Leon (anime)
| Leon ダンデ Dande | |
 Leon | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Yellow |
| Hair color | Purple |
| Hometown | Postwick |
| Region | Galar |
| Relatives | Unnamed mother and father, Hop (younger brother) |
| Trainer class | Champion, Pokémon Trainer, Monarch |
| Game counterpart | Leon |
| Champion of | Galar Pokémon League |
| Anime debut | Flash of the Titans! |
| English voice actor | Alejandro Saab |
| Japanese voice actor | Daisuke Ono |
Leon (Japanese: ダンデ Dande) is a recurring character in the Pokémon anime. He is the Champion of the Galar region's Pokémon League and becomes the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world after obtaining the title of Monarch in the World Coronation Series in Flash of the Titans!.
He is Ash's main rival in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, with defeating Leon serving as his primary goal throughout the series.
In the anime
History
Pre-series
Born and raised in Galar, Leon was a childhood friend of Sonia's. Due to having to take care of his family for a long time, she was his only friend and taught Leon the concepts of a Pokémon battle. During this period, Leon found a Charmander that would become his first Pokémon and what motivated him to go on a Pokémon journey. Sonia and Leon traveled together when they started on their journey and as soon as they started their journey, Leon had his first Pokémon battle against Sonia herself.
In his first victory in battle, it was evident that Leon had a natural gift for being a great Trainer. In this period, Leon met more people and knew more about Pokémon. As revealed in Toughing It Out!, Rose was responsible for inserting Leon into the world of competitive Pokémon battles. But, Leon's closeness to Rose ended up driving Sonia away from him, which made the two go their separate ways over time. In Sword and Shield: "From Here to Eternatus!", Rose reveals that his goal with this was to guide Leon so that he would become the hero of Galar, and be able to control Eternatus.
On his journey, Leon went through the Pokémon League of Galar undefeated, and eventually reached the top spot among the Masters Eight of the World Coronation Series.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Leon debuted in Flash of the Titans!, where he had a bout against Lance in the finals of the World Coronation Series at Wyndon Stadium, using his Charizard to go up against Lance's Gyarados. After a hard-fought battle, Leon emerged victorious, making him the Monarch of the World Coronation Series. Shortly after the battle with Lance, in The Climb to Be the Very Best!, where Leon heard a commotion outside the stadium and went to see what was happening. Leon saw Ash battling a Gigantamax Drednaw with his Pikachu and noticed that he had Gigantamaxed without a Dynamax Band. He gave Ash advice that allowed him to defeat Drednaw before properly introducing himself to them. The next day, Leon approached Ash and Goh at the Wyndon Pokémon Center and accepted Ash's earlier request for a battle. Beforehand, Leon gave Ash an explanation of how Dynamaxing and G-Max Moves worked and gave him his own Dynamax Band. During the battle, both sides Gigantamaxed their Pokémon, with Pikachu even managing to land a couple hits on Charizard, but in the end, Pikachu was defeated. Ash and Leon then promised to each other that once Ash was strong enough, they would battle again.
Leon reappeared in a flashback in Dreams Are Made of These!, when Ash explains to some kids about his goals.
In Toughing It Out!, Leon has a battle for the World Coronation Series with his rival Raihan and his Duraludon. After a tough match, Leon emerged victorious, with this victory, Leon manages to defend his Monarch title. Afterwards, he greeted Ash and Chairman Rose and encourages Raihan to retrain so they can battle in the future.
In Sword and Shield, Slumbering Weald!, during a series of Pokémon attacks that were using Dynamax and Gigantamax in an uncontrolled way, he had Charizard attack a rampaging Gigantamax Centiskorch. After defeating it, Leon reunited with Ash, and they flew off together to deal with other rampaging Pokémon. Later, they encountered a Dynamax Pangoro, which they defeated in Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day!. He and Ash later took on a Coalossal that had Gigantamaxed and took it down. Soon after, Rose and Oleana arrived. Leon was later seen in Hammerlocke, where it was revealed that he was suspicious of Rose, and that he planned to investigate the city's Energy Plant. This investigation took Leon to the place where Eternatus was being held prisoner. When Eternatus ended up breaking free and getting out of control, Leon decided that he had to capture it so he could calm the Pokémon down. Leon met Rose, who revealed his real intentions and, after confronting his former tutor together with Ash, he went to face Eternatus.
In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!, Leon and Charizard battled against Eternatus after it was re-awakened, but despite Charizard's best efforts they still struggled against the might of the Legendary Pokémon. When Leon attempted to Gigantamax Charizard, Eternatus absorbed all of the Dynamax energy from the area, preventing Leon from successfully Gigantamaxing Charizard. Along with Sonia, Leon witnessed Ash and Goh joining forces with Zacian and Zamazenta and finally managing to contain the power of Eternatus. When everything was finally resolved, Sonia revealed to Professor Magnolia that Leon was searching for Rose, who had disappeared after the incident.
Leon made a cameo appearance at the end of Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start! while watching Ash's World Coronation Series match against Volkner.
In The Sweet Taste of Battle!, Leon visited the Glimwood Tangle before heading to Ballonlea, where he met up with Raihan, Ash, Goh, and Chloe. Leon took part in Opal's All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge but lost to Ash. He then agreed to referee the battle between Ash and Opal.
In Battle Three With Bea! and A Battle of Mega Versus Max!, Leon appeared at the Stow-on-Side Stadium, watching the World Coronation Series match between Ash and Bea. During the battle, he arrived late, shocking the entire audience and serving as a commentator. At the end of the battle, Leon decided to leave without talking to any of the competitors, which left Ash disappointed.
In Meeting Up with the Monarch!, Leon defended his title in a battle against Flint. After yet another victory, Leon met up with Ash and invited him to a training session. Upon arriving at a place within the Wild Area, Leon and Ash decided to camp and participate in activities with some Pokémon they met in the area. After having the experience interrupted by a pair of Corviknight, they discovered that one of the Rookidee from their nest was injured, so they decided to help them. At the end of the day, Leon revealed some feelings and doubts to Ash before leaving to meet with Goh and Sonia.
In Catching the Aura of Fate!, Leon was interviewed giving his opinion on the upcoming battle between Ash and Raihan. In the next episode, he was one of the commentators of said battle at the Hammerlocke Stadium.
In JN115, Leon participated in the Masters Eight Tournament, along with the rest of the Masters Eight, reuniting with Ash and Lance, and meeting Iris, Alain, and the other regional Champions. His first opponent was chosen to be Alain. Despite Alain managing to defeat Leon's Gigantamax Rillaboom, Leon still won the match without needing to use his final Pokémon at all. In the next episode, Leon watched Lance and Diantha's battle, where the Kalos Champion emerged victorious. After the battle, Leon was shown to be looking forward to battling Diantha in the semi-finals. In the following episodes, Leon watched the rest of the quarterfinal matches with the other Masters Eight members.
In JN122, Leon battled Diantha in the semi-finals. He was able to defeat her entire team while only losing two of his own and advanced to the finals as a result. Afterwards, Leon and Diantha watched Ash's battle against Cynthia. During the battle he was quite impressed with Ash's performance and how he handled himself against his opponent. After the battle, Leon admitted to Diantha that he was looking forward to battling Ash in the finals.
In JN127, Leon called Ash and Goh to Wyndon Stadium, where he revealed that he, Professor Magnolia, and Sonia had been working with Eternatus for it to become comfortable around people ever since the Darkest Day incident. Seeing this, Goh decided to entrust Eternatus to Leon.
In JN129, as Ash and Leon's battle was about to begin, Leon requested that Ash should be allowed to use Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax, instead of just one of them, which was accepted.
Character
Leon is a strong Trainer, having reached the final round of the World Coronation Series and subsequently becoming the Monarch, thus being undefeated for some time. Although Leon comes across as unstoppable, he revealed to Ash that since the Darkest Day he felt powerless to deal with the threat. This made him question if there are people stronger than him and how far the strength limit of each one goes. Sonia is apparently the only person who can see this side of Leon, unlike most people, to her, Leon is more child-like in his relationship with Pokémon.
Leon is also a good sportsman, as seen in Flash of the Titans!, when he complimented Lance after their battle and shook his hand and again in all his battles in the World Coronation Series, acting the same way after his battles with Raihan and Flint. Leon also has a very strong sense of justice, refusing to follow Chairman Rose's orders to capture Eternatus for the former's personal ambitions, opting to seal Eternatus away to prevent the Darkest Day from occurring.
Leon is remarkably knowledgeable about the Gigantamaxing phenomenon, as seen in The Climb to Be the Very Best!, when he advised Ash on how to battle with his Gigantamax Pikachu in order to deal with a Drednaw that also had Gigantamax. During Ash's battle against Opal, he realized that Pikachu had not Gigantamaxed, but rather bloated from the cream of G-Max Finale. Furthermore, Leon is shown to have great knowledge on how Mega Evolution works, being able to recognize the great bond Lucario has with Ash.
As stated by some people, Leon and Ash have a lot in common, mainly in the way they take care of Pokémon. During the course of the anime it is shown that Leon takes a keen interest in Ash's battles and more than once, Leon declared to Ash his desire to face him in an official battle. This even made Rose offer the same offer he made to Leon to be trained by him, but Ash refused even before knowing Rose's real intentions. As in the games, Leon is idealized by his younger brother Hop, who yearns to defeat him in battle. Hop also reveals that Leon often talks to him about Ash's progression in the World Coronation Series.
In his battles, Leon tends to change the moves that his Pokémon uses, as first seen in Toughing It Out!, where Charizard used three different moves than what it had used previously and always battles on equal terms with the opponent, always Gigantamaxing his Pokémon only after the opponent has the initiative to use it first. In his Masters Eight Tournament campaign, however, Leon took a different approach, for example Gigantamaxing his other Pokémon other than Charizard, using more direct attacks and focusing on covering the deficiencies his Pokémon have in speed and other attributes. Similarly to Ash, Leon is rather unpredictable and adaptable, and could apply techniques from other Trainers having taught Inteleon how to use Counter Shield after observing Ash's usage of it against Cynthia.
Like his game counterpart, Leon has a difficult time with directions, resulting in him becoming lost in the Glimwood Tangle and needing wild Pokémon to show him the way to Ballonlea and later getting lost while traveling with Ash through the Wild Area.
Pokémon
This listing is of Leon's known Pokémon in the anime:
On hand
 
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| Charizard is Leon's starter Pokémon, as well as his ace and capable of Gigantamaxing. It was first seen being used in Leon's battle against Lance in the finals of the World Coronation Series and won.
In The Climb to Be the Very Best!, Charizard was used to battle Ash and his Pikachu, and once again, it emerged victorious. In Toughing It Out!, Charizard was used to battle Raihan and his Duraludon, emerging victorious in the end once more. In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!, Leon called on Charizard to battle Eternatus. It was able to battle the Legendary Pokémon for some time, although Eternatus was able to prevent it from Gigantamaxing. After Leon's failed attempt at catching Eternatus, Charizard was injured in the blast caused by it transforming into its Eternamax form, forcing Leon to recall it. In JN115, Charizard was the second Pokémon Leon used during his Masters Eight Tournament match against Alain. It easily defeated his Malamar and Mega Charizard X, making Leon the winner of the battle. In JN122, Charizard was one of the three Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Diantha. Despite Diantha's Gardevoir having Mega Evolved, Charizard was able to defeat it and win the battle for Leon. Charizard's known moves are Flamethrower, Air Slash, Fire Spin, Thunder Punch, Dragon Claw, Dig, Brick Break, Rock Tomb, Flare Blitz, Fire Blast, Ancient Power, and Dragon Pulse. | ||
| Debut | Flash of the Titans! | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Kenta Miyake | |
| English | Kenta Miyake | |
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| Dragapult is Leon's second known Pokémon. In Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day!, Leon used it to battle a Coalossal that had Gigantamaxed alongside Ash's Pikachu and Gengar, eventually taking it down.
In Meeting Up with the Monarch!, Dragapult was used in Leon's training. Sometime later, Leon used Dragapult to confront a pair of Corviknight that attacked him and Ash. In JN122, Dragapult was one of the three Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Diantha. It was shown battling her Hawlucha and Tyrantrum before being defeated by the latter. In JN130, Leon used Dragapult in his Masters Eight Tournament battle against Ash, where it fought against Dracovish, Lucario, and Dragonite and weaken all of them through a combination of Dragon Tail along its complementary moves, defeating Mega Lucario in the process, but was defeated by Dragonite. Dragapult's known moves are Dragon Darts, Dragon Rush, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and Dragon Tail. | ||
| Debut | Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day! | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Kenta Miyake | |
| English | Daman Mills (Dreepy) | |
 
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| Rillaboom is Leon's third known Pokémon. Like Charizard, it is capable of Gigantamaxing. It was the first Pokémon that Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament battle against Alain. It went up against his Chesnaught and won, only to lose to Alain's Charizard afterwards.
In JN122, Rillaboom was one of the three Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Diantha. It was shown defeating her Tyrantrum, Aurorus, Gourgeist, and Goodra, before losing to Gardevoir. In JN130, Rillaboom was sent out to battle Ash's Dragonite in the Masters Eight Tournament finals. Rillaboom's known moves are Acrobatics, Drum Beating, High Horsepower, and Knock Off. | ||
| Debut | JN115 | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Kenta Miyake | |
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| Cinderace is Leon's fourth known Pokémon. It was the first Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Ash, where it went up against Pikachu. Using its Libero Ability to become a Ground type, Cinderace was able to make Ash recall Pikachu before being recalled itself.
Cinderace's only known move is Scorching Sands, and its Ability is Libero. | ||
| Debut | JN129 | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Kenta Miyake | |
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| Inteleon is Leon's fifth known Pokémon. It was the second Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Ash, where it went up against Gengar. It was able to keep Gengar at bay with its own Counter Shield forcing Gengar to Gigantamax. Even then Inteleon used its acrobatic movement and sniping accuracy to deal with Gengar's Max Moves before being knocked out by Max Ooze.
Inteleon's known moves are Snipe Shot, Dark Pulse, and Aqua Jet. | ||
| Debut | JN129 | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Kenta Miyake | |
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| Mr. Rime is Leon's sixth known Pokémon. It was the third Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Ash, where it went up against Gengar. Despite being struck by Cursed Body, Mr. Rime was able to defeat Gengar. In JN130, it fought Sirfetch'd and Mega Lucario and proved a difficult challenge to both due to its speedy ice skating and powerful close combat prowess, but ultimately lost to Lucario after the latter sensed its movements.
Mr. Rime's known moves are Freeze-Dry, Psychic Terrain, Expanding Force, and Triple Axel. | ||
| Debut | JN129 | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Kenta Miyake | |
Training
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Eternatus was originally caught by Goh in Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken! after Leon's failed attempt to do the same, and was subsequently sealed away by Professor Magnolia. In JN127, Leon was revealed to have worked on getting Eternatus used to human contact, which he had achieved to the point of it being comfortable with him. As such, Goh decided to entrust it with Leon, which he accepted. | ||
| Debut | Flash of the Titans! | |
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Temporary
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| Leon borrowed an Alcremie from Opal to take part in the All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge she had arranged.
None of Alcremie's moves are known. | ||
| Debut | The Sweet Taste of Battle! | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | ||
| English | Ryan Bartley | |
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| During his training with Ash, Leon encountered a pair of Corviknight that were attacking other Pokémon. After calming one of them, Leon took it away so Ash could save the injured Rookidee in Corviknight's nest.
None of Corviknight's moves are known. | ||
| Debut | Meeting Up with the Monarch! | |
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Achievements
Pokémon League
Leon has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:
- Galar Champion Cup - Winner (prior to Flash of the Titans!)
World Coronation Series
Leon has competed in the World Coronation Series. His rank and class are as follows:
- Monarch (Master Class; as of Flash of the Titans!)
Pokémon competitions
- All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge - Participant (The Sweet Taste of Battle!)
Gallery
Leon being crowned the Monarch of the World Coronation Series
Artwork
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| Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
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| Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series from the Animage Magazine |
Artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series[1] |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
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| Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series[2] |
Artwork from "After the story"[3] | Artwork from "After the story"[4] | Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
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| Official poster from Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork from the Animage magazine | Official artwork from the Animage magazine |
Voice actors
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In the manga
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Leon debuted in Flash of the Titans!, where he played the same role as he does in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series. He battled Lance for the title of Monarch of the World Coronation Series.
In The Climb to Be the Very Best!, Leon had a battle against Ash, where he emerged victorious.
In Toughing It Out!, Leon defended his title in a battle against Raihan.
In JNM13 and JNM14, Leon joined Ash, Goh, and Sonia to prevent Darkest Day from happening. Despite their efforts, they were only able to defeat the Legendary Pokémon Eternatus when they received the help of Zacian and Zamazenta.
Leon made one last appearance on JNM24, in a fantasy together with other Trainers.
Pokémon
This listing is of Leon's known Pokémon in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series manga:
 Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard ↔ Gigantamax Charizard |
 Dragapult |
In the games
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This role is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this role to add missing information and complete it. Reason: More info |
Pokémon Mezastar
Leon, in a version based on the anime, appeared in Pokémon Mezastar.[5] [6] In this game, Leon is seen using a Mr. Rime, a Pokémon that he was not seen using in the anime at that point. Leon also appeared as an opponent in an event that recreated the Masters Eight Tournament that ran from October 27 to November 21, 2022. Upon beating the character, the player can receive a Support Pokémon Ticket based on Leon's Charizard. [7]
Pokémon
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In the audio drama
In celebration of the airing of JN100, the Pokémon anime's Twitter page has launched a series of audio dramas.
In the "A Morning in the Life of Dande", which was released on March 25, 2022.[8] They show Leon's daily life interacting with characters such as Sonia, Raihan, and his Charizard.
Voice actors
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Trivia
- In a CoroCoro article about Masters Eight Tournament participants, it is revealed that Leon has never lost more than two Pokémon in a single battle.[9] This would remain true until JN130, where Ash defeated three of his Pokémon.
- Leon is the first Champion in the anime to have ownership of a Legendary Pokémon.
- Leon is the first Champion to be a major rival of a main character.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ダンデ Dande | From dandelion |
| English, Portuguese | Leon | From dandelion |
| French | Tarak | From Taraxacum, the dandelion genus |
| German | Delion | From dandelion |
| Italian | Dandel | From dandelion |
| Spanish | Lionel | From dandelion |
| Korean | 단델 Dandel | From dandelion |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 丹帝 Dāndì | Transliteration of his Japanese name. Contains 帝 dì (emperor) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 丹帝 Dāandai | Transliteration of his Japanese name. Contains 帝 dai (emperor) |
| Russian | Леон Leon | Transcription of his English name |
References
- ↑ https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1522523066256936961
- ↑ https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1542780294025007104
- ↑ https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1571378486551674880
- ↑ https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1581525346158931968
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Pokemon_Meza/status/1567799914591035393
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Pokemon_Meza/status/1576134831108284416
- ↑ https://pokemonmezastar.com/event/e2210142/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1507295029986951171
- ↑ https://twitter.com/catillo596/status/1559357491795955713
| Trainers in the World Coronation Series | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Pokémon Champions | |
|---|---|
| Core series | Blue • Lance • Red • Steven • Wallace • Cynthia • Alder • Iris • Diantha • Trace • Leon • Mustard • Peony • Nemona • Geeta • Kieran • Drayton • Most player characters |
| Masters EX | Blue • Lance • Red • Steven • Cynthia • Alder • Iris • Diantha • Leon • Scottie • Bettie • Ash • Nemona • Geeta • Calem • Serena • Hop • Marnie • Bede • Leaf • Nate • Rosa • Silver • Cheren • Bianca |
| Other spin-offs |
Ronald (TCG GB) • Mark (TCG GB) • Mint (TCG GB) • Glenn (Pokkén) |
| Anime | Lance • Cynthia • Wallace • Alder • Diantha • Steven • Ash Ketchum • Leon • Iris • Nemona • Geeta |
| Other animation | Blue (Origins) • Red (Origins) • Calem (Generations) • Edgar Troy (PttP) • Ava (PttP) |
| Adventures | Professor Oak • Red • Sidney • Phoebe • Glacia • Drake • Steven • Wallace • Cynthia • Alder • Iris • Diantha • Leon • Mustard • Peony • Nemona |
| Other manga | Shigeru (Zensho) • Satoshi (Zensho) • Rald (Battle Frontier) |
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime. |