Gardenia

This article is about the Sinnoh Gym Leader. For the anime-exclusive town in Kanto where May competed in a Contest, see Gardenia Town.

Gardenia
ナタネ Natane
"Master of Vivid Plant Pokémon"
Diamond Pearl Gardenia.png
Art from Diamond and Pearl
Gender Female
Eye color Orange
Hair color Orange and black
Hometown Eterna City
Region Sinnoh
Trainer class Gym LeaderWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.Wrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.
Pokémon TrainerWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.
Generation IV, V
Games Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Black 2 and White 2
Leader of Eterna Gym
Badge Forest Badge
Specializes in Grass types
Anime debut The Grass-Type is Always Greener!
English voice actor Lara Star Rigores
Japanese voice actor Chieko Honda

Gardenia (Japanese: ナタネ Natane) is the Gym Leader of Eterna City's Gym, known officially as the Eterna Gym. She hands out the Forest Badge to Trainers who defeat her. She specializes in Grass-type Pokémon.

In the games

Gardenia uses Grass-type Pokémon in her battles. For defeating her, Trainers receive the Forest Badge, TM86 (Grass Knot), and the ability to use Cut outside of battle. Gardenia likes to explore the Eterna Forest. Unlike most Gym Leaders, challengers are required to beat all of her students to challenge her.

She appears in front of the Old Chateau, to warn the player of the mysterious stories of hauntings surrounding it. She hints at herself being afraid of ghosts. Later, in Platinum, she will appear occasionally for rematches at the Battleground. She will also sometimes visit the Villa and will always arrive when the Houseplant is purchased. One of her lines of dialog at the Villa confirms her dislike of Ghost-types and she notes that she is worried about what would happen if there was a Grass/Ghost Pokémon.

Pokémon

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl



Pokémon Platinum



Rematch



Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

Pokémon World Tournament

Pokémon can be either male or female.

Sinnoh Leaders Tournament



Type Expert/World Leaders Tournament



Quotes

Eterna Gym

"At my Gym, no one gets to battle with the Gym Leader - me - until they've beaten all the other Trainers. I'll be waiting out in the back. Good luck, challenger!"
  • At the entrance of the Gym (Platinum only)
"Hi! I'm Gardenia! I'm this town's Gym Leader! My last challenger was this awfully speedy young guy. ...Actually, his name was <rival>. He told me about you. He said that another challenger's on the way, so that made me antsy! At my Gym, no one gets to battle with the Gym Leader, me, until the end. The challenger has to beat all the other Gym Trainers first. I'll be waiting for you in the back, Trainer. Don't disappoint me!"
  • Before battle
"You kept me waiting! I'm Eterna's Gym Leader, Gardenia, the Grass-type master! When I first saw you, I was convinced you'd find your way to me. My hunch was right on the money. You have a winning aura about you. So, anyway, this will be fun. Let's have our battle."
  • After sending out last Pokémon
"It's not the end yet."
  • During battle
"Are you saying something? You think you have me cornered?"
  • When defeated
"Amazing! You're very good, aren't you?"
  • After being defeated
"I might've said it before, but you're really tough! Wasn't it hard for you to raise your Pokémon to be so good? I guess that's a measure of how much you love your Pokémon. In recognition of that, I proudly grant you this!"
"Yup! If there's one thing I can tell about you, it's this! You and your Pokémon are gonna get even tougher, and I mean seriously!"
"By the way... have you been to the Old Chateau? Me? Uh, well, you know, I have my Gym Leader job and all, so... Well, actually, I'm here training... I'm here just for fun... Ahahaha! Don't mind me!"

Old Chateau

"Hiya! Were you intrigued by the rumors going around, too? You know, people've been talking about the ghost Pokémon of the Old Chateau. I've been hearing rumors about sinister shadows, too. I should check it out myself, but going in there is... ...Well, you know, being that I'm a Gym Leader, I'm always busy. So, since I'm so busy, I can't go in. It's not because I'm s-scared! S-so, good luck with your investigation!"

Villa

"Listen, listen! I came for a visit! Can I go in?"
"...I'm in a dilemma now. You see, I don't like ghost Pokémon very much. But, what if... What if there was a Grass-type ghost Pokémon? What then?"
  • After buying Houseplants
"Oh, hey! A Houseplant! It's really nice. Maybe I'll get some for my Gym. The green coloring and the aroma... It's very nice."
"Do you remember those rumors about the Old Chateau? They say there really were ghost Pokémon there in the old days. ...That's so scary. What if they suddenly came back?"

Battleground

  • Before battle
"Hi, have you been keeping well? Let's cut to the good stuff! Let's get down to battle!"
"Oh? You do want to battle?" (If No is the first answer)
Yes: "Yes, that's right! A battle will tell you if someone you haven't seen's been keeping well!"
No: "You won't battle? You're not in the mood, huh? Well, why not polish your Badges, then? That might put a shine on your day, too."
  • During battle
"Are you saying something? You think you have me cornered?"
  • When defeated
"Amazing! You're very good, aren't you?"
  • After being defeated
"Out of the Gym, a Gym Leader is just another Trainer. But wherever I go, I still try to be as tough as I can. It's not fair to my Pokémon if we were to lose because of me."

Battleground (alternate)

  • Before battle
"My Grass-type Pokémon are growing good and strong. I'm kind of interested in what Pokémon you have, too. Want to battle? A real quick one?"
"My Grass-type Pokémon are growing good and strong. Come on, let's battle! A real quick one, OK?" (If No was the first answer)
Yes: "I can't deny that Grass-type Pokémon have many weak points. But I'll show you that's not the only factor in deciding who wins!"
No: "Aww, really? My grass Pokémon are growing good and strong too..."
  • During battle
"Are you saying something? You think you have me cornered?"
  • When defeated
"Amazing! You're very good, aren't you?"
  • After being defeated
"By the way... Have you been to the Old Chateau? Me? Uh, well, you know, I have my Gym Leader job and all, so... Well, actually, I'm here training... I'm here just for fun... Ahahaha! Don't mind me!"

Sprites

 

File:SpriteGardenia.png File:GardeniaPlatinum.gif  

 

 
Gardenia's overworld sprite from
Generation IV
Gardenia's sprite from Diamond and Pearl Gardenia's sprite from Platinum Gardenia's VS sprite from Platinum Gardenia's overworld sprite from
Generation V
Gardenia's sprite from Generation V

In the anime

 
Gardenia in the anime

Gardenia first appeared in The Grass-Type Is Always Greener. In this episode, she had a short battle with Ash, revealing to him that the Eterna City Gym Leader specialized in Grass Pokémon but not that it is her yet. She sent out Cherubi first, though she soon recalled it. She then sent out her own Turtwig, which defeated both Turtwig and Staravia.

Gardenia has an obsession with Grass Pokémon to the extent that she did not appear to be taking Team Rocket seriously due to her fascination with James's Carnivine and Cacnea. But she seems to get over this problem in A Secret Sphere of Influence!, when she battled the Team Rocket without any hesitation by sending her Turtwig out. She also reveals her rank as a Gym Leader in this episode.

Gardenia had a Gym battle with Ash in The Grass Menagerie!. She sent out her Cherubi, Turtwig, and Roserade. Ash's Turtwig went up against Cherubi first, but it was returned. Ash's Staravia defeated Cherubi. After Staravia was defeated by Gardenia's Turtwig, Ash sent his out. It resulted in Ash's Turtwig's victory. Roserade beat Ash's Turtwig with its Weather Ball, but later was defeated by Ash's Aipom's Swift and Focus Punch. Gardenia made use of the sunny weather to her advantage, such as increasing Cherubi's speed and allowing Roserade to launch fiery Weather Ball attacks. Despite this situation, Ash succeeded in defeating Gardenia and earning a Forest Badge.

She returned in Once There Were Greenfields when she took part in a Double Battle alongside James. After the battle, she offered to train his Cacnea and make it stronger. She also appeared in a flashback in Barry's Busting Out All Over! where she was revealed to have helped Cacnea to perfect Drain Punch.

Pokémon

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

 
Cherubi
Gardenia's Cherubi was first seen in The Grass-Type Is Always Greener! when Gardenia used it to battle Ash's Turtwig in an unofficial battle. It displayed its high speed, however it emerged that Gardenia was just trying to get a read on Turtwig's abilities before she recalled it.

It later appeared during Ash and Gardenia's Gym battle during The Grass Menagerie!, where it was able to outspeed Turtwig's attacks using its high speed and forced Ash to recall it. It then went up against Staravia where Ash was able to blind it using the sunlight and then Staravia was able to knock it out.

Cherubi's known moves are Magical Leaf and SolarBeam, and its Ability is Chlorophyll.

Debut The Grass-Type Is Always Greener!
Voice actors
Japanese Chinami Nishimura
English Chinami Nishimura
 
Turtwig
Gardenia's Turtwig was first seen when it battled against Ash's Turtwig and Staravia. It was shown to be great in speed and very powerful. It was untouchable by any of Ash's Pokémon and won the battle. It helped protect the Adamant Orb in A Secret Sphere of Influence!.

In Ash's Gym battle, it used its impressive speed to defeat Ash's Staravia. However, it lost to Ash's Turtwig after a fierce battle. Gardenia reappeared in Once There Were Greenfields!, and Turtwig was used in a Tag Battle alongside James's Cacnea, but was defeated by Dawn's Pachirisu's Spark. Nando's Roselia is known to have defeated Turtwig in an earlier battle.

Turtwig's known moves are Leech Seed, Leaf Storm, Bite, Tackle, and Razor Leaf.

Debut The Grass-Type Is Always Greener!
Voice actors
Japanese Miyako Itō
English Billy Beach
 
Roserade
Roserade was the final Pokémon used by Gardenia against Ash. It was able to easily knock out Turtwig using a Weather Ball powered by the bright sun. When it went up against Ash's Aipom, it was unable to keep up with the active Pokémon. It was eventually knocked out with a combination of Focus Punch and Swift.

Roserade also appeared alongside Gardenia during the credits of Zoroark: Master of Illusions.

Roserade's known moves are Grass Knot, Weather Ball, Magical Leaf, and Flash.

Debut The Grass Menagerie!
Voice actors
Japanese
English Sarah Natochenny
 
Cacnea
Main article: James's Cacnea

Gardenia first met Cacnea in The Grass-Type Is Always Greener!, when it was sent out by James. Gardenia automatically got attracted to it, and she asked it to scratch her back by using Pin Missile.

Later in Once There Were Greenfields, after battling alongside James and Cacnea in a Tag Battle, Gardenia knew that Cacnea had the ability to learn Drain Punch, so offered to take on Cacnea to help it reach its full potential. After much soul searching James agreed and handed Cacnea over. Gardenia soon helped Cacnea master Drain Punch and she used it in a Gym battle against Barry where it proved to be a strong opponent.

Debut A Poached Ego!
Voice actors
Japanese Katsuyuki Konishi
English Michele Knotz

Mentioned

Bellossom
Gardenia mentions that she has a Bellossom when she wanted to trade one of her Pokémon for James's Carnivine.
Debut The Grass-type is Always Greener!
Vileplume
Gardenia mentions that she has a Vileplume when she wanted to trade one of her Pokémon for James's Carnivine.
Debut The Grass-type is Always Greener!
Victreebel
Gardenia mentions that she has a Victreebel when she wanted to trade one of her Pokémon for James's Carnivine. Ironically, James had a Victreebel before, and Gardenia's mention of her own Victreebel brought him back memories of it.
Debut The Grass-type is Always Greener!

Voice actors

Language Voice actor
Japanese 本多知恵子 Chieko Honda
English Lara Star Rigores
Czech Jana Páleníčková (DP031)
Klára Šumanová (DP036-DP037, DP054)
Polish Anna Sztejner (DP031, DP036-DP037)
Monika Wierzbicka (DP054)
European Portuguese Rita Fernandes (DP031-DP037)
Isabel Queirós (DP054)
Spanish Latin America Isabel Romo (DP031-DP037)
Nallely Solís (DP054)
Spain Adelaida López


In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

 
Roark and his Cranidos with Gardenia and her Roserade

Gardenia made her debut when she took a walk in the Eterna Forest with her Cherubi and Roserade. She was enjoying the fresh air and the scent of the forest when she recognized the scent of Gastly in the forest. Following the scent, she met the trio (Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum). She called out to the group, only to be ignored by them. Becoming annoyed with their attitude, she had her Roserade use Grass Knot to get their attention. She was surprised to hear that the trio had been to Old Chateau and fought the Ghost Pokémon in the place. Gardenia was supposed to investigate the place as a Gym Leader, but apparently was scared of ghosts. Revealing that she is a Gym Leader, she challenged the trio to a Gym battle.

Gardenia was the second Gym Leader that Platinum had battled against, and the first to have a Double Battle against. Gardenia sent out Roserade and Cherubi against Platinum's Prinplup and Ponyta. To avoid ice and fire attacks, Gardenia and her Pokémon kept a great distance away from their challenger. But the distance didn't trouble them. Her Roserade used poisonous vines to attack, sending vines from the ground. This move easily knocked out Ponyta with a single shot. Cherubi on the other hand used Grass Knot. The attacks seemed to corner Prinplup, especially because after its evolution, Prinplup was prone to heavier damage from Grass Knot attacks. But the battle resulted as Platinum's victory, after she used the holes in the ground (made from Roserade's vines) to her advantage by having Prinplup blow a Blizzard into the holes. The holes led the ice move directly to Gardenia's two Pokémon, making them unable to battle. Recognizing her defeat, Gardenia gave Platinum the Forest Badge.

Pokémon

 
Cherubi
Roserade and Cherubi were both sent against Platinum in a Double Battle. Since the opponent's chosen Pokémon could use Fire and Ice attacks, Gardenia used the wide area of her plain grass Gym to not being hit by those type of attacks. As a distance-attack technique, Roserade used her poisonous vines under the arena, who defeated Ponyta and badly injured Prinplup. After being attacked by Cherubi's Grass Knot (which was more powerful upon Piplup's evolution, since her weight had increased), she used her Blizzard in the tunnels the vines had dug, to deliver an underground at distance attack.

Cherubi's only known move is Grass Knot.

Debut Ring Around the Roserade (I)
 
Roserade
Roserade and Cherubi were both sent against Platinum in a Double Battle. Since the opponent's chosen Pokémon could use Fire and Ice attacks, Gardenia used the wide area of her plain grass Gym to not being hit by those type of attacks. As a distance-attack technique, Roserade used her poisonous vines under the arena, who defeated Ponyta and badly injured Prinplup. After being attacked by Cherubi's Grass Knot, Prinplup used her Blizzard in the tunnels the vines had dug, to deliver an underground at distance attack, who defeated both.

Roserade's known moves are Poison Jab and Grass Knot.

Debut Ring Around the Roserade (I)
Given away
 
Cherrim
This Cherrim was given to Platinum by Gardenia, and was taken with the rest of Platinum's Pokémon to help Looker investigate on the Distortion World.
Debut VS. Dialga and Palkia IV

In the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga

Hareta first met Gardenia in Eterna Forest, both mistaking the other to be part of Team Galactic. After resolving their misunderstanding and learning that Gardenia was Eterna City's Gym Leader, Hareta asked Gardenia for a Gym battle but was promptly turned down, as Gardenia hadn't been impressed by Hareta's abilities so far. However after being attacked by Piplup she changed her mind and agreed to battle.

Pokémon

 
Cherubi
Cherubi was the first Pokémon Gardenia used in the Gym battle against Hareta. It went up against his Shinx and was able to put up a great fight as it was finished off with Shinx's Bite.

Cherubi's known moves are Magical Leaf and Leech Seed.

Debut Win with Teamwork!!
 
Turtwig
Turtwig was the second Pokémon used in the Gym battle. It went up against Hareta's Misdreavus.

Turtwig's known moves are Magical Leaf and Grass Knot.

Debut Win with Teamwork!!
 
Roserade
Roserade is Gardenia's strongest Pokémon. It was the third Pokémon used in the Gym battle. Using the combined power of Piplup and Misdreavus's Spite attack to stop Magical Leaf, Hareta was able to defeat Roserade and win the battle.

Roserade's known moves are Grass Knot, Leech Seed and Magical Leaf.

Debut Win with Teamwork!!

In the TCG

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

Gardenia's Pokémon
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.
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Roserade     Rising Rivals   12/111 Bonds to the End of Time   007/090
Turtwig     Rising Rivals   85/111 Bonds to the End of Time   006/090
 


Trivia

  • Gardenia is the second Gym Leader in the anime to receive a Pokémon from a main character. The first was Sabrina with Ash's Haunter.
  • Coincidentally, there is a town in the anime named Gardenia Town.
  • Gardenia is the only Sinnoh Gym Leader who does not have a Pokémon with their signature TM move in the Battleground battles with her.
    • However, she has all of her Pokémon knowing the move during the main battle.
  • In the anime, when Ash was battling Gardenia's Cherubi, he withdrew Turtwig before he is hit. This occurred once before with Brawly of the Dewford Gym, when Treecko was going to be attacked and defeated by Machop.
    • Interestingly, both were the second Gyms in a region, and both Pokémon withdrew were the Grass-type starters of the region he was battling the Gym in.
  • Gardenia is the only second Gym Leader in the series that uses a fully evolved stage three Pokémon. Misty and Lenora both have fully evolved Pokémon as well, though both are only stage two.

Names

Language Name Origin
Japanese ナタネ Natane The Japanese name for the rapeseed plant. Its kanji can also be separated into 菜 na (vegetables) and 種 tane (seed).
English, Italian, Spanish Gardenia Taken from the flower gardenia. It also contains the word garden.
French Flo From flore, flora.
German Silvana From silva, Latin for forest.
Korean 유채 Yuchae From 유채 (油菜) yuchae, rape blossoms.
Chinese (Mandarin) 菜種 Càizhǒng From 菜種 natane, rapeseed. Literally vegetable seed. Can also mean "vegetable species".


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


  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.