Brock (anime): Difference between revisions

|jname=タケシ

|tmname=Takeshi

|size=150px

|caption=Art from the {{series|Diamond & Pearl}}.

==About==

In the {{pkmn|anime}}, Brock is a [[Pokémon Breeder]] and a former [[Gym Leader]] who is a {{ashfr|close friend}} and traveling companion of {{Ash}}'s. Some notes on official sketches of his character set his age at 15 at the start of the series.

He originally trained {{type2|Rock}} [[Pokémon]], but has, since [[EP006|the second episode he appeared in]], diversified. As he has stated in ''[[DP125|Battling A Cute Drama!]]'', his philosophy is that the important thing about being a Pokémon Trainer is the bond between Trainer and Pokémon. He is an experienced cook and caretaker by nature, so he always makes scrumptious food both [[Pokémon food|for Pokémon]] and for humans.

One of his best known character traits is that he falls in love with every pretty woman he meets, particularly [[Officer Jenny]] and [[Nurse Joy]]. He can tell whether they are real (women) or [[Team Rocket|impo]][[Brodie|stors]] as well. This "ability" has been used multiple times in the series. He has always held a supporting role in the series, usually contributing more in terms of wisdom and comedic antics than the action and {{pkmn|battle}}s of the series.

Brock has had two notable musical appearances.  One is the Japanese ending theme タケシのパラダイス ''[[Takeshi's Paradise]]'', which is about his love for women and his determination to find love despite often appearing foolish and getting heartbroken. There is a running joke about him singing this song often in the anime, since it's the only song he knows.  The other is the [[Pokémon Karaokémon]] song ''[[Two Perfect Girls]]'', which is about his love of both Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy.

==Appearance==

Brock's most notable feature about his appearance is that his eyes naturally appear closed. The rare times people see them open are when they are forced open unnaturally: from a hit with {{AP|Charmander's|Charizard}} {{m|Flamethrower}} in ''[[EP032|The Ninja Poké-Showdown]]'', when being hit in the back of the head by {{TP|Jessie|Arbok}}'s tail in ''[[EP050|Who Gets to Keep Togepi?]]'', and when he makes a face for {{AP|Larvitar}} in ''[[EP260|A Crowning Achievement]]''. This has been the center of fan attention for a long time.

==Character==

Brock is considered the most mature, wise and level-headed of the main characters, and he is arguably the most intelligent character as well. He often acts as an older brother and caretaker to the other characters and a voice of reason in disputes. He will usually place others before him and will help and support his friends even against his better judgment or at his own expense. While he is not shown to battle often, he can understand the situations and strategies in any [[Pokémon battle]], and often explains them to the other characters, probably due to the fact that he was once a [[Gym Leader]]. His wisdom is possibly derived from how observant he is; he can tell just by sight how a Pokémon is feeling and spot the differences between the various [[Officer Jenny]] and [[Nurse Joy]].

Brock always carries books and maps with him, and thus is usually the character who knows where the group is headed and what they can do when they get there, though in [[Advanced Generation series|Advanced Generation]] this role was mostly taken over by the [[PokéNav]]. He also carries a lot of other supplies, such as [[potion]]s, [[Pokémon food]], and a set of cookware, as well as practical tools like a brush and pocket knife; in ''[[EP009|The School of Hard Knocks]]'', the extent of his preparedness and comically large capacity of his [[bag]] was demonstrated, as he pulled out a table and full tea set out of his backpack. He is a domestic, and grooms not only his Pokémon but also those of his friends with whom he travels. He handles all the cooking and cleaning for his friends.

Despite this, all his maturity and rationality leaves him completely at the sight of a beautiful woman, as he falls in love with every pretty girl he meets. Brock has a desperate need for female companionship which grows worse as he fails to gain it. He will do anything and everything he thinks will impress women, which inevitably ends with his heart being broken every time. A few women have shown interest in him as well, such as [[Wilhelmina]], [[Temacu]], {{FB|Pike Queen|Lucy}}, [[Holly]], {{si|Autumn}}, [[Narissa]] and [[Lizabeth]], but most do not notice him or are not interested. No matter how many times he is disappointed, though, Brock remains determined to find a girl to start a relationship with, and has indicated several times he would stop traveling with Ash and stay with the girl if this happened. This behavior tends to wear on the nerves of other characters, and {{an|Misty}} and [[Max]] have both commonly dragged Brock away from women by his ear. Some of Brock's own Pokémon, most notably {{TP|Brock|Croagunk}}, have attacked him for getting too flirtatious with women.  

==History==

Not much is known about his early childhood, except that his first Pokémon was his {{TP|Brock|Onix|Steelix}}, which he received as a gift at the age of 10. Sometime after, his father, {{ka|Flint}}, left home to become a great {{pkmn|Trainer}}. When he never returned, his mother, [[Lola]], left them as well, leaving Brock to take care of {{Brocksib|his siblings}}, as well as their house and [[Pewter Gym]], by himself (though the English version of ''[[EP005|Showdown in Pewter City]]'' has Flint claim she died, and some speculate he was lying). However, Flint eventually returned home considering himself a failure, and instead of returning to his family he donned a disguise and sold rocks as souvenirs at the edge of town. After Brock awarded Ash the Boulder Badge, Flint came forward and confessed who he was. Flint took on the responsibilities of the Pewter Gym and his family, leaving Brock free to journey with Ash and {{an|Misty}}.

Brock only became the Gym Leader because he felt it was his responsibility, and he admitted to Ash that he would rather care for Pokémon than battle them. It is his dream to become a great breeder, and when Flint took back control of the Gym, Brock was allowed to start following this dream. Most notably, he took care of a {{TP|Brock|Vulpix}} that belonged to a breeder named [[Suzy]]. Shortly before Vulpix was returned, Brock used it in a [[Pokémon Beauty Contest]].

Brock was also able to meet and make advances towards the many beautiful women he met. At first, he was more casual about approaching women, such as the [[Officer Jenny]] in [[Cerulean City]], and more modest as well, such as when he met [[Melanie]]. However, he became more open and passionate towards almost all single young women as time progressed.

Upon his return home, Brock was dismayed to find that his mother had returned and commandeered the gym, turning the Rock-type haven into a brightly decorated {{type2|Water}} den. Brock battled her for the honor of Rock-types and won, promising his brother [[Forrest]] that he would become Gym Leader someday.

After that, Brock returned to follow Ash through [[Hoenn]], along with their new friends {{an|May}} and [[Max]], and then through Kanto again as Ash took on the Kanto {{Gdis|Battle Frontier|III}}. He left briefly when the Advanced Generation series ended in order to visit his home, but quickly returned to travel with Ash and {{an|Dawn}} in [[Sinnoh]]. Near the end of the Sinnoh saga, Brock began to show interest in becoming a Pokémon Doctor, and so, rather than following Ash to [[Unova]] to advise him, decided to remain in Kanto to study.