Leon (anime)

Leon ダンデ Dande
Leon
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Eye color	Yellow
Hair color	Purple
Hometown	Postwick
Region	Galar
Relatives	Mentioned parents Hop (younger brother)
Anime series	Pokémon the Series
Debut	Flash of the Titans!
English voice actor	Alejandro Saab
Japanese voice actor	Daisuke Ono
Member of	Galar League
Rank	Champion
Member of	World Coronation Series
Rank	Master Class (formerly Monarch)
Manga series	Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Debut	Flash of the Titans!
Generation	VIII
Counterpart(s)	Leon
Games	Mezastar

Leon (Japanese: ダンデ Dande) is a recurring character in the Pokémon anime. He is the Champion of the Galar region's Pokémon League and was formerly the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world after obtaining the title of Monarch in the World Coronation Series in Flash of the Titans! before losing it to Ash in Partners in Time!.

He is Ash's main rival in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, with defeating Leon serving as his primary goal throughout the series.

In the anime

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

History

Leon and Sonia as children

Pre-series

Born and raised in Galar, Leon was a childhood friend of Sonia's. Due to having to take care of his family for a long time, she was his only friend and taught Leon the concepts of a Pokémon battle. During this period, Leon found a Charmander that would become his first Pokémon and what motivated him to go on a Pokémon journey. Sonia and Leon traveled together when they started on their journey, where Leon shortly after had his first Pokémon battle against Sonia herself. He wound up losing to her, but still found battling exciting and decided to devote his life to it.

Leon as a teenager

In his first victory in battle, it was evident that Leon had a natural gift for being a great Trainer. In this period, Leon met more people and knew more about Pokémon. As revealed in Toughing It Out!, Rose was responsible for inserting Leon into the world of competitive Pokémon battles. But, Leon's closeness to Rose ended up driving Sonia away from him, which made the two go their separate ways over time. In Sword and Shield: "From Here to Eternatus!", Rose reveals that his goal with this was to guide Leon so that he would become the hero of Galar, and be able to control Eternatus.

On his journey, Leon went through the Pokémon League of Galar undefeated, and eventually reached the top spot among the Masters Eight of the World Coronation Series.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Leon in his debut, facing Lance

Leon debuted in Flash of the Titans!, where he had a bout against Lance in the finals of the World Coronation Series at Wyndon Stadium, using his Charizard to go up against Lance's Gyarados. After a hard-fought battle, Leon emerged victorious, making him the Monarch of the World Coronation Series. Shortly after the battle with Lance, in The Climb to Be the Very Best!, where Leon heard a commotion outside the stadium and went to see what was happening. Leon saw Ash battling a Gigantamax Drednaw with his Pikachu and noticed that he had Gigantamaxed without a Dynamax Band. He gave Ash advice that allowed him to defeat Drednaw before properly introducing himself to them. The next day, Leon approached Ash and Goh at the Wyndon Pokémon Center and accepted Ash's earlier request for a battle. Beforehand, Leon gave Ash an explanation of how Dynamaxing and G-Max Moves worked and gave him his own Dynamax Band. During the battle, both sides Gigantamaxed their Pokémon, with Pikachu even managing to land a couple of hits on Charizard, but in the end, Pikachu was defeated. Ash and Leon then promised each other that once Ash was strong enough, they would battle again.

Leon reappeared in a flashback in Dreams Are Made of These!, when Ash explains to some kids about his goals.

Leon and Raihan

In Toughing It Out!, Leon has a battle for the World Coronation Series with his rival Raihan and his Duraludon. After a tough match, Leon emerged victorious, with this victory, Leon manages to defend his Monarch title. Afterward, he greeted Ash and Rose and encourages Raihan to retrain so they can battle in the future.

In Sword and Shield, Slumbering Weald!, during a series of Pokémon attacks that were using Dynamax and Gigantamax in an uncontrolled way, he had Charizard attack a rampaging Gigantamax Centiskorch. After defeating it, Leon reunited with Ash, and they flew off together to deal with other rampaging Pokémon. Later, they encountered a Dynamax Pangoro, which they defeated in Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day!. He and Ash later took on a Coalossal that had Gigantamaxed and took it down. Soon after, Rose and Oleana arrived. Leon was later seen in Hammerlocke, where it was revealed that he was suspicious of Rose and that he planned to investigate the city's Energy Plant. This investigation took Leon to the place where Eternatus was being held prisoner. When Eternatus ended up breaking free and getting out of control, Leon decided that he had to capture it so he could calm the Pokémon down. Leon met Rose, who revealed his real intentions and, after confronting his former tutor together with Ash, he went to face Eternatus.

Leon about to face Eternatus

In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!, Leon and Charizard battled against Eternatus after it was re-awakened, but despite Charizard's best efforts they still struggled against the might of the Legendary Pokémon. When Leon attempted to Gigantamax Charizard, Eternatus absorbed all of the Dynamax energy from the area, preventing Leon from successfully Gigantamaxing Charizard. Along with Sonia, Leon witnessed Ash and Goh joining forces with Zacian and Zamazenta and finally managing to contain the power of Eternatus. When everything was finally resolved, Sonia revealed to Professor Magnolia that Leon was searching for Rose, who had disappeared after the incident.

Leon made a cameo appearance at the end of Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start! while watching Ash's World Coronation Series match against Volkner.

In The Sweet Taste of Battle!, Leon visited the Glimwood Tangle before heading to Ballonlea, where he met up with Raihan, Ash, Goh, and Chloe. Leon took part in Opal's All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge but lost to Ash. He then agreed to referee the battle between Ash and Opal.

In Battle Three With Bea! and A Battle of Mega Versus Max!, Leon appeared at the Stow-on-Side Stadium, watching the World Coronation Series match between Ash and Bea. During the battle, he arrived late, shocking the entire audience and serving as a commentator. At the end of the battle, Leon decided to leave without talking to any of the competitors, which left Ash disappointed.

In Meeting Up with the Monarch!, Leon defended his title in a battle against Flint. After yet another victory, Leon met up with Ash and invited him to a training session. Upon arriving at a place within the Wild Area, Leon and Ash decided to camp and participate in activities with some Pokémon they met in the area. After having the experience interrupted by a pair of Corviknight, they discovered that one of the Rookidee from their nest was injured, so they decided to help them. At the end of the day, Leon revealed some feelings and doubts to Ash before leaving to meet with Goh and Sonia.

In Catching the Aura of Fate!, Leon was interviewed to give his opinion on the upcoming battle between Ash and Raihan. In the next episode, he was one of the commentators of said battle at the Hammerlocke Stadium.

Leon and Alain

In Curtain Up! Fight the Fights!, Leon participated in the Masters Eight Tournament, along with the rest of the Masters Eight, reuniting with Ash and Lance, and meeting Iris, Alain, and the other regional Champions. His first opponent was chosen to be Alain. Despite Alain managing to defeat Leon's Gigantamax Rillaboom, Leon still won the match without needing to use his final Pokémon at all. In the next episode, Leon watched Lance and Diantha's battle, where the Kalos Champion emerged victorious. After the battle, Leon was shown to be looking forward to battling Diantha in the semi-finals. In the following episodes, Leon watched the rest of the quarterfinal matches with the other Masters Eight members.

In It's... Champion Time!, Leon battled Diantha in the semi-finals. He was able to defeat her entire team while only losing two of his own and advanced to the finals as a result. Afterward, Leon and Diantha watched Ash's battle against Cynthia. During the battle, he was quite impressed with Ash's performance and how he handled himself against his opponent. After the battle, Leon admitted to Diantha that he was looking forward to battling Ash in the finals.

Leon after losing his Monarch title

In Just a Scone's Throw From Here!, Leon called Ash and Goh to Wyndon Stadium, where he revealed that he, Professor Magnolia, and Sonia had been working with Eternatus for it to become comfortable around people ever since the Darkest Day incident. Seeing this, Goh decided to entrust Eternatus to Leon.

In A Flood of Torrential Gains!, as Ash and Leon's battle was about to begin, Leon requested that Ash should be allowed to use Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax, instead of just one of them, which was accepted. The battle continued for the next few episodes. Near its climax, Eternatus appeared over Wyndon Stadium and recharged both Trainers' Dynamax Bands, allowing them to Gigantamax their Pokémon one more time. Ultimately, in Partners in Time!, the battle ended in a passionate showdown between Ash's Pikachu and Leon's Charizard. In the end, Charizard was defeated, putting an end to Leon's winning streak. Later, Leon promised Ash that he'd keep on having more battles to grow stronger, and handed Ash his trophy during the awards ceremony.

In This Could be the Start of Something Big!, Leon observed a training battle between Hop and Bea.

Character

Leon doing his signature Charizard pose

Leon is a strong Trainer, having reached the final round of the World Coronation Series and subsequently becoming the Monarch, thus being undefeated for some time. Although Leon comes across as unstoppable, he revealed to Ash that since the Darkest Day he felt powerless to deal with the threat. This made him question if there are people stronger than him and how far the strength limit of each one goes. Sonia is apparently the only person who can see this side of Leon, unlike most people, to her, Leon is more child-like in his relationship with Pokémon.

Leon is also a good sportsman, as seen in Flash of the Titans!, when he complimented Lance after their battle and shook his hand and again in all his battles in the World Coronation Series, acting the same way after his battles with Raihan and Flint. Leon also has a very strong sense of justice, refusing to follow Chairman Rose's orders to capture Eternatus for the former's personal ambitions, opting to seal Eternatus away to prevent the Darkest Day from occurring.

Leon is remarkably knowledgeable about the Gigantamax phenomenon, as seen in The Climb to Be the Very Best!, when he advised Ash on how to battle with his Gigantamax Pikachu in order to deal with a Drednaw that also had Gigantamax. During Ash's battle against Opal, he realized that Pikachu had not Gigantamaxed, but rather bloated from the cream of G-Max Finale. Furthermore, Leon is shown to have great knowledge on how Mega Evolution works, being able to recognize the great bond Lucario has with Ash.

Leon and Ash

As stated by some people, Leon and Ash have a lot in common, mainly in the way they take care of Pokémon. During the course of the anime it is shown that Leon takes a keen interest in Ash's battles and more than once, Leon declared to Ash his desire to face him in an official battle. This even made Rose offer the same offer he made to Leon to be trained by him, but Ash refused even before knowing Rose's real intentions. As in the games, Leon is idealized by his younger brother Hop, who yearns to defeat him in battle. Hop also reveals that Leon often talks to him about Ash's progression in the World Coronation Series.

In his battles, Leon tends to change the moves that his Pokémon uses, as first seen in Toughing It Out!, where Charizard used three different moves than what it had used previously and always battles on equal terms with the opponent, always Gigantamaxing his Pokémon only after the opponent has the initiative to use it first. In his Masters Eight Tournament campaign, however, Leon took a different approach, for example Gigantamaxing his other Pokémon other than Charizard, using more direct attacks and focusing on covering the deficiencies his Pokémon have in speed and other attributes.

Like his game counterpart, Leon has a difficult time with directions, resulting in him becoming lost in the Glimwood Tangle and needing wild Pokémon to show him the way to Ballonlea and later getting lost while traveling with Ash through the Wild Area.

Pokémon

Leon's Dynamax Band

Leon's Inteleon using Counter Shield

As expected from a high-level Trainer, all of Leon's Pokémon are very powerful. Leon's party consists of several Pokémon originating from his homeland, as well as his first Pokémon Charizard, some of which have been shown to be capable of Gigantamaxing. This has allowed Leon to achieve impressive victories in the World Coronation Series and the Masters Eight Tournament against other powerful Trainers like Raihan, Flint, Alain, and Diantha.

Leon's adaptability is very similar to Ash's, being able to rapidly teach his Pokémon some improvised techniques, such as Counter Shield for Inteleon. Another point in common with Ash is that Leon is very close to his Pokémon. This allowed Leon to develop his relationship with Eternatus, which left aside its more aggressive side and became a more docile Pokémon over time.

In Meeting Up with the Monarch!, it was shown that Leon's training is based on his personal relationship with other Pokémon and training flying skills and strength skills with his Pokémon such as Charizard or Dragapult. The strength of Leon's Pokémon is put to the test during the Full Battle against Ash, where Leon faced Ash and his Pokémon with all the battle mechanics Ash had at his disposal, and was still able to achieve several important victories even with a type disadvantage.

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

On hand

		Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard ↔ Gigantamax Charizard
		Main article: Leon's Charizard Charizard is Leon's first Pokémon, as well as his ace and capable of Gigantamaxing. It was first seen being used in Leon's battle against Lance in the finals of the World Coronation Series and won. In Paring Pokémon While Parrying!, Charizard was Leon's sixth Pokémon during his Masters Eight Tournament match against Ash. After Gigantamaxing, Charizard clashed with Ash's Pikachu's 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt Z-Move, which caused Eternatus to awaken and appear at Wyndon Stadium. After being briefly recalled in favor of Cinderace in the next episode, Charizard resumed its battle with Pikachu. Both Pokémon gave it their all, with Charizard ultimately falling and suffering its first loss in an official battle, thus causing Leon to lose the match.
Debut	Flash of the Titans!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Kenta Miyake

		Dragapult
		Dragapult is Leon's second known Pokémon. In its debut appearance, Leon used it to battle a Coalossal that had Gigantamaxed alongside Ash's Pikachu and Gengar, eventually taking it down. In Meeting Up with the Monarch!, Dragapult was used in Leon's training. Sometime later, Leon used Dragapult to confront a pair of Corviknight that attacked him and Ash. In It's... Champion Time!, Dragapult was one of the three Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Diantha. It was shown battling her Hawlucha and Tyrantrum before being defeated by the latter. In Toying With Your Motions!, Leon used Dragapult as his fourth Pokémon in his Masters Eight Tournament battle against Ash, where it fought against Dracovish, Lucario, and Dragonite. It was able to defeat Mega Lucario, before losing to Dragonite. Dragapult's known moves are Dragon Darts, Dragon Rush, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and Dragon Tail.
Debut	Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Daman Mills (Dreepy) Marc Thompson (Dragapult)

		Rillaboom ↔ Gigantamax Rillaboom
		Rillaboom is Leon's third known Pokémon. Like Charizard, it is capable of Gigantamaxing. It was the first Pokémon that Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament battle against Alain. It went up against his Chesnaught and won, only to lose to Alain's Charizard afterwards. In It's... Champion Time!, Rillaboom was one of the three Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Diantha. It was shown defeating her Tyrantrum, Aurorus, Gourgeist, and Goodra, before losing to Gardevoir. In Toying With Your Motions!, Rillaboom was sent out to battle Ash's Dragonite as Leon's fifth Pokémon in the Masters Eight Tournament finals. In the next episode, it battled and defeated Dragonite and Sirfetch'd, before losing to Dracovish. Rillaboom's known moves are Acrobatics, Drum Beating, High Horsepower, and Knock Off. As a Gigantamax Rillaboom, it can use G-Max Drum Solo, Max Airstream, and Max Quake.
Debut	Curtain Up! Fight the Fights!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Bill Rogers

		Cinderace ↔ Gigantamax Cinderace
		Cinderace is Leon's fourth known Pokémon. It was the first Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Ash, where it went up against Pikachu. Using its Libero Ability to become a Ground type, Cinderace was able to make Ash recall Pikachu before being recalled itself. In Paring Pokémon While Parrying!, Cinderace was sent out to battle Dracovish, defeating it before being recalled for Charizard. In the next episode, it was revealed to be capable of Gigantamaxing as it fought against Gigantamax Pikachu, only to be defeated. Cinderace's known moves are Scorching Sands, High Jump Kick, Pyro Ball, and Iron Head, and its Ability is Libero. As a Gigantamax Cinderace, it can use G-Max Fireball.
Debut	A Flood of Torrential Gains!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake

		Inteleon ♂
		Inteleon is Leon's fifth known Pokémon. He was the second Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Ash, where he went up against Gengar. Despite forming a Counter Shield against Gengar, Inteleon was soon defeated by Gengar after it Gigantamaxed. Inteleon's known moves are Snipe Shot, Dark Pulse, and Aqua Jet.
Debut	A Flood of Torrential Gains!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Barrett Leddy

		Mr. Rime
		Mr. Rime is Leon's sixth known Pokémon. It was the third Pokémon Leon used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Ash, where it went up against Gengar. Despite being struck by Cursed Body, Mr. Rime was able to defeat Gengar. In the next episode, it fought Sirfetch'd and Mega Lucario, ultimately losing to the latter. Mr. Rime's known moves are Freeze-Dry, Psychic Terrain, Expanding Force, and Triple Axel.
Debut	A Flood of Torrential Gains!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Billy Bob Thompson

Escaped

		Eternatus
		Main article: Leon's Eternatus Eternatus was originally caught by Goh in Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken! after Leon's failed attempt to do the same, and was subsequently sealed away by Professor Magnolia. In Just a Scone's Throw From Here!, Leon was revealed to have worked on getting Eternatus used to human contact, which he had achieved to the point of it being comfortable with him. As such, Goh decided to entrust it with Leon, which he accepted. It escaped from its containment in Hammerlocke in Paring Pokémon While Parrying!, and, after making a brief stop at Wyndon Stadium in the next episode, returned to living in the wild to become Galar's protector.
Debut	Flash of the Titans!

Temporary

		Alcremie ♀
		Leon borrowed an Alcremie from Opal to take part in the All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge she had arranged. None of Alcremie's moves are known.
Debut	The Sweet Taste of Battle!
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Ryan Bartley

		Corviknight
		During his training with Ash, Leon encountered a pair of Corviknight that were attacking other Pokémon. After calming one of them, Leon took it away so Ash could save the injured Rookidee in Corviknight's nest. None of Corviknight's moves are known.
Debut	Meeting Up with the Monarch!

Achievements

Pokémon League

Leon's World Coronation Series rank

Leon has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:

• Galar Champion Cup - Winner (prior to Flash of the Titans!)

World Coronation Series

Leon has competed in the World Coronation Series. His rank and class are as follows:

• Monarch (Master Class; from Flash of the Titans! to Partners in Time!)
• Masters Eight Tournament: Runner-up (Partners in Time!)

Pokémon competitions

• All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge - Participant (The Sweet Taste of Battle!)

Gallery

• 

  Leon being crowned the Monarch of the World Coronation Series

Artwork

Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series	Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series	Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series	Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series	Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series from the Animage Magazine	Artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series[1]	Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series[2]	Artwork from "After the story"[3]	Artwork from "After the story"[4]	Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Official poster from Pokémon Journeys: The Series	Official artwork from the Animage magazine	Official artwork from the Animage magazine

Voice actors

In the manga

Leon in Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Leon debuted in Flash of the Titans!, where he played the same role as he does in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series. He battled Lance for the title of Monarch of the World Coronation Series.

In The Climb to Be the Very Best!, Leon had a battle against Ash, where he emerged victorious.

In Toughing It Out!, Leon defended his title in a battle against Raihan.

In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken! (Part 1) and Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken! (Part 2), Leon joined Ash, Goh, and Sonia to prevent the Darkest Day from happening. Despite their efforts, they were only able to defeat the Legendary Pokémon Eternatus when they received the help of Zacian and Zamazenta.

Leon made one last appearance in Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start! & Trial on a Golden Scale! (Part 2), in a fantasy together with other Trainers.

Pokémon

This listing is of Leon's known Pokémon in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series manga:

Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard ↔ Gigantamax Charizard

Dragapult

In the games

Pokémon Mezastar

Leon, in a version based on the anime, appeared in Pokémon Mezastar.^[5][6] In this game, Leon is seen using a Rillaboom, Charizard, Mr. Rime, and Dragapult, with Mr. Rime being a Pokémon that he was not seen using in the anime at that point. In the first set in the Double Chain series, Ash and Leon could also be challenged as Trainer Tag Battle opponents for a limited time as part of the ranked Challenge from Ash & Leon! campaign. In the second set in the Double Chain series, Leon also appeared as an opponent in an event that recreated the Masters Eight Tournament that ran from October 27 to November 21, 2022. Upon beating the character, the player can receive a Support Pokémon Ticket based on Leon's Charizard, which can Gigantamax.^[7]

Pokémon

Double Chain Set 1

Trainer and Battle opponents

Pallet Town's Ash マサラタウンの サトシ and Gengar Shadow Ball Pikachu Thunderbolt Lucario Aura Sphere Unbeatable Champion Leon むてきのチャンピオン ダンデ Difficulty: ★★★★☆ Rillaboom Drum Beating Charizard Flamethrower Mr. Rime Ice Beam

Double Chain Set 2

Trainer Tag Battle opponents

Unbeatable Champion Leon むてきのチャンピオン ダンデ Difficulty: ★★★★★ Dragapult Dragon Darts Rillaboom Drum Beating Mr. Rime Ice Beam Charizard Flamethrower

Disks

Tag No.	Name	Type	Grade
3-2-022	Charizard

In the audio drama

Leon in the audio drama

In celebration of the airing of JN100, the Pokémon anime's Twitter page launched a series of audio dramas.

In the "A Morning in the Life of Dande", which was released on March 25, 2022.^[8] They show Leon's daily life interacting with characters such as Sonia, Raihan, and his Charizard.

Voice actors

Trivia

• In a CoroCoro article about Masters Eight Tournament participants, it is revealed that Leon had never lost more than two Pokémon in a single battle.^[9] This would remain true until Toying With Your Motions!, as Ash managed to defeat three of his Pokémon.
• Leon is the first Champion in the anime to:
  • Have owned a Legendary Pokémon.
  • Be a major rival of a main character.
• Leon is the first anime character to defeat a Champion onscreen.
• Leon is the first major rival to defeat one of Ash's former main rivals in a battle, defeating Alain in the Masters Eight Tournament.
• Leon is the first anime character with a full team of six Pokémon to have his entire team voiced by just one voice actor in the Japanese version: Kenta Miyake.
• Leon is the first Trainer in the anime to Gigantamax more than one Pokémon in a single battle.
• In his appearance in This Could be the Start of Something Big!, Leon is shown wearing his Battle Tower outfit.
• Leon is the only Trainer to have used Counter Shield with one of his Pokémon who did not appear in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl.

Names

References

See also

• Leon

Leon's Pokémon
On hand:	Charizard	Dragapult	Rillaboom	Cinderace	Inteleon	Mr. Rime
Escaped:	Eternatus
Temporary:	Alcremie	Corviknight

Trainers in the World Coronation Series
Master Ash • Leon • Cynthia • Diantha • Steven • Lance • Alain • Iris Ultra Raihan • Flint • Drasna • Volkner • Marnie • Bea Great Kricketina • Rinto • Dozer • Tony Normal Korrina • Hayden • Visquez • Lob • Oliver

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.