Professor Rowan
| Professor Rowan ナナカマド博士 Dr. Nanakamado | |
 Art from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl | |
| Age | 60 |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Hometown | Sandgem Town |
| Region | Sinnoh |
| Trainer class | Pokémon Professor |
| Generation | IV |
| Games | Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum |
| Anime debut | Following a Maiden Voyage |
| English voice actor | Jimmy Zoppi (a/k/a Billy Beach) |
| Japanese voice actor | Iemasa Kayumi |
Professor Rowan (Japanese: ナナカマド博士 Dr. Nanakamado) is the resident professor of Sinnoh. He specializes in Pokémon evolution.
Professor Rowan is an old friend of Professor Oak, and Rowan's assistant claims that Oak is Rowan's junior in terms of seniority.
In the games
Professor Rowan works in Sandgem Town with Dawn/Lucas and their family. This makes him the only Professor from the handheld games that does not live in the player's hometown. He left the Sinnoh region four years prior to the events of Generation IV to study the Pokémon of Kanto with Professor Oak, and has recently returned at the start of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum after reaching the conclusion that Sinnoh holds far greater secrets. He has a stern personality that makes him seem intimidating and mean, but he is actually very kind and patient. Rowan says he still feels a thrill whenever he travels anywhere with his Pokémon. He apparently has a sweet tooth, as the refrigerator in his laboratory is full of nothing but sweets and candy. In Platinum he can be seen occasionally in the basement of the Veilstone Department Store sulking about the fact they've run out of Rage Candy Bars.
Rowan's particular field of study is Pokémon evolution, having discovered that 90% of all Pokémon are connected in some way to others through evolution. He is also interested in determining if evolution is supposed to be a form of Pokémon reaching maturity, or a way for an "incomplete" being to become "more complete," and the implications that the process has on legendary Pokémon, which don't evolve.
In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Professor Rowan is seen for the first time observing Lake Verity with his assistant. After being interrupted by the player and his/her friend, he quickly walks off leaving his briefcase, which holds three Poké Balls containing Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup, behind. The player and his/her friend try to return it to him, but are attacked by wild Pokémon in the process, and are forced to use two of the Pokémon in the briefcase for defense. After returning the Pokémon to Rowan in his lab, Rowan hears about the survival tactics that they used, and tells them to keep the Pokémon, as well as giving them each a Pokédex to record data about every single Pokémon. Soon after, Rowan and his assistant travel to Jubilife City to drop off some notes, where they are attacked by Team Galactic, just as the player returns from Oreburgh City with his/her first badge.
After becoming suspicious of Team Galactic's activities, he gathers his assistant, the player and his/her friend in the Canalave Library late in the game, and tells them about the legends of Sinnoh. Before they are able to finish their discussion, however, an earthquake shakes the region, and the four manage to escape the building before an aftershock. Rowan urges the Trainers to journey to the three lakes of Sinnoh, seeing the aftermath of the explosion on the news, and sends the player's friend to Lake Acuity in the north, his assistant to Lake Verity near Twinleaf Town, and the player to Lake Valor.
He apparently previously gave Cynthia her first Pokémon and a Pokédex, though it is unknown how long before the games this occurred.
In Pokémon Platinum, Rowan's role is similar to Diamond and Pearl, however, the player and his/her friend leave Twinleaf Town just as Rowan returns from the lake, with Rowan stopping the two from journeying into the tall grass without a Pokémon. His assistant then arrives with the briefcase he left behind at the lake, and Rowan offers the two a starter Pokémon. When he is visited in Sandgem for the first time, he hands out TM27 (Return) as well as the Pokédex.
In the anime
Professor Rowan made his debut anime appearance in Following a Maiden's Voyage to give Dawn her Piplup. He made another short appearance in Ill-Will Hunting!, where he worked with Gary.
He also appeared from Camping It Up! to One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team! at a school with his assistants and Yuzo. He was one of the people by the finish line in One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!.
He made a cameo appearance in Saving the World From Ruins!. He appeared again in The Battle Finale of Legend!, monitoring the distortions being caused by Cyrus' plot to control Dialga and Palkia.
Pokémon
 Starly |
 Staraptor |
He also has these Pokémon to give to new Trainers:
 Turtwig |
 Chimchar |
 Piplup |
Known Trainers with his starter Pokémon
| Piplup (to Dawn) |
Voice actors
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In the manga
In Pokémon Adventures, he gave Platinum three Pokétches, three Pokédexes and Turtwig (for Diamond), Chimchar (for Pearl), and Piplup (for herself)
In Pokémon DP Adventure!, Professor Rowan adopted Hareta as a grandson. However, on seeing Hareta's ability to understand the souls of Pokémon, he felt it was best to leave him out in the forest with his Pokémon friends to care for him. He did not see Hareta again for four years. Deciding it would help the boy to travel and see the world, the Professor decided he should be a Pokémon Trainer and travel with his assistant, Mitsumi, and one of his Pokémon, Piplup.
Pokémon given away
Pokémon Adventures
| Turtwig (to Platinum) |
Chimchar (to Platinum) |
Piplup (to Platinum) |
Pokémon DP Adventure!
| Piplup (to Hareta) |
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Professor Rowan or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
| Name | Type | Level | Rarity | Set | Set no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Rowan | T | – |  |
Diamond & Pearl | 112/130 |
| Secret Wonders | 123/132 | ||||
| (H) | Miscellaneous Promotional cards | – |
Trivia
- Rowan's Japanese name is actually the word for the rowan tree. After much speculation that it would be a direct translation, it was revealed that his name would be Rowan in the English translation, continuing the long-standing pattern of professors named for trees.
- Rowan's studies declaring that 90% of all Pokémon are related through evolution are only close to true even as of Generation IV, as there are 77 Pokémon that do not evolve into or from any others, 35 being legendary Pokémon, giving a total of 84% that are related by evolution. However, if those studies didn't count legendary Pokémon, which do not evolve as a rule, the 90% estimate would be correct.
- Unlike Oak, who wants the Pokédex to be filled by capturing all 150 Pokémon, Rowan prefers the player to merely see all 150 (210 in Platinum).
- He is the only Professor not to reside in the player's hometown.
- According to Pokémon Platinum, Rowan has been researching in Kanto for 4 years. As Generation IV occurs three years after Generation I/III, this means that he had already been in Kanto for one year before the beginning of Red/Leaf and Blue's journey (though he does not appear in either previous generation).
- In Pokémon Platinum, Professor Rowan's attempt to stop Barry from entering the tall grass is similar to Professor Oak's attempt to stop Red/Leaf entering the grass when they first meet.
Name
| Language | Name | Reference to |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ナナカマドはかせ Dr. Nanakamado | Nanakamado, Rowan tree. |
| English, Italian | Professor Rowan | Similarly to the other professors, after a tree, as well as a direct translation from Japanese. |
| German | Professor Eibe | Eibe is German for Taxus. |
| French | Professeur Sorbier | Sorbier is French for Sorbus. |
| Spanish | Profesor Serbal | Serbal is Spanish for Sorbus. |
| Korean | 마박사 Ma-baksa | From 마가목, the Rowan tree. |
| Chinese (Taiwan) | 山梨博士 Dr. Shānlí |
External links
- Nanakamado's Profile on Pokeani (Japanese)
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Professor Rowan • Professor Oak • Johanna • Barry • Lucas • Dawn • Cynthia • Looker • Stat Trainers (Cheryl • Riley • Mira • Buck • Marley)
Bebe • Teala • Felicity • Roxy and Oli • Roseanne • Rad Rickshaw • Eldritch • Wilma • Jasmine • Caitlin • Julia • Jordan • Dexter • Keira • Mr. Backlot • Morimoto
Underground Man • Mr. Goods • Mr. Fuego • Pokétch Co. President • Dr. Footstep • Pokémon Fan Club Chairman • Helena • Ketch Appy
Team Galactic • Gym guide • Gym Leaders • Elite Four • Frontier Brains • Name Rater • Day-Care Couple • Professors' aides • Stats judge
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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. |