Fantina

Fantina
メリッサ Melissa
"The Alluring, Soulful Dancer!"
Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl Fantina.png
Artwork from Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Age Unknown
Gender Female
Eye color Violet
Hair color Violet
Hometown Hearthome City (original hometown unknown)
Region Sinnoh (original region unknown)
Trainer class Gym LeaderDPPtBDSP
Pokémon TrainerB2W2
Coordinator
Generation IV, V, VIII, IX
Games Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, Black 2 and White 2, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Masters EX
English voice actor Karen Strassman[1] (Masters EX)
Japanese voice actor Yuki Kaida[2] (Masters EX)
Member of Sinnoh League
Rank Gym Leader
Leader of Hearthome Gym
Badge Relic Badge
Specializes in Ghost types
Anime series Pokémon the Series
Debut Playing the Leveling Field!
English voice actor Bella Hudson
Japanese voice actor Kikuko Inoue

Fantina (Japanese: メリッサ Melissa) is a sophisticated Trainer and Coordinator who specializes in Ghost-type Pokémon. She is the Gym Leader of Hearthome City's Gym, known officially as the Hearthome Gym, and hands out the Relic Badge to those who defeat her. An expert in Pokémon Contests, she usually competes in Master Rank Super Contests and is a member of the Ribbon Syndicate.

She is apparently not from the country the games are set in, and often peppers her speech with phrases of French (English in the Japanese and French versions).

In the core series games

Fantina speaks a mix of French and broken English (only broken Japanese in Japanese version, broken French with English in French version) and is from another country. Upon arriving in Sinnoh, she decided to become a Contest performer, so she dresses up in fancy outfits for Pokémon Contests. She considers herself to be a Contest Expert and can occasionally be competed against in Super Contests, in which she uses her Drifblim, nicknamed Loony (Japanese: ばるん Balloon).

She also studied Pokémon and eventually attained the title of Gym Leader. Fantina uses Ghost-type Pokémon in her battles. For defeating her, Trainers receive the Relic Badge, TM65 (Shadow Claw), and are able to use SurfDPBDSP/DefogPt outside of battle.

In Diamond and Pearl, she cannot be challenged until after the player has received HM03 (Surf) from Cynthia's grandmother in Celestic Town.

In Platinum, she is battled much earlier in the game and will make her Gym available to players as soon as they talk to her at the Contest Hall. She can be battled again at the Battleground and occasionally visits the Villa. Fantina claims to be a fan of Dahlia's dancing style and a member of the Ribbon Syndicate of the Resort Area. She also mentions making regular visits to the Lost Tower.

Pokémon

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl



Pokémon Platinum

Gym battle



Rematch



Pokémon Super Contests

 
Types:
Ghost Flying
Loony
Constrict
Tough
Appeal:
0  
Ominous Wind
Smart
Appeal:
0  
Focus Energy
Cool
Appeal:
0  
Explosion
Beauty
Appeal:
0  

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

Pokémon World Tournament

Fantina uses three of these Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles, and all six in Triple Battles. She will always lead with her signature Pokémon, Mismagius.

Sinnoh Leaders Tournament



Type Expert/World Leaders Tournament



The Battle Between Legendary Pokémon



Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Gym battle



Rematch

Prior to version 1.1.3, Banette knew the unusable Snatch instead of Payback.



Battle Tower
Master Class Single Battles (Rank 5)



Master Class Double Battles (Rank 3)



Super Contest Shows

 
Types:
Ghost Flying
Loony
Focus Energy
Normal
Appeal:
2 ♥♥
Phantom Force
Ghost
Appeal:
2 ♥♥
Strength Sap
Grass
Appeal:
1
Explosion
Normal
Appeal:
3 ♥♥♥

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Masters EX

Main article: Fantina (Masters)

Fantina forms a sync pair with Mismagius in Pokémon Masters EX. Fantina became a playable sync pair on March 19, 2020.

Sync Dex Trainer NDex Pokémon Type Weakness Role Base Potential Availability
#086   Fantina #0429   Mismagius
Ghost
 
Dark
 
  ★★★★★☆EX Sync Pair Scout

Gallery

Artwork

   
Official artwork from
Diamond and Pearl
Sticker Template background from
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl

Sprites and models

           
Sprite from
Diamond and Pearl
Sprite from
Platinum
Sprite from
Black 2 and White 2
VS sprite from
Platinum
VS model from
Brilliant Diamond and
Shining Pearl
Battle Tower VS model from
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
         
Overworld sprite from
Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Overworld sprite from
Black 2 and White 2
Sprite from the Badge Case from
Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Overworld model from
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Sprite from the Badge Case from
Brilliant Diamond and
Shining Pearl

Quotes

Main article: Fantina/Quotes

In the anime

Main series

 
Fantina in the anime

Despite the group having traveled through Hearthome City twice, once in Dawn's Early Night! and a second time in Arriving in Style!, the Hearthome Gym remained closed with the Gym Leader nowhere in sight. Fantina had left a note saying that she was going on a journey for a while, and to not look for her. She finally appeared in Playing The Leveling Field!, where she had a practice Contest Battle with Zoey. Although she won the battle with relative ease, she complimented Zoey on her skills and said that she was a formidable opponent. She later battled and defeated Ash, the defeat prompting him to come up with a special tactic to counter Fantina's Pokémon's sleep-inducing skills, which Fantina dubbed the Counter Shield.

In her debut episode, it was revealed that as soon as she arrived in the Sinnoh region she decided to take part in Pokémon Contests. She excelled at them and, with the help of her Misdreavus, she was able to win the Grand Festival. After becoming a Top Coordinator, she was invited to assume the position of Gym Leader for Hearthome City's new Pokémon Gym, which she accepted. As a Gym Leader she was faced with new responsibilities and her desire was to offer a good battle to the many Trainers who would come to challenge her. In order to achieve that goal, she went on a journey to develop a unique battle style, combining the raw power of regular battles with the stylish moves of Pokémon Contests, and that was her reason for temporarily leaving the Gym.

It was also revealed that she battled Alan twice with him winning the second time after evolving his Nosepass. In Aiding the Enemy!, it was revealed that Paul had managed to defeat her.

In Barry's Busting Out All Over!, Ash met with Fantina upon returning to Hearthome City. In Shield with a Twist!, he had an official Gym battle against her, where he defeated her and earned the Relic Badge, his fifth Sinnoh League Badge overall.

In Gotta Get a Gible!, it was revealed that Fantina had once again left her Gym, so Barry had to take a number in order to battle her when she came back.

 
Fantina in the panel of judges

Fantina appeared from Last Call — First Round! to A Grand Fight for Winning!, having yet again left the Gym in order to join Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and Nurse Joy in the judging panel for the Sinnoh Grand Festival as a special guest judge. Fantina was very excited throughout the competition and on some occasions she would rise from her seat to comment on a combination she felt was impressive. After the final battle between Dawn and Zoey, she was the one who handed Zoey the Ribbon Cup.

She made a cameo appearance in the ending credits of Zoroark: Master of Illusions.

Character

As a Top Coordinator who is also a Gym Leader, Fantina possesses experiences from different fields and can be quite challenging. Whether competing in Pokémon Contests or facing challengers at the Hearthome Gym, she prioritizes stylish techniques. She also likes to use moves that may inflict status conditions, such as Hypnosis and Psybeam.

Fantina has a tendency to break into dance regularly and she is also known for including French words in her sentences, such as "s'il vous plaît". As evidenced by her clothing and demeanor, she has a flamboyant personality. She likes to see that trait in others as well, as shown when she praised Jessilina's performance during the Sinnoh Grand Festival.

Pokémon

This listing is of Fantina's known Pokémon in the anime:

 

 
Misdreavus → Mismagius
Mismagius is one of Fantina's main Pokémon. It has been with her since it was still a Misdreavus and has helped her to win the Grand Festival and become a Top Coordinator. It was first seen in Playing The Leveling Field!, where it was taking part in a Contest Battle against Zoey's Glameow. It was ultimately able to easily defeat the Catty Pokémon by using combination moves. It was seen later when Fantina was with Ash and his friends in the Pokémon Center.

It reappeared in Barry's Busting Out All Over!, when Fantina used it in battle against Team Rocket. It reappeared again in Shield with a Twist! as one of the Pokémon used by Fantina against Ash. During their Gym battle, Mismagius faced off against Ash's Chimchar, where, like Gengar, it was unable to withstand the Counter Shield and was eventually knocked out.

Mismagius's known moves are Psybeam, Magical Leaf, Psywave, and Dark Pulse.

Debut Playing The Leveling Field!
Voice actors
Japanese Chinami Nishimura
English Sarah Natochenny
 
Egg → Drifloon → Drifblim
Main article: Fantina's Drifblim

Drifblim is Fantina's main Pokémon, having raised it since it was an Egg. It first appeared as a Drifloon in Playing The Leveling Field! where it was used in a practice battle against Ash and completely overwhelmed his team with Hypnosis before evolving into Drifblim.

After training, Ash returned for an official Gym battle where Drifblim proved to be more powerful than before, managing to put to sleep and knock out Pikachu and Buizel before being defeated by Chimchar.

Debut Playing The Leveling Field!
Voice actors
Japanese Miyako Itō
English Bella Hudson
 
Gengar
Gengar first appeared in a flashback in Playing The Leveling Field!. It was the first Pokémon to be used during the Gym battle against Ash in Shield with a Twist!. Gengar went up against Buizel and Ash struggled against the quick Ghost-type—however, Buizel was able to use the newly-developed Counter Shield technique and was able to defeat Gengar.

Gengar's known moves are Shadow Punch, Hypnosis, and Night Shade, and its Ability is Levitate.

Debut Playing The Leveling Field!
Voice actors
Japanese Kiyotaka Furushima

Contests

Ribbons obtained

This listing is of the Ribbons Fantina has obtained:

Grand Festival ranking

Fantina has competed in the following Grand Festival tournaments:

Voice actors

Language Voice actor
Japanese 井上喜久子 Kikuko Inoue
English Bella Hudson
Czech Klára Šumanová (DP093-DP102)
Petra Jindrová (DP174-DP176)
Jitka Moučková (DP177)
Finnish Jenni Sivonen (DP093-DP102)
Ella Pyhältö (DP174-DP177)
European French Delphine Moriau
Polish Katarzyna Łaska (DP093-DP102)
Katarzyna Pysiak-Owczarz (DP174-DP177)
Brazilian Portuguese Cláudia Carli (DP093, DP101-DP102)
Denise Reis (DP174-DP177)
Spanish Latin America Georgina Sánchez
Spain Mercedes Cepeda


GOTCHA!

Fantina briefly appeared in GOTCHA!.

In the manga

Pocket Monsters DP

Fantina appeared in a flashback in PMDP07.

Pokémon Adventures

 
Fantina and her Mismagius with Byron and his Bronzong

Fantina appeared in Perturbed by Pachirisu. When two women were making rude comments about rookie contestants during the Master Rank contest, she sent out her Drifblim to carry them out and throw them back where the Normal Rank contest was taking place. The next day, Fantina met Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum in person, and transported the trio on her Drifblim to the Lost Tower just as Paka and Uji had spotted Platinum. There, Diamond and Pearl treated Fantina to their comedy while Platinum witnessed a battle on the lower floors of the tower. Fantina took the trio to Solaceon Town afterwards and left.

Fantina saved Diamond and Pearl from a fall in Celestic Town, and offered to take the trio back to Hearthome, where they discovered that she was the city's Gym Leader, saying that her studies for the lifetime passion of Pokémon Contests granted her the title. Fantina watched as Platinum made her way through the quizzes given by the Gym easily and took up the challenge, after which her Drifblim was beaten after Platinum's Empoleon manipulated it into freezing itself using its own wind. Her Mismagius, however, proved to be much trickier; its Trick Room turned Empoleon's speed against it, and beat it easily. It then trapped Platinum and the borrowed Lax in an illusion where the Pokémon was in a room full of its favorite sweets and Platinum suffered. Before long though, the girl managed to subvert the illusion in her favor with Pearl's help, and defeated the Mismagius.

After the battle, Fantina and the trio learned of the disappearance of Professor Rowan and Platinum's father, Mr. Berlitz. She lent her Drifblim to the trio to assist with their emergency.

She later appeared on the Spear Pillar with the other Sinnoh Gym Leaders where she fought Team Galactic Commander Saturn along with Roark and together they defeated him. They later fought Cyrus on the top of the Spear Pillar and with the help of her fellow Gym Leaders, they managed to break his Red Chain controlling Dialga and Palkia. However, it was revealed that the one they destroyed was the artificial one he had made earlier and they were all defeated by him.

Pokémon

 
Drifblim
Main article: Fantina's Drifblim

Drifblim is the first Pokémon seen on Fantina's team and is her main mode of transportation. Drifblim first appears after Platinum wins her first Pokémon Contest where she throws the two women who attempted to sabotage her Contest in the trash. Drifblim is used to take Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum to the Lost Tower and later appears at the Celestic Ruins where she saves Diamond and Pearl's lives after they fall off of a stone pillar created by Cyrus' Probopass. Fantina used her in her Gym battle against Platinum where she fought her Empoleon, and despite putting up a good fight, was defeated when Empoleon used her Blizzard to freeze her. Fantina lent her to Platinum after she learned that her father had gone missing. Drifblim was later lent to Diamond who used her in a failed attempt to stop Team Galactic from capturing Mesprit. Drifblim returned to her Trainer when the Gym Leaders arrived to confront Cyrus at the Spear Pillar.

Debut Perturbed by Pachirisu
 
Mismagius
Mismagius is Fantina's strongest Pokémon and main battler. Mismagius was first seen watching Fantina's Drifblim throw the two women in the trash after they attempted to sabotage Platinum's Contest challenge. She was used to battle Platinum in her Gym battle and she fought the Munchlax she borrowed from Diamond, using her powers to create powerful illusions before eventually being defeated by his Fling. She was later used to battle Saturn's Pokémon on the Spear Pillar and later fought Cyrus in order to destroy the first Red Chain.

Mismagius's known moves are Trick Room, Dark Pulse, and Energy Ball, and her Ability is Levitate.

Debut Perturbed by Pachirisu
 
Duskull
Duskull was first seen rescuing Diamond and Pearl after they fell off a pillar created Cyrus' Probopass. Fantina used her against Platinum's Munchlax in their Gym battle, where she was easily defeated by Munchlax's Lick attack. She was later used to battle Saturn's Pokémon on the Spear Pillar alongside Mismagius.

None of Duskull's moves are known, and her Ability is Levitate.

Debut Problematic Probopass and Mad Magnezone III

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!

In Dialga's Secret Keys, Fantina was handing a Badge to Hareta. She was subsequently offended when he called her "Grandma". Later, in The Legendary Pokémon Captured, she sent out her Drifblim to fight Team Galactic.

Pokémon

 
Drifblim


In the TCG

This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Fantina or her Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Fantina's Pokémon
Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.
Cards listed with a silver background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Mismagius     Rising Rivals   10/111 Bonds to the End of Time   046/090
Gengar     Rising Rivals   40/111 Bonds to the End of Time   065/090
Mismagius   LV.X   Rising Rivals   110/111 DPt-P Promotional cards   011/DPt-P
Other related cards
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Fantina Su Lost Origin   157/196 Lost Abyss   098/100
Lost Origin   191/196 Lost Abyss   116/100
Lost Origin   206/196 Lost Abyss   124/100
 


Trivia

  • During the Gym battle in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Fantina exclaims "Never give up, never surrender!", the catchphrase from the 1999 science fiction comedy Galaxy Quest.
  • In the Japanese and French versions she speaks English, while in the Danish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish versions she has a noticeable French accent.
    • In the English dub of the anime, she also spoke with a French accent.
  • Although Fantina's dress incorporates elements of Drifblim, she only uses a Drifblim in the Gym rematch in Pokémon Platinum.
  • In the anime, Ash intended to battle Fantina and win the Relic Badge on his first visit to Hearthome City, as his third Badge. While this would have meant that he went out of order compared to Diamond and Pearl, this is the correct order in Platinum, which came out shortly before Ash finally battled her for the Relic Badge (as his fifth).
  • In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Fantina uses an Origin Forme Giratina without a Griseous Orb in The Battle Between Legendary Pokémon, despite being outside the Distortion World.
  • In early versions of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, during the rematch, Fantina used a Banette that knows Snatch, a move that cannot be used in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. This was later changed in patch version 1.1.3, where Payback is used in the same move slot instead.

Names

Language Name Origin
Japanese メリッサ Melissa From the genus Melissa and the name Melissa (a name of Western origin that denotes her status as an immigrant)
English, Spanish,
Brazilian Portuguese
Fantina From phantom and possibly fantasia (show tango)
German Lamina From Lamia, a Greek mythological spirit
French Kiméra From chimera
Italian Fannie From fantasma (phantom)
Korean 멜리사 Mellisa Transcription of her Japanese name
Chinese (Mandarin) 梅麗莎 / 梅丽莎 Méilìshā Transcription of her Japanese name. Possibly from 美麗 / 美丽 měilì (beautiful) and 魅力 mèilì (charm, enchantment).
Chinese (Cantonese) 梅麗莎 Mùihlàihsā Transcription of her Japanese name. Contains 麗 làih (beautiful).
Russian Фантина Fantina Transcription of her English name
Vietnamese Melissa Transcription of her Japanese name


Related articles

References

  1. Karen Strassman on Twitter
  2. Nintendo DREAM (vol. 329)


Gym Leaders of the Sinnoh region
Oreburgh Gym  
 
Roark
Eterna Gym  
 
Gardenia
Veilstone Gym  
 
Maylene
Pastoria Gym  
 
Crasher Wake
Hearthome Gym  
 
Fantina
Canalave Gym  
 
Byron
Snowpoint Gym  
 
Candice
Sunyshore Gym  
 
Volkner


Top Coordinators
AbbyFantinaJohannaJuanMarinaRobertSolidadWallaceYumaZoey


  This game character article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.