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Sparky
レオン Leon
Bag Poké Ball SV Sprite.png
Ritchie Sparky.png
Sparky
Debuts in A Friend in Deed
Caught at Unknown
Gender Unknown
Ability Unknown
Current location With Ritchie
HOME025.png
This Pokémon has not evolved.
Voice actor Japanese English
As Pikachu Satomi Kōrogi

Sparky (Japanese: レオン Leon) is Ritchie's main Pokémon, even though it was not the first of his Pokémon introduced. It is distinguished from other Pikachu by a scruff of fur on the top of its head.

History

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
 
Ritchie and his Pikachu, Sparky

Prior to meeting Ash, Ritchie had always kept Sparky in a Poké Ball just like his other Pokémon, but as seen in later episodes, Sparky has always been outside of its Ball. It is unclear whether Sparky or Zippo was Ritchie's first Pokémon.

In its first appearance, Sparky worked with Ash's Pikachu to take on Team Rocket when the latter couldn't do it on his own. Both Pikachu defeat Jessie's Arbok with Agility and Thunderbolt. Sparky was the last Pokémon sent out during Ritchie's match with Ash, where it automatically won when Ash's Charizard became disobedient and refused to battle. During Friends to the End, Sparky was once again the last one sent out when Ritchie battled Assunta after both sides were down to one Pokémon. Sparky was having trouble keeping up with Ivysaur as ThunderShock was rendered useless when it was blocked by Ivysaur's Vine Whip. During the battle, Sparky lost to Ivysaur's SolarBeam, eliminating Ritchie from the competition.

 
Ash's Pikachu with Sparky

It reappeared around the end of Hi Ho Silver... Away! while Ash and his friends were on their way to see a mysterious Pokémon. During A Parent Trapped!, Team Rocket set up a trap that will capture the parent Lugia by using Silver as bait. The gang knows about this and Ritchie has Sparky try to stop the parent Lugia from getting to the child so it won't get captured. Butch and Cassidy won't allow that and use a device that will power their Pokémon, even making them more aggressive. Sparky wasn't successful in stopping the parent and the parent gets captured by Team Rocket. In the next episode, Dr. Namba chooses Sparky and Ash's Pikachu as test subjects for the device the duo used earlier on their Pokémon. Before Dr. Namba tries it out, Oliver comes in and rescues Ash, Ritchie and the gang from the evil genius. However, Dr. Namba trips the alarm which summons Team Rocket Grunts, Butch and Cassidy. The duo have a rematch with Sparky and Pikachu using their Hitmontop and Houndour respectively. Both Pikachu aim their Thunderbolts at the machine powering up the Pokémon, destroying it. Both Hitmontop and Houndour are rendered useless without the machine and are taken out by Sparky and Pikachu. After Team Rocket is defeated, Sparky goes up against Dr. Namba's Electabuzz and has trouble with it. However, Sparky destroys the machine Dr. Namba was using and Ash's Pikachu defeats Electabuzz.

 
Sparky in the Best Wishes series flashback

Sparky reappears in the special, Oaknapped! where it tries to stop Butch and Cassidy from getting away with Professor Oak after Ritchie and the others found the location he was kidnapped. Cassidy's Sableye takes on Sparky to stall them from stopping Butch running away with Professor Oak. Later, Sparky Thunderbolts Sableye causing it to land on Butch's Mightyena. In Celebi and Joy, it finishes off the workers when Ritchie thought that they were going to demolish the Pokémon Center. In The Search for the Legend, Sparky travels with Ritchie on the S. S. Anne to Knot Island. They arrive at Mt. Ember and notice the volcano containing Moltres. Butch and Cassidy arrive to take the Moltres but Sparky stops them with Thunderbolt while Silver tries to save Moltres with Salamence.

Sparky appeared in a flashback in BW116.

  Spoilers end here.  

Moves used

 
Using Thunderbolt
Move First Used In
Agility A Friend In Deed
Thunderbolt A Friend in Deed
ThunderShock Friends to the End
Thunder A Promise is a Promise
A shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

 
Sparky in The Electric Tale of Pikachu

Sparky appears in the manga series The Electric Tale of Pikachu, which is based on the anime. In VIZ Media's English translation of the manga, it is named Chuchino instead of Sparky.

Sparky first appears in Welcome to the Big Leagues when Ash has it mistaken for his Pikachu. Ash meets Ritchie when he found out the other Pikachu was actually his. Later, Ritchie wins his first match using only Sparky. In the fifth round of the Novice Tournament of the Pokémon, Sparky was sent out after his Butterfree was taken out by Ash's Squirtle. It went up against Ash's Pikachu and both Pokémon traded similar attacks to each other. Their last attack, Thunder, knocked out each other.

 
Sparky and Ash's Pikachu

Moves used

 
Using Thunder
Move First Used In
Agility The Indigo Finals
Thunder The Indigo Finals
A shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

Trivia

  • When participating in a Pokémon Super Contest, one of the opposing coordinators players may face is a boy named Luis, who has a Pikachu named Sparky.

Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Pikachu.


  This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.