Professor Oak
| Professor Samuel Oak オーキド•ユキナリ博士 Dr. Yukinari Okido | |
 Art from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen | |
| Age | 50 |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Eye color | Black*, blue* |
| Hair color | Gray*, brown* |
| Hometown | Pallet Town |
| Region | Kanto |
| Relatives | Blue, Daisy (games) Gary Oak (anime, manga) May (manga adaptation) |
| Trainer class | former Trainer, Pokémon Professor |
| Generation | I, II, III, IV |
| Games | Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Pokémon Snap, Stadium, Stadium 2 |
| Anime debut | Pokémon - I Choose You! |
| English voice actor | Stan Hart (4Kids) Billy Beach (TPCi) Tara Jayne (child) |
| Japanese voice actor | Unshō Ishizuka Keiko Toda (child) |
Professor Samuel Oak (Japanese: オーキド•ユキナリ博士 Dr. Yukinari Ōkido, Ōkido-Hakase and Orchid are also seen) is a Pokémon Professor who lives and works at his research lab in Pallet Town. According to Professor Elm, Oak concentrates on Pokémon and human relationships as a profession. He is the only character in the games to have the Trainer class Prof.; however, it is impossible to battle him during normal gameplay, and this situation is only applicable to Generation I.
In the games
In Generation I and Generation III
Professor Oak works in his Laboratory in Pallet Town with his aides. He gave Red, Blue and Leaf their first Starter Pokémon in Pokémon Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen. He is an idol to many Trainers and researchers, including Professor Elm, and always plays an important supporting role in the many games that he appears in.
He was a childhood friend of Agatha. They remained good friends and top-class Pokémon Trainers until Oak stopped battling and became interested in Pokémon research. Agatha said that he became soft and started to regard him as a fool. However, Oak still affiliates with the Pokémon League as an adviser.
In the Generation I games there is unused Trainer data for Prof. Oak. This implies that Oak was originally going to be able to be battled. In the data, Oak has Level 66 Tauros, Level 67 Exeggutor, Level 68 Arcanine, Level 70 Gyarados and one of the Kanto starters at Level 69. This places his strength on-par with the player's rival and the Pokémon League champion. As well, four of his Pokémon are identical to the ones used by the champion, only higher level, so originally Oak may have been intended to be in the game as the champion, or at least another high-ranking Trainer. This is supported by an email on the PC in Oak's lab, from the Pokémon League issuing a challenge to all Trainers, then specifically requesting Oak to come visit them. The only known ways to battle Oak are by performing the Mew glitch with a special stat of 226 or by performing the old man glitch with MN as the character in the 3rd, 5th or 7th slot of the player's name.
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Fame Checker
This is a list of the Fame Checker's information on Professor Oak in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
- Pallet Town - sign
- What does this person do?
- "Oak Pokémon Research Lab."
- Pallet Town Research Lab - Prof. Oak
- What is this person like?
- "To make a complete guide on all the Pokémon in the world...
- That was my dream!"
- Pallet Town Research Lab - aide
- What is this person like?
- "Prof. Oak may not look like much, but he's the authority on Pokémon.
- Many Pokémon Trainers hold him in high regard."
- Viridian City - Pokémon Journal
- Family and friends?
- "Prof. Oak reportedly lives with his grandchildren, Daisy and Blue."
- Pokémon League - Agatha
- Family and friends?
- "I hear Oak's taken a lot of interest in you, child.
- That old duff was once tough and handsome.
- But that was decades ago. He's a shadow of his former self."
- Pallet Town Research Lab - aide
- What does this person do?
- "Prof. Oak is going to have his own radio show soon.
- The program will be called Prof. Oak's Pokémon Seminar."
- Message from Oak
- From: Prof. Oak
- To: [Player]
- "Why do Pokémon compete and battle so hard for you?
- They do so because they can see the love and trust you have towards Pokémon.
- Never forget that."
In Generation II and IV
Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver
Professor Oak was always well-known in Kanto but in Generation II and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver he became more of a celebrity, a "star Pokémon Researcher". He started to be famous in Johto because of his Radio Show with DJ Mary. He was going to turn down the show at first but Mary's energy and persistence wore him down. Ethan/Kris/Lyra first met him visiting the home of Mr. Pokémon, another of Oak's childhood friends. Later he grants the young Trainer access to Mt. Silver, a place which only finest Pokémon Trainers may enter, after the player has earned all the badges in Johto and later Kanto. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, he will give the player one of either Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle for obtaining all sixteen badges and defeating Red. He also gives the player HM08 (Rock Climb) to assist them in navigation through Mt. Silver. In Generation IV, he will also give the player the National Pokédex before boarding the S.S. Aqua. Finally, if both Kyogre and Groudon from HeartGold and SoulSilver are traded into the same game, he will give the player a Jade Orb so that Rayquaza may be caught at the Embedded Tower.
Professor Oak has many old friends. One of them is Kurt, a Poké Ball smith from Azalea Town and another is Professor Elm who used to be Oak's assistant. In fact, there is a picture on Kurt's wall saying "...a young Prof Oak?" and an email addressed to him from Professor Elm can be found is his lab:
- "...
- Prof. Oak, how is your research
- coming along? I'm still plugging
- away. I heard rumors
- that <name> is
- getting quite a reputation.
- I'm delighted to hear that.
- Elm in New Bark Town 8-)"
It should be noted that this is the first time that an emoticon is used in a Pokémon game.
Professor Oak has gained many fans and admirers. One of them is Schoolboy Chad, who frequently calls the player to share trivia about Oak.
Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Professor Oak is also a good friend of Professor Rowan. He visits Sinnoh often, has a home in Eterna City, introduces Trainers to Pal Park, and gives them the National Pokédex, as well as the Up-Grade, Poké Radar and the function Trainer Counter of the Pokétch. A letter that he sends to the player in a special event allows the player to find Shaymin. An aide in Rowan's laboratory mentions that Oak is Rowan's junior in terms of seniority. In Platinum, after providing the Up-Grade, Professor Oak will talk about the legendary birds and say that they have been sighted in Sinnoh. From this point Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres will be visible roaming on the map.
In the anime
In the anime, Oak is most notable for his vast research facility, where he cares for and studies hundreds of Pokémon, including those owned by, but not currently traveling with, Trainers from Pallet Town. His often-forgetful attitude and other antics are also notorious. He also has a hobby of composing haiku-like poems about Pokémon or Pokémon-related themes.
Prof. Oak lives up the road from Ash's mother and the two often appear together as they are good friends. He currently lives with Tracey Sketchit, who became his loyal assistant in The Rivalry Revival. Tracey and Prof. Oak are very passionate about studying Pokémon and are both artists. He has confidence in his grandson, Gary Oak, but more often joins Ash's mother and friends in cheering on Ash in his competitions.
Oak is sometimes the candidate speculated to be Ash's father, along with Giovanni and Silver.
In the novelizations written by Takeshi Shudō, Professor Oak comes from a prestigious family. He has two brothers, one is the mayor of Pallet Town and the other is the Post Master, and his grandfather was the first Trainer from Pallet Town to receive widespread recognition. According to Professor Elm, Professor Oak's studies and research mostly focus on how humans and Pokémon interact with each other.
He is an old friend of many other Pokémon Professors, including Ivy, Elm, Birch and Rowan.
He appears as a young boy, Sam (Japanese: ユキナリ Yukinari) in the fourth film, Celebi: Voice of the Forest. Ash Ketchum befriends the young Oak, who, due to traveling from 40 years in the past, is around the same age as him. The revelation that Sam is Oak, while able to be speculated because Oak's first name was revealed in The Power of One, comes only at the end of the movie, when Oak knows that Ash's friend's name was Sam despite Ash never telling him so, and Tracey finding the sketchbook in which young Sam drew Pikachu sleeping with Celebi in Oak's closet.
In the movie, Sam saw many Generation II Pokémon, notably the legendary Pokémon Celebi and Suicune, though his Pokédex only catalogs the Generation I Pokémon, claiming that they are all the Pokémon that the world knows, in the Kanto arc. This discrepancy is likely due to the retcon that occurred when the 100 new Pokémon were introduced to the series, and due to the ever-increasing number of Pokémon, with Pokémon from Generation II, Generation III, and Generation IV being able to be trained in Kanto during FireRed and LeafGreen and HeartGold and SoulSilver, this is likely the reason that the number of them as of the current generation of games is no longer mentioned in the anime.
Pokémon
This listing is of Professor Oak's known Pokémon:
On hand
| Professor Oak's Dragonite | ||
| Professor Oak used his Dragonite to battle against the Mirage Mewtwo created by Dr. Yung along with Misty's Gyarados, May's Combusken and Ash's Pikachu, but like the other Pokémon, it was defeated.
Dragonite's known moves are Twister, Hyper Beam and Dragon Rage. | ||
| Debut | The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon | |
|---|---|---|
| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Katsuyuki Konishi | |
| English | Katsuyuki Konishi | |
| Professor Oak's Pidgey | ||
| Professor Oak caught this Pidgey off-screen during Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up?, where he used it to send Team Rocket blasting off.
Pidgey's known moves are Quick Attack and Gust. | ||
| Debut | Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up? | |
|---|---|---|
| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | Katsuyuki Konishi | |
| English | Katsuyuki Konishi | |
- Various Pokémon are used in his lectures, which may belong to him or to Trainers whose Pokémon he cares for.
Status unknown
| Professor Oak's Charmeleon | ||
| The younger Professor Oak, "Sam", used his Charmeleon in battle against the Iron-Masked Marauder's Sneasel, and won.
Charmeleon's known moves are Flamethrower and Headbutt. | ||
| Debut | Celebi: Voice of the Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Voice actors | ||
| Japanese | ||
| English | Eric Stuart | |
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| In the dubbed version of Putting the Air Back in Aerodactyl!, Professor Oak told Tracey that when he was a young Trainer, he owned a Seaking, which he met in a creek near Vermilion City. | ||
| Debut | Putting the Air Back in Aerodactyl! | |
|---|---|---|
Befriended
| File:Celebi 2.png Celebi |
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Spoilers end here. |
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He also has these Pokémon to give to new Trainers:
| File:Starter Pokémon poster.jpg Bulbasaur |
File:Starter Pokémon poster.jpg Charmander |
File:Starter Pokémon poster.jpg Squirtle |
Known Trainers with his starter Pokémon
 Gary's Squirtle |
File:First Meeting.png Ash's Pikachu ♂ |
File:SS014.png Gilbert's Bulbasaur |
File:May's Squirtle.png May's Squirtle ♂ |
Pokémon residing at Oak's Lab
| There are various Pokémon that live on the Oak Corral only a handful have been seen but there are various kinds of different Pokémon. People like Prof. Oak and Tracey care for them. Others trainer's Pokémon reside here such as Gary's. | ||
| Debut | Showdown at the Po-ké Corral | |
|---|---|---|
Voice actors
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In side games
Professor Oak also was one of the two human characters appearing in Pokémon Snap. He was working on a Pokémon Report for the Pokémon species of Pokémon Island, and hired Todd to take pictures for the report. He provided Todd with the ZERO-ONE and its Dash Engine upgrade, Pokémon food, Pester Balls, and a Poké Flute. When Todd took a picture of each of the Pokémon Signs, Professor Oak drew a connection between them and the constellations to determine that Mew must be on Rainbow Cloud.
In the manga
As he is the leading professor of the Kanto region, Professor Oak appears in many different Pokémon manga series.
In the The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
Professor Oak makes a few appearances in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga. He is a role model to Ash and is Bill's mentor. Unlike in the anime, he does not give Ash his Pikachu, in fact, he does not meet Ash until after he has already begun his Pokémon journey.
Ash meets Professor Oak for the first time in Clefairy Tale. They meet at Mt. Moon after Ash has been wandering lost in the mountains for weeks, searching for a rare Clefairy. Oak, who has been living among the Clefairy, rescues Ash and introduces him to Bill and a tribe of wild Clefairy. The three attend the tribe's evolution ceremony, after which Oak gives Ash the latest upgrade to the Pokédex for free, months before it will be available to the public.
Ash later encounters Oak again in Clefairy in Space, where he is investigating strange activity, which turned out to be caused by another group of Clefairy.
Ash encounters Oak one last time at the Pokémon Research Center in The Orange Islands, shortly before he travels to the Orange Archipelago. Here, the Professor and Bill are researching a giant Slowpoke that was found in the Pokémon storage system.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Although Professor Oak's first mention was in A Glimpse of the Glow in a conversation between Red and some Pallet Town children, he is described as being an expert on all things Pokémon, however he is also "just a mean old nut". His debut was in Bulbasaur, Come Home!, where Red had wandered into his lab and was immediately accused of being a thief. In his haste, Red accidentally released all the Pokémon in the lab, including Bulbasaur, causing the two to track them down and re-capture them. After being saved by Red from a Machoke attack in Viridian City, Oak gave Red the Bulbasaur and a Pokédex. The professor also makes appearances in The Secret of Kangaskhan and Gyarados Splashes In!, talking about Team Rocket's experiments.He was then kidnapped by Team Rocket to force him to help them with their experiments, although he refused and they resorted to trying to use Blue to convince him, who later saves him. Oak later appears in Volume 3 to battle Green under the alias "Doctor O" and reveals Green's phobia of Flying-type Pokémon and her theft of Squirtle. However, he shows compassion by giving her the last Pokédex and forfeiting his position in the Pokémon League. He then forfeits after telling her that he has already won a championship.
In the Yellow arc, he was talking with Misty about Red's mysterious disappearance when Pika wanders into the lab seriously injured. Yellow then barges into his lab uninvited. He then makes her battle him with his Spearow and is impressed how she defeats him without harming either Pokémon, giving Yellow his trust and as such he allows Yellow to take Pika and Red's Pokédex. Oak then sends letters to Blue instead of more advanced communication so nobody can track them. This was decided upon after Blue's encounter with Agatha of the Elite Four when she wanted to kill him after learning that he was Oak's grandson, although Blue was still unsure of how the two knew each other.
In the Gold, Silver & Crystal arc, Oak is now known as the leading authority on Pokémon in both Kanto and Johto and has developed the three new Pokédexes. The first was stolen by Silver, the second and third he gave to Gold and Crystal. During the battle with the Masked Man, he gave out the titles to the six Pokédex holders and Yellow. At the end, he employed Crystal as his assistant and thanks to her, the Pokédex had been filled and he owned all non-legendary Pokémon for his research (though little did he reveal, over a hundred new ones were discovered in Hoenn, ready for Crystal to catch again).
In the FRLG saga, Oak was captured by the The Three Beasts to lure Red, Blue, and Green to the Sevii Islands; but not before he recalled their three Pokédexes. After he was freed at Trainer Tower, Oak revealed the three new Pokédexes that had the National Pokédex capability, though two of the old models were destroyed in the ensuing battle in the Trainer Tower, and the unscathed one given to Yellow (though it had its pages transferred to Red's).
One of Professor Oak's projects was a full analysis of a report holding all information on the last awakening of Jirachi, which Kimberly earlier stole from the Rockets for him. From this, he worked out that it would appear where the Battle Frontier was being built during its opening week. He immediately contacted Scott and, while he would not move the opening, Professor Oak managed to convince Scott to allow a Pokédex holder to guard Jirachi. This was Emerald. However, someone stole the disc with all the data from Professor Oak's lab and badly defeated his Pokémon in the process.
His relationship with Agatha was also revealed when the two were younger. Oak defeated Agatha in the finals for the first Pokémon League Championship and Agatha met him after the battle and asked why he quit their "research group". He explained that he wanted to create the Pokédex, which she thought was a stupid idea that would never be complete (to which Oak replies that if it isn't complete in his generation, his children and grandchildren would take over for him), and a battle ensued. Oak barely won after a battle that lasted several hours, with Agatha swearing a personal vendetta over him and anyone who associates with him.
Pokémon
He has these Pokémon, or has owned them in the past:
On hand
 →  Spearow → Fearow |
 Doduo |
 Pidgeot |
 Garu-tchi |
 Odo-tchi |
 Redi-tchi |
- His Fearow has a Hardy nature.
Given away
 Lucky-tchi (Given to Daisy) |
 Saur (Given to Red in Bulbasaur, Come Home!) |
 Charmander (Given to Blue before A Glimpse of the Glow) |
 Blasty (Stolen by Green prior to Wartortle Wars) |
In the laboratory
 Kakuna |
 Pidgey |
 Caterpie |
 Metapod |
 Rattata |
 Tentacool |
 Poliwag |
 Weedle |
 Meowth |
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Professor Oak appears in the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga series. He gives Kai Midorikawa his starter Pokémon, Charmander. He offers a starter Pokémon to Isamu Akai as well, however, Isamu decides to choose a Clefairy that he had befriended earlier that day instead.
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Professor Oak or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
| Name | Type | Rarity | Set | Set no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Oak | T |  |
Base Set | 88/102 |
| Base Set 2 | 116/130 | |||
| Professor Oak's Research | T | |
Expedition Base Set | 149/165 |
| EX FireRed & LeafGreen | 98/112 | |||
| EX Dragon Frontiers | 88/101 | |||
| Professor Oak's Visit | Su | |
Secret Wonders | 122/132 |
| (H) | Unnumbered Promotional cards (no English release | - | ||
| Professor Oak's New Theory | Su | |
HeartGold Collection | 068/070 |
There also exists a "dark counterpart" of Professor Oak, called Impostor Professor Oak, who has also appeared in other Pokémon media. Apart from his first incarnation, expansions in which he has been featured also include Dark Pokémon. The following list is of cards mentioning or featuring Impostor Professor Oak or his Pokémon.
| Name | Type | Rarity | Set | Set no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impostor Professor Oak | T |  |
Base Set | 73/102 |
| Base Set 2 | 102/130 | |||
| Impostor Oak's Revenge | T | |
Team Rocket | 76/82 |
| Impostor Professor Oak's Invention | T | |
Neo Destiny | 94/105 |
Other appearances
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Professor Oak appears as a random trophy wearing his regular clothing from the anime.
Trophy information
The leading expert on the study of Pokémon. It seems there are always new and mysterious species of Pokémon being brought to light, and Professor Oak is at the heart of it all with his insightful research. The Pokédex is one of his inventions: new Trainers receive one, and a Pokémon to boot, when they start out.
Sprites
| File:RB oak.png | File:Y Oak.png | 
|
File:GSC Oak.png | File:OakSprite.png | File:OakHGSSIntro.png |
| Oak's sprite from Generation I |
Oak's sprite from Pokémon Yellow |
Oak's backsprite from Pokémon Yellow |
Oak's sprite from Generation II |
Oak's sprite from Generation III |
Oak's sprite from Generation IV |
Trivia
- Professor Oak is the only Pokémon Professor to have appeared in all released generations so far, appearing in Generation I and their Generation III remakes as the regional professor and making occasional appearances in Generation II and Generation IV.
- Professor Oak is the only Professor that has been shown to catch a Pokémon in the games, catching Pikachu for the protagonist of Pokémon Yellow.
- Professor Oak was the first non-player character introduced in the Pokémon games.
- Professor Oak is the only professor who can be battled, though only through a glitch or cheating.
- It has been speculated that Professor Oak became Champion of the Elite Four in his younger years. Agatha states that he was once tough and handsome, and then Oak himself, upon taking the player into the Hall of Fame in Generations I and III, states that only those who have become Champion are allowed into the Hall of Fame. Thus, it is possible that he was once a Champion, because he is allowed to enter the Hall of Fame.
- This can also be supported by the fact that the default rosters for the unused Professor Oak Trainer class in Generation I have Pokémon whose levels are around that of the Champion's Pokémon.
- If the player speaks to Professor Oak in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and has their Pokédex evaluated with at least 484 of the 493 Pokémon caught, he will say "Meeting you is something l will cherish all my life long.", using a lowercase L instead of an I.
- Professor Oak is commonly the subject to fan jokes. Most of these stem from the option to choose your gender, and to name your rival.
Names
| Language | Name | Reference to |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | オーキド ユキナリ博士 Dr. Yukinari Ōkido | オーキッド Ōkiddo, Orchid. 大木戸 Ōkido is a Japanese family name and placename. Literally, big-tree family. |
| English, Spanish, Italian | Professor Samuel (Sammy) Oak | Oak tree, perhaps derived from Japanese Ōkido. |
| French | Professeur Chen | Chêne means Oak in French. |
| German | Professor Eich | Eiche means Oak in German. |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Professor Samuel (Sam) Carvalho | Carvalho means Oak in Portuguese. |
| Korean | 오용호 박사 Dr. O Yongho | 오 (伍) O is a Korean family name, probably chosen because of its similarity to the first syllable in Ōkido. |
| Chinese | 大木博士 Dr. Dàmù 雪成・大木 Xuěchéng Dàmù (full name) |
大木 (big tree) is from 大木 Ōki 雪成 is from Japanese 雪成り yuki nari, "to become snow". |
External links
- Ōkido's Profile on Pokeani (Japanese)
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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. |