Karl
クルト Kuruto
Karl M13.png
Karl
Gender Male
Hometown Crown City
Region Sinnoh
Relatives Joe (grandfather)
Animated debut Zoroark: Master of Illusions
English voice actor Wayne Grayson
Japanese voice actor Takashi Tsukamoto

Karl (Japanese: クルト Kuruto) is a character from Zoroark: Master of Illusions. He is a newspaper reporter from Crown City who is interested in learning Kodai's secrets.

History

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Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
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Karl first appears to Ash, Brock and Dawn during the evacuation of Crown City caused by Zoroark's rampage. Overhearing their conversation with Zorua regarding Grings Kodai's motives, he introduces himself as a journalist from Crown City currently investigating Kodai. He teams up with Ash's group, helping them infiltrate Crown City in disobedience of the evacuation orders given by Officer Jenny because of Kodai's manipulation. In the underground tunnels, Karl explains Kodai's background, admitting that he does not know the businessman's reason for using Zoroark but certain that it is a sinister one.

He quickly catches onto the fact that something is wrong when seeing the actual city as compared to Kodai's broadcast. Using his video camera, Karl records documentation that landmarks depicted as being destroyed are in fact still standing, striking a gaping hole into Kodai's claims about the supposed disaster. Later, the group encounters Joe, Karl's grandfather, and his friend Tammy. Shortly after leaving Joe's home, the group is ambushed by Kodai and Goone and hauled away in an electrified cage to Kodai's airship.

However, they are not imprisoned for very long before Rowena appears to them. Though she first introduces herself as Kodai's secretary, when Karl tells her to drop the act, she reveals she is actually his colleague and working undercover to discover information that will ruin Kodai once and for all. Armed with the knowledge that Kodai is seeking Celebi's Time Ripple to renew his future-sight abilities, which he initially gained by absorbing the Time Ripple twenty years prior in a disaster that destroyed Crown City, the group returns to Joe's home. When Kodai uses a spy robot to overhear that the Time Ripple is located inside the Pokémon Baccer stadium, Karl rallies his friends to come up with a plan to stop Kodai and reach the Time Ripple first.

The group splits up; while Ash, Brock, Dawn, Zorua and Celebi head for the stadium with Karl's Bronzor's help, Karl, Rowena, Joe and Tammy find Raikou, Entei and Suicune attacking Zoroark. Zoroark counterattacks against them by creating an illusion of crystals to engulf them, so Rowena uses her Illusion Canceler in tandem with Joe's Mightyena's Odor Sleuth to dispel the illusion. With the help of the city's Pokémon, the misunderstanding between the Legendary Beasts and Zoroark is resolved.

Later, Zoroark attempts to attack Kodai in the stadium as he holds Ash, Pikachu and Celebi prisoner before the Time Ripple. Kodai stops her by showing that he does have Zorua captured and is more than willing to harm him; Zoroark stands down and is viciously beaten by Kodai's Shuppet. With all his enemies defeated, Kodai uses his robotic claw to absorb the Time Ripple, and as the plant life of Crown City is ravaged all over again, he boasts of how he does not care about the consequences of his actions as long as his ability to see the future remains, and that nobody will ever know the truth about his deeds that day. However, the Time Ripple he actually absorbed was one of Zoroark's illusions, and as he tries to sort out what happened, Karl and Rowena emerge, with Karl having filmed all of Kodai's confession. That tape later provides the final key to Kodai's downfall when it is played throughout Crown City, revealing to all the true face of the man they trusted.

Karl and Rowena with Zorua and Zoroark, in the guises of Ash and Pikachu

In the end, Karl travels with Rowena on a ship to escort Zorua and Zoroark back to Unova. During the film's credits, they see Raikou, Entei and Suicune on a cliff, and Karl films them. His video of Kodai's confession goes on to be used in the national news coverage of Kodai's arrest.

Pokémon

Bronzor
Karl's Bronzor
Debut Zoroark: Master of Illusions
Voice actors
Japanese Daisuke Sakaguchi

Karl called Bronzor for the first time when the gang was going through a dark tunnel. It was later used to levitate Zorua transformed as Celebi to protect the real Celebi from Kodai. Bronzor's known moves are Flash, Psychic and Reflect.

Artwork

Sugimori Karl anime.png
Ken Sugimori's design of Karl

Voice actors

Language Voice actor
Japanese 塚本高史 Takashi Tsukamoto
English Wayne Grayson
Danish Simon Nøiers
Finnish Petrus Kähkönen
Polish Grzegorz Kwiecień
Brazilian Portuguese Marco Aurélio Campos
European Spanish Jesús Pinillos


In the manga

In the movie adaptations

Karl appeared in Zoroark: Master of Illusions.

Pokémon

Bronzor

Bronzor is Karl's only known Pokémon.

None of its moves are known.

Trivia

  • According to one Japanese site, he's partially based on Michael Moore, which states that they're both baseball cap-wearing journalists with messy hair.[1]
  • Karl's hat has a stylized Woobat on it, a Pokémon that was not fully revealed until the day after the movie was released.

Names

Language Name Origin
Japanese クルト Kuruto
English, German, Italian, Spanish Karl
French Charles
Korean 크루트 Kroot A corruption of his Japanese name.
Chinese (Taiwan) 庫魯特 Kùlǔtè Transliteration of his Japanese name.


References


Movie characters
Human protagonists
AliceAsh Ketchum (M20)AudreyBarazBiancaCallahanCarlitaCoreyDamosDianaDianeEricFergusHarrietJack WalkerJuanita
KarlKathrynKidd SummersKimiaKokoLisaLizabethLorenzoMannesMarenMargoMelodyMerayNeeshaNewton Graceland
Professor LundRafeRaleighRebeccaRisaRowenaSamSheenaSidSir AaronSorrelTonioTorenTory LundTowaVerityYuko
Human antagonists
AlvaAnnieArgus SteelButlerCherieCrossDamonDoctor ZedGalenGooneGrings KodaiIron-Masked MarauderLawrence IIILeviMarcus
MerilynMillis SteelMolly HaleOakleyPokémon huntersPokémon poacherRiotThe PhantomZero
Pokémon
ArceusArticunoCarbinkCelebi (M04)Celebi (M13)CobalionDadaDarkraiDeoxysDialgaDiancieEntei (M03)Entei (M13)GenesectGiratina
Ho-OhHoopaJirachiKeldeoKyuremLatiasLatiosLucarioLugiaMagearnaManaphyMarshadowMew (M01)Mew (M08)Mewtwo (M01)
Mewtwo (M16)MoltresPalkiaPikachu (M20)PikachutwoRaikouRayquazaRegiceRegirockRegisteelReshiramShayminSlowking
Spiky-eared PichuSuicune (M04)Suicune (M13)TerrakionUnownVictiniVirizionVolcanionXerneasYveltalZapdosZekrom
ZeraoraZoroarkZorua
Others
AliciaAllegraAstridBanksBaron AlbertoBlock BotBogieBonjiCarolChrom MolybdenumCTV news crewDabuDavidDionaDonuke
Dr. FujiDundeeFlamelFreddyGabuGhrisGlacineGodeyGurūHeroes of Truth and IdealsHoytInfiJasonJennyJoeJudy
KaiKakoKanataKatoKellieKevinKikoKing of the People of the ValeKyleLaylaLeekuLucianneLuisLuisaMakoMalin
ManukeMarcus's soldiersMauryMayor OliverMeredithMeta GroudonMewtwo's creatorsMiaMilesMimiMirandaMisakiMoose
Mother and daughterMr. WhiteNevaNikolaOld Man DomŌyamaPegPeople of the WaterPhossa MolybdenumPokémon Baccer teams
Queen IleneQueen RinRavineRaymondRickRossSchuylerSharonShepShunSpencer HaleSylvanTakaTammyTanner
TappTatsukiThe Marina GroupTobiasTownesUschiZabu


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