Brandon (anime)
| Brandon ジンダイ Jindai | |
 Brandon in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Black |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Kanto |
| Trainer class | Pyramid King (Frontier Brain) |
| Game counterpart | Brandon |
| Brain of | Battle Pyramid |
| Symbol | Brave Symbol |
| Anime debut | Battling the Enemy Within |
| English voice actor | Craig Blair |
| Japanese voice actor | Masayuki Omoro |
Pyramid King Brandon (Japanese: ピラミッドキング ジンダイ Pyramid King Jindai) is the Frontier Brain and chief of the Battle Frontier's Battle Pyramid. Brandon is the strongest of all the Frontier Brains, and a major recurring character during the final phase of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire. In Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, he becomes an important part of Ash and Paul's storyline.
In the anime
History
Pre-series
As a veteran Frontier Brain, Brandon faced several Trainers. In one of these battles, he faced and won against a Trainer named Reggie; this battle convinced the latter to retire from battling and become a Pokémon Breeder. Reggie's brother Paul was also influenced by this battle, becoming the primary reason for his obsession with strength.
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
His identity was shrouded in mystery for most of the Battle Frontier saga. Unlike the other Frontier Brains, his silhouette was not shown on its own during the opening and was only seen in the center of the group shot. Trainers only found out the location of the Battle Pyramid after they had collected the other six Symbols. This suggests that Brandon ranked higher than the rest of the Frontier Brains in the anime, although in the video games and manga, this position belongs to Anabel. When Ash finally got his sixth Frontier Symbol in Second Time's the Charm!, he learned that the Battle Pyramid was located near Pewter City.
Brandon's first battle with Ash occurred in Battling the Enemy Within!. At the time, however, Ash was possessed by an ancient king of the Pyramid who battled Brandon's Regirock with Ash's Sceptile. Sceptile was defeated, Ash regained control of his body, and the Pyramid was moved to an area near Indigo Plateau. After the victory against the spirit that possessed Ash, Brandon reveals that Ash actually lost due to his own immaturity.
During the time he was away, Brandon started researching several ruins in search of a Legendary Pokémon. In one of these ruins, he eventually meets up with Ash again, who asks him for a new opportunity to battle, for their first official, and second overall battle. In Overjoyed!, Ash's Torkoal squared off against Brandon's Registeel. However, Torkoal was, like Sceptile, defeated by Brandon's Legendary Pokémon. Again, after yet another victory over Ash, Brandon leaves him a new lesson before pursuing his goal.
Finally, in Gathering the Gang of Four and Pace - The Final Frontier!, Scott reveals the last location of the Battle Pyramid to Ash; it's also revealed that Brandon was just finding what he was looking for. At the same time, Ash goes on a journey with his Pokémon to understand the lessons Brandon taught him. At the end of the day, Ash and his friends met up with Brandon in a forest. Both decide that it is time to start the final battle between them. Brandon and Ash fought in a 4 vs. 4 battle. Brandon's Dusclops defeated Ash's Charizard in the first round, but was then defeated by Ash's Bulbasaur after a tough battle. Then, Brandon's Ninjask squared off against Ash's Squirtle, where Squirtle was able to beat Ninjask with a Skull Bash.
In the next round, Squirtle was defeated by Brandon's Solrock, which in turn drew with Bulbasaur. With both competitors left to their last Pokémon, Ash used Pikachu while Brandon unveiled yet another Pokémon from his Legendary collection: this time, a Regice. Despite the odds, however, Pikachu managed to hold his own against the legendary giant and came out victorious. This victory placed Ash in the Frontier Battle Hall of Fame, and a position as Frontier Brain, but Ash refused. Before leaving, Brandon wished Ash good luck and said he would like to return to battle with him again.
Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
Brandon reappeared in Pikachu's flashback in Pika and Goliath! when Ash remembers his past with Pikachu.
Brandon appeared again in person in A Pyramiding Rage!, where he wanted to research the Snowpoint Temple. While meeting up with Ash and his friends, he was challenged to a Full Battle by Paul. During the battle, Reggie remembered how Brandon's words marked him, and how much they may have affected his brother. Despite using a team with a type advantage, Paul lost the match easily due to him losing control of his emotions. Upon winning, Brandon questioned Paul about his emotions and motivations to battle. Brandon later mentioned that they would battle again when Paul was ready, and agreed with Reggie's suggestion of a Full Battle between Ash and Paul.
In Pillars of Friendship!, Brandon traveled with Ash and his friends to the temple of Regigigas. Along the way he discovered that the temple was under attack, but despite his efforts, Brandon tried and failed to stop Pokémon Hunter J from disturbing Regigigas in the Snowpoint Temple. Because of her actions, the Colossal Pokémon went on a rampage, but it eventually calmed down when Brandon saved it from being turned into a statue by J. In the end, Brandon decided to stay at the Snowpoint Temple, not only to rebuild it, but also to allow Regirock, Regice, and Registeel to become the new pillars that would protect Regigigas.
In Battling a Thaw in Relations!, Paul announced that he would return to Snowpoint Temple to re-challenge Brandon. The outcome of the battle is unknown.
Character
When Brandon first appeared in Battling the Enemy Within!, his personality was shown to be similar to his game counterpart; being highly interested in exploring ruins and discovering as many mysteries as possible, seen as he was searching for Ho-Oh in his debut. However, different from his game counterpart, Brandon doesn't seem to appreciate foolishness from others, such as harshly scolding Ash and his friends for almost getting them all killed by a giant boulder (one of the ruin's traps) because of their arrival. Nonetheless, Brandon seems to able to forgive rather quickly, as he followed his scolding by explaining to Ash and his friends about the ruins.
Brandon also presents himself as extremely serious and reserved, but despite his serious attitude, Brandon's willing to help others in need, such as when Brandon offered to battle the King of Pokélantis, who had possessed Ash's body, in exchange for the boy's freedom if he managed to win, even offering to hand the King his Pokémon if he lost. Also, despite being known for his harsh attitude, Brandon truly believes in the bond between Trainer and Pokémon, shown during his battle against Paul, telling him that despite the young Trainer being talented, his harsh training methods would never allow Paul to defeat him. He also doesn't believe in brute strength, informing Reggie during their battle that despite enjoying their battle, Reggie was only relying on his Pokémon's brute strength, disregarding any sort of strategies, and believed that true power came from "inner strength".
Pokémon
| の | This article is missing information on this character's English voice actor and Japanese voice actor. You can help by adding this information. |
This listing is of Brandon's known Pokémon in the anime:
On hand
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Brandon used Regirock against Ash during their unofficial battle while Ash was possessed by the King of Pokélantis. Regirock went up against Sceptile and won despite the type-disadvantage. Regirock later sent Team Rocket blasting off along with Registeel during Ash and Brandon's rematch. Regirock was used in the Full Battle against Paul and was able to easily defeat his Hariyama, Electabuzz, Ursaring, and Magmar. | ||
| Debut | Battling the Enemy Within! | |
|---|---|---|
| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Katsuyuki Konishi | |
| English | Katsuyuki Konishi | |
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After the Kanto Grand Festival, Ash was finally allowed an official battle against Brandon in another one-on-one battle. Brandon used Registeel, while Ash used his Torkoal. The two fought hard, and although Registeel was left extremely weak after the battle, it was Torkoal who was defeated. Registeel later sent Team Rocket blasting off alongside Regirock during Ash and Brandon's rematch. During the Full Battle against Paul, it was easily able to stand up to his Magmar's Fire-type moves, despite the type weakness. It also managed to defeat Paul's Nidoking despite taking damage from its Ground-type and Fighting-type attacks. | ||
| Debut | Overjoyed! | |
|---|---|---|
| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Tomoe Hanba | |
| English | Tomoe Hanba | |
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| Dusclops was the first Pokémon used by Brandon during his rematch and proved to be very powerful, being able to take down Ash's Charizard before being defeated by Bulbasaur's Solar Beam.
Dusclops's known moves are Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Punch, Mean Look, and Confuse Ray. | ||
| Debut | Gathering the Gang of Four! | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | ||
| English | Bill Rogers | |
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| Ninjask was the second Pokémon used by Brandon during his rematch against Ash, where it went up against his Squirtle. Despite a closely fought battle, Ninjask couldn't stand up to Squirtle's Skull Bash and was defeated.
Ninjask's known moves are Aerial Ace, Sandstorm, Double Team, and Sand Attack. | ||
| Debut | Pace - The Final Frontier! | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Daisuke Sakaguchi | |
| English | Billy Beach | |
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| Brandon used Solrock third in the rematch against Ash, and it was able to defeat his Squirtle. After knocking the Tiny Turtle Pokémon out of the match, it then went up against Bulbasaur. The two fought hard for their Trainers, eventually knocking each other out of the battle.
Solrock's known moves are Psywave, Confusion, Shadow Ball, and Solar Beam. | ||
| Debut | Pace - The Final Frontier! | |
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| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Megumi Hayashibara | |
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After his first three Pokémon were defeated in Pace - The Final Frontier!, Brandon sent out his newly-caught Regice against Pikachu. Regice fought its hardest against the Electric type and looked poised to win, but Pikachu was able to whittle down its strength with Iron Tail and Volt Tackle to claim victory. During the Full Battle against Paul, Regice battled Ursaring, and was able to defeat his Lairon with no trouble. | ||
| Debut | Pace - The Final Frontier! | |
|---|---|---|
| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Tomoe Hanba | |
| English | Tomoe Hanba | |
Befriended
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| Many centuries ago, Regigigas helped protect Snowpoint City from a volcanic eruption, and slept inside Snowpoint Temple. There it rested until Pokémon Hunter J destroyed the pillars sealing it, attempting to capture it for a client. Regigigas awakened and went on a rampage threatening Snowpoint City, and after battling Regirock, Registeel, and Regice, was able to bring all three under its control.
All seemed lost until J tried to capture Regigigas again, and Brandon and his legendary giants all risked their lives to protect it, getting petrified by J's bracelet in the process. After J left due to her client canceling the deal, Regigigas restored the ones who protected it to life and then went back to sleep, with Brandon promising to help rebuild the temple and help protect it from further harm. Regigigas's known moves are Hyper Beam, Hammer Arm*, Confuse Ray, and Hidden Power. | ||
| Debut | Pillars of Friendship! | |
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Voice actors
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In the manga
Ash & Pikachu
Brandon appeared in a fantasy along with the other Frontier Brains in Off To The Battle Frontier!!.
Trivia
- Brandon tends to yell "Nooo!!" (Japanese: 喝！！ Katsu!!) when he disapproves of something in the anime.
- Whenever Brandon sends out a Pokémon in the English dub, he first calls out the Pokémon's name and then shouts, "I need your assistance!"
- Brandon is the first Trainer in the anime to have officially caught and trained a Legendary Pokémon.
- In the Italian dub of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, Brandon's translated name was changed from Baldo to Mariano.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ジンダイ Jindai | From 神代杉 Jindai-Sugi, Cryptomeria buried under volcanic ashes. |
| English | Brandon | From brave |
| French | Bayar | From bravoure, bravery |
| German | Brian | From Bravour, bravery |
| Italian | Baldo | From baldo, bold |
| Spanish | Valente | From valentía, courage |
| Korean | 기선 Giseon | From 용기 yonggi (courage) and 선 seon (ancient) |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 神代 Shéndài | From his Japanese name. Literally means age of the gods. |
| Vietnamese | Jindai | Transliteration of his Japanese name. |
Related articles
| Brandon's Pokémon | ||||||
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| On hand: | ||||||
| Befriended | ||||||
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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. |