Professor Birch
| Professor Birch オダマキ博士 Dr. Odamaki | |
 Artwork from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire | |
| Age | 35 |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Hometown | Littleroot Town |
| Region | Hoenn |
| Relatives | Brendan/May (as rival), unnamed wife, unnamed son (Emerald only) |
| Trainer class | Pokémon Professor |
| Generation | III, VI |
| Games | Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire |
| Animated debut | Johto Photo Finish |
| English voice actor | Dan Green |
| Japanese voice actor | Fumihiko Tachiki |
Professor Birch (Japanese: オダマキ博士 Dr. Odamaki) is the resident Pokémon Professor of Littleroot Town and the Hoenn region. He specializes in Pokémon habitats and distribution.
In the core series
In the Generation III games and their Generation VI remakes, Professor Birch is the resident Pokémon Professor and the father of the rival character (if the player is Brendan, then Professor Birch is May's father; if the player is May, then Professor Birch is Brendan's father). In the start of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, he must be rescued from a wild Poochyena. In the start of Pokémon Emerald, he must be rescued from a wild Zigzagoon. After he is saved, he will give the player the starter Pokémon they used in the rescue. Birch distributes Pokédexes and one of the three starter Pokémon of Hoenn: Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip, to aspiring Hoenn Trainers.
In addition, after the player completes the Hoenn Pokédex in Pokémon Emerald, he will give them one of the three starter Pokémon of Johto: Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile. In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, he will give one of the Johto starters after the player enters the Hall of Fame and meets Zinnia. Later, after the completion of the Delta Episode, he will give the player one of the starter Pokémon from Unova: Snivy, Tepig, or Oshawott. Finally, after the player enters the Hall of Fame a second time, he will give one of the starter Pokémon from Sinnoh: Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup. He will also give the player the Oval Charm and Shiny Charm when the appropriate prerequisites are met.
He often works with his child to help observe and capture wild Pokémon. His wife worries about him, because he's always busy and rarely has time to come home. He is known to be more outgoing than the other Pokémon Professors, and oftentimes his research takes him outdoors. His field of study is primarily how Pokémon behave in the wild. Birch has known Norman since their school days.[1]
He has also written several books:
- The History of the Hoenn Region
- The Ecosystem of Pokémon 3,000 Years Ago
- The Pokémon of Kalos and Hoenn
- The Coexistence of People and Pokémon
- Distribution of Pokémon Species, National Edition
- The Fieldwork 101
Pokémon
This listing is of Professor Birch's Pokémon in the video games in which he has appeared.
- Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
These Pokémon are given to a Trainer at the beginning of their journey:
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- Emerald
These Pokémon are given to a Trainer who has completed the Hoenn Pokédex:
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The Generation III starters are available at the start of the game.
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After entering the Hall of the Fame along with meeting Zinnia, the Generation II starters become available.
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After clearing Delta Episode, the Generation V starters become available.
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After entering the Hall of Fame for the second time, the Generation IV starters are available.
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Quotes
- Main article: Professor Birch/Quotes
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Masters Arena
In Pokémon Masters Arena, one of the questions in the Pokémon Trivia Challenge is about which Pokémon attacked Professor Birch. The correct answer accepted by the game is Poochyena, because it was released prior to Pokémon Emerald, where Zigzagoon attacks him. Zigzagoon is coincidentally listed as one of the answers as well, but it is considered an incorrect answer by the game.
Artwork
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| Official artwork from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald |
Official artwork from the Advanced Generation series |
Sprites
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| Sprite from Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire |
Overworld sprite from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald |
Overworld model from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire |
In the anime
History
Original series
Harrison mentioned Professor Birch in Johto Photo Finish, where he told Ash that Birch inspired his latest journey to the Johto region.
Advanced Generation series
Birch debuted in Get The Show On The Road, where he rushed to the Littleroot Town ports in his SUV to pick up Ash and Pikachu. He soon diagnosed Pikachu with an electrical overcharge and treated him at his lab. However, Pikachu's electricity overloaded the electrical absorption machine and he ran off into the wilderness. Ash and Birch chased after him with the three Hoenn starter Pokémon in hand, as Ash had no other Pokémon on him. During the search effort, Birch slipped down a cliff and disturbed a sleeping Poochyena pack in the process. He scrambled onto a tree branch, just as May stumbled onto the scene. After she was unable to properly order Mudkip to help Birch, he forced to take over and had Mudkip settle the situation. After Team Rocket incidentally helped Pikachu in his recovery, Birch took everyone back to his lab. Later, he had May select her starter Pokémon, and she picked out a Torchic.
Professor Birch appeared in flashbacks in There's no Place Like Hoenn!, You Said a Mouthful!, and A Mudkip Mission.
In A Three Team Scheme!, Birch was revealed to have traveled to Dewford Island to conduct field research during the Wingull nesting season. While examining a Wingull nest, he slipped from the sea cliff and subsequently landed on a Loudred. Ash and his friends then came across the Professor and later joined him on his expedition. The group noticed a cave and found inside it a Secret Base belonging to Keanu, but they quickly left after being shouted at. After Team Rocket stormed the Base and stole Keanu's Nincada from him, Birch and the others attempted to confront the trio, but they realized the Base had been tunneled through. They followed the tunnel through to an ancient ruin site, and watched as Team Aqua and Team Magma confronted each other. Birch and the others remained undetected throughout the whole ordeal.
In the following episode, Birch spotted several wild Seedot wandering around aimlessly because of a recent landslide that left them without a home. He played with the Seedot just before Team Rocket appeared again. When Jessie called out her "Silcoon", Birch corrected her, saying Jessie actually had a Cascoon under her possession, but Jessie didn't believe him. May's Silcoon evolved during the confrontation, and Birch later handed May a frisbee to help her new Beautifly strengthen its Gust attack. Later, Birch and the others found an ideal location for the Seedot to drink from, but Team Rocket appeared again to disturb the peace. This time, Jessie's Cascoon evolved into a Dustox, confirming the Professor's earlier statement. After Team Rocket blasted off, and with the Seedot now happily relocated, Birch headed back to Littleroot Town.
The group headed towards Birch's laboratory in A Six Pack Attack. However, the Professor came across them first as he rushed off to pick up Professor Oak, who he was eager to meet for the first time. Ash and Brock went with Birch to collect Oak from the Littleroot Town seaport, but they realized Oak decided to hitchhike on his own and had already reached the laboratory. After Team Rocket stole the Kanto starters that Oak brought with him, as well as Birch's trio of Hoenn starters, Oak, May, and Max gave chase but were captured. Birch received word of the incident and headed over to Team Rocket's cave hideout with the help of his friend, Poochyena. Oak and the others managed to free themselves, and Ash's group then sent Team Rocket blasting off. Ash and his friends later boarded a ship towards Fortree City and waved goodbye to the two Professors and Joshua.
Ash and his friends encountered Birch again as he was relaxing on Island A of the tropical A-B-C Islands in The Evolutionary War!. He explained that he was already aware a Deep Sea Tooth caused Clamperl to evolve into a Huntail, and that a Deep Sea Scale was needed to obtain a Gorebyss, though he was interested in the mystery around these two evolution methods. Ash's group joined Birch on his expedition, and local students Nancy and Keith accompanied them to Island B and Island C, respectively. Birch took water samples at the respective islands and later concluded that Island B's water was infused with Deep Sea Scale and Island C contained Deep Sea Tooth fragments. Birch decided to remain on Island A to continue his research after witnessing both Keith and Nancy's Clamperl evolving from a Deep Sea Tooth and Scale, respectively, while Ash's group left for Mossdeep City.
As Ash arrived home to Pallet Town, Birch and Max had driven over there to attend the homecoming party in The Scheme Team. In the following episode, Birch visited Professor Oak's Laboratory, where Ash's Muk took a particular liking to him. Later, Birch tried to confront Team Rocket, but Delia told him to leave it to the children, who went on to defeat the trio. With Ash and his friends setting off for the Kanto Pokémon Contests and Battle Frontier, the two Professors gifted Ash and May an updated Pokédex each.
Birch reappeared in another flashback in Reversing the Charges. He also made a brief cameo in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, after Dr. Yung revealed he had hacked the computer data of leading specialists, including that of Birch, to help with the construction of his Mirage Pokémon system.
XY series
Professor Birch appeared in Rivals: Today and Tomorrow! in a flashback, where he was seen giving Sawyer a starter Pokémon to choose from, which ended up being Treecko.
Character
Birch has a keen interest in field research and likes to study Pokémon habitats and behaviors. Because his line of work requires him to be primarily outside his lab, Birch's assistant Joshua is often left running the lab in his place, doing duties such as giving new Trainers their starter Pokémon. He is good friends with Norman and was also familiar with Norman's daughter May, as mentioned in Get The Show On The Road.
Personally, Birch is jovial and carefree, but he has a reckless driving style in which he regularly jumps ledges and travels on winding mountain roads. He was also a fantastic mentor, even though he does not like teaching, and he is held in high regard by Trainers like Harrison. He enjoys playing with Pokémon, as seen in Seeing is Believing!, where he quickly understood a group of Seedot and befriended them. However, he often finds himself in precarious situations and is often attacked by wild Pokémon during his expeditions.
Pokémon
| の | This article is missing information on this character's Japanese voice actor and English voice actor. You can help by adding this information. |
This is a listing of Professor Birch's Pokémon as of the most recent Japanese episode.
On hand
Birch was seen pulling out a Poké Ball when he saw Team Rocket attacking Ash and friends, but Delia convinced him to let the children do the battling.
Befriended
| Debut | A Six Pack Attack |
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Poochyena was briefly seen while trying to rescue the Hoenn starter Pokémon from Team Rocket's grasp. It responded to Professor Birch's whistling and its incredible sense of smell led Birch, Ash, and Brock to Team Rocket's cave hideout.
None of Poochyena's moves are known.
Gives to new Trainers
| Debut | Get the Show on the Road |
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Treecko is a Pokémon that Professor Birch gives to new Trainers. The first Treecko appeared in Get the Show on the Road, where it was one of the Pokémon that May could choose as her starter Pokémon. It was not picked due to May picking Torchic.
Another one appeared in A Six Pack Attack! along with the other starters. They were admired by Max and May. Suddenly, Team Rocket captured it along with the other Hoenn starters and the entire Kanto starter line. Max found them and told Bulbasaur and Treecko to use Tackle and Pound, respectively, on the bars. It then helped send Team Rocket blasting off.
Treecko's only known move is Pound.
| Debut | A Six Pack Attack! |
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Torchic is a Pokémon that Professor Birch gives to new Trainers. It appeared in A Six Pack Attack! along with the other starters, where they were admired by Max and May. Suddenly, Team Rocket captured them along with the other Hoenn starters and the entire Kanto starter line. Max found them and told Torchic and Charmander to heat the cage with Ember until they got free. It later helped send Team Rocket blasting off.
Torchic's only known move is Ember.
| Debut | Get the Show on the Road |
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Mudkip is a Pokémon that Professor Birch gives to new Trainers. The first Mudkip appeared in Get the Show on the Road, when Professor Birch was under attack from a pack of Poochyena. He asked May to pick a starter Pokémon from his bag to save him. She picked Mudkip first, but had no battle experience and Mudkip fired a Water Gun at her. Professor Birch commanded it and it blasted the Poochyena off with another Water Gun. It then appeared later when May was choosing her starter, but she chose Torchic.
In A Mudkip Mission, Mudkip Breeder Old Man Swamp revealed that Professor Birch is also responsible for the breeding and raising of the young Mudkip for new Trainers.
Another one appeared in A Six Pack Attack! along with the other starters. They were admired by Max and May. Suddenly, Team Rocket captured them along with the other Hoenn starters and the entire Kanto starter line. Max found them and told Mudkip and Squirtle to cool the bars with Water Gun, which eventually freed them. It later helped send Team Rocket blasting off.
Gave away to new Trainers
 Harrison's Blaziken |
 May's Torchic |
 Sawyer's Treecko |
At his Lab
 Zigzagoon |
Lotad |
Seedot |
Shroomish |
Wailmer |
Sharpedo |
Voice actors
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In the manga
In the Ash & Pikachu manga
Professor Birch appeared in Let's Save Pikachu!!.
Gave to new Trainers
 Torchic |
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Ruby & Sapphire arc
Professor Birch is the father of Sapphire and is old friends with Norman. He first appeared in Making Mirth with Mightyena, where he registered wild Pokémon data on Pokédex before receiving a call from Norman, who had just moved to Littleroot Town with his family. Wanting to help his friend with the move, Birch decided to head back to town, but was attacked by a pair of wild Mightyena. A passing-by Ruby saw the commotion but refused to help at the risk of getting his Pokémon dirty. During the chase, Ruby picked up Birch's bag, but accidentally activated his Running Shoes and ran off a nearby cliff. After returning to town, Birch called Ruby on the Pokégear in his bag and properly introduced himself. Ruby revealed he was saved by a green Pokémon, but accidentally angered it into attacking him, revealing that it was actually a human girl. Overhearing the commotion, Birch cleared up the misunderstanding by revealing the girl was actually his daughter, Sapphire.
In Distracting Dustox, Birch received his belongings back from Sapphire, though Ruby had forgotten to return the Pokédex. Afterward, they called Norman and informed him Ruby had run away from home. Birch suggested calling the police, but Norman decided to find Ruby on his own. Later, Birch wished Sapphire good luck as she set out to conquer all of the Gyms in Hoenn.
In The Beginning of the End with Kyogre & Groudon VII', Birch was caught in a flood caused by the awakening of Kyogre. He had planned on giving Treecko and the third Pokédex to Emerald, the third Hoenn Pokédex holder, but a tidal wave caused him to lose the bag containing them. He was later rescued by Emerald, who didn't mind the loss of Treecko, as he didn't like Pokémon to begin with. In It All Ends Now VIII, Wally returned the third Pokédex back to its proper owner.
Emerald arc
In Verily Vanquishing Vileplume I, Ruby and Sapphire arrived at the Battle Frontier, having been sent there by Birch to assist Emerald protect Jirachi from the armored man, Guile Hideout. Birch revealed to Professor Oak and Crystal that Treecko was also found by Wally and evolved into Grovyle, but was lost when the boy awakened Rayquaza. He expressed concern over Grovyle's whereabouts, completely unaware that it had already evolved into the Sceptile on Emerald's team.
Pokémon
Given away
Lost
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Professor Birch debuted in PM117, where Red met up with him in Hoenn. In I Won't Let You Lead!!, he challenged Red and his Pokémon to a Magikarp-catching duel and was able to easily win the contest, along with the other competitions he was involved in with Red.
His most recent appearance was in PMHGSS20. He, along with the other professors, were the judges of Clefairy's fight with Giratina. After their battle, Professor Birch got into a brawl with the other professors that was started by Clefairy. After watching the fight that was recorded, they worked together and fought Clefairy.
Pokémon
On hand
| Debut | PM117 |
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Torchic first appears as the layout of starter Pokémon that Professor Birch is giving away. In I Won't Let You Lead!!, Torchic was involved in the Magikarp contest where Clefairy tries to push it into the water but falls in instead.
None of Torchic's moves are known.
| Debut | PM117 |
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Mudkip first appears as the layout of starter Pokémon that Professor Birch is giving away. In I Won't Let You Lead!!, Mudkip was involved in a cooking competition where it baked a nice cake from its Whirlpool attack.
Mudkip's only known move is Whirlpool.
| Debut | PM117 |
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Treecko first appears as the layout of starter Pokémon that Professor Birch is giving away. In I Won't Let You Lead!!, Treecko was used in the last competition where it had a race with Clefairy. Even though Clefairy was about to win, Treecko was able to get to the finish line as Clefairy got distracted by a noodle stand giving out a snack.
None of Treecko's moves are known.
Released
| Debut | I Won't Let You Lead!! |
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During the Magikarp-catching duel, Professor Birch was able to catch thirty Magikarp. Afterward, they are released back into the water.
None of Magikarp's moves are known.
Given away
| Debut | Let's Try To Be Idols!! |
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Professor Birch gave away this Torchic to Sapphire sometime around Let's Try To Be Idols!!.
None of Torchic's moves are known.
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Professor Birch in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
| Related cards Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats. | |||||||
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| Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
| Professor Birch | T [Su] | EX Ruby & Sapphire | 
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89/109 | Expansion Pack |
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054/055 |
| Treecko Constructed Starter Deck | 018/019 | ||||||
| Torchic Constructed Starter Deck | 018/019 | ||||||
| Mudkip Constructed Starter Deck | 018/019 | ||||||
| Latias Half Deck | 018/018 | ||||||
| Latios Half Deck | 018/018 | ||||||
| EX Emerald |
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82/106 | Deoxys Half Deck | 014/019 | |||
| Rayquaza Half Deck | 014/019 | ||||||
| Mightyena Quarter Deck | 008/015 | ||||||
| Imprison! Gardevoir ex Constructed Standard Deck | 017/024 | ||||||
| EX Power Keepers |
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80/108 | World Champions Pack |
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091/108 | ||
| Professor Birch's Observations | Su | Primal Clash |
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134/160 | Tidal Storm | 
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067/070 |
| M Rayquaza-EX Mega Battle Deck | 013/018 | ||||||
| Primal Clash | 
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80/108 | Tidal Storm | 
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078/070 | ||
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
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| Japanese | オダマキ博士 Dr. Odamaki | From オダマキ odamaki, Aquilegia |
| English | Professor Birch | From birch tree |
| French | Professeur Séko | From séquoia, Sequoiadendron |
| German | Professor Birk | From Birke, birch |
| Spanish | Profesor Abedul | From abedul, birch |
| Korean | 털보박사 Teolbo-baksa | "털보" is a Korean phrase that refers to exceptionally hairy people, particularly men |
| Chinese | 小田卷博士 Dr. Xiǎotiánjuǎn | 小田卷 is from 小田巻 Odamaki. Literally "little field roll" |
| Finnish | Professori Birch | Same as English name |
| Polish | Profesor Birch | Same as English name |
| Russian | Профессор Бёрч Professor Byorch | Transcription of English name |
| Vietnamese | Giáo sư Odamaki | Transliteration of his Japanese name |
| Thai | ดร.โอดะมากิ Dr. Odamaki | Transliteration of his Japanese name |
Notes
Related articles
| Pokémon Professors | |
|---|---|
| Core series | Oak • Elm • Birch • Cozmo • Rowan • Aurea Juniper • Cedric Juniper • Sycamore • Kukui • Burnet • Samson • Mohn • Magnolia • Sonia • Laventon • Sada • Turo |
| Masters EX | Oak • Sycamore • Kukui • Sonia |
| Other spin-offs |
Krane • P • Hastings • Holly • Burnet • Tetra • Willow • Mirror • Phorus • Fir • Neroli |
| Animated series | Oak • Ivy • Elm • Birch • Cozmo • Rowan • Carolina • Hastings • Aurea Juniper • Cedric Juniper • Sycamore • Kukui • Burnet • Samson • Mohn • Cerise • Magnolia • Sonia • Amaranth • Friede • Willow |
| Adventures | Oak • Elm • Birch • Cozmo • Rowan • Berlitz • Aurea Juniper • Cedric Juniper • Sycamore • Kukui • Burnet • Samson • Mohn • Magnolia • Sonia • Turo |
| Other manga | Oak (Pocket Monsters) |
| For more, see the Professors category | |
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| See also: Pokémon Horizons characters | ||||||||||||||
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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. |