side". Used primarily in the Japanese edit, though some instrumental versions still accompany her in parts of the English dub (thus making it one of very few Japanese image songs to at least partway survive the transition).
* LeotardOfPower: As seen in "Two Degrees of Separation!", Dawn appears to be wearing a black leotard under her minidress.
* LettingHerHairDown: Most notably [[http://images5.fanpop.com/image/polls/991000/991163_1333460097101_full.png two]] [[http://pm1.narvii.com/6341/c358a4b8d243806b999f5e28a3690780ebafe008_hq.jpg times]].
%%* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The light to Ursula's dark.
* LittleMissBadass: Younger than Ash but able to single-handedly kick Team Rocket's ass.
* MagicSkirt: She has a short skirt, but she remains covered throughout the series, except for one occasion - "Steamboat Willies!".
%%* TheMcCoy
* MementoMacGuffin: At the beginning of her Pokémon journey, her mother gave to her the first Contest ribbon she won as a good luck charm. After her run in the Grand Festival, she gives it back.
* NaiveEverygirl: It took her an entire episode to find Professor Rowan, despite it normally not being that difficult.
* NiceGirl: Easily the most straightforwardly kind of all the leading females (before Serena), and very empathetic (she never held Pikachu ''or'' Ash responsible for her bike's destruction given the circumstances, for instance, knowing that she attacked Pikachu first and Ash wasn't even there, thanks to team rocket). Must be the main reason Mesprit chose her.
* NiceHat: It covers her hair because it gets frizzy when exposed to shock.
* NoodleIncident: The origins of her nickname Pikari/Dee-Dee. In a subversion, it's later revealed she got shocked by a Plusle and Minun in kindergarten, making her hair all sparkly. [[note]]"Pikapika" is the [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud spoken sound effect for "sparkle"]][[/note]]. In the dub, it's short for "Diamond Dandruff", which is indeed pretty embarrassing.
* ObliviousToLove: She has no trouble understanding others people's romance, but seems rather blind when said affection is directed to her (except with Conway, but subtle he isn't). She doesn't get Kenny has a crush on her, and totally misses Lyla acting as a ShipperOnDeck for her and Ash in "Dressed For Jess Success".
* OjouRinglets: Not an {{Ojou}}, but she used this hairstyle in a couple of contests as shown [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Dawn_DP027_contest.png here]] and [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/diamond_pearl/ep177.html here]].
* PhraseCatcher:
** The reply to her own {{Catchphrase}} is usually "That's when [we] worry the most."
** A few times she gets her catchphrase, "No need to worry!", back at her.
* PimpedOutDress: She wears a lot of them. Makes sense, considering part of her job as a Coordinator is to look stylish alongside her Pokémon and she also has a sense of fashion.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her usual Contest dress is pink. Idem her cheerleader outfit. Her regular outfit features a pink skirt and she wears a pink coat when traveling in colder climes.
* PomPomGirl: She sometime act like a cheerleader and donned a pink cheerleading outfit (her Pokèmon also) to support Ash in his Gym battles with Roark, Maylene and Volkner.
* PluckyGirl: She always remains optimistic, even when the odds are against her.
* RunningGag:
** She's frequently on the receiving end of electric attacks, which always leaves her hair messy and frazzled. Her Pachirisu is the main offender, but Pikachu and other electric types have also found reasons to electrocute her.
** Once she acquires her Cyndaquil, it develops a habit of flaring up its back flames while Dawn is holding it, leaving her with an AshFace. In fact, it's the very first thing it does upon hatching.
* ScarfOfAssKicking: Wears a scarf, and fights often.
* ShesGotLegs: Thick and sturdy legs.
* ShipperOnDeck: While normally embarrassed about Brock's antics like everyone else, when it was suggested to him that he [[spoiler:become a Pokémon Doctor]], she's the one to point out that it will help him get closer to all Nurse Joys.
* ShipTease: Naturally, she gets these with Ash. Not to mention that, out of every girl so far, she's the only one to go as far as to be his personal cheerleader during a few of his Gym Battles.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Poor Dawn isn't immune to being zapped, drenched, frozen, or burned by her own Pokémon.
* StaticCharacter: While she matures a good deal, the basic person she is never changes and has never even changed from childhood, right down to her CatchPhrase. She's also the only female companion so far to not have undergone a change in outfit or party lineup aside from an evolution.
* StepfordSmiler: Tries to put on a good face after her first losing streak. Doesn't work in the end.
* SupremeChef: A few hands-on lessons are enough to get her cooking Poffins like a pro.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Probably the most explicit example of any of Ash’s friends; like May before her, Dawn is a NiceGirl Pokémon coordinator whose quest [[RotatingArcs alternates in focus with Ash]] and who has a famous parent. The writers did work to make them distinct however [[note]] Dawn was more traditionally feminine than the sometimes tomboyish May and lacked the latter’s BigEater tendencies. Dawn also knew she wanted to be a Coordinator from the start, but conversely, struggled in her early contests much more than May ever did [[/note]].
* SkywardScream: Does this in "Dawn's Early Night" after losing the Hearthome contest.
-->'''Dawn:''' ''[as she runs to the balcony]'' AAAAAAAAAAH!
* ATasteOfDefeat: Tying in with her ButtMonkey role, Dawn is the first of few "twerps" to suffer [[TeamRocketWins an unnegated defeat from Team Rocket]] in an episode. ''Twice'' for that matter:
** In "Team Shocker" Jessie (as Jessilina) wins her first ribbon in the Solaceon contest, one Dawn doesn't even pass the Appeals Round for. [[HeroicBSOD She does not take it well.]]
** James (disguised as Jessilina) directly defeats her in the battle round of the Lilypad contest in "Dressed For Jess Success". While Dawn was a GracefulLoser this time round, it didn't remotely taint James and Meowth's victory over her.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl:
** Girly Girl to Zoey's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to her predecessor May's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to Iris' Tomboy in ''Best Wishes''. Dawn really is the eternal Girly Girl of this anime, huh?
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She's terrified of Plusle and Minun, because of an incident in kindergarten when she hugged them too hard and they shocked her, making her hair stand on end and everyone laugh at her.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Her fantasy in the LotusEaterMachine episode shows us that she even wants to surpass her mother.
* WorthyOpponent: When Dawn finally eliminated her in the Grand Festival, Jessie admitted (albeit infuriated) that she was this. Jessie herself managed to achieve her most even handed rivalry against Dawn, equalling and even besting her at times. Since Dawn never saw through her "Jesselina" alias, she was rather respectful towards her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dawn's Pokémon]]
* BadassAdorable: The majority of her team are comprised of cute-looking Pokémon who are all competent in Pokémon Contests. Even her not-so-cute ones, specifically Mamoswine, used to be a very cute but strong Swinub.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: Mamoswine and Togekiss are the big guys, Piplup, Buneary, Cyndaquil and Pachirisu are the little guys.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: All but Mamoswine are adorable Pokémon, and even he was cute as a Swinub. Buizel was another exception, since he used to be the cool guy in the group, but he's soon replaced by the cute GenkiGirl Aipom.
!!Piplup (Pochama)
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piplup_5642.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/EtsukoKozakura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MicheleKnotz
Piplup is Dawn's first Pokémon. She befriended him after saving him from a wild Ariados' attack, when Piplup and Chimchar had fled from Professor Rowan's lab.
----
* AttentionWhore: Regarding Dawn's attention, at least. Piplup sometimes has a fit when Dawn isn't giving him the attention it wants. Heck, the episode "Piplup Up and Away" was dedicated to Piplup getting upset because Dawn and the gang wasn't giving him the attention he wanted.
* BerserkButton: His EstablishingCharacterMoment was throwing a fit when Professor Rowan's Chimchar stole the last bite of his food.
* BigEater: Gets a GrowlingGut often, and enjoys food.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally just a starter Pokémon for the regional main girl Dawn, Piplup became very popular with viewers during the DP saga, especially in Japan. Noticeably, he began appearing outside of his Poké Ball more and more often until he eventually stopped being seen inside it altogether (save for rare occasions). He also got promoted to being a co-star with Ash's Pikachu in the merchandising, a feat that only Misty's Togepi had accomplished prior.
* BubbleGun: Bubble Beam, which fires several bubbles in quick succession, was the very first attack he was seen using, and it's still his SignatureMove to date.
* ButtMonkey: To clarify it has been:
** Attacked by Elekid and Electabuzz [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/066 on two]] [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/137 different occasions]].
** Zapped by Pikachu ([[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash%27s_Pikachu yes That Pikachu]]) [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/149 after bumping into it]].
** Knocked into a crater by Ash and Gible (using Draco Meteor) on purpose and [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/626ps11.shtml having to fend off against a Magnezone and a Metagross]].
** Not to mention [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP156 all]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP157 those]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP164 other]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP172 times]] it got hit by Draco Meteor ([[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/174 except for that one time that Kenny got hit by it]]).
* CampStraight: Very campy, but showed attraction to Meloetta. Though Meloetta is gender less, so...
* TheChewToy: It is always nailed by Ash's Gible's Draco Meteor while the latter was trying to master that move.
* ColorFailure:
** In "Battling a Cute Drama!" when Marilyn said he wasn't cute.
** In "Piplup, Up, And Away!" when he overheard Dawn telling Gible it wasn't at fault for dropping Draco Meteors on him.
** When Dawn had her reappearance in Unova, in "Piplup, Pasage, and a Meeting of the Times!", he shares one with Dawn in reaction to Cilan's "Evaluation Time" during a training battle with Pansage.
%%* {{Determinator}}
* DramaQueen: If something annoys him, he'll let you know. Loudly.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He'a based off of a penguin, and a hero.
* {{Expy}}: There are lots of similarities between Piplup and Pikachu. Both befriended their trainers after serious peril, and resist evolution to their next forms. Piplup also prefers to travel outside his Poké Ball, though he will come out of one for Performances to accrue Charm Points.
* FireForgedFriends: At the end of the Junior Cup arc in [=BW2=], he seems to have formed a close bond with Oshawott (who was his rival for Meloetta's affection).
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Did this to Dawn when she was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown before one Contest. Instead of slapping her, he blasted her with Bubble Beam.
%%* GreenEyedMonster: For Dawn, regarding [[TheLancer Cyndaquil]].
* GrowlingGut: In his debut. This is what made him to accept food from Dawn.
* HeroicBSOD: He had this when he was trying to evolve but didn't want to.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pikachu during the DP series.
%%* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam.
* InterspeciesRomance: "Piplup, Up, and Away" makes it pretty clear he has a huge crush on Dawn. The music is what puts it over the top.
* JerkassBall: He could be seen as downright selfish in some of the episodes. In "Different Strokes for Different Blokes", he ate Aipom's orange causing them to argue. He also collided with Turtwig in "The Champ Twins!" and they started arguing again. He also didn't accept Turtwig's apology when Turtwig is trying to make up with him. In "Gone with the Wildworks", he's shown to be selfish towards Cyndaquil for Dawn's attention. He even slapped Cyndaquil out of the way and ate the poffin which causes them to start a fight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is rather selfish but does love Dawn and always tries to do his best for her.
* MakingASplash: He's a Water-Type and knows common water moves such as Bubblebeam, Whirlpool and Hydro Pump.
%%* NoSenseOfDirection
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Occasionally bickers with Dawn, even though it's clear they care about each other at the same level that Ash and Pikachu do.
* LostFoodGrievance: In his first episode, he got mad at the starter Chimchar when it stole the last bite of his food, starting a fight that wrecked Professor Rowan's lab and led to both of them escaping out a broken window, along with a Starly and Staraptor.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The Mean to Cyndaquil's Nice and Pikachu's In-Between. He's more hot-headed, assertive, cranky and grumpy compared to the more quiet, calm, friendly and polite Cyndaquil while Pikachu mediates between the two.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: This is apparently due less to its infamous "forced mascot" status and more because the producer considers Prinplup and Empoleon ugly. In series, it's because he's afraid of changing personalities when he evolves, and in the dub because he wants to protect Dawn as he is.
* NotQuiteFlight: Piplup, being based on a penguin, doesn't actually fly naturally.[[note]]The entire Piplup line [[ShownTheirWork never picks up the Flying type]].[[/note]] He's shown occasionally to be capable of flying a very short distance from the momentum of using [=BubbleBeam=] or being sent out from his Poké Ball.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: From Bide, to Whirlpool, to even Hydro Pump, all while not even approaching Dawn's knees in height.
* PluckyComicRelief: Goofy and funny, and [[ButtMonkey hapless to match.]]
* RealMenWearPink: On several occasions he has sported a ''pink female'' cheerleading outfit. Later on they opted for more masculine clothing though.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Cyndaquil's blue. He is more hot-headed and assertive compared to the more quiet and calm Cyndaquil, an ironic inverse given their color schemes.
* SignatureMove: Bubble Beam is used the most out of every move he knows, and he never forgot how to use it.
* TookALevelInBadass: Upon learning Hydro Pump, one of the most powerful water attacks known.
* WaveMotionGun: When he uses Hydro Pump, he blasts a massive cannon of water at his opponent that is at least 10x bigger than he is.
* WouldHitAGirl: Repeatedly attacks his master when angered as a RunningGag.
!!Buneary (Mimirol)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Buneary_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (first voice), Creator/SatsukiYukino (current)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
From the beginning of ''Diamond and Pearl'', Dawn wanted a Buneary. This Buneary was [[ThirdTimesTheCharm her third attempt to capture one]]. Of course, it helps that this particular Buneary had developed an intense crush on Ash's Pikachu.
----
* ActionGirl: Especially noteable in "Hold the Phione" - after the titular Pokémon challenges Pikachu for her, she's offended because (A) Pikachu's in a tight spot, and (B) she's being treated like some sort of prize. She demands Phione battle ''her'' instead. And ''wins''.
* BadassAdorable: She's a little bunny that's capable of both giving you a run for your money in battle and making you go "aww" at the same time.
* BunniesForCuteness: Is based off of a rabbit, and is ''adorable.''
* CrushBlush: She cannot resist Pikachu.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First she jumps to save Pikachu from an incoming motorcycle, then when he tries to thank her she hides her face and bounds away, in the process [[WatchOutForThatTree crashing into a tree]]. This sets her up as a graceful ActionGirl who nonetheless crushes ''hard'' on Pikachu.
* TheFashionista: Not an extreme example, but she's occasionally seen sporting a vest that Dawn made for her, and the Sinnoh arc ends with her becoming a model.
* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam, which is also her signature move for Contests.
* NonElemental: She's the Normal-type of the team.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's tiny, but she froze Ash, Dawn, and Brock in her debut episode, and she frequently holds her own against larger opponents..
* WingdingEyes: Gets hearts in her eyes when she looks at Pikachu.
!!Pachirisu
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Pachirisu_5914.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
----
* AmbiguousGender: It's probably male, given its design and an incident in DP138[[note]]Johanna's Umbreon and Glameow used Attract against both Pachirisu and Piplup, and it worked on both. Umbreon and Glameow do not have known genders.[[/note]], but never explicitly confirmed.
* DeathGlare: Gave one to Ursula's Gabite after its Poffin was stepped on - an ''impressive one'' for normally happy-go-lucky Pachirisu.
* KidAppealCharacter: The second youngest of Dawn's Pokémon, and the one who acts like a kid the most.
* LostFoodGrievance: Pachirisu does ''not'' like its Poffins being [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/084 stolen]] or [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/114 smashed]]. Do any of those, and it'll make sure you pay for dearly for it.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Despite a major type disadvantage, it crushed Ursula's Gabite in the Chocovine Contest with is newly learned Super Fang.
* ScissorsCutsRock: It was able to defeat Ursula's Gabite in a Contest battle with Super Fang, despite Gabite being immune to Electric-type moves.
* StaticElectricity: Sometimes buzzes Dawn with this, and makes her hair pop out.
* SuperSpeed: Like most Electric-types, but in its debut episode it outran six of the gang's Pokémon at once (including ''Pikachu'') in a very silly game of high-speed chase.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins. The first time it was denied them, it shocked everyone until Pikachu snapped it out of it. Then there's the BerserkButton...
* YellowLightningBlueLightning: Emits the blue variety when using Discharge.
!!Buizel (Buoysel)
Traded to Ash for Aipom. For more info, see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Aipom-Ambipom (Eipam-Eteboth)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Aipom_8895.png]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Ambipom_9427.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Miyako Ito (Eipam), Chie Sato (Eteboth)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Miyako Ito (Aipom), Emily Jenness (Ambipom)
Aipom was a Pokémon that Ash caught during his journey through the Battle Frontier in Kanto. She is very affectionate towards him and secretly follows him when Ash set off to Sinnoh. While Aipom was shown to be a capable battler in Gym Battles, she develops a big interest in Contests, which would later lead to Ash trading her with Dawn's BloodKnight Buizel. She is competent in Contests, but she eventually develops an interest in Pokémon Ping Pong and later leaves Dawn's team, so the Ping Pong master can foster her talent.
----
* TheAce: She instantly excels everything she sets her interest on: pranking, battle, Contest and finally Pokemon ping pong.
* ActionGirl:
** While she preferred Contests, she was used several times in battle when she was under the ownership of Ash and didn't seem to mind.
** She beat Gardenia's strongest Pokémon, Roserade, so it's safe to say that although she prefers Contests, her battling skills are something to be proud of.
%%* BareFistedMonk: Knows Focus Punch.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: After being traded over to Dawn, her crush on Ash was all but completely forgotten. The last time she even acknowledged Ash as her former trainer was when she was getting ready to be PutOnABus, and even then it wasn't much.
* ClingyMacGuffin: Gets a crown that was was too small for Aipom, thus it being stuck to her head for most of the episode.
%%* DoppelgangerSpin: Knows Double Team.
* EleventhHourRanger: She was caught by Ash ten episodes before the end of the Advanced Generation series.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: It basically goes without saying, since she is a monkey-based Pokémon.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ever since Ash captured her at such a late time (during the Battle Frontier saga) and the fact that Aipom followed Ash and Pikachu to Sinnoh, it was rather obvious that the writers were planning to evolve her.
* GenkiGirl: Of course; most of her species tend to be this.
* LittleStowaway: Decided to sneak to Sinnoh with Ash instead of stay with Professor Oak like the rest of his Hoenn (and before) Pokémon. Ash decides to keep her in his Sinnoh crew until her trade to Dawn.
* NiceHat: Has a fondness for them, famously Ash's hat, or, in one episode, a ''crown''.
%%* NonElemental
%%* PintsizedPowerhouse: As Aipom.
* ThePrankster: When it was with Ash as an Aipom, she would play silly pranks on him, such as taking his hat for instance.
* PutOnABus: Similar to Ash's Primeape and ironically they are both ape-like Pokémon. She was last seen going away from the gang on a bus.
* RunningOnAllFours: Sometimes, such as when chasing Pachirisu in "Twice Smitten, Once Shy!"
%%* SpamAttack: Knows Fury Swipes.
!!Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine (Urimoo-->Inomoo-->Mammoo)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Swinub_7259.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piloswine_8918.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Mamoswine_8039.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' InukoInuyama (Urimoo and Inomoo), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (Mammoo)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Swinub), Tim Werenko (Piloswine), Creator/MarcThompson (Mamoswine)
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his huge size, he can make an impressive jump, shown off in ''Playing the Performance Encore.'' Lampshaded by Ursula: "Huh? With that huge body?!"
%%* BalloonBelly: In [=DP084=].
%%* TheBerserker: This once cost Dawn a contest.
* BigEater: To the point where all the other Pokémon might actually be in danger of starving to death. It's a species trait, actually.
* BlindingBangs: Piloswine has bangs that cover his eyes.
%%* BrilliantButLazy: Acts this way towards Dawn for a while.
* CuttingTheKnot: Mamoswine has almost never won a Contest by retaining the lead when the buzzer sounds. It tends to simply KO the competition. As Dawn has noted, this can be seen as missing the point of Contests.
%%* DeathGlare: Mamoswine has an impressive one.
%%* DefrostingIceKing: Mamoswine in the early stages.
%%* DishingOutDirt: Secondary type (Ground).
* ElementalArmor: In dual Contests, the strategy of choice often involves encasing the smaller partner in ice.
* {{Expy}}: In many ways similar to Ash's Charizard. Three stage evolution caught in first stage, in which it has a sweet overall disposition and ''likes'' its new trainer? Check. Personality change upon evolving into second stage? Check. A surprisingly quick transition to its third stage? Check. TookALevelInBadass after evolving, becoming a large powerhouse who lazes around? Check. Has a lifechanging experience with the trainer, involving a defeat against another Pokémon that it both has an advantage and disadvantage to, and restores its loyalty, and beats said mon with trainers help, followed by gradual further CharacterDevelopment? Check, check and ''check''.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Swinub had these perpetually, and they never do open. It's a species trait.
* FullBoarAction: As a Piloswine and later Mamoswine, he is partly based on pigs, hence the name Pilo'''swine''' and Mamo'''swine'''.
* HairTriggerTemper: From his Piloswine form on he becomes frighteningly easy to set off, though he mellows out over time.
* HeroismIncentive: Prior to becoming obedient to Dawn, this is the only way for the latter to motivate him to do anything.
* AnIcePerson: His primary type is Ice. In Contests, Dawn utilizes his Ice-type moves to great effects, which allows him to be presented as a cool and powerful Pokémon next to her cute ones. He's often covered in ice spikes and he can surround his partners in ice for glamorous presentations.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gradually grows into this role, having shown a soft side as well as an (eventual) fascination to Contests. [[LampshadeHanging Noted in-series, once the other characters observe it]].
* MessyPig: All three of his forms were messy eaters.
* ObliviouslyEvil: He doesn't even realize that the other Pokémon initially have contempt for him because of his enormous appetite.
* PinkIsForSissies: He initially seemed... embarrassed at the fact that he was fascinated by Contests and tried to hide it even when Ash pointed it out. He finally got over it in "Promoting Healthy Tangrowth".
* SpikesOfDoom: He can create gigantic ice spikes on his back by swallowing his own Ice Shard.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins, it seems. All her Pokémon enjoy them, but Mamoswine ''really'' [[BigEater can't get enough of them]].
!!Cyndaquil-->Quilava (Hinoarashi-->Magmarashi)
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Cyndaquil_9405.png]]
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Quilava_1694.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Cyndaquil), Bill Rogers (Quilava)
----
%%* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Knows Flame Wheel.
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Hatched from an egg late in the ''DP'' season.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: As a Cyndaquil, it usually only got angry at Piplup when it was provoked.
* {{Keet}}: He did become pretty excitable when he first saw Dawn practicing for a Contest, and visibly slumped when she said she wouldn't be using him just yet.
* NiceGuy: Her Quilava was always mild-mannered, gentle, and always kept to itself.
* PlayingWithFire: Quilava is a fire type {{Mon}} who knows Flame Wheel.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Piplup's red.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
* SmokeOut: Her Quilava knows Smokescreen, which can cause places to be filled with smoke.
!!Togekiss
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Togekiss_1158.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KikukoInoue
----
%%* BareFistedMonk: Knows Aura Sphere.
%%* BarrierWarrior: Knows Safeguard.
%%* BlowYouAway: Knows Air Slash.
* EleventhHourRanger: Not only the first time Dawn had six Pokémon at once, but she obtained her ''after'' winning her fifth ribbon, and just two episodes before the Grand Festival. Bear in mind that Princess Salvia had been training her to be a Contest Pokémon for quite a while, so it's a JustifiedTrope.
* {{Flight}}: Due to being a flying type, she can fly.
* ItWasAGift: She was given to Dawn by Princess Salvia.
* LadyOfWar: Because she was raised by a princess, she fights with grace and elegance.
%%* NonElemental: Primary type (this was before the species was {{Retcon}}ned to fairy).
* TeamMom: In the episode after she was obtained, Togekiss is seen caring for the ButtMonkey penguin, to the point of scolding Ash's Gible for [[RunningGag targeting Piplup with Draco Meteor]].
%%* YamatoNadeshiko: Just listen to [[Creator/KikukoInoue that voice]].
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Flying Type
[[/folder]]
!Supporting Cast
[[folder: Professor Rowan (Dr. Nanakamado)]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_ProfessorRowan2_3803.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/IemasaKayumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sean Reyes\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Salvador Reyes (season 10), Humberto Sorlózano (season 11), José María Negri (season 12)
The Pokémon professor living in the Sinnoh region. After Dawn unknowingly bumped into him while trying to find his lab, he helped her start her journey as a trainer by giving her the choice of Piplup, Chimchar, or Turtwig as a starter Pokémon. Rowan exhibits the following tropes:
----
%%* BadassMoustache: He has one that covers his entire lower face.
* TheComicallySerious: He's almost too serious even when he's trying to be genuine.
* CoolOldGuy: He's one of the oldest professors, but is still cool with Sinnoh's youth.
* ADayInTheLimelight: The Summer School arc gave him some much-deserved extra screentime.
* DeadpanSnarker: Very frequently. For instance, see his first appearance, in [=DP001=]:
--> '''Dawn:''' ''[after bumping into him]'' I'm - I'm so sorry!\\
'''Rowan:''' ''[turning to face her]'' Hello. You're looking lost.\\
'''Dawn:''' Huh? Are you talking to me, sir?\\
'''Rowan:''' Right. There's no one else here and you're looking very lost.
%%* LoomingSilhouetteOfRage: In the Summer School arc.
* TheMentor: Took Gary under his wing after he decided to become a Pokémon Professor.
%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
%%* TheStraightMan: To his old friend Professor Oak.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Johanna (Ayako)]]
[[quoteright:313:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Johanna-pokemon_4536.jpg]]
[[quoteright:313:Johanna as a Pokémon coordinator champion.]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' MakotoTsumura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Elena Ramírez (season 10), Belinda Martínez (season 13)
Dawn's mom. It's quickly revealed that she was a world famous Pokémon coordinator contest champion when she was a trainer, and she hasn't lost any of her touch as a mother either (as Dawn is quickly proven first-hand). Her favorite Pokémon is her Glameow.
----
* ActionMom: She was a champion Coordinator in her days and hasn't missed a step since then. She still easily beats Dawn in battle.
* AscendedExtra: In the games, Johanna was notable for having noticeably more character than previous moms, who before her mostly provided overnight healing and the occasional item[[note]]Barring the mom from GSC, who ran a bank for you[[/note]], having had a history as a Coordinator and occasionally showing up to compete in the Master Class contests with her Kangaskhan. Here, Johanna not only has a history, but has plenty of presence in Dawn's own character arc, with a history as a champion Pokémon Coordinator, with Dawn seeking to follow in her footsteps.
* CuteKitten: Glameow, who she used in contests.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Her Umbreon is a Dark type, which is Evil type in Japan. She also used it in contests.
%%* EmotionBomb: Umbreon's Attract.
%%* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow and Umbreon's Iron Tail.
* GoodParents: A loving and supportive mother who wholeheartedly encourages Dawn to pursue her dream of becoming a Contest champion.
%%* NonElemental: Glameow's type
* PimpedOutDress: Like Dawn, she's an experienced Coordinator and has a few of those on hand for Contests. Her green standby has OperaGloves and a CoolCrown.
* RetiredBadass: DP's first episode showcases an entire wall of Contest trophies in her house.
%%* SoulPower: Glameow's Shadow Ball and Shadow Claw, and Umbreon's Shadow Ball.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: She created Dawn's Grand Festival ballgown and Buneary's vest. Possibly justified by a later episode that shows her to be friends with Lila, a fashion designer.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: It appears to be a family trait. Like mother, like daughter, right?
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Reggie (Reiji)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Reggie_8291.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TetsuyaKakihara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Edson Matus (season 11 and 13), Javier Olguín (season 12).
Paul's older brother and a Pokémon breeder.
----
* BrokenAce: Defeated by the Pyramid King Brandon, but quickly recovered unlike his brother.
* ChekhovsGun: in "''Lost Leader Strategy''", Reggie's revealed to have completed the badges in each of the four regions. He also has the Symbols from the Battle Frontier, but there's one missing, which means a lot more when Paul's backstory is elaborated further.
* CommonalityConnection: Inverted with Ash. The main reason Paul hates Ash is because all that talk about bring out a Pokemon's inner strength reminds Paul of Reggie, whose loss to Brandon had profound psychological consequences on Paul. They share another point of connection between them in that Reggie has earned all the same badges and Frontier Symbols Ash had before quitting.
* CoolBigBro: Even if Paul's not the easiest to get along with, he looks after his Pokémon for him and encourages him as best he can.
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Subverted. Paul respects Reggie enough to leave his Pokémon with the latter. However, Paul sees Reggie’s "kindness to his Pokemon" part of his training style as a disappointment. While he does not hold a grudge against Reggie for it, it is the reason for Paul's animosity towards Ash.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** PoisonousPerson: Swalot
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]MakingASplash: Bibarel
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Staraptor
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type.
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Staraptor's Steel Wing.
%%*** [[AnIcePerson An Ice Pokémon]]: Bibarel's Ice Beam.
* {{Foil}}: To Paul, being much happier, kinder and more generous to Pokemon than his cold and grumpy little brother.
%%* FriendToAllLivingThings: He's a Pokémon Breeder. Comes with the territory.
* MasterOfNone: When he lost to Brandon, the Pyramid King stated this was the main reason he lost. Reggie may have had a lot of achievements, but he hasn't developed a special form of battle strategy to give him any real strengths to deal with the elite trainers.
* MoralDissonance: He's quite aware of Paul's [[TrainingFromHell training methods]], but doesn't even lift a finger to discipline his brother or teach him the error of his ways. Some depth is revealed when Maylene relates her [[BreakTheCutie ego-crushing encounter with Paul]] to Ash, he admits Paul's always had a cruel streak. It could be that he's tried to curb this side of him, but failed. This is TruthInTelevision - stubborn people like Paul often can't be convinced that they are wrong, especially not with just words.
%%* MoralityPet: Could be considered this for Paul.
* NiceGuy: He's much kinder and more pleasant than his little brother.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. A character of the day from ''Best Wishes'' has the same Japanese, but not English, name as him.
* RealMenWearPink: He wears a pink shirt.
* RetiredBadass: Four complete sets of 8 Gym Badges, and six of the Kanto Frontier Brain Symbols (the only one he doesn't have is Brandon's). His defeat to Brandon is the reason he's given up taking League challenges, something his younger brother Paul is not happy about.
* SiblingYinYang: He's the exact opposite of Paul. He's a nice guy who trains hard, values friendship, and succeeds in his goals and ambitions. Paul is a {{Jerkass}} of the highest calibur who thinks friendship is a [[UnusualEuphemism load of Tauros]]. All because his older brother is the successful one.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has the same downward-slanted eyes as Paul and a similar shade of purple hair, though his is a darker color.
* ThemeNaming: In Japanese, Reiji contains ''rei,'' meaning "courtesy" or "propriety", while his little brother's name, Shinji, contains ''shin,'' "trust" or "confidence".
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Looker (Handsome)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/looker_badge.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MasakiTerasoma\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JasonGriffith\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Emmanuel Bernal
A detective with the International Police who is investigating Team Galactic. He will also appear against Team Plasma in ''Best Wishes''.
----
* AdaptedOut: His Croagunk from the games and ''Anime/PokemonGenerations'' is nowhere to be found in the main anime series.
%%* BadassLongcoat
* BadassNormal: Unlike the games, he doesn't have any Pokémon to help in his assignments. He's extremely competent despite this. Case in point, he manages to get a hold of and subdue [[MookLieutenant Aldith]], and keep her in place with a pipe until Colress arrived and took over the Golurks. Impressive!
* TheBusCameBack: Returns in ''Black and White 2: Episode N'' to investigate Team Plasma, possibly to reflect his appearance in the games.
* MasterOfDisguise: It's surprising he doesn't give off any clues it is him until he reveals himself.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: When we first meet him, he comes off as a bit quirky due to having bought too many lunches on the train (the fact he gave some to Team Rocket [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe explains why they're loyal to him later]]). At the end of that episode, we find out he's investigating Team Galactic.
%%* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
* OddFriendship: Looker and Team Rocket get along pretty damn well despite the former being with the police and the latter being known criminals. Hell, Looker was the one that convinced Team Rocket to help Ash and the others out against Team Plasma.
* PoliceAreUseless: Averted! If anything, he is ''more'' useful than most Officer Jennies we've seen.
* TheWorfEffect: He is captured during the climax of both the Team Galactic and the Team Plasma arc.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhonda (Yuka)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHiyamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/SarahNatochenny (Season 10 up until episode 29), Creator/RhondaKrempa (rest of Season 10 to episode 155 of Season 13), Creator/BellaHudson (rest of Season 13)
The hostess of the news channel ''Sinnoh Now!''
----
* ButtMonkey: Almost all of her major appearances has some kind of misfortune happening to her, whether it's constantly getting smacked on the head with a boom mic or missing out on a chance to cover an exciting story. Poor woman can't catch a break.
* TheCameo: Has a small appearance in the credits of ''Zoroark: Master of Illusions'' on the TV Johanna is watching.
* IntrepidReporter: If Rhonda's not broadcasting news in the studio, she’s usually out trying to cover whatever kind of event that's currently going on. However, due to outside forces and the incompetence of her film crew, her success rate is kinda 50/50.
* IsThisThingStillOn: Whenever she's broadcasting live and starts berating her boom operator, it's always caught on camera, with an embarrassed Rhonda trying to continue her story and trying to pretend it didn't happen.
* MsExposition: Is usually the one that delivers information to viewers about current events happening in the Sinnoh region.
* RunningGag: She's almost always getting smacked on the head with the boom mic held by her incompetent boom operator, with her always threatening to get said operator demoted to the mail room.
* ThrowTheDogABone: Her final appearance in the anime has her able to successfully perform interviews with the Sinnoh Grand Festival participants without anything bad happening, not even a single incident caused by her film crew or her boom operator.
[[/folder]]
!Rivals
[[folder:In General]]
* TheCameo: They appear among the other recurring ''Diamond & Pearl'' characters in the ending credits of ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions.''
* GenderEqualEnsemble: Specifically, Dawn's rivals; two are male and two are female.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This series introduced eight recurring rivals with a total of 60 Pokémon between them. Because of this, some had a lot less screentime than others, which may be the reason for future series cutting down on the number of rivals.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: Due to their varying personalities.
** Nice--Zoey (TheMentor), Nando (NiceGuy), Barry (GenkiBoy)
** Mean--Paul (GrumpyBear), Ursula (AlphaBitch)
** In-between--Kenny (JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]LovingBully), Conway (StalkerWithACrush), Tobias (DarkIsNotEvil)
* PromotedToOpeningTitles: Paul in Season 10, Zoey in Season 11, Barry in Season 12 (theme version 1), Kenny in Season 12 (theme version 2), Tobias, Nando, Conway, and Ursula in Season 13.
* TheRival: Each of these characters is competing with either Ash, for Gym Badges, or Dawn, for Ribbons. Nando is doing both.
* TwoGirlsToATeam: If this gang of rivals can be considered a "team", Zoey and Ursula are the only female rivals in this series.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul (Shinji)]]
[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Anime_Paul_5006.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Julian Rebolledo\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gerardo García (seasons 10, 11 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz, Eduardo Ramírez and Ricardo Bautista (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alessandro Bevilacqua (1st voice), Gauthier De Fauconval (2nd voice)
Ash's main rival in the Sinnoh region. Paul only cares about one thing: Becoming the best through sheer technical discipline. He only goes after Pokémon who have the best moves and abandons those who fail him, which is how Ash acquired Chimchar. In short, he doesn't care how his Pokémon feel, but only how they perform. Ash doesn't take too kindly to this.
----
* AbusiveParents: Or rather, an abusive trainer. He was this to Chimchar, always verbally (and eventually physically) abusing him, and pushing him way past his limits to get his [[UnstoppableRage Blaze]] ability to activate.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Paul is this to Ash, becoming a formidable wall he must overcome.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He makes no effort to hide how much superior he thinks he is to everyone else. He may mostly be an overconfident {{Jerkass}}, but there's no denying that he's a good battler.
* AwesomeByAnalysis:
** Paul was able to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] Ash in a full battle by building his team specifically to counter Ash's Sinnoh Pokémon.
** During the Sinnoh League, [[spoiler:he has his Pokémon use the Counter-Shield technique that Ash developed]].
* BadBoss: Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon kindly and puts them into a harsh training regiment without caring much about their well-being as long as they can bring out results. Particularly Chimchar is put under a lot of abuse, since Blaze can only be activated once Chimchar's stamina is at its limit. The rest of his Pokémon like him, though we only find out at the very end of the series.
* BadassBoast: "The challenge you always present to Trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do. But I'm not like my brother! My will gives me strength! And now, you'll see it firsthand!" Subverted when he immediately gets crushed in the ensuing battle by Brandon.
* TheBadGuyWins: While not exactly a villain, Paul is Ash's most antagonistic rival by far, and he beats Ash in the majority of their battles.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: His cruel treatment of his Pokémon is what makes him so despicable. It really says something about him that even the ruder rivals, most notably Harley, Ursula, and Burgundy, [[PetTheDog show more caring toward their Pokémon]] than he does to his own.
* BatmanGambit: Pulls off several at Lake Acuity.
** He purposely allows his Torterra to miss its first Frenzy Plant, baiting Ash into using several close-range attacks with Gliscor while Torterra recharges. This allows Paul to trap its tail with Crunch and get off a point-blank hit with Giga Drain, badly damaging Gliscor while healing off most of the damage taken earlier. This is immediately followed up with another Batman Gambit as Ash switches to Staraptor, allowing Paul to nail it with a super effective Stone Edge.
** He sends out his Honchkrow to battle Grotle, knowing that despite the type disadvantage, Ash will likely stay in with Grotle to avenge its loss to Honchkrow [[ContinuityNod earlier in the series]]. He is correct, and Honchkrow defeats Grotle easily.
** He throws Ash off guard by choosing [[PlayingWithFire Magmortar]] and [[BadassNormal Ursaring]] to battle Pikachu, knowing that Ash will take initiative and battle head-on. This turns out to be a ploy to activate their respective abilities in [[StatusAilment Flame Body]] and [[StatusBuff Guts]], while also taking advantage of ''Pikachu's'' natural ability Static, completely overwhelming him.
* BreakTheHaughty: His defeat against Brandon. It triggers his first step towards rethinking his ways.
* BringIt: In the battle between Ash and Paul in the Sinnoh League Tournament. Electivire uses this to get Infernape to stand up, and Paul even calls Infernape pathetic. In the Japanese version, he just tells Infernape to stop disappointing him again and again.
* BrokenPedestal: He lost faith in his older brother's skills after seeing him lose to Brandon and subsequently give up on Pokémon training.
* CatchPhrase:
-->'''Original:''' "[Pokémon], battle standby."\\
'''English Dub:''' "[Pokémon], stand by for battle."
** Another catchphrase of his from the English dub is "pathetic."
* CharacterDevelopment: Paul starts off as arrogant, alienating, and cruel to the core. By the time he finally loses to Ash at the Pokémon League, he is significantly kinder. He briefly admits that Barry put up a good battle after defeating him, and thanks his Electivire for trying his best after losing to Infernape. He's still distant and stoic, but he's come a long way.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: He was more visibly sinister and prone to [[PsychoticSmirk psychotic smirks]] in his first appearance, but from his second and onward he was more [[TheStoic stoic]] in his jerkassery.
* CombatPragmatist: In the earlier episodes of the Sinnoh saga, this boy was not above commanding his Pokémon to attack Team Rocket while they were reciting their motto. He even managed to capture a Gliscor by having his Electabuzz and Weavile blast it while Ash and co. were trying to negotiate with it.
* TheComicallySerious: He can be this when he's put in situations in which Ash and co are goofing off.
* CrazyPrepared: Particularly against Ash in the late stages of their rivalry.
** He teaches his Torterra Stone Edge to deal with the Fire- and Flying-types on Ash's Sinnoh team, and furthermore teaches it to [[HomingProjectile change the direction]] of the stones to prevent more agile Pokemon from dodging it.
** He temporarily teaches his Electabuzz Light Screen to serve a more supportive role. With the extra defensive buff, Paul's MightyGlacier Torterra because exceedingly hard to touch, as special attacks are halved in power while physical attacks are stopped cold with Stone Edge.
** In the Sinnoh League, Paul has his Gastrodon use the [[SpinToDeflectStuff Counter Shield]] technique [[VariantPowerCopying coined by Ash]], creating a large vortex of Muddy Water that makes it difficult to get in close. Ash sees a weak spot close to the ground and has Staraptor go after it, but Paul sees this coming and is able to trap it with Body Slam. Ash manages to escape Body Slam by banging the ground with Close Combat, but Paul is ''[[UpToEleven still]]'' prepared for that and nails it with Ice Beam as it escapes.
* CurbStompBattle:
** He got on the ''receiving'' side of it when he challenged Cynthia, whose Garchomp single-handedly defeated four of his Pokémon without breaking a sweat.
** He lost again against Frontier Brain Brandon without defeating a single one of his Pokémon, which led to his breakdown.
** His battle with Ash by Lake Acuity was heavily dominated by Paul. While Ash delivered a good match, Paul only lost two of six Pokémon, while Ash lost completely, half of his team being beaten by Paul's Ursaring alone.
* DeadpanSnarker: Paul also had some more snarky and cynical moments. He was snarkier in the beginning of the series and becomes outright hateful later on, despite being and looking way more mature than the other characters.
* DeathGlare: His default expression. He gives this to a lot of people he is annoyed with.
* {{Deconstruction}}:
** His whole character is one of [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
** He also serves as a deconstruction toward Ash's reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship and the IndyPloy. Almost every time Ash tries to prove to Paul that a strong bond can overcome any matchup, he gets shown up ''hard''. Ash has to significantly up his game and battle far more strategically to finally defeat him.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Downplayed. In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry. They're not exactly friends on account of the immense personality clash, but they've come a long way from the borderline [[ArchEnemy arch-enemies]] they were at first.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: After a long, grueling battle during the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash finally brings him down...and then Tobias comes in.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Acts like a huge {{Jerkass}} to ''everyone'' just because [[spoiler:his older brother failed to live up to the expectations Paul had of him.]]
* EnemyMine: He's paired up with Ash in the Tag Battle tournament.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** While he dislikes Ash and friends, his last appearance before the Sinnoh League, where he has Electabuzz use Protect to shield them from the falling debris of a Team Rocket mecha, shows that his dislike doesn't extend to outright ''murderous'' levels.
** Notably, he always uses a surprisingly-calm tone when speaking to Dawn, and he (somewhat) rationally and calmly explains his hatred of Ash to her before the Sinnoh League. The shippers took this and ran with it, thus giving birth to Ikarishipping (named due to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Paul's Japanese name]]).
** While Paul is a SoreLoser only interested in winning, even he hates Volkner for just giving out badges without a battle.
* EvilCounterpart: TheStoic, SocialDarwinist to contrast Ash's [[{{Keet}} expressive]], AllLovingHero. He's meant to represent what Ash would be if he only cared about his Pokémon's strength, and not them as individuals.
* {{Expy}}: Of Silver from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver GSC/HGSS]]'', given that he's a {{Jerkass}} rival to the main character who only cares about his Pokémon's power rather than connecting to them. They even have similar outfits and hair styles.
* FlatWhat: Expresses shock and disbelief when he finds out Ash defeated the leader of the Frontier Brains, Brandon.
* {{Foil}}: To Ash. Both are seasoned trainers who aim ToBeAMaster, but their philosophies are completely different. Whereas Ash succeeds through teamwork and love, Paul thrives on cold calculations and sheer power. Ash first wins his Pokémon's hearts, then improves their skills. Paul does not bother with bonding and gets straight to intense training.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: He once forgot who Dawn was, despite having met her twice before. [[DemonHead To say Dawn reacted poorly would be an understatement.]]
* FreudianExcuse: Paul resents his brother Reggie for giving up his dreams after a single loss and vows to never be like him (as a matter of fact, it's also why he hates Ash so much -- Ash talks about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength much like Reggie has). He patches things up with his brother eventually.
* GoodTamingEvilTaming: In contrast to Ash, Paul is cold (if not [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals abusive]]) to his own Pokémon. He captures them, using his [=PokéDex=] to measure their strengths and skill sets and either releasing them or giving them to somebody else if they fail to meet his expectations. He has even stated that developing an attachment to his Pokémon would make them weak. He becomes less so as the series progresses, but that does not stop him from being a dick.
* GrumpyBear: Paul's usual expression is anger and being in a bad mood. Despite not showing too many other emotions, grumpiness for Paul seems to be his second most well known trait.
* HeyYou: Barely acknowledges Ash by name, particularly in the Japanese version.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Beaten by his own former Pokémon, Chimchar, that he had mistreated. It personally took out half of his team.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Despite saying that when a Pokémon loses, it's the trainer's fault for not training it correctly, he blames his own Pokémon, especially Chimchar, for their losses.
** In the finals of the Tag Team Tournament, he maintains his belief that Chimchar and Ash are weak since Heracross was still briefly standing despite being hit point blank by a Flanethrower, and that it only fainted because Buizel collided with it when hit by Electabuzz's Thunder. While accurate, the exact same thing would apply for Paul and Electabuzz as Buizel was briefly still standing despite being hit point blank by a move it was weak too as well.
** He criticized Ash for using Grotle in [[AnIcePerson Candice's]] gym. This is coming from the guy who used Chimchar against [[DishingOutDirt Roark]].
* HypocriteHasAPoint: While Paul was a hypocrite for criticizing Ash for him using Pokémon that have type disadvantages to their opponents, Paul is still correct.
* IWasJustPassingThrough: Despite his disdain for Ash, he actually stuck around to watch his gym battle with Roark, if only in hopes of seeing him lose.
* IgnoredEpiphany: After being on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle against Cynthia, she told that he must care more by his Pokémon, but he refuses to take it to heart.
* IneffectualLoner: He does not like socializing with others, instead focusing all of his energy on getting stronger. Even so, he has yet to become a Pokémon Master or defeat Brandon.
* {{Irony}}: A fountain of it. Tried to activate a DesperationAttack, faces both Barry and Ash using one. His backstory involves his brother losing to Brandon and his Regi's, with himself losing in time as well. Chimchar's evolution Infernape can counter all three.
* JackOfAllStats: In keeping with his skill as a Trainer, he uses a well-balanced team of many different types.
* {{Jerkass}}: Paul's main characteristic. He's a cantankerous dick who abuses and releases his Pokémon who fail to reach up to his expectations. Even after CharacterDevelopment, he becomes only slightly less of a jerk, and does not become a good person until his final speaking appearance.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** When he meets Ash at the Sinnoh League, Ash claims he'll be giving it all he's got in their battle. Paul states that ''everyone'' participating has gotten all 8 badges too, so going all out against him and the other trainers Ash is battling amounts next to nothing. Even Ash admitted that Paul was right.
** When Ash praises Staravia during the Tag Team Tournament after Paul's Torterra defeats Brock and Holly, Paul sarcastically asks Ash if they even did anything. While rude to say, it's not inaccurate as Torterra single handedly defeated both of their opponents.
** In one episode, he criticized Ash for using his Grotle, a grass type Pokémon against an ice type in his gym battle against Candace. Considering the type advantage, Paul's complaint wasn't without merit.
** Barry keeps praising Sunyshore gym as one of the best which Paul criticizes as undeserving. It's later reveal the Sunyshore Gym leader gave badges without any challenge of any sort. Ash effectively agrees with Paul by demanding a proper battle.
** During the Sinnoh League episodes, he also tells Barry that overestimating his abilities will only backfire on him. [[spoiler:Paul is proven right when Barry gets curb-stomped HARD by Paul]].
** He justifies giving away his Azumarill claiming it was dead weight. Seeing as his Azumarill lost to a Geodude despite not only having a type advantage, but hitting it with ''Hydro Pump'', his analysis might've been fair.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite having very limited redeeming traits as a person, Paul eventually does have a lighter side to him. He shows it especially later in the Diamond and Pearl Series.
* KnightOfCerebus: Prior to Paul, many of the jerk trainers Ash had defeated in the past were swiftly beaten down. Paul is the first he's crossed who is highly competent. Also, despite his high standards and brutal training, one cannot deny that it has achieved results. Both his Ursaring and his Drapion flattened half of Ash's team in different battles.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Surrenders to Cynthia upon realizing that he just isn't capable of beating her.
* LackOfEmpathy: When he releases Pokémon, they look visibly upset and sad. Paul doesn't bat an eye.
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** Him getting curb stomped by Brandon in one episode counts.
** Ash is ultimately able to defeat him using Infernape, the Pokémon Paul released for supposedly being weak. To make it even better, Infernape defeats his Electivire by using its ability of Blaze, which Paul tried and failed to get it to master.
%%* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown
* NeverMyFault: Combined with hypocrisy. Paul stated that when someone loses a battle, it’s the trainer’s fault. Then when ''he'' were to ever lose, he would blame his Pokémon for supposedly being weak or find another way to take the blame off of himself. When he sends out Chimchar against Cynthia's Garchomp and it gets knocked out without landing a scratch, being an unevolved Pokémon with a type disadvantage, he simply recalls it and says to it, "You ought to be ashamed."
* NoSell: Ash's out-of-the-box strategies that generally give him the edge in battles barely works on Paul if ever fazes him. In their second battle, one of Ash's old tricks, using a "dig" attack's hole against the user, backfires ''hard'' on him when Paul counters the strategy. Even the counter shield, Ash's signature strategy in Sinnoh, not only barely gave him some advantage, but Paul learned it and used it against Ash in the league. Soon after, he flat out copied Ash and Infernape's tactics to rid off toxic spikes, using it to stop Ash's Gliscor.
* NotSoStoic: During his battle with Brandon. Also shows annoyance whenever he sees Ash.
** When Ash asked him if he wanted to watch his battle with Roark, Paul actually ''[[HaHaHaNo laughs.]]''
* ThePerfectionist: He has incredibly high standards for his Pokémon, to the point where he'll abandon those who don't live up to his expectations.
* PerpetualFrowner: He's almost always scowling.
* PetTheDog:
** Despite his harsh treatment towards Chimchar, he and Ursaring save him when Team Rocket attempts to steal him from Paul.
** After he [[spoiler:defeats Barry in the Sinnoh League, he commends him for the effort he put up instead of putting him down. This is a massive change from how he treated others who lost to him]].
** He actually thanks and commends his [[spoiler:Electivire]] for a well-fought battle instead of scolding it after its loss to Infernape.
* PsychoticSmirk: Early on, he smirks when he knows he has the upper hand. The first sign Paul is not a goody two-shoes like Ash.
* RedOniBlueOni: The callous blue to Ash's warmhearted red of the "Diamond and Pearl" series.
* TheRival: Ash's primary rival in Sinnoh and whom Ash held the most bitter rivalry with in the entire series by far. Their differing ideologies on raising Pokémon was the source of most of their antagonistic relationship, which escalated further after Paul released his Chimchar.
* RunningGag: A minor one, but twice he was in the midst of capturing a Pokémon, only to be interrupted by Ash & friends, allowing the Pokémon to escape. The first time it was a Fearow, the second it was a Drapion.
* SiblingYinYang: His older brother Reggie is kind and cheerful, and treats his Pokémon very well.
* SingleIssueWonk: Paul is obsessed with one thing and one thing only--becoming the strongest Pokémon trainer by putting his team through TrainingFromHell. Nothing else matters to him.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Only the best can be a part of his team. The rest get released.
* SoreLoser:
** Sometimes when he loses, he would blame his Pokémon for everything.
** Averted in the last few episodes of Diamond & Pearl. [[GracefulLoser Much to the shock of fans, he takes his loss against Ash in the League rather well, complemented with Paul complimenting his Electivire for a well-fought battle]].
* StealthPun: He puts his Pokémon through TrainingFromHell and abandons them when they don't live up to his expectations. In other words, the way he treats them is "a-Paul-ing."
* StrongAndSkilled: Despite his obsession with strength, Paul is arguably the most strategic battler ever shown in the anime. He thoroughly researches his opponents and employs strategies to target their physical and psychological weaknesses, and unlike most of Ash's opponents, he can quickly adapt to Ash's {{Outside The Box Tactic}}s as he's roughly just as experienced as Ash. It's most on display in his full battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, where Paul pulls off numerous {{Batman Gambit}}s to put Ash in a virtually unwinnable situation. Later on in the Sinnoh League, he purposely sets up two of his Pokemon as {{Sacrificial Lamb}}s in order to lower Ash's guard, only to reveal he was in control the whole time.
* TheStoic: He rarely shows emotion bar occasional bouts of frustration.
%%* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The Technician to Ash's Performer.
* TookALevelInKindness: Incredibly slowly, but it seems like he finally starts to understand his errors by the end.
* ToughLove: For all his faults, Paul is not incapable of treating his Pokémon decently - they are seen relaxing in [=DP100=], and Paul arranged for Torterra to be groomed. While he would probably bite off his tongue before he admitted to being affectionate, the small number of Pokémon he ''does'' keep in his team seem well-treated overall (Chimchar is ''noted'' to be an exceptional case), and their reaction to hearing about his loss in the Sinnoh League indicates that they are, in fact, loyal to him. Torterra appears to be the most loyal to him as well as receiving the most respect from Paul (most likely due to being his starter) because in one episode Torterra went to help Ash's Grotle out of empathy but when Paul discovered what happened, Torterra received no punishment suggesting that Torterra acts as an HonestAdvisor to Paul because he (alongside Paul) witnessed Reggie's defeat at the Battle Pyramid, which in turn caused both of them to form Paul's ideology so that he doesn't follow in Reggie's footsteps.
* TrainingFromHell: Expects nothing but the best from his Pokémon. Any lower and they are released back into the wild. Chimchar got the worst of it, due to Paul's desire to harness the immense power of its Blaze ability.
* TsurimeEyes: He has very sharply shaped eyes, showing that he is not a friendly fellow.
* TheUnfettered: A [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior chillingly accurate portrayal]] for a kid's show. While he is not incapable of showing respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, he is a ruthless and cruel Trainer who [[TrainingFromHell trains his Pokémon harshly]], [[TheSocialDarwinist treats weak Pokémon and even other Trainers with utter contempt]] (like Maylene) and has released or given away no less than six Pokémon on screen for [[YouHaveFailedMe poor performance in battle]] and feels no remorse for his actions, seeing his actions as the only way to make an efficient team. He also [[TheStoic shows little to no emotions]] apart from his ever present scowl (and occasionally a [[PsychoticSmirk condescending smirk]], usually for Ash), is quick and firm in his choices, sees nothing morally wrong in his abuse of both people and Pokémon, and has no qualms about using borderline illegal moves in battle (Elekid using Brick Break on Cranidos' leg, Torterra biting Gliscor's tail, and pretty much every move by [[BearsAreBadNews Ursaring]]), and is by far one of Ash's most powerful rivals, serving almost as a living antithesis to his entire philosophy on Pokémon. Unlike his other rivals Gary and Trip, who were simply at odds with Ash, Paul is a full-blown antagonist.
* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: After beating Gym Leader Maylene and getting the Cobble Badge, he proceeds to insult her:
-->''"You're weakest Leader I've ever fought, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and this lightweight Badge is just like you]]."''
* UsedToBeASweetKid: In Reggie's flashback before Paul starts his battle against Brandon, Paul traveled from Sinnoh to Kanto after receiving his Turtwig because he wanted to see his brother win his final Battle Frontier Symbol. Paul and Turtwig were shown to have notably pleasant dispositions prior to [[BrokenPedestal witnessing Reggie's loss]] and watch Brandon call him out on his lack of true inner strength, though how different Paul is now compared to back then is still debatable.
* VocalDissonance: To a degree. His voice makes him sound ''way'' older than he really is [[note]] it's never said exactly how old he is, but he's likely a young teenager at most[[/note]].
* TheWorfEffect: Brandon effortlessly defeats Paul in a full battle, with the latter failing to knock out any of his opponent's Pokémon, which goes to show that Brandon's status as a Frontier Brain isn't just for show. At the same time, however, Paul's inability to maintain his composure also contributed to his loss.
%%* WorthyOpponent:
%%** Paul bows his head to Roark, his assistant, Cynthia, Nurse Joy, and Brandon. He seems to respect his elders in general, or is at least cordial to them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Releases Pokémon which he perceives as being weak or useless without a second thought, which is how Ash came across Chimchar. Paul only kept Chimchar around hoping to utilize its ability Blaze. When Chimchar was unable to summon it exactly when Paul wanted it, Paul released Chimchar. However, Paul does try to utilize their potential as much as possible, and if it still doesn't work out, then goodbye.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul's Pokémon]]
Throughout Paul's several journeys, he has caught a large number of Pokémon, many of them being based on power, but he does use Pokémon who have more tricks in their pockets than just pure strength. While the majority of them are {{Jerkass}}es, they do like him as a trainer.
----
* AmbiguousGender: With the exception of Froslass and Nidoking, who can only be one gender, none of their genders are known. Although, given their personalities, it can assumed that most of them tend to be male.
* CurbStompBattle: 10 of his Pokémon are victims of this trope, being easily defeated by Champion Cynthia's Garchomp and Pyramid King Brandon's Regi Trio.
* HighTurnoverRate: Paul's tendency to boot party members that don't live up to his standards means that he's released more Pokémon than most side characters have even owned. Even aside from those, he fields a ''ton'' of different Pokémon over various battles, to the point that he almost never uses the same team twice.
* {{Jerkass}}: Most of them are nasty in nature and aren't very nice to others, even among themselves. They are a few exceptions, though.
* LightningBruiser: Paul definitely favors these, with Electivire, Ursaring, Honchkrow, and Drapion being both extremely strong and fast enough to deal with more agile opponents.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Like Gary, Paul is one of the few rival characters to have such a high number of Pokémon, which often leads to many of them being under developed as characters. And the series does show Paul constantly capturing new ones.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In the opening ''Together'' and its remix, Paul's team gets updated from time to time, starting from [=DP041=] onwards, even though Ursaring has been caught since [=DP006=].
* YouHaveFailedMe: Those who don't manage to live up to Paul's high standards, they are released. Those who do have great potential, but aren't able to use it, are released when Paul has enough of them.
----
!!Elekid-->Electabuzz-->Electivire (Elekid-->Eleboo-->Elekible)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_electivire.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
The first Pokémon shown alongside Paul as well as his most prominent one. It is the Pokémon who represents his trainer the most: a total {{Jerkass}}, but extremely capable in battle. Elekid was present when Chimchar joined Paul and since the latter was released, they have developed a rivalry with each other, witnessing each other evolving at least once.
----
* EleventhHourSuperpower: During the finale of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, Elekid evolves into Electabuzz, which gives it enough power to win alongside with Ash's Chimchar against Dawn's Buizel and Conway's Heracross.
* BarrierWarrior: Since its introduction, it is shown to know Protect, a move that protects it from any move. It also uses Light Screen during the Lake Acuity battle to support Paul's team, halving the damage inflicted on Paul's Pokémon for a short amount of time.
* BloodKnight: It becomes quite enthusiastic when in battle, and during the Sinnoh League tournament, [[BringIt it taunts Ash's Infernape to get back up and keep battling]].
* BringIt: Electivire taunts its rival, Infernape, to get back up when the latter is down and about to be declared as knocked out.
* DoubleKnockOut: During their first battle, Elekid and Pikachu end up knocking each other out, which also ends the match in a draw. While Ash admits defeat since Pikachu fell down first, Paul does acknowledge it as a draw.
* TheDragon: As Paul's most prominent Pokémon, it serves this role for most of the series, being one of Paul's most capable and reliable Pokémon, and during the league, it is the last Pokémon on Paul's side.
* ElementalPunch: It knows Thunder Punch since its debut, a move that covers its fist in electricity. It's Fighting-type move Brick Break is portayed in a similar manner, as its arm gets covered in electric sparks, making it some kind of a sparking chop.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Like Gastrodon, Paul taught Electivire how to use Counter Shield. By spinning its Thunder, it can defend itself from the opponent while attacking.
* JackOfAllTrades: It is living proof that Paul is a competent trainer. Elekid/Electabuzz/Electivire can be used as a straight up battler with defensive moves or as a supporting member with offensive capabilities.
* {{Jerkass}}: The most prominent example of Paul's Pokémon. It outright antagonizes Ash's Pokémon for no reason other than for its own amusement. Even when Paul is not present.
* LightningBruiser: Electivire is shown to be one of Paul's more powerful and tougher Pokémon, and if its Motor Drive ability kicks in, its speed increases massively.
* NoSell: Electivire's ability is Motor Drive, which makes it immune to Electric-type moves and instead increases its speed immensely.
* PrehensileTail: Electivire can capture its opponent with its tails, which allows it to perform a point blank Thunder.
* PsychoElectro: Electivire is just as much of a {{Jerkass}} as Paul is; in its debut, it shocked Pikachu without provocation and laughed about it, and it often taunts its opponents (particularly Ash's Infernape).
* TheRival: To Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape. They are introduced in the same episode and Elekid was already a jerk to Chimchar when he was still with Paul. They have become rivals once Chimchar was released and joined Ash's team. Chimchar witnesses Elekid's evolution, while Electabuzz witnesses Monferno's evolution. During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz briefly fights Chimchar and is later switched back on the field to see that he has suddenly evolved into Monferno, which fires Electabuzz up. The climax of their rivalry is during the Lily of the Valley Conference where both of them are the final Pokémon of their respective sides.
* ShockAndAwe: It is Paul's only known Electric-type Pokémon, and since its debut it knows Thunder and Thunder Punch.
* StatusAilment: Elekid's ability is Static, which can paralyze the opponent when it makes contact with Elekid. The ability has been changed to Motor Drive once it became Electivire.
* SupportPartyMember: During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz's main role is activating Light Screen to half the damage inflicted on Paul's team. It still is capable of battling the opponent by its own, though, but it doesn't get to fight for long until its fight with its rival, Monferno.
* TheWorfEffect: Like all of Paul's Pokémon used against Pyramid King Brandon, the reliable Electabuzz is quickly defeated, showing how powerful Bradon's Pokémon are.
* WorthyOpponent: It is generally excited to battle Pikachu and Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape who are very strong opponents.
!!Starly (3x) (Mukkuru)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_first_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's first two Starly]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's third Starly]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
During Paul's debut, he catches three Starly at once, but releases two of them right away once he checked their movesets. The third one is used against Ash's newly captured Starly, but despite its victory, Paul releases it as well.
----
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Two of the Starly were released right away after capturing, since they only knew Tackle and Sand-Attack, while the third at least knew Aerial Ace and Double Team. However, it didn't live up to Paul's standard and he could find a better Starly anyway.
* SacrificialLamb: Non-lethal example. They are released as soon as they are captured to demonstrate what kind of a trainer Paul is.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: All three are released before we knew anything about them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The third Starly that has the luck to stay with Paul and manages to defeat Ash's Starly does not live up to Paul's standards and is released after the battle as well.
!!Chimchar (Hikozaru)
A Pokémon that caught Paul's interest due to its abnormally powerful Blaze ability. After many failed attempts to draw out his potential, Paul's releases him after he failed him too many times. For more information see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Stantler (Odishishi)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_stantler.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
Another Pokémon caught and released right away.
----
* WeHardlyKnewYe: It is only shown being captured and released.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Another extreme example, since it was released immediately after its capture, just because it only knew Tackle.
!!Ursaring (Ringuma)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ursaring.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
Ursaring is captured by Paul when it was chasing after Ash's group. Thanks to its immense brute strength, it has remained as one of Paul's most competent battlers.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Using its claws, it shreds its opponents with its Normal-type move Slash.
* BadassNormal: Ursaring is a Normal-type Pokémon and one of Paul's strongest battlers, having defeated half of Ash's team during the Lake Acuity battle.
* BattleAura: When its Guts kicks in, it is covered in a red aura to show its activation.
%%* BareFistedMonk: Ursaring knows Hammer Arm.
* BearsAreBadNews: Ursaring is a bear and it is always aggressive and angry since its debut.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyber Beam from its mouth.
* TheBrute: Ursaring is an absolute powerhouse and manages to defeat three of Ash's Pokémon during the Lake Acuity battle.
* ButtMonkey: Ursaring has the tendency to lose against Chimchar everytime they battle.
* EnergyWeapon: It used to know Hyper Beam, a powerful beam attack fired from its mouth.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When its Guts kicks in, its eyes glow in crimson red to show of how dangerous it is now.
* HotBlooded: Of the angry kind. Ursaring is rarely calm at all and is always angry for no particular reason. It also has the Guts ability to match its personality, which makes it even stronger, angrier and more hot-blooded once it suffers from status changes.
* KamehameHadouken: It knows the move Focus Blast. It concentrates its energy into a powerful energy ball and throws it at the opponent.
* MadeOfIron: During its battle against Barry's Hitmonlee, it gets hits by many Fighting-type moves and is even burned by Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick. Not only does Ursaring not lose, it completely defeats Hitmonlee thanks to its Guts. And during the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, Ursaring took the most hits before being taken down.
* OneManArmy: Ursaring takes down half of Ash's team during their Lake Acuity battle.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Its eyes burn red when Guts is activated, which makes its already angry look even scarier.
* StatusBuff:
** It knows Bulk Up, a move that increases its attack and defensive power.
** Guts is an ability that kicks in when Ursaring is inflicted with a status change, which doubles its power.
* TurnRed: When it suffers from status changes, Ursaring's Guts kicks in which doubles its attack power.
* UnstoppableRage: It is already extremely angry from the get-go, but whenever its Guts ability kicks in, it gains [[RedEyesTakeWarning burning crimson eyes]] and [[BattleAura a visible aura]] that scream "be even more careful".
* TheWorfEffect: During the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, the very powerful Ursaring cannot take on Brandon's Regice and in the end, it is quickly finished off by Regirock while being paralyzed from Regice's Zap Cannon.
!!Azumarill (Marilli)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_azumarill.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers
A Water-type Pokémon that was caught by Paul for the Gym Battle against the Rock-type specialist Roark. However, it easily loses to Roark's Geodude, prompting Paul to give it away to a young boy after the match ended.
----
* BunniesForCuteness: Azumarill looks like an adorable egg-shaped bunny, but that is not the reason why Paul caught it, so no bonus points for being cute.
* {{Irony}}: Because of its type, Azumarill is used during the Rock-type Gym Battle to give Paul an advantage. Not only does it fail miserably, Paul wins the Gym Battle by using two Pokémon who have type disadvantages against Rock-type and/or Ground-type Pokémon.
* MakingASplash: It is a Water-type Pokémon and that is the whole reason why Paul even caught it. However, its Hydro Pump fails to inflict damage on Roark's Geodude and it gets defeated before it can even use Water Gun.
* WorfBarrage: Hydro Pump is one of the most powerful Water-type moves, but Roark's Geodude easily blocks that with Hidden Power alone.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite its type advantage over Rock-type Pokémon, it loses because Roark is ''that'' much of a skilled trainer, which teaches Paul and Ash to use their head more to overcome Roark's strategy.
* YouHaveFailedMe: After Roark outmaneuvers him, Paul decides that the failure is Azumarill's and foists it onto a little boy while declaring it to be without potential.
!!Murkrow-->Honchkrow (Yamikarasu-->Donkarasu)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_honchkrow.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that has travelled with Paul through several regions, it is a reliable Pokémon that rarely fails him.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Shadow Ball from its mouth.
* CastingAShadow: It is part Dark-type and it knows the Dark-type move Night Slash; its wing glows purple and it strikes the opponent down with it.
* CreepyCrows: Murkrow and Honchkrow are crow-based Pokémon, who also happen to be Dark-type Pokémon. If Paul commands it to attack its own allies, it doesn't hesitate to do so.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Since the first opening of ''Diamond & Pearl'' that started airing in episode [=DP002=], the viewers knew about Paul's Murkrow, but it didn't show up until [=DP040=].
* TheReliableOne: Although it lost to Cynthia's Garchomp and failed to win the [=PokéRinger=] competition against Ash's Staraptor, it hasn't lost any other battle it's participated in.
* TheRival:
** During [=PokéRinger=] competition, Honchkrow serves as the rival to Staravia/Staraptor, due to the rivalry of their respective trainers. They end up competing against each other in the final round.
** It serves as one to Grotle. Turtwig evolves during his battle against Honchkrow, but he loses because of his unexpected loss in mobility. During the Lake Acuity battle, Paul uses Grotle's resentment over Honchkrow to his advantage, preventing Ash from switching Grotle out to defeat it.
* SignatureAttack: Its most powerful move is Sky Attack, which it uses in every battle it is in.
* SoulPower: It knows the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball, firing a dark energy ball from its mouth.
!!Weavile (Manyula)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_weavile.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that journeyed with Paul through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. It tends to lose a lot, yet it hasn't been released yet.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It attacks the opponent with its claws by using the Steel-type move Metal Claw. It is the only close-range move it has.
* BreathWeapon: It breathes Blizzard from its mouth and fires Ice Beam with its mouth as well, making it mainly a LongRangeFighter.
* ButtMonkey: Weavile loses every battle it is in without defeating anyone. It is a miracle that Paul has not released it yet.
* ExtraOreDinary: It knows the Steel-type move Metal Claw, which makes its claws as hard as metal and very sharp.
* GlassCannon: One of the few of Paul's Pokémon to be this, since he prefers brute physical strength as a fighting style.
* AnIcePerson: Weavile is primary an Ice-type Pokémon and is shown to use Blizzard, Ice Beam and Ice Shard. Paul uses it against Pokémon who are weak to Ice-type moves, but it never works for him.
* InformedAbility: It's implied to be one of Paul's strongest Pokemon, since he chose it to battle Cynthia. Its onscreen performance suggests otherwise.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Not explicitly confirmed, but logically, it must be the case. Paul is known to release Pokemon he deems weak; on top of that, Weavile has failed Paul in both of its onscreen battles, and in his first Full Battle against Ash, Weavile was one of only two of Paul's Pokemon to be knocked out (note that the other one, Ursaring, knocked out half of Ash's team before falling, whereas Weavile didn't knock out one). It must be the case that Weavile is doing good things for Paul off-screen if he hasn't released it yet.
* SignatureMove: Its most prominent move is Blizzard, which is often the subject to WorfBarrage.
* StatusBuff: Weavile can sharply increase its attack power with Sword Dance. In the Lake Acuity battle, it doesn't really help, since it loses to Staraptor anyway.
* WorfBarrage: Its Blizzard never defeats anyone and it doesn't seem to deal that much damage either. Which is rather accurate to the games, since Weavile's Special Attack stat is pretty awful.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite Ice-type Pokémon having a huge advantage against Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon like Garchomp, Weavile gets curb-stomped like the others, showing off that Cynthia's Garchomp is beyond the level of ordinary ones. It also loses to Ash's Staraptor, despite its type advantage.
!!Turtwig-->Grotle-->Torterra (Naetle-->Hayashigame-->Dodaitoise)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_torterra.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
Torterra is Paul's first Pokémon, as well as one of his strongest. He got it as his Starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan and it has been travelling with its trainer through four different regions. While it accepts Paul's harsh training regiment, Torterra does have a soft spot for Ash's Grotle.
----
* BigBrotherMentor: In [=DP100=], after witnessing Ash's Turtwig evolving into a Grotle and seeing him struggle with his gained weight and loss in mobility, Torterra sympathizes him, properly because they share the same evolution line, and it teaches Grotle how to battle as a MightyGlacier...by ''almost'' beating the living crap out of Ash's Gliscor. From there on, Ash has to teach Grotle that new battle style by himself.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyper Beam from its mouth as a long range attack.
* CurbStompBattle: Torterra wins the semi-final match of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition singlehandedly with no much difficulty while almost taking its tag partner (Ash's Staravia) out as well.
* DishingOutDirt: Torterra is part Ground-type and it knows the Rock-type move Stone Edge, throwing stone projectiles at the opponent which it can even control.
* {{Foil}}: Acts as a much more experienced one to Ash's Torterra. Paul's Torterra is a very powerful Pokémon that barely loses and is perfectly capable as a MightyGlacier. Ash's Torterra on the other hand, while still a powerful Pokémon, loses every battle it is in once it reaches its final stage (except against Team Rocket) and struggles quite a bit at adapting to battling as a MightyGlacier.
* GreenThumb: It is Paul's only known Grass-type Pokémon and is shown to know the most powerful Grass-type moves, Frenzy Plant and Leaf Storm. It also knows Giga Drain to suck the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Torterra is actually one of Paul's kinder Pokémon, despite the grumpy and jerky image they all represent. It helps Ash's Grotle how to change to a new battle style and how to adapt his MightyGlacier situation, all without Paul's permission. That said, it still is not a NiceGuy.
* LifeDrain: It uses the Grass-type move Giga Drain to drain the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* ManBitesMan: It knows the Dark-type move Crunch, which it uses to trap its opponent with its teeth while damaging them and suck their health with Giga Drain while still biting them.
* MightyGlacier: Torterra barely moves in battles since its too heavy, but thanks to his high endurance, it takes hits from its opponent fairly easily until it is the perfect time to smash them with its powerful strength.
* PetTheDog: Paul once arranged for Torterra to be groomed, and in general it seems to be the only one of his Pokémon that he has even a slight amount of affection for, likely due to it also being his starter.
* TurtlePower: Torterra and his pre-evolved forms are based on the TurtleIsland. As expected from turtles, Torterra is a MightyGlacier.
* WorfBarrage: Its most powerful move, Frenzy Plant, does barely anything to Cynthia's Garchomp, leading to it being open for a counterattack.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being Paul's strongest Pokémon, it gets one-shotted by Cynthia's Garchomp just to show off how ridiculously powerful she is. This even applies retroactively, as Torterra never loses afterwards and wins its battles pretty easily, which makes Garchomp look even more impressive.
!!Ninjask (Tekkanin)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ninjask.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by: Billy Beach
First introduced in a flashback, Ninjask was caught shortly before Chimchar's capture. In the present, it is used during the Lily of the Valley Conference against Ash's Gliscor and Infernape which used to be said Chimchar.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Ninjask is primary a Bug-type Pokémon and its size would freak out many people if it was real. It also knows the Bug-type move Fury Cutter, which becomes stronger with each hit.
* ChekhovMIA: It first appeared in a flashback centred around Chimchar. It finally reappears in a battle against the fully evolved Infernape.
* FlashStep: With Agility, it manages to move so quick, it is nearly impossible to see its movements.
* {{Flight}}: Being part Flying-type Pokémon, Ninjask is capable of flying. It is used in sky battles against other flying opponents like Ash's Gliscor. With its immense speed and the growing power of Fury Cutter, Ninjask is specialized to take the opponent down on the ground and poison them with Drapion's Toxic Spikes.
* FragileSpeedster: Ninjask is extremely fast and is capable of increasing its speed with Agility and Speed Boost, but it's a very frail Pokémon.
* GreenThumb: It knows the Grass-type move Giga Drain, which drains the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When Ninjask uses Giga Drain to heal itself, it has to circle around the opponent, but because of the damage it has taken from Infernape's Flare Drive, its movements drastically slow down, allowing Infernape to aim for Ninjask and defeat it with Mach Punch.
* LifeDrain: It uses Giga Drain by circling around the opponent to suck out their energy and heal itself with the stolen energy.
* StatusBuff:
** Its ability Speed Boost [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin boosts its speed]] over time.
** The move Agility increases Ninjask speed even further.
* SuperSpeed: While already very fast, it has Speed Boost as its ability which increases its speed over time. It even has Agility to make it even faster, making it to move so fast, it is almost impossible to hit it.
!!Gliscor (Glion)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gliscor.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Marc Thompson
This Gliscor used to be the leader of a flock of Gligar that were flying wild in a city. Before Ash manages to convince it to lead its flock out of the city, Paul catches it which causes the flock to fall into chaos. It is used against Ash's Gligar which used to be member of the flock as well and easily defeats the little guy, leading to its HeroicBSOD.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: The opening ''Together'' alludes that Paul's Gliscor would become the rival to Ash's Gliscor, but this is never developed beyond their first battle.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: It is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant flying scorpion, and it even has the Bug-type move X-Scissor to match.
* {{Foil}}: Just like Torterra, even in its brief appearances it manages to act as one towards Ash's Gligar, a younger member of its species. Ash's Gligar is a [[LovableCoward meek]], [[ProneToTears emotional Pokémon]] who struggles to learn to battle effectively, and although he [[TookALevelInBadass becomes easily one of Ash's strongest team members]], even as a Gliscor he never loses his charming and comical disposition. Paul's Gliscor, on the other hand, acts entirely competent from the start and maintains an unfazed and ruthless demeanor during battle.
* TheLeader: It used to lead a flock of Gligar prior to its capture. Its sudden capture led its flock to fall apart and fall into chaos, giving Ash's group a hard time to drive them out of the city.
* OneHitKill: It knows the OHKO move Guillotine, giving Ash's Gligar a crushing defeat that scarred it mentally.
* PowerPincers: Since Gliscor is partially based on scorpions, it has two big pincers.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After [=DP100=], it is not seen again, unlike some of Paul's other Pokémon.
!!Magmar-->Magmortar (Boober-->Booburn)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_magmortar.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
A replacement for Chimchar, Magmar was used to deal with Maylene's Lucario, leading to the Gym Leader's HeroicBSOD. Unlike Chimchar, Magmar does manages to live up to Paul's standards and is shown to be more effective as a Magmortar.
----
* BookEnd: The battle against Pyramid King Brandon starts with Magmar facing Regirock and ends with Magmar being defeated by Regirock.
* DishingOutDirt: Magmortar knows the Rock-type move Rock Tomb, which it launches from its arm cannons. Paul uses it to lead his fast opponents into a trap.
* ElementalPunch: Magmar was shown to know Fire Punch, a move that covers its fist in flames.
* MadeOfIron: It gets hit directly with Hydro Cannon from Barry's Empoleon. Hydro Cannon is one of the most powerful Water-type moves and is super effective against Magmortar, yet it doesn't get down.
* PlayingWithFire: It is a Fire-type Pokémon, replacing Chimchar and the perfect counter against Maylene's Lucario. It is shown to know the Fire-type moves Fire Spin, Fire Punch, Flamethrower and Will-o-Wisp.
* PoisonousPerson: It knows the move Smog, which it uses like [[SmokeOut Smokescreen]] to blind the opponent and to poison them.
* ReplacementGoldFish: Magmar replaces fellow Fire-type Pokémon Chimchar and does a good job at doing it, since it does live up to Paul's standards.
* StatusAilment:
** It has Flame Body as its ability, which can burn the opponent while making contact. Pikachu suffers from that.
** Will-O-Wisp is a status move that burns the opponent. However, Magmar fails to use it against Brandon's Registeel due to flinching.
* WorfBarrage: Its super effective Flamethrower doesn't do much against Brandon's Registeel to everyone's surprise.
!!Hariyama (Hariteyama)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_hariyama.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regirock.
----
* BareFistedMonk: It is a Fighting-type Pokémon, thus it has a type advantage over the Rock-type Pokémon Regirock. It also knows the Fighting-type moves Arm Thrust and Force Palm, but it ultimately loses to Regirock.
* CurbStompBattle: It doesn't do too bad against Brandon's Regirock, but it loses quickly once it is put in close range, ironically enough.
* WorfBarrage: It hits Regirock multiple times with the super effect Arm Thrust, yet it did barely any damage.
* TheWorfEffect: It is actually quite strong, but despite its type advantage over Regirock, it loses, showing that more than type advantages is needed to defeat the Pyramid King.
!!Nidoking
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_nidoking_7.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. He fights and loses to Brandon's Registeel.
----
* BareFistedMonk: He knows the Fighting-type move Double Kick, which is super effective against Steel-type moves like Registeel. He doesn't even manages to take it down on ground with it.
* CurbStompBattle: He actually puts a good fight against Brandon's Registeel, but he still loses rather easily nonetheless.
* DishingOutDirt: Since he is part Ground-type and knows the Ground-type move Earth Power, he has a type advantage over Registeel...which doesn't help at all.
* PoisonousPerson: Dawn notes that Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoking are usually in disadvantage against Steel-type Pokémon, but since Nidoking is also part Ground-type, he actually has the advantage.
* ShockAndAwe: He knows the Electric-type move Thunderbolt which he fires from his horn, but Registeel just shrugs it off while charging in with Iron Head and knocks Nidoking out.
* WorfBarrage: His super effective Earth Power merely slows Registeel down and his Thunderbolt doesn't do any damage against Registeel at all.
* TheWorfEffect: He has a type advantage over Registeel and out of all six Pokémon, Nidoking performed the best, but even he was defeated very easily, which shows how powerful the Pyramid King's Pokémon are.
!!Lairon-->Aggron (Kodora-->Bossgodora)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_aggron.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regice. It reappears later in the Lily of the Valley Conference during the match against Ash. It puts a good fight against Pikachu, but is ultimately defeated by Infernape.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It knows Metal Claw; it slashes its opponent with its claws in close combat situations.
* BreathWeapon: Its long range move is Flash Cannon, which it fires from its mouth.
* CurbStompBattle: Out of all six Pokémon, Lairon gets the worst performance against Pyramid King Brandon; being frozen by Regice's Ice Beam and finished off by its Zap Cannon in a matter of seconds.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: It knows the Normal-type move Double-Edge; the user smashes with its body full force at the opponent, but it receives recoil damage from that. However, since Aggron has Rock Head as its ability, it doesn't take damage from recoil moves.
* ExtraOreDinary: Aggron is part Steel-type and knows the Steel-type moves Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Metal Sound and Flash Cannon. It's type advantage over Regice doesn't help, though.
* MakeMeWannaShout: It makes a loud shriek when using Metal Sound, creating a soundwave with lots of air pressure, which not only weakens the opponent's (special) defense, but it also stops their movements temporarily.
* NoSell: Aggron has the ability Rock Head, which nullifies recoil damage from moves, allowing it to use Double-Edge without any risk.
* SacrificialLamb: Aggron and Gastrodon are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
* StatusAilment: Aggron knows Metal Sound which can decrease the (special) defense power of its opponent.
* StatusBuff: Lairon used Iron Defense to sharply raise its defensive power, a desperate move from Paul to stand a chance against Pyramid King Brandon. It didn't help at all. Even worse, it's the only move Lairon used during the battle.
* TheWorfEffect: While it has a type advantage over Regice, even trying to defend itself makes things only worse, causing Lairon to be defeated really quickly.
!!Gastrodon (Tritodon)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gastrodon.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
An Eastern Gastrodon which is used as one of the two Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their match in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is one Paul's two Pokémon shown to use Counter Shield.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Ice Beam and Water Pulse out of its mouth, making it primarily a LongRangeFighter.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Gastrodon uses Counter Shield with Muddy Water, spinning around on the ground to trap a flying opponent in the air with Muddy Water. If the opponent flies near the ground to avoid Counter Shield, it can be easily pinned down with Body Slam.
* FinishingMove: What Water Pulse is intended to be. When Gastrodon pins its opponent down with Body Slam, it fires Water Pulse directly into the air, planning to dodge the attack descending at an increased speed at the last second. It almost works, but Ash's Staraptor breaks free by using Close Combat on the ground. However, Paul had already predicted that maneuver and hits Staraptor with Ice Beam anyway.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Gastrodon freezes Buizel covered in Aqua Jet, but Paul doesn't know that Ash would improvise an Ice Aqua Jet, which leads to Gastrodon's defeat.
* AnIcePerson: It knows the Ice-type move Ice Beam, which is super effective against Flying-type Pokémon like Staraptor. It bites it in the ass though, since Paul is not prepared for an improvised Ice Aqua Jet from Ash's Buizel.
* MakingASplash: Gastrodon is part Water-type and knows the Water-type moves Muddy Water and Water Pulse. With Muddy Water, it is capable of utilizing Counter Shield, while Water Pulse is used as a FinishingMove.
* SacrificialLamb: Gastrodon and Aggron are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
!!Drapion (Dorapion)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_drapion.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
A powerful Poison/Dark-type Pokémon used during the battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is another one of Paul's most competent Pokémon, defeating half of Ash's team with its traps and strength.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Drapion is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant, purple poisonous scorpion and it appropriately knows the Bug-type move Pin Missile.
* TheBrute: A Pokémon who is designated to poison the opponent and make them suffer, and it has enough brute strength to take on powerful Pokémon like Ash's Torterra and Gliscor.
* EvilCounterpart: Drapion appears to be one to Ash's Gliscor. Both of them are used in the same league battle, both are purple scorpions yet neither of them are Bug-type Pokémon, but they do know Bug-type moves. Their moves are also similar; Drapion knows Cross Poison, Gliscor knows X-Scissor; Drapion knows Poison Fang, Gliscor knows Fire Fang; Drapion has the long range barrage attack Pin Missile, Gliscor has the long range barrage attack Stone Edge..
* KillItWithFire: After a long battle, Drapion is taken down by burn damage inflicted from Gliscor's Fire Fang.
* ManBitesMan: Subverted. It knows Poison Fang, a move that normally involves utilizing the user's teeth. But instead of biting the opponent with its teeth, Drapion transfers Poison Fang's power from its fangs to its claws while keeping the same effect.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: When using Pin Missile, it fires lots of missiles towards the opponent. Ash's Buizel and Torterra are taken down by barrages of Pin Missile. It also serves as Drapion's long range attack.
* OneManArmy: Drapion takes down half of Ash's Pokémon during his league match with paul.
* PoisonousPerson: Drapion is primarily a Poison-type Pokémon and Paul uses its poison to great effects. Drapion lays out Toxic Spikes to poison any opponent touching the ground, and in close combat it strikes down with Cross Poison and Poison Fang.
* PrehensileTail: Drapion uses its tail to capture its opponents.
* StatusAilment: Drapion is all about poisoning the opponent. By laying Toxic Spike on the field, it almost guarantees to poison the opponent's entire team.
* TrapMaster: Drapion can lay out Toxic Spikes on the field, which will poison any opposing Pokémon who touches the ground. It also tends to capture its opponents with its tail, slamming them on the ground to poison them with Toxic Spike's effect and attacking them while still holding them with its tail.
!!Froslass (Yukimenoko)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_froslass.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/SatsukiYukino\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bella Hudson
An Ice/Ghost-type Pokémon used during the match against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It puts a tough fight against Pikachu, but she nevertheless defeated by the electric mouse. She is only one of Paul's Pokémon to fight only one of Ash's Pokémon during the match.
----
* BreathWeapon: She fires her Ice Beam from her mouth like many other Pokémon. She freezes Pikachu with it, but he breaks through the ice with his Volt Tackle and knocks her out.
* AnIcePerson: Froslass is primarily an Ice-type Pokémon, knowing the Ice-type moves Hail, Ice Shard and Ice Beam and has the ability Snow Cloak to match. With Hail, she not only creates a snowstorm, her Snow Cloak also activates, allowing her to disappear and reappear in battle, which makes it difficult to hit her while the opponent takes damage from Hail.
* KamehameHadouken: Her Ice Shard is an energy ball of ice which she throws at the opponent. Similar like Focus Blast, it takes some time to charge it, which causes her to lose against Pikachu.
* LadyOfWar: An elegant female Pokémon, who has the graceful characteristics of a ''yuki onna'' and merciless freezes her opponent in ice.
* PowerFloats: Froslass is capable of floating in mid-air, which adds to her ghostly appearance.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She is the only known female Pokémon in Paul's possession.
* SoulPower: While part Ghost-type, Froslass is not shown to use Ghost-type moves. However, her Snow Cloak ability gives her the presence of a ghost, allowing her to disappear and reappear throughout the battle, which makes it harder to fight her, since attacks can go through her.
* StatusBuff: What Snow Cloak does is increasing her evasiveness in Hail. This is shown as her disappearing and reappearing in battle and being more or less tangible.
* {{Yokai}}: Froslass is based on the ''yuki onna'' and she lives up to this trope. With her Snow Cloak ability, she can disappear and reappear during battle, giving her an elegant yet ghostly and mystical presence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Zoey (Nozomi)]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Zoey_5191.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHayamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Elisabeth Morinelli\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/MariaFernandaMorales\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Claire Tefnin
Dawn's main rival in the Sinnoh region as a Pokémon coordinator. Despite her tomboyish appearance, she gets along with everyone pretty well, though she does get angry at Ash when he first thought it would be a good idea to be both a Pokémon trainer and coordinator. She mellows out, however, after some experience with him and Nando.
----
* TheAce: Zoey is one of the most skilled Pokémon Coordinators in the series. [[spoiler:She ends up winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival and comes away with the prized Ribbon Cup, after a long and hard match with Dawn that comes straight down to the wire.]]
* AffectionateNickname: Her best buddy Candice calls her "Zozo" (in English) or "Nozotchi" (in Japanese).
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To date, Dawn has never beaten her directly in a Contest.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Her Contest outfits are tuxes or pantsuits, save for her Grand Festival one which looks more like a stylized kimono.
* BoyishShortHair: She's easily the most tomboyish of Dawn's rivals. She also has short and spiky hair.
* BreakTheHaughty: A fairly mild example in ''Dawn's Early Night.'' At the beginning of the episode, she is confident in her belief that a Trainer who does both Contests and Gym Battles cannot be as skilled as someone who dedicates themselves to only a single goal. She begins to rethink her position after she loses the Hearthome Ribbon to Nando, who she had previously scorned for being both a Trainer and a Coordinator.
* BrutalHonesty: She doesn't bother softening her opinions for others. When she's told that Nando does both Contests and Gym Battles, her response is, "[He] really needs to make up his mind."
* CatchPhrase:
** "[Pokémon]! Ready? Go!"
** At least in the first season of Diamond and Pearl: "[Pokémon]! Curtain!"
* CharacterDevelopment: Zoey, being so devoted to her own dream of becoming Top Coordinator, originally took offense at Trainers who tried both coordinating and battling, assuming them to be less invested in their dreams. This brought her into conflict with both Ash (who early in his Sinnoh adventure dabbled in Contests himself) and Nando (for whom doing both was his primary goal). While she eased off after facing off with Ash, they still agreed he'd not be the best fit for Contests due to his temperament. Then Nando blew her away by clobbering her at the Hearthome Contest. By the time of the Wallace Cup, she accepted her perspective to have been closed-off and properly apologised to Ash for her attitude; later, she battled Gym Leader Fantina (a former Top Coordinator) in a straight match which she enjoyed.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Candice, who helped her raise her Glameow in secret.
* CoolBigSis: Zoey served as both rival and mentor early on, helping Dawn get prepared for contests even as an opponent.
* CoolShades: She's frequently seen wearing these on top of her head.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Red hair, red eyes.
* CuteKitten: Glameow (who Zoey actually ''did'' find as a kitten!)
* DoppelgangerSpin: Mismagius and Leafeon's Double Team.
* EnergyBall: Leafeon's attack of the same name.
* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow's Iron Tail.
* {{Fauxshadow}}: Before Dawn's contest debut, Zoey tells Dawn that she's gonna win, but in the next episode, cue her CurbStompBattle at the hands of Zoey.
* FieryRedhead: Toyed with. She's normally [[TheStoic rather mellow]], except when it comes to Paul's abuse of his Pokémon, which angers her like everyone else. Or discussing Trainers who partake in Gym Battles and Contests.
* {{Foil}}: To three characters, all other Coordinators.
** To Dawn; as her mentor and rival, she provides the straightest parallel to her while sharing the same goal. She's experienced where Dawn is a rookie and the tomboy to her girly girl. On and off the Contest field, her Pokémon present flawlessly synchronized teamwork while Dawn often has to struggle to get her sometimes-disobedient Pokémon to follow her lead. Her strategy for turning in winning Contest performances is to plan and perfect every move beforehand, as opposed to the unexpected yet stunning combinations Dawn pulls out on the fly, as a result of quick thinking, luck with a little prior planning, or both.
** To Nando. While it's less obvious due to his conspicuous lack of screentime, he and Zoey are complete opposites in nearly all aspects. He devotes himself to Gym Battles and Contests, she puts all of her energy solely into Contests. [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy She's a tomboyish teenage girl, Nando is a feminine male.]] She's easily fired up, open with her opinions and not afraid to say what she thinks, he's soft spoken and polite with a cool facade that rarely breaks. She lacks a preferred type specialty, as opposed to his team of Bug and Grass types. Their differences can even be seen in the way they perform; her combinations vary in effects and style while Nando's preferred techniques reflect a single central theme (music).
** To Kenny. A departure from the previous two mentioned above, the parallel between him and Zoey isn't so much the differences between them as it is the opposing ways that they help Dawn to grow through their relationships with her. Zoey's way of helping her improve as a person and as a coordinator is more straightforward and older sister-like, teaching her necessary skills and encouraging her to do her best, while the majority of Kenny's interactions with Dawn volley between [[TheGadfly childish teasing]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sincere encouragement,]] posing as a source of annoyance for her and at the same time motivating her to prove that she's capable of besting him and her other rivals in battle.
* FromStrayToPet: The episode ''Classroom Training!'' explains how she met her Glameow. As a child, she found it in a cardboard box on the street. Her parents refused to let her keep it, but with Candice's help, she secretly raised it in a shed behind her house until she was old enough to become a Trainer.
* GreenThumb: Leafeon, Gallade's Magical Leaf.
* AnIcePerson: Gastrodon's Blizzard.
* LaserBlade: Leafeon's Leaf Blade, due to PowerGlows.
%%* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: Red hair and Dawn's most formidable Contest rival. It can't be a coincidence.
* MakingASplash: Lumineon is water-type.
* MeaningfulName: The Nozomi is a Japanese bullet train service that goes in the opposite direction of the Hikari bullet train service. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter The Nozomi is faster than the Hikari]].
* NonElemental: Glameow is Normal-Type.
* PrinciplesZealot: When she started, Zoey would presume any trainers dabbling in both the gyms and contests to be TheDitherer and would criticize them for a lack of conviction; she backed off once Nando proved it was a viable path.
* RedOniBlueOni: She's cast as the red to Nando and Dawn's blue during contest battles.
%%* SempaiKohai: Kohai to Snowpoint Gym Leader Candice.
%%* ShockAndAwe: Glameow's Shock Wave and Thunderbolt, and Mismagius' Shock Wave.
%%* SoulPower: Mismagius, Glameow's Shadow Claw.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name is frequently misspelled as "Zoe".
* SpikyHair: Fitting her tomboy nature.
* StraightMan: To Dawn and her friend's antics quite frequently.
* TheStoic: In Contests and sometimes outside of them, Zoey usually seems very collected and is not one to lose her cool. This is one thing that makes her NotSoDifferent from Nando, who has a similar attitude.
%%* PsychicPowers: Mismagius' Psywave.
* ATasteOfDefeat: She's a highly skilled and competent Coordinator, but even she isn't immune to losing once in a while. She loses to Nando at the Hearthome Contest finals and May in the Wallace Cup semifinals.
* TechnicolorEyes: Red ones, matching her [[CurtainsMatchTheWindow eyes.]]
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Dawn's Girly Girl. Accentuated by the fact that she always wears suits in her Contests, never dresses. In addition to the contrast, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it shows that she's no less feminine than Dawn]], just unconventional about it - her flashy suit in the Grand Festival was particularly fashionable and made to accentuate her femininity instead of negating it.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She's a short-haired tomboy who regularly competes in the fashionable and flashy Contests.
* {{Tsundere}}: Towards Nando in ''Dawn's Early Night!''
* TheUnreveal: Her battle with Nando for the Hearthome Ribbon in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' which she loses, is never actually seen, and only its aftermath is shown. Whatever he did during it, he managed to impress her a great deal.
-->'''Zoey:''' Nando really is something else. The way he's chosen to compete in Contests and Gym Battles, it's like he knows it's his destiny!
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Leafeon's Aerial Ace.
* WiseBeyondHerYears: She's a very knowledgable and insightful character. Not without her flaws, but still rather mature for her apparent age.
* WorthyOpponent: For Dawn. Coming to see Nando as one is a key step in her CharacterDevelopment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kenny (Kengo)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Kenny_80.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' YukoMita\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Rhonda Krempa\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín (seasons 10 and 13), Xóchitl Ugarte (season 11), Bruno Coronel (season 12).
Dawn's childhood friend and another Pokémon Coordinator. He gave her the nickname of Dee-Dee/Pikari, and never lets her forget... not that she has a hard time forgetting it.
----
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Heavily implied in ''Four Roads Diverged in a Pokémon Port!'' when Dawn chooses to travel with [[ChasteHero Ash]] to cheer him on in the Lily of the Valley Conference and not him when he made the offer. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools He takes it quite well though.]]
%%* BubbleGun: Empoleon's, as a Prinplup, Bubble Beam.
* ColorMotif: Blue, serving to reflect his rivalry with Dawn and their similar roots. Two of his Pokémon are Water type, one of which is the evolved form of Dawn's starter, he has a blue Pokétch, he was seen wearing a blue shirt in a flashback and he dons a blue suit for the Grand Festival.
* DecompositeCharacter: He fills the role that Barry does for Dawn as the player character in the games, being (one of) her main rivals.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Machoke
%%*** MakingASplash: Floatzel
%%*** PsychicPowers: Alakazam
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** GreenThumb[=/=]BareFistedMonk: Breloom
%%*** MakingASplash[=/=]ExtraOreDinary: Empoleon
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** [[AnIcePerson An Ice Pokémon]]: Empoleon's Mist.
%%*** SoulPower: Alakazam's [[EnergyBall Shadow Ball]].
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Empoleon's Drill Peck.
%%* EnergyBall: Breloom's attack. Also, Empoleon's Flash Cannon.
%%* EpicFail: His performance at the Grand Festival. Seriously, Kenny, the least you could do is make sure your combination actually ''works'' before using it at an important event.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Empoleon.
* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: Dawn apparently didn't know he was going to be a Coordinator.
* TheGadfly: He ''loves'' to get under Dawn's skin.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Seems to express his crush on Dawn by relentlessly teasing her about their childhood days.
* KidsAreCruel: He looks this way when we find out the backstory of "Dee Dee", the EmbarrassingNickname he hung on Dawn. Especially since he got the entire class hooked to that nickname where the entire class calls her by that very name he coined. He and Dawn ended up friends eventually though.
%%* MegatonPunch: Breloom's Mach Punch.
%%* MindOverMatter: Alakazam
* TheNicknamer: Came up with Dee-Dee/Pikari.
%%* OddFriendship: With Barry.
%%* RazorWind: Floatzel's attack.
%%* ShonenHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barry (Jun)]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Barry_8307.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Jamie [=McGonnigal=]\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Ricardo Bautista (seasons 11 and 13), Miguel Ángel Ruiz (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Grégory Praet
Another of Ash's rivals in the Sinnoh Region, though neither one really considers the other to be a rival. Barry wants to go after Paul, and oftens encounters Ash during his travels. They share a competitive friendship as trainers, and Barry isn't too bad as one himself.
----
%%* AnimeHair: It's pretty gravity defiant.
* AttackAttackAttack: This is typical his strategy in battle. And it doesn't help that he's not particularly creative either.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: His usual approach to events. Though he once waited long enough for a Heracross to be attracted by slathered honey.
* ButtMonkey: Silly, unfortunate things happen to him all the time. He forgets things, people keep getting in his way while he's running around, Gible eats his bike and gym battle ticket, etc.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "I'm going to make you pay a fine for that! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four -- "
* CharacterExaggeration: He doesn't have the level of characterization (and CharacterDevelopment) his game counterpart had, nearly to the point of being a SatelliteCharacter.
* CharacterTics: Snapping his fingers.
%%* CrashIntoHello: But ''he's'' the one not looking where he's going!
* CurbStompBattle: He tried. [[{{Determinator}} Good lord]], [[DiedStandingUp he tried]]. Yet in the end, [[HardWorkHardlyWorks all he ended up with]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog was a devastating 3-0 loss to]] [[ArchEnemy Paul]].
* DeathOrGloryAttack: His Empoleon's signature move is Hydro Cannon and it also learns Hyper Beam, which puts alot of power into a single attack but leaves it defenseless afterwards. And after a Torrent boost on top of that it's completely stopped by Electivire's Protect and unable to do nothing but stand and take the retaliation.
* {{Determinator}}: Just watch how hard he and his team try to win when they face Paul.
* TheDitz: Barry tends to act faster than he thinks.
* DumbBlonde: While not at all unintelligent, he's seriously [[HotBlooded impatient and rushes into things without thinking]].
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Hitmonlee
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]BareFistedMonk: Heracross
%%*** ExtraOreDinary[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Skarmory
%%*** GreenThumb[=/=][[PoisonousPerson Poisonous Pokémon]]: Roserade
%%*** MakingASplash[=/=]ExtraOreDinary: Empoleon
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Staraptor's Close Combat.
%%*** DishingOutDirt: Skarmory's Spikes.
%%*** PlayingWithFire: Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick.
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Empoleon's Drill Peck.
%%* EnergyWeapon: Empoleon's Hyper Beam.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Empoleon
* FailedASpotCheck: He was so absorbed in telling Dawn and Brock about Tobias the OlympusMons trainer that it took him a while to even notice Ash's match.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:After losing to Paul in the Sinnoh League, he commends Paul for the battle the two shared. Paul, surprisingly, returns the favor]].
* GratuitousEnglish: Most notably, [[OddFriendship "BEST FRIENDS!"]] and "DADDY!?"
%%* HornAttack: This and Megahorn are Heracross' attacks.
* HotBlooded: He is the son of Palmer after all. He throws his Poké Ball so hard, he does a ''complete forward flip'' in the process.
* HypocriticalHumor: He tells others to watch where they are going, but Barry himself doesn't watch where ''he'' is going.
%%* {{Keet}}: Oh Arceus is he ever.
* LargeHam: Barry honestly could pursue a career in theatrics with the level of drama he acts out.
* MotorMouth: Barry talks entirely too much sometimes.
* NoIndoorVoice: Every line he has is yelled at the top of his lungs.
* NoodleIncident: According to Dawn, he was once involved in a singing duet with an ''Exploud''.
%%* RazorWings: Staraptor's Wing Attack.
* RunningGag: He always interrupts Team Rocket before they can finish their motto.
%%* ScarfOfAsskicking: Just like his game counterpart, but downsized, like Dawn.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: His wails are always very silly and over the top.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Barry treats himself like he's a world class trainer. Paul barely even acknowledges his existence. Not to mention even after Ash proves himself a better trainer than him, Barry still thought the opposite for a time.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has spiky blond hair similar to Palmer's.
* TechnicolorEyes: Orange.
* UnknownRival: Wants to be a Rival of Paul's. But if it was even possible, Paul treats him with more disdain than he does with Ash. [[spoiler:After his loss in the Sinnoh League, Paul does acknowledge his skill.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In "To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!" he pretty much disappears after losing and is not heard from until his next appearance in "Historical Mystery Tour".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ursula (Urara)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Ursula_4230.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Melisa Schroenburg\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Betzabé Jara (season 12), Creator/CristinaHernandez (season 13)
A fellow Pokémon Coordinator with a rather poisonous personality who Dawn met at the Chocovine Pokémon Contest. Believing that Dawn's Wallace Cup victory was a fluke, she's determined to knock her down a peg or two.
----
%%* AlphaBitch
%%* AnimeHair
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: In her first appearance, she refuses to believe Dawn's win against May was based on skill.
%%* BitingTheHandkerchief: In Jessie's flashback, she is seen doing this after losing in the first round of the Wallace Cup.
%%* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:The only way for Dawn to do it was to knock out her Pokémon in their third battle.]]
* CharacterTics: When giving commands in a Pokémon Contest, she makes the "ILY" hand sign with both hands and her arms crossed.
* CombatPragmatist: Just like Harley before her, but more subtle and strategic. She has no qualms about using Dawn's fear of Plusle and Minun against her in a Contest, or having them use Encore to force her opponent's Pokémon to perform the same move over and over, causing them to lose points with the judges.
%%* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Pink hair, dark pink eyes.
%%* DoppelgangerSpin: Gabite's Double Team.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** MakingASplash: Vaporeon
%%*** NonElemental: Jigglypuff
%%*** PlayingWithFire: Flareon
%%*** ShockAndAwe: Plusle and Minun.
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Ground): Wormadam (Sandy Cloak)
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** DishingOutDirt: Jigglypuff's Rollout.
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Gabite, Flareon and Vaporeon's Iron Tail, and Jigglypuff's Gyro Ball.
%%*** PsychicPowers: Wormadam's Confusion.
%%*** SoulPower: Flareon's [[EnergyBall Shadow Ball]].
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Gabite's Aerial Ace.
* DecompositeCharacter: She takes after Harley in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions, while Nando takes after him in appearance, voice, and mannerisms.
* EvilCounterpart:
** To Dawn. They're both ambitious and talented at Contests, but the difference is that Dawn is kind and sweet to nearly everyone she meets, while Ursula taunts her opponents, boasts about her abilities, and has no qualms about humiliating her opponents in public.
** She could be considered one to Zoey as she belittles Dawn and puts her down while Zoey is a helpful [[BigBrotherMentor big sister mentor]] to her instead.
* EvilIsPetty: She goes out of her way to spite Dawn at every turn, simply because she believes her to be an incompetent Coordinator who scrapes by on dumb luck.
-->'''Ursula:''' ''(addressing Zoey)'' I'll make sure you and Dawn never meet in the final round!
* EvilLaugh: "Ahahahahahaha!"
* {{Expy}}: Ursula has a good set of mixed influences.
** As a red-head with elaborately curled pigtails, she bears a striking resemblance to [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Amy Sorel]] and [[Music/{{UTAU}} Kasane Teto]], and has a less direct resemblance to [[Anime/YesPrecure5 Urara Kasugano]].
** She also inherits the role of the harshest of Dawn's rivals from Harley, who was much the same for May.
* FelonyMisdemeanor: "The horror! My beautiful Gabite's been soiled! How dare you!"
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Being a Coordinator, she has some skill at cooking Poffins, though Dawn's Pachirisu doesn't like the ones she makes.
* GameBreaker: InUniverse. In one contest, where the goal was to impress the judges with ''varied'' moves, she used Encore, forcing the opponents to repeat moves and thus lose points.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Her hair ribbons are a pale lavender.
* ImprobableHairstyle: She wears her hair in pink twin drills.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: She appears three times in the series. Each time, she gets her butt kicked by Dawn, including one time when her Gabite lost to ''Pachirisu.''
* InsufferableGenius: She's a skilled Pokémon coordinator...and she makes sure everyone knows it.
* ItOnlyWorksOnce: Her Grand Festival appeal involves her two Eevee evolving into Vaporeon and Flareon mid-performance. It makes for an impressive display, but as Brock notes, it can only be pulled off once.
%%* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The dark to Dawn's light.
%%* ManBitesMan: Flareon's Fire Fang.
%%* ManipulativeBitch: Poor Dawn...
* MeaningfulName: In the original version, her name is derived from 麗らか ''uraraka,'' Japanese for beautiful or glorious.
* MegaTwintails: Her pink hair is styled in large drill-shaped pigtails.
%%* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Gabite
* PetTheDog:
** In her first appearance, she offers Dawn's Pachirisu a Poffin to replace the one her Gabite stepped on. Pachirisu didn't like the taste, but it's the thought that counts.
** Despite her arrogance, Ursula cares for her Pokémon and treats them well, unlike Paul. When her Gabite loses the Chocovine Contest, she comforts her and tells her that she did a great job. [[spoiler: And she comes to have ''some'' respect for Dawn in the end, as much as she may deny it.]]
* RememberTheNewGuy: She participated in the Wallace Cup and lost in the first round, but didn't appear during that arc.
* RollingAttack: Jigglypuff's Rollout, also Plusle and Minun's "twin attack formation" in ''Playing the Performance Encore!''
* TechnicolorEyes: A dark pink that matches her hair.
* TrueBlueFemininity: Her Grand Festival dress is three different shades of blue.
* WonderTwinPowers: Not only do her Plusle and Minun know Helping Hand, they work perfectly together in Contests, making them a fantastic choice for Double Battles.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Her hair and eyes are light pink.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Conway (Kōhei/Kouhei)]]
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conway_screenshot_6447.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kozo Mito\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/IrwinDaayan (season 10 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz (season 11).
Dawn's partner in the Hearthome Tag Battle competition, who took a liking to her. He was only intended to appear for a few episodes, but [[EnsembleDarkhorse unexpected popularity among the fanbase]] brought him back for more.
----
%%* AdjustingYourGlasses: Type 2 is his {{Character Tic|s}}.
* BadassBookworm: He's big on battle strategy, even giving Ash a hard time in their League battle.
* BattleCouple: Formed one with Dawn in the Tag Battle Tournament. Although the affection is one-sided...
%%* {{Bishonen}}
* BlueWithShock: When he found out the "little girl" he partnered with in a Pokémon Summer Academy race was [[spoiler:a ghost.]]
%%* BreakoutCharacter
* CharacterTics: Tweaking and/or [[ScaryShinyGlasses shining]] his glasses.
%%* ConfusionFu: His battle plan against Ash. Ash...out weirds him.
* CreepyMonotone: Speaks like this briefly in "Ghoul Daze!" when under the ghost girl's mind-control.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: For a creepy, nerdy stalker, it's very surprising to see how ridiculously competent Conway can be in battle. In addition, he sports a nice variety of Pokémon despite his battling skills not being highlighted often.
%%* DeathGlare: Dusknoir's Mean Look.
* DidNotSeeThatComing: Like many of Ash's opponents, Conway gets thrown off when his opponent improvises. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Namely, Gible catching Dusknoir's Shadow Punch with his mouth and not letting go]].
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** NonElemental: Lickilicky
%%*** SoulPower: Dusknoir
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]BareFistedMonk: Heracross
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Rock): Shuckle
%%*** ExtraOreDinary[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Rock): Aggron
%%*** MakingASplash[=/=]PsychicPowers: Slowking
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Shuckle's Gyro Ball.
%%*** GreenThumb: Lickilicky's Power Whip.
%%*** MakingASplash: Shuckle's Withdraw.
%%*** [[PoisonousPerson Poisonous Pokémon]]: Shuckle's Sludge Bomb.
%%*** PsychicPowers: Shuckle's Power Trick and Dusknoir's Trick Room.
%%*** ShockAndAwe: Lickilicky's Thunderbolt and Dusknoir's Thunder Punch.
%%*** SoulPower: Lickilicky's Lick.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
-->'''Conway:''' ''(off-screen)'' Well, how are you, Number 28?\\
'''Dawn:''' ''(cheerfully)'' I'm fine!\\
''(cut to a close-up of Conway with ScaryShinyGlasses)''\\
'''Conway:''' That's good. Conway is the name. A pleasure.
* {{Expy}}: His design is based on the Super Nerd Trainer class in the main ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games.
* FlawExploitation: In the battle against Paul and Ash, he exploited the fact Paul loved to use Protect by having a Pokémon with Feint. Later, he was well aware Ash had a preference for using FragileSpeedster type Pokémon by using Trick Room.
%%* GuileHero
%%* HornAttack: Heracross' Megahorn.
%%* {{Megane}}
* LightningBruiser:
** Dusknoir when using Trick Room outspeeds almost everything on Ash's team due to Trick Room causing slower Pokémon to go first. Finally, Dusknoir was shown taking and dealing out hits with ease.
** His Shuckle is not fast, but its defenses are really good, and there's a special move that unlocks its offensive powers...
* MightyGlacier: Dusknoir, out of Trick Room, due to its low speed but amazing ability to take hits and dish them out.
%%* MindControlEyes: When brainwashed by a ghost girl in ''Ghoul Daze!''
* NearDeathExperience: In ''Ghoul Daze,'' he almost gets lured off a cliff by a creepy ghost girl. Luckily, he's saved by a Dusknoir.
%%* NerdsAreSexy
* NonActionGuy: Despite making good showings in the first two legs of the Pokémon Triathlon, making good use of Dugtrio's Dig and Floatzel's Dive to bypass the other competitors, he ultimately loses in the final leg because he's bad at long-distance running.
-->'''Conway:''' Big mistake. Not doing a little cardio training was pretty dumb.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: He could sometimes engage in this, particularly with Dawn.
%%* OverlyLongTongue: He doesn't have one, but his Lickilicky does.
* ReusedCharacterDesign: He looks very similar to a grown-up version of Max.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with a creepy chuckle and a SlasherSmile.
%%* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness
* ShirtlessScene: In ''Up Close and Personable,'' justified in that said episode involved the Pokémon Summer Academy students diving underwater to search for aquatic Pokémon.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Never shows any attraction towards anyone but Dawn.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His Japanese name can be spelled either "Kōhei" or "Kouhei".
* StalkerWithACrush: He follows Dawn everywhere, popping up behind her at random times and offering her advice. Apparently, he went to the Pokémon Summer Academy ''just'' because he knew she would be there.
* StealthHiBye: A running gag is him randomly appearing from behind Dawn and startling her (as well as anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity).
-->'''Dawn:''' No one makes an entrance like Conway.
%%* TakeThat: At geeky fanboys/"otakus".
%%* TeenGenius
* ThirdPersonPerson: "That was quite nice...but Conway never gives up!"
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is dark green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nando (Naoshi)]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TV_Tropes_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KazuyaNakai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' José Arenas
A soft-spoken minstrel with a liking for music and Grass-type Pokémon. In his debut episode, Ash and Dawn helped him decide to participate in both Gym Battles and Contests, making him a rival for both of them.
----
* AdaptationalNationality: The English dub implies that he's Hispanic (or whatever the equivalent is in the Pokémon world), by giving him a name of that origin and an accent that sounds vaguely European, but never confirms it.
* AerithAndBob: On the "Aerith" side of the scale.
* AgentPeacock: Like Harley before him, he acts quite feminine yet proves to be a skilled Trainer and Coordinator.
%%* AllLovingHero: Doesn't hate or resent ''anyone.''
* AmbiguouslyGay: Less outwardly flamboyant than Harley, but just as effeminate.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: His manner of speech is noticeably more formal than most other characters tend to use, for example, saying "I am in your debt" instead of "thank you".
* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/472ps1.shtml this]] (''Dawn of a New Era'') to [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100702033443/es.pokemon/images/2/24/EP652_Nando.png this]] (''League Unleashed'').
* AscendedExtra: Appeared in one of the the very first episodes, seemingly as a one-shot character, and after several noteworthy apearances he ultimately features in both the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh Conference.
%%* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel
* BadassCape: His cape is shaped like a bitten lily, which his perfect for his Bug-type theme.
%%* BarrierWarrior: Armaldo's and Lopunny's Protect.
* BenevolentBoss: He is shown to be kind to his Pokémon, even giving them polite requests during battle instead of commands.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Nando might be sweet and gentle, but in his debut episode, he sends Team Rocket blasting off with Budew's Bullet Seed and comments, [[BondOneLiner "Such a shame. I was having such a pleasant evening before they showed up."]]
* BigDamnHeroes: He had his Budew save Ash and friends from Team Rocket in his debut episode.
%%* BishieSparkle: "Sunflora, [=GrassWhistle!=] Sing, Kricketune!"
* {{Bishonen}}: His character design is pretty feminine. He even appears to be wearing mascara during his Contest performance in "Dawn's Early Night".
* BigNo: [[spoiler:Drops one when Ash's Heracross KO's his Kricketune with Megahorn in the Sinnoh League.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Say what you will about him, but consider this--while most other major characters were practically scrambling to get either eight badges ''or'' five ribbons in time for their event, Nando managed to attain ''both complete sets'' in time for each major competition. He also reached the Top 4 in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and if he ''hadn't'' been matched up against [[PlotArmor Ash]] so early in the Lily of the Valley Conference, it's quite probable he'd have gotten further than just the Top 64 in that competition, as well. He may act as a musical bard most of the time, but he is able to be a very competent coordinator and battler, with Zoey even commenting that the latter was giving him a big edge in their contest battle in the festival.
* CastingGag: This isn't the first time Billy Regan has voiced [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast a flamboyant, green-clad young man with a goal of collecting Contest ribbons and a humanoid, half-Grass-type Pokémon for a partner.]]
* CharacterTics: He often says things in a sing-song voice.
* ClearTheirName: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!'', he's suspected of stealing the Adamant Orb on the grounds that he has a Sunflora, a Pokémon that was seen escaping with the artifact in question. It turned out to be Team Rocket's Meowth in a Sunflora costume.
* ColorMotif: Green, owing to his love of nature and relaxed attitude.
* ConflictKiller: His establishing character moment was breaking up an argument between Ash and Dawn.
* CowardlyLion: Not Nando himself, but his Sunflora. It abandoned him when he was arrested by Officer Jenny, but hunted down Team Rocket for framing him and exposed their disguises, preventing them from successfully escaping the museum with the Adamant Orb.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite his polite and very feminine demeanor, he's no pushover when it comes to Pokémon battles.
* CulturedBadass: He's a skilled musician and studies Sinnoh's history in his spare time.
%%* DanceBattler: Lopunny, Roserade and Sunflora.
%%* DarkHorseVictory: In the Hearthome Contest
%%* ADayInTheLimelight: "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* DeathByIrony: Defeat, anyway. [[spoiler:Both of his final matches in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League were against a Pokémon matching one of his specialty types -- Leafeon, a Grass-type, and Heracross, a Bug-type.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: He takes after Harley in appearance, voice, and mannerisms, while Ursula takes after him in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After he clobbered Zoey off-screen in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' she changed her mind about not accepting Trainers who choose to participate in both Gyms and Contests.
* DependingOnTheArtist: In early episodes, his bangs were sometimes drawn facing different directions. This stopped by "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* {{Determinator}}: An understated example. Many characters are shown to struggle with obtaining either eight Gym Badges before the regional League or five Contest Ribbons before the Grand Festival. Nando collecting both sets is a testament to his skill in both fields.
* TheDitherer: In his first episode, he could not decide if he wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer or Coordinator. After battling both Ash and Dawn, he took a third option and went down both paths at once.
* TheDogBitesBack: Got Jessie back for the Adamant Orb incident when he defeated her in the Hearthome Contest five episodes later.
%%* DramaticWind
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies: Kricketune and Kricketot.
%%*** GreenThumb: Sunflora
%%*** NonElemental: Lopunny
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** DishingOutDirt (Rock)[=/=]BigCreepyCrawlies: Armaldo
%%*** GreenThumb[=/=][[PoisonousPerson Poisonous Pokémon]]: Roserade
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Altaria
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Lopunny's [[KameHameHadoken Focus Blast]].
%%*** AnIcePerson: Lopunny's Blizzard.
%%*** PlayingWithFire: Roserade's Sunny Day.
* EasilyForgiven: Nando does not seem to hold grudges, as he did not hold any ill will against Officer Jenny for falsely arresting him on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb, nor Zoey for being cold and dismissive to him when she found out he did both Contests and Gym Battles.
* EffeminateVoice: The American dub gives him a soft, gentle voice with a thick, vaguely European accent.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Briefly. When James and Meowth are selling Pokémon Coordinator merchandise during ''Opposites Interact,'' you can hear a male voice saying, "I'd like a photo of Nando..."
* ExtremeDoormat: He let the Eterna City Officer Jenny tie him up in "A Secret Sphere of Influence!". That should tell you something.
* {{Expy}}: Visually a dead ringer for Harley, down to sharing the same voice actor. His personality, though, is a closer match to Robert's, being a polite gentleman and skilled Coordinator.
* FatalFlaw: His over-reliance on his SignatureMove, Sing, was exploited by Zoey in the Grand Festival and Ash in the Sinnoh League.
* FlatCharacter: Gets this accusation thrown at him a lot because unlike the other Sinnoh rivals he's just a straight-up NiceGuy whose spirit never wavers at all.
* FluffyFashionFeathers: He wears them in his hat during Contests.
* {{Foil}}: The calm, even-tempered dual-duty Pokémon trainer to match Zoey the determined, competitive Pokémon Coordinator.
* FrameUp: Victim of an unintentional one in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' when Team Rocket breaks into the Eterna Museum and steals the Adamant Orb with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, at the exact same time Nando happens to be there with his own Sunflora.
* FriendToAllChildren: He gets along pretty well with Ash, Brock, and Dawn.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: The night before the Grand Festival semifinals has him playing harp music to a gathering of wild Pokémon in the forest.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' he visits the Eterna Museum to study the history of Sinnoh. Unfortunately for him, he's there at the exact same time Team Rocket is stealing the Adamant Orb, with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, a Pokémon he just happens to have on hand.
* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: His iconic Mew harp. He also wears a gold shoulderplate while performing in Contests.
* HarpOfFemininity: Inverted and played straight at the same time -- he's a guy who plays the harp, but an extremely feminine guy at that.
* IconicItem: He is never seen without his golden Mew-shaped harp.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Everyone else was surprised when he was revealed to have a Lopunny in the Grand Festival, a Pokémon that doesn't fit the theme of his team, as it's not a Bug- or Grass-type and can't use Sing.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Zoey, Dawn, Brock, and Ash. They are all children and teenagers while Nando appears to be in his early twenties.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: Pronounces his own name the way it would be said by a Spanish speaker ("Nahn-do").
%%* JustAStupidAccent
* LimitedWardrobe: Like many other things about him, this is a departure from the traditional mold of Pokémon characters. While it's not unusual for minor characters to have only one or two outfits, most Sinnoh Coordinators have a variety of ensembles to wear while performing (Dawn's PimpedOutDress[=es=] and Zoey's tuxedos come to mind). The most he does during a Contest is stick a feather in his hat, put on a gold shoulderplate, and swap out his single-Mew harp for a double-Mew one.
* LongBusTrip: Ignoring his cameo in ''A Breed Stampede,'' he disappeared for a year after ''Dawn's Early Night.''
%%* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Shoulder-length dark hair.
* LuckyTranslation: His English name, which is in Spanish, just happens to actually be a Japanese word that means "many times", which matches up with the large number of battles he has to do as both a pursuer of Gym Badges and a Coordinator.
%%* MagicMusic
%%* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Feminine Boy to Zoey's Masculine Girl.
* MasterOfNone: Ultimately, as while he made good showings in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League, he won neither of them. It doesn't seem to bother him, though.
* MeaningfulName:
** He shares his Japanese name with Naoshi Mizuta, another musician.
** In English, his name rhymes with "gliss'''ando'''", a musical term denoting a glide from one pitch to another. It can be played on many instruments, including a harp.
* MellowFellow: Always remains nonchalant and even-tempered. Even when he was accused by Officer Jenny of stealing a priceless artifact from the Eterna Museum, he calmly defended himself without blinking an eye.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: He loses his calm demeanor when he gets really into the Heracross vs. Kricketune match in the Sinnoh League, gesticulating wildly with his hands and even dramatically swishing his cape.
* {{Motifs}}: Music notes.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Nando sticks out somewhat awkwardly among the typical rival lineup, doing contests and battles at the same time, dressing up in an anachronistic minstrel outfit, and hanging out with kids several years younger than he is.
* MythologyGag: Possibly; he wasn't the first [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Bard#The_bard bard]] to appear in the Pokémon continuity.
* NatureHero: Most of his Pokémon are Bug and Grass types, and his first episode had him camping outside with Ash and friends.
* NervesOfSteel: Arrested on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb? Criticized for being a Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon Coordinator at the same time? Not a problem for this even-tempered minstrel. [[spoiler:Realizing his Kricketune is on the losing end of a sparring match with Ash's Heracross might be a different story, though...]]
* NeverBareheaded: He never takes his hat off, although [[http://pkmncoordinators.tumblr.com/post/62569836544/pokemon-settei-pokemon-settei-nando-naoshi production art]] shows what he looks like without it.
* NiceGuy: Always unfailingly kind and polite, so much so that he gives polite requests to his Pokémon in battle instead of commands.
%%* NiceHat: A green fedora.
* NonSpecificallyForeign: Implied by the dub, which gives him a name of Spanish origin and a thick, vaguely European-sounding accent.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Downplayed -- he has smaller and more realistically drawn eyes than other characters. It's especially obvious when his headshot is visible among the others on a Pokémon Contest screen.
%%* NotSoStoic: In really intense battles.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Only character to regularly participate in both Contests and Gym Battles.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: No matter the situation, Nando nearly always remains calm and level-headed, rarely losing his cool. But when his Pokémon start showing signs of being in trouble during the Grand Festival and League Conference battles, he actually starts to raise his voice and [[MilkingTheGiantCow gesture with his hands]] when giving them battle commands.
* OutOfFocus: And ''how'' - he disappeared for 125 episodes after "Dawn's Early Night!" (barring a brief cameo), before finally returning for real during the Grand Festival and the Lily of the Valley Conference.
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his left eye.
%%* PerpetualSmiler
* PersonalityPowers: His calm, composed and harmonious nature perfectly fits his preference for musical attacks.
%%* ThePollyanna: Always keeps a cheerful outlook.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Zoey's red.
* RhymesOnADime: As a minstrel he often speaks in rhyming couplets.
* SayMyName:
-->'''Officer Jenny:''' Excuse me. I've just captured Suspect #1. ''(she pulls Nando into the shot)'' Get this. He calls himself a Pokémon troubadour, but I don't buy it at all.
-->'''Ash/Brock/Dawn:''' ''Nando?!''
%%* SharpDressedMan
%%* ShipTease: With Gardenia in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!''
* SilkHidingSteel: Although he's not female as this trope usually implies, this seems to be Nando's philosophy when it comes to battle. Most of his Pokémon are ones that are beautiful and graceful, yet powerful fighters.
* StealthPun: He's a musician who's always incredibly calm. You could say he's very composed.
* TheStoryteller: "In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos. And at the heart of the chaos, where all things become one, came the one."
* TakeAThirdOption: When we first see Nando, he was having trouble if he wanted to pursue gym battles or contest ones before eventually settling on both. It did wonders for him.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: The "tall" part is more noticeable since he usually hangs around kids, but "A Secret Sphere of Influence" and "A Breed Stampede" show him to be even taller than Officer Jenny and Mr. Contesta, respectively.
* TokenAdult: Ash's and Dawn's only adult rival.
* UncattyResemblance: Wears a green cape similar to his Roserade's.
* UnexplainedAccent: The American dub gives him a European accent that seems to vary from episode to episode.
* TheUnfought: Dawn never faced him directly in an actual Contest battle (though they did have a practice bout in [=DP004=], which he won).
* TheUnreveal: When he shows his badge case to Ash and Dawn in ''Last Call, First Round!,'' it has seven badges and one empty slot for the Mine Badge (which is Byron's), but we never find out where and from whom he got his last badge in-between that episode and ''An Old Family Blend!''
* VagueAge: Appears to be in his early 20s, but his outfit and old-fashioned speech patterns give the impression of someone much older.
* VocalEvolution: After a year long absence, his accent became slightly more pronounced.
%%* WanderingMinstrel: A rare example of this trope in a modern setting.
%%* WaistcoatOfStyle: Wears one under his cape.
* WarriorPoet: He is a skilled Pokémon Trainer and musician with a love for songs and stories. His habit of rhyming is shown to have rubbed off on Gardenia when she quotes a piece of philosophical poetry in "A Secret Sphere of Influence".
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent?: It sounds vaguely like a mixture of Spanish and Irish.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:He makes it all the way to the top four of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, only to get thrown out of the competition by Zoey. Come the Sinnoh League, Ash wipes the floor with Nando in the ''very first round'' of the Qualifying Matches (the Top 64). In fairness, you can probably blame this on the writers for making Ash his first opponent, or perhaps Zoey was right all along that he should have just stuck with contests. But he sure didn't go out without a fight.]]
%%* WorthyOpponent: To Zoey and Ash.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tobias (Takuto)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Tobias_7240.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/HirokiTakahashi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JMichaelTatum\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Jaime Alberto Carrillo
A mysterious trainer who first appears during the Sinnoh League Tournament, and one of the most formidable trainers seen in the series by far, due to his possession of extremely rare and powerful legendary Pokémon. Using only [[spoiler:Darkrai]], he has [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] through the Sinnoh Gym Leaders and the League Tournament. [[spoiler: One might be tempted to think that Darkrai is his go-to Pokémon and the rest of his team is comprised of ordinary Pokémon, but only because not a single opponent is able to get past Darkrai in a match with it until Ash has a go at it with his team. When Ash actually does defeat Darkrai, Tobias reveals he has ''several'' legendaries in tow, and plan B is to call on his Latios.]]
----
* TheAce: He is the most skilled trainer shown in the Sinnoh region next to Cynthia, steamrolling ''everyone'' he encounters in the Pokémon League. His character even might be a nod to the acquired term "sweeping" in the {{Metagame}} of the Pokémon games (i.e. a player is able to take down entire teams using only one Pokémon with little effort, and do so regularly against many other players in competitive play).
%%* AerithAndBob
%%* AnimeHair
* BadassCape: His cape flows with the wind, much like Nando.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:He beat Sinnoh's Gym Leaders and got to the League Semifinals using ''just'' Darkrai. Against Ash, he is forced to bust out a Latios, which get knocked out as well in a double KO that defeats Ash. Even in the final battle, [most of which is not shown] he actually wins with only Darkrai.]]
* CurbStompCushion: Even though Ash does get his ass handed to him on a silver platter, he does manage to [[spoiler:take out two of his legendaries, the closest ''anybody'' actually gets to him.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Grayish-blue hair, light blue eyes.
* DarkIsNotEvil: No, the creepy guy with the [[spoiler:Darkrai]] is not evil. He actually congratulates Ash on a good battle after he wins.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Ash is the ''only'' person that actually manages to [[spoiler:defeat his Darkrai, and Latios by extension.]] Even the announcer acknowledges it.
* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler:Just after Ash finally beats his rival in the quarter-finals, and it looks like he'll ''finally'' win a major championship, he gets thoroughly trounced by Tobias' ''two'' legendary Pokémon. The trainer's appearance was never hinted at before the Tournament Arc, and it's never explained how he got his hands on two OlympusMons.]] One gets the feeling he was created merely as an excuse to get Ash to Unova quicker.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Thrice. First when Ash's Sceptile [[spoiler:breaks out of sleep status ''immediately'']] with the second coming when Sceptile [[spoiler:hands Darkrai its ass for the first time.]] And after that? Tobias [[spoiler:sends out a Latios.]] That was unexpected. Not to mention wholly unexplained. [[spoiler:The fact Pikachu managed to help Ash make a repeat performance to Tobias and take it out also counted, towards Tobias and the crowd.]]
* ElementalPowers
** Single type Pokémon
*** [[spoiler:CastingAShadow: Darkrai]]
** Dual type Pokémon
*** [=/=]PsychicPowers: Latios]]
** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
*** AnIcePerson: [[spoiler:Darkrai]]'s Ice Beam.
*** PsychicPowers: [[spoiler:Darkrai]]'s Dream Eater.
* TheFaceless: For about a couple episodes. Although [[EarlyBirdCameo pay attention and you can see his face relatively clearly in the tournament standings.]] He's the only one with hair like that.
* GlassCannon: [[spoiler:In keeping to Darkrai's stats in the game, his is this by Legendaries standards. Even healing with Dream Eater, Darkrai goes down to a relatively small amount of direct hits.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:A lot of people were predicting that Darkrai would be the most he'd bring to the table.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's creepy, arrogant, and uses arguably underhanded strategy, but when all's said and done, he congratulates Ash on a well fought battle.
* TheJuggernaut: ''Nobody'' so far has taken this guy's Darkrai and Latios down in a fight. [[spoiler:Well, Ash did, but he lost all of his Pokémon in the process and therefore the tournament]].
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: He plows through every Trainer he comes up against with minimal effort, [[spoiler:including Ash]], and goes on to [[spoiler:win the Sinnoh League.]] He also wears a red cape.
* LargeHam: The way he releases [[spoiler:Latios]] comes to mind.
* MeaningfulName: Tobias is a powerful trainer who relies mainly on Darkrai to fight. Tobias is also the name of a biblical hero from the book of Tobit who drove a demon out with the help of the archangel Raphael.
* OlympusMons: [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios.]]
* OneManArmy: His Darkrai. It single-handedly carries him through the entire Sinnoh League [[spoiler:with the exception of Ash, who, using Sceptile and Pikachu, respectively, manages to take it and his Latios down with him.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the Japanese version. Tommy from the Pokémon Trainer's School (a Hoenn character of the day) shares the same Japanese name as him. [[spoiler:And, to an extent, the fact that Tobias' Darkrai makes the THIRD we've seen so far (movies are {{Canon}}). Legendaries have been proven to come in multiples before ([=PowerOfOne=]!Lugia, Silver, and his mother; Heroes has practically a herd of Latios and Latias in flashback).]]
* PalsWithJesus: [[spoiler:He has two legendary Pokémon that obey his every command.]]
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his eye, like his [[spoiler:Darkrai]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:His second Pokémon is '''Latios.''' Didn't see that coming, did you? Arceus knows what the rest of his team looks like...]]
* RiddleForTheAges:
** How he caught a [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios]] is never explained.
** There is a lot of theories and wonder as to what the other four Pokémon are in his party, [[spoiler:considering two of them are legendaries.]]
* SmugSuper: Downplayed. He is ''very'' well aware he is packing [[spoiler:high-grade legendaries]] and will let his opponents know how even bringing their A-game might not be enough, but he does respect the effort his opponents put in the battle. Especially Ash [[spoiler:given he actually did defeat his Darkrai and Latios.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: His design is similar to Nando's, wearing a long cape and an [[PeekABangs emo-bang hairstyle]] as well as having a [[AerithAndBob slightly unusual name.]] He even has a slight accent in the English dub, though it's very faint.
* TakeThat: He is one to players who use [[spoiler:legendaries]] to breeze through the games instead of bothering to actually train a team.
%%* TallDarkAndHandsome
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Non-lethal, competitive example. [[spoiler: He was the first major character of sorts to bring Legendary Pokémon in a League tournament, who are viewed as physical deities that make most fully-evolved mons look like weaklings. And Tobias used ''at least two of them''.]]
%%* TsurimeEyes
* TheUnreveal: Only two of his Pokémon were shown in his fight against Ash. [[spoiler:Also, no explanation was given as how did he caught them even after the battle.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Mentioning him will get you to [[spoiler:reveal how Ash lost the Sinnoh league]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: As is the case with ''every'' Conference Winner, there is no mention of him going on to face the Elite Four and the region's Champion, but he stands out for obvious reasons. Cynthia is still the Sinnoh Champion in her later appearances in ''Black and White'', meaning Tobias either lost to her, to the Elite Four, or inexplicably decided not to challenge them.
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]
!Sinnoh League
[[folder:In General]]
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: As with all the regions, the Elite Four are selected based on the strongest trainers in the region.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Cynthia (Shirona)]]
[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shirona.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomoSakurai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Jenness\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Adriana Casas
The Champion of the Sinnoh League.
----
* TheAce: Well she is the Champion of Sinnoh so this should be given.
* BadassLongcoat: She wears her black signature coat for the entirety of ''Diamond & Pearl''.
* BadassBookworm: Has a love and fascination for history, when she makes her debut she's visiting a site of ruins in Sinnoh.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: She is a very polite and somewhat quirky LadyOfWar, but will immediately react to whatever region-wide threat is present and will unleash her Garchomp at a moment's notice.
* BigDamnHeroes: She takes down Jupiter easily and frees Ash and co. just in time for them to stop Cyrus' plan.
* BigGood: Portrayed this way in D/P.
* TheBusCameBack: As a reference to her appearance in the B&W games, she has a recurring role in BWS2 - her villa in Undella Town accommodated Ash and his friends as they prepared for the Junior Cup and the Vertress Conference. During one particular arc, she even brought Dawn along with her.
* CombatPragmatist: Not usually, but when she shows up to help Ash against Team Galactic, she has her Garchomp do a surprise attack against Jupiter's Skuntank, and then when Jupiter starts to take out another Pokémon, Garchomp lands behind her and rests its claws right near her throat. [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim When the world's at stake, it isn't the time to play fair]].
* CurbStompBattle: People who try to face her in battle usually receive one of these, most notably Paul. The known exceptions are Flint (who took down three of her Pokémon before losing to her Garchomp), Aaron (who [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome took down five of her team, including Garchomp]], before finally losing to Gastrodon), and Caitlin (who battled Cynthia's Garchomp to a standstill with her Gothitelle, resulting the battle going into overtime).
%%* DishingOutDirt:
%%** Her Garchomp can use Stone Edge and is partly a ground type Pokémon.
%%** Her Gastrodon is also partly a ground type Pokémon.
* TheDitherer: Every time she needs to pick a flavor of ice cream, she takes ages.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Sort of has this happen in the [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 B2W2]] season - she doesn't ''join'' Ash's group, but they lounge about in her villa for a while, and she participates in several of their adventures.
* HelpingWouldBeKillStealing: ''Subverted'' in the "Operation Tempest" two-parter - her Garchomp proves vital, along with Dragonite and Golurk, in holding back the [[OneWingedAngel Therian Forme]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Kami Trio]]. She also helped directly in fighting Team Galactic, even though anything connecting with the Lake Trio had to be done by Ash, Dawn, and Brock since they were the ones linked to them.
* IceCreamKoan: Plenty of times in DP, though nowhere near as much in BW, she'll go into random tangents with vague words and meanings that may or may not even relate to what's going on.
* {{Irony}}: She loves ice cream, but her signature Pokémon, Garchomp, sports a quadruple weakness to the Ice-type.
* LadyOfWar: Cynthia herself, though her female Garchomp also qualifies by merit of being both powerful and graceful.
* TheMentor: Her main role during the plot of the DP series, though she ''does'' get actively involved in the effort to stop Team Galactic, doing her duty as Champion very well. She also mentors Iris, particularly in regards to her new, disobedient Dragonite. Iris in turn [[HeroWorshipper looks up to her]], thanks in no small part to Cynthia having trained her own powerful Dragon-type, Garchomp.
* OneManArmy: Her Garchomp tears through Paul's team like a lawnmower through a notebook factory, finishing by one-shotting his powerful Torterra with a single Brick Break.
* PeekABangs: Her left eye is covered by her hair, which is part of her "mysterious beauty" look.
* PlayingWithFire: Her Garchomp can use Flamethrower.
* RecurringCharacter: Cynthia appears every now and then in ''Diamond & Pearl'' and she also appears a lot in the early episodes of ''Best Wishes! Season 2''.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Along with Lance. Steven and Diantha, she is one of the champions we seen on-screen that take proactive measures against wide-scale threats.
* RunningGag: A good number of times Ash meets her she's having trouble deciding on what flavor of ice cream she wants...
* SkewedPriorities: During the introduction of the Meloetta arc in ''Pokemon Black and White'', while Ash and Company take care of Meloetta on the roadside, Cynthia receives an urgent call that requires her to drive back to the city immediately. She forgot her change when she bought an ice cream cone.
* SweetTooth: Her introductory moments in the series show her being indecisive over what flavor of ice cream to get, a gag that shows up several more times later on. Towards the end of DP (during the Lily of the Valley Conference), Team Rocket ''use'' this gag to attract customers. Comes up yet again in BW when Ash meets up with her again in a similar manner, down to her indecisiveness on picking a flavor.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ice cream, but she takes hours to decide which one she wants to choose.
* WeaponOfChoice: [[InfinityMinusOneSword Her Garchomp]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lucian (Goyō)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucian_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeNamikawa\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' David Lapkin\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/EduardoGarza
* BadassBookworm: Like his game counterpart, he can be frequently seen with a book in his hands.
%%* {{Bishonen}}
* EarlyBirdCameo: If you count that he's the sole Sinnoh Elite Four member who appeared ''prior'' to Cynthia.
* ElementalPowers: He uses [[PsychicPowers Psychic types]].
* ExtraOreDinary: Bronzong's primary type.
%%* {{Megane}}
%%* SharpDressedMan
* WorthyOpponent: Perceived as such by Buizel, who thus became highly depressed at losing so badly to him the first time.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is blue.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aaron (Ryou)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aaron_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KenshoOno\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Christopher C. Adams\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Christophe Hespel
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Specializes in bug types
* ComeBackMyPet: His Beautifly.
* MrFanservice: In-universe. Even the local ''Officer Jenny'' {{Fangirl}}s him. Rare case of ''both'' {{Bishounen}} and RatedMForManly, judging by his appearance.
* MyGreatestFailure: Abandoning his Wurmple for being a weak Pokémon when he was younger (which prompted him to better understand Bug-types, so it wouldn't happen again). It eventually comes back to him as a Beautifly.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Though it was cut from the dub, the original Japanese of [=DP100=] has announcer state Cynthia was down to her ''last'' Pokémon when she sent out Gastrodon against Aaron's Beautifly. This means that [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Aaron must have actually defeated her Garchomp]], something even Flint didn't quite manage! Oddly, in the preceding episode his Pokémon had trouble dealing with ''the Team Rocket trio''.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub, which also has [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew Sir Aaron]].
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He is apparently able to understand insects.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Flint (Ōba)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flint_e4_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Toru Nara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Arturo Castañeda
%%* AfroAsskicker
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: After fully evolving, Ash's Infernape only lost once in the entire remaining series. To Flint's Infernape.
* BareFistedMonk: Infernape's 2nd Type and it knows Close Combat, Mach Punch, and Thunderpunch
* BigBrotherMentor: Has this vibe with Ash and they share a similar philosophy in the way they battle with their Pokémon and he shares some advice with the younger boy. Not to mention that he is obviously fond of Ash...
* BigDamnHeroes: in his first appearance, using Infernape to save Ash from the Sunyshore gym's security system, and again to rescue Kenny's Floatzel from Team Rocket.
* BloodKnight: If his Infernape's reaction to Pikachu is anything to go by than he '''''LOVES''''' a good fight where he can go out. Flint may qualify as well since he also thought Pikachu was well trained and worth more effort to battle against.
* CurbstompBattle: Defeats Ash in a 3 vs. 3 battle with minimal effort. His Infernape outright one shotted Ash's own Infernape and Buizel and was tanking hits from Pikachu while tossing him around.
* CurbStompCushion: Flint admitted Infernape was putting some degree of effort into fighting Pikachu, which is more than most would manage.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Infernape was able to go head to head with Cynthia's Garchomp and deal some brutal blows in. It's the second-closest anyone has come to take her down (Aaron got closer). Not to mention it swatted Ash's Pokémon like flies!
%%* FieryRedhead
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Volkner.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Every time he shows up you can hear a subtle jungle beat with drums. It's actually quite awesome.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub. The other Flint is Brock's father.
* PlayingWithFire: Infernape
* TheRival: Volkner's old friend and adversary.
* WorthyOpponent: His Infernape seems to view Ash's Pikachu as this. After [[OneHitKill casually ragdolling Ash's Infernape and Buizel]] he had to face Pikachu and seemed quite excited to do so the instant Pikachu made his opening attack. Flint was even surprise to see that his Infernape was excited to fight Pikachu and felt like he was putting some effort into battling. [[CurbstompBattle Granted Infernape wins quite easily]], but he still felt Pikachu was worth more effort compared to the others.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bertha (Kikuno)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bertha_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yoko Matsuoka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Mary O' Brady\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Magda Giner
* BerserkButton: When Team Rocket decided to enhance their Pokémon's performance using PoweredArmor, she didn't take it too kindly.
%%* CoolOldLady
* ElementalPowers: She specializes in [[DishingOutDirt Ground type]] Pokémon:
%%* DishingOutDirt: Hippowdon (Ground), Gliscor (Ground) & Golem (Rock/Ground)
* ExtraOreDinary: Hippowdon's Iron Head.
%%* DrivesLikeCrazy
* ManBitesMan: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
%%* NeverMessWithGranny
* OneHitKO: Gliscor's Guillotine
* OneShotCharacter: She only appeared in a single episode, barring her cameo in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''.
* PlayingWithFire: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* StealthMentor: In two ways. She not only acts in a way intended to subtly teach the other person, but also hides her status as an Elite Four member and tells Brock not to reveal it.
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Gliscor
[[/folder]]
----
%%
%% All examples must explain the trope and how it applies in its context. All examples lacking the proper context have been commented out.
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExamples
%%
%%
[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocket Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocketOthers Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationOpponents Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | '''''Supporting Cast''''' | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYMegaEvolutionSpecial Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]]-]]]]]
[[foldercontrol]]
!Main characters
[[folder:Dawn (Hikari)]]
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_bw2.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MegumiToyoguchi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Bauer\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gaby Ugarte (seasons 10,11, and 13), Leyla Rangel (season 12 and 15)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alexandra Corréa
Dawn is a newbie trainer from Sinnoh who met Ash after she ran into Pikachu, who’d been separated from his trainer by Team Rocket. Like May before her, Dawn aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator. Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:
----
* ActionGirl:
** Out of all of Ash's traveling companions, she's the most likely to take immediate action against Team Rocket or other antagonists when they show up, frequently having Piplup dealing the finishing blow alongside Pikachu.
** In one episode, she once rescued all her Pokémon ''all by herself''.
* AdaptationalModesty: In the ''Pokémon Learning League'' educational series, she wears a long-sleeved shirt and white tights under her usual sleeveless top and short skirt.
* AgeInappropriateDress:
** [[AvertedTrope But]] her mother forbade her from bringing it on her journey. Then again, her normal outfit...
** Lampshaded in episode 171 by Princess Salvia, who comments on the length of Dawn's skirt.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: In terms of Contest skill, she's on both ends of this trope. She has never managed to surpass the more experienced Zoey, but she always comes ahead of Ursula.
* AshFace: Her Cyndaquil has done this to her [[RunningGag several times]] by flaring up its back flames while she's holding it. Some of her various electrocution and explosion mishaps have also left her singed.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Similar to May and later Serena, Dawn is good natured, but not a doormat and isn't afraid to sic her strongest Pokémon on you if you piss her off, which Team Rocket know from experience. When Meowth pulled a HeelFaceMole on the heroes, Dawn, who had been sympathetic enough to offer getting him media ties, angrily vowed to beat him to tears for selling them out ([[TooKinkyToTorture he didn't surprisingly]], but still).
* BigDamnHeroes: A short time after becoming a trainer and getting her first Pokémon, she protects Pikachu with her Piplup.
* BreakTheCutie: Disturbingly often. Gets this when losing contests and became a StepfordSmiler afterwards.
* BrickJoke: The second [=DP=] episode continued the RunningGag of Pikachu frying a bike, but it took 36 episodes for Ash to know about it.
* TheBusCameBack: She returned for the ''Best Wishes'' series for an arc.
* ButtMonkey: Out of all the main characters, she’s the biggest one of the “butt of every joke” type. Several characters have poked fun at her, including Ash, Brock, and her own Pokémon, and her skill as a Coordinator was called into question several times prior to her victory at the Wallace Cup.
* {{Catchphrase}}:
** "Daijobu!", or "No need to worry!" in the dub. How ironic.
** And like May, she has a phrase to use when calling Pokémon out for a Contest -- "Charm up!" / "Spotlight!"
** BorrowedCatchphrase: She also copied Iris' "such a kid" remarks at Ash (a little anyways), and once used, "Buneary, I choose you!" when sending it out to battle Pachirisu.
* TheChosenOne: Chosen by Mesprit since the beginning of the DP series due to her strong empathy.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has both hair and eyes that are dark-blue.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Rather famous for having a skirt that barely covers her hips. Lucky she's wearing a leotard underneath...
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Of "Diamond and Pearl", to Ash's protagonist. Her name is even added in the Japanese openings of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series right next to Ash's.
* DisappearedDad: Unlike Ash, no mention is ever made of her father.
* DistaffCounterpart: Dawn in many ways is like a female counterpart to Ash. Like May before and Serena after, she exchanges RotatingArcs with Ash's Gym quest, but she stands out thanks to her status as the {{Deuteragonist}} and that she shares more in common with him than just about any of his companions. Like Ash, she is an optimistic and initially overconfident NiceGirl who had decided on her life goal long before her debut. She started her journey with an initially stubborn Pokémon that stays outside his Poké Ball and refuses to evolve, and bonded with him after [[FireForgedFriends fending off a large swarm of wild Pokemon]] in an adventure that culminated in them meeting a [[OlympusMons Legendary]] Pokemon. She also has a knack for developing [[OutsideTheBoxTactic Outside-the-Box Tactics]] in battle similarly to Ash, many of which are borrowed between the two.
* DubInducedPlotHole: Against all odds, averted when it came to explaining "Dee-Dee".
* DudeMagnet: Kenny, Kendall, and Conway have all shown signs of being attracted to her. She also has a few moments with Ash that could be seen as ShipTease (though, Ash being [[ChasteHero Ash,]] these moments are up to the audience's interpretation). This being ''Pokémon,'' [[NoHuggingNoKissing it never goes anywhere.]]
* FailedASpotCheck: If she would look around at the audience during contests more often, she would notice some [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/027 VERY familar faces]]. Namely, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet.
* FailureHero: [[BreakTheCutie Poor girl lost]] ''[[BreakTheCutie two]]'' [[BreakTheCutie Contests in the Appeal Stage in a row!]]
* FanGirl: To Professor Oak's (and Gary's) poetry, and Wallace (Contest master).
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Dawn is good at baking Poffins, unlike Ash who burns all of his to a crisp.
* FireForgedFriends: When she and Piplup first meet, they can't stand each other, but they form a bond after escaping from a horde of wild Ariados, and Dawn doesn't hesitate to choose him as her starter when they get back to Prof. Rowan's lab. They continue to grow closer throughout the ''Diamond & Pearl'' series.
%%* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Sanguine.
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: She and Brock had fairly little interaction.
* GenerationXerox: She gets her passion from Pokémon Contests from her mother, who is a retired Top Coordinator.
* GoGetterGirl: Right from the start, she knew she wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator, and never lost sight of her goal since.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Became this in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Best Wishes Season 2]]'', joining the group for eight episodes prior to and during the Junior Cup.
* HarmlessElectrocution: A running gag by itself, Dawn needs to use Piplup's Bubble Beam to [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/Dawnshair.jpg condition her hair back to normal after she gets zapped]].
* AnIcePerson: While she doesn't specializes in Ice-types, as her journey goes on she uses more and more ice moves in her Appeals and battles, often in combination with fire and electricity.
* IdenticalStranger: She and Princess Salvia from the episode "Dawn of a Royal Day!" look exactly alike. They take advantage of this and switch places for a day so Salvia can compete in a Contest with her Togekiss.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: She befriended Nando, a traveling bard, and Lila, a dressmaker and retired Coordinator who was also her mother's childhood friend.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "By Your Side". Used primarily in the Japanese edit, though some instrumental versions still accompany her in parts of the English dub (thus making it one of very few Japanese image songs to at least partway survive the transition).
* LeotardOfPower: As seen in "Two Degrees of Separation!", Dawn appears to be wearing a black leotard under her minidress.
* LettingHerHairDown: Most notably [[http://images5.fanpop.com/image/polls/991000/991163_1333460097101_full.png two]] [[http://pm1.narvii.com/6341/c358a4b8d243806b999f5e28a3690780ebafe008_hq.jpg times]].
%%* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The light to Ursula's dark.
* LittleMissBadass: Younger than Ash but able to single-handedly kick Team Rocket's ass.
* MagicSkirt: She has a short skirt, but she remains covered throughout the series, except for one occasion - "Steamboat Willies!".
%%* TheMcCoy
* MementoMacGuffin: At the beginning of her Pokémon journey, her mother gave to her the first Contest ribbon she won as a good luck charm. After her run in the Grand Festival, she gives it back.
* NaiveEverygirl: It took her an entire episode to find Professor Rowan, despite it normally not being that difficult.
* NiceGirl: Easily the most straightforwardly kind of all the leading females (before Serena), and very empathetic (she never held Pikachu ''or'' Ash responsible for her bike's destruction given the circumstances, for instance, knowing that she attacked Pikachu first and Ash wasn't even there, thanks to team rocket). Must be the main reason Mesprit chose her.
* NiceHat: It covers her hair because it gets frizzy when exposed to shock.
* NoodleIncident: The origins of her nickname Pikari/Dee-Dee. In a subversion, it's later revealed she got shocked by a Plusle and Minun in kindergarten, making her hair all sparkly. [[note]]"Pikapika" is the [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud spoken sound effect for "sparkle"]][[/note]]. In the dub, it's short for "Diamond Dandruff", which is indeed pretty embarrassing.
* ObliviousToLove: She has no trouble understanding others people's romance, but seems rather blind when said affection is directed to her (except with Conway, but subtle he isn't). She doesn't get Kenny has a crush on her, and totally misses Lyla acting as a ShipperOnDeck for her and Ash in "Dressed For Jess Success".
* OjouRinglets: Not an {{Ojou}}, but she used this hairstyle in a couple of contests as shown [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Dawn_DP027_contest.png here]] and [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/diamond_pearl/ep177.html here]].
* PhraseCatcher:
** The reply to her own {{Catchphrase}} is usually "That's when [we] worry the most."
** A few times she gets her catchphrase, "No need to worry!", back at her.
* PimpedOutDress: She wears a lot of them. Makes sense, considering part of her job as a Coordinator is to look stylish alongside her Pokémon and she also has a sense of fashion.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her usual Contest dress is pink. Idem her cheerleader outfit. Her regular outfit features a pink skirt and she wears a pink coat when traveling in colder climes.
* PomPomGirl: She sometime act like a cheerleader and donned a pink cheerleading outfit (her Pokèmon also) to support Ash in his Gym battles with Roark, Maylene and Volkner.
* PluckyGirl: She always remains optimistic, even when the odds are against her.
* RunningGag:
** She's frequently on the receiving end of electric attacks, which always leaves her hair messy and frazzled. Her Pachirisu is the main offender, but Pikachu and other electric types have also found reasons to electrocute her.
** Once she acquires her Cyndaquil, it develops a habit of flaring up its back flames while Dawn is holding it, leaving her with an AshFace. In fact, it's the very first thing it does upon hatching.
* ScarfOfAssKicking: Wears a scarf, and fights often.
* ShesGotLegs: Thick and sturdy legs.
* ShipperOnDeck: While normally embarrassed about Brock's antics like everyone else, when it was suggested to him that he [[spoiler:become a Pokémon Doctor]], she's the one to point out that it will help him get closer to all Nurse Joys.
* ShipTease: Naturally, she gets these with Ash. Not to mention that, out of every girl so far, she's the only one to go as far as to be his personal cheerleader during a few of his Gym Battles.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Poor Dawn isn't immune to being zapped, drenched, frozen, or burned by her own Pokémon.
* StaticCharacter: While she matures a good deal, the basic person she is never changes and has never even changed from childhood, right down to her CatchPhrase. She's also the only female companion so far to not have undergone a change in outfit or party lineup aside from an evolution.
* StepfordSmiler: Tries to put on a good face after her first losing streak. Doesn't work in the end.
* SupremeChef: A few hands-on lessons are enough to get her cooking Poffins like a pro.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Probably the most explicit example of any of Ash’s friends; like May before her, Dawn is a NiceGirl Pokémon coordinator whose quest [[RotatingArcs alternates in focus with Ash]] and who has a famous parent. The writers did work to make them distinct however [[note]] Dawn was more traditionally feminine than the sometimes tomboyish May and lacked the latter’s BigEater tendencies. Dawn also knew she wanted to be a Coordinator from the start, but conversely, struggled in her early contests much more than May ever did [[/note]].
* SkywardScream: Does this in "Dawn's Early Night" after losing the Hearthome contest.
-->'''Dawn:''' ''[as she runs to the balcony]'' AAAAAAAAAAH!
* ATasteOfDefeat: Tying in with her ButtMonkey role, Dawn is the first of few "twerps" to suffer [[TeamRocketWins an unnegated defeat from Team Rocket]] in an episode. ''Twice'' for that matter:
** In "Team Shocker" Jessie (as Jessilina) wins her first ribbon in the Solaceon contest, one Dawn doesn't even pass the Appeals Round for. [[HeroicBSOD She does not take it well.]]
** James (disguised as Jessilina) directly defeats her in the battle round of the Lilypad contest in "Dressed For Jess Success". While Dawn was a GracefulLoser this time round, it didn't remotely taint James and Meowth's victory over her.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl:
** Girly Girl to Zoey's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to her predecessor May's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to Iris' Tomboy in ''Best Wishes''. Dawn really is the eternal Girly Girl of this anime, huh?
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She's terrified of Plusle and Minun, because of an incident in kindergarten when she hugged them too hard and they shocked her, making her hair stand on end and everyone laugh at her.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Her fantasy in the LotusEaterMachine episode shows us that she even wants to surpass her mother.
* WorthyOpponent: When Dawn finally eliminated her in the Grand Festival, Jessie admitted (albeit infuriated) that she was this. Jessie herself managed to achieve her most even handed rivalry against Dawn, equalling and even besting her at times. Since Dawn never saw through her "Jesselina" alias, she was rather respectful towards her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dawn's Pokémon]]
* BadassAdorable: The majority of her team are comprised of cute-looking Pokémon who are all competent in Pokémon Contests. Even her not-so-cute ones, specifically Mamoswine, used to be a very cute but strong Swinub.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: Mamoswine and Togekiss are the big guys, Piplup, Buneary, Cyndaquil and Pachirisu are the little guys.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: All but Mamoswine are adorable Pokémon, and even he was cute as a Swinub. Buizel was another exception, since he used to be the cool guy in the group, but he's soon replaced by the cute GenkiGirl Aipom.
!!Piplup (Pochama)
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piplup_5642.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/EtsukoKozakura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MicheleKnotz
Piplup is Dawn's first Pokémon. She befriended him after saving him from a wild Ariados' attack, when Piplup and Chimchar had fled from Professor Rowan's lab.
----
* AttentionWhore: Regarding Dawn's attention, at least. Piplup sometimes has a fit when Dawn isn't giving him the attention it wants. Heck, the episode "Piplup Up and Away" was dedicated to Piplup getting upset because Dawn and the gang wasn't giving him the attention he wanted.
* BerserkButton: His EstablishingCharacterMoment was throwing a fit when Professor Rowan's Chimchar stole the last bite of his food.
* BigEater: Gets a GrowlingGut often, and enjoys food.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally just a starter Pokémon for the regional main girl Dawn, Piplup became very popular with viewers during the DP saga, especially in Japan. Noticeably, he began appearing outside of his Poké Ball more and more often until he eventually stopped being seen inside it altogether (save for rare occasions). He also got promoted to being a co-star with Ash's Pikachu in the merchandising, a feat that only Misty's Togepi had accomplished prior.
* BubbleGun: Bubble Beam, which fires several bubbles in quick succession, was the very first attack he was seen using, and it's still his SignatureMove to date.
* ButtMonkey: To clarify it has been:
** Attacked by Elekid and Electabuzz [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/066 on two]] [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/137 different occasions]].
** Zapped by Pikachu ([[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash%27s_Pikachu yes That Pikachu]]) [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/149 after bumping into it]].
** Knocked into a crater by Ash and Gible (using Draco Meteor) on purpose and [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/626ps11.shtml having to fend off against a Magnezone and a Metagross]].
** Not to mention [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP156 all]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP157 those]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP164 other]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP172 times]] it got hit by Draco Meteor ([[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/174 except for that one time that Kenny got hit by it]]).
* CampStraight: Very campy, but showed attraction to Meloetta. Though Meloetta is gender less, so...
* TheChewToy: It is always nailed by Ash's Gible's Draco Meteor while the latter was trying to master that move.
* ColorFailure:
** In "Battling a Cute Drama!" when Marilyn said he wasn't cute.
** In "Piplup, Up, And Away!" when he overheard Dawn telling Gible it wasn't at fault for dropping Draco Meteors on him.
** When Dawn had her reappearance in Unova, in "Piplup, Pasage, and a Meeting of the Times!", he shares one with Dawn in reaction to Cilan's "Evaluation Time" during a training battle with Pansage.
%%* {{Determinator}}
* DramaQueen: If something annoys him, he'll let you know. Loudly.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He'a based off of a penguin, and a hero.
* {{Expy}}: There are lots of similarities between Piplup and Pikachu. Both befriended their trainers after serious peril, and resist evolution to their next forms. Piplup also prefers to travel outside his Poké Ball, though he will come out of one for Performances to accrue Charm Points.
* FireForgedFriends: At the end of the Junior Cup arc in [=BW2=], he seems to have formed a close bond with Oshawott (who was his rival for Meloetta's affection).
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Did this to Dawn when she was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown before one Contest. Instead of slapping her, he blasted her with Bubble Beam.
%%* GreenEyedMonster: For Dawn, regarding [[TheLancer Cyndaquil]].
* GrowlingGut: In his debut. This is what made him to accept food from Dawn.
* HeroicBSOD: He had this when he was trying to evolve but didn't want to.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pikachu during the DP series.
%%* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam.
* InterspeciesRomance: "Piplup, Up, and Away" makes it pretty clear he has a huge crush on Dawn. The music is what puts it over the top.
* JerkassBall: He could be seen as downright selfish in some of the episodes. In "Different Strokes for Different Blokes", he ate Aipom's orange causing them to argue. He also collided with Turtwig in "The Champ Twins!" and they started arguing again. He also didn't accept Turtwig's apology when Turtwig is trying to make up with him. In "Gone with the Wildworks", he's shown to be selfish towards Cyndaquil for Dawn's attention. He even slapped Cyndaquil out of the way and ate the poffin which causes them to start a fight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is rather selfish but does love Dawn and always tries to do his best for her.
* MakingASplash: He's a Water-Type and knows common water moves such as Bubblebeam, Whirlpool and Hydro Pump.
%%* NoSenseOfDirection
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Occasionally bickers with Dawn, even though it's clear they care about each other at the same level that Ash and Pikachu do.
* LostFoodGrievance: In his first episode, he got mad at the starter Chimchar when it stole the last bite of his food, starting a fight that wrecked Professor Rowan's lab and led to both of them escaping out a broken window, along with a Starly and Staraptor.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The Mean to Cyndaquil's Nice and Pikachu's In-Between. He's more hot-headed, assertive, cranky and grumpy compared to the more quiet, calm, friendly and polite Cyndaquil while Pikachu mediates between the two.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: This is apparently due less to its infamous "forced mascot" status and more because the producer considers Prinplup and Empoleon ugly. In series, it's because he's afraid of changing personalities when he evolves, and in the dub because he wants to protect Dawn as he is.
* NotQuiteFlight: Piplup, being based on a penguin, doesn't actually fly naturally.[[note]]The entire Piplup line [[ShownTheirWork never picks up the Flying type]].[[/note]] He's shown occasionally to be capable of flying a very short distance from the momentum of using [=BubbleBeam=] or being sent out from his Poké Ball.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: From Bide, to Whirlpool, to even Hydro Pump, all while not even approaching Dawn's knees in height.
* PluckyComicRelief: Goofy and funny, and [[ButtMonkey hapless to match.]]
* RealMenWearPink: On several occasions he has sported a ''pink female'' cheerleading outfit. Later on they opted for more masculine clothing though.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Cyndaquil's blue. He is more hot-headed and assertive compared to the more quiet and calm Cyndaquil, an ironic inverse given their color schemes.
* SignatureMove: Bubble Beam is used the most out of every move he knows, and he never forgot how to use it.
* TookALevelInBadass: Upon learning Hydro Pump, one of the most powerful water attacks known.
* WaveMotionGun: When he uses Hydro Pump, he blasts a massive cannon of water at his opponent that is at least 10x bigger than he is.
* WouldHitAGirl: Repeatedly attacks his master when angered as a RunningGag.
!!Buneary (Mimirol)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Buneary_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (first voice), Creator/SatsukiYukino (current)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
From the beginning of ''Diamond and Pearl'', Dawn wanted a Buneary. This Buneary was [[ThirdTimesTheCharm her third attempt to capture one]]. Of course, it helps that this particular Buneary had developed an intense crush on Ash's Pikachu.
----
* ActionGirl: Especially noteable in "Hold the Phione" - after the titular Pokémon challenges Pikachu for her, she's offended because (A) Pikachu's in a tight spot, and (B) she's being treated like some sort of prize. She demands Phione battle ''her'' instead. And ''wins''.
* BadassAdorable: She's a little bunny that's capable of both giving you a run for your money in battle and making you go "aww" at the same time.
* BunniesForCuteness: Is based off of a rabbit, and is ''adorable.''
* CrushBlush: She cannot resist Pikachu.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First she jumps to save Pikachu from an incoming motorcycle, then when he tries to thank her she hides her face and bounds away, in the process [[WatchOutForThatTree crashing into a tree]]. This sets her up as a graceful ActionGirl who nonetheless crushes ''hard'' on Pikachu.
* TheFashionista: Not an extreme example, but she's occasionally seen sporting a vest that Dawn made for her, and the Sinnoh arc ends with her becoming a model.
* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam, which is also her signature move for Contests.
* NonElemental: She's the Normal-type of the team.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's tiny, but she froze Ash, Dawn, and Brock in her debut episode, and she frequently holds her own against larger opponents..
* WingdingEyes: Gets hearts in her eyes when she looks at Pikachu.
!!Pachirisu
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Pachirisu_5914.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
----
* AmbiguousGender: It's probably male, given its design and an incident in DP138[[note]]Johanna's Umbreon and Glameow used Attract against both Pachirisu and Piplup, and it worked on both. Umbreon and Glameow do not have known genders.[[/note]], but never explicitly confirmed.
* DeathGlare: Gave one to Ursula's Gabite after its Poffin was stepped on - an ''impressive one'' for normally happy-go-lucky Pachirisu.
* KidAppealCharacter: The second youngest of Dawn's Pokémon, and the one who acts like a kid the most.
* LostFoodGrievance: Pachirisu does ''not'' like its Poffins being [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/084 stolen]] or [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/114 smashed]]. Do any of those, and it'll make sure you pay for dearly for it.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Despite a major type disadvantage, it crushed Ursula's Gabite in the Chocovine Contest with is newly learned Super Fang.
* ScissorsCutsRock: It was able to defeat Ursula's Gabite in a Contest battle with Super Fang, despite Gabite being immune to Electric-type moves.
* StaticElectricity: Sometimes buzzes Dawn with this, and makes her hair pop out.
* SuperSpeed: Like most Electric-types, but in its debut episode it outran six of the gang's Pokémon at once (including ''Pikachu'') in a very silly game of high-speed chase.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins. The first time it was denied them, it shocked everyone until Pikachu snapped it out of it. Then there's the BerserkButton...
* YellowLightningBlueLightning: Emits the blue variety when using Discharge.
!!Buizel (Buoysel)
Traded to Ash for Aipom. For more info, see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Aipom-Ambipom (Eipam-Eteboth)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Aipom_8895.png]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Ambipom_9427.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Miyako Ito (Eipam), Chie Sato (Eteboth)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Miyako Ito (Aipom), Emily Jenness (Ambipom)
Aipom was a Pokémon that Ash caught during his journey through the Battle Frontier in Kanto. She is very affectionate towards him and secretly follows him when Ash set off to Sinnoh. While Aipom was shown to be a capable battler in Gym Battles, she develops a big interest in Contests, which would later lead to Ash trading her with Dawn's BloodKnight Buizel. She is competent in Contests, but she eventually develops an interest in Pokémon Ping Pong and later leaves Dawn's team, so the Ping Pong master can foster her talent.
----
* TheAce: She instantly excels everything she sets her interest on: pranking, battle, Contest and finally Pokemon ping pong.
* ActionGirl:
** While she preferred Contests, she was used several times in battle when she was under the ownership of Ash and didn't seem to mind.
** She beat Gardenia's strongest Pokémon, Roserade, so it's safe to say that although she prefers Contests, her battling skills are something to be proud of.
%%* BareFistedMonk: Knows Focus Punch.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: After being traded over to Dawn, her crush on Ash was all but completely forgotten. The last time she even acknowledged Ash as her former trainer was when she was getting ready to be PutOnABus, and even then it wasn't much.
* ClingyMacGuffin: Gets a crown that was was too small for Aipom, thus it being stuck to her head for most of the episode.
%%* DoppelgangerSpin: Knows Double Team.
* EleventhHourRanger: She was caught by Ash ten episodes before the end of the Advanced Generation series.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: It basically goes without saying, since she is a monkey-based Pokémon.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ever since Ash captured her at such a late time (during the Battle Frontier saga) and the fact that Aipom followed Ash and Pikachu to Sinnoh, it was rather obvious that the writers were planning to evolve her.
* GenkiGirl: Of course; most of her species tend to be this.
* LittleStowaway: Decided to sneak to Sinnoh with Ash instead of stay with Professor Oak like the rest of his Hoenn (and before) Pokémon. Ash decides to keep her in his Sinnoh crew until her trade to Dawn.
* NiceHat: Has a fondness for them, famously Ash's hat, or, in one episode, a ''crown''.
%%* NonElemental
%%* PintsizedPowerhouse: As Aipom.
* ThePrankster: When it was with Ash as an Aipom, she would play silly pranks on him, such as taking his hat for instance.
* PutOnABus: Similar to Ash's Primeape and ironically they are both ape-like Pokémon. She was last seen going away from the gang on a bus.
* RunningOnAllFours: Sometimes, such as when chasing Pachirisu in "Twice Smitten, Once Shy!"
%%* SpamAttack: Knows Fury Swipes.
!!Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine (Urimoo-->Inomoo-->Mammoo)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Swinub_7259.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piloswine_8918.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Mamoswine_8039.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' InukoInuyama (Urimoo and Inomoo), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (Mammoo)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Swinub), Tim Werenko (Piloswine), Creator/MarcThompson (Mamoswine)
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his huge size, he can make an impressive jump, shown off in ''Playing the Performance Encore.'' Lampshaded by Ursula: "Huh? With that huge body?!"
%%* BalloonBelly: In [=DP084=].
%%* TheBerserker: This once cost Dawn a contest.
* BigEater: To the point where all the other Pokémon might actually be in danger of starving to death. It's a species trait, actually.
* BlindingBangs: Piloswine has bangs that cover his eyes.
%%* BrilliantButLazy: Acts this way towards Dawn for a while.
* CuttingTheKnot: Mamoswine has almost never won a Contest by retaining the lead when the buzzer sounds. It tends to simply KO the competition. As Dawn has noted, this can be seen as missing the point of Contests.
%%* DeathGlare: Mamoswine has an impressive one.
%%* DefrostingIceKing: Mamoswine in the early stages.
%%* DishingOutDirt: Secondary type (Ground).
* ElementalArmor: In dual Contests, the strategy of choice often involves encasing the smaller partner in ice.
* {{Expy}}: In many ways similar to Ash's Charizard. Three stage evolution caught in first stage, in which it has a sweet overall disposition and ''likes'' its new trainer? Check. Personality change upon evolving into second stage? Check. A surprisingly quick transition to its third stage? Check. TookALevelInBadass after evolving, becoming a large powerhouse who lazes around? Check. Has a lifechanging experience with the trainer, involving a defeat against another Pokémon that it both has an advantage and disadvantage to, and restores its loyalty, and beats said mon with trainers help, followed by gradual further CharacterDevelopment? Check, check and ''check''.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Swinub had these perpetually, and they never do open. It's a species trait.
* FullBoarAction: As a Piloswine and later Mamoswine, he is partly based on pigs, hence the name Pilo'''swine''' and Mamo'''swine'''.
* HairTriggerTemper: From his Piloswine form on he becomes frighteningly easy to set off, though he mellows out over time.
* HeroismIncentive: Prior to becoming obedient to Dawn, this is the only way for the latter to motivate him to do anything.
* AnIcePerson: His primary type is Ice. In Contests, Dawn utilizes his Ice-type moves to great effects, which allows him to be presented as a cool and powerful Pokémon next to her cute ones. He's often covered in ice spikes and he can surround his partners in ice for glamorous presentations.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gradually grows into this role, having shown a soft side as well as an (eventual) fascination to Contests. [[LampshadeHanging Noted in-series, once the other characters observe it]].
* MessyPig: All three of his forms were messy eaters.
* ObliviouslyEvil: He doesn't even realize that the other Pokémon initially have contempt for him because of his enormous appetite.
* PinkIsForSissies: He initially seemed... embarrassed at the fact that he was fascinated by Contests and tried to hide it even when Ash pointed it out. He finally got over it in "Promoting Healthy Tangrowth".
* SpikesOfDoom: He can create gigantic ice spikes on his back by swallowing his own Ice Shard.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins, it seems. All her Pokémon enjoy them, but Mamoswine ''really'' [[BigEater can't get enough of them]].
!!Cyndaquil-->Quilava (Hinoarashi-->Magmarashi)
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Cyndaquil_9405.png]]
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Quilava_1694.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Cyndaquil), Bill Rogers (Quilava)
----
%%* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Knows Flame Wheel.
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Hatched from an egg late in the ''DP'' season.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: As a Cyndaquil, it usually only got angry at Piplup when it was provoked.
* {{Keet}}: He did become pretty excitable when he first saw Dawn practicing for a Contest, and visibly slumped when she said she wouldn't be using him just yet.
* NiceGuy: Her Quilava was always mild-mannered, gentle, and always kept to itself.
* PlayingWithFire: Quilava is a fire type {{Mon}} who knows Flame Wheel.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Piplup's red.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
* SmokeOut: Her Quilava knows Smokescreen, which can cause places to be filled with smoke.
!!Togekiss
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Togekiss_1158.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KikukoInoue
----
%%* BareFistedMonk: Knows Aura Sphere.
%%* BarrierWarrior: Knows Safeguard.
%%* BlowYouAway: Knows Air Slash.
* EleventhHourRanger: Not only the first time Dawn had six Pokémon at once, but she obtained her ''after'' winning her fifth ribbon, and just two episodes before the Grand Festival. Bear in mind that Princess Salvia had been training her to be a Contest Pokémon for quite a while, so it's a JustifiedTrope.
* {{Flight}}: Due to being a flying type, she can fly.
* ItWasAGift: She was given to Dawn by Princess Salvia.
* LadyOfWar: Because she was raised by a princess, she fights with grace and elegance.
%%* NonElemental: Primary type (this was before the species was {{Retcon}}ned to fairy).
* TeamMom: In the episode after she was obtained, Togekiss is seen caring for the ButtMonkey penguin, to the point of scolding Ash's Gible for [[RunningGag targeting Piplup with Draco Meteor]].
%%* YamatoNadeshiko: Just listen to [[Creator/KikukoInoue that voice]].
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Flying Type
[[/folder]]
!Supporting Cast
[[folder: Professor Rowan (Dr. Nanakamado)]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_ProfessorRowan2_3803.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/IemasaKayumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sean Reyes\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Salvador Reyes (season 10), Humberto Sorlózano (season 11), José María Negri (season 12)
The Pokémon professor living in the Sinnoh region. After Dawn unknowingly bumped into him while trying to find his lab, he helped her start her journey as a trainer by giving her the choice of Piplup, Chimchar, or Turtwig as a starter Pokémon. Rowan exhibits the following tropes:
----
%%* BadassMoustache: He has one that covers his entire lower face.
* TheComicallySerious: He's almost too serious even when he's trying to be genuine.
* CoolOldGuy: He's one of the oldest professors, but is still cool with Sinnoh's youth.
* ADayInTheLimelight: The Summer School arc gave him some much-deserved extra screentime.
* DeadpanSnarker: Very frequently. For instance, see his first appearance, in [=DP001=]:
--> '''Dawn:''' ''[after bumping into him]'' I'm - I'm so sorry!\\
'''Rowan:''' ''[turning to face her]'' Hello. You're looking lost.\\
'''Dawn:''' Huh? Are you talking to me, sir?\\
'''Rowan:''' Right. There's no one else here and you're looking very lost.
%%* LoomingSilhouetteOfRage: In the Summer School arc.
* TheMentor: Took Gary under his wing after he decided to become a Pokémon Professor.
%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
%%* TheStraightMan: To his old friend Professor Oak.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Johanna (Ayako)]]
[[quoteright:313:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Johanna-pokemon_4536.jpg]]
[[quoteright:313:Johanna as a Pokémon coordinator champion.]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' MakotoTsumura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Elena Ramírez (season 10), Belinda Martínez (season 13)
Dawn's mom. It's quickly revealed that she was a world famous Pokémon coordinator contest champion when she was a trainer, and she hasn't lost any of her touch as a mother either (as Dawn is quickly proven first-hand). Her favorite Pokémon is her Glameow.
----
* ActionMom: She was a champion Coordinator in her days and hasn't missed a step since then. She still easily beats Dawn in battle.
* AscendedExtra: In the games, Johanna was notable for having noticeably more character than previous moms, who before her mostly provided overnight healing and the occasional item[[note]]Barring the mom from GSC, who ran a bank for you[[/note]], having had a history as a Coordinator and occasionally showing up to compete in the Master Class contests with her Kangaskhan. Here, Johanna not only has a history, but has plenty of presence in Dawn's own character arc, with a history as a champion Pokémon Coordinator, with Dawn seeking to follow in her footsteps.
* CuteKitten: Glameow, who she used in contests.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Her Umbreon is a Dark type, which is Evil type in Japan. She also used it in contests.
%%* EmotionBomb: Umbreon's Attract.
%%* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow and Umbreon's Iron Tail.
* GoodParents: A loving and supportive mother who wholeheartedly encourages Dawn to pursue her dream of becoming a Contest champion.
%%* NonElemental: Glameow's type
* PimpedOutDress: Like Dawn, she's an experienced Coordinator and has a few of those on hand for Contests. Her green standby has OperaGloves and a CoolCrown.
* RetiredBadass: DP's first episode showcases an entire wall of Contest trophies in her house.
%%* SoulPower: Glameow's Shadow Ball and Shadow Claw, and Umbreon's Shadow Ball.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: She created Dawn's Grand Festival ballgown and Buneary's vest. Possibly justified by a later episode that shows her to be friends with Lila, a fashion designer.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: It appears to be a family trait. Like mother, like daughter, right?
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Reggie (Reiji)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Reggie_8291.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TetsuyaKakihara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Edson Matus (season 11 and 13), Javier Olguín (season 12).
Paul's older brother and a Pokémon breeder.
----
* BrokenAce: Defeated by the Pyramid King Brandon, but quickly recovered unlike his brother.
* ChekhovsGun: in "''Lost Leader Strategy''", Reggie's revealed to have completed the badges in each of the four regions. He also has the Symbols from the Battle Frontier, but there's one missing, which means a lot more when Paul's backstory is elaborated further.
* CommonalityConnection: Inverted with Ash. The main reason Paul hates Ash is because all that talk about bring out a Pokemon's inner strength reminds Paul of Reggie, whose loss to Brandon had profound psychological consequences on Paul. They share another point of connection between them in that Reggie has earned all the same badges and Frontier Symbols Ash had before quitting.
* CoolBigBro: Even if Paul's not the easiest to get along with, he looks after his Pokémon for him and encourages him as best he can.
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Subverted. Paul respects Reggie enough to leave his Pokémon with the latter. However, Paul sees Reggie’s "kindness to his Pokemon" part of his training style as a disappointment. While he does not hold a grudge against Reggie for it, it is the reason for Paul's animosity towards Ash.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** PoisonousPerson: Swalot
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]MakingASplash: Bibarel
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Staraptor
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type.
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Staraptor's Steel Wing.
%%*** [[AnIcePerson An Ice Pokémon]]: Bibarel's Ice Beam.
* {{Foil}}: To Paul, being much happier, kinder and more generous to Pokemon than his cold and grumpy little brother.
%%* FriendToAllLivingThings: He's a Pokémon Breeder. Comes with the territory.
* MasterOfNone: When he lost to Brandon, the Pyramid King stated this was the main reason he lost. Reggie may have had a lot of achievements, but he hasn't developed a special form of battle strategy to give him any real strengths to deal with the elite trainers.
* MoralDissonance: He's quite aware of Paul's [[TrainingFromHell training methods]], but doesn't even lift a finger to discipline his brother or teach him the error of his ways. Some depth is revealed when Maylene relates her [[BreakTheCutie ego-crushing encounter with Paul]] to Ash, he admits Paul's always had a cruel streak. It could be that he's tried to curb this side of him, but failed. This is TruthInTelevision - stubborn people like Paul often can't be convinced that they are wrong, especially not with just words.
%%* MoralityPet: Could be considered this for Paul.
* NiceGuy: He's much kinder and more pleasant than his little brother.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. A character of the day from ''Best Wishes'' has the same Japanese, but not English, name as him.
* RealMenWearPink: He wears a pink shirt.
* RetiredBadass: Four complete sets of 8 Gym Badges, and six of the Kanto Frontier Brain Symbols (the only one he doesn't have is Brandon's). His defeat to Brandon is the reason he's given up taking League challenges, something his younger brother Paul is not happy about.
* SiblingYinYang: He's the exact opposite of Paul. He's a nice guy who trains hard, values friendship, and succeeds in his goals and ambitions. Paul is a {{Jerkass}} of the highest calibur who thinks friendship is a [[UnusualEuphemism load of Tauros]]. All because his older brother is the successful one.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has the same downward-slanted eyes as Paul and a similar shade of purple hair, though his is a darker color.
* ThemeNaming: In Japanese, Reiji contains ''rei,'' meaning "courtesy" or "propriety", while his little brother's name, Shinji, contains ''shin,'' "trust" or "confidence".
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Looker (Handsome)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/looker_badge.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MasakiTerasoma\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JasonGriffith\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Emmanuel Bernal
A detective with the International Police who is investigating Team Galactic. He will also appear against Team Plasma in ''Best Wishes''.
----
* AdaptedOut: His Croagunk from the games and ''Anime/PokemonGenerations'' is nowhere to be found in the main anime series.
%%* BadassLongcoat
* BadassNormal: Unlike the games, he doesn't have any Pokémon to help in his assignments. He's extremely competent despite this. Case in point, he manages to get a hold of and subdue [[MookLieutenant Aldith]], and keep her in place with a pipe until Colress arrived and took over the Golurks. Impressive!
* TheBusCameBack: Returns in ''Black and White 2: Episode N'' to investigate Team Plasma, possibly to reflect his appearance in the games.
* MasterOfDisguise: It's surprising he doesn't give off any clues it is him until he reveals himself.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: When we first meet him, he comes off as a bit quirky due to having bought too many lunches on the train (the fact he gave some to Team Rocket [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe explains why they're loyal to him later]]). At the end of that episode, we find out he's investigating Team Galactic.
%%* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
* OddFriendship: Looker and Team Rocket get along pretty damn well despite the former being with the police and the latter being known criminals. Hell, Looker was the one that convinced Team Rocket to help Ash and the others out against Team Plasma.
* PoliceAreUseless: Averted! If anything, he is ''more'' useful than most Officer Jennies we've seen.
* TheWorfEffect: He is captured during the climax of both the Team Galactic and the Team Plasma arc.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhonda (Yuka)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHiyamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/SarahNatochenny (Season 10 up until episode 29), Creator/RhondaKrempa (rest of Season 10 to episode 155 of Season 13), Creator/BellaHudson (rest of Season 13)
The hostess of the news channel ''Sinnoh Now!''
----
* ButtMonkey: Almost all of her major appearances has some kind of misfortune happening to her, whether it's constantly getting smacked on the head with a boom mic or missing out on a chance to cover an exciting story. Poor woman can't catch a break.
* TheCameo: Has a small appearance in the credits of ''Zoroark: Master of Illusions'' on the TV Johanna is watching.
* IntrepidReporter: If Rhonda's not broadcasting news in the studio, she’s usually out trying to cover whatever kind of event that's currently going on. However, due to outside forces and the incompetence of her film crew, her success rate is kinda 50/50.
* IsThisThingStillOn: Whenever she's broadcasting live and starts berating her boom operator, it's always caught on camera, with an embarrassed Rhonda trying to continue her story and trying to pretend it didn't happen.
* MsExposition: Is usually the one that delivers information to viewers about current events happening in the Sinnoh region.
* RunningGag: She's almost always getting smacked on the head with the boom mic held by her incompetent boom operator, with her always threatening to get said operator demoted to the mail room.
* ThrowTheDogABone: Her final appearance in the anime has her able to successfully perform interviews with the Sinnoh Grand Festival participants without anything bad happening, not even a single incident caused by her film crew or her boom operator.
[[/folder]]
!Rivals
[[folder:In General]]
* TheCameo: They appear among the other recurring ''Diamond & Pearl'' characters in the ending credits of ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions.''
* GenderEqualEnsemble: Specifically, Dawn's rivals; two are male and two are female.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This series introduced eight recurring rivals with a total of 60 Pokémon between them. Because of this, some had a lot less screentime than others, which may be the reason for future series cutting down on the number of rivals.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: Due to their varying personalities.
** Nice--Zoey (TheMentor), Nando (NiceGuy), Barry (GenkiBoy)
** Mean--Paul (GrumpyBear), Ursula (AlphaBitch)
** In-between--Kenny (JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]LovingBully), Conway (StalkerWithACrush), Tobias (DarkIsNotEvil)
* PromotedToOpeningTitles: Paul in Season 10, Zoey in Season 11, Barry in Season 12 (theme version 1), Kenny in Season 12 (theme version 2), Tobias, Nando, Conway, and Ursula in Season 13.
* TheRival: Each of these characters is competing with either Ash, for Gym Badges, or Dawn, for Ribbons. Nando is doing both.
* TwoGirlsToATeam: If this gang of rivals can be considered a "team", Zoey and Ursula are the only female rivals in this series.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul (Shinji)]]
[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Anime_Paul_5006.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Julian Rebolledo\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gerardo García (seasons 10, 11 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz, Eduardo Ramírez and Ricardo Bautista (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alessandro Bevilacqua (1st voice), Gauthier De Fauconval (2nd voice)
Ash's main rival in the Sinnoh region. Paul only cares about one thing: Becoming the best through sheer technical discipline. He only goes after Pokémon who have the best moves and abandons those who fail him, which is how Ash acquired Chimchar. In short, he doesn't care how his Pokémon feel, but only how they perform. Ash doesn't take too kindly to this.
----
* AbusiveParents: Or rather, an abusive trainer. He was this to Chimchar, always verbally (and eventually physically) abusing him, and pushing him way past his limits to get his [[UnstoppableRage Blaze]] ability to activate.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Paul is this to Ash, becoming a formidable wall he must overcome.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He makes no effort to hide how much superior he thinks he is to everyone else. He may mostly be an overconfident {{Jerkass}}, but there's no denying that he's a good battler.
* AwesomeByAnalysis:
** Paul was able to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] Ash in a full battle by building his team specifically to counter Ash's Sinnoh Pokémon.
** During the Sinnoh League, [[spoiler:he has his Pokémon use the Counter-Shield technique that Ash developed]].
* BadBoss: Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon kindly and puts them into a harsh training regiment without caring much about their well-being as long as they can bring out results. Particularly Chimchar is put under a lot of abuse, since Blaze can only be activated once Chimchar's stamina is at its limit. The rest of his Pokémon like him, though we only find out at the very end of the series.
* BadassBoast: "The challenge you always present to Trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do. But I'm not like my brother! My will gives me strength! And now, you'll see it firsthand!" Subverted when he immediately gets crushed in the ensuing battle by Brandon.
* TheBadGuyWins: While not exactly a villain, Paul is Ash's most antagonistic rival by far, and he beats Ash in the majority of their battles.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: His cruel treatment of his Pokémon is what makes him so despicable. It really says something about him that even the ruder rivals, most notably Harley, Ursula, and Burgundy, [[PetTheDog show more caring toward their Pokémon]] than he does to his own.
* BatmanGambit: Pulls off several at Lake Acuity.
** He purposely allows his Torterra to miss its first Frenzy Plant, baiting Ash into using several close-range attacks with Gliscor while Torterra recharges. This allows Paul to trap its tail with Crunch and get off a point-blank hit with Giga Drain, badly damaging Gliscor while healing off most of the damage taken earlier. This is immediately followed up with another Batman Gambit as Ash switches to Staraptor, allowing Paul to nail it with a super effective Stone Edge.
** He sends out his Honchkrow to battle Grotle, knowing that despite the type disadvantage, Ash will likely stay in with Grotle to avenge its loss to Honchkrow [[ContinuityNod earlier in the series]]. He is correct, and Honchkrow defeats Grotle easily.
** He throws Ash off guard by choosing [[PlayingWithFire Magmortar]] and [[BadassNormal Ursaring]] to battle Pikachu, knowing that Ash will take initiative and battle head-on. This turns out to be a ploy to activate their respective abilities in [[StatusAilment Flame Body]] and [[StatusBuff Guts]], while also taking advantage of ''Pikachu's'' natural ability Static, completely overwhelming him.
* BreakTheHaughty: His defeat against Brandon. It triggers his first step towards rethinking his ways.
* BringIt: In the battle between Ash and Paul in the Sinnoh League Tournament. Electivire uses this to get Infernape to stand up, and Paul even calls Infernape pathetic. In the Japanese version, he just tells Infernape to stop disappointing him again and again.
* BrokenPedestal: He lost faith in his older brother's skills after seeing him lose to Brandon and subsequently give up on Pokémon training.
* CatchPhrase:
-->'''Original:''' "[Pokémon], battle standby."\\
'''English Dub:''' "[Pokémon], stand by for battle."
** Another catchphrase of his from the English dub is "pathetic."
* CharacterDevelopment: Paul starts off as arrogant, alienating, and cruel to the core. By the time he finally loses to Ash at the Pokémon League, he is significantly kinder. He briefly admits that Barry put up a good battle after defeating him, and thanks his Electivire for trying his best after losing to Infernape. He's still distant and stoic, but he's come a long way.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: He was more visibly sinister and prone to [[PsychoticSmirk psychotic smirks]] in his first appearance, but from his second and onward he was more [[TheStoic stoic]] in his jerkassery.
* CombatPragmatist: In the earlier episodes of the Sinnoh saga, this boy was not above commanding his Pokémon to attack Team Rocket while they were reciting their motto. He even managed to capture a Gliscor by having his Electabuzz and Weavile blast it while Ash and co. were trying to negotiate with it.
* TheComicallySerious: He can be this when he's put in situations in which Ash and co are goofing off.
* CrazyPrepared: Particularly against Ash in the late stages of their rivalry.
** He teaches his Torterra Stone Edge to deal with the Fire- and Flying-types on Ash's Sinnoh team, and furthermore teaches it to [[HomingProjectile change the direction]] of the stones to prevent more agile Pokemon from dodging it.
** He temporarily teaches his Electabuzz Light Screen to serve a more supportive role. With the extra defensive buff, Paul's MightyGlacier Torterra because exceedingly hard to touch, as special attacks are halved in power while physical attacks are stopped cold with Stone Edge.
** In the Sinnoh League, Paul has his Gastrodon use the [[SpinToDeflectStuff Counter Shield]] technique [[VariantPowerCopying coined by Ash]], creating a large vortex of Muddy Water that makes it difficult to get in close. Ash sees a weak spot close to the ground and has Staraptor go after it, but Paul sees this coming and is able to trap it with Body Slam. Ash manages to escape Body Slam by banging the ground with Close Combat, but Paul is ''[[UpToEleven still]]'' prepared for that and nails it with Ice Beam as it escapes.
* CurbStompBattle:
** He got on the ''receiving'' side of it when he challenged Cynthia, whose Garchomp single-handedly defeated four of his Pokémon without breaking a sweat.
** He lost again against Frontier Brain Brandon without defeating a single one of his Pokémon, which led to his breakdown.
** His battle with Ash by Lake Acuity was heavily dominated by Paul. While Ash delivered a good match, Paul only lost two of six Pokémon, while Ash lost completely, half of his team being beaten by Paul's Ursaring alone.
* DeadpanSnarker: Paul also had some more snarky and cynical moments. He was snarkier in the beginning of the series and becomes outright hateful later on, despite being and looking way more mature than the other characters.
* DeathGlare: His default expression. He gives this to a lot of people he is annoyed with.
* {{Deconstruction}}:
** His whole character is one of [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
** He also serves as a deconstruction toward Ash's reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship and the IndyPloy. Almost every time Ash tries to prove to Paul that a strong bond can overcome any matchup, he gets shown up ''hard''. Ash has to significantly up his game and battle far more strategically to finally defeat him.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Downplayed. In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry. They're not exactly friends on account of the immense personality clash, but they've come a long way from the borderline [[ArchEnemy arch-enemies]] they were at first.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: After a long, grueling battle during the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash finally brings him down...and then Tobias comes in.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Acts like a huge {{Jerkass}} to ''everyone'' just because [[spoiler:his older brother failed to live up to the expectations Paul had of him.]]
* EnemyMine: He's paired up with Ash in the Tag Battle tournament.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** While he dislikes Ash and friends, his last appearance before the Sinnoh League, where he has Electabuzz use Protect to shield them from the falling debris of a Team Rocket mecha, shows that his dislike doesn't extend to outright ''murderous'' levels.
** Notably, he always uses a surprisingly-calm tone when speaking to Dawn, and he (somewhat) rationally and calmly explains his hatred of Ash to her before the Sinnoh League. The shippers took this and ran with it, thus giving birth to Ikarishipping (named due to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Paul's Japanese name]]).
** While Paul is a SoreLoser only interested in winning, even he hates Volkner for just giving out badges without a battle.
* EvilCounterpart: TheStoic, SocialDarwinist to contrast Ash's [[{{Keet}} expressive]], AllLovingHero. He's meant to represent what Ash would be if he only cared about his Pokémon's strength, and not them as individuals.
* {{Expy}}: Of Silver from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver GSC/HGSS]]'', given that he's a {{Jerkass}} rival to the main character who only cares about his Pokémon's power rather than connecting to them. They even have similar outfits and hair styles.
* FlatWhat: Expresses shock and disbelief when he finds out Ash defeated the leader of the Frontier Brains, Brandon.
* {{Foil}}: To Ash. Both are seasoned trainers who aim ToBeAMaster, but their philosophies are completely different. Whereas Ash succeeds through teamwork and love, Paul thrives on cold calculations and sheer power. Ash first wins his Pokémon's hearts, then improves their skills. Paul does not bother with bonding and gets straight to intense training.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: He once forgot who Dawn was, despite having met her twice before. [[DemonHead To say Dawn reacted poorly would be an understatement.]]
* FreudianExcuse: Paul resents his brother Reggie for giving up his dreams after a single loss and vows to never be like him (as a matter of fact, it's also why he hates Ash so much -- Ash talks about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength much like Reggie has). He patches things up with his brother eventually.
* GoodTamingEvilTaming: In contrast to Ash, Paul is cold (if not [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals abusive]]) to his own Pokémon. He captures them, using his [=PokéDex=] to measure their strengths and skill sets and either releasing them or giving them to somebody else if they fail to meet his expectations. He has even stated that developing an attachment to his Pokémon would make them weak. He becomes less so as the series progresses, but that does not stop him from being a dick.
* GrumpyBear: Paul's usual expression is anger and being in a bad mood. Despite not showing too many other emotions, grumpiness for Paul seems to be his second most well known trait.
* HeyYou: Barely acknowledges Ash by name, particularly in the Japanese version.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Beaten by his own former Pokémon, Chimchar, that he had mistreated. It personally took out half of his team.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Despite saying that when a Pokémon loses, it's the trainer's fault for not training it correctly, he blames his own Pokémon, especially Chimchar, for their losses.
** In the finals of the Tag Team Tournament, he maintains his belief that Chimchar and Ash are weak since Heracross was still briefly standing despite being hit point blank by a Flanethrower, and that it only fainted because Buizel collided with it when hit by Electabuzz's Thunder. While accurate, the exact same thing would apply for Paul and Electabuzz as Buizel was briefly still standing despite being hit point blank by a move it was weak too as well.
** He criticized Ash for using Grotle in [[AnIcePerson Candice's]] gym. This is coming from the guy who used Chimchar against [[DishingOutDirt Roark]].
* HypocriteHasAPoint: While Paul was a hypocrite for criticizing Ash for him using Pokémon that have type disadvantages to their opponents, Paul is still correct.
* IWasJustPassingThrough: Despite his disdain for Ash, he actually stuck around to watch his gym battle with Roark, if only in hopes of seeing him lose.
* IgnoredEpiphany: After being on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle against Cynthia, she told that he must care more by his Pokémon, but he refuses to take it to heart.
* IneffectualLoner: He does not like socializing with others, instead focusing all of his energy on getting stronger. Even so, he has yet to become a Pokémon Master or defeat Brandon.
* {{Irony}}: A fountain of it. Tried to activate a DesperationAttack, faces both Barry and Ash using one. His backstory involves his brother losing to Brandon and his Regi's, with himself losing in time as well. Chimchar's evolution Infernape can counter all three.
* JackOfAllStats: In keeping with his skill as a Trainer, he uses a well-balanced team of many different types.
* {{Jerkass}}: Paul's main characteristic. He's a cantankerous dick who abuses and releases his Pokémon who fail to reach up to his expectations. Even after CharacterDevelopment, he becomes only slightly less of a jerk, and does not become a good person until his final speaking appearance.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** When he meets Ash at the Sinnoh League, Ash claims he'll be giving it all he's got in their battle. Paul states that ''everyone'' participating has gotten all 8 badges too, so going all out against him and the other trainers Ash is battling amounts next to nothing. Even Ash admitted that Paul was right.
** When Ash praises Staravia during the Tag Team Tournament after Paul's Torterra defeats Brock and Holly, Paul sarcastically asks Ash if they even did anything. While rude to say, it's not inaccurate as Torterra single handedly defeated both of their opponents.
** In one episode, he criticized Ash for using his Grotle, a grass type Pokémon against an ice type in his gym battle against Candace. Considering the type advantage, Paul's complaint wasn't without merit.
** Barry keeps praising Sunyshore gym as one of the best which Paul criticizes as undeserving. It's later reveal the Sunyshore Gym leader gave badges without any challenge of any sort. Ash effectively agrees with Paul by demanding a proper battle.
** During the Sinnoh League episodes, he also tells Barry that overestimating his abilities will only backfire on him. [[spoiler:Paul is proven right when Barry gets curb-stomped HARD by Paul]].
** He justifies giving away his Azumarill claiming it was dead weight. Seeing as his Azumarill lost to a Geodude despite not only having a type advantage, but hitting it with ''Hydro Pump'', his analysis might've been fair.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite having very limited redeeming traits as a person, Paul eventually does have a lighter side to him. He shows it especially later in the Diamond and Pearl Series.
* KnightOfCerebus: Prior to Paul, many of the jerk trainers Ash had defeated in the past were swiftly beaten down. Paul is the first he's crossed who is highly competent. Also, despite his high standards and brutal training, one cannot deny that it has achieved results. Both his Ursaring and his Drapion flattened half of Ash's team in different battles.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Surrenders to Cynthia upon realizing that he just isn't capable of beating her.
* LackOfEmpathy: When he releases Pokémon, they look visibly upset and sad. Paul doesn't bat an eye.
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** Him getting curb stomped by Brandon in one episode counts.
** Ash is ultimately able to defeat him using Infernape, the Pokémon Paul released for supposedly being weak. To make it even better, Infernape defeats his Electivire by using its ability of Blaze, which Paul tried and failed to get it to master.
%%* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown
* NeverMyFault: Combined with hypocrisy. Paul stated that when someone loses a battle, it’s the trainer’s fault. Then when ''he'' were to ever lose, he would blame his Pokémon for supposedly being weak or find another way to take the blame off of himself. When he sends out Chimchar against Cynthia's Garchomp and it gets knocked out without landing a scratch, being an unevolved Pokémon with a type disadvantage, he simply recalls it and says to it, "You ought to be ashamed."
* NoSell: Ash's out-of-the-box strategies that generally give him the edge in battles barely works on Paul if ever fazes him. In their second battle, one of Ash's old tricks, using a "dig" attack's hole against the user, backfires ''hard'' on him when Paul counters the strategy. Even the counter shield, Ash's signature strategy in Sinnoh, not only barely gave him some advantage, but Paul learned it and used it against Ash in the league. Soon after, he flat out copied Ash and Infernape's tactics to rid off toxic spikes, using it to stop Ash's Gliscor.
* NotSoStoic: During his battle with Brandon. Also shows annoyance whenever he sees Ash.
** When Ash asked him if he wanted to watch his battle with Roark, Paul actually ''[[HaHaHaNo laughs.]]''
* ThePerfectionist: He has incredibly high standards for his Pokémon, to the point where he'll abandon those who don't live up to his expectations.
* PerpetualFrowner: He's almost always scowling.
* PetTheDog:
** Despite his harsh treatment towards Chimchar, he and Ursaring save him when Team Rocket attempts to steal him from Paul.
** After he [[spoiler:defeats Barry in the Sinnoh League, he commends him for the effort he put up instead of putting him down. This is a massive change from how he treated others who lost to him]].
** He actually thanks and commends his [[spoiler:Electivire]] for a well-fought battle instead of scolding it after its loss to Infernape.
* PsychoticSmirk: Early on, he smirks when he knows he has the upper hand. The first sign Paul is not a goody two-shoes like Ash.
* RedOniBlueOni: The callous blue to Ash's warmhearted red of the "Diamond and Pearl" series.
* TheRival: Ash's primary rival in Sinnoh and whom Ash held the most bitter rivalry with in the entire series by far. Their differing ideologies on raising Pokémon was the source of most of their antagonistic relationship, which escalated further after Paul released his Chimchar.
* RunningGag: A minor one, but twice he was in the midst of capturing a Pokémon, only to be interrupted by Ash & friends, allowing the Pokémon to escape. The first time it was a Fearow, the second it was a Drapion.
* SiblingYinYang: His older brother Reggie is kind and cheerful, and treats his Pokémon very well.
* SingleIssueWonk: Paul is obsessed with one thing and one thing only--becoming the strongest Pokémon trainer by putting his team through TrainingFromHell. Nothing else matters to him.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Only the best can be a part of his team. The rest get released.
* SoreLoser:
** Sometimes when he loses, he would blame his Pokémon for everything.
** Averted in the last few episodes of Diamond & Pearl. [[GracefulLoser Much to the shock of fans, he takes his loss against Ash in the League rather well, complemented with Paul complimenting his Electivire for a well-fought battle]].
* StealthPun: He puts his Pokémon through TrainingFromHell and abandons them when they don't live up to his expectations. In other words, the way he treats them is "a-Paul-ing."
* StrongAndSkilled: Despite his obsession with strength, Paul is arguably the most strategic battler ever shown in the anime. He thoroughly researches his opponents and employs strategies to target their physical and psychological weaknesses, and unlike most of Ash's opponents, he can quickly adapt to Ash's {{Outside The Box Tactic}}s as he's roughly just as experienced as Ash. It's most on display in his full battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, where Paul pulls off numerous {{Batman Gambit}}s to put Ash in a virtually unwinnable situation. Later on in the Sinnoh League, he purposely sets up two of his Pokemon as {{Sacrificial Lamb}}s in order to lower Ash's guard, only to reveal he was in control the whole time.
* TheStoic: He rarely shows emotion bar occasional bouts of frustration.
%%* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The Technician to Ash's Performer.
* TookALevelInKindness: Incredibly slowly, but it seems like he finally starts to understand his errors by the end.
* ToughLove: For all his faults, Paul is not incapable of treating his Pokémon decently - they are seen relaxing in [=DP100=], and Paul arranged for Torterra to be groomed. While he would probably bite off his tongue before he admitted to being affectionate, the small number of Pokémon he ''does'' keep in his team seem well-treated overall (Chimchar is ''noted'' to be an exceptional case), and their reaction to hearing about his loss in the Sinnoh League indicates that they are, in fact, loyal to him. Torterra appears to be the most loyal to him as well as receiving the most respect from Paul (most likely due to being his starter) because in one episode Torterra went to help Ash's Grotle out of empathy but when Paul discovered what happened, Torterra received no punishment suggesting that Torterra acts as an HonestAdvisor to Paul because he (alongside Paul) witnessed Reggie's defeat at the Battle Pyramid, which in turn caused both of them to form Paul's ideology so that he doesn't follow in Reggie's footsteps.
* TrainingFromHell: Expects nothing but the best from his Pokémon. Any lower and they are released back into the wild. Chimchar got the worst of it, due to Paul's desire to harness the immense power of its Blaze ability.
* TsurimeEyes: He has very sharply shaped eyes, showing that he is not a friendly fellow.
* TheUnfettered: A [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior chillingly accurate portrayal]] for a kid's show. While he is not incapable of showing respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, he is a ruthless and cruel Trainer who [[TrainingFromHell trains his Pokémon harshly]], [[TheSocialDarwinist treats weak Pokémon and even other Trainers with utter contempt]] (like Maylene) and has released or given away no less than six Pokémon on screen for [[YouHaveFailedMe poor performance in battle]] and feels no remorse for his actions, seeing his actions as the only way to make an efficient team. He also [[TheStoic shows little to no emotions]] apart from his ever present scowl (and occasionally a [[PsychoticSmirk condescending smirk]], usually for Ash), is quick and firm in his choices, sees nothing morally wrong in his abuse of both people and Pokémon, and has no qualms about using borderline illegal moves in battle (Elekid using Brick Break on Cranidos' leg, Torterra biting Gliscor's tail, and pretty much every move by [[BearsAreBadNews Ursaring]]), and is by far one of Ash's most powerful rivals, serving almost as a living antithesis to his entire philosophy on Pokémon. Unlike his other rivals Gary and Trip, who were simply at odds with Ash, Paul is a full-blown antagonist.
* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: After beating Gym Leader Maylene and getting the Cobble Badge, he proceeds to insult her:
-->''"You're weakest Leader I've ever fought, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and this lightweight Badge is just like you]]."''
* UsedToBeASweetKid: In Reggie's flashback before Paul starts his battle against Brandon, Paul traveled from Sinnoh to Kanto after receiving his Turtwig because he wanted to see his brother win his final Battle Frontier Symbol. Paul and Turtwig were shown to have notably pleasant dispositions prior to [[BrokenPedestal witnessing Reggie's loss]] and watch Brandon call him out on his lack of true inner strength, though how different Paul is now compared to back then is still debatable.
* VocalDissonance: To a degree. His voice makes him sound ''way'' older than he really is [[note]] it's never said exactly how old he is, but he's likely a young teenager at most[[/note]].
* TheWorfEffect: Brandon effortlessly defeats Paul in a full battle, with the latter failing to knock out any of his opponent's Pokémon, which goes to show that Brandon's status as a Frontier Brain isn't just for show. At the same time, however, Paul's inability to maintain his composure also contributed to his loss.
%%* WorthyOpponent:
%%** Paul bows his head to Roark, his assistant, Cynthia, Nurse Joy, and Brandon. He seems to respect his elders in general, or is at least cordial to them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Releases Pokémon which he perceives as being weak or useless without a second thought, which is how Ash came across Chimchar. Paul only kept Chimchar around hoping to utilize its ability Blaze. When Chimchar was unable to summon it exactly when Paul wanted it, Paul released Chimchar. However, Paul does try to utilize their potential as much as possible, and if it still doesn't work out, then goodbye.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul's Pokémon]]
Throughout Paul's several journeys, he has caught a large number of Pokémon, many of them being based on power, but he does use Pokémon who have more tricks in their pockets than just pure strength. While the majority of them are {{Jerkass}}es, they do like him as a trainer.
----
* AmbiguousGender: With the exception of Froslass and Nidoking, who can only be one gender, none of their genders are known. Although, given their personalities, it can assumed that most of them tend to be male.
* CurbStompBattle: 10 of his Pokémon are victims of this trope, being easily defeated by Champion Cynthia's Garchomp and Pyramid King Brandon's Regi Trio.
* HighTurnoverRate: Paul's tendency to boot party members that don't live up to his standards means that he's released more Pokémon than most side characters have even owned. Even aside from those, he fields a ''ton'' of different Pokémon over various battles, to the point that he almost never uses the same team twice.
* {{Jerkass}}: Most of them are nasty in nature and aren't very nice to others, even among themselves. They are a few exceptions, though.
* LightningBruiser: Paul definitely favors these, with Electivire, Ursaring, Honchkrow, and Drapion being both extremely strong and fast enough to deal with more agile opponents.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Like Gary, Paul is one of the few rival characters to have such a high number of Pokémon, which often leads to many of them being under developed as characters. And the series does show Paul constantly capturing new ones.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In the opening ''Together'' and its remix, Paul's team gets updated from time to time, starting from [=DP041=] onwards, even though Ursaring has been caught since [=DP006=].
* YouHaveFailedMe: Those who don't manage to live up to Paul's high standards, they are released. Those who do have great potential, but aren't able to use it, are released when Paul has enough of them.
----
!!Elekid-->Electabuzz-->Electivire (Elekid-->Eleboo-->Elekible)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_electivire.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
The first Pokémon shown alongside Paul as well as his most prominent one. It is the Pokémon who represents his trainer the most: a total {{Jerkass}}, but extremely capable in battle. Elekid was present when Chimchar joined Paul and since the latter was released, they have developed a rivalry with each other, witnessing each other evolving at least once.
----
* EleventhHourSuperpower: During the finale of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, Elekid evolves into Electabuzz, which gives it enough power to win alongside with Ash's Chimchar against Dawn's Buizel and Conway's Heracross.
* BarrierWarrior: Since its introduction, it is shown to know Protect, a move that protects it from any move. It also uses Light Screen during the Lake Acuity battle to support Paul's team, halving the damage inflicted on Paul's Pokémon for a short amount of time.
* BloodKnight: It becomes quite enthusiastic when in battle, and during the Sinnoh League tournament, [[BringIt it taunts Ash's Infernape to get back up and keep battling]].
* BringIt: Electivire taunts its rival, Infernape, to get back up when the latter is down and about to be declared as knocked out.
* DoubleKnockOut: During their first battle, Elekid and Pikachu end up knocking each other out, which also ends the match in a draw. While Ash admits defeat since Pikachu fell down first, Paul does acknowledge it as a draw.
* TheDragon: As Paul's most prominent Pokémon, it serves this role for most of the series, being one of Paul's most capable and reliable Pokémon, and during the league, it is the last Pokémon on Paul's side.
* ElementalPunch: It knows Thunder Punch since its debut, a move that covers its fist in electricity. It's Fighting-type move Brick Break is portayed in a similar manner, as its arm gets covered in electric sparks, making it some kind of a sparking chop.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Like Gastrodon, Paul taught Electivire how to use Counter Shield. By spinning its Thunder, it can defend itself from the opponent while attacking.
* JackOfAllTrades: It is living proof that Paul is a competent trainer. Elekid/Electabuzz/Electivire can be used as a straight up battler with defensive moves or as a supporting member with offensive capabilities.
* {{Jerkass}}: The most prominent example of Paul's Pokémon. It outright antagonizes Ash's Pokémon for no reason other than for its own amusement. Even when Paul is not present.
* LightningBruiser: Electivire is shown to be one of Paul's more powerful and tougher Pokémon, and if its Motor Drive ability kicks in, its speed increases massively.
* NoSell: Electivire's ability is Motor Drive, which makes it immune to Electric-type moves and instead increases its speed immensely.
* PrehensileTail: Electivire can capture its opponent with its tails, which allows it to perform a point blank Thunder.
* PsychoElectro: Electivire is just as much of a {{Jerkass}} as Paul is; in its debut, it shocked Pikachu without provocation and laughed about it, and it often taunts its opponents (particularly Ash's Infernape).
* TheRival: To Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape. They are introduced in the same episode and Elekid was already a jerk to Chimchar when he was still with Paul. They have become rivals once Chimchar was released and joined Ash's team. Chimchar witnesses Elekid's evolution, while Electabuzz witnesses Monferno's evolution. During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz briefly fights Chimchar and is later switched back on the field to see that he has suddenly evolved into Monferno, which fires Electabuzz up. The climax of their rivalry is during the Lily of the Valley Conference where both of them are the final Pokémon of their respective sides.
* ShockAndAwe: It is Paul's only known Electric-type Pokémon, and since its debut it knows Thunder and Thunder Punch.
* StatusAilment: Elekid's ability is Static, which can paralyze the opponent when it makes contact with Elekid. The ability has been changed to Motor Drive once it became Electivire.
* SupportPartyMember: During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz's main role is activating Light Screen to half the damage inflicted on Paul's team. It still is capable of battling the opponent by its own, though, but it doesn't get to fight for long until its fight with its rival, Monferno.
* TheWorfEffect: Like all of Paul's Pokémon used against Pyramid King Brandon, the reliable Electabuzz is quickly defeated, showing how powerful Bradon's Pokémon are.
* WorthyOpponent: It is generally excited to battle Pikachu and Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape who are very strong opponents.
!!Starly (3x) (Mukkuru)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_first_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's first two Starly]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's third Starly]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
During Paul's debut, he catches three Starly at once, but releases two of them right away once he checked their movesets. The third one is used against Ash's newly captured Starly, but despite its victory, Paul releases it as well.
----
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Two of the Starly were released right away after capturing, since they only knew Tackle and Sand-Attack, while the third at least knew Aerial Ace and Double Team. However, it didn't live up to Paul's standard and he could find a better Starly anyway.
* SacrificialLamb: Non-lethal example. They are released as soon as they are captured to demonstrate what kind of a trainer Paul is.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: All three are released before we knew anything about them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The third Starly that has the luck to stay with Paul and manages to defeat Ash's Starly does not live up to Paul's standards and is released after the battle as well.
!!Chimchar (Hikozaru)
A Pokémon that caught Paul's interest due to its abnormally powerful Blaze ability. After many failed attempts to draw out his potential, Paul's releases him after he failed him too many times. For more information see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Stantler (Odishishi)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_stantler.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
Another Pokémon caught and released right away.
----
* WeHardlyKnewYe: It is only shown being captured and released.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Another extreme example, since it was released immediately after its capture, just because it only knew Tackle.
!!Ursaring (Ringuma)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ursaring.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
Ursaring is captured by Paul when it was chasing after Ash's group. Thanks to its immense brute strength, it has remained as one of Paul's most competent battlers.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Using its claws, it shreds its opponents with its Normal-type move Slash.
* BadassNormal: Ursaring is a Normal-type Pokémon and one of Paul's strongest battlers, having defeated half of Ash's team during the Lake Acuity battle.
* BattleAura: When its Guts kicks in, it is covered in a red aura to show its activation.
%%* BareFistedMonk: Ursaring knows Hammer Arm.
* BearsAreBadNews: Ursaring is a bear and it is always aggressive and angry since its debut.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyber Beam from its mouth.
* TheBrute: Ursaring is an absolute powerhouse and manages to defeat three of Ash's Pokémon during the Lake Acuity battle.
* ButtMonkey: Ursaring has the tendency to lose against Chimchar everytime they battle.
* EnergyWeapon: It used to know Hyper Beam, a powerful beam attack fired from its mouth.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When its Guts kicks in, its eyes glow in crimson red to show of how dangerous it is now.
* HotBlooded: Of the angry kind. Ursaring is rarely calm at all and is always angry for no particular reason. It also has the Guts ability to match its personality, which makes it even stronger, angrier and more hot-blooded once it suffers from status changes.
* KamehameHadouken: It knows the move Focus Blast. It concentrates its energy into a powerful energy ball and throws it at the opponent.
* MadeOfIron: During its battle against Barry's Hitmonlee, it gets hits by many Fighting-type moves and is even burned by Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick. Not only does Ursaring not lose, it completely defeats Hitmonlee thanks to its Guts. And during the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, Ursaring took the most hits before being taken down.
* OneManArmy: Ursaring takes down half of Ash's team during their Lake Acuity battle.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Its eyes burn red when Guts is activated, which makes its already angry look even scarier.
* StatusBuff:
** It knows Bulk Up, a move that increases its attack and defensive power.
** Guts is an ability that kicks in when Ursaring is inflicted with a status change, which doubles its power.
* TurnRed: When it suffers from status changes, Ursaring's Guts kicks in which doubles its attack power.
* UnstoppableRage: It is already extremely angry from the get-go, but whenever its Guts ability kicks in, it gains [[RedEyesTakeWarning burning crimson eyes]] and [[BattleAura a visible aura]] that scream "be even more careful".
* TheWorfEffect: During the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, the very powerful Ursaring cannot take on Brandon's Regice and in the end, it is quickly finished off by Regirock while being paralyzed from Regice's Zap Cannon.
!!Azumarill (Marilli)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_azumarill.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers
A Water-type Pokémon that was caught by Paul for the Gym Battle against the Rock-type specialist Roark. However, it easily loses to Roark's Geodude, prompting Paul to give it away to a young boy after the match ended.
----
* BunniesForCuteness: Azumarill looks like an adorable egg-shaped bunny, but that is not the reason why Paul caught it, so no bonus points for being cute.
* {{Irony}}: Because of its type, Azumarill is used during the Rock-type Gym Battle to give Paul an advantage. Not only does it fail miserably, Paul wins the Gym Battle by using two Pokémon who have type disadvantages against Rock-type and/or Ground-type Pokémon.
* MakingASplash: It is a Water-type Pokémon and that is the whole reason why Paul even caught it. However, its Hydro Pump fails to inflict damage on Roark's Geodude and it gets defeated before it can even use Water Gun.
* WorfBarrage: Hydro Pump is one of the most powerful Water-type moves, but Roark's Geodude easily blocks that with Hidden Power alone.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite its type advantage over Rock-type Pokémon, it loses because Roark is ''that'' much of a skilled trainer, which teaches Paul and Ash to use their head more to overcome Roark's strategy.
* YouHaveFailedMe: After Roark outmaneuvers him, Paul decides that the failure is Azumarill's and foists it onto a little boy while declaring it to be without potential.
!!Murkrow-->Honchkrow (Yamikarasu-->Donkarasu)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_honchkrow.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that has travelled with Paul through several regions, it is a reliable Pokémon that rarely fails him.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Shadow Ball from its mouth.
* CastingAShadow: It is part Dark-type and it knows the Dark-type move Night Slash; its wing glows purple and it strikes the opponent down with it.
* CreepyCrows: Murkrow and Honchkrow are crow-based Pokémon, who also happen to be Dark-type Pokémon. If Paul commands it to attack its own allies, it doesn't hesitate to do so.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Since the first opening of ''Diamond & Pearl'' that started airing in episode [=DP002=], the viewers knew about Paul's Murkrow, but it didn't show up until [=DP040=].
* TheReliableOne: Although it lost to Cynthia's Garchomp and failed to win the [=PokéRinger=] competition against Ash's Staraptor, it hasn't lost any other battle it's participated in.
* TheRival:
** During [=PokéRinger=] competition, Honchkrow serves as the rival to Staravia/Staraptor, due to the rivalry of their respective trainers. They end up competing against each other in the final round.
** It serves as one to Grotle. Turtwig evolves during his battle against Honchkrow, but he loses because of his unexpected loss in mobility. During the Lake Acuity battle, Paul uses Grotle's resentment over Honchkrow to his advantage, preventing Ash from switching Grotle out to defeat it.
* SignatureAttack: Its most powerful move is Sky Attack, which it uses in every battle it is in.
* SoulPower: It knows the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball, firing a dark energy ball from its mouth.
!!Weavile (Manyula)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_weavile.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that journeyed with Paul through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. It tends to lose a lot, yet it hasn't been released yet.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It attacks the opponent with its claws by using the Steel-type move Metal Claw. It is the only close-range move it has.
* BreathWeapon: It breathes Blizzard from its mouth and fires Ice Beam with its mouth as well, making it mainly a LongRangeFighter.
* ButtMonkey: Weavile loses every battle it is in without defeating anyone. It is a miracle that Paul has not released it yet.
* ExtraOreDinary: It knows the Steel-type move Metal Claw, which makes its claws as hard as metal and very sharp.
* GlassCannon: One of the few of Paul's Pokémon to be this, since he prefers brute physical strength as a fighting style.
* AnIcePerson: Weavile is primary an Ice-type Pokémon and is shown to use Blizzard, Ice Beam and Ice Shard. Paul uses it against Pokémon who are weak to Ice-type moves, but it never works for him.
* InformedAbility: It's implied to be one of Paul's strongest Pokemon, since he chose it to battle Cynthia. Its onscreen performance suggests otherwise.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Not explicitly confirmed, but logically, it must be the case. Paul is known to release Pokemon he deems weak; on top of that, Weavile has failed Paul in both of its onscreen battles, and in his first Full Battle against Ash, Weavile was one of only two of Paul's Pokemon to be knocked out (note that the other one, Ursaring, knocked out half of Ash's team before falling, whereas Weavile didn't knock out one). It must be the case that Weavile is doing good things for Paul off-screen if he hasn't released it yet.
* SignatureMove: Its most prominent move is Blizzard, which is often the subject to WorfBarrage.
* StatusBuff: Weavile can sharply increase its attack power with Sword Dance. In the Lake Acuity battle, it doesn't really help, since it loses to Staraptor anyway.
* WorfBarrage: Its Blizzard never defeats anyone and it doesn't seem to deal that much damage either. Which is rather accurate to the games, since Weavile's Special Attack stat is pretty awful.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite Ice-type Pokémon having a huge advantage against Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon like Garchomp, Weavile gets curb-stomped like the others, showing off that Cynthia's Garchomp is beyond the level of ordinary ones. It also loses to Ash's Staraptor, despite its type advantage.
!!Turtwig-->Grotle-->Torterra (Naetle-->Hayashigame-->Dodaitoise)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_torterra.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
Torterra is Paul's first Pokémon, as well as one of his strongest. He got it as his Starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan and it has been travelling with its trainer through four different regions. While it accepts Paul's harsh training regiment, Torterra does have a soft spot for Ash's Grotle.
----
* BigBrotherMentor: In [=DP100=], after witnessing Ash's Turtwig evolving into a Grotle and seeing him struggle with his gained weight and loss in mobility, Torterra sympathizes him, properly because they share the same evolution line, and it teaches Grotle how to battle as a MightyGlacier...by ''almost'' beating the living crap out of Ash's Gliscor. From there on, Ash has to teach Grotle that new battle style by himself.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyper Beam from its mouth as a long range attack.
* CurbStompBattle: Torterra wins the semi-final match of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition singlehandedly with no much difficulty while almost taking its tag partner (Ash's Staravia) out as well.
* DishingOutDirt: Torterra is part Ground-type and it knows the Rock-type move Stone Edge, throwing stone projectiles at the opponent which it can even control.
* {{Foil}}: Acts as a much more experienced one to Ash's Torterra. Paul's Torterra is a very powerful Pokémon that barely loses and is perfectly capable as a MightyGlacier. Ash's Torterra on the other hand, while still a powerful Pokémon, loses every battle it is in once it reaches its final stage (except against Team Rocket) and struggles quite a bit at adapting to battling as a MightyGlacier.
* GreenThumb: It is Paul's only known Grass-type Pokémon and is shown to know the most powerful Grass-type moves, Frenzy Plant and Leaf Storm. It also knows Giga Drain to suck the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Torterra is actually one of Paul's kinder Pokémon, despite the grumpy and jerky image they all represent. It helps Ash's Grotle how to change to a new battle style and how to adapt his MightyGlacier situation, all without Paul's permission. That said, it still is not a NiceGuy.
* LifeDrain: It uses the Grass-type move Giga Drain to drain the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* ManBitesMan: It knows the Dark-type move Crunch, which it uses to trap its opponent with its teeth while damaging them and suck their health with Giga Drain while still biting them.
* MightyGlacier: Torterra barely moves in battles since its too heavy, but thanks to his high endurance, it takes hits from its opponent fairly easily until it is the perfect time to smash them with its powerful strength.
* PetTheDog: Paul once arranged for Torterra to be groomed, and in general it seems to be the only one of his Pokémon that he has even a slight amount of affection for, likely due to it also being his starter.
* TurtlePower: Torterra and his pre-evolved forms are based on the TurtleIsland. As expected from turtles, Torterra is a MightyGlacier.
* WorfBarrage: Its most powerful move, Frenzy Plant, does barely anything to Cynthia's Garchomp, leading to it being open for a counterattack.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being Paul's strongest Pokémon, it gets one-shotted by Cynthia's Garchomp just to show off how ridiculously powerful she is. This even applies retroactively, as Torterra never loses afterwards and wins its battles pretty easily, which makes Garchomp look even more impressive.
!!Ninjask (Tekkanin)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ninjask.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by: Billy Beach
First introduced in a flashback, Ninjask was caught shortly before Chimchar's capture. In the present, it is used during the Lily of the Valley Conference against Ash's Gliscor and Infernape which used to be said Chimchar.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Ninjask is primary a Bug-type Pokémon and its size would freak out many people if it was real. It also knows the Bug-type move Fury Cutter, which becomes stronger with each hit.
* ChekhovMIA: It first appeared in a flashback centred around Chimchar. It finally reappears in a battle against the fully evolved Infernape.
* FlashStep: With Agility, it manages to move so quick, it is nearly impossible to see its movements.
* {{Flight}}: Being part Flying-type Pokémon, Ninjask is capable of flying. It is used in sky battles against other flying opponents like Ash's Gliscor. With its immense speed and the growing power of Fury Cutter, Ninjask is specialized to take the opponent down on the ground and poison them with Drapion's Toxic Spikes.
* FragileSpeedster: Ninjask is extremely fast and is capable of increasing its speed with Agility and Speed Boost, but it's a very frail Pokémon.
* GreenThumb: It knows the Grass-type move Giga Drain, which drains the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When Ninjask uses Giga Drain to heal itself, it has to circle around the opponent, but because of the damage it has taken from Infernape's Flare Drive, its movements drastically slow down, allowing Infernape to aim for Ninjask and defeat it with Mach Punch.
* LifeDrain: It uses Giga Drain by circling around the opponent to suck out their energy and heal itself with the stolen energy.
* StatusBuff:
** Its ability Speed Boost [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin boosts its speed]] over time.
** The move Agility increases Ninjask speed even further.
* SuperSpeed: While already very fast, it has Speed Boost as its ability which increases its speed over time. It even has Agility to make it even faster, making it to move so fast, it is almost impossible to hit it.
!!Gliscor (Glion)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gliscor.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Marc Thompson
This Gliscor used to be the leader of a flock of Gligar that were flying wild in a city. Before Ash manages to convince it to lead its flock out of the city, Paul catches it which causes the flock to fall into chaos. It is used against Ash's Gligar which used to be member of the flock as well and easily defeats the little guy, leading to its HeroicBSOD.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: The opening ''Together'' alludes that Paul's Gliscor would become the rival to Ash's Gliscor, but this is never developed beyond their first battle.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: It is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant flying scorpion, and it even has the Bug-type move X-Scissor to match.
* {{Foil}}: Just like Torterra, even in its brief appearances it manages to act as one towards Ash's Gligar, a younger member of its species. Ash's Gligar is a [[LovableCoward meek]], [[ProneToTears emotional Pokémon]] who struggles to learn to battle effectively, and although he [[TookALevelInBadass becomes easily one of Ash's strongest team members]], even as a Gliscor he never loses his charming and comical disposition. Paul's Gliscor, on the other hand, acts entirely competent from the start and maintains an unfazed and ruthless demeanor during battle.
* TheLeader: It used to lead a flock of Gligar prior to its capture. Its sudden capture led its flock to fall apart and fall into chaos, giving Ash's group a hard time to drive them out of the city.
* OneHitKill: It knows the OHKO move Guillotine, giving Ash's Gligar a crushing defeat that scarred it mentally.
* PowerPincers: Since Gliscor is partially based on scorpions, it has two big pincers.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After [=DP100=], it is not seen again, unlike some of Paul's other Pokémon.
!!Magmar-->Magmortar (Boober-->Booburn)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_magmortar.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
A replacement for Chimchar, Magmar was used to deal with Maylene's Lucario, leading to the Gym Leader's HeroicBSOD. Unlike Chimchar, Magmar does manages to live up to Paul's standards and is shown to be more effective as a Magmortar.
----
* BookEnd: The battle against Pyramid King Brandon starts with Magmar facing Regirock and ends with Magmar being defeated by Regirock.
* DishingOutDirt: Magmortar knows the Rock-type move Rock Tomb, which it launches from its arm cannons. Paul uses it to lead his fast opponents into a trap.
* ElementalPunch: Magmar was shown to know Fire Punch, a move that covers its fist in flames.
* MadeOfIron: It gets hit directly with Hydro Cannon from Barry's Empoleon. Hydro Cannon is one of the most powerful Water-type moves and is super effective against Magmortar, yet it doesn't get down.
* PlayingWithFire: It is a Fire-type Pokémon, replacing Chimchar and the perfect counter against Maylene's Lucario. It is shown to know the Fire-type moves Fire Spin, Fire Punch, Flamethrower and Will-o-Wisp.
* PoisonousPerson: It knows the move Smog, which it uses like [[SmokeOut Smokescreen]] to blind the opponent and to poison them.
* ReplacementGoldFish: Magmar replaces fellow Fire-type Pokémon Chimchar and does a good job at doing it, since it does live up to Paul's standards.
* StatusAilment:
** It has Flame Body as its ability, which can burn the opponent while making contact. Pikachu suffers from that.
** Will-O-Wisp is a status move that burns the opponent. However, Magmar fails to use it against Brandon's Registeel due to flinching.
* WorfBarrage: Its super effective Flamethrower doesn't do much against Brandon's Registeel to everyone's surprise.
!!Hariyama (Hariteyama)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_hariyama.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regirock.
----
* BareFistedMonk: It is a Fighting-type Pokémon, thus it has a type advantage over the Rock-type Pokémon Regirock. It also knows the Fighting-type moves Arm Thrust and Force Palm, but it ultimately loses to Regirock.
* CurbStompBattle: It doesn't do too bad against Brandon's Regirock, but it loses quickly once it is put in close range, ironically enough.
* WorfBarrage: It hits Regirock multiple times with the super effect Arm Thrust, yet it did barely any damage.
* TheWorfEffect: It is actually quite strong, but despite its type advantage over Regirock, it loses, showing that more than type advantages is needed to defeat the Pyramid King.
!!Nidoking
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_nidoking_7.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. He fights and loses to Brandon's Registeel.
----
* BareFistedMonk: He knows the Fighting-type move Double Kick, which is super effective against Steel-type moves like Registeel. He doesn't even manages to take it down on ground with it.
* CurbStompBattle: He actually puts a good fight against Brandon's Registeel, but he still loses rather easily nonetheless.
* DishingOutDirt: Since he is part Ground-type and knows the Ground-type move Earth Power, he has a type advantage over Registeel...which doesn't help at all.
* PoisonousPerson: Dawn notes that Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoking are usually in disadvantage against Steel-type Pokémon, but since Nidoking is also part Ground-type, he actually has the advantage.
* ShockAndAwe: He knows the Electric-type move Thunderbolt which he fires from his horn, but Registeel just shrugs it off while charging in with Iron Head and knocks Nidoking out.
* WorfBarrage: His super effective Earth Power merely slows Registeel down and his Thunderbolt doesn't do any damage against Registeel at all.
* TheWorfEffect: He has a type advantage over Registeel and out of all six Pokémon, Nidoking performed the best, but even he was defeated very easily, which shows how powerful the Pyramid King's Pokémon are.
!!Lairon-->Aggron (Kodora-->Bossgodora)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_aggron.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regice. It reappears later in the Lily of the Valley Conference during the match against Ash. It puts a good fight against Pikachu, but is ultimately defeated by Infernape.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It knows Metal Claw; it slashes its opponent with its claws in close combat situations.
* BreathWeapon: Its long range move is Flash Cannon, which it fires from its mouth.
* CurbStompBattle: Out of all six Pokémon, Lairon gets the worst performance against Pyramid King Brandon; being frozen by Regice's Ice Beam and finished off by its Zap Cannon in a matter of seconds.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: It knows the Normal-type move Double-Edge; the user smashes with its body full force at the opponent, but it receives recoil damage from that. However, since Aggron has Rock Head as its ability, it doesn't take damage from recoil moves.
* ExtraOreDinary: Aggron is part Steel-type and knows the Steel-type moves Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Metal Sound and Flash Cannon. It's type advantage over Regice doesn't help, though.
* MakeMeWannaShout: It makes a loud shriek when using Metal Sound, creating a soundwave with lots of air pressure, which not only weakens the opponent's (special) defense, but it also stops their movements temporarily.
* NoSell: Aggron has the ability Rock Head, which nullifies recoil damage from moves, allowing it to use Double-Edge without any risk.
* SacrificialLamb: Aggron and Gastrodon are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
* StatusAilment: Aggron knows Metal Sound which can decrease the (special) defense power of its opponent.
* StatusBuff: Lairon used Iron Defense to sharply raise its defensive power, a desperate move from Paul to stand a chance against Pyramid King Brandon. It didn't help at all. Even worse, it's the only move Lairon used during the battle.
* TheWorfEffect: While it has a type advantage over Regice, even trying to defend itself makes things only worse, causing Lairon to be defeated really quickly.
!!Gastrodon (Tritodon)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gastrodon.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
An Eastern Gastrodon which is used as one of the two Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their match in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is one Paul's two Pokémon shown to use Counter Shield.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Ice Beam and Water Pulse out of its mouth, making it primarily a LongRangeFighter.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Gastrodon uses Counter Shield with Muddy Water, spinning around on the ground to trap a flying opponent in the air with Muddy Water. If the opponent flies near the ground to avoid Counter Shield, it can be easily pinned down with Body Slam.
* FinishingMove: What Water Pulse is intended to be. When Gastrodon pins its opponent down with Body Slam, it fires Water Pulse directly into the air, planning to dodge the attack descending at an increased speed at the last second. It almost works, but Ash's Staraptor breaks free by using Close Combat on the ground. However, Paul had already predicted that maneuver and hits Staraptor with Ice Beam anyway.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Gastrodon freezes Buizel covered in Aqua Jet, but Paul doesn't know that Ash would improvise an Ice Aqua Jet, which leads to Gastrodon's defeat.
* AnIcePerson: It knows the Ice-type move Ice Beam, which is super effective against Flying-type Pokémon like Staraptor. It bites it in the ass though, since Paul is not prepared for an improvised Ice Aqua Jet from Ash's Buizel.
* MakingASplash: Gastrodon is part Water-type and knows the Water-type moves Muddy Water and Water Pulse. With Muddy Water, it is capable of utilizing Counter Shield, while Water Pulse is used as a FinishingMove.
* SacrificialLamb: Gastrodon and Aggron are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
!!Drapion (Dorapion)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_drapion.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
A powerful Poison/Dark-type Pokémon used during the battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is another one of Paul's most competent Pokémon, defeating half of Ash's team with its traps and strength.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Drapion is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant, purple poisonous scorpion and it appropriately knows the Bug-type move Pin Missile.
* TheBrute: A Pokémon who is designated to poison the opponent and make them suffer, and it has enough brute strength to take on powerful Pokémon like Ash's Torterra and Gliscor.
* EvilCounterpart: Drapion appears to be one to Ash's Gliscor. Both of them are used in the same league battle, both are purple scorpions yet neither of them are Bug-type Pokémon, but they do know Bug-type moves. Their moves are also similar; Drapion knows Cross Poison, Gliscor knows X-Scissor; Drapion knows Poison Fang, Gliscor knows Fire Fang; Drapion has the long range barrage attack Pin Missile, Gliscor has the long range barrage attack Stone Edge..
* KillItWithFire: After a long battle, Drapion is taken down by burn damage inflicted from Gliscor's Fire Fang.
* ManBitesMan: Subverted. It knows Poison Fang, a move that normally involves utilizing the user's teeth. But instead of biting the opponent with its teeth, Drapion transfers Poison Fang's power from its fangs to its claws while keeping the same effect.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: When using Pin Missile, it fires lots of missiles towards the opponent. Ash's Buizel and Torterra are taken down by barrages of Pin Missile. It also serves as Drapion's long range attack.
* OneManArmy: Drapion takes down half of Ash's Pokémon during his league match with paul.
* PoisonousPerson: Drapion is primarily a Poison-type Pokémon and Paul uses its poison to great effects. Drapion lays out Toxic Spikes to poison any opponent touching the ground, and in close combat it strikes down with Cross Poison and Poison Fang.
* PrehensileTail: Drapion uses its tail to capture its opponents.
* StatusAilment: Drapion is all about poisoning the opponent. By laying Toxic Spike on the field, it almost guarantees to poison the opponent's entire team.
* TrapMaster: Drapion can lay out Toxic Spikes on the field, which will poison any opposing Pokémon who touches the ground. It also tends to capture its opponents with its tail, slamming them on the ground to poison them with Toxic Spike's effect and attacking them while still holding them with its tail.
!!Froslass (Yukimenoko)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_froslass.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/SatsukiYukino\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bella Hudson
An Ice/Ghost-type Pokémon used during the match against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It puts a tough fight against Pikachu, but she nevertheless defeated by the electric mouse. She is only one of Paul's Pokémon to fight only one of Ash's Pokémon during the match.
----
* BreathWeapon: She fires her Ice Beam from her mouth like many other Pokémon. She freezes Pikachu with it, but he breaks through the ice with his Volt Tackle and knocks her out.
* AnIcePerson: Froslass is primarily an Ice-type Pokémon, knowing the Ice-type moves Hail, Ice Shard and Ice Beam and has the ability Snow Cloak to match. With Hail, she not only creates a snowstorm, her Snow Cloak also activates, allowing her to disappear and reappear in battle, which makes it difficult to hit her while the opponent takes damage from Hail.
* KamehameHadouken: Her Ice Shard is an energy ball of ice which she throws at the opponent. Similar like Focus Blast, it takes some time to charge it, which causes her to lose against Pikachu.
* LadyOfWar: An elegant female Pokémon, who has the graceful characteristics of a ''yuki onna'' and merciless freezes her opponent in ice.
* PowerFloats: Froslass is capable of floating in mid-air, which adds to her ghostly appearance.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She is the only known female Pokémon in Paul's possession.
* SoulPower: While part Ghost-type, Froslass is not shown to use Ghost-type moves. However, her Snow Cloak ability gives her the presence of a ghost, allowing her to disappear and reappear throughout the battle, which makes it harder to fight her, since attacks can go through her.
* StatusBuff: What Snow Cloak does is increasing her evasiveness in Hail. This is shown as her disappearing and reappearing in battle and being more or less tangible.
* {{Yokai}}: Froslass is based on the ''yuki onna'' and she lives up to this trope. With her Snow Cloak ability, she can disappear and reappear during battle, giving her an elegant yet ghostly and mystical presence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Zoey (Nozomi)]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Zoey_5191.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHayamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Elisabeth Morinelli\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/MariaFernandaMorales\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Claire Tefnin
Dawn's main rival in the Sinnoh region as a Pokémon coordinator. Despite her tomboyish appearance, she gets along with everyone pretty well, though she does get angry at Ash when he first thought it would be a good idea to be both a Pokémon trainer and coordinator. She mellows out, however, after some experience with him and Nando.
----
* TheAce: Zoey is one of the most skilled Pokémon Coordinators in the series. [[spoiler:She ends up winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival and comes away with the prized Ribbon Cup, after a long and hard match with Dawn that comes straight down to the wire.]]
* AffectionateNickname: Her best buddy Candice calls her "Zozo" (in English) or "Nozotchi" (in Japanese).
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To date, Dawn has never beaten her directly in a Contest.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Her Contest outfits are tuxes or pantsuits, save for her Grand Festival one which looks more like a stylized kimono.
* BoyishShortHair: She's easily the most tomboyish of Dawn's rivals. She also has short and spiky hair.
* BreakTheHaughty: A fairly mild example in ''Dawn's Early Night.'' At the beginning of the episode, she is confident in her belief that a Trainer who does both Contests and Gym Battles cannot be as skilled as someone who dedicates themselves to only a single goal. She begins to rethink her position after she loses the Hearthome Ribbon to Nando, who she had previously scorned for being both a Trainer and a Coordinator.
* BrutalHonesty: She doesn't bother softening her opinions for others. When she's told that Nando does both Contests and Gym Battles, her response is, "[He] really needs to make up his mind."
* CatchPhrase:
** "[Pokémon]! Ready? Go!"
** At least in the first season of Diamond and Pearl: "[Pokémon]! Curtain!"
* CharacterDevelopment: Zoey, being so devoted to her own dream of becoming Top Coordinator, originally took offense at Trainers who tried both coordinating and battling, assuming them to be less invested in their dreams. This brought her into conflict with both Ash (who early in his Sinnoh adventure dabbled in Contests himself) and Nando (for whom doing both was his primary goal). While she eased off after facing off with Ash, they still agreed he'd not be the best fit for Contests due to his temperament. Then Nando blew her away by clobbering her at the Hearthome Contest. By the time of the Wallace Cup, she accepted her perspective to have been closed-off and properly apologised to Ash for her attitude; later, she battled Gym Leader Fantina (a former Top Coordinator) in a straight match which she enjoyed.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Candice, who helped her raise her Glameow in secret.
* CoolBigSis: Zoey served as both rival and mentor early on, helping Dawn get prepared for contests even as an opponent.
* CoolShades: She's frequently seen wearing these on top of her head.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Red hair, red eyes.
* CuteKitten: Glameow (who Zoey actually ''did'' find as a kitten!)
* DoppelgangerSpin: Mismagius and Leafeon's Double Team.
* EnergyBall: Leafeon's attack of the same name.
* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow's Iron Tail.
* {{Fauxshadow}}: Before Dawn's contest debut, Zoey tells Dawn that she's gonna win, but in the next episode, cue her CurbStompBattle at the hands of Zoey.
* FieryRedhead: Toyed with. She's normally [[TheStoic rather mellow]], except when it comes to Paul's abuse of his Pokémon, which angers her like everyone else. Or discussing Trainers who partake in Gym Battles and Contests.
* {{Foil}}: To three characters, all other Coordinators.
** To Dawn; as her mentor and rival, she provides the straightest parallel to her while sharing the same goal. She's experienced where Dawn is a rookie and the tomboy to her girly girl. On and off the Contest field, her Pokémon present flawlessly synchronized teamwork while Dawn often has to struggle to get her sometimes-disobedient Pokémon to follow her lead. Her strategy for turning in winning Contest performances is to plan and perfect every move beforehand, as opposed to the unexpected yet stunning combinations Dawn pulls out on the fly, as a result of quick thinking, luck with a little prior planning, or both.
** To Nando. While it's less obvious due to his conspicuous lack of screentime, he and Zoey are complete opposites in nearly all aspects. He devotes himself to Gym Battles and Contests, she puts all of her energy solely into Contests. [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy She's a tomboyish teenage girl, Nando is a feminine male.]] She's easily fired up, open with her opinions and not afraid to say what she thinks, he's soft spoken and polite with a cool facade that rarely breaks. She lacks a preferred type specialty, as opposed to his team of Bug and Grass types. Their differences can even be seen in the way they perform; her combinations vary in effects and style while Nando's preferred techniques reflect a single central theme (music).
** To Kenny. A departure from the previous two mentioned above, the parallel between him and Zoey isn't so much the differences between them as it is the opposing ways that they help Dawn to grow through their relationships with her. Zoey's way of helping her improve as a person and as a coordinator is more straightforward and older sister-like, teaching her necessary skills and encouraging her to do her best, while the majority of Kenny's interactions with Dawn volley between [[TheGadfly childish teasing]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sincere encouragement,]] posing as a source of annoyance for her and at the same time motivating her to prove that she's capable of besting him and her other rivals in battle.
* FromStrayToPet: The episode ''Classroom Training!'' explains how she met her Glameow. As a child, she found it in a cardboard box on the street. Her parents refused to let her keep it, but with Candice's help, she secretly raised it in a shed behind her house until she was old enough to become a Trainer.
* GreenThumb: Leafeon, Gallade's Magical Leaf.
* AnIcePerson: Gastrodon's Blizzard.
* LaserBlade: Leafeon's Leaf Blade, due to PowerGlows.
%%* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: Red hair and Dawn's most formidable Contest rival. It can't be a coincidence.
* MakingASplash: Lumineon is water-type.
* MeaningfulName: The Nozomi is a Japanese bullet train service that goes in the opposite direction of the Hikari bullet train service. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter The Nozomi is faster than the Hikari]].
* NonElemental: Glameow is Normal-Type.
* PrinciplesZealot: When she started, Zoey would presume any trainers dabbling in both the gyms and contests to be TheDitherer and would criticize them for a lack of conviction; she backed off once Nando proved it was a viable path.
* RedOniBlueOni: She's cast as the red to Nando and Dawn's blue during contest battles.
%%* SempaiKohai: Kohai to Snowpoint Gym Leader Candice.
%%* ShockAndAwe: Glameow's Shock Wave and Thunderbolt, and Mismagius' Shock Wave.
%%* SoulPower: Mismagius, Glameow's Shadow Claw.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name is frequently misspelled as "Zoe".
* SpikyHair: Fitting her tomboy nature.
* StraightMan: To Dawn and her friend's antics quite frequently.
* TheStoic: In Contests and sometimes outside of them, Zoey usually seems very collected and is not one to lose her cool. This is one thing that makes her NotSoDifferent from Nando, who has a similar attitude.
%%* PsychicPowers: Mismagius' Psywave.
* ATasteOfDefeat: She's a highly skilled and competent Coordinator, but even she isn't immune to losing once in a while. She loses to Nando at the Hearthome Contest finals and May in the Wallace Cup semifinals.
* TechnicolorEyes: Red ones, matching her [[CurtainsMatchTheWindow eyes.]]
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Dawn's Girly Girl. Accentuated by the fact that she always wears suits in her Contests, never dresses. In addition to the contrast, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it shows that she's no less feminine than Dawn]], just unconventional about it - her flashy suit in the Grand Festival was particularly fashionable and made to accentuate her femininity instead of negating it.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She's a short-haired tomboy who regularly competes in the fashionable and flashy Contests.
* {{Tsundere}}: Towards Nando in ''Dawn's Early Night!''
* TheUnreveal: Her battle with Nando for the Hearthome Ribbon in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' which she loses, is never actually seen, and only its aftermath is shown. Whatever he did during it, he managed to impress her a great deal.
-->'''Zoey:''' Nando really is something else. The way he's chosen to compete in Contests and Gym Battles, it's like he knows it's his destiny!
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Leafeon's Aerial Ace.
* WiseBeyondHerYears: She's a very knowledgable and insightful character. Not without her flaws, but still rather mature for her apparent age.
* WorthyOpponent: For Dawn. Coming to see Nando as one is a key step in her CharacterDevelopment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kenny (Kengo)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Kenny_80.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' YukoMita\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Rhonda Krempa\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín (seasons 10 and 13), Xóchitl Ugarte (season 11), Bruno Coronel (season 12).
Dawn's childhood friend and another Pokémon Coordinator. He gave her the nickname of Dee-Dee/Pikari, and never lets her forget... not that she has a hard time forgetting it.
----
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Heavily implied in ''Four Roads Diverged in a Pokémon Port!'' when Dawn chooses to travel with [[ChasteHero Ash]] to cheer him on in the Lily of the Valley Conference and not him when he made the offer. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools He takes it quite well though.]]
%%* BubbleGun: Empoleon's, as a Prinplup, Bubble Beam.
* ColorMotif: Blue, serving to reflect his rivalry with Dawn and their similar roots. Two of his Pokémon are Water type, one of which is the evolved form of Dawn's starter, he has a blue Pokétch, he was seen wearing a blue shirt in a flashback and he dons a blue suit for the Grand Festival.
* DecompositeCharacter: He fills the role that Barry does for Dawn as the player character in the games, being (one of) her main rivals.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Machoke
%%*** MakingASplash: Floatzel
%%*** PsychicPowers: Alakazam
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** GreenThumb[=/=]BareFistedMonk: Breloom
%%*** MakingASplash[=/=]ExtraOreDinary: Empoleon
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** [[AnIcePerson An Ice Pokémon]]: Empoleon's Mist.
%%*** SoulPower: Alakazam's [[EnergyBall Shadow Ball]].
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Empoleon's Drill Peck.
%%* EnergyBall: Breloom's attack. Also, Empoleon's Flash Cannon.
%%* EpicFail: His performance at the Grand Festival. Seriously, Kenny, the least you could do is make sure your combination actually ''works'' before using it at an important event.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Empoleon.
* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: Dawn apparently didn't know he was going to be a Coordinator.
* TheGadfly: He ''loves'' to get under Dawn's skin.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Seems to express his crush on Dawn by relentlessly teasing her about their childhood days.
* KidsAreCruel: He looks this way when we find out the backstory of "Dee Dee", the EmbarrassingNickname he hung on Dawn. Especially since he got the entire class hooked to that nickname where the entire class calls her by that very name he coined. He and Dawn ended up friends eventually though.
%%* MegatonPunch: Breloom's Mach Punch.
%%* MindOverMatter: Alakazam
* TheNicknamer: Came up with Dee-Dee/Pikari.
%%* OddFriendship: With Barry.
%%* RazorWind: Floatzel's attack.
%%* ShonenHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barry (Jun)]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Barry_8307.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Jamie [=McGonnigal=]\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Ricardo Bautista (seasons 11 and 13), Miguel Ángel Ruiz (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Grégory Praet
Another of Ash's rivals in the Sinnoh Region, though neither one really considers the other to be a rival. Barry wants to go after Paul, and oftens encounters Ash during his travels. They share a competitive friendship as trainers, and Barry isn't too bad as one himself.
----
%%* AnimeHair: It's pretty gravity defiant.
* AttackAttackAttack: This is typical his strategy in battle. And it doesn't help that he's not particularly creative either.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: His usual approach to events. Though he once waited long enough for a Heracross to be attracted by slathered honey.
* ButtMonkey: Silly, unfortunate things happen to him all the time. He forgets things, people keep getting in his way while he's running around, Gible eats his bike and gym battle ticket, etc.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "I'm going to make you pay a fine for that! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four -- "
* CharacterExaggeration: He doesn't have the level of characterization (and CharacterDevelopment) his game counterpart had, nearly to the point of being a SatelliteCharacter.
* CharacterTics: Snapping his fingers.
%%* CrashIntoHello: But ''he's'' the one not looking where he's going!
* CurbStompBattle: He tried. [[{{Determinator}} Good lord]], [[DiedStandingUp he tried]]. Yet in the end, [[HardWorkHardlyWorks all he ended up with]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog was a devastating 3-0 loss to]] [[ArchEnemy Paul]].
* DeathOrGloryAttack: His Empoleon's signature move is Hydro Cannon and it also learns Hyper Beam, which puts alot of power into a single attack but leaves it defenseless afterwards. And after a Torrent boost on top of that it's completely stopped by Electivire's Protect and unable to do nothing but stand and take the retaliation.
* {{Determinator}}: Just watch how hard he and his team try to win when they face Paul.
* TheDitz: Barry tends to act faster than he thinks.
* DumbBlonde: While not at all unintelligent, he's seriously [[HotBlooded impatient and rushes into things without thinking]].
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Hitmonlee
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]BareFistedMonk: Heracross
%%*** ExtraOreDinary[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Skarmory
%%*** GreenThumb[=/=][[PoisonousPerson Poisonous Pokémon]]: Roserade
%%*** MakingASplash[=/=]ExtraOreDinary: Empoleon
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Staraptor's Close Combat.
%%*** DishingOutDirt: Skarmory's Spikes.
%%*** PlayingWithFire: Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick.
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Empoleon's Drill Peck.
%%* EnergyWeapon: Empoleon's Hyper Beam.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Empoleon
* FailedASpotCheck: He was so absorbed in telling Dawn and Brock about Tobias the OlympusMons trainer that it took him a while to even notice Ash's match.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:After losing to Paul in the Sinnoh League, he commends Paul for the battle the two shared. Paul, surprisingly, returns the favor]].
* GratuitousEnglish: Most notably, [[OddFriendship "BEST FRIENDS!"]] and "DADDY!?"
%%* HornAttack: This and Megahorn are Heracross' attacks.
* HotBlooded: He is the son of Palmer after all. He throws his Poké Ball so hard, he does a ''complete forward flip'' in the process.
* HypocriticalHumor: He tells others to watch where they are going, but Barry himself doesn't watch where ''he'' is going.
%%* {{Keet}}: Oh Arceus is he ever.
* LargeHam: Barry honestly could pursue a career in theatrics with the level of drama he acts out.
* MotorMouth: Barry talks entirely too much sometimes.
* NoIndoorVoice: Every line he has is yelled at the top of his lungs.
* NoodleIncident: According to Dawn, he was once involved in a singing duet with an ''Exploud''.
%%* RazorWings: Staraptor's Wing Attack.
* RunningGag: He always interrupts Team Rocket before they can finish their motto.
%%* ScarfOfAsskicking: Just like his game counterpart, but downsized, like Dawn.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: His wails are always very silly and over the top.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Barry treats himself like he's a world class trainer. Paul barely even acknowledges his existence. Not to mention even after Ash proves himself a better trainer than him, Barry still thought the opposite for a time.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has spiky blond hair similar to Palmer's.
* TechnicolorEyes: Orange.
* UnknownRival: Wants to be a Rival of Paul's. But if it was even possible, Paul treats him with more disdain than he does with Ash. [[spoiler:After his loss in the Sinnoh League, Paul does acknowledge his skill.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In "To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!" he pretty much disappears after losing and is not heard from until his next appearance in "Historical Mystery Tour".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ursula (Urara)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Ursula_4230.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Melisa Schroenburg\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Betzabé Jara (season 12), Creator/CristinaHernandez (season 13)
A fellow Pokémon Coordinator with a rather poisonous personality who Dawn met at the Chocovine Pokémon Contest. Believing that Dawn's Wallace Cup victory was a fluke, she's determined to knock her down a peg or two.
----
%%* AlphaBitch
%%* AnimeHair
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: In her first appearance, she refuses to believe Dawn's win against May was based on skill.
%%* BitingTheHandkerchief: In Jessie's flashback, she is seen doing this after losing in the first round of the Wallace Cup.
%%* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:The only way for Dawn to do it was to knock out her Pokémon in their third battle.]]
* CharacterTics: When giving commands in a Pokémon Contest, she makes the "ILY" hand sign with both hands and her arms crossed.
* CombatPragmatist: Just like Harley before her, but more subtle and strategic. She has no qualms about using Dawn's fear of Plusle and Minun against her in a Contest, or having them use Encore to force her opponent's Pokémon to perform the same move over and over, causing them to lose points with the judges.
%%* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Pink hair, dark pink eyes.
%%* DoppelgangerSpin: Gabite's Double Team.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** MakingASplash: Vaporeon
%%*** NonElemental: Jigglypuff
%%*** PlayingWithFire: Flareon
%%*** ShockAndAwe: Plusle and Minun.
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Ground): Wormadam (Sandy Cloak)
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** DishingOutDirt: Jigglypuff's Rollout.
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Gabite, Flareon and Vaporeon's Iron Tail, and Jigglypuff's Gyro Ball.
%%*** PsychicPowers: Wormadam's Confusion.
%%*** SoulPower: Flareon's [[EnergyBall Shadow Ball]].
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Gabite's Aerial Ace.
* DecompositeCharacter: She takes after Harley in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions, while Nando takes after him in appearance, voice, and mannerisms.
* EvilCounterpart:
** To Dawn. They're both ambitious and talented at Contests, but the difference is that Dawn is kind and sweet to nearly everyone she meets, while Ursula taunts her opponents, boasts about her abilities, and has no qualms about humiliating her opponents in public.
** She could be considered one to Zoey as she belittles Dawn and puts her down while Zoey is a helpful [[BigBrotherMentor big sister mentor]] to her instead.
* EvilIsPetty: She goes out of her way to spite Dawn at every turn, simply because she believes her to be an incompetent Coordinator who scrapes by on dumb luck.
-->'''Ursula:''' ''(addressing Zoey)'' I'll make sure you and Dawn never meet in the final round!
* EvilLaugh: "Ahahahahahaha!"
* {{Expy}}: Ursula has a good set of mixed influences.
** As a red-head with elaborately curled pigtails, she bears a striking resemblance to [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Amy Sorel]] and [[Music/{{UTAU}} Kasane Teto]], and has a less direct resemblance to [[Anime/YesPrecure5 Urara Kasugano]].
** She also inherits the role of the harshest of Dawn's rivals from Harley, who was much the same for May.
* FelonyMisdemeanor: "The horror! My beautiful Gabite's been soiled! How dare you!"
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Being a Coordinator, she has some skill at cooking Poffins, though Dawn's Pachirisu doesn't like the ones she makes.
* GameBreaker: InUniverse. In one contest, where the goal was to impress the judges with ''varied'' moves, she used Encore, forcing the opponents to repeat moves and thus lose points.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Her hair ribbons are a pale lavender.
* ImprobableHairstyle: She wears her hair in pink twin drills.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: She appears three times in the series. Each time, she gets her butt kicked by Dawn, including one time when her Gabite lost to ''Pachirisu.''
* InsufferableGenius: She's a skilled Pokémon coordinator...and she makes sure everyone knows it.
* ItOnlyWorksOnce: Her Grand Festival appeal involves her two Eevee evolving into Vaporeon and Flareon mid-performance. It makes for an impressive display, but as Brock notes, it can only be pulled off once.
%%* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The dark to Dawn's light.
%%* ManBitesMan: Flareon's Fire Fang.
%%* ManipulativeBitch: Poor Dawn...
* MeaningfulName: In the original version, her name is derived from 麗らか ''uraraka,'' Japanese for beautiful or glorious.
* MegaTwintails: Her pink hair is styled in large drill-shaped pigtails.
%%* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Gabite
* PetTheDog:
** In her first appearance, she offers Dawn's Pachirisu a Poffin to replace the one her Gabite stepped on. Pachirisu didn't like the taste, but it's the thought that counts.
** Despite her arrogance, Ursula cares for her Pokémon and treats them well, unlike Paul. When her Gabite loses the Chocovine Contest, she comforts her and tells her that she did a great job. [[spoiler: And she comes to have ''some'' respect for Dawn in the end, as much as she may deny it.]]
* RememberTheNewGuy: She participated in the Wallace Cup and lost in the first round, but didn't appear during that arc.
* RollingAttack: Jigglypuff's Rollout, also Plusle and Minun's "twin attack formation" in ''Playing the Performance Encore!''
* TechnicolorEyes: A dark pink that matches her hair.
* TrueBlueFemininity: Her Grand Festival dress is three different shades of blue.
* WonderTwinPowers: Not only do her Plusle and Minun know Helping Hand, they work perfectly together in Contests, making them a fantastic choice for Double Battles.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Her hair and eyes are light pink.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Conway (Kōhei/Kouhei)]]
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conway_screenshot_6447.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kozo Mito\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/IrwinDaayan (season 10 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz (season 11).
Dawn's partner in the Hearthome Tag Battle competition, who took a liking to her. He was only intended to appear for a few episodes, but [[EnsembleDarkhorse unexpected popularity among the fanbase]] brought him back for more.
----
%%* AdjustingYourGlasses: Type 2 is his {{Character Tic|s}}.
* BadassBookworm: He's big on battle strategy, even giving Ash a hard time in their League battle.
* BattleCouple: Formed one with Dawn in the Tag Battle Tournament. Although the affection is one-sided...
%%* {{Bishonen}}
* BlueWithShock: When he found out the "little girl" he partnered with in a Pokémon Summer Academy race was [[spoiler:a ghost.]]
%%* BreakoutCharacter
* CharacterTics: Tweaking and/or [[ScaryShinyGlasses shining]] his glasses.
%%* ConfusionFu: His battle plan against Ash. Ash...out weirds him.
* CreepyMonotone: Speaks like this briefly in "Ghoul Daze!" when under the ghost girl's mind-control.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: For a creepy, nerdy stalker, it's very surprising to see how ridiculously competent Conway can be in battle. In addition, he sports a nice variety of Pokémon despite his battling skills not being highlighted often.
%%* DeathGlare: Dusknoir's Mean Look.
* DidNotSeeThatComing: Like many of Ash's opponents, Conway gets thrown off when his opponent improvises. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Namely, Gible catching Dusknoir's Shadow Punch with his mouth and not letting go]].
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** NonElemental: Lickilicky
%%*** SoulPower: Dusknoir
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]BareFistedMonk: Heracross
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Rock): Shuckle
%%*** ExtraOreDinary[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Rock): Aggron
%%*** MakingASplash[=/=]PsychicPowers: Slowking
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Shuckle's Gyro Ball.
%%*** GreenThumb: Lickilicky's Power Whip.
%%*** MakingASplash: Shuckle's Withdraw.
%%*** [[PoisonousPerson Poisonous Pokémon]]: Shuckle's Sludge Bomb.
%%*** PsychicPowers: Shuckle's Power Trick and Dusknoir's Trick Room.
%%*** ShockAndAwe: Lickilicky's Thunderbolt and Dusknoir's Thunder Punch.
%%*** SoulPower: Lickilicky's Lick.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
-->'''Conway:''' ''(off-screen)'' Well, how are you, Number 28?\\
'''Dawn:''' ''(cheerfully)'' I'm fine!\\
''(cut to a close-up of Conway with ScaryShinyGlasses)''\\
'''Conway:''' That's good. Conway is the name. A pleasure.
* {{Expy}}: His design is based on the Super Nerd Trainer class in the main ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games.
* FlawExploitation: In the battle against Paul and Ash, he exploited the fact Paul loved to use Protect by having a Pokémon with Feint. Later, he was well aware Ash had a preference for using FragileSpeedster type Pokémon by using Trick Room.
%%* GuileHero
%%* HornAttack: Heracross' Megahorn.
%%* {{Megane}}
* LightningBruiser:
** Dusknoir when using Trick Room outspeeds almost everything on Ash's team due to Trick Room causing slower Pokémon to go first. Finally, Dusknoir was shown taking and dealing out hits with ease.
** His Shuckle is not fast, but its defenses are really good, and there's a special move that unlocks its offensive powers...
* MightyGlacier: Dusknoir, out of Trick Room, due to its low speed but amazing ability to take hits and dish them out.
%%* MindControlEyes: When brainwashed by a ghost girl in ''Ghoul Daze!''
* NearDeathExperience: In ''Ghoul Daze,'' he almost gets lured off a cliff by a creepy ghost girl. Luckily, he's saved by a Dusknoir.
%%* NerdsAreSexy
* NonActionGuy: Despite making good showings in the first two legs of the Pokémon Triathlon, making good use of Dugtrio's Dig and Floatzel's Dive to bypass the other competitors, he ultimately loses in the final leg because he's bad at long-distance running.
-->'''Conway:''' Big mistake. Not doing a little cardio training was pretty dumb.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: He could sometimes engage in this, particularly with Dawn.
%%* OverlyLongTongue: He doesn't have one, but his Lickilicky does.
* ReusedCharacterDesign: He looks very similar to a grown-up version of Max.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with a creepy chuckle and a SlasherSmile.
%%* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness
* ShirtlessScene: In ''Up Close and Personable,'' justified in that said episode involved the Pokémon Summer Academy students diving underwater to search for aquatic Pokémon.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Never shows any attraction towards anyone but Dawn.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His Japanese name can be spelled either "Kōhei" or "Kouhei".
* StalkerWithACrush: He follows Dawn everywhere, popping up behind her at random times and offering her advice. Apparently, he went to the Pokémon Summer Academy ''just'' because he knew she would be there.
* StealthHiBye: A running gag is him randomly appearing from behind Dawn and startling her (as well as anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity).
-->'''Dawn:''' No one makes an entrance like Conway.
%%* TakeThat: At geeky fanboys/"otakus".
%%* TeenGenius
* ThirdPersonPerson: "That was quite nice...but Conway never gives up!"
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is dark green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nando (Naoshi)]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TV_Tropes_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KazuyaNakai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' José Arenas
A soft-spoken minstrel with a liking for music and Grass-type Pokémon. In his debut episode, Ash and Dawn helped him decide to participate in both Gym Battles and Contests, making him a rival for both of them.
----
* AdaptationalNationality: The English dub implies that he's Hispanic (or whatever the equivalent is in the Pokémon world), by giving him a name of that origin and an accent that sounds vaguely European, but never confirms it.
* AerithAndBob: On the "Aerith" side of the scale.
* AgentPeacock: Like Harley before him, he acts quite feminine yet proves to be a skilled Trainer and Coordinator.
%%* AllLovingHero: Doesn't hate or resent ''anyone.''
* AmbiguouslyGay: Less outwardly flamboyant than Harley, but just as effeminate.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: His manner of speech is noticeably more formal than most other characters tend to use, for example, saying "I am in your debt" instead of "thank you".
* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/472ps1.shtml this]] (''Dawn of a New Era'') to [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100702033443/es.pokemon/images/2/24/EP652_Nando.png this]] (''League Unleashed'').
* AscendedExtra: Appeared in one of the the very first episodes, seemingly as a one-shot character, and after several noteworthy apearances he ultimately features in both the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh Conference.
%%* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel
* BadassCape: His cape is shaped like a bitten lily, which his perfect for his Bug-type theme.
%%* BarrierWarrior: Armaldo's and Lopunny's Protect.
* BenevolentBoss: He is shown to be kind to his Pokémon, even giving them polite requests during battle instead of commands.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Nando might be sweet and gentle, but in his debut episode, he sends Team Rocket blasting off with Budew's Bullet Seed and comments, [[BondOneLiner "Such a shame. I was having such a pleasant evening before they showed up."]]
* BigDamnHeroes: He had his Budew save Ash and friends from Team Rocket in his debut episode.
%%* BishieSparkle: "Sunflora, [=GrassWhistle!=] Sing, Kricketune!"
* {{Bishonen}}: His character design is pretty feminine. He even appears to be wearing mascara during his Contest performance in "Dawn's Early Night".
* BigNo: [[spoiler:Drops one when Ash's Heracross KO's his Kricketune with Megahorn in the Sinnoh League.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Say what you will about him, but consider this--while most other major characters were practically scrambling to get either eight badges ''or'' five ribbons in time for their event, Nando managed to attain ''both complete sets'' in time for each major competition. He also reached the Top 4 in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and if he ''hadn't'' been matched up against [[PlotArmor Ash]] so early in the Lily of the Valley Conference, it's quite probable he'd have gotten further than just the Top 64 in that competition, as well. He may act as a musical bard most of the time, but he is able to be a very competent coordinator and battler, with Zoey even commenting that the latter was giving him a big edge in their contest battle in the festival.
* CastingGag: This isn't the first time Billy Regan has voiced [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast a flamboyant, green-clad young man with a goal of collecting Contest ribbons and a humanoid, half-Grass-type Pokémon for a partner.]]
* CharacterTics: He often says things in a sing-song voice.
* ClearTheirName: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!'', he's suspected of stealing the Adamant Orb on the grounds that he has a Sunflora, a Pokémon that was seen escaping with the artifact in question. It turned out to be Team Rocket's Meowth in a Sunflora costume.
* ColorMotif: Green, owing to his love of nature and relaxed attitude.
* ConflictKiller: His establishing character moment was breaking up an argument between Ash and Dawn.
* CowardlyLion: Not Nando himself, but his Sunflora. It abandoned him when he was arrested by Officer Jenny, but hunted down Team Rocket for framing him and exposed their disguises, preventing them from successfully escaping the museum with the Adamant Orb.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite his polite and very feminine demeanor, he's no pushover when it comes to Pokémon battles.
* CulturedBadass: He's a skilled musician and studies Sinnoh's history in his spare time.
%%* DanceBattler: Lopunny, Roserade and Sunflora.
%%* DarkHorseVictory: In the Hearthome Contest
%%* ADayInTheLimelight: "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* DeathByIrony: Defeat, anyway. [[spoiler:Both of his final matches in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League were against a Pokémon matching one of his specialty types -- Leafeon, a Grass-type, and Heracross, a Bug-type.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: He takes after Harley in appearance, voice, and mannerisms, while Ursula takes after him in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After he clobbered Zoey off-screen in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' she changed her mind about not accepting Trainers who choose to participate in both Gyms and Contests.
* DependingOnTheArtist: In early episodes, his bangs were sometimes drawn facing different directions. This stopped by "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* {{Determinator}}: An understated example. Many characters are shown to struggle with obtaining either eight Gym Badges before the regional League or five Contest Ribbons before the Grand Festival. Nando collecting both sets is a testament to his skill in both fields.
* TheDitherer: In his first episode, he could not decide if he wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer or Coordinator. After battling both Ash and Dawn, he took a third option and went down both paths at once.
* TheDogBitesBack: Got Jessie back for the Adamant Orb incident when he defeated her in the Hearthome Contest five episodes later.
%%* DramaticWind
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies: Kricketune and Kricketot.
%%*** GreenThumb: Sunflora
%%*** NonElemental: Lopunny
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** DishingOutDirt (Rock)[=/=]BigCreepyCrawlies: Armaldo
%%*** GreenThumb[=/=][[PoisonousPerson Poisonous Pokémon]]: Roserade
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Altaria
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Lopunny's [[KameHameHadoken Focus Blast]].
%%*** AnIcePerson: Lopunny's Blizzard.
%%*** PlayingWithFire: Roserade's Sunny Day.
* EasilyForgiven: Nando does not seem to hold grudges, as he did not hold any ill will against Officer Jenny for falsely arresting him on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb, nor Zoey for being cold and dismissive to him when she found out he did both Contests and Gym Battles.
* EffeminateVoice: The American dub gives him a soft, gentle voice with a thick, vaguely European accent.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Briefly. When James and Meowth are selling Pokémon Coordinator merchandise during ''Opposites Interact,'' you can hear a male voice saying, "I'd like a photo of Nando..."
* ExtremeDoormat: He let the Eterna City Officer Jenny tie him up in "A Secret Sphere of Influence!". That should tell you something.
* {{Expy}}: Visually a dead ringer for Harley, down to sharing the same voice actor. His personality, though, is a closer match to Robert's, being a polite gentleman and skilled Coordinator.
* FatalFlaw: His over-reliance on his SignatureMove, Sing, was exploited by Zoey in the Grand Festival and Ash in the Sinnoh League.
* FlatCharacter: Gets this accusation thrown at him a lot because unlike the other Sinnoh rivals he's just a straight-up NiceGuy whose spirit never wavers at all.
* FluffyFashionFeathers: He wears them in his hat during Contests.
* {{Foil}}: The calm, even-tempered dual-duty Pokémon trainer to match Zoey the determined, competitive Pokémon Coordinator.
* FrameUp: Victim of an unintentional one in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' when Team Rocket breaks into the Eterna Museum and steals the Adamant Orb with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, at the exact same time Nando happens to be there with his own Sunflora.
* FriendToAllChildren: He gets along pretty well with Ash, Brock, and Dawn.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: The night before the Grand Festival semifinals has him playing harp music to a gathering of wild Pokémon in the forest.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' he visits the Eterna Museum to study the history of Sinnoh. Unfortunately for him, he's there at the exact same time Team Rocket is stealing the Adamant Orb, with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, a Pokémon he just happens to have on hand.
* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: His iconic Mew harp. He also wears a gold shoulderplate while performing in Contests.
* HarpOfFemininity: Inverted and played straight at the same time -- he's a guy who plays the harp, but an extremely feminine guy at that.
* IconicItem: He is never seen without his golden Mew-shaped harp.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Everyone else was surprised when he was revealed to have a Lopunny in the Grand Festival, a Pokémon that doesn't fit the theme of his team, as it's not a Bug- or Grass-type and can't use Sing.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Zoey, Dawn, Brock, and Ash. They are all children and teenagers while Nando appears to be in his early twenties.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: Pronounces his own name the way it would be said by a Spanish speaker ("Nahn-do").
%%* JustAStupidAccent
* LimitedWardrobe: Like many other things about him, this is a departure from the traditional mold of Pokémon characters. While it's not unusual for minor characters to have only one or two outfits, most Sinnoh Coordinators have a variety of ensembles to wear while performing (Dawn's PimpedOutDress[=es=] and Zoey's tuxedos come to mind). The most he does during a Contest is stick a feather in his hat, put on a gold shoulderplate, and swap out his single-Mew harp for a double-Mew one.
* LongBusTrip: Ignoring his cameo in ''A Breed Stampede,'' he disappeared for a year after ''Dawn's Early Night.''
%%* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Shoulder-length dark hair.
* LuckyTranslation: His English name, which is in Spanish, just happens to actually be a Japanese word that means "many times", which matches up with the large number of battles he has to do as both a pursuer of Gym Badges and a Coordinator.
%%* MagicMusic
%%* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Feminine Boy to Zoey's Masculine Girl.
* MasterOfNone: Ultimately, as while he made good showings in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League, he won neither of them. It doesn't seem to bother him, though.
* MeaningfulName:
** He shares his Japanese name with Naoshi Mizuta, another musician.
** In English, his name rhymes with "gliss'''ando'''", a musical term denoting a glide from one pitch to another. It can be played on many instruments, including a harp.
* MellowFellow: Always remains nonchalant and even-tempered. Even when he was accused by Officer Jenny of stealing a priceless artifact from the Eterna Museum, he calmly defended himself without blinking an eye.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: He loses his calm demeanor when he gets really into the Heracross vs. Kricketune match in the Sinnoh League, gesticulating wildly with his hands and even dramatically swishing his cape.
* {{Motifs}}: Music notes.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Nando sticks out somewhat awkwardly among the typical rival lineup, doing contests and battles at the same time, dressing up in an anachronistic minstrel outfit, and hanging out with kids several years younger than he is.
* MythologyGag: Possibly; he wasn't the first [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Bard#The_bard bard]] to appear in the Pokémon continuity.
* NatureHero: Most of his Pokémon are Bug and Grass types, and his first episode had him camping outside with Ash and friends.
* NervesOfSteel: Arrested on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb? Criticized for being a Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon Coordinator at the same time? Not a problem for this even-tempered minstrel. [[spoiler:Realizing his Kricketune is on the losing end of a sparring match with Ash's Heracross might be a different story, though...]]
* NeverBareheaded: He never takes his hat off, although [[http://pkmncoordinators.tumblr.com/post/62569836544/pokemon-settei-pokemon-settei-nando-naoshi production art]] shows what he looks like without it.
* NiceGuy: Always unfailingly kind and polite, so much so that he gives polite requests to his Pokémon in battle instead of commands.
%%* NiceHat: A green fedora.
* NonSpecificallyForeign: Implied by the dub, which gives him a name of Spanish origin and a thick, vaguely European-sounding accent.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Downplayed -- he has smaller and more realistically drawn eyes than other characters. It's especially obvious when his headshot is visible among the others on a Pokémon Contest screen.
%%* NotSoStoic: In really intense battles.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Only character to regularly participate in both Contests and Gym Battles.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: No matter the situation, Nando nearly always remains calm and level-headed, rarely losing his cool. But when his Pokémon start showing signs of being in trouble during the Grand Festival and League Conference battles, he actually starts to raise his voice and [[MilkingTheGiantCow gesture with his hands]] when giving them battle commands.
* OutOfFocus: And ''how'' - he disappeared for 125 episodes after "Dawn's Early Night!" (barring a brief cameo), before finally returning for real during the Grand Festival and the Lily of the Valley Conference.
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his left eye.
%%* PerpetualSmiler
* PersonalityPowers: His calm, composed and harmonious nature perfectly fits his preference for musical attacks.
%%* ThePollyanna: Always keeps a cheerful outlook.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Zoey's red.
* RhymesOnADime: As a minstrel he often speaks in rhyming couplets.
* SayMyName:
-->'''Officer Jenny:''' Excuse me. I've just captured Suspect #1. ''(she pulls Nando into the shot)'' Get this. He calls himself a Pokémon troubadour, but I don't buy it at all.
-->'''Ash/Brock/Dawn:''' ''Nando?!''
%%* SharpDressedMan
%%* ShipTease: With Gardenia in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!''
* SilkHidingSteel: Although he's not female as this trope usually implies, this seems to be Nando's philosophy when it comes to battle. Most of his Pokémon are ones that are beautiful and graceful, yet powerful fighters.
* StealthPun: He's a musician who's always incredibly calm. You could say he's very composed.
* TheStoryteller: "In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos. And at the heart of the chaos, where all things become one, came the one."
* TakeAThirdOption: When we first see Nando, he was having trouble if he wanted to pursue gym battles or contest ones before eventually settling on both. It did wonders for him.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: The "tall" part is more noticeable since he usually hangs around kids, but "A Secret Sphere of Influence" and "A Breed Stampede" show him to be even taller than Officer Jenny and Mr. Contesta, respectively.
* TokenAdult: Ash's and Dawn's only adult rival.
* UncattyResemblance: Wears a green cape similar to his Roserade's.
* UnexplainedAccent: The American dub gives him a European accent that seems to vary from episode to episode.
* TheUnfought: Dawn never faced him directly in an actual Contest battle (though they did have a practice bout in [=DP004=], which he won).
* TheUnreveal: When he shows his badge case to Ash and Dawn in ''Last Call, First Round!,'' it has seven badges and one empty slot for the Mine Badge (which is Byron's), but we never find out where and from whom he got his last badge in-between that episode and ''An Old Family Blend!''
* VagueAge: Appears to be in his early 20s, but his outfit and old-fashioned speech patterns give the impression of someone much older.
* VocalEvolution: After a year long absence, his accent became slightly more pronounced.
%%* WanderingMinstrel: A rare example of this trope in a modern setting.
%%* WaistcoatOfStyle: Wears one under his cape.
* WarriorPoet: He is a skilled Pokémon Trainer and musician with a love for songs and stories. His habit of rhyming is shown to have rubbed off on Gardenia when she quotes a piece of philosophical poetry in "A Secret Sphere of Influence".
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent?: It sounds vaguely like a mixture of Spanish and Irish.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:He makes it all the way to the top four of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, only to get thrown out of the competition by Zoey. Come the Sinnoh League, Ash wipes the floor with Nando in the ''very first round'' of the Qualifying Matches (the Top 64). In fairness, you can probably blame this on the writers for making Ash his first opponent, or perhaps Zoey was right all along that he should have just stuck with contests. But he sure didn't go out without a fight.]]
%%* WorthyOpponent: To Zoey and Ash.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tobias (Takuto)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Tobias_7240.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/HirokiTakahashi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JMichaelTatum\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Jaime Alberto Carrillo
A mysterious trainer who first appears during the Sinnoh League Tournament, and one of the most formidable trainers seen in the series by far, due to his possession of extremely rare and powerful legendary Pokémon. Using only [[spoiler:Darkrai]], he has [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] through the Sinnoh Gym Leaders and the League Tournament. [[spoiler: One might be tempted to think that Darkrai is his go-to Pokémon and the rest of his team is comprised of ordinary Pokémon, but only because not a single opponent is able to get past Darkrai in a match with it until Ash has a go at it with his team. When Ash actually does defeat Darkrai, Tobias reveals he has ''several'' legendaries in tow, and plan B is to call on his Latios.]]
----
* TheAce: He is the most skilled trainer shown in the Sinnoh region next to Cynthia, steamrolling ''everyone'' he encounters in the Pokémon League. His character even might be a nod to the acquired term "sweeping" in the {{Metagame}} of the Pokémon games (i.e. a player is able to take down entire teams using only one Pokémon with little effort, and do so regularly against many other players in competitive play).
%%* AerithAndBob
%%* AnimeHair
* BadassCape: His cape flows with the wind, much like Nando.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:He beat Sinnoh's Gym Leaders and got to the League Semifinals using ''just'' Darkrai. Against Ash, he is forced to bust out a Latios, which get knocked out as well in a double KO that defeats Ash. Even in the final battle, [most of which is not shown] he actually wins with only Darkrai.]]
* CurbStompCushion: Even though Ash does get his ass handed to him on a silver platter, he does manage to [[spoiler:take out two of his legendaries, the closest ''anybody'' actually gets to him.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Grayish-blue hair, light blue eyes.
* DarkIsNotEvil: No, the creepy guy with the [[spoiler:Darkrai]] is not evil. He actually congratulates Ash on a good battle after he wins.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Ash is the ''only'' person that actually manages to [[spoiler:defeat his Darkrai, and Latios by extension.]] Even the announcer acknowledges it.
* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler:Just after Ash finally beats his rival in the quarter-finals, and it looks like he'll ''finally'' win a major championship, he gets thoroughly trounced by Tobias' ''two'' legendary Pokémon. The trainer's appearance was never hinted at before the Tournament Arc, and it's never explained how he got his hands on two OlympusMons.]] One gets the feeling he was created merely as an excuse to get Ash to Unova quicker.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Thrice. First when Ash's Sceptile [[spoiler:breaks out of sleep status ''immediately'']] with the second coming when Sceptile [[spoiler:hands Darkrai its ass for the first time.]] And after that? Tobias [[spoiler:sends out a Latios.]] That was unexpected. Not to mention wholly unexplained. [[spoiler:The fact Pikachu managed to help Ash make a repeat performance to Tobias and take it out also counted, towards Tobias and the crowd.]]
* ElementalPowers
** Single type Pokémon
*** [[spoiler:CastingAShadow: Darkrai]]
** Dual type Pokémon
*** [=/=]PsychicPowers: Latios]]
** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
*** AnIcePerson: [[spoiler:Darkrai]]'s Ice Beam.
*** PsychicPowers: [[spoiler:Darkrai]]'s Dream Eater.
* TheFaceless: For about a couple episodes. Although [[EarlyBirdCameo pay attention and you can see his face relatively clearly in the tournament standings.]] He's the only one with hair like that.
* GlassCannon: [[spoiler:In keeping to Darkrai's stats in the game, his is this by Legendaries standards. Even healing with Dream Eater, Darkrai goes down to a relatively small amount of direct hits.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:A lot of people were predicting that Darkrai would be the most he'd bring to the table.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's creepy, arrogant, and uses arguably underhanded strategy, but when all's said and done, he congratulates Ash on a well fought battle.
* TheJuggernaut: ''Nobody'' so far has taken this guy's Darkrai and Latios down in a fight. [[spoiler:Well, Ash did, but he lost all of his Pokémon in the process and therefore the tournament]].
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: He plows through every Trainer he comes up against with minimal effort, [[spoiler:including Ash]], and goes on to [[spoiler:win the Sinnoh League.]] He also wears a red cape.
* LargeHam: The way he releases [[spoiler:Latios]] comes to mind.
* MeaningfulName: Tobias is a powerful trainer who relies mainly on Darkrai to fight. Tobias is also the name of a biblical hero from the book of Tobit who drove a demon out with the help of the archangel Raphael.
* OlympusMons: [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios.]]
* OneManArmy: His Darkrai. It single-handedly carries him through the entire Sinnoh League [[spoiler:with the exception of Ash, who, using Sceptile and Pikachu, respectively, manages to take it and his Latios down with him.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the Japanese version. Tommy from the Pokémon Trainer's School (a Hoenn character of the day) shares the same Japanese name as him. [[spoiler:And, to an extent, the fact that Tobias' Darkrai makes the THIRD we've seen so far (movies are {{Canon}}). Legendaries have been proven to come in multiples before ([=PowerOfOne=]!Lugia, Silver, and his mother; Heroes has practically a herd of Latios and Latias in flashback).]]
* PalsWithJesus: [[spoiler:He has two legendary Pokémon that obey his every command.]]
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his eye, like his [[spoiler:Darkrai]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:His second Pokémon is '''Latios.''' Didn't see that coming, did you? Arceus knows what the rest of his team looks like...]]
* RiddleForTheAges:
** How he caught a [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios]] is never explained.
** There is a lot of theories and wonder as to what the other four Pokémon are in his party, [[spoiler:considering two of them are legendaries.]]
* SmugSuper: Downplayed. He is ''very'' well aware he is packing [[spoiler:high-grade legendaries]] and will let his opponents know how even bringing their A-game might not be enough, but he does respect the effort his opponents put in the battle. Especially Ash [[spoiler:given he actually did defeat his Darkrai and Latios.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: His design is similar to Nando's, wearing a long cape and an [[PeekABangs emo-bang hairstyle]] as well as having a [[AerithAndBob slightly unusual name.]] He even has a slight accent in the English dub, though it's very faint.
* TakeThat: He is one to players who use [[spoiler:legendaries]] to breeze through the games instead of bothering to actually train a team.
%%* TallDarkAndHandsome
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Non-lethal, competitive example. [[spoiler: He was the first major character of sorts to bring Legendary Pokémon in a League tournament, who are viewed as physical deities that make most fully-evolved mons look like weaklings. And Tobias used ''at least two of them''.]]
%%* TsurimeEyes
* TheUnreveal: Only two of his Pokémon were shown in his fight against Ash. [[spoiler:Also, no explanation was given as how did he caught them even after the battle.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Mentioning him will get you to [[spoiler:reveal how Ash lost the Sinnoh league]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: As is the case with ''every'' Conference Winner, there is no mention of him going on to face the Elite Four and the region's Champion, but he stands out for obvious reasons. Cynthia is still the Sinnoh Champion in her later appearances in ''Black and White'', meaning Tobias either lost to her, to the Elite Four, or inexplicably decided not to challenge them.
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]
!Sinnoh League
[[folder:In General]]
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: As with all the regions, the Elite Four are selected based on the strongest trainers in the region.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Cynthia (Shirona)]]
[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shirona.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomoSakurai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Jenness\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Adriana Casas
The Champion of the Sinnoh League.
----
* TheAce: Well she is the Champion of Sinnoh so this should be given.
* BadassLongcoat: She wears her black signature coat for the entirety of ''Diamond & Pearl''.
* BadassBookworm: Has a love and fascination for history, when she makes her debut she's visiting a site of ruins in Sinnoh.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: She is a very polite and somewhat quirky LadyOfWar, but will immediately react to whatever region-wide threat is present and will unleash her Garchomp at a moment's notice.
* BigDamnHeroes: She takes down Jupiter easily and frees Ash and co. just in time for them to stop Cyrus' plan.
* BigGood: Portrayed this way in D/P.
* TheBusCameBack: As a reference to her appearance in the B&W games, she has a recurring role in BWS2 - her villa in Undella Town accommodated Ash and his friends as they prepared for the Junior Cup and the Vertress Conference. During one particular arc, she even brought Dawn along with her.
* CombatPragmatist: Not usually, but when she shows up to help Ash against Team Galactic, she has her Garchomp do a surprise attack against Jupiter's Skuntank, and then when Jupiter starts to take out another Pokémon, Garchomp lands behind her and rests its claws right near her throat. [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim When the world's at stake, it isn't the time to play fair]].
* CurbStompBattle: People who try to face her in battle usually receive one of these, most notably Paul. The known exceptions are Flint (who took down three of her Pokémon before losing to her Garchomp), Aaron (who [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome took down five of her team, including Garchomp]], before finally losing to Gastrodon), and Caitlin (who battled Cynthia's Garchomp to a standstill with her Gothitelle, resulting the battle going into overtime).
%%* DishingOutDirt:
%%** Her Garchomp can use Stone Edge and is partly a ground type Pokémon.
%%** Her Gastrodon is also partly a ground type Pokémon.
* TheDitherer: Every time she needs to pick a flavor of ice cream, she takes ages.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Sort of has this happen in the [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 B2W2]] season - she doesn't ''join'' Ash's group, but they lounge about in her villa for a while, and she participates in several of their adventures.
* HelpingWouldBeKillStealing: ''Subverted'' in the "Operation Tempest" two-parter - her Garchomp proves vital, along with Dragonite and Golurk, in holding back the [[OneWingedAngel Therian Forme]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Kami Trio]]. She also helped directly in fighting Team Galactic, even though anything connecting with the Lake Trio had to be done by Ash, Dawn, and Brock since they were the ones linked to them.
* IceCreamKoan: Plenty of times in DP, though nowhere near as much in BW, she'll go into random tangents with vague words and meanings that may or may not even relate to what's going on.
* {{Irony}}: She loves ice cream, but her signature Pokémon, Garchomp, sports a quadruple weakness to the Ice-type.
* LadyOfWar: Cynthia herself, though her female Garchomp also qualifies by merit of being both powerful and graceful.
* TheMentor: Her main role during the plot of the DP series, though she ''does'' get actively involved in the effort to stop Team Galactic, doing her duty as Champion very well. She also mentors Iris, particularly in regards to her new, disobedient Dragonite. Iris in turn [[HeroWorshipper looks up to her]], thanks in no small part to Cynthia having trained her own powerful Dragon-type, Garchomp.
* OneManArmy: Her Garchomp tears through Paul's team like a lawnmower through a notebook factory, finishing by one-shotting his powerful Torterra with a single Brick Break.
* PeekABangs: Her left eye is covered by her hair, which is part of her "mysterious beauty" look.
* PlayingWithFire: Her Garchomp can use Flamethrower.
* RecurringCharacter: Cynthia appears every now and then in ''Diamond & Pearl'' and she also appears a lot in the early episodes of ''Best Wishes! Season 2''.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Along with Lance. Steven and Diantha, she is one of the champions we seen on-screen that take proactive measures against wide-scale threats.
* RunningGag: A good number of times Ash meets her she's having trouble deciding on what flavor of ice cream she wants...
* SkewedPriorities: During the introduction of the Meloetta arc in ''Pokemon Black and White'', while Ash and Company take care of Meloetta on the roadside, Cynthia receives an urgent call that requires her to drive back to the city immediately. She forgot her change when she bought an ice cream cone.
* SweetTooth: Her introductory moments in the series show her being indecisive over what flavor of ice cream to get, a gag that shows up several more times later on. Towards the end of DP (during the Lily of the Valley Conference), Team Rocket ''use'' this gag to attract customers. Comes up yet again in BW when Ash meets up with her again in a similar manner, down to her indecisiveness on picking a flavor.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ice cream, but she takes hours to decide which one she wants to choose.
* WeaponOfChoice: [[InfinityMinusOneSword Her Garchomp]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lucian (Goyō)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucian_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeNamikawa\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' David Lapkin\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/EduardoGarza
* BadassBookworm: Like his game counterpart, he can be frequently seen with a book in his hands.
%%* {{Bishonen}}
* EarlyBirdCameo: If you count that he's the sole Sinnoh Elite Four member who appeared ''prior'' to Cynthia.
* ElementalPowers: He uses [[PsychicPowers Psychic types]].
* ExtraOreDinary: Bronzong's primary type.
%%* {{Megane}}
%%* SharpDressedMan
* WorthyOpponent: Perceived as such by Buizel, who thus became highly depressed at losing so badly to him the first time.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is blue.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aaron (Ryou)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aaron_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KenshoOno\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Christopher C. Adams\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Christophe Hespel
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Specializes in bug types
* ComeBackMyPet: His Beautifly.
* MrFanservice: In-universe. Even the local ''Officer Jenny'' {{Fangirl}}s him. Rare case of ''both'' {{Bishounen}} and RatedMForManly, judging by his appearance.
* MyGreatestFailure: Abandoning his Wurmple for being a weak Pokémon when he was younger (which prompted him to better understand Bug-types, so it wouldn't happen again). It eventually comes back to him as a Beautifly.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Though it was cut from the dub, the original Japanese of [=DP100=] has announcer state Cynthia was down to her ''last'' Pokémon when she sent out Gastrodon against Aaron's Beautifly. This means that [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Aaron must have actually defeated her Garchomp]], something even Flint didn't quite manage! Oddly, in the preceding episode his Pokémon had trouble dealing with ''the Team Rocket trio''.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub, which also has [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew Sir Aaron]].
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He is apparently able to understand insects.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Flint (Ōba)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flint_e4_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Toru Nara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Arturo Castañeda
%%* AfroAsskicker
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: After fully evolving, Ash's Infernape only lost once in the entire remaining series. To Flint's Infernape.
* BareFistedMonk: Infernape's 2nd Type and it knows Close Combat, Mach Punch, and Thunderpunch
* BigBrotherMentor: Has this vibe with Ash and they share a similar philosophy in the way they battle with their Pokémon and he shares some advice with the younger boy. Not to mention that he is obviously fond of Ash...
* BigDamnHeroes: in his first appearance, using Infernape to save Ash from the Sunyshore gym's security system, and again to rescue Kenny's Floatzel from Team Rocket.
* BloodKnight: If his Infernape's reaction to Pikachu is anything to go by than he '''''LOVES''''' a good fight where he can go out. Flint may qualify as well since he also thought Pikachu was well trained and worth more effort to battle against.
* CurbstompBattle: Defeats Ash in a 3 vs. 3 battle with minimal effort. His Infernape outright one shotted Ash's own Infernape and Buizel and was tanking hits from Pikachu while tossing him around.
* CurbStompCushion: Flint admitted Infernape was putting some degree of effort into fighting Pikachu, which is more than most would manage.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Infernape was able to go head to head with Cynthia's Garchomp and deal some brutal blows in. It's the second-closest anyone has come to take her down (Aaron got closer). Not to mention it swatted Ash's Pokémon like flies!
%%* FieryRedhead
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Volkner.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Every time he shows up you can hear a subtle jungle beat with drums. It's actually quite awesome.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub. The other Flint is Brock's father.
* PlayingWithFire: Infernape
* TheRival: Volkner's old friend and adversary.
* WorthyOpponent: His Infernape seems to view Ash's Pikachu as this. After [[OneHitKill casually ragdolling Ash's Infernape and Buizel]] he had to face Pikachu and seemed quite excited to do so the instant Pikachu made his opening attack. Flint was even surprise to see that his Infernape was excited to fight Pikachu and felt like he was putting some effort into battling. [[CurbstompBattle Granted Infernape wins quite easily]], but he still felt Pikachu was worth more effort compared to the others.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bertha (Kikuno)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bertha_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yoko Matsuoka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Mary O' Brady\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Magda Giner
* BerserkButton: When Team Rocket decided to enhance their Pokémon's performance using PoweredArmor, she didn't take it too kindly.
%%* CoolOldLady
* ElementalPowers: She specializes in [[DishingOutDirt Ground type]] Pokémon:
%%* DishingOutDirt: Hippowdon (Ground), Gliscor (Ground) & Golem (Rock/Ground)
* ExtraOreDinary: Hippowdon's Iron Head.
%%* DrivesLikeCrazy
* ManBitesMan: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
%%* NeverMessWithGranny
* OneHitKO: Gliscor's Guillotine
* OneShotCharacter: She only appeared in a single episode, barring her cameo in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''.
* PlayingWithFire: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* StealthMentor: In two ways. She not only acts in a way intended to subtly teach the other person, but also hides her status as an Elite Four member and tells Brock not to reveal it.
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Gliscor
[[/folder]]
----
to:
%%
%% All examples must explain the trope and how it applies in its context. All examples lacking the proper context have been commented out.
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExamples
%%
%%
[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries characters index]]\\
[-'''Series-wide:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and Pikachu]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocket Team Rocket Trio]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocketOthers Team Rocket Organization]]\\
'''Original Series:''' [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto)]]\\
[[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonAnimeOriginalSeriesOneShotCharacters One-shot Characters]]\\
'''Advanced Generation:''' [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationPokemon Ash's Pokémon (Hoenn)]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationOpponents Gym Leaders and Frontier Brains]]\\
'''Diamond and Pearl:''' [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Sinnoh)]] | '''''Supporting Cast''''' | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Black and White:''' [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Unova)]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonBlackAndWhiteAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''XY:''' [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Kalos)]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeGymLeaders Gym Leaders]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYMegaEvolutionSpecial Mega Evolution Special]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeRivals Rivals]] | [[Characters/PokemonXYAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''Sun and Moon:''' [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimePokemon Ash's Pokémon (Alola)]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeKahunasAndGuardianDeities Kahunas and Guardian Deities]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeAetherFoundation Aether Foundation]] | [[Characters/PokemonSunAndMoonAnimeVillains Villains]]\\
'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
'''Movies:''' [[Characters/PokemonMovies Movies 1 to 19]] | [[Characters/PokemonIChooseYou I Choose You!]] | [[Characters/PokemonThePowerOfUs The Power of Us]]-]]]]]
[[foldercontrol]]
!Main characters
[[folder:Dawn (Hikari)]]
[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dawn_bw2.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MegumiToyoguchi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Bauer\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gaby Ugarte (seasons 10,11, and 13), Leyla Rangel (season 12 and 15)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alexandra Corréa
Dawn is a newbie trainer from Sinnoh who met Ash after she ran into Pikachu, who’d been separated from his trainer by Team Rocket. Like May before her, Dawn aspires to be a Pokémon Coordinator. Tropes involving her and her Pokémon include:
----
* ActionGirl:
** Out of all of Ash's traveling companions, she's the most likely to take immediate action against Team Rocket or other antagonists when they show up, frequently having Piplup dealing the finishing blow alongside Pikachu.
** In one episode, she once rescued all her Pokémon ''all by herself''.
* AdaptationalModesty: In the ''Pokémon Learning League'' educational series, she wears a long-sleeved shirt and white tights under her usual sleeveless top and short skirt.
* AgeInappropriateDress:
** [[AvertedTrope But]] her mother forbade her from bringing it on her journey. Then again, her normal outfit...
** Lampshaded in episode 171 by Princess Salvia, who comments on the length of Dawn's skirt.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: In terms of Contest skill, she's on both ends of this trope. She has never managed to surpass the more experienced Zoey, but she always comes ahead of Ursula.
* AshFace: Her Cyndaquil has done this to her [[RunningGag several times]] by flaring up its back flames while she's holding it. Some of her various electrocution and explosion mishaps have also left her singed.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Similar to May and later Serena, Dawn is good natured, but not a doormat and isn't afraid to sic her strongest Pokémon on you if you piss her off, which Team Rocket know from experience. When Meowth pulled a HeelFaceMole on the heroes, Dawn, who had been sympathetic enough to offer getting him media ties, angrily vowed to beat him to tears for selling them out ([[TooKinkyToTorture he didn't surprisingly]], but still).
* BigDamnHeroes: A short time after becoming a trainer and getting her first Pokémon, she protects Pikachu with her Piplup.
* BreakTheCutie: Disturbingly often. Gets this when losing contests and became a StepfordSmiler afterwards.
* BrickJoke: The second [=DP=] episode continued the RunningGag of Pikachu frying a bike, but it took 36 episodes for Ash to know about it.
* TheBusCameBack: She returned for the ''Best Wishes'' series for an arc.
* ButtMonkey: Out of all the main characters, she’s the biggest one of the “butt of every joke” type. Several characters have poked fun at her, including Ash, Brock, and her own Pokémon, and her skill as a Coordinator was called into question several times prior to her victory at the Wallace Cup.
* {{Catchphrase}}:
** "Daijobu!", or "No need to worry!" in the dub. How ironic.
** And like May, she has a phrase to use when calling Pokémon out for a Contest -- "Charm up!" / "Spotlight!"
** BorrowedCatchphrase: She also copied Iris' "such a kid" remarks at Ash (a little anyways), and once used, "Buneary, I choose you!" when sending it out to battle Pachirisu.
* TheChosenOne: Chosen by Mesprit since the beginning of the DP series due to her strong empathy.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has both hair and eyes that are dark-blue.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Rather famous for having a skirt that barely covers her hips. Lucky she's wearing a leotard underneath...
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Of "Diamond and Pearl", to Ash's protagonist. Her name is even added in the Japanese openings of the ''Diamond and Pearl'' series right next to Ash's.
* DisappearedDad: Unlike Ash, no mention is ever made of her father.
* DistaffCounterpart: Dawn in many ways is like a female counterpart to Ash. Like May before and Serena after, she exchanges RotatingArcs with Ash's Gym quest, but she stands out thanks to her status as the {{Deuteragonist}} and that she shares more in common with him than just about any of his companions. Like Ash, she is an optimistic and initially overconfident NiceGirl who had decided on her life goal long before her debut. She started her journey with an initially stubborn Pokémon that stays outside his Poké Ball and refuses to evolve, and bonded with him after [[FireForgedFriends fending off a large swarm of wild Pokemon]] in an adventure that culminated in them meeting a [[OlympusMons Legendary]] Pokemon. She also has a knack for developing [[OutsideTheBoxTactic Outside-the-Box Tactics]] in battle similarly to Ash, many of which are borrowed between the two.
* DubInducedPlotHole: Against all odds, averted when it came to explaining "Dee-Dee".
* DudeMagnet: Kenny, Kendall, and Conway have all shown signs of being attracted to her. She also has a few moments with Ash that could be seen as ShipTease (though, Ash being [[ChasteHero Ash,]] these moments are up to the audience's interpretation). This being ''Pokémon,'' [[NoHuggingNoKissing it never goes anywhere.]]
* FailedASpotCheck: If she would look around at the audience during contests more often, she would notice some [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/027 VERY familar faces]]. Namely, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet.
* FailureHero: [[BreakTheCutie Poor girl lost]] ''[[BreakTheCutie two]]'' [[BreakTheCutie Contests in the Appeal Stage in a row!]]
* FanGirl: To Professor Oak's (and Gary's) poetry, and Wallace (Contest master).
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Dawn is good at baking Poffins, unlike Ash who burns all of his to a crisp.
* FireForgedFriends: When she and Piplup first meet, they can't stand each other, but they form a bond after escaping from a horde of wild Ariados, and Dawn doesn't hesitate to choose him as her starter when they get back to Prof. Rowan's lab. They continue to grow closer throughout the ''Diamond & Pearl'' series.
%%* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Sanguine.
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: She and Brock had fairly little interaction.
* GenerationXerox: She gets her passion from Pokémon Contests from her mother, who is a retired Top Coordinator.
* GoGetterGirl: Right from the start, she knew she wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator, and never lost sight of her goal since.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Became this in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Best Wishes Season 2]]'', joining the group for eight episodes prior to and during the Junior Cup.
* HarmlessElectrocution: A running gag by itself, Dawn needs to use Piplup's Bubble Beam to [[http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h245/DRCEQ2/Anime/Pokemon/Dawnshair.jpg condition her hair back to normal after she gets zapped]].
* AnIcePerson: While she doesn't specializes in Ice-types, as her journey goes on she uses more and more ice moves in her Appeals and battles, often in combination with fire and electricity.
* IdenticalStranger: She and Princess Salvia from the episode "Dawn of a Royal Day!" look exactly alike. They take advantage of this and switch places for a day so Salvia can compete in a Contest with her Togekiss.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: She befriended Nando, a traveling bard, and Lila, a dressmaker and retired Coordinator who was also her mother's childhood friend.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "By Your Side". Used primarily in the Japanese edit, though some instrumental versions still accompany her in parts of the English dub (thus making it one of very few Japanese image songs to at least partway survive the transition).
* LeotardOfPower: As seen in "Two Degrees of Separation!", Dawn appears to be wearing a black leotard under her minidress.
* LettingHerHairDown: Most notably [[http://images5.fanpop.com/image/polls/991000/991163_1333460097101_full.png two]] [[http://pm1.narvii.com/6341/c358a4b8d243806b999f5e28a3690780ebafe008_hq.jpg times]].
%%* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The light to Ursula's dark.
* LittleMissBadass: Younger than Ash but able to single-handedly kick Team Rocket's ass.
* MagicSkirt: She has a short skirt, but she remains covered throughout the series, except for one occasion - "Steamboat Willies!".
%%* TheMcCoy
* MementoMacGuffin: At the beginning of her Pokémon journey, her mother gave to her the first Contest ribbon she won as a good luck charm. After her run in the Grand Festival, she gives it back.
* NaiveEverygirl: It took her an entire episode to find Professor Rowan, despite it normally not being that difficult.
* NiceGirl: Easily the most straightforwardly kind of all the leading females (before Serena), and very empathetic (she never held Pikachu ''or'' Ash responsible for her bike's destruction given the circumstances, for instance, knowing that she attacked Pikachu first and Ash wasn't even there, thanks to team rocket). Must be the main reason Mesprit chose her.
* NiceHat: It covers her hair because it gets frizzy when exposed to shock.
* NoodleIncident: The origins of her nickname Pikari/Dee-Dee. In a subversion, it's later revealed she got shocked by a Plusle and Minun in kindergarten, making her hair all sparkly. [[note]]"Pikapika" is the [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud spoken sound effect for "sparkle"]][[/note]]. In the dub, it's short for "Diamond Dandruff", which is indeed pretty embarrassing.
* ObliviousToLove: She has no trouble understanding others people's romance, but seems rather blind when said affection is directed to her (except with Conway, but subtle he isn't). She doesn't get Kenny has a crush on her, and totally misses Lyla acting as a ShipperOnDeck for her and Ash in "Dressed For Jess Success".
* OjouRinglets: Not an {{Ojou}}, but she used this hairstyle in a couple of contests as shown [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Dawn_DP027_contest.png here]] and [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/diamond_pearl/ep177.html here]].
* PhraseCatcher:
** The reply to her own {{Catchphrase}} is usually "That's when [we] worry the most."
** A few times she gets her catchphrase, "No need to worry!", back at her.
* PimpedOutDress: She wears a lot of them. Makes sense, considering part of her job as a Coordinator is to look stylish alongside her Pokémon and she also has a sense of fashion.
* PinkMeansFeminine: Her usual Contest dress is pink. Idem her cheerleader outfit. Her regular outfit features a pink skirt and she wears a pink coat when traveling in colder climes.
* PomPomGirl: She sometime act like a cheerleader and donned a pink cheerleading outfit (her Pokèmon also) to support Ash in his Gym battles with Roark, Maylene and Volkner.
* PluckyGirl: She always remains optimistic, even when the odds are against her.
* RunningGag:
** She's frequently on the receiving end of electric attacks, which always leaves her hair messy and frazzled. Her Pachirisu is the main offender, but Pikachu and other electric types have also found reasons to electrocute her.
** Once she acquires her Cyndaquil, it develops a habit of flaring up its back flames while Dawn is holding it, leaving her with an AshFace. In fact, it's the very first thing it does upon hatching.
* ScarfOfAssKicking: Wears a scarf, and fights often.
* ShesGotLegs: Thick and sturdy legs.
* ShipperOnDeck: While normally embarrassed about Brock's antics like everyone else, when it was suggested to him that he [[spoiler:become a Pokémon Doctor]], she's the one to point out that it will help him get closer to all Nurse Joys.
* ShipTease: Naturally, she gets these with Ash. Not to mention that, out of every girl so far, she's the only one to go as far as to be his personal cheerleader during a few of his Gym Battles.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Poor Dawn isn't immune to being zapped, drenched, frozen, or burned by her own Pokémon.
* StaticCharacter: While she matures a good deal, the basic person she is never changes and has never even changed from childhood, right down to her CatchPhrase. She's also the only female companion so far to not have undergone a change in outfit or party lineup aside from an evolution.
* StepfordSmiler: Tries to put on a good face after her first losing streak. Doesn't work in the end.
* SupremeChef: A few hands-on lessons are enough to get her cooking Poffins like a pro.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Probably the most explicit example of any of Ash’s friends; like May before her, Dawn is a NiceGirl Pokémon coordinator whose quest [[RotatingArcs alternates in focus with Ash]] and who has a famous parent. The writers did work to make them distinct however [[note]] Dawn was more traditionally feminine than the sometimes tomboyish May and lacked the latter’s BigEater tendencies. Dawn also knew she wanted to be a Coordinator from the start, but conversely, struggled in her early contests much more than May ever did [[/note]].
* SkywardScream: Does this in "Dawn's Early Night" after losing the Hearthome contest.
-->'''Dawn:''' ''[as she runs to the balcony]'' AAAAAAAAAAH!
* ATasteOfDefeat: Tying in with her ButtMonkey role, Dawn is the first of few "twerps" to suffer [[TeamRocketWins an unnegated defeat from Team Rocket]] in an episode. ''Twice'' for that matter:
** In "Team Shocker" Jessie (as Jessilina) wins her first ribbon in the Solaceon contest, one Dawn doesn't even pass the Appeals Round for. [[HeroicBSOD She does not take it well.]]
** James (disguised as Jessilina) directly defeats her in the battle round of the Lilypad contest in "Dressed For Jess Success". While Dawn was a GracefulLoser this time round, it didn't remotely taint James and Meowth's victory over her.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl:
** Girly Girl to Zoey's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to her predecessor May's Tomboy.
** The Girly Girl to Iris' Tomboy in ''Best Wishes''. Dawn really is the eternal Girly Girl of this anime, huh?
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: She's terrified of Plusle and Minun, because of an incident in kindergarten when she hugged them too hard and they shocked her, making her hair stand on end and everyone laugh at her.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Her fantasy in the LotusEaterMachine episode shows us that she even wants to surpass her mother.
* WorthyOpponent: When Dawn finally eliminated her in the Grand Festival, Jessie admitted (albeit infuriated) that she was this. Jessie herself managed to achieve her most even handed rivalry against Dawn, equalling and even besting her at times. Since Dawn never saw through her "Jesselina" alias, she was rather respectful towards her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dawn's Pokémon]]
* BadassAdorable: The majority of her team are comprised of cute-looking Pokémon who are all competent in Pokémon Contests. Even her not-so-cute ones, specifically Mamoswine, used to be a very cute but strong Swinub.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: Mamoswine and Togekiss are the big guys, Piplup, Buneary, Cyndaquil and Pachirisu are the little guys.
* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: All but Mamoswine are adorable Pokémon, and even he was cute as a Swinub. Buizel was another exception, since he used to be the cool guy in the group, but he's soon replaced by the cute GenkiGirl Aipom.
!!Piplup (Pochama)
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piplup_5642.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/EtsukoKozakura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/MicheleKnotz
Piplup is Dawn's first Pokémon. She befriended him after saving him from a wild Ariados' attack, when Piplup and Chimchar had fled from Professor Rowan's lab.
----
* AttentionWhore: Regarding Dawn's attention, at least. Piplup sometimes has a fit when Dawn isn't giving him the attention it wants. Heck, the episode "Piplup Up and Away" was dedicated to Piplup getting upset because Dawn and the gang wasn't giving him the attention he wanted.
* BerserkButton: His EstablishingCharacterMoment was throwing a fit when Professor Rowan's Chimchar stole the last bite of his food.
* BigEater: Gets a GrowlingGut often, and enjoys food.
* BreakoutCharacter: Originally just a starter Pokémon for the regional main girl Dawn, Piplup became very popular with viewers during the DP saga, especially in Japan. Noticeably, he began appearing outside of his Poké Ball more and more often until he eventually stopped being seen inside it altogether (save for rare occasions). He also got promoted to being a co-star with Ash's Pikachu in the merchandising, a feat that only Misty's Togepi had accomplished prior.
* BubbleGun: Bubble Beam, which fires several bubbles in quick succession, was the very first attack he was seen using, and it's still his SignatureMove to date.
* ButtMonkey: To clarify it has been:
** Attacked by Elekid and Electabuzz [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/066 on two]] [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/137 different occasions]].
** Zapped by Pikachu ([[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash%27s_Pikachu yes That Pikachu]]) [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/149 after bumping into it]].
** Knocked into a crater by Ash and Gible (using Draco Meteor) on purpose and [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/626ps11.shtml having to fend off against a Magnezone and a Metagross]].
** Not to mention [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP156 all]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP157 those]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP164 other]] [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP172 times]] it got hit by Draco Meteor ([[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/174 except for that one time that Kenny got hit by it]]).
* CampStraight: Very campy, but showed attraction to Meloetta. Though Meloetta is gender less, so...
* TheChewToy: It is always nailed by Ash's Gible's Draco Meteor while the latter was trying to master that move.
* ColorFailure:
** In "Battling a Cute Drama!" when Marilyn said he wasn't cute.
** In "Piplup, Up, And Away!" when he overheard Dawn telling Gible it wasn't at fault for dropping Draco Meteors on him.
** When Dawn had her reappearance in Unova, in "Piplup, Pasage, and a Meeting of the Times!", he shares one with Dawn in reaction to Cilan's "Evaluation Time" during a training battle with Pansage.
%%* {{Determinator}}
* DramaQueen: If something annoys him, he'll let you know. Loudly.
* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: He'a based off of a penguin, and a hero.
* {{Expy}}: There are lots of similarities between Piplup and Pikachu. Both befriended their trainers after serious peril, and resist evolution to their next forms. Piplup also prefers to travel outside his Poké Ball, though he will come out of one for Performances to accrue Charm Points.
* FireForgedFriends: At the end of the Junior Cup arc in [=BW2=], he seems to have formed a close bond with Oshawott (who was his rival for Meloetta's affection).
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Did this to Dawn when she was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown before one Contest. Instead of slapping her, he blasted her with Bubble Beam.
%%* GreenEyedMonster: For Dawn, regarding [[TheLancer Cyndaquil]].
* GrowlingGut: In his debut. This is what made him to accept food from Dawn.
* HeroicBSOD: He had this when he was trying to evolve but didn't want to.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Pikachu during the DP series.
%%* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam.
* InterspeciesRomance: "Piplup, Up, and Away" makes it pretty clear he has a huge crush on Dawn. The music is what puts it over the top.
* JerkassBall: He could be seen as downright selfish in some of the episodes. In "Different Strokes for Different Blokes", he ate Aipom's orange causing them to argue. He also collided with Turtwig in "The Champ Twins!" and they started arguing again. He also didn't accept Turtwig's apology when Turtwig is trying to make up with him. In "Gone with the Wildworks", he's shown to be selfish towards Cyndaquil for Dawn's attention. He even slapped Cyndaquil out of the way and ate the poffin which causes them to start a fight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is rather selfish but does love Dawn and always tries to do his best for her.
* MakingASplash: He's a Water-Type and knows common water moves such as Bubblebeam, Whirlpool and Hydro Pump.
%%* NoSenseOfDirection
* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Occasionally bickers with Dawn, even though it's clear they care about each other at the same level that Ash and Pikachu do.
* LostFoodGrievance: In his first episode, he got mad at the starter Chimchar when it stole the last bite of his food, starting a fight that wrecked Professor Rowan's lab and led to both of them escaping out a broken window, along with a Starly and Staraptor.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: The Mean to Cyndaquil's Nice and Pikachu's In-Between. He's more hot-headed, assertive, cranky and grumpy compared to the more quiet, calm, friendly and polite Cyndaquil while Pikachu mediates between the two.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: This is apparently due less to its infamous "forced mascot" status and more because the producer considers Prinplup and Empoleon ugly. In series, it's because he's afraid of changing personalities when he evolves, and in the dub because he wants to protect Dawn as he is.
* NotQuiteFlight: Piplup, being based on a penguin, doesn't actually fly naturally.[[note]]The entire Piplup line [[ShownTheirWork never picks up the Flying type]].[[/note]] He's shown occasionally to be capable of flying a very short distance from the momentum of using [=BubbleBeam=] or being sent out from his Poké Ball.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: From Bide, to Whirlpool, to even Hydro Pump, all while not even approaching Dawn's knees in height.
* PluckyComicRelief: Goofy and funny, and [[ButtMonkey hapless to match.]]
* RealMenWearPink: On several occasions he has sported a ''pink female'' cheerleading outfit. Later on they opted for more masculine clothing though.
* RedOniBlueOni: The red to Cyndaquil's blue. He is more hot-headed and assertive compared to the more quiet and calm Cyndaquil, an ironic inverse given their color schemes.
* SignatureMove: Bubble Beam is used the most out of every move he knows, and he never forgot how to use it.
* TookALevelInBadass: Upon learning Hydro Pump, one of the most powerful water attacks known.
* WaveMotionGun: When he uses Hydro Pump, he blasts a massive cannon of water at his opponent that is at least 10x bigger than he is.
* WouldHitAGirl: Repeatedly attacks his master when angered as a RunningGag.
!!Buneary (Mimirol)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Buneary_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami (first voice), Creator/SatsukiYukino (current)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
From the beginning of ''Diamond and Pearl'', Dawn wanted a Buneary. This Buneary was [[ThirdTimesTheCharm her third attempt to capture one]]. Of course, it helps that this particular Buneary had developed an intense crush on Ash's Pikachu.
----
* ActionGirl: Especially noteable in "Hold the Phione" - after the titular Pokémon challenges Pikachu for her, she's offended because (A) Pikachu's in a tight spot, and (B) she's being treated like some sort of prize. She demands Phione battle ''her'' instead. And ''wins''.
* BadassAdorable: She's a little bunny that's capable of both giving you a run for your money in battle and making you go "aww" at the same time.
* BunniesForCuteness: Is based off of a rabbit, and is ''adorable.''
* CrushBlush: She cannot resist Pikachu.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: First she jumps to save Pikachu from an incoming motorcycle, then when he tries to thank her she hides her face and bounds away, in the process [[WatchOutForThatTree crashing into a tree]]. This sets her up as a graceful ActionGirl who nonetheless crushes ''hard'' on Pikachu.
* TheFashionista: Not an extreme example, but she's occasionally seen sporting a vest that Dawn made for her, and the Sinnoh arc ends with her becoming a model.
* AnIcePerson: Knows Ice Beam, which is also her signature move for Contests.
* NonElemental: She's the Normal-type of the team.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's tiny, but she froze Ash, Dawn, and Brock in her debut episode, and she frequently holds her own against larger opponents..
* WingdingEyes: Gets hearts in her eyes when she looks at Pikachu.
!!Pachirisu
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Pachirisu_5914.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura
----
* AmbiguousGender: It's probably male, given its design and an incident in DP138[[note]]Johanna's Umbreon and Glameow used Attract against both Pachirisu and Piplup, and it worked on both. Umbreon and Glameow do not have known genders.[[/note]], but never explicitly confirmed.
* DeathGlare: Gave one to Ursula's Gabite after its Poffin was stepped on - an ''impressive one'' for normally happy-go-lucky Pachirisu.
* KidAppealCharacter: The second youngest of Dawn's Pokémon, and the one who acts like a kid the most.
* LostFoodGrievance: Pachirisu does ''not'' like its Poffins being [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/084 stolen]] or [[http://www.filb.de/anime/dp/114 smashed]]. Do any of those, and it'll make sure you pay for dearly for it.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Despite a major type disadvantage, it crushed Ursula's Gabite in the Chocovine Contest with is newly learned Super Fang.
* ScissorsCutsRock: It was able to defeat Ursula's Gabite in a Contest battle with Super Fang, despite Gabite being immune to Electric-type moves.
* StaticElectricity: Sometimes buzzes Dawn with this, and makes her hair pop out.
* SuperSpeed: Like most Electric-types, but in its debut episode it outran six of the gang's Pokémon at once (including ''Pikachu'') in a very silly game of high-speed chase.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins. The first time it was denied them, it shocked everyone until Pikachu snapped it out of it. Then there's the BerserkButton...
* YellowLightningBlueLightning: Emits the blue variety when using Discharge.
!!Buizel (Buoysel)
Traded to Ash for Aipom. For more info, see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Aipom-Ambipom (Eipam-Eteboth)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Aipom_8895.png]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Ambipom_9427.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Miyako Ito (Eipam), Chie Sato (Eteboth)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Miyako Ito (Aipom), Emily Jenness (Ambipom)
Aipom was a Pokémon that Ash caught during his journey through the Battle Frontier in Kanto. She is very affectionate towards him and secretly follows him when Ash set off to Sinnoh. While Aipom was shown to be a capable battler in Gym Battles, she develops a big interest in Contests, which would later lead to Ash trading her with Dawn's BloodKnight Buizel. She is competent in Contests, but she eventually develops an interest in Pokémon Ping Pong and later leaves Dawn's team, so the Ping Pong master can foster her talent.
----
* TheAce: She instantly excels everything she sets her interest on: pranking, battle, Contest and finally Pokemon ping pong.
* ActionGirl:
** While she preferred Contests, she was used several times in battle when she was under the ownership of Ash and didn't seem to mind.
** She beat Gardenia's strongest Pokémon, Roserade, so it's safe to say that although she prefers Contests, her battling skills are something to be proud of.
%%* BareFistedMonk: Knows Focus Punch.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: After being traded over to Dawn, her crush on Ash was all but completely forgotten. The last time she even acknowledged Ash as her former trainer was when she was getting ready to be PutOnABus, and even then it wasn't much.
* ClingyMacGuffin: Gets a crown that was was too small for Aipom, thus it being stuck to her head for most of the episode.
%%* DoppelgangerSpin: Knows Double Team.
* EleventhHourRanger: She was caught by Ash ten episodes before the end of the Advanced Generation series.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: It basically goes without saying, since she is a monkey-based Pokémon.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Ever since Ash captured her at such a late time (during the Battle Frontier saga) and the fact that Aipom followed Ash and Pikachu to Sinnoh, it was rather obvious that the writers were planning to evolve her.
* GenkiGirl: Of course; most of her species tend to be this.
* LittleStowaway: Decided to sneak to Sinnoh with Ash instead of stay with Professor Oak like the rest of his Hoenn (and before) Pokémon. Ash decides to keep her in his Sinnoh crew until her trade to Dawn.
* NiceHat: Has a fondness for them, famously Ash's hat, or, in one episode, a ''crown''.
%%* NonElemental
%%* PintsizedPowerhouse: As Aipom.
* ThePrankster: When it was with Ash as an Aipom, she would play silly pranks on him, such as taking his hat for instance.
* PutOnABus: Similar to Ash's Primeape and ironically they are both ape-like Pokémon. She was last seen going away from the gang on a bus.
* RunningOnAllFours: Sometimes, such as when chasing Pachirisu in "Twice Smitten, Once Shy!"
%%* SpamAttack: Knows Fury Swipes.
!!Swinub-->Piloswine-->Mamoswine (Urimoo-->Inomoo-->Mammoo)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Swinub_7259.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Piloswine_8918.png]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Mamoswine_8039.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' InukoInuyama (Urimoo and Inomoo), Creator/UnshoIshizuka (Mammoo)\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Swinub), Tim Werenko (Piloswine), Creator/MarcThompson (Mamoswine)
----
* {{Acrofatic}}: Despite his huge size, he can make an impressive jump, shown off in ''Playing the Performance Encore.'' Lampshaded by Ursula: "Huh? With that huge body?!"
%%* BalloonBelly: In [=DP084=].
%%* TheBerserker: This once cost Dawn a contest.
* BigEater: To the point where all the other Pokémon might actually be in danger of starving to death. It's a species trait, actually.
* BlindingBangs: Piloswine has bangs that cover his eyes.
%%* BrilliantButLazy: Acts this way towards Dawn for a while.
* CuttingTheKnot: Mamoswine has almost never won a Contest by retaining the lead when the buzzer sounds. It tends to simply KO the competition. As Dawn has noted, this can be seen as missing the point of Contests.
%%* DeathGlare: Mamoswine has an impressive one.
%%* DefrostingIceKing: Mamoswine in the early stages.
%%* DishingOutDirt: Secondary type (Ground).
* ElementalArmor: In dual Contests, the strategy of choice often involves encasing the smaller partner in ice.
* {{Expy}}: In many ways similar to Ash's Charizard. Three stage evolution caught in first stage, in which it has a sweet overall disposition and ''likes'' its new trainer? Check. Personality change upon evolving into second stage? Check. A surprisingly quick transition to its third stage? Check. TookALevelInBadass after evolving, becoming a large powerhouse who lazes around? Check. Has a lifechanging experience with the trainer, involving a defeat against another Pokémon that it both has an advantage and disadvantage to, and restores its loyalty, and beats said mon with trainers help, followed by gradual further CharacterDevelopment? Check, check and ''check''.
* EyesAlwaysShut: Swinub had these perpetually, and they never do open. It's a species trait.
* FullBoarAction: As a Piloswine and later Mamoswine, he is partly based on pigs, hence the name Pilo'''swine''' and Mamo'''swine'''.
* HairTriggerTemper: From his Piloswine form on he becomes frighteningly easy to set off, though he mellows out over time.
* HeroismIncentive: Prior to becoming obedient to Dawn, this is the only way for the latter to motivate him to do anything.
* AnIcePerson: His primary type is Ice. In Contests, Dawn utilizes his Ice-type moves to great effects, which allows him to be presented as a cool and powerful Pokémon next to her cute ones. He's often covered in ice spikes and he can surround his partners in ice for glamorous presentations.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Gradually grows into this role, having shown a soft side as well as an (eventual) fascination to Contests. [[LampshadeHanging Noted in-series, once the other characters observe it]].
* MessyPig: All three of his forms were messy eaters.
* ObliviouslyEvil: He doesn't even realize that the other Pokémon initially have contempt for him because of his enormous appetite.
* PinkIsForSissies: He initially seemed... embarrassed at the fact that he was fascinated by Contests and tried to hide it even when Ash pointed it out. He finally got over it in "Promoting Healthy Tangrowth".
* SpikesOfDoom: He can create gigantic ice spikes on his back by swallowing his own Ice Shard.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Dawn's Poffins, it seems. All her Pokémon enjoy them, but Mamoswine ''really'' [[BigEater can't get enough of them]].
!!Cyndaquil-->Quilava (Hinoarashi-->Magmarashi)
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Cyndaquil_9405.png]]
[[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Quilava_1694.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers (Cyndaquil), Bill Rogers (Quilava)
----
%%* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Knows Flame Wheel.
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Hatched from an egg late in the ''DP'' season.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: As a Cyndaquil, it usually only got angry at Piplup when it was provoked.
* {{Keet}}: He did become pretty excitable when he first saw Dawn practicing for a Contest, and visibly slumped when she said she wouldn't be using him just yet.
* NiceGuy: Her Quilava was always mild-mannered, gentle, and always kept to itself.
* PlayingWithFire: Quilava is a fire type {{Mon}} who knows Flame Wheel.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Piplup's red.
* TheRival: Piplup sees him as this for Dawn's affections. It's usually one-sided, as cyndaquil only fought Piplup when Piplup provoked it.
* SmokeOut: Her Quilava knows Smokescreen, which can cause places to be filled with smoke.
!!Togekiss
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dawn_Togekiss_1158.png]]
-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KikukoInoue
----
%%* BareFistedMonk: Knows Aura Sphere.
%%* BarrierWarrior: Knows Safeguard.
%%* BlowYouAway: Knows Air Slash.
* EleventhHourRanger: Not only the first time Dawn had six Pokémon at once, but she obtained her ''after'' winning her fifth ribbon, and just two episodes before the Grand Festival. Bear in mind that Princess Salvia had been training her to be a Contest Pokémon for quite a while, so it's a JustifiedTrope.
* {{Flight}}: Due to being a flying type, she can fly.
* ItWasAGift: She was given to Dawn by Princess Salvia.
* LadyOfWar: Because she was raised by a princess, she fights with grace and elegance.
%%* NonElemental: Primary type (this was before the species was {{Retcon}}ned to fairy).
* TeamMom: In the episode after she was obtained, Togekiss is seen caring for the ButtMonkey penguin, to the point of scolding Ash's Gible for [[RunningGag targeting Piplup with Draco Meteor]].
%%* YamatoNadeshiko: Just listen to [[Creator/KikukoInoue that voice]].
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Flying Type
[[/folder]]
!Supporting Cast
[[folder: Professor Rowan (Dr. Nanakamado)]]
[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_ProfessorRowan2_3803.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/IemasaKayumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sean Reyes\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Salvador Reyes (season 10), Humberto Sorlózano (season 11), José María Negri (season 12)
The Pokémon professor living in the Sinnoh region. After Dawn unknowingly bumped into him while trying to find his lab, he helped her start her journey as a trainer by giving her the choice of Piplup, Chimchar, or Turtwig as a starter Pokémon. Rowan exhibits the following tropes:
----
%%* BadassMoustache: He has one that covers his entire lower face.
* TheComicallySerious: He's almost too serious even when he's trying to be genuine.
* CoolOldGuy: He's one of the oldest professors, but is still cool with Sinnoh's youth.
* ADayInTheLimelight: The Summer School arc gave him some much-deserved extra screentime.
* DeadpanSnarker: Very frequently. For instance, see his first appearance, in [=DP001=]:
--> '''Dawn:''' ''[after bumping into him]'' I'm - I'm so sorry!\\
'''Rowan:''' ''[turning to face her]'' Hello. You're looking lost.\\
'''Dawn:''' Huh? Are you talking to me, sir?\\
'''Rowan:''' Right. There's no one else here and you're looking very lost.
%%* LoomingSilhouetteOfRage: In the Summer School arc.
* TheMentor: Took Gary under his wing after he decided to become a Pokémon Professor.
%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
%%* TheStraightMan: To his old friend Professor Oak.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Johanna (Ayako)]]
[[quoteright:313:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Johanna-pokemon_4536.jpg]]
[[quoteright:313:Johanna as a Pokémon coordinator champion.]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' MakotoTsumura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Elena Ramírez (season 10), Belinda Martínez (season 13)
Dawn's mom. It's quickly revealed that she was a world famous Pokémon coordinator contest champion when she was a trainer, and she hasn't lost any of her touch as a mother either (as Dawn is quickly proven first-hand). Her favorite Pokémon is her Glameow.
----
* ActionMom: She was a champion Coordinator in her days and hasn't missed a step since then. She still easily beats Dawn in battle.
* AscendedExtra: In the games, Johanna was notable for having noticeably more character than previous moms, who before her mostly provided overnight healing and the occasional item[[note]]Barring the mom from GSC, who ran a bank for you[[/note]], having had a history as a Coordinator and occasionally showing up to compete in the Master Class contests with her Kangaskhan. Here, Johanna not only has a history, but has plenty of presence in Dawn's own character arc, with a history as a champion Pokémon Coordinator, with Dawn seeking to follow in her footsteps.
* CuteKitten: Glameow, who she used in contests.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Her Umbreon is a Dark type, which is Evil type in Japan. She also used it in contests.
%%* EmotionBomb: Umbreon's Attract.
%%* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow and Umbreon's Iron Tail.
* GoodParents: A loving and supportive mother who wholeheartedly encourages Dawn to pursue her dream of becoming a Contest champion.
%%* NonElemental: Glameow's type
* PimpedOutDress: Like Dawn, she's an experienced Coordinator and has a few of those on hand for Contests. Her green standby has OperaGloves and a CoolCrown.
* RetiredBadass: DP's first episode showcases an entire wall of Contest trophies in her house.
%%* SoulPower: Glameow's Shadow Ball and Shadow Claw, and Umbreon's Shadow Ball.
* TextileWorkIsFeminine: She created Dawn's Grand Festival ballgown and Buneary's vest. Possibly justified by a later episode that shows her to be friends with Lila, a fashion designer.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: It appears to be a family trait. Like mother, like daughter, right?
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Reggie (Reiji)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Reggie_8291.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TetsuyaKakihara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Edson Matus (season 11 and 13), Javier Olguín (season 12).
Paul's older brother and a Pokémon breeder.
----
* BrokenAce: Defeated by the Pyramid King Brandon, but quickly recovered unlike his brother.
* ChekhovsGun: in "''Lost Leader Strategy''", Reggie's revealed to have completed the badges in each of the four regions. He also has the Symbols from the Battle Frontier, but there's one missing, which means a lot more when Paul's backstory is elaborated further.
* CommonalityConnection: Inverted with Ash. The main reason Paul hates Ash is because all that talk about bring out a Pokemon's inner strength reminds Paul of Reggie, whose loss to Brandon had profound psychological consequences on Paul. They share another point of connection between them in that Reggie has earned all the same badges and Frontier Symbols Ash had before quitting.
* CoolBigBro: Even if Paul's not the easiest to get along with, he looks after his Pokémon for him and encourages him as best he can.
* DisappointingOlderSibling: Subverted. Paul respects Reggie enough to leave his Pokémon with the latter. However, Paul sees Reggie’s "kindness to his Pokemon" part of his training style as a disappointment. While he does not hold a grudge against Reggie for it, it is the reason for Paul's animosity towards Ash.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** PoisonousPerson: Swalot
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]MakingASplash: Bibarel
%%*** NonElemental[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Staraptor
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type.
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Staraptor's Steel Wing.
%%*** [[AnIcePerson An Ice Pokémon]]: Bibarel's Ice Beam.
* {{Foil}}: To Paul, being much happier, kinder and more generous to Pokemon than his cold and grumpy little brother.
%%* FriendToAllLivingThings: He's a Pokémon Breeder. Comes with the territory.
* MasterOfNone: When he lost to Brandon, the Pyramid King stated this was the main reason he lost. Reggie may have had a lot of achievements, but he hasn't developed a special form of battle strategy to give him any real strengths to deal with the elite trainers.
* MoralDissonance: He's quite aware of Paul's [[TrainingFromHell training methods]], but doesn't even lift a finger to discipline his brother or teach him the error of his ways. Some depth is revealed when Maylene relates her [[BreakTheCutie ego-crushing encounter with Paul]] to Ash, he admits Paul's always had a cruel streak. It could be that he's tried to curb this side of him, but failed. This is TruthInTelevision - stubborn people like Paul often can't be convinced that they are wrong, especially not with just words.
%%* MoralityPet: Could be considered this for Paul.
* NiceGuy: He's much kinder and more pleasant than his little brother.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. A character of the day from ''Best Wishes'' has the same Japanese, but not English, name as him.
* RealMenWearPink: He wears a pink shirt.
* RetiredBadass: Four complete sets of 8 Gym Badges, and six of the Kanto Frontier Brain Symbols (the only one he doesn't have is Brandon's). His defeat to Brandon is the reason he's given up taking League challenges, something his younger brother Paul is not happy about.
* SiblingYinYang: He's the exact opposite of Paul. He's a nice guy who trains hard, values friendship, and succeeds in his goals and ambitions. Paul is a {{Jerkass}} of the highest calibur who thinks friendship is a [[UnusualEuphemism load of Tauros]]. All because his older brother is the successful one.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has the same downward-slanted eyes as Paul and a similar shade of purple hair, though his is a darker color.
* ThemeNaming: In Japanese, Reiji contains ''rei,'' meaning "courtesy" or "propriety", while his little brother's name, Shinji, contains ''shin,'' "trust" or "confidence".
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Looker (Handsome)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/looker_badge.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/MasakiTerasoma\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JasonGriffith\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Emmanuel Bernal
A detective with the International Police who is investigating Team Galactic. He will also appear against Team Plasma in ''Best Wishes''.
----
* AdaptedOut: His Croagunk from the games and ''Anime/PokemonGenerations'' is nowhere to be found in the main anime series.
%%* BadassLongcoat
* BadassNormal: Unlike the games, he doesn't have any Pokémon to help in his assignments. He's extremely competent despite this. Case in point, he manages to get a hold of and subdue [[MookLieutenant Aldith]], and keep her in place with a pipe until Colress arrived and took over the Golurks. Impressive!
* TheBusCameBack: Returns in ''Black and White 2: Episode N'' to investigate Team Plasma, possibly to reflect his appearance in the games.
* MasterOfDisguise: It's surprising he doesn't give off any clues it is him until he reveals himself.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: When we first meet him, he comes off as a bit quirky due to having bought too many lunches on the train (the fact he gave some to Team Rocket [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe explains why they're loyal to him later]]). At the end of that episode, we find out he's investigating Team Galactic.
%%* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
* OddFriendship: Looker and Team Rocket get along pretty damn well despite the former being with the police and the latter being known criminals. Hell, Looker was the one that convinced Team Rocket to help Ash and the others out against Team Plasma.
* PoliceAreUseless: Averted! If anything, he is ''more'' useful than most Officer Jennies we've seen.
* TheWorfEffect: He is captured during the climax of both the Team Galactic and the Team Plasma arc.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhonda (Yuka)]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHiyamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/SarahNatochenny (Season 10 up until episode 29), Creator/RhondaKrempa (rest of Season 10 to episode 155 of Season 13), Creator/BellaHudson (rest of Season 13)
The hostess of the news channel ''Sinnoh Now!''
----
* ButtMonkey: Almost all of her major appearances has some kind of misfortune happening to her, whether it's constantly getting smacked on the head with a boom mic or missing out on a chance to cover an exciting story. Poor woman can't catch a break.
* TheCameo: Has a small appearance in the credits of ''Zoroark: Master of Illusions'' on the TV Johanna is watching.
* IntrepidReporter: If Rhonda's not broadcasting news in the studio, she’s usually out trying to cover whatever kind of event that's currently going on. However, due to outside forces and the incompetence of her film crew, her success rate is kinda 50/50.
* IsThisThingStillOn: Whenever she's broadcasting live and starts berating her boom operator, it's always caught on camera, with an embarrassed Rhonda trying to continue her story and trying to pretend it didn't happen.
* MsExposition: Is usually the one that delivers information to viewers about current events happening in the Sinnoh region.
* RunningGag: She's almost always getting smacked on the head with the boom mic held by her incompetent boom operator, with her always threatening to get said operator demoted to the mail room.
* ThrowTheDogABone: Her final appearance in the anime has her able to successfully perform interviews with the Sinnoh Grand Festival participants without anything bad happening, not even a single incident caused by her film crew or her boom operator.
[[/folder]]
!Rivals
[[folder:In General]]
* TheCameo: They appear among the other recurring ''Diamond & Pearl'' characters in the ending credits of ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions.''
* GenderEqualEnsemble: Specifically, Dawn's rivals; two are male and two are female.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: This series introduced eight recurring rivals with a total of 60 Pokémon between them. Because of this, some had a lot less screentime than others, which may be the reason for future series cutting down on the number of rivals.
* NiceMeanAndInbetween: Due to their varying personalities.
** Nice--Zoey (TheMentor), Nando (NiceGuy), Barry (GenkiBoy)
** Mean--Paul (GrumpyBear), Ursula (AlphaBitch)
** In-between--Kenny (JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]LovingBully), Conway (StalkerWithACrush), Tobias (DarkIsNotEvil)
* PromotedToOpeningTitles: Paul in Season 10, Zoey in Season 11, Barry in Season 12 (theme version 1), Kenny in Season 12 (theme version 2), Tobias, Nando, Conway, and Ursula in Season 13.
* TheRival: Each of these characters is competing with either Ash, for Gym Badges, or Dawn, for Ribbons. Nando is doing both.
* TwoGirlsToATeam: If this gang of rivals can be considered a "team", Zoey and Ursula are the only female rivals in this series.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul (Shinji)]]
[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Anime_Paul_5006.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Julian Rebolledo\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Gerardo García (seasons 10, 11 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz, Eduardo Ramírez and Ricardo Bautista (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Alessandro Bevilacqua (1st voice), Gauthier De Fauconval (2nd voice)
Ash's main rival in the Sinnoh region. Paul only cares about one thing: Becoming the best through sheer technical discipline. He only goes after Pokémon who have the best moves and abandons those who fail him, which is how Ash acquired Chimchar. In short, he doesn't care how his Pokémon feel, but only how they perform. Ash doesn't take too kindly to this.
----
* AbusiveParents: Or rather, an abusive trainer. He was this to Chimchar, always verbally (and eventually physically) abusing him, and pushing him way past his limits to get his [[UnstoppableRage Blaze]] ability to activate.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Paul is this to Ash, becoming a formidable wall he must overcome.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He makes no effort to hide how much superior he thinks he is to everyone else. He may mostly be an overconfident {{Jerkass}}, but there's no denying that he's a good battler.
* AwesomeByAnalysis:
** Paul was able to [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] Ash in a full battle by building his team specifically to counter Ash's Sinnoh Pokémon.
** During the Sinnoh League, [[spoiler:he has his Pokémon use the Counter-Shield technique that Ash developed]].
* BadBoss: Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon kindly and puts them into a harsh training regiment without caring much about their well-being as long as they can bring out results. Particularly Chimchar is put under a lot of abuse, since Blaze can only be activated once Chimchar's stamina is at its limit. The rest of his Pokémon like him, though we only find out at the very end of the series.
* BadassBoast: "The challenge you always present to Trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do. But I'm not like my brother! My will gives me strength! And now, you'll see it firsthand!" Subverted when he immediately gets crushed in the ensuing battle by Brandon.
* TheBadGuyWins: While not exactly a villain, Paul is Ash's most antagonistic rival by far, and he beats Ash in the majority of their battles.
* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: His cruel treatment of his Pokémon is what makes him so despicable. It really says something about him that even the ruder rivals, most notably Harley, Ursula, and Burgundy, [[PetTheDog show more caring toward their Pokémon]] than he does to his own.
* BatmanGambit: Pulls off several at Lake Acuity.
** He purposely allows his Torterra to miss its first Frenzy Plant, baiting Ash into using several close-range attacks with Gliscor while Torterra recharges. This allows Paul to trap its tail with Crunch and get off a point-blank hit with Giga Drain, badly damaging Gliscor while healing off most of the damage taken earlier. This is immediately followed up with another Batman Gambit as Ash switches to Staraptor, allowing Paul to nail it with a super effective Stone Edge.
** He sends out his Honchkrow to battle Grotle, knowing that despite the type disadvantage, Ash will likely stay in with Grotle to avenge its loss to Honchkrow [[ContinuityNod earlier in the series]]. He is correct, and Honchkrow defeats Grotle easily.
** He throws Ash off guard by choosing [[PlayingWithFire Magmortar]] and [[BadassNormal Ursaring]] to battle Pikachu, knowing that Ash will take initiative and battle head-on. This turns out to be a ploy to activate their respective abilities in [[StatusAilment Flame Body]] and [[StatusBuff Guts]], while also taking advantage of ''Pikachu's'' natural ability Static, completely overwhelming him.
* BreakTheHaughty: His defeat against Brandon. It triggers his first step towards rethinking his ways.
* BringIt: In the battle between Ash and Paul in the Sinnoh League Tournament. Electivire uses this to get Infernape to stand up, and Paul even calls Infernape pathetic. In the Japanese version, he just tells Infernape to stop disappointing him again and again.
* BrokenPedestal: He lost faith in his older brother's skills after seeing him lose to Brandon and subsequently give up on Pokémon training.
* CatchPhrase:
-->'''Original:''' "[Pokémon], battle standby."\\
'''English Dub:''' "[Pokémon], stand by for battle."
** Another catchphrase of his from the English dub is "pathetic."
* CharacterDevelopment: Paul starts off as arrogant, alienating, and cruel to the core. By the time he finally loses to Ash at the Pokémon League, he is significantly kinder. He briefly admits that Barry put up a good battle after defeating him, and thanks his Electivire for trying his best after losing to Infernape. He's still distant and stoic, but he's come a long way.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: He was more visibly sinister and prone to [[PsychoticSmirk psychotic smirks]] in his first appearance, but from his second and onward he was more [[TheStoic stoic]] in his jerkassery.
* CombatPragmatist: In the earlier episodes of the Sinnoh saga, this boy was not above commanding his Pokémon to attack Team Rocket while they were reciting their motto. He even managed to capture a Gliscor by having his Electabuzz and Weavile blast it while Ash and co. were trying to negotiate with it.
* TheComicallySerious: He can be this when he's put in situations in which Ash and co are goofing off.
* CrazyPrepared: Particularly against Ash in the late stages of their rivalry.
** He teaches his Torterra Stone Edge to deal with the Fire- and Flying-types on Ash's Sinnoh team, and furthermore teaches it to [[HomingProjectile change the direction]] of the stones to prevent more agile Pokemon from dodging it.
** He temporarily teaches his Electabuzz Light Screen to serve a more supportive role. With the extra defensive buff, Paul's MightyGlacier Torterra because exceedingly hard to touch, as special attacks are halved in power while physical attacks are stopped cold with Stone Edge.
** In the Sinnoh League, Paul has his Gastrodon use the [[SpinToDeflectStuff Counter Shield]] technique [[VariantPowerCopying coined by Ash]], creating a large vortex of Muddy Water that makes it difficult to get in close. Ash sees a weak spot close to the ground and has Staraptor go after it, but Paul sees this coming and is able to trap it with Body Slam. Ash manages to escape Body Slam by banging the ground with Close Combat, but Paul is ''[[UpToEleven still]]'' prepared for that and nails it with Ice Beam as it escapes.
* CurbStompBattle:
** He got on the ''receiving'' side of it when he challenged Cynthia, whose Garchomp single-handedly defeated four of his Pokémon without breaking a sweat.
** He lost again against Frontier Brain Brandon without defeating a single one of his Pokémon, which led to his breakdown.
** His battle with Ash by Lake Acuity was heavily dominated by Paul. While Ash delivered a good match, Paul only lost two of six Pokémon, while Ash lost completely, half of his team being beaten by Paul's Ursaring alone.
* DeadpanSnarker: Paul also had some more snarky and cynical moments. He was snarkier in the beginning of the series and becomes outright hateful later on, despite being and looking way more mature than the other characters.
* DeathGlare: His default expression. He gives this to a lot of people he is annoyed with.
* {{Deconstruction}}:
** His whole character is one of [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
** He also serves as a deconstruction toward Ash's reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship and the IndyPloy. Almost every time Ash tries to prove to Paul that a strong bond can overcome any matchup, he gets shown up ''hard''. Ash has to significantly up his game and battle far more strategically to finally defeat him.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Downplayed. In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry. They're not exactly friends on account of the immense personality clash, but they've come a long way from the borderline [[ArchEnemy arch-enemies]] they were at first.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: After a long, grueling battle during the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash finally brings him down...and then Tobias comes in.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Acts like a huge {{Jerkass}} to ''everyone'' just because [[spoiler:his older brother failed to live up to the expectations Paul had of him.]]
* EnemyMine: He's paired up with Ash in the Tag Battle tournament.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** While he dislikes Ash and friends, his last appearance before the Sinnoh League, where he has Electabuzz use Protect to shield them from the falling debris of a Team Rocket mecha, shows that his dislike doesn't extend to outright ''murderous'' levels.
** Notably, he always uses a surprisingly-calm tone when speaking to Dawn, and he (somewhat) rationally and calmly explains his hatred of Ash to her before the Sinnoh League. The shippers took this and ran with it, thus giving birth to Ikarishipping (named due to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Paul's Japanese name]]).
** While Paul is a SoreLoser only interested in winning, even he hates Volkner for just giving out badges without a battle.
* EvilCounterpart: TheStoic, SocialDarwinist to contrast Ash's [[{{Keet}} expressive]], AllLovingHero. He's meant to represent what Ash would be if he only cared about his Pokémon's strength, and not them as individuals.
* {{Expy}}: Of Silver from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver GSC/HGSS]]'', given that he's a {{Jerkass}} rival to the main character who only cares about his Pokémon's power rather than connecting to them. They even have similar outfits and hair styles.
* FlatWhat: Expresses shock and disbelief when he finds out Ash defeated the leader of the Frontier Brains, Brandon.
* {{Foil}}: To Ash. Both are seasoned trainers who aim ToBeAMaster, but their philosophies are completely different. Whereas Ash succeeds through teamwork and love, Paul thrives on cold calculations and sheer power. Ash first wins his Pokémon's hearts, then improves their skills. Paul does not bother with bonding and gets straight to intense training.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: He once forgot who Dawn was, despite having met her twice before. [[DemonHead To say Dawn reacted poorly would be an understatement.]]
* FreudianExcuse: Paul resents his brother Reggie for giving up his dreams after a single loss and vows to never be like him (as a matter of fact, it's also why he hates Ash so much -- Ash talks about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength much like Reggie has). He patches things up with his brother eventually.
* GoodTamingEvilTaming: In contrast to Ash, Paul is cold (if not [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals abusive]]) to his own Pokémon. He captures them, using his [=PokéDex=] to measure their strengths and skill sets and either releasing them or giving them to somebody else if they fail to meet his expectations. He has even stated that developing an attachment to his Pokémon would make them weak. He becomes less so as the series progresses, but that does not stop him from being a dick.
* GrumpyBear: Paul's usual expression is anger and being in a bad mood. Despite not showing too many other emotions, grumpiness for Paul seems to be his second most well known trait.
* HeyYou: Barely acknowledges Ash by name, particularly in the Japanese version.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Beaten by his own former Pokémon, Chimchar, that he had mistreated. It personally took out half of his team.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Despite saying that when a Pokémon loses, it's the trainer's fault for not training it correctly, he blames his own Pokémon, especially Chimchar, for their losses.
** In the finals of the Tag Team Tournament, he maintains his belief that Chimchar and Ash are weak since Heracross was still briefly standing despite being hit point blank by a Flanethrower, and that it only fainted because Buizel collided with it when hit by Electabuzz's Thunder. While accurate, the exact same thing would apply for Paul and Electabuzz as Buizel was briefly still standing despite being hit point blank by a move it was weak too as well.
** He criticized Ash for using Grotle in [[AnIcePerson Candice's]] gym. This is coming from the guy who used Chimchar against [[DishingOutDirt Roark]].
* HypocriteHasAPoint: While Paul was a hypocrite for criticizing Ash for him using Pokémon that have type disadvantages to their opponents, Paul is still correct.
* IWasJustPassingThrough: Despite his disdain for Ash, he actually stuck around to watch his gym battle with Roark, if only in hopes of seeing him lose.
* IgnoredEpiphany: After being on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle against Cynthia, she told that he must care more by his Pokémon, but he refuses to take it to heart.
* IneffectualLoner: He does not like socializing with others, instead focusing all of his energy on getting stronger. Even so, he has yet to become a Pokémon Master or defeat Brandon.
* {{Irony}}: A fountain of it. Tried to activate a DesperationAttack, faces both Barry and Ash using one. His backstory involves his brother losing to Brandon and his Regi's, with himself losing in time as well. Chimchar's evolution Infernape can counter all three.
* JackOfAllStats: In keeping with his skill as a Trainer, he uses a well-balanced team of many different types.
* {{Jerkass}}: Paul's main characteristic. He's a cantankerous dick who abuses and releases his Pokémon who fail to reach up to his expectations. Even after CharacterDevelopment, he becomes only slightly less of a jerk, and does not become a good person until his final speaking appearance.
* JerkassHasAPoint:
** When he meets Ash at the Sinnoh League, Ash claims he'll be giving it all he's got in their battle. Paul states that ''everyone'' participating has gotten all 8 badges too, so going all out against him and the other trainers Ash is battling amounts next to nothing. Even Ash admitted that Paul was right.
** When Ash praises Staravia during the Tag Team Tournament after Paul's Torterra defeats Brock and Holly, Paul sarcastically asks Ash if they even did anything. While rude to say, it's not inaccurate as Torterra single handedly defeated both of their opponents.
** In one episode, he criticized Ash for using his Grotle, a grass type Pokémon against an ice type in his gym battle against Candace. Considering the type advantage, Paul's complaint wasn't without merit.
** Barry keeps praising Sunyshore gym as one of the best which Paul criticizes as undeserving. It's later reveal the Sunyshore Gym leader gave badges without any challenge of any sort. Ash effectively agrees with Paul by demanding a proper battle.
** During the Sinnoh League episodes, he also tells Barry that overestimating his abilities will only backfire on him. [[spoiler:Paul is proven right when Barry gets curb-stomped HARD by Paul]].
** He justifies giving away his Azumarill claiming it was dead weight. Seeing as his Azumarill lost to a Geodude despite not only having a type advantage, but hitting it with ''Hydro Pump'', his analysis might've been fair.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite having very limited redeeming traits as a person, Paul eventually does have a lighter side to him. He shows it especially later in the Diamond and Pearl Series.
* KnightOfCerebus: Prior to Paul, many of the jerk trainers Ash had defeated in the past were swiftly beaten down. Paul is the first he's crossed who is highly competent. Also, despite his high standards and brutal training, one cannot deny that it has achieved results. Both his Ursaring and his Drapion flattened half of Ash's team in different battles.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Surrenders to Cynthia upon realizing that he just isn't capable of beating her.
* LackOfEmpathy: When he releases Pokémon, they look visibly upset and sad. Paul doesn't bat an eye.
* LaserGuidedKarma:
** Him getting curb stomped by Brandon in one episode counts.
** Ash is ultimately able to defeat him using Infernape, the Pokémon Paul released for supposedly being weak. To make it even better, Infernape defeats his Electivire by using its ability of Blaze, which Paul tried and failed to get it to master.
%%* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown
* NeverMyFault: Combined with hypocrisy. Paul stated that when someone loses a battle, it’s the trainer’s fault. Then when ''he'' were to ever lose, he would blame his Pokémon for supposedly being weak or find another way to take the blame off of himself. When he sends out Chimchar against Cynthia's Garchomp and it gets knocked out without landing a scratch, being an unevolved Pokémon with a type disadvantage, he simply recalls it and says to it, "You ought to be ashamed."
* NoSell: Ash's out-of-the-box strategies that generally give him the edge in battles barely works on Paul if ever fazes him. In their second battle, one of Ash's old tricks, using a "dig" attack's hole against the user, backfires ''hard'' on him when Paul counters the strategy. Even the counter shield, Ash's signature strategy in Sinnoh, not only barely gave him some advantage, but Paul learned it and used it against Ash in the league. Soon after, he flat out copied Ash and Infernape's tactics to rid off toxic spikes, using it to stop Ash's Gliscor.
* NotSoStoic: During his battle with Brandon. Also shows annoyance whenever he sees Ash.
** When Ash asked him if he wanted to watch his battle with Roark, Paul actually ''[[HaHaHaNo laughs.]]''
* ThePerfectionist: He has incredibly high standards for his Pokémon, to the point where he'll abandon those who don't live up to his expectations.
* PerpetualFrowner: He's almost always scowling.
* PetTheDog:
** Despite his harsh treatment towards Chimchar, he and Ursaring save him when Team Rocket attempts to steal him from Paul.
** After he [[spoiler:defeats Barry in the Sinnoh League, he commends him for the effort he put up instead of putting him down. This is a massive change from how he treated others who lost to him]].
** He actually thanks and commends his [[spoiler:Electivire]] for a well-fought battle instead of scolding it after its loss to Infernape.
* PsychoticSmirk: Early on, he smirks when he knows he has the upper hand. The first sign Paul is not a goody two-shoes like Ash.
* RedOniBlueOni: The callous blue to Ash's warmhearted red of the "Diamond and Pearl" series.
* TheRival: Ash's primary rival in Sinnoh and whom Ash held the most bitter rivalry with in the entire series by far. Their differing ideologies on raising Pokémon was the source of most of their antagonistic relationship, which escalated further after Paul released his Chimchar.
* RunningGag: A minor one, but twice he was in the midst of capturing a Pokémon, only to be interrupted by Ash & friends, allowing the Pokémon to escape. The first time it was a Fearow, the second it was a Drapion.
* SiblingYinYang: His older brother Reggie is kind and cheerful, and treats his Pokémon very well.
* SingleIssueWonk: Paul is obsessed with one thing and one thing only--becoming the strongest Pokémon trainer by putting his team through TrainingFromHell. Nothing else matters to him.
* TheSocialDarwinist: Only the best can be a part of his team. The rest get released.
* SoreLoser:
** Sometimes when he loses, he would blame his Pokémon for everything.
** Averted in the last few episodes of Diamond & Pearl. [[GracefulLoser Much to the shock of fans, he takes his loss against Ash in the League rather well, complemented with Paul complimenting his Electivire for a well-fought battle]].
* StealthPun: He puts his Pokémon through TrainingFromHell and abandons them when they don't live up to his expectations. In other words, the way he treats them is "a-Paul-ing."
* StrongAndSkilled: Despite his obsession with strength, Paul is arguably the most strategic battler ever shown in the anime. He thoroughly researches his opponents and employs strategies to target their physical and psychological weaknesses, and unlike most of Ash's opponents, he can quickly adapt to Ash's {{Outside The Box Tactic}}s as he's roughly just as experienced as Ash. It's most on display in his full battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, where Paul pulls off numerous {{Batman Gambit}}s to put Ash in a virtually unwinnable situation. Later on in the Sinnoh League, he purposely sets up two of his Pokemon as {{Sacrificial Lamb}}s in order to lower Ash's guard, only to reveal he was in control the whole time.
* TheStoic: He rarely shows emotion bar occasional bouts of frustration.
%%* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The Technician to Ash's Performer.
* TookALevelInKindness: Incredibly slowly, but it seems like he finally starts to understand his errors by the end.
* ToughLove: For all his faults, Paul is not incapable of treating his Pokémon decently - they are seen relaxing in [=DP100=], and Paul arranged for Torterra to be groomed. While he would probably bite off his tongue before he admitted to being affectionate, the small number of Pokémon he ''does'' keep in his team seem well-treated overall (Chimchar is ''noted'' to be an exceptional case), and their reaction to hearing about his loss in the Sinnoh League indicates that they are, in fact, loyal to him. Torterra appears to be the most loyal to him as well as receiving the most respect from Paul (most likely due to being his starter) because in one episode Torterra went to help Ash's Grotle out of empathy but when Paul discovered what happened, Torterra received no punishment suggesting that Torterra acts as an HonestAdvisor to Paul because he (alongside Paul) witnessed Reggie's defeat at the Battle Pyramid, which in turn caused both of them to form Paul's ideology so that he doesn't follow in Reggie's footsteps.
* TrainingFromHell: Expects nothing but the best from his Pokémon. Any lower and they are released back into the wild. Chimchar got the worst of it, due to Paul's desire to harness the immense power of its Blaze ability.
* TsurimeEyes: He has very sharply shaped eyes, showing that he is not a friendly fellow.
* TheUnfettered: A [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior chillingly accurate portrayal]] for a kid's show. While he is not incapable of showing respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, he is a ruthless and cruel Trainer who [[TrainingFromHell trains his Pokémon harshly]], [[TheSocialDarwinist treats weak Pokémon and even other Trainers with utter contempt]] (like Maylene) and has released or given away no less than six Pokémon on screen for [[YouHaveFailedMe poor performance in battle]] and feels no remorse for his actions, seeing his actions as the only way to make an efficient team. He also [[TheStoic shows little to no emotions]] apart from his ever present scowl (and occasionally a [[PsychoticSmirk condescending smirk]], usually for Ash), is quick and firm in his choices, sees nothing morally wrong in his abuse of both people and Pokémon, and has no qualms about using borderline illegal moves in battle (Elekid using Brick Break on Cranidos' leg, Torterra biting Gliscor's tail, and pretty much every move by [[BearsAreBadNews Ursaring]]), and is by far one of Ash's most powerful rivals, serving almost as a living antithesis to his entire philosophy on Pokémon. Unlike his other rivals Gary and Trip, who were simply at odds with Ash, Paul is a full-blown antagonist.
* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: After beating Gym Leader Maylene and getting the Cobble Badge, he proceeds to insult her:
-->''"You're weakest Leader I've ever fought, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and this lightweight Badge is just like you]]."''
* UsedToBeASweetKid: In Reggie's flashback before Paul starts his battle against Brandon, Paul traveled from Sinnoh to Kanto after receiving his Turtwig because he wanted to see his brother win his final Battle Frontier Symbol. Paul and Turtwig were shown to have notably pleasant dispositions prior to [[BrokenPedestal witnessing Reggie's loss]] and watch Brandon call him out on his lack of true inner strength, though how different Paul is now compared to back then is still debatable.
* VocalDissonance: To a degree. His voice makes him sound ''way'' older than he really is [[note]] it's never said exactly how old he is, but he's likely a young teenager at most[[/note]].
* TheWorfEffect: Brandon effortlessly defeats Paul in a full battle, with the latter failing to knock out any of his opponent's Pokémon, which goes to show that Brandon's status as a Frontier Brain isn't just for show. At the same time, however, Paul's inability to maintain his composure also contributed to his loss.
%%* WorthyOpponent:
%%** Paul bows his head to Roark, his assistant, Cynthia, Nurse Joy, and Brandon. He seems to respect his elders in general, or is at least cordial to them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Releases Pokémon which he perceives as being weak or useless without a second thought, which is how Ash came across Chimchar. Paul only kept Chimchar around hoping to utilize its ability Blaze. When Chimchar was unable to summon it exactly when Paul wanted it, Paul released Chimchar. However, Paul does try to utilize their potential as much as possible, and if it still doesn't work out, then goodbye.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Paul's Pokémon]]
Throughout Paul's several journeys, he has caught a large number of Pokémon, many of them being based on power, but he does use Pokémon who have more tricks in their pockets than just pure strength. While the majority of them are {{Jerkass}}es, they do like him as a trainer.
----
* AmbiguousGender: With the exception of Froslass and Nidoking, who can only be one gender, none of their genders are known. Although, given their personalities, it can assumed that most of them tend to be male.
* CurbStompBattle: 10 of his Pokémon are victims of this trope, being easily defeated by Champion Cynthia's Garchomp and Pyramid King Brandon's Regi Trio.
* HighTurnoverRate: Paul's tendency to boot party members that don't live up to his standards means that he's released more Pokémon than most side characters have even owned. Even aside from those, he fields a ''ton'' of different Pokémon over various battles, to the point that he almost never uses the same team twice.
* {{Jerkass}}: Most of them are nasty in nature and aren't very nice to others, even among themselves. They are a few exceptions, though.
* LightningBruiser: Paul definitely favors these, with Electivire, Ursaring, Honchkrow, and Drapion being both extremely strong and fast enough to deal with more agile opponents.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Like Gary, Paul is one of the few rival characters to have such a high number of Pokémon, which often leads to many of them being under developed as characters. And the series does show Paul constantly capturing new ones.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In the opening ''Together'' and its remix, Paul's team gets updated from time to time, starting from [=DP041=] onwards, even though Ursaring has been caught since [=DP006=].
* YouHaveFailedMe: Those who don't manage to live up to Paul's high standards, they are released. Those who do have great potential, but aren't able to use it, are released when Paul has enough of them.
----
!!Elekid-->Electabuzz-->Electivire (Elekid-->Eleboo-->Elekible)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_electivire.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
The first Pokémon shown alongside Paul as well as his most prominent one. It is the Pokémon who represents his trainer the most: a total {{Jerkass}}, but extremely capable in battle. Elekid was present when Chimchar joined Paul and since the latter was released, they have developed a rivalry with each other, witnessing each other evolving at least once.
----
* EleventhHourSuperpower: During the finale of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, Elekid evolves into Electabuzz, which gives it enough power to win alongside with Ash's Chimchar against Dawn's Buizel and Conway's Heracross.
* BarrierWarrior: Since its introduction, it is shown to know Protect, a move that protects it from any move. It also uses Light Screen during the Lake Acuity battle to support Paul's team, halving the damage inflicted on Paul's Pokémon for a short amount of time.
* BloodKnight: It becomes quite enthusiastic when in battle, and during the Sinnoh League tournament, [[BringIt it taunts Ash's Infernape to get back up and keep battling]].
* BringIt: Electivire taunts its rival, Infernape, to get back up when the latter is down and about to be declared as knocked out.
* DoubleKnockOut: During their first battle, Elekid and Pikachu end up knocking each other out, which also ends the match in a draw. While Ash admits defeat since Pikachu fell down first, Paul does acknowledge it as a draw.
* TheDragon: As Paul's most prominent Pokémon, it serves this role for most of the series, being one of Paul's most capable and reliable Pokémon, and during the league, it is the last Pokémon on Paul's side.
* ElementalPunch: It knows Thunder Punch since its debut, a move that covers its fist in electricity. It's Fighting-type move Brick Break is portayed in a similar manner, as its arm gets covered in electric sparks, making it some kind of a sparking chop.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Like Gastrodon, Paul taught Electivire how to use Counter Shield. By spinning its Thunder, it can defend itself from the opponent while attacking.
* JackOfAllTrades: It is living proof that Paul is a competent trainer. Elekid/Electabuzz/Electivire can be used as a straight up battler with defensive moves or as a supporting member with offensive capabilities.
* {{Jerkass}}: The most prominent example of Paul's Pokémon. It outright antagonizes Ash's Pokémon for no reason other than for its own amusement. Even when Paul is not present.
* LightningBruiser: Electivire is shown to be one of Paul's more powerful and tougher Pokémon, and if its Motor Drive ability kicks in, its speed increases massively.
* NoSell: Electivire's ability is Motor Drive, which makes it immune to Electric-type moves and instead increases its speed immensely.
* PrehensileTail: Electivire can capture its opponent with its tails, which allows it to perform a point blank Thunder.
* PsychoElectro: Electivire is just as much of a {{Jerkass}} as Paul is; in its debut, it shocked Pikachu without provocation and laughed about it, and it often taunts its opponents (particularly Ash's Infernape).
* TheRival: To Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape. They are introduced in the same episode and Elekid was already a jerk to Chimchar when he was still with Paul. They have become rivals once Chimchar was released and joined Ash's team. Chimchar witnesses Elekid's evolution, while Electabuzz witnesses Monferno's evolution. During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz briefly fights Chimchar and is later switched back on the field to see that he has suddenly evolved into Monferno, which fires Electabuzz up. The climax of their rivalry is during the Lily of the Valley Conference where both of them are the final Pokémon of their respective sides.
* ShockAndAwe: It is Paul's only known Electric-type Pokémon, and since its debut it knows Thunder and Thunder Punch.
* StatusAilment: Elekid's ability is Static, which can paralyze the opponent when it makes contact with Elekid. The ability has been changed to Motor Drive once it became Electivire.
* SupportPartyMember: During the Lake Acuity battle, Electabuzz's main role is activating Light Screen to half the damage inflicted on Paul's team. It still is capable of battling the opponent by its own, though, but it doesn't get to fight for long until its fight with its rival, Monferno.
* TheWorfEffect: Like all of Paul's Pokémon used against Pyramid King Brandon, the reliable Electabuzz is quickly defeated, showing how powerful Bradon's Pokémon are.
* WorthyOpponent: It is generally excited to battle Pikachu and Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape who are very strong opponents.
!!Starly (3x) (Mukkuru)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_first_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's first two Starly]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_starly_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Paul's third Starly]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Kiyotaka Furushima\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Sarah Natochenny
During Paul's debut, he catches three Starly at once, but releases two of them right away once he checked their movesets. The third one is used against Ash's newly captured Starly, but despite its victory, Paul releases it as well.
----
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Two of the Starly were released right away after capturing, since they only knew Tackle and Sand-Attack, while the third at least knew Aerial Ace and Double Team. However, it didn't live up to Paul's standard and he could find a better Starly anyway.
* SacrificialLamb: Non-lethal example. They are released as soon as they are captured to demonstrate what kind of a trainer Paul is.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: All three are released before we knew anything about them.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The third Starly that has the luck to stay with Paul and manages to defeat Ash's Starly does not live up to Paul's standards and is released after the battle as well.
!!Chimchar (Hikozaru)
A Pokémon that caught Paul's interest due to its abnormally powerful Blaze ability. After many failed attempts to draw out his potential, Paul's releases him after he failed him too many times. For more information see [[Characters/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAnimePokemon the page for Ash's Pokémon]].
!!Stantler (Odishishi)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_stantler.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
Another Pokémon caught and released right away.
----
* WeHardlyKnewYe: It is only shown being captured and released.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Another extreme example, since it was released immediately after its capture, just because it only knew Tackle.
!!Ursaring (Ringuma)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ursaring.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
Ursaring is captured by Paul when it was chasing after Ash's group. Thanks to its immense brute strength, it has remained as one of Paul's most competent battlers.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: Using its claws, it shreds its opponents with its Normal-type move Slash.
* BadassNormal: Ursaring is a Normal-type Pokémon and one of Paul's strongest battlers, having defeated half of Ash's team during the Lake Acuity battle.
* BattleAura: When its Guts kicks in, it is covered in a red aura to show its activation.
%%* BareFistedMonk: Ursaring knows Hammer Arm.
* BearsAreBadNews: Ursaring is a bear and it is always aggressive and angry since its debut.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyber Beam from its mouth.
* TheBrute: Ursaring is an absolute powerhouse and manages to defeat three of Ash's Pokémon during the Lake Acuity battle.
* ButtMonkey: Ursaring has the tendency to lose against Chimchar everytime they battle.
* EnergyWeapon: It used to know Hyper Beam, a powerful beam attack fired from its mouth.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When its Guts kicks in, its eyes glow in crimson red to show of how dangerous it is now.
* HotBlooded: Of the angry kind. Ursaring is rarely calm at all and is always angry for no particular reason. It also has the Guts ability to match its personality, which makes it even stronger, angrier and more hot-blooded once it suffers from status changes.
* KamehameHadouken: It knows the move Focus Blast. It concentrates its energy into a powerful energy ball and throws it at the opponent.
* MadeOfIron: During its battle against Barry's Hitmonlee, it gets hits by many Fighting-type moves and is even burned by Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick. Not only does Ursaring not lose, it completely defeats Hitmonlee thanks to its Guts. And during the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, Ursaring took the most hits before being taken down.
* OneManArmy: Ursaring takes down half of Ash's team during their Lake Acuity battle.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Its eyes burn red when Guts is activated, which makes its already angry look even scarier.
* StatusBuff:
** It knows Bulk Up, a move that increases its attack and defensive power.
** Guts is an ability that kicks in when Ursaring is inflicted with a status change, which doubles its power.
* TurnRed: When it suffers from status changes, Ursaring's Guts kicks in which doubles its attack power.
* UnstoppableRage: It is already extremely angry from the get-go, but whenever its Guts ability kicks in, it gains [[RedEyesTakeWarning burning crimson eyes]] and [[BattleAura a visible aura]] that scream "be even more careful".
* TheWorfEffect: During the battle against Pyramid King Brandon, the very powerful Ursaring cannot take on Brandon's Regice and in the end, it is quickly finished off by Regirock while being paralyzed from Regice's Zap Cannon.
!!Azumarill (Marilli)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_azumarill.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomokoKawakami\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Kayzie Rogers
A Water-type Pokémon that was caught by Paul for the Gym Battle against the Rock-type specialist Roark. However, it easily loses to Roark's Geodude, prompting Paul to give it away to a young boy after the match ended.
----
* BunniesForCuteness: Azumarill looks like an adorable egg-shaped bunny, but that is not the reason why Paul caught it, so no bonus points for being cute.
* {{Irony}}: Because of its type, Azumarill is used during the Rock-type Gym Battle to give Paul an advantage. Not only does it fail miserably, Paul wins the Gym Battle by using two Pokémon who have type disadvantages against Rock-type and/or Ground-type Pokémon.
* MakingASplash: It is a Water-type Pokémon and that is the whole reason why Paul even caught it. However, its Hydro Pump fails to inflict damage on Roark's Geodude and it gets defeated before it can even use Water Gun.
* WorfBarrage: Hydro Pump is one of the most powerful Water-type moves, but Roark's Geodude easily blocks that with Hidden Power alone.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite its type advantage over Rock-type Pokémon, it loses because Roark is ''that'' much of a skilled trainer, which teaches Paul and Ash to use their head more to overcome Roark's strategy.
* YouHaveFailedMe: After Roark outmaneuvers him, Paul decides that the failure is Azumarill's and foists it onto a little boy while declaring it to be without potential.
!!Murkrow-->Honchkrow (Yamikarasu-->Donkarasu)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_honchkrow.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that has travelled with Paul through several regions, it is a reliable Pokémon that rarely fails him.
----
* BreathWeapon: It fires Shadow Ball from its mouth.
* CastingAShadow: It is part Dark-type and it knows the Dark-type move Night Slash; its wing glows purple and it strikes the opponent down with it.
* CreepyCrows: Murkrow and Honchkrow are crow-based Pokémon, who also happen to be Dark-type Pokémon. If Paul commands it to attack its own allies, it doesn't hesitate to do so.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Since the first opening of ''Diamond & Pearl'' that started airing in episode [=DP002=], the viewers knew about Paul's Murkrow, but it didn't show up until [=DP040=].
* TheReliableOne: Although it lost to Cynthia's Garchomp and failed to win the [=PokéRinger=] competition against Ash's Staraptor, it hasn't lost any other battle it's participated in.
* TheRival:
** During [=PokéRinger=] competition, Honchkrow serves as the rival to Staravia/Staraptor, due to the rivalry of their respective trainers. They end up competing against each other in the final round.
** It serves as one to Grotle. Turtwig evolves during his battle against Honchkrow, but he loses because of his unexpected loss in mobility. During the Lake Acuity battle, Paul uses Grotle's resentment over Honchkrow to his advantage, preventing Ash from switching Grotle out to defeat it.
* SignatureAttack: Its most powerful move is Sky Attack, which it uses in every battle it is in.
* SoulPower: It knows the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball, firing a dark energy ball from its mouth.
!!Weavile (Manyula)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_weavile.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/ChinamiNishimura\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
A Pokémon that journeyed with Paul through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. It tends to lose a lot, yet it hasn't been released yet.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It attacks the opponent with its claws by using the Steel-type move Metal Claw. It is the only close-range move it has.
* BreathWeapon: It breathes Blizzard from its mouth and fires Ice Beam with its mouth as well, making it mainly a LongRangeFighter.
* ButtMonkey: Weavile loses every battle it is in without defeating anyone. It is a miracle that Paul has not released it yet.
* ExtraOreDinary: It knows the Steel-type move Metal Claw, which makes its claws as hard as metal and very sharp.
* GlassCannon: One of the few of Paul's Pokémon to be this, since he prefers brute physical strength as a fighting style.
* AnIcePerson: Weavile is primary an Ice-type Pokémon and is shown to use Blizzard, Ice Beam and Ice Shard. Paul uses it against Pokémon who are weak to Ice-type moves, but it never works for him.
* InformedAbility: It's implied to be one of Paul's strongest Pokemon, since he chose it to battle Cynthia. Its onscreen performance suggests otherwise.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Not explicitly confirmed, but logically, it must be the case. Paul is known to release Pokemon he deems weak; on top of that, Weavile has failed Paul in both of its onscreen battles, and in his first Full Battle against Ash, Weavile was one of only two of Paul's Pokemon to be knocked out (note that the other one, Ursaring, knocked out half of Ash's team before falling, whereas Weavile didn't knock out one). It must be the case that Weavile is doing good things for Paul off-screen if he hasn't released it yet.
* SignatureMove: Its most prominent move is Blizzard, which is often the subject to WorfBarrage.
* StatusBuff: Weavile can sharply increase its attack power with Sword Dance. In the Lake Acuity battle, it doesn't really help, since it loses to Staraptor anyway.
* WorfBarrage: Its Blizzard never defeats anyone and it doesn't seem to deal that much damage either. Which is rather accurate to the games, since Weavile's Special Attack stat is pretty awful.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite Ice-type Pokémon having a huge advantage against Dragon/Ground-type Pokémon like Garchomp, Weavile gets curb-stomped like the others, showing off that Cynthia's Garchomp is beyond the level of ordinary ones. It also loses to Ash's Staraptor, despite its type advantage.
!!Turtwig-->Grotle-->Torterra (Naetle-->Hayashigame-->Dodaitoise)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_torterra.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
Torterra is Paul's first Pokémon, as well as one of his strongest. He got it as his Starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan and it has been travelling with its trainer through four different regions. While it accepts Paul's harsh training regiment, Torterra does have a soft spot for Ash's Grotle.
----
* BigBrotherMentor: In [=DP100=], after witnessing Ash's Turtwig evolving into a Grotle and seeing him struggle with his gained weight and loss in mobility, Torterra sympathizes him, properly because they share the same evolution line, and it teaches Grotle how to battle as a MightyGlacier...by ''almost'' beating the living crap out of Ash's Gliscor. From there on, Ash has to teach Grotle that new battle style by himself.
* BreathWeapon: Like most Pokémon, it fires Hyper Beam from its mouth as a long range attack.
* CurbStompBattle: Torterra wins the semi-final match of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition singlehandedly with no much difficulty while almost taking its tag partner (Ash's Staravia) out as well.
* DishingOutDirt: Torterra is part Ground-type and it knows the Rock-type move Stone Edge, throwing stone projectiles at the opponent which it can even control.
* {{Foil}}: Acts as a much more experienced one to Ash's Torterra. Paul's Torterra is a very powerful Pokémon that barely loses and is perfectly capable as a MightyGlacier. Ash's Torterra on the other hand, while still a powerful Pokémon, loses every battle it is in once it reaches its final stage (except against Team Rocket) and struggles quite a bit at adapting to battling as a MightyGlacier.
* GreenThumb: It is Paul's only known Grass-type Pokémon and is shown to know the most powerful Grass-type moves, Frenzy Plant and Leaf Storm. It also knows Giga Drain to suck the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Torterra is actually one of Paul's kinder Pokémon, despite the grumpy and jerky image they all represent. It helps Ash's Grotle how to change to a new battle style and how to adapt his MightyGlacier situation, all without Paul's permission. That said, it still is not a NiceGuy.
* LifeDrain: It uses the Grass-type move Giga Drain to drain the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* ManBitesMan: It knows the Dark-type move Crunch, which it uses to trap its opponent with its teeth while damaging them and suck their health with Giga Drain while still biting them.
* MightyGlacier: Torterra barely moves in battles since its too heavy, but thanks to his high endurance, it takes hits from its opponent fairly easily until it is the perfect time to smash them with its powerful strength.
* PetTheDog: Paul once arranged for Torterra to be groomed, and in general it seems to be the only one of his Pokémon that he has even a slight amount of affection for, likely due to it also being his starter.
* TurtlePower: Torterra and his pre-evolved forms are based on the TurtleIsland. As expected from turtles, Torterra is a MightyGlacier.
* WorfBarrage: Its most powerful move, Frenzy Plant, does barely anything to Cynthia's Garchomp, leading to it being open for a counterattack.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being Paul's strongest Pokémon, it gets one-shotted by Cynthia's Garchomp just to show off how ridiculously powerful she is. This even applies retroactively, as Torterra never loses afterwards and wins its battles pretty easily, which makes Garchomp look even more impressive.
!!Ninjask (Tekkanin)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_ninjask.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by: Billy Beach
First introduced in a flashback, Ninjask was caught shortly before Chimchar's capture. In the present, it is used during the Lily of the Valley Conference against Ash's Gliscor and Infernape which used to be said Chimchar.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Ninjask is primary a Bug-type Pokémon and its size would freak out many people if it was real. It also knows the Bug-type move Fury Cutter, which becomes stronger with each hit.
* ChekhovMIA: It first appeared in a flashback centred around Chimchar. It finally reappears in a battle against the fully evolved Infernape.
* FlashStep: With Agility, it manages to move so quick, it is nearly impossible to see its movements.
* {{Flight}}: Being part Flying-type Pokémon, Ninjask is capable of flying. It is used in sky battles against other flying opponents like Ash's Gliscor. With its immense speed and the growing power of Fury Cutter, Ninjask is specialized to take the opponent down on the ground and poison them with Drapion's Toxic Spikes.
* FragileSpeedster: Ninjask is extremely fast and is capable of increasing its speed with Agility and Speed Boost, but it's a very frail Pokémon.
* GreenThumb: It knows the Grass-type move Giga Drain, which drains the health out of the opponent to heal itself.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When Ninjask uses Giga Drain to heal itself, it has to circle around the opponent, but because of the damage it has taken from Infernape's Flare Drive, its movements drastically slow down, allowing Infernape to aim for Ninjask and defeat it with Mach Punch.
* LifeDrain: It uses Giga Drain by circling around the opponent to suck out their energy and heal itself with the stolen energy.
* StatusBuff:
** Its ability Speed Boost [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin boosts its speed]] over time.
** The move Agility increases Ninjask speed even further.
* SuperSpeed: While already very fast, it has Speed Boost as its ability which increases its speed over time. It even has Agility to make it even faster, making it to move so fast, it is almost impossible to hit it.
!!Gliscor (Glion)
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gliscor.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Marc Thompson
This Gliscor used to be the leader of a flock of Gligar that were flying wild in a city. Before Ash manages to convince it to lead its flock out of the city, Paul catches it which causes the flock to fall into chaos. It is used against Ash's Gligar which used to be member of the flock as well and easily defeats the little guy, leading to its HeroicBSOD.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: The opening ''Together'' alludes that Paul's Gliscor would become the rival to Ash's Gliscor, but this is never developed beyond their first battle.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: It is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant flying scorpion, and it even has the Bug-type move X-Scissor to match.
* {{Foil}}: Just like Torterra, even in its brief appearances it manages to act as one towards Ash's Gligar, a younger member of its species. Ash's Gligar is a [[LovableCoward meek]], [[ProneToTears emotional Pokémon]] who struggles to learn to battle effectively, and although he [[TookALevelInBadass becomes easily one of Ash's strongest team members]], even as a Gliscor he never loses his charming and comical disposition. Paul's Gliscor, on the other hand, acts entirely competent from the start and maintains an unfazed and ruthless demeanor during battle.
* TheLeader: It used to lead a flock of Gligar prior to its capture. Its sudden capture led its flock to fall apart and fall into chaos, giving Ash's group a hard time to drive them out of the city.
* OneHitKill: It knows the OHKO move Guillotine, giving Ash's Gligar a crushing defeat that scarred it mentally.
* PowerPincers: Since Gliscor is partially based on scorpions, it has two big pincers.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After [=DP100=], it is not seen again, unlike some of Paul's other Pokémon.
!!Magmar-->Magmortar (Boober-->Booburn)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_magmortar.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/YujiUeda\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
A replacement for Chimchar, Magmar was used to deal with Maylene's Lucario, leading to the Gym Leader's HeroicBSOD. Unlike Chimchar, Magmar does manages to live up to Paul's standards and is shown to be more effective as a Magmortar.
----
* BookEnd: The battle against Pyramid King Brandon starts with Magmar facing Regirock and ends with Magmar being defeated by Regirock.
* DishingOutDirt: Magmortar knows the Rock-type move Rock Tomb, which it launches from its arm cannons. Paul uses it to lead his fast opponents into a trap.
* ElementalPunch: Magmar was shown to know Fire Punch, a move that covers its fist in flames.
* MadeOfIron: It gets hit directly with Hydro Cannon from Barry's Empoleon. Hydro Cannon is one of the most powerful Water-type moves and is super effective against Magmortar, yet it doesn't get down.
* PlayingWithFire: It is a Fire-type Pokémon, replacing Chimchar and the perfect counter against Maylene's Lucario. It is shown to know the Fire-type moves Fire Spin, Fire Punch, Flamethrower and Will-o-Wisp.
* PoisonousPerson: It knows the move Smog, which it uses like [[SmokeOut Smokescreen]] to blind the opponent and to poison them.
* ReplacementGoldFish: Magmar replaces fellow Fire-type Pokémon Chimchar and does a good job at doing it, since it does live up to Paul's standards.
* StatusAilment:
** It has Flame Body as its ability, which can burn the opponent while making contact. Pikachu suffers from that.
** Will-O-Wisp is a status move that burns the opponent. However, Magmar fails to use it against Brandon's Registeel due to flinching.
* WorfBarrage: Its super effective Flamethrower doesn't do much against Brandon's Registeel to everyone's surprise.
!!Hariyama (Hariteyama)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_hariyama.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bill Rogers
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regirock.
----
* BareFistedMonk: It is a Fighting-type Pokémon, thus it has a type advantage over the Rock-type Pokémon Regirock. It also knows the Fighting-type moves Arm Thrust and Force Palm, but it ultimately loses to Regirock.
* CurbStompBattle: It doesn't do too bad against Brandon's Regirock, but it loses quickly once it is put in close range, ironically enough.
* WorfBarrage: It hits Regirock multiple times with the super effect Arm Thrust, yet it did barely any damage.
* TheWorfEffect: It is actually quite strong, but despite its type advantage over Regirock, it loses, showing that more than type advantages is needed to defeat the Pyramid King.
!!Nidoking
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_nidoking_7.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanesed by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi\\
'''Voided in English by:''' Creator/KatsuyukiKonishi
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. He fights and loses to Brandon's Registeel.
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* BareFistedMonk: He knows the Fighting-type move Double Kick, which is super effective against Steel-type moves like Registeel. He doesn't even manages to take it down on ground with it.
* CurbStompBattle: He actually puts a good fight against Brandon's Registeel, but he still loses rather easily nonetheless.
* DishingOutDirt: Since he is part Ground-type and knows the Ground-type move Earth Power, he has a type advantage over Registeel...which doesn't help at all.
* PoisonousPerson: Dawn notes that Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoking are usually in disadvantage against Steel-type Pokémon, but since Nidoking is also part Ground-type, he actually has the advantage.
* ShockAndAwe: He knows the Electric-type move Thunderbolt which he fires from his horn, but Registeel just shrugs it off while charging in with Iron Head and knocks Nidoking out.
* WorfBarrage: His super effective Earth Power merely slows Registeel down and his Thunderbolt doesn't do any damage against Registeel at all.
* TheWorfEffect: He has a type advantage over Registeel and out of all six Pokémon, Nidoking performed the best, but even he was defeated very easily, which shows how powerful the Pyramid King's Pokémon are.
!!Lairon-->Aggron (Kodora-->Bossgodora)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_aggron.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KentaMiyake\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Beach
One of the Pokémon used in the battle against Pyramid King Brandon. It fights and loses to Brandon's Regice. It reappears later in the Lily of the Valley Conference during the match against Ash. It puts a good fight against Pikachu, but is ultimately defeated by Infernape.
----
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: It knows Metal Claw; it slashes its opponent with its claws in close combat situations.
* BreathWeapon: Its long range move is Flash Cannon, which it fires from its mouth.
* CurbStompBattle: Out of all six Pokémon, Lairon gets the worst performance against Pyramid King Brandon; being frozen by Regice's Ice Beam and finished off by its Zap Cannon in a matter of seconds.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: It knows the Normal-type move Double-Edge; the user smashes with its body full force at the opponent, but it receives recoil damage from that. However, since Aggron has Rock Head as its ability, it doesn't take damage from recoil moves.
* ExtraOreDinary: Aggron is part Steel-type and knows the Steel-type moves Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Metal Sound and Flash Cannon. It's type advantage over Regice doesn't help, though.
* MakeMeWannaShout: It makes a loud shriek when using Metal Sound, creating a soundwave with lots of air pressure, which not only weakens the opponent's (special) defense, but it also stops their movements temporarily.
* NoSell: Aggron has the ability Rock Head, which nullifies recoil damage from moves, allowing it to use Double-Edge without any risk.
* SacrificialLamb: Aggron and Gastrodon are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
* StatusAilment: Aggron knows Metal Sound which can decrease the (special) defense power of its opponent.
* StatusBuff: Lairon used Iron Defense to sharply raise its defensive power, a desperate move from Paul to stand a chance against Pyramid King Brandon. It didn't help at all. Even worse, it's the only move Lairon used during the battle.
* TheWorfEffect: While it has a type advantage over Regice, even trying to defend itself makes things only worse, causing Lairon to be defeated really quickly.
!!Gastrodon (Tritodon)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_gastrodon.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' N/A\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland
An Eastern Gastrodon which is used as one of the two Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their match in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is one Paul's two Pokémon shown to use Counter Shield.
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* BreathWeapon: It fires Ice Beam and Water Pulse out of its mouth, making it primarily a LongRangeFighter.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Gastrodon uses Counter Shield with Muddy Water, spinning around on the ground to trap a flying opponent in the air with Muddy Water. If the opponent flies near the ground to avoid Counter Shield, it can be easily pinned down with Body Slam.
* FinishingMove: What Water Pulse is intended to be. When Gastrodon pins its opponent down with Body Slam, it fires Water Pulse directly into the air, planning to dodge the attack descending at an increased speed at the last second. It almost works, but Ash's Staraptor breaks free by using Close Combat on the ground. However, Paul had already predicted that maneuver and hits Staraptor with Ice Beam anyway.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Gastrodon freezes Buizel covered in Aqua Jet, but Paul doesn't know that Ash would improvise an Ice Aqua Jet, which leads to Gastrodon's defeat.
* AnIcePerson: It knows the Ice-type move Ice Beam, which is super effective against Flying-type Pokémon like Staraptor. It bites it in the ass though, since Paul is not prepared for an improvised Ice Aqua Jet from Ash's Buizel.
* MakingASplash: Gastrodon is part Water-type and knows the Water-type moves Muddy Water and Water Pulse. With Muddy Water, it is capable of utilizing Counter Shield, while Water Pulse is used as a FinishingMove.
* SacrificialLamb: Gastrodon and Aggron are used as expendable Pokémon to uncover Ash's strategy during their league match.
!!Drapion (Dorapion)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_drapion.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/UnshoIshizuka
A powerful Poison/Dark-type Pokémon used during the battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It is another one of Paul's most competent Pokémon, defeating half of Ash's team with its traps and strength.
----
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Drapion is not a Bug-type Pokémon, but it looks like a giant, purple poisonous scorpion and it appropriately knows the Bug-type move Pin Missile.
* TheBrute: A Pokémon who is designated to poison the opponent and make them suffer, and it has enough brute strength to take on powerful Pokémon like Ash's Torterra and Gliscor.
* EvilCounterpart: Drapion appears to be one to Ash's Gliscor. Both of them are used in the same league battle, both are purple scorpions yet neither of them are Bug-type Pokémon, but they do know Bug-type moves. Their moves are also similar; Drapion knows Cross Poison, Gliscor knows X-Scissor; Drapion knows Poison Fang, Gliscor knows Fire Fang; Drapion has the long range barrage attack Pin Missile, Gliscor has the long range barrage attack Stone Edge..
* KillItWithFire: After a long battle, Drapion is taken down by burn damage inflicted from Gliscor's Fire Fang.
* ManBitesMan: Subverted. It knows Poison Fang, a move that normally involves utilizing the user's teeth. But instead of biting the opponent with its teeth, Drapion transfers Poison Fang's power from its fangs to its claws while keeping the same effect.
* MacrossMissileMassacre: When using Pin Missile, it fires lots of missiles towards the opponent. Ash's Buizel and Torterra are taken down by barrages of Pin Missile. It also serves as Drapion's long range attack.
* OneManArmy: Drapion takes down half of Ash's Pokémon during his league match with paul.
* PoisonousPerson: Drapion is primarily a Poison-type Pokémon and Paul uses its poison to great effects. Drapion lays out Toxic Spikes to poison any opponent touching the ground, and in close combat it strikes down with Cross Poison and Poison Fang.
* PrehensileTail: Drapion uses its tail to capture its opponents.
* StatusAilment: Drapion is all about poisoning the opponent. By laying Toxic Spike on the field, it almost guarantees to poison the opponent's entire team.
* TrapMaster: Drapion can lay out Toxic Spikes on the field, which will poison any opposing Pokémon who touches the ground. It also tends to capture its opponents with its tail, slamming them on the ground to poison them with Toxic Spike's effect and attacking them while still holding them with its tail.
!!Froslass (Yukimenoko)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_froslass.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/SatsukiYukino\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Bella Hudson
An Ice/Ghost-type Pokémon used during the match against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It puts a tough fight against Pikachu, but she nevertheless defeated by the electric mouse. She is only one of Paul's Pokémon to fight only one of Ash's Pokémon during the match.
----
* BreathWeapon: She fires her Ice Beam from her mouth like many other Pokémon. She freezes Pikachu with it, but he breaks through the ice with his Volt Tackle and knocks her out.
* AnIcePerson: Froslass is primarily an Ice-type Pokémon, knowing the Ice-type moves Hail, Ice Shard and Ice Beam and has the ability Snow Cloak to match. With Hail, she not only creates a snowstorm, her Snow Cloak also activates, allowing her to disappear and reappear in battle, which makes it difficult to hit her while the opponent takes damage from Hail.
* KamehameHadouken: Her Ice Shard is an energy ball of ice which she throws at the opponent. Similar like Focus Blast, it takes some time to charge it, which causes her to lose against Pikachu.
* LadyOfWar: An elegant female Pokémon, who has the graceful characteristics of a ''yuki onna'' and merciless freezes her opponent in ice.
* PowerFloats: Froslass is capable of floating in mid-air, which adds to her ghostly appearance.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She is the only known female Pokémon in Paul's possession.
* SoulPower: While part Ghost-type, Froslass is not shown to use Ghost-type moves. However, her Snow Cloak ability gives her the presence of a ghost, allowing her to disappear and reappear throughout the battle, which makes it harder to fight her, since attacks can go through her.
* StatusBuff: What Snow Cloak does is increasing her evasiveness in Hail. This is shown as her disappearing and reappearing in battle and being more or less tangible.
* {{Yokai}}: Froslass is based on the ''yuki onna'' and she lives up to this trope. With her Snow Cloak ability, she can disappear and reappear during battle, giving her an elegant yet ghostly and mystical presence.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Zoey (Nozomi)]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Zoey_5191.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RisaHayamizu\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Elisabeth Morinelli\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/MariaFernandaMorales\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Claire Tefnin
Dawn's main rival in the Sinnoh region as a Pokémon coordinator. Despite her tomboyish appearance, she gets along with everyone pretty well, though she does get angry at Ash when he first thought it would be a good idea to be both a Pokémon trainer and coordinator. She mellows out, however, after some experience with him and Nando.
----
* TheAce: Zoey is one of the most skilled Pokémon Coordinators in the series. [[spoiler:She ends up winning the Sinnoh Grand Festival and comes away with the prized Ribbon Cup, after a long and hard match with Dawn that comes straight down to the wire.]]
* AffectionateNickname: Her best buddy Candice calls her "Zozo" (in English) or "Nozotchi" (in Japanese).
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To date, Dawn has never beaten her directly in a Contest.
* {{Bifauxnen}}: Her Contest outfits are tuxes or pantsuits, save for her Grand Festival one which looks more like a stylized kimono.
* BoyishShortHair: She's easily the most tomboyish of Dawn's rivals. She also has short and spiky hair.
* BreakTheHaughty: A fairly mild example in ''Dawn's Early Night.'' At the beginning of the episode, she is confident in her belief that a Trainer who does both Contests and Gym Battles cannot be as skilled as someone who dedicates themselves to only a single goal. She begins to rethink her position after she loses the Hearthome Ribbon to Nando, who she had previously scorned for being both a Trainer and a Coordinator.
* BrutalHonesty: She doesn't bother softening her opinions for others. When she's told that Nando does both Contests and Gym Battles, her response is, "[He] really needs to make up his mind."
* CatchPhrase:
** "[Pokémon]! Ready? Go!"
** At least in the first season of Diamond and Pearl: "[Pokémon]! Curtain!"
* CharacterDevelopment: Zoey, being so devoted to her own dream of becoming Top Coordinator, originally took offense at Trainers who tried both coordinating and battling, assuming them to be less invested in their dreams. This brought her into conflict with both Ash (who early in his Sinnoh adventure dabbled in Contests himself) and Nando (for whom doing both was his primary goal). While she eased off after facing off with Ash, they still agreed he'd not be the best fit for Contests due to his temperament. Then Nando blew her away by clobbering her at the Hearthome Contest. By the time of the Wallace Cup, she accepted her perspective to have been closed-off and properly apologised to Ash for her attitude; later, she battled Gym Leader Fantina (a former Top Coordinator) in a straight match which she enjoyed.
* ChildhoodFriends: With Candice, who helped her raise her Glameow in secret.
* CoolBigSis: Zoey served as both rival and mentor early on, helping Dawn get prepared for contests even as an opponent.
* CoolShades: She's frequently seen wearing these on top of her head.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Red hair, red eyes.
* CuteKitten: Glameow (who Zoey actually ''did'' find as a kitten!)
* DoppelgangerSpin: Mismagius and Leafeon's Double Team.
* EnergyBall: Leafeon's attack of the same name.
* ExtraOreDinary: Glameow's Iron Tail.
* {{Fauxshadow}}: Before Dawn's contest debut, Zoey tells Dawn that she's gonna win, but in the next episode, cue her CurbStompBattle at the hands of Zoey.
* FieryRedhead: Toyed with. She's normally [[TheStoic rather mellow]], except when it comes to Paul's abuse of his Pokémon, which angers her like everyone else. Or discussing Trainers who partake in Gym Battles and Contests.
* {{Foil}}: To three characters, all other Coordinators.
** To Dawn; as her mentor and rival, she provides the straightest parallel to her while sharing the same goal. She's experienced where Dawn is a rookie and the tomboy to her girly girl. On and off the Contest field, her Pokémon present flawlessly synchronized teamwork while Dawn often has to struggle to get her sometimes-disobedient Pokémon to follow her lead. Her strategy for turning in winning Contest performances is to plan and perfect every move beforehand, as opposed to the unexpected yet stunning combinations Dawn pulls out on the fly, as a result of quick thinking, luck with a little prior planning, or both.
** To Nando. While it's less obvious due to his conspicuous lack of screentime, he and Zoey are complete opposites in nearly all aspects. He devotes himself to Gym Battles and Contests, she puts all of her energy solely into Contests. [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy She's a tomboyish teenage girl, Nando is a feminine male.]] She's easily fired up, open with her opinions and not afraid to say what she thinks, he's soft spoken and polite with a cool facade that rarely breaks. She lacks a preferred type specialty, as opposed to his team of Bug and Grass types. Their differences can even be seen in the way they perform; her combinations vary in effects and style while Nando's preferred techniques reflect a single central theme (music).
** To Kenny. A departure from the previous two mentioned above, the parallel between him and Zoey isn't so much the differences between them as it is the opposing ways that they help Dawn to grow through their relationships with her. Zoey's way of helping her improve as a person and as a coordinator is more straightforward and older sister-like, teaching her necessary skills and encouraging her to do her best, while the majority of Kenny's interactions with Dawn volley between [[TheGadfly childish teasing]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold sincere encouragement,]] posing as a source of annoyance for her and at the same time motivating her to prove that she's capable of besting him and her other rivals in battle.
* FromStrayToPet: The episode ''Classroom Training!'' explains how she met her Glameow. As a child, she found it in a cardboard box on the street. Her parents refused to let her keep it, but with Candice's help, she secretly raised it in a shed behind her house until she was old enough to become a Trainer.
* GreenThumb: Leafeon, Gallade's Magical Leaf.
* AnIcePerson: Gastrodon's Blizzard.
* LaserBlade: Leafeon's Leaf Blade, due to PowerGlows.
%%* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: Red hair and Dawn's most formidable Contest rival. It can't be a coincidence.
* MakingASplash: Lumineon is water-type.
* MeaningfulName: The Nozomi is a Japanese bullet train service that goes in the opposite direction of the Hikari bullet train service. [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter The Nozomi is faster than the Hikari]].
* NonElemental: Glameow is Normal-Type.
* PrinciplesZealot: When she started, Zoey would presume any trainers dabbling in both the gyms and contests to be TheDitherer and would criticize them for a lack of conviction; she backed off once Nando proved it was a viable path.
* RedOniBlueOni: She's cast as the red to Nando and Dawn's blue during contest battles.
%%* SempaiKohai: Kohai to Snowpoint Gym Leader Candice.
%%* ShockAndAwe: Glameow's Shock Wave and Thunderbolt, and Mismagius' Shock Wave.
%%* SoulPower: Mismagius, Glameow's Shadow Claw.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name is frequently misspelled as "Zoe".
* SpikyHair: Fitting her tomboy nature.
* StraightMan: To Dawn and her friend's antics quite frequently.
* TheStoic: In Contests and sometimes outside of them, Zoey usually seems very collected and is not one to lose her cool. This is one thing that makes her NotSoDifferent from Nando, who has a similar attitude.
%%* PsychicPowers: Mismagius' Psywave.
* ATasteOfDefeat: She's a highly skilled and competent Coordinator, but even she isn't immune to losing once in a while. She loses to Nando at the Hearthome Contest finals and May in the Wallace Cup semifinals.
* TechnicolorEyes: Red ones, matching her [[CurtainsMatchTheWindow eyes.]]
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tomboy to Dawn's Girly Girl. Accentuated by the fact that she always wears suits in her Contests, never dresses. In addition to the contrast, [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it shows that she's no less feminine than Dawn]], just unconventional about it - her flashy suit in the Grand Festival was particularly fashionable and made to accentuate her femininity instead of negating it.
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: She's a short-haired tomboy who regularly competes in the fashionable and flashy Contests.
* {{Tsundere}}: Towards Nando in ''Dawn's Early Night!''
* TheUnreveal: Her battle with Nando for the Hearthome Ribbon in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' which she loses, is never actually seen, and only its aftermath is shown. Whatever he did during it, he managed to impress her a great deal.
-->'''Zoey:''' Nando really is something else. The way he's chosen to compete in Contests and Gym Battles, it's like he knows it's his destiny!
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Leafeon's Aerial Ace.
* WiseBeyondHerYears: She's a very knowledgable and insightful character. Not without her flaws, but still rather mature for her apparent age.
* WorthyOpponent: For Dawn. Coming to see Nando as one is a key step in her CharacterDevelopment.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Kenny (Kengo)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Kenny_80.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' YukoMita\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Rhonda Krempa\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín (seasons 10 and 13), Xóchitl Ugarte (season 11), Bruno Coronel (season 12).
Dawn's childhood friend and another Pokémon Coordinator. He gave her the nickname of Dee-Dee/Pikari, and never lets her forget... not that she has a hard time forgetting it.
----
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Heavily implied in ''Four Roads Diverged in a Pokémon Port!'' when Dawn chooses to travel with [[ChasteHero Ash]] to cheer him on in the Lily of the Valley Conference and not him when he made the offer. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools He takes it quite well though.]]
%%* BubbleGun: Empoleon's, as a Prinplup, Bubble Beam.
* ColorMotif: Blue, serving to reflect his rivalry with Dawn and their similar roots. Two of his Pokémon are Water type, one of which is the evolved form of Dawn's starter, he has a blue Pokétch, he was seen wearing a blue shirt in a flashback and he dons a blue suit for the Grand Festival.
* DecompositeCharacter: He fills the role that Barry does for Dawn as the player character in the games, being (one of) her main rivals.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Machoke
%%*** MakingASplash: Floatzel
%%*** PsychicPowers: Alakazam
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** GreenThumb[=/=]BareFistedMonk: Breloom
%%*** MakingASplash[=/=]ExtraOreDinary: Empoleon
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** [[AnIcePerson An Ice Pokémon]]: Empoleon's Mist.
%%*** SoulPower: Alakazam's [[EnergyBall Shadow Ball]].
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Empoleon's Drill Peck.
%%* EnergyBall: Breloom's attack. Also, Empoleon's Flash Cannon.
%%* EpicFail: His performance at the Grand Festival. Seriously, Kenny, the least you could do is make sure your combination actually ''works'' before using it at an important event.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Empoleon.
* ForgottenFriendNewFoe: Dawn apparently didn't know he was going to be a Coordinator.
* TheGadfly: He ''loves'' to get under Dawn's skin.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Seems to express his crush on Dawn by relentlessly teasing her about their childhood days.
* KidsAreCruel: He looks this way when we find out the backstory of "Dee Dee", the EmbarrassingNickname he hung on Dawn. Especially since he got the entire class hooked to that nickname where the entire class calls her by that very name he coined. He and Dawn ended up friends eventually though.
%%* MegatonPunch: Breloom's Mach Punch.
%%* MindOverMatter: Alakazam
* TheNicknamer: Came up with Dee-Dee/Pikari.
%%* OddFriendship: With Barry.
%%* RazorWind: Floatzel's attack.
%%* ShonenHair
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barry (Jun)]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Barry_8307.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Jamie [=McGonnigal=]\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Ricardo Bautista (seasons 11 and 13), Miguel Ángel Ruiz (season 12)\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Grégory Praet
Another of Ash's rivals in the Sinnoh Region, though neither one really considers the other to be a rival. Barry wants to go after Paul, and oftens encounters Ash during his travels. They share a competitive friendship as trainers, and Barry isn't too bad as one himself.
----
%%* AnimeHair: It's pretty gravity defiant.
* AttackAttackAttack: This is typical his strategy in battle. And it doesn't help that he's not particularly creative either.
* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: His usual approach to events. Though he once waited long enough for a Heracross to be attracted by slathered honey.
* ButtMonkey: Silly, unfortunate things happen to him all the time. He forgets things, people keep getting in his way while he's running around, Gible eats his bike and gym battle ticket, etc.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "I'm going to make you pay a fine for that! Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four -- "
* CharacterExaggeration: He doesn't have the level of characterization (and CharacterDevelopment) his game counterpart had, nearly to the point of being a SatelliteCharacter.
* CharacterTics: Snapping his fingers.
%%* CrashIntoHello: But ''he's'' the one not looking where he's going!
* CurbStompBattle: He tried. [[{{Determinator}} Good lord]], [[DiedStandingUp he tried]]. Yet in the end, [[HardWorkHardlyWorks all he ended up with]] [[ShootTheShaggyDog was a devastating 3-0 loss to]] [[ArchEnemy Paul]].
* DeathOrGloryAttack: His Empoleon's signature move is Hydro Cannon and it also learns Hyper Beam, which puts alot of power into a single attack but leaves it defenseless afterwards. And after a Torrent boost on top of that it's completely stopped by Electivire's Protect and unable to do nothing but stand and take the retaliation.
* {{Determinator}}: Just watch how hard he and his team try to win when they face Paul.
* TheDitz: Barry tends to act faster than he thinks.
* DumbBlonde: While not at all unintelligent, he's seriously [[HotBlooded impatient and rushes into things without thinking]].
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Hitmonlee
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]BareFistedMonk: Heracross
%%*** ExtraOreDinary[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Skarmory
%%*** GreenThumb[=/=][[PoisonousPerson Poisonous Pokémon]]: Roserade
%%*** MakingASplash[=/=]ExtraOreDinary: Empoleon
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Staraptor's Close Combat.
%%*** DishingOutDirt: Skarmory's Spikes.
%%*** PlayingWithFire: Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick.
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Empoleon's Drill Peck.
%%* EnergyWeapon: Empoleon's Hyper Beam.
%%* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: Empoleon
* FailedASpotCheck: He was so absorbed in telling Dawn and Brock about Tobias the OlympusMons trainer that it took him a while to even notice Ash's match.
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:After losing to Paul in the Sinnoh League, he commends Paul for the battle the two shared. Paul, surprisingly, returns the favor]].
* GratuitousEnglish: Most notably, [[OddFriendship "BEST FRIENDS!"]] and "DADDY!?"
%%* HornAttack: This and Megahorn are Heracross' attacks.
* HotBlooded: He is the son of Palmer after all. He throws his Poké Ball so hard, he does a ''complete forward flip'' in the process.
* HypocriticalHumor: He tells others to watch where they are going, but Barry himself doesn't watch where ''he'' is going.
%%* {{Keet}}: Oh Arceus is he ever.
* LargeHam: Barry honestly could pursue a career in theatrics with the level of drama he acts out.
* MotorMouth: Barry talks entirely too much sometimes.
* NoIndoorVoice: Every line he has is yelled at the top of his lungs.
* NoodleIncident: According to Dawn, he was once involved in a singing duet with an ''Exploud''.
%%* RazorWings: Staraptor's Wing Attack.
* RunningGag: He always interrupts Team Rocket before they can finish their motto.
%%* ScarfOfAsskicking: Just like his game counterpart, but downsized, like Dawn.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: His wails are always very silly and over the top.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Barry treats himself like he's a world class trainer. Paul barely even acknowledges his existence. Not to mention even after Ash proves himself a better trainer than him, Barry still thought the opposite for a time.
* StrongFamilyResemblance: He has spiky blond hair similar to Palmer's.
* TechnicolorEyes: Orange.
* UnknownRival: Wants to be a Rival of Paul's. But if it was even possible, Paul treats him with more disdain than he does with Ash. [[spoiler:After his loss in the Sinnoh League, Paul does acknowledge his skill.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In "To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!" he pretty much disappears after losing and is not heard from until his next appearance in "Historical Mystery Tour".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Ursula (Urara)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Ursula_4230.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/AyakoKawasumi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Melisa Schroenburg\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Betzabé Jara (season 12), Creator/CristinaHernandez (season 13)
A fellow Pokémon Coordinator with a rather poisonous personality who Dawn met at the Chocovine Pokémon Contest. Believing that Dawn's Wallace Cup victory was a fluke, she's determined to knock her down a peg or two.
----
%%* AlphaBitch
%%* AnimeHair
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: In her first appearance, she refuses to believe Dawn's win against May was based on skill.
%%* BitingTheHandkerchief: In Jessie's flashback, she is seen doing this after losing in the first round of the Wallace Cup.
%%* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler:The only way for Dawn to do it was to knock out her Pokémon in their third battle.]]
* CharacterTics: When giving commands in a Pokémon Contest, she makes the "ILY" hand sign with both hands and her arms crossed.
* CombatPragmatist: Just like Harley before her, but more subtle and strategic. She has no qualms about using Dawn's fear of Plusle and Minun against her in a Contest, or having them use Encore to force her opponent's Pokémon to perform the same move over and over, causing them to lose points with the judges.
%%* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Pink hair, dark pink eyes.
%%* DoppelgangerSpin: Gabite's Double Team.
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** MakingASplash: Vaporeon
%%*** NonElemental: Jigglypuff
%%*** PlayingWithFire: Flareon
%%*** ShockAndAwe: Plusle and Minun.
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Ground): Wormadam (Sandy Cloak)
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** DishingOutDirt: Jigglypuff's Rollout.
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Gabite, Flareon and Vaporeon's Iron Tail, and Jigglypuff's Gyro Ball.
%%*** PsychicPowers: Wormadam's Confusion.
%%*** SoulPower: Flareon's [[EnergyBall Shadow Ball]].
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Gabite's Aerial Ace.
* DecompositeCharacter: She takes after Harley in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions, while Nando takes after him in appearance, voice, and mannerisms.
* EvilCounterpart:
** To Dawn. They're both ambitious and talented at Contests, but the difference is that Dawn is kind and sweet to nearly everyone she meets, while Ursula taunts her opponents, boasts about her abilities, and has no qualms about humiliating her opponents in public.
** She could be considered one to Zoey as she belittles Dawn and puts her down while Zoey is a helpful [[BigBrotherMentor big sister mentor]] to her instead.
* EvilIsPetty: She goes out of her way to spite Dawn at every turn, simply because she believes her to be an incompetent Coordinator who scrapes by on dumb luck.
-->'''Ursula:''' ''(addressing Zoey)'' I'll make sure you and Dawn never meet in the final round!
* EvilLaugh: "Ahahahahahaha!"
* {{Expy}}: Ursula has a good set of mixed influences.
** As a red-head with elaborately curled pigtails, she bears a striking resemblance to [[VideoGame/SoulSeries Amy Sorel]] and [[Music/{{UTAU}} Kasane Teto]], and has a less direct resemblance to [[Anime/YesPrecure5 Urara Kasugano]].
** She also inherits the role of the harshest of Dawn's rivals from Harley, who was much the same for May.
* FelonyMisdemeanor: "The horror! My beautiful Gabite's been soiled! How dare you!"
* FeminineWomenCanCook: Being a Coordinator, she has some skill at cooking Poffins, though Dawn's Pachirisu doesn't like the ones she makes.
* GameBreaker: InUniverse. In one contest, where the goal was to impress the judges with ''varied'' moves, she used Encore, forcing the opponents to repeat moves and thus lose points.
* GracefulLadiesLikePurple: Her hair ribbons are a pale lavender.
* ImprobableHairstyle: She wears her hair in pink twin drills.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: She appears three times in the series. Each time, she gets her butt kicked by Dawn, including one time when her Gabite lost to ''Pachirisu.''
* InsufferableGenius: She's a skilled Pokémon coordinator...and she makes sure everyone knows it.
* ItOnlyWorksOnce: Her Grand Festival appeal involves her two Eevee evolving into Vaporeon and Flareon mid-performance. It makes for an impressive display, but as Brock notes, it can only be pulled off once.
%%* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The dark to Dawn's light.
%%* ManBitesMan: Flareon's Fire Fang.
%%* ManipulativeBitch: Poor Dawn...
* MeaningfulName: In the original version, her name is derived from 麗らか ''uraraka,'' Japanese for beautiful or glorious.
* MegaTwintails: Her pink hair is styled in large drill-shaped pigtails.
%%* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Gabite
* PetTheDog:
** In her first appearance, she offers Dawn's Pachirisu a Poffin to replace the one her Gabite stepped on. Pachirisu didn't like the taste, but it's the thought that counts.
** Despite her arrogance, Ursula cares for her Pokémon and treats them well, unlike Paul. When her Gabite loses the Chocovine Contest, she comforts her and tells her that she did a great job. [[spoiler: And she comes to have ''some'' respect for Dawn in the end, as much as she may deny it.]]
* RememberTheNewGuy: She participated in the Wallace Cup and lost in the first round, but didn't appear during that arc.
* RollingAttack: Jigglypuff's Rollout, also Plusle and Minun's "twin attack formation" in ''Playing the Performance Encore!''
* TechnicolorEyes: A dark pink that matches her hair.
* TrueBlueFemininity: Her Grand Festival dress is three different shades of blue.
* WonderTwinPowers: Not only do her Plusle and Minun know Helping Hand, they work perfectly together in Contests, making them a fantastic choice for Double Battles.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Her hair and eyes are light pink.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Conway (Kōhei/Kouhei)]]
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conway_screenshot_6447.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Kozo Mito\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/IrwinDaayan (season 10 and 13), Gabriel Ortiz (season 11).
Dawn's partner in the Hearthome Tag Battle competition, who took a liking to her. He was only intended to appear for a few episodes, but [[EnsembleDarkhorse unexpected popularity among the fanbase]] brought him back for more.
----
%%* AdjustingYourGlasses: Type 2 is his {{Character Tic|s}}.
* BadassBookworm: He's big on battle strategy, even giving Ash a hard time in their League battle.
* BattleCouple: Formed one with Dawn in the Tag Battle Tournament. Although the affection is one-sided...
%%* {{Bishonen}}
* BlueWithShock: When he found out the "little girl" he partnered with in a Pokémon Summer Academy race was [[spoiler:a ghost.]]
%%* BreakoutCharacter
* CharacterTics: Tweaking and/or [[ScaryShinyGlasses shining]] his glasses.
%%* ConfusionFu: His battle plan against Ash. Ash...out weirds him.
* CreepyMonotone: Speaks like this briefly in "Ghoul Daze!" when under the ghost girl's mind-control.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: For a creepy, nerdy stalker, it's very surprising to see how ridiculously competent Conway can be in battle. In addition, he sports a nice variety of Pokémon despite his battling skills not being highlighted often.
%%* DeathGlare: Dusknoir's Mean Look.
* DidNotSeeThatComing: Like many of Ash's opponents, Conway gets thrown off when his opponent improvises. [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Namely, Gible catching Dusknoir's Shadow Punch with his mouth and not letting go]].
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** NonElemental: Lickilicky
%%*** SoulPower: Dusknoir
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]BareFistedMonk: Heracross
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Rock): Shuckle
%%*** ExtraOreDinary[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Rock): Aggron
%%*** MakingASplash[=/=]PsychicPowers: Slowking
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** ExtraOreDinary: Shuckle's Gyro Ball.
%%*** GreenThumb: Lickilicky's Power Whip.
%%*** MakingASplash: Shuckle's Withdraw.
%%*** [[PoisonousPerson Poisonous Pokémon]]: Shuckle's Sludge Bomb.
%%*** PsychicPowers: Shuckle's Power Trick and Dusknoir's Trick Room.
%%*** ShockAndAwe: Lickilicky's Thunderbolt and Dusknoir's Thunder Punch.
%%*** SoulPower: Lickilicky's Lick.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
-->'''Conway:''' ''(off-screen)'' Well, how are you, Number 28?\\
'''Dawn:''' ''(cheerfully)'' I'm fine!\\
''(cut to a close-up of Conway with ScaryShinyGlasses)''\\
'''Conway:''' That's good. Conway is the name. A pleasure.
* {{Expy}}: His design is based on the Super Nerd Trainer class in the main ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games.
* FlawExploitation: In the battle against Paul and Ash, he exploited the fact Paul loved to use Protect by having a Pokémon with Feint. Later, he was well aware Ash had a preference for using FragileSpeedster type Pokémon by using Trick Room.
%%* GuileHero
%%* HornAttack: Heracross' Megahorn.
%%* {{Megane}}
* LightningBruiser:
** Dusknoir when using Trick Room outspeeds almost everything on Ash's team due to Trick Room causing slower Pokémon to go first. Finally, Dusknoir was shown taking and dealing out hits with ease.
** His Shuckle is not fast, but its defenses are really good, and there's a special move that unlocks its offensive powers...
* MightyGlacier: Dusknoir, out of Trick Room, due to its low speed but amazing ability to take hits and dish them out.
%%* MindControlEyes: When brainwashed by a ghost girl in ''Ghoul Daze!''
* NearDeathExperience: In ''Ghoul Daze,'' he almost gets lured off a cliff by a creepy ghost girl. Luckily, he's saved by a Dusknoir.
%%* NerdsAreSexy
* NonActionGuy: Despite making good showings in the first two legs of the Pokémon Triathlon, making good use of Dugtrio's Dig and Floatzel's Dive to bypass the other competitors, he ultimately loses in the final leg because he's bad at long-distance running.
-->'''Conway:''' Big mistake. Not doing a little cardio training was pretty dumb.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: He could sometimes engage in this, particularly with Dawn.
%%* OverlyLongTongue: He doesn't have one, but his Lickilicky does.
* ReusedCharacterDesign: He looks very similar to a grown-up version of Max.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with a creepy chuckle and a SlasherSmile.
%%* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness
* ShirtlessScene: In ''Up Close and Personable,'' justified in that said episode involved the Pokémon Summer Academy students diving underwater to search for aquatic Pokémon.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Never shows any attraction towards anyone but Dawn.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His Japanese name can be spelled either "Kōhei" or "Kouhei".
* StalkerWithACrush: He follows Dawn everywhere, popping up behind her at random times and offering her advice. Apparently, he went to the Pokémon Summer Academy ''just'' because he knew she would be there.
* StealthHiBye: A running gag is him randomly appearing from behind Dawn and startling her (as well as anyone else who happens to be in the vicinity).
-->'''Dawn:''' No one makes an entrance like Conway.
%%* TakeThat: At geeky fanboys/"otakus".
%%* TeenGenius
* ThirdPersonPerson: "That was quite nice...but Conway never gives up!"
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is dark green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Nando (Naoshi)]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TV_Tropes_5554.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KazuyaNakai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Billy Regan\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' José Arenas
A soft-spoken minstrel with a liking for music and Grass-type Pokémon. In his debut episode, Ash and Dawn helped him decide to participate in both Gym Battles and Contests, making him a rival for both of them.
----
* AdaptationalNationality: The English dub implies that he's Hispanic (or whatever the equivalent is in the Pokémon world), by giving him a name of that origin and an accent that sounds vaguely European, but never confirms it.
* AerithAndBob: On the "Aerith" side of the scale.
* AgentPeacock: Like Harley before him, he acts quite feminine yet proves to be a skilled Trainer and Coordinator.
%%* AllLovingHero: Doesn't hate or resent ''anyone.''
* AmbiguouslyGay: Less outwardly flamboyant than Harley, but just as effeminate.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: His manner of speech is noticeably more formal than most other characters tend to use, for example, saying "I am in your debt" instead of "thank you".
* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/shinou/472ps1.shtml this]] (''Dawn of a New Era'') to [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100702033443/es.pokemon/images/2/24/EP652_Nando.png this]] (''League Unleashed'').
* AscendedExtra: Appeared in one of the the very first episodes, seemingly as a one-shot character, and after several noteworthy apearances he ultimately features in both the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh Conference.
%%* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel
* BadassCape: His cape is shaped like a bitten lily, which his perfect for his Bug-type theme.
%%* BarrierWarrior: Armaldo's and Lopunny's Protect.
* BenevolentBoss: He is shown to be kind to his Pokémon, even giving them polite requests during battle instead of commands.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Nando might be sweet and gentle, but in his debut episode, he sends Team Rocket blasting off with Budew's Bullet Seed and comments, [[BondOneLiner "Such a shame. I was having such a pleasant evening before they showed up."]]
* BigDamnHeroes: He had his Budew save Ash and friends from Team Rocket in his debut episode.
%%* BishieSparkle: "Sunflora, [=GrassWhistle!=] Sing, Kricketune!"
* {{Bishonen}}: His character design is pretty feminine. He even appears to be wearing mascara during his Contest performance in "Dawn's Early Night".
* BigNo: [[spoiler:Drops one when Ash's Heracross KO's his Kricketune with Megahorn in the Sinnoh League.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Say what you will about him, but consider this--while most other major characters were practically scrambling to get either eight badges ''or'' five ribbons in time for their event, Nando managed to attain ''both complete sets'' in time for each major competition. He also reached the Top 4 in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, and if he ''hadn't'' been matched up against [[PlotArmor Ash]] so early in the Lily of the Valley Conference, it's quite probable he'd have gotten further than just the Top 64 in that competition, as well. He may act as a musical bard most of the time, but he is able to be a very competent coordinator and battler, with Zoey even commenting that the latter was giving him a big edge in their contest battle in the festival.
* CastingGag: This isn't the first time Billy Regan has voiced [[Characters/PokemonAdvancedGenerationCast a flamboyant, green-clad young man with a goal of collecting Contest ribbons and a humanoid, half-Grass-type Pokémon for a partner.]]
* CharacterTics: He often says things in a sing-song voice.
* ClearTheirName: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!'', he's suspected of stealing the Adamant Orb on the grounds that he has a Sunflora, a Pokémon that was seen escaping with the artifact in question. It turned out to be Team Rocket's Meowth in a Sunflora costume.
* ColorMotif: Green, owing to his love of nature and relaxed attitude.
* ConflictKiller: His establishing character moment was breaking up an argument between Ash and Dawn.
* CowardlyLion: Not Nando himself, but his Sunflora. It abandoned him when he was arrested by Officer Jenny, but hunted down Team Rocket for framing him and exposed their disguises, preventing them from successfully escaping the museum with the Adamant Orb.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Despite his polite and very feminine demeanor, he's no pushover when it comes to Pokémon battles.
* CulturedBadass: He's a skilled musician and studies Sinnoh's history in his spare time.
%%* DanceBattler: Lopunny, Roserade and Sunflora.
%%* DarkHorseVictory: In the Hearthome Contest
%%* ADayInTheLimelight: "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* DeathByIrony: Defeat, anyway. [[spoiler:Both of his final matches in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League were against a Pokémon matching one of his specialty types -- Leafeon, a Grass-type, and Heracross, a Bug-type.]]
* DecompositeCharacter: He takes after Harley in appearance, voice, and mannerisms, while Ursula takes after him in personality, being a mean-spirited Coordinator who regularly harasses one of Ash's female traveling companions.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: After he clobbered Zoey off-screen in ''Dawn's Early Night!,'' she changed her mind about not accepting Trainers who choose to participate in both Gyms and Contests.
* DependingOnTheArtist: In early episodes, his bangs were sometimes drawn facing different directions. This stopped by "Coming Full Festival Circle".
* {{Determinator}}: An understated example. Many characters are shown to struggle with obtaining either eight Gym Badges before the regional League or five Contest Ribbons before the Grand Festival. Nando collecting both sets is a testament to his skill in both fields.
* TheDitherer: In his first episode, he could not decide if he wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer or Coordinator. After battling both Ash and Dawn, he took a third option and went down both paths at once.
* TheDogBitesBack: Got Jessie back for the Adamant Orb incident when he defeated her in the Hearthome Contest five episodes later.
%%* DramaticWind
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** Single type Pokémon
%%*** BigCreepyCrawlies: Kricketune and Kricketot.
%%*** GreenThumb: Sunflora
%%*** NonElemental: Lopunny
%%** Dual type Pokémon
%%*** DishingOutDirt (Rock)[=/=]BigCreepyCrawlies: Armaldo
%%*** GreenThumb[=/=][[PoisonousPerson Poisonous Pokémon]]: Roserade
%%*** WindFromBeneathMyWings: Altaria
%%** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
%%*** BareFistedMonk: Lopunny's [[KameHameHadoken Focus Blast]].
%%*** AnIcePerson: Lopunny's Blizzard.
%%*** PlayingWithFire: Roserade's Sunny Day.
* EasilyForgiven: Nando does not seem to hold grudges, as he did not hold any ill will against Officer Jenny for falsely arresting him on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb, nor Zoey for being cold and dismissive to him when she found out he did both Contests and Gym Battles.
* EffeminateVoice: The American dub gives him a soft, gentle voice with a thick, vaguely European accent.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Briefly. When James and Meowth are selling Pokémon Coordinator merchandise during ''Opposites Interact,'' you can hear a male voice saying, "I'd like a photo of Nando..."
* ExtremeDoormat: He let the Eterna City Officer Jenny tie him up in "A Secret Sphere of Influence!". That should tell you something.
* {{Expy}}: Visually a dead ringer for Harley, down to sharing the same voice actor. His personality, though, is a closer match to Robert's, being a polite gentleman and skilled Coordinator.
* FatalFlaw: His over-reliance on his SignatureMove, Sing, was exploited by Zoey in the Grand Festival and Ash in the Sinnoh League.
* FlatCharacter: Gets this accusation thrown at him a lot because unlike the other Sinnoh rivals he's just a straight-up NiceGuy whose spirit never wavers at all.
* FluffyFashionFeathers: He wears them in his hat during Contests.
* {{Foil}}: The calm, even-tempered dual-duty Pokémon trainer to match Zoey the determined, competitive Pokémon Coordinator.
* FrameUp: Victim of an unintentional one in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' when Team Rocket breaks into the Eterna Museum and steals the Adamant Orb with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, at the exact same time Nando happens to be there with his own Sunflora.
* FriendToAllChildren: He gets along pretty well with Ash, Brock, and Dawn.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: The night before the Grand Festival semifinals has him playing harp music to a gathering of wild Pokémon in the forest.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: In ''A Secret Sphere of Influence,'' he visits the Eterna Museum to study the history of Sinnoh. Unfortunately for him, he's there at the exact same time Team Rocket is stealing the Adamant Orb, with Meowth disguised as a Sunflora, a Pokémon he just happens to have on hand.
* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: His iconic Mew harp. He also wears a gold shoulderplate while performing in Contests.
* HarpOfFemininity: Inverted and played straight at the same time -- he's a guy who plays the harp, but an extremely feminine guy at that.
* IconicItem: He is never seen without his golden Mew-shaped harp.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Everyone else was surprised when he was revealed to have a Lopunny in the Grand Festival, a Pokémon that doesn't fit the theme of his team, as it's not a Bug- or Grass-type and can't use Sing.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Zoey, Dawn, Brock, and Ash. They are all children and teenagers while Nando appears to be in his early twenties.
* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: Pronounces his own name the way it would be said by a Spanish speaker ("Nahn-do").
%%* JustAStupidAccent
* LimitedWardrobe: Like many other things about him, this is a departure from the traditional mold of Pokémon characters. While it's not unusual for minor characters to have only one or two outfits, most Sinnoh Coordinators have a variety of ensembles to wear while performing (Dawn's PimpedOutDress[=es=] and Zoey's tuxedos come to mind). The most he does during a Contest is stick a feather in his hat, put on a gold shoulderplate, and swap out his single-Mew harp for a double-Mew one.
* LongBusTrip: Ignoring his cameo in ''A Breed Stampede,'' he disappeared for a year after ''Dawn's Early Night.''
%%* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Shoulder-length dark hair.
* LuckyTranslation: His English name, which is in Spanish, just happens to actually be a Japanese word that means "many times", which matches up with the large number of battles he has to do as both a pursuer of Gym Badges and a Coordinator.
%%* MagicMusic
%%* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Feminine Boy to Zoey's Masculine Girl.
* MasterOfNone: Ultimately, as while he made good showings in the Grand Festival and the Sinnoh League, he won neither of them. It doesn't seem to bother him, though.
* MeaningfulName:
** He shares his Japanese name with Naoshi Mizuta, another musician.
** In English, his name rhymes with "gliss'''ando'''", a musical term denoting a glide from one pitch to another. It can be played on many instruments, including a harp.
* MellowFellow: Always remains nonchalant and even-tempered. Even when he was accused by Officer Jenny of stealing a priceless artifact from the Eterna Museum, he calmly defended himself without blinking an eye.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: He loses his calm demeanor when he gets really into the Heracross vs. Kricketune match in the Sinnoh League, gesticulating wildly with his hands and even dramatically swishing his cape.
* {{Motifs}}: Music notes.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Nando sticks out somewhat awkwardly among the typical rival lineup, doing contests and battles at the same time, dressing up in an anachronistic minstrel outfit, and hanging out with kids several years younger than he is.
* MythologyGag: Possibly; he wasn't the first [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Bard#The_bard bard]] to appear in the Pokémon continuity.
* NatureHero: Most of his Pokémon are Bug and Grass types, and his first episode had him camping outside with Ash and friends.
* NervesOfSteel: Arrested on suspicion of stealing the Adamant Orb? Criticized for being a Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon Coordinator at the same time? Not a problem for this even-tempered minstrel. [[spoiler:Realizing his Kricketune is on the losing end of a sparring match with Ash's Heracross might be a different story, though...]]
* NeverBareheaded: He never takes his hat off, although [[http://pkmncoordinators.tumblr.com/post/62569836544/pokemon-settei-pokemon-settei-nando-naoshi production art]] shows what he looks like without it.
* NiceGuy: Always unfailingly kind and polite, so much so that he gives polite requests to his Pokémon in battle instead of commands.
%%* NiceHat: A green fedora.
* NonSpecificallyForeign: Implied by the dub, which gives him a name of Spanish origin and a thick, vaguely European-sounding accent.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Downplayed -- he has smaller and more realistically drawn eyes than other characters. It's especially obvious when his headshot is visible among the others on a Pokémon Contest screen.
%%* NotSoStoic: In really intense battles.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Only character to regularly participate in both Contests and Gym Battles.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: No matter the situation, Nando nearly always remains calm and level-headed, rarely losing his cool. But when his Pokémon start showing signs of being in trouble during the Grand Festival and League Conference battles, he actually starts to raise his voice and [[MilkingTheGiantCow gesture with his hands]] when giving them battle commands.
* OutOfFocus: And ''how'' - he disappeared for 125 episodes after "Dawn's Early Night!" (barring a brief cameo), before finally returning for real during the Grand Festival and the Lily of the Valley Conference.
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his left eye.
%%* PerpetualSmiler
* PersonalityPowers: His calm, composed and harmonious nature perfectly fits his preference for musical attacks.
%%* ThePollyanna: Always keeps a cheerful outlook.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Zoey's red.
* RhymesOnADime: As a minstrel he often speaks in rhyming couplets.
* SayMyName:
-->'''Officer Jenny:''' Excuse me. I've just captured Suspect #1. ''(she pulls Nando into the shot)'' Get this. He calls himself a Pokémon troubadour, but I don't buy it at all.
-->'''Ash/Brock/Dawn:''' ''Nando?!''
%%* SharpDressedMan
%%* ShipTease: With Gardenia in ''A Secret Sphere of Influence!''
* SilkHidingSteel: Although he's not female as this trope usually implies, this seems to be Nando's philosophy when it comes to battle. Most of his Pokémon are ones that are beautiful and graceful, yet powerful fighters.
* StealthPun: He's a musician who's always incredibly calm. You could say he's very composed.
* TheStoryteller: "In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos. And at the heart of the chaos, where all things become one, came the one."
* TakeAThirdOption: When we first see Nando, he was having trouble if he wanted to pursue gym battles or contest ones before eventually settling on both. It did wonders for him.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: The "tall" part is more noticeable since he usually hangs around kids, but "A Secret Sphere of Influence" and "A Breed Stampede" show him to be even taller than Officer Jenny and Mr. Contesta, respectively.
* TokenAdult: Ash's and Dawn's only adult rival.
* UncattyResemblance: Wears a green cape similar to his Roserade's.
* UnexplainedAccent: The American dub gives him a European accent that seems to vary from episode to episode.
* TheUnfought: Dawn never faced him directly in an actual Contest battle (though they did have a practice bout in [=DP004=], which he won).
* TheUnreveal: When he shows his badge case to Ash and Dawn in ''Last Call, First Round!,'' it has seven badges and one empty slot for the Mine Badge (which is Byron's), but we never find out where and from whom he got his last badge in-between that episode and ''An Old Family Blend!''
* VagueAge: Appears to be in his early 20s, but his outfit and old-fashioned speech patterns give the impression of someone much older.
* VocalEvolution: After a year long absence, his accent became slightly more pronounced.
%%* WanderingMinstrel: A rare example of this trope in a modern setting.
%%* WaistcoatOfStyle: Wears one under his cape.
* WarriorPoet: He is a skilled Pokémon Trainer and musician with a love for songs and stories. His habit of rhyming is shown to have rubbed off on Gardenia when she quotes a piece of philosophical poetry in "A Secret Sphere of Influence".
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent?: It sounds vaguely like a mixture of Spanish and Irish.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler:He makes it all the way to the top four of the Sinnoh Grand Festival, only to get thrown out of the competition by Zoey. Come the Sinnoh League, Ash wipes the floor with Nando in the ''very first round'' of the Qualifying Matches (the Top 64). In fairness, you can probably blame this on the writers for making Ash his first opponent, or perhaps Zoey was right all along that he should have just stuck with contests. But he sure didn't go out without a fight.]]
%%* WorthyOpponent: To Zoey and Ash.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tobias (Takuto)]]
[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Pokemon_Tobias_7240.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/HirokiTakahashi\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/JMichaelTatum\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Jaime Alberto Carrillo
A mysterious trainer who first appears during the Sinnoh League Tournament, and one of the most formidable trainers seen in the series by far, due to his possession of extremely rare and powerful legendary Pokémon. Using only [[spoiler:Darkrai]], he has [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] through the Sinnoh Gym Leaders and the League Tournament. [[spoiler: One might be tempted to think that Darkrai is his go-to Pokémon and the rest of his team is comprised of ordinary Pokémon, but only because not a single opponent is able to get past Darkrai in a match with it until Ash has a go at it with his team. When Ash actually does defeat Darkrai, Tobias reveals he has ''several'' legendaries in tow, and plan B is to call on his Latios.]]
----
* TheAce: He is the most skilled trainer shown in the Sinnoh region next to Cynthia, steamrolling ''everyone'' he encounters in the Pokémon League. His character even might be a nod to the acquired term "sweeping" in the {{Metagame}} of the Pokémon games (i.e. a player is able to take down entire teams using only one Pokémon with little effort, and do so regularly against many other players in competitive play).
%%* AerithAndBob
%%* AnimeHair
* BadassCape: His cape flows with the wind, much like Nando.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:He beat Sinnoh's Gym Leaders and got to the League Semifinals using ''just'' Darkrai. Against Ash, he is forced to bust out a Latios, which get knocked out as well in a double KO that defeats Ash. Even in the final battle, [most of which is not shown] he actually wins with only Darkrai.]]
* CurbStompCushion: Even though Ash does get his ass handed to him on a silver platter, he does manage to [[spoiler:take out two of his legendaries, the closest ''anybody'' actually gets to him.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Grayish-blue hair, light blue eyes.
* DarkIsNotEvil: No, the creepy guy with the [[spoiler:Darkrai]] is not evil. He actually congratulates Ash on a good battle after he wins.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Ash is the ''only'' person that actually manages to [[spoiler:defeat his Darkrai, and Latios by extension.]] Even the announcer acknowledges it.
* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler:Just after Ash finally beats his rival in the quarter-finals, and it looks like he'll ''finally'' win a major championship, he gets thoroughly trounced by Tobias' ''two'' legendary Pokémon. The trainer's appearance was never hinted at before the Tournament Arc, and it's never explained how he got his hands on two OlympusMons.]] One gets the feeling he was created merely as an excuse to get Ash to Unova quicker.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Thrice. First when Ash's Sceptile [[spoiler:breaks out of sleep status ''immediately'']] with the second coming when Sceptile [[spoiler:hands Darkrai its ass for the first time.]] And after that? Tobias [[spoiler:sends out a Latios.]] That was unexpected. Not to mention wholly unexplained. [[spoiler:The fact Pikachu managed to help Ash make a repeat performance to Tobias and take it out also counted, towards Tobias and the crowd.]]
* ElementalPowers
** Single type Pokémon
*** [[spoiler:CastingAShadow: Darkrai]]
** Dual type Pokémon
*** [=/=]PsychicPowers: Latios]]
** Pokémon who know moves of a different type
*** AnIcePerson: [[spoiler:Darkrai]]'s Ice Beam.
*** PsychicPowers: [[spoiler:Darkrai]]'s Dream Eater.
* TheFaceless: For about a couple episodes. Although [[EarlyBirdCameo pay attention and you can see his face relatively clearly in the tournament standings.]] He's the only one with hair like that.
* GlassCannon: [[spoiler:In keeping to Darkrai's stats in the game, his is this by Legendaries standards. Even healing with Dream Eater, Darkrai goes down to a relatively small amount of direct hits.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:A lot of people were predicting that Darkrai would be the most he'd bring to the table.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's creepy, arrogant, and uses arguably underhanded strategy, but when all's said and done, he congratulates Ash on a well fought battle.
* TheJuggernaut: ''Nobody'' so far has taken this guy's Darkrai and Latios down in a fight. [[spoiler:Well, Ash did, but he lost all of his Pokémon in the process and therefore the tournament]].
* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: He plows through every Trainer he comes up against with minimal effort, [[spoiler:including Ash]], and goes on to [[spoiler:win the Sinnoh League.]] He also wears a red cape.
* LargeHam: The way he releases [[spoiler:Latios]] comes to mind.
* MeaningfulName: Tobias is a powerful trainer who relies mainly on Darkrai to fight. Tobias is also the name of a biblical hero from the book of Tobit who drove a demon out with the help of the archangel Raphael.
* OlympusMons: [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios.]]
* OneManArmy: His Darkrai. It single-handedly carries him through the entire Sinnoh League [[spoiler:with the exception of Ash, who, using Sceptile and Pikachu, respectively, manages to take it and his Latios down with him.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the Japanese version. Tommy from the Pokémon Trainer's School (a Hoenn character of the day) shares the same Japanese name as him. [[spoiler:And, to an extent, the fact that Tobias' Darkrai makes the THIRD we've seen so far (movies are {{Canon}}). Legendaries have been proven to come in multiples before ([=PowerOfOne=]!Lugia, Silver, and his mother; Heroes has practically a herd of Latios and Latias in flashback).]]
* PalsWithJesus: [[spoiler:He has two legendary Pokémon that obey his every command.]]
* PeekABangs: His hair covers his eye, like his [[spoiler:Darkrai]].
* TheReveal: [[spoiler:His second Pokémon is '''Latios.''' Didn't see that coming, did you? Arceus knows what the rest of his team looks like...]]
* RiddleForTheAges:
** How he caught a [[spoiler:Darkrai and Latios]] is never explained.
** There is a lot of theories and wonder as to what the other four Pokémon are in his party, [[spoiler:considering two of them are legendaries.]]
* SmugSuper: Downplayed. He is ''very'' well aware he is packing [[spoiler:high-grade legendaries]] and will let his opponents know how even bringing their A-game might not be enough, but he does respect the effort his opponents put in the battle. Especially Ash [[spoiler:given he actually did defeat his Darkrai and Latios.]]
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: His design is similar to Nando's, wearing a long cape and an [[PeekABangs emo-bang hairstyle]] as well as having a [[AerithAndBob slightly unusual name.]] He even has a slight accent in the English dub, though it's very faint.
* TakeThat: He is one to players who use [[spoiler:legendaries]] to breeze through the games instead of bothering to actually train a team.
%%* TallDarkAndHandsome
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Non-lethal, competitive example. [[spoiler: He was the first major character of sorts to bring Legendary Pokémon in a League tournament, who are viewed as physical deities that make most fully-evolved mons look like weaklings. And Tobias used ''at least two of them''.]]
%%* TsurimeEyes
* TheUnreveal: Only two of his Pokémon were shown in his fight against Ash. [[spoiler:Also, no explanation was given as how did he caught them even after the battle.]]
* WalkingSpoiler: Mentioning him will get you to [[spoiler:reveal how Ash lost the Sinnoh league]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: As is the case with ''every'' Conference Winner, there is no mention of him going on to face the Elite Four and the region's Champion, but he stands out for obvious reasons. Cynthia is still the Sinnoh Champion in her later appearances in ''Black and White'', meaning Tobias either lost to her, to the Elite Four, or inexplicably decided not to challenge them.
%%* YouGottaHaveBlueHair
[[/folder]]
!Sinnoh League
[[folder:In General]]
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: As with all the regions, the Elite Four are selected based on the strongest trainers in the region.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Cynthia (Shirona)]]
[[quoteright:271:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shirona.jpg]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/TomoSakurai\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Emily Jenness\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Adriana Casas
The Champion of the Sinnoh League.
----
* TheAce: Well she is the Champion of Sinnoh so this should be given.
* BadassLongcoat: She wears her black signature coat for the entirety of ''Diamond & Pearl''.
* BadassBookworm: Has a love and fascination for history, when she makes her debut she's visiting a site of ruins in Sinnoh.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: She is a very polite and somewhat quirky LadyOfWar, but will immediately react to whatever region-wide threat is present and will unleash her Garchomp at a moment's notice.
* BigDamnHeroes: She takes down Jupiter easily and frees Ash and co. just in time for them to stop Cyrus' plan.
* BigGood: Portrayed this way in D/P.
* TheBusCameBack: As a reference to her appearance in the B&W games, she has a recurring role in BWS2 - her villa in Undella Town accommodated Ash and his friends as they prepared for the Junior Cup and the Vertress Conference. During one particular arc, she even brought Dawn along with her.
* CombatPragmatist: Not usually, but when she shows up to help Ash against Team Galactic, she has her Garchomp do a surprise attack against Jupiter's Skuntank, and then when Jupiter starts to take out another Pokémon, Garchomp lands behind her and rests its claws right near her throat. [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim When the world's at stake, it isn't the time to play fair]].
* CurbStompBattle: People who try to face her in battle usually receive one of these, most notably Paul. The known exceptions are Flint (who took down three of her Pokémon before losing to her Garchomp), Aaron (who [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome took down five of her team, including Garchomp]], before finally losing to Gastrodon), and Caitlin (who battled Cynthia's Garchomp to a standstill with her Gothitelle, resulting the battle going into overtime).
%%* DishingOutDirt:
%%** Her Garchomp can use Stone Edge and is partly a ground type Pokémon.
%%** Her Gastrodon is also partly a ground type Pokémon.
* TheDitherer: Every time she needs to pick a flavor of ice cream, she takes ages.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Sort of has this happen in the [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 B2W2]] season - she doesn't ''join'' Ash's group, but they lounge about in her villa for a while, and she participates in several of their adventures.
* HelpingWouldBeKillStealing: ''Subverted'' in the "Operation Tempest" two-parter - her Garchomp proves vital, along with Dragonite and Golurk, in holding back the [[OneWingedAngel Therian Forme]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Kami Trio]]. She also helped directly in fighting Team Galactic, even though anything connecting with the Lake Trio had to be done by Ash, Dawn, and Brock since they were the ones linked to them.
* IceCreamKoan: Plenty of times in DP, though nowhere near as much in BW, she'll go into random tangents with vague words and meanings that may or may not even relate to what's going on.
* {{Irony}}: She loves ice cream, but her signature Pokémon, Garchomp, sports a quadruple weakness to the Ice-type.
* LadyOfWar: Cynthia herself, though her female Garchomp also qualifies by merit of being both powerful and graceful.
* TheMentor: Her main role during the plot of the DP series, though she ''does'' get actively involved in the effort to stop Team Galactic, doing her duty as Champion very well. She also mentors Iris, particularly in regards to her new, disobedient Dragonite. Iris in turn [[HeroWorshipper looks up to her]], thanks in no small part to Cynthia having trained her own powerful Dragon-type, Garchomp.
* OneManArmy: Her Garchomp tears through Paul's team like a lawnmower through a notebook factory, finishing by one-shotting his powerful Torterra with a single Brick Break.
* PeekABangs: Her left eye is covered by her hair, which is part of her "mysterious beauty" look.
* PlayingWithFire: Her Garchomp can use Flamethrower.
* RecurringCharacter: Cynthia appears every now and then in ''Diamond & Pearl'' and she also appears a lot in the early episodes of ''Best Wishes! Season 2''.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Along with Lance. Steven and Diantha, she is one of the champions we seen on-screen that take proactive measures against wide-scale threats.
* RunningGag: A good number of times Ash meets her she's having trouble deciding on what flavor of ice cream she wants...
* SkewedPriorities: During the introduction of the Meloetta arc in ''Pokemon Black and White'', while Ash and Company take care of Meloetta on the roadside, Cynthia receives an urgent call that requires her to drive back to the city immediately. She forgot her change when she bought an ice cream cone.
* SweetTooth: Her introductory moments in the series show her being indecisive over what flavor of ice cream to get, a gag that shows up several more times later on. Towards the end of DP (during the Lily of the Valley Conference), Team Rocket ''use'' this gag to attract customers. Comes up yet again in BW when Ash meets up with her again in a similar manner, down to her indecisiveness on picking a flavor.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Ice cream, but she takes hours to decide which one she wants to choose.
* WeaponOfChoice: [[InfinityMinusOneSword Her Garchomp]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Lucian (Goyō)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lucian_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/DaisukeNamikawa\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' David Lapkin\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Creator/EduardoGarza
* BadassBookworm: Like his game counterpart, he can be frequently seen with a book in his hands.
%%* {{Bishonen}}
* EarlyBirdCameo: If you count that he's the sole Sinnoh Elite Four member who appeared ''prior'' to Cynthia.
* ElementalPowers: He uses [[PsychicPowers Psychic types]].
* ExtraOreDinary: Bronzong's primary type.
%%* {{Megane}}
%%* SharpDressedMan
* WorthyOpponent: Perceived as such by Buizel, who thus became highly depressed at losing so badly to him the first time.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is blue.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aaron (Ryou)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aaron_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KenshoOno\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Christopher C. Adams\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Javier Olguín\\
'''Voiced in European French by:''' Christophe Hespel
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Specializes in bug types
* ComeBackMyPet: His Beautifly.
* MrFanservice: In-universe. Even the local ''Officer Jenny'' {{Fangirl}}s him. Rare case of ''both'' {{Bishounen}} and RatedMForManly, judging by his appearance.
* MyGreatestFailure: Abandoning his Wurmple for being a weak Pokémon when he was younger (which prompted him to better understand Bug-types, so it wouldn't happen again). It eventually comes back to him as a Beautifly.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Though it was cut from the dub, the original Japanese of [=DP100=] has announcer state Cynthia was down to her ''last'' Pokémon when she sent out Gastrodon against Aaron's Beautifly. This means that [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome Aaron must have actually defeated her Garchomp]], something even Flint didn't quite manage! Oddly, in the preceding episode his Pokémon had trouble dealing with ''the Team Rocket trio''.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub, which also has [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew Sir Aaron]].
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: He is apparently able to understand insects.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: His hair is green.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Flint (Ōba)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flint_e4_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Toru Nara\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Tom Wayland\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Arturo Castañeda
%%* AfroAsskicker
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: After fully evolving, Ash's Infernape only lost once in the entire remaining series. To Flint's Infernape.
* BareFistedMonk: Infernape's 2nd Type and it knows Close Combat, Mach Punch, and Thunderpunch
* BigBrotherMentor: Has this vibe with Ash and they share a similar philosophy in the way they battle with their Pokémon and he shares some advice with the younger boy. Not to mention that he is obviously fond of Ash...
* BigDamnHeroes: in his first appearance, using Infernape to save Ash from the Sunyshore gym's security system, and again to rescue Kenny's Floatzel from Team Rocket.
* BloodKnight: If his Infernape's reaction to Pikachu is anything to go by than he '''''LOVES''''' a good fight where he can go out. Flint may qualify as well since he also thought Pikachu was well trained and worth more effort to battle against.
* CurbstompBattle: Defeats Ash in a 3 vs. 3 battle with minimal effort. His Infernape outright one shotted Ash's own Infernape and Buizel and was tanking hits from Pikachu while tossing him around.
* CurbStompCushion: Flint admitted Infernape was putting some degree of effort into fighting Pikachu, which is more than most would manage.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Infernape was able to go head to head with Cynthia's Garchomp and deal some brutal blows in. It's the second-closest anyone has come to take her down (Aaron got closer). Not to mention it swatted Ash's Pokémon like flies!
%%* FieryRedhead
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Volkner.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Every time he shows up you can hear a subtle jungle beat with drums. It's actually quite awesome.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted in the dub. The other Flint is Brock's father.
* PlayingWithFire: Infernape
* TheRival: Volkner's old friend and adversary.
* WorthyOpponent: His Infernape seems to view Ash's Pikachu as this. After [[OneHitKill casually ragdolling Ash's Infernape and Buizel]] he had to face Pikachu and seemed quite excited to do so the instant Pikachu made his opening attack. Flint was even surprise to see that his Infernape was excited to fight Pikachu and felt like he was putting some effort into battling. [[CurbstompBattle Granted Infernape wins quite easily]], but he still felt Pikachu was worth more effort compared to the others.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bertha (Kikuno)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bertha_anime.png]]
-->'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yoko Matsuoka\\
'''Voiced in English by:''' Mary O' Brady\\
'''Voiced in Latin American Spanish by:''' Magda Giner
* BerserkButton: When Team Rocket decided to enhance their Pokémon's performance using PoweredArmor, she didn't take it too kindly.
%%* CoolOldLady
* ElementalPowers: She specializes in [[DishingOutDirt Ground type]] Pokémon:
%%* DishingOutDirt: Hippowdon (Ground), Gliscor (Ground) & Golem (Rock/Ground)
* ExtraOreDinary: Hippowdon's Iron Head.
%%* DrivesLikeCrazy
* ManBitesMan: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
%%* NeverMessWithGranny
* OneHitKO: Gliscor's Guillotine
* OneShotCharacter: She only appeared in a single episode, barring her cameo in ''Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions''.
* PlayingWithFire: Hippowdon's Fire Fang.
* StealthMentor: In two ways. She not only acts in a way intended to subtly teach the other person, but also hides her status as an Elite Four member and tells Brock not to reveal it.
%%* WindFromBeneathMyWings: Gliscor
[[/folder]]
----
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* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with creepy chuckling and a SlasherSmile.
to:
* ReusedCharacterDesign: He looks very similar to a grown-up version of Max.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with a creepychuckling chuckle and a SlasherSmile.
* ScaryShinyGlasses: His signature {{Character Tic|s}}, usually combined with a creepy
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* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Fans have noted his strong physical resemblance to Max.
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* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: Her signature Pokémon - which is also her strongest - is Garchomp, a dragon type.
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%%*** InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons[=/=]DishingOutDirt (Ground): Gabite
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%%*** InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: Altaria
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%%*** InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons[=/=]WindFromBeneathMyWings: WindFromBeneathMyWings: Altaria
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*** [[spoiler:InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons[=/=]PsychicPowers: Latios]]
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*** [[spoiler:InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons[=/=]PsychicPowers: [=/=]PsychicPowers: Latios]]
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Torterra is Paul's first Pokémon as well as his strongest. He got it as his Starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan and it has been travelling with its trainer through four different regions. While it accepts Paul's harsh training regiment, Torterra does have a soft spot for Ash's Grotle.
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Torterra is Paul's first Pokémon Pokémon, as well as one of his strongest. He got it as his Starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan and it has been travelling with its trainer through four different regions. While it accepts Paul's harsh training regiment, Torterra does have a soft spot for Ash's Grotle.
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* {{Foil}}: To Ash' Torterra. Paul's Torterra is a very powerful Pokémon that barely loses and is perfectly capable as a MightyGlacier. Ash's Torterra on the other hand loses every battle it is in (except against Team Rocket) and is anything but a perfect MightyGlacier.
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* {{Foil}}: To Ash' Acts as a much more experienced one to Ash's Torterra. Paul's Torterra is a very powerful Pokémon that barely loses and is perfectly capable as a MightyGlacier. Ash's Torterra on the other hand hand, while still a powerful Pokémon, loses every battle it is in once it reaches its final stage (except against Team Rocket) and is anything but struggles quite a perfect MightyGlacier. bit at adapting to battling as a MightyGlacier.
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* {{Foil}}: Just like Torterra, even in its brief appearances it manages to act as one towards Ash's Gligar, a younger member of its species. Ash's Gligar is a [[LovableCoward meek]], [[ProneToTears emotional Pokémon]] who struggles to learn to battle effectively, and although he [[TookALevelInBadass becomes easily one of Ash's strongest team members]], even as a Gliscor he never loses his charming and comical disposition. Paul's Gliscor, on the other hand, acts entirely competent from the start and maintains an unfazed and ruthless demeanor during battle.
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* DistaffCounterpart: Dawn in many ways is like a female counterpart to Ash. Like May before and Serena after, she exchanges RotatingArcs with Ash's Gym quest, but she stands out thanks to her status as the {{Deuteragonist}} and that she shares more in common with him than just about any of his companions. Like Ash, she is an optimistic and initially overconfident NiceGirl who had decided on her life goal long before her debut. She started her journey with an initially stubborn Pokémon that stays outside his Poké Ball and refuses to evolve, and bonded with him after [[FireForgedFriends fending off a large swarm of wild Pokemon]] in an adventure that culminated in them meeting a [[OlympusMons Legendary]] Pokemon. She also has a knack for developing [[OutsideTheBoxTactic Outside-the-Box Tactics]] in battle similarly to Ash, many of which are borrowed between the two.
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* BewareTheNiceOnes: Nando might be sweet and gentle, but in his debut episode, he sends Team Rocket blasting off with Budew's Bullet Seed and comments, [[BondOneLiner "Such a shame. I was having such a pleasant evening before they showed up."]]
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[[center:[[WMG:''[[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Pokémon anime]]'' [[Characters/PokemonAnime characters index]]\\
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'''[[Characters/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Journeys]]'''\\
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* PrinciplesZealot: When she started, Zoey would presume any trainers dabbling in both the gyms and contests to be TheDitherer and would criticize them for a lack of conviction; she backed off once Nando proved it was a viable path.
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Opera Gloves is not a trope anymore.
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* OperaGloves: She wears a pair ith her Grand Festival outfit.
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%%* TheChosenOne: Of Mesprit.
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%%* OperaGloves: With her Grand Festival outfit.
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* BatmanGambit: Pulls off several at Lake Acuity.
** He purposely allows his Torterra to miss its first Frenzy Plant, baiting Ash into using several close-range attacks with Gliscor while Torterra recharges. This allows Paul to trap its tail with Crunch and get off a point-blank hit with Giga Drain, badly damaging Gliscor while healing off most of the damage taken earlier. This is immediately followed up with another Batman Gambit as Ash switches to Staraptor, allowing Paul to nail it with a super effective Stone Edge.
** He sends out his Honchkrow to battle Grotle, knowing that despite the type disadvantage, Ash will likely stay in with Grotle to avenge its loss to Honchkrow [[ContinuityNod earlier in the series]]. He is correct, and Honchkrow defeats Grotle easily.
** He throws Ash off guard by choosing [[PlayingWithFire Magmortar]] and [[BadassNormal Ursaring]] to battle Pikachu, knowing that Ash will take initiative and battle head-on. This turns out to be a ploy to activate their respective abilities in [[StatusAilment Flame Body]] and [[StatusBuff Guts]], while also taking advantage of ''Pikachu's'' natural ability Static, completely overwhelming him.
** He purposely allows his Torterra to miss its first Frenzy Plant, baiting Ash into using several close-range attacks with Gliscor while Torterra recharges. This allows Paul to trap its tail with Crunch and get off a point-blank hit with Giga Drain, badly damaging Gliscor while healing off most of the damage taken earlier. This is immediately followed up with another Batman Gambit as Ash switches to Staraptor, allowing Paul to nail it with a super effective Stone Edge.
** He sends out his Honchkrow to battle Grotle, knowing that despite the type disadvantage, Ash will likely stay in with Grotle to avenge its loss to Honchkrow [[ContinuityNod earlier in the series]]. He is correct, and Honchkrow defeats Grotle easily.
** He throws Ash off guard by choosing [[PlayingWithFire Magmortar]] and [[BadassNormal Ursaring]] to battle Pikachu, knowing that Ash will take initiative and battle head-on. This turns out to be a ploy to activate their respective abilities in [[StatusAilment Flame Body]] and [[StatusBuff Guts]], while also taking advantage of ''Pikachu's'' natural ability Static, completely overwhelming him.
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* CrazyPrepared: Particularly against Ash in the late stages of their rivalry.
** He teaches his Torterra Stone Edge to deal with the Fire- and Flying-types on Ash's Sinnoh team, and furthermore teaches it to [[HomingProjectile change the direction]] of the stones to prevent more agile Pokemon from dodging it.
** He temporarily teaches his Electabuzz Light Screen to serve a more supportive role. With the extra defensive buff, Paul's MightyGlacier Torterra because exceedingly hard to touch, as special attacks are halved in power while physical attacks are stopped cold with Stone Edge.
** In the Sinnoh League, Paul has his Gastrodon use the [[SpinToDeflectStuff Counter Shield]] technique [[VariantPowerCopying coined by Ash]], creating a large vortex of Muddy Water that makes it difficult to get in close. Ash sees a weak spot close to the ground and has Staraptor go after it, but Paul sees this coming and is able to trap it with Body Slam. Ash manages to escape Body Slam by banging the ground with Close Combat, but Paul is ''[[UpToEleven still]]'' prepared for that and nails it with Ice Beam as it escapes.
** He teaches his Torterra Stone Edge to deal with the Fire- and Flying-types on Ash's Sinnoh team, and furthermore teaches it to [[HomingProjectile change the direction]] of the stones to prevent more agile Pokemon from dodging it.
** He temporarily teaches his Electabuzz Light Screen to serve a more supportive role. With the extra defensive buff, Paul's MightyGlacier Torterra because exceedingly hard to touch, as special attacks are halved in power while physical attacks are stopped cold with Stone Edge.
** In the Sinnoh League, Paul has his Gastrodon use the [[SpinToDeflectStuff Counter Shield]] technique [[VariantPowerCopying coined by Ash]], creating a large vortex of Muddy Water that makes it difficult to get in close. Ash sees a weak spot close to the ground and has Staraptor go after it, but Paul sees this coming and is able to trap it with Body Slam. Ash manages to escape Body Slam by banging the ground with Close Combat, but Paul is ''[[UpToEleven still]]'' prepared for that and nails it with Ice Beam as it escapes.
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Paul doesn't fall under Dumb Muscle as despite his cruel qualities, he's always been quite intelligent. Genius Bruiser is also a bit inaccurate because it usually refers to academic intelligence, while Paul's intelligence is mainly battle-oriented.
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* TheBadGuyWins: Paul is Ash's only rival in the entire series who could be considered a villain. This usually happens when he defeats Ash in battles.
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* TheBadGuyWins: While not exactly a villain, Paul is Ash's only most antagonistic rival by far, and he beats Ash in the entire series who could be considered a villain. This usually happens when he defeats Ash in majority of their battles.
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** Another catchphrase of his is "pathetic."
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** Another catchphrase of his from the English dub is "pathetic."
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* DefeatMeansFriendship: In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry. However, Cynthia notes to Brock and Dawn that although they respect each other now, the two will never be friends, as they still have too much lingering resentment for each other and are too different.
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* {{Deconstruction}}:
** His whole character is one of [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
** He also serves as a deconstruction toward Ash's reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship and the IndyPloy. Almost every time Ash tries to prove to Paul that a strong bond can overcome any matchup, he gets shown up ''hard''. Ash has to significantly up his game and battle far more strategically to finally defeat him.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Downplayed. In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry.However, Cynthia notes to Brock and Dawn that although They're not exactly friends on account of the immense personality clash, but they've come a long way from the borderline [[ArchEnemy arch-enemies]] they respect each other now, the two will never be friends, as they still have too much lingering resentment for each other and are too different.were at first.
** His whole character is one of [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
** He also serves as a deconstruction toward Ash's reliance on ThePowerOfFriendship and the IndyPloy. Almost every time Ash tries to prove to Paul that a strong bond can overcome any matchup, he gets shown up ''hard''. Ash has to significantly up his game and battle far more strategically to finally defeat him.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Downplayed. In addition to complimenting Electivire for a well-fought battle after losing to Ash, he acknowledges that Ash's Infernape is strong, and the two see each other off on good terms, finally ending their bitter rivalry.
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* DumbMuscle: While he is certainly not stupid, the centerpiece of his entire battle philosophy in the beginning is his hang-up about some twisted idea of strength, causing him to value Pokémon exclusively for immediate, accessible power. It led him to do ridiculous things like abuse Chimchar because he wanted it to use [[ComebackMechanic Blaze]] (it's a wonder he never tried to pull the same stunt on his Torterra to make it use Overgrow) or release a Stantler because it only knew Tackle at the time.
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* GeniusBruiser: Despite Paul's interest in "the strong", he does use his Pokémon strategically (well, as strategically as the anime gets), sometimes even actually being faithful to the games, like switching out Pokémon for type advantage reasons.
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* TakeThat: His whole character is one to [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players and possibly even players who view the game as only something to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat their Pokémon. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things in the Pokémon world as if you are playing the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.
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* TakeThat: His whole character StrongAndSkilled: Despite his obsession with strength, Paul is one to [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive players arguably the most strategic battler ever shown in the anime. He thoroughly researches his opponents and possibly even players who view the game as only something employs strategies to win]] instead of just having fun. All of his KickTheDog moments are terrifyingly similar to how the more serious game players would treat target their Pokémon. physical and psychological weaknesses, and unlike most of Ash's opponents, he can quickly adapt to Ash's {{Outside The Box Tactic}}s as he's roughly just as experienced as Ash. It's deconstructed as such that if you do the same things most on display in his full battle with Ash at Lake Acuity, where Paul pulls off numerous {{Batman Gambit}}s to put Ash in a virtually unwinnable situation. Later on in the Pokémon world Sinnoh League, he purposely sets up two of his Pokemon as if you are playing {{Sacrificial Lamb}}s in order to lower Ash's guard, only to reveal he was in control the games, you would actually suffer consequences as the Pokémon are sentient beings and not a collection of pixels.whole time.
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** When Ash praises Staravia during the Tag Team Tournament after Paul's Torterra defeats Brock and Holly, Paul sarcastically asks Ash if they even did anything. While rude to say, it's no inaccurate as Torterra single handedly defeated both of their opponents.
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** When Ash praises Staravia during the Tag Team Tournament after Paul's Torterra defeats Brock and Holly, Paul sarcastically asks Ash if they even did anything. While rude to say, it's no not inaccurate as Torterra single handedly defeated both of their opponents.
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* FlatWhat: Expresses shock and disbelief when he finds out Ash defeated the leader of the Frontier Brains, Brandon.
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* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: She appears three times in the series. Each time, she gets her butt kicked by Dawn.
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* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: She appears three times in the series. Each time, she gets her butt kicked by Dawn.Dawn, including one time when her Gabite lost to ''Pachirisu.''
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* TheUnreveal: When he shows his badge case to Ash and Dawn in ''Last Call, First Round!,'' it has seven badges and one empty slot for the Mine Badge (which is Byron's), but we never find out where and from whom he got his last badge in-between that episode and ''An Old Family Blend!''
