Blaine
Blaine (Japanese: カツラ Katsura) is the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island's (later the Seafoam Islands') Gym, known officially as the Cinnabar Gym. He hands out the Volcano Badge to Trainers who defeat him in battle. He is a highly intelligent man who specializes in Fire-type Pokémon.
In the core series games
Blaine's title is "The Hotheaded Quiz Master." His strategy is to incinerate challengers with his rough-and-ready Fire-type Pokémon. To reach Blaine, challengers have to answer a series of quiz questions about Pokémon. Blaine only takes off his sunglasses when thinking up new quiz questions.
When he once got lost in a treacherous, freezing mountain range, he was guided out of the mountains by a Moltres. Apparently, this is what inspired him to train Fire-type Pokémon. Blaine is a resident of Cinnabar Island, and has lived there since before the Cinnabar Lab was built. He is good friends with Mr. Fuji and used to do Pokémon research with him.
In addition to the Volcano Badge, Blaine gives out TM38 (Fire Blast) in Pokémon Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen. In HeartGold and SoulSilver he gives out TM50 (Overheat), and in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, his reward is TM46 (Fire Blast).
In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, and their remakes, the volcano on Cinnabar Island has erupted, destroying the town and leaving Blaine and his Pokémon homeless. Blaine relocated his Gym to a cave at the Seafoam Islands, and remains there a whole year after the volcanic eruption back on Cinnabar, planning to rebuild his Gym one day.
Blaine is able to be rematched in HeartGold and SoulSilver, after collecting his number at any time on Tuesday on Cinnabar Island. A call to him on Tuesday afternoon will arrange a rematch. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, Blaine has also added Gym Trainers and a puzzle to his Gym, unlike in Generation II, where he stood alone in a small cave.
In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Blaine, along with his fellow Kanto Gym Leaders, participates in the Pokémon World Tournament. He can be faced in the Kanto Leaders, World Leaders, and Type Expert Tournaments.
Fame Checker
This is a list of the Fame Checker's information on Blaine in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
- Gym Sign - Blaine
- What does this person do?
- "Cinnabar Island Pokémon Gym Leader: Blaine The Hotheaded Quiz Master!"
- Cinnabar Gym - Blaine
- Favorite kind of Pokémon?
- "My fiery Pokémon are all rough and ready with intense heat! They incinerate all challengers!"
- Cinnabar Gym - Super Nerd Derek
- Favorite kind of Pokémon?
- "Our Leader, Blaine, became lost in the mountains but good. Night fell and a fiery bird Pokémon appeared. Its light allowed Blaine to find his way down safely.
- Cinnabar Island - Woman
- What is this person like?
- "Cinnabar Gym's Blaine is quite the odd fellow. He's lived on the island since way before the Lab was built."
- Cinnabar Gym - Photo
- Family and Friends?
- "It's a photo of Blaine and Mr. Fuji. They're standing shoulder to shoulder with big grins."
- Resort Gorgeous - Pokémon Journal
- There's a rumor...
- "Blaine is said to remove his dark shades only when he is thinking up new quiz questions."
- Message from Blaine
- From: Blaine
- To: [Player]
- "My Fire Pokémon! They'll become even more powerful!
- And now, a quiz. How many kinds of Fire-type Pokémon are there?"
Pokémon
Pokémon Red and Blue
Blaine has two Super Potions per Pokémon, using them randomly 25% of the time.
Pokémon Yellow
Blaine has two Super Potions per Pokémon, using them randomly 25% of the time.
Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal
Blaine has a Max Potion and a Full Heal.
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Blaine has two Hyper Potions and a Full Heal.
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Gym battle
Blaine has three Full Restores.
Rematch
Blaine has three Full Restores.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
Pokémon World Tournament
Blaine uses three of these Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles, and all six in Triple Battles. Blaine will always lead with his signature Pokémon, Arcanine.
Kanto Leaders Tournament
Type Expert/World Leaders Tournament
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
Gym battle
Rematch
In the side series games
Pokémon Stadium
Blaine appears in Pokémon Stadium as the seventh Gym Leader the player faces during the Gym Leader Castle challenge. As usual for Trainers in this game, he also uses Pokémon outside his specialty type.
Pokémon
Round 1
Round 2
Pokémon Stadium 2
Blaine returns in Pokémon Stadium 2 as part of the Kanto Gym Leader Castle. In this game, his strategy mainly revolves around using Sunny Day to power up his Fire-type moves and use SolarBeam more effectively. Notably, in Round 2, his team includes the Legendary bird Moltres.
During the game's end credits, Blaine is seen having a battle with Pryce at the Mahogany Gym.
Pokémon
Round 1
Round 2
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Puzzle League
In Pokémon Puzzle League, Blaine, as he appears in Pokémon the Series: The Beginning, is one of the opponents in the 1P Stadium mode, and one of the characters available in the 2P Stadium mode.
Pokémon
Arcanine |
 Charmeleon |
Magmar |
Pokémon Masters EX
- Main article: Blaine (Masters)
Blaine, in his Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen design, forms a sync pair with Ponyta and its evolved form Rapidash in Pokémon Masters EX. Blaine became a playable sync pair since the game's release.
| Dex | Trainer | NDex | Pokémon | Type | Weakness | Role | EX role | Base potential | Availability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #006 | 
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Blaine | #0078 | 
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Ponyta → Rapidash♂ |
Fire
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Rock
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★★★★☆☆EX | Sync Pair Scout | |
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket
- Main article: Blaine (Genetic Apex 221)
Blaine makes an appearance as a Supporter card in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket's first expansion, Genetic Apex. On the turn the player plays this card, attacks used by their Ninetales, Rapidash, or Magmar do an additional 30 damage to their opponent's Active Pokémon.
| Cards featuring Blaine | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card | Type | Expansion | Rarity | # | |
| Blaine | 
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Genetic Apex | 
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221/226 | |
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Genetic Apex | 
|
268/226 | ||
Gallery
Artwork
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| Headshot from Red and Green promotional art |
Headshot from the Japanese Red and Green manual |
Headshot from the Japanese Blue manual |
Official artwork from Red and Blue |
Official artwork from Yellow |
Official artwork from FireRed and LeafGreen |
Official artwork from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
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| Concept art from Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! | ||||||
Sprites and models
In the core series
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| Sprite from Red and Blue |
Sprite from Yellow |
Sprite from Generation II |
Sprite from FireRed and LeafGreen |
Sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
VS sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
Sprite from Black 2 and White 2 |
VS model from Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! |
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| Overworld sprite from Red and Blue |
Overworld sprite from Yellow |
Overworld sprite from Generation II |
Overworld sprite from FireRed and LeafGreen |
Overworld sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
Overworld sprite from Black 2 and White 2 |
Overworld model from Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! | |
In other games
  
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| Portraits from Stadium and Stadium 2 |
Quotes
- Main article: Blaine/Quotes
In animation
Pokémon the Series
History
In Pokémon the Series: The Beginning, Ash and his friends first met a disguised Blaine while they looked for the Cinnabar Gym in Riddle Me This. Prior to the episode, Blaine was forced to close the Cinnabar Gym after the island became a tourist destination because of its hot springs and Trainers were no longer interested. He went on to open the Big Riddle Inn to cash in on the tourist trade. After Misty solved Blaine's riddles, Ash and his friends stayed at Blaine's hotel during their time on Cinnabar Island.
Blaine alerted Ash and his friends to Team Rocket's attack on the Pokémon Lab after he received a phone call. After the group defeated the trio, Blaine, still in disguise, revealed that he operated a Gym "in a place where no firefighter could win". Solving the riddle, the group discovered Blaine's secret Gym, located inside the Cinnabar Volcano, after Misty's Togepi accidentally jumped on one of the hot spring's tap fixtures and revealed a secret entryway.
Misty went on to solve another riddle and Blaine revealed himself to the group. Ash then challenged Blaine in a three-on-three Gym match. After Blaine's Ninetales defeated Squirtle, Ash selected Charizard, while Blaine called out his Rhydon. Rhydon emerged victorious after Charizard flew away from the battlefield to nap. Pikachu then defeated Rhydon after he used its horn to conduct a powerful Thunderbolt attack. Afterwards, Blaine selected his Magmar as his third and final Pokémon.
In Volcanic Panic, Ash forfeited the battle when Pikachu nearly fell into the Gym's boiling magma. Afterwards, Team Rocket broke into the Cinnabar Gym and attempted to steal Magmar by freezing it with ice projectile guns. Though Magmar broke free, the sudden cooling of the walls in the lava cave caused the rock to crack, triggering a volcanic eruption. Blaine, Ash, and his friends were forced to use their Water, Rock, and Fire-type Pokémon to block the cracks with boulders.
During the crisis, Charizard and Magmar gained an interest in each other's strength, and wished to test it in battle. Blaine agreed to a rematch with Ash, but due to the internal damage of the volcano, it was held on top of the volcanic crater. At first, Magmar and Charizard were evenly matched, but Charizard's ability to fly eventually gave it an advantage. It lifted Magmar high into the air and used Seismic Toss, slamming Magmar into the volcano and knocking it out, earning Ash the victory.
Character
Blaine likes to make up riddles and use puns even in inappropriate situations. Even so, he is a stern opponent and takes his role as Gym Leader very seriously. He values a keen challenger and makes sure they truly earn their Volcano Badge in battle. He has crafted his battle strategy around his Gym's volcanic location, which suits his Fire Pokémon against its biggest weakness, Water Pokémon. The searing heat can also exhaust and overwhelm a challenger.
Pokémon
This listing is of Blaine's known Pokémon in Pokémon the Series:
| Debut | Riddle Me This |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Katsuyuki Konishi |
| English | Katsuyuki Konishi |
After Ash chose Charizard in his battle, Blaine countered it by choosing Rhydon. Charizard refused to fight the Ground-type Pokémon, so Rhydon went up against Pikachu in its place. Blaine doubted the Electric-type could defeat Rhydon, but Ash encouraged Pikachu to use Rhydon's horn as a conductor of electricity that quickly caused its defeat.
Rhydon's known moves are Horn Drill and Fury Attack.
| Debut | Riddle Me This |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Katsuyuki Konishi |
| English | Eric Stuart (EP058-EP059) |
- Main article: Blaine's Magmar
Magmar is Blaine's final Pokémon and his powerhouse. In the first battle, Magmar easily defeated Ash's Pikachu. After the battlefield was wrecked because of Team Rocket's icy attack, Magmar and Ash's Charizard ended up gaining a respect for each other and wanted to test their strengths against one another. This was done in Ash's rematch with Blaine on top of Cinnabar's volcano. However, despite Magmar's powerful attacks including Fire Blast, Charizard managed to come out on top.
Voice actors
| Language | Voice actor | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 上田 敏也 Toshiya Ueda | |
| English | Roger Kay | |
| Arabic | مروان فرحات Marwan Farhat | |
| Dutch | Stan Limburg | |
| Finnish | Pasi Ruohonen | |
| Norwegian | Trond Teigen | |
| Polish | Wojciech Majchrzak | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Eleu Salvador | |
| Spanish | Latin America | Bardo Miranda |
| Spain | Luis Mas | |
Pokémon Origins
Blaine appeared briefly in File 3: Giovanni. He was seen being challenged to a Gym battle and defeated by Red, earning the young Trainer the Volcano Badge, much to Blaine's distress.
Pokémon
GOTCHA!
Blaine briefly appeared in GOTCHA!.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
- Main article: Blaine (Adventures)
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Blaine is a former member of Team Rocket who created Mewtwo.
Pokémon Pocket Monsters
Red and Green meet Blaine in Fierce Competition at the Pokémon Quiz Battle!! while entering a building similar to a Chinese food restaurant. Inside the building, Blaine challenges Red to a Pokémon Quiz. As Red got the quiz wrong, Blaine ends up penalizing him and sends out his Pokémon for each question answered incorrectly. Blaine reappears in The Pokémon Banana League (Part 1) where he lends Red a Meowth.
Pokémon
Blaine has many Voltorb that were used as a generator when Red entered the building.
None of Voltorb's moves are known.
Blaine sent out his Primeape when Red got an answer to Blaine's first question wrong.
None of Primeape's moves are known.
Blaine sent out Golem when Clefairy got an answer to Blaine's second question wrong.
None of Golem's moves are known.
Blaine sent out Rapidash when Clefairy got the answer to the quiz wrong.
None of Rapidash's moves are known.
- Main article: Blaine's Magmar
Magmar is Blaine's main Pokémon and his strongest. He sent it out when Clefairy got the answer to the quiz wrong.
Blaine has many Clefairy which were sent out when Red's Clefairy got the answer to the final question of the quiz wrong.
None of Clefairy's moves are known.
Blaine lent his Meowth to Red in The Pokémon Banana League (Part 1). It is assumed that he gave back Meowth to Blaine.
None of Meowth's moves are known.
Pokémon Zensho
Blaine appeared in PZ08, meeting Satoshi at Seafoam Islands while chasing after Articuno. At his Gym on Cinnabar Island, he told Satoshi how he had been enamored by Articuno for years, but had never succeeded in catching it, and was starting to feel his increasing age was making the task more and more difficult over time. When Satoshi offered to help him, Blaine asked him to prove his strength to him first. Once Satoshi had defeated Blaine and earned the Volcano Badge, they headed back to Seafoam Islands. Since Articuno didn't see him as a threat yet, unlike Blaine, Satoshi approached it first and used his Jigglypuff to put it to sleep, allowing Blaine to come in and finally capture the Legendary Pokémon he had admired for so long.
Pokémon
On hand
| Debut | PZ08 |
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Rapidash was shown in the Cinnabar Gym when Satoshi entered it.
None of Rapidash's moves are known.
| Debut | PZ08 |
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Ninetales was shown in the Cinnabar Gym when Satoshi entered it.
None of Ninetales's moves are known.
| Debut | PZ08 |
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- Main article: Blaine's Magmar
Magmar was shown in the Cinnabar Gym when Satoshi entered it.
| Debut | PZ08 |
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Arcanine is Blaine's battling Pokémon. It went up against Satoshi's Charmeleon and lost.
Arcanine's only known move is Fire Spin*.
| Debut | PZ08 |
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Articuno is a Pokémon that Blaine has been enamored by for a long time. After Satoshi had defeated him, Blaine agreed to let him help him in catching it. Using his Jigglypuff's Sing, Satoshi put Articuno to sleep, allowing Blaine to finally catch it.
Articuno's only known move is Blizzard.
Borrowed
| Debut | PZ01 |
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- Main article: Satoshi's Charizard (Zensho)
During Satoshi and Blaine's plan to capture Articuno, Satoshi allowed Blaine to ride on his Charizard so he could come in when Articuno was ready for capture.
Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure
Blaine appeared as a silhouette in JBA5 alongside his Rapidash and the other Kanto Gym Leaders.
Pokémon
This is a listing of Blaine's known Pokémon in the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga:
In the TCG
Blaine has an eponymous Theme Deck in the Gym Challenge expansion. Its Japanese counterpart is based on the Cinnabar Gym.
Artwork
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| Blaine and the Volcano Badge | Blaine throwing a Poké Ball | Blaine gambles | Blaine in an outrage | |
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| Artwork from the Guren Town Gym Theme Deck |
Blaine quizzes a challenger | Blaine quizzes Brock | Blaine's updated VS art |
Cards
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Blaine or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Trivia
- Although Magmar appears as Blaine's signature Pokémon in Pokémon the Series, he only has one in Generations II, IV, and VII, with it not even appearing in his Gym team in Pokémon Yellow. This is due to Yellow already being in late development by the time of Blaine's animated series debut.
- In HeartGold and SoulSilver, he is one of two Gym Leaders who in the rematches does not have any items on any of their Pokémon (the other being Jasmine).
- In Red and Blue, a rare glitch can occur, where he will use a Super Potion on Pokémon he just sent out despite them being at full health.
- Despite the Arcanine evolutionary line being his signature Pokémon in Generations I and III, Arcanine is no longer in his party in Generation II and its remakes.
- Even when the player battles Blaine in a rematch, he still references his "Cave Gym" as if the battle's taking place there.
- Blaine is the only Gym Leader to have a Gym in two different locations.
- In Generation III, most Kanto Gym Leaders who share a specialty type with a Hoenn Gym Leader give out the same prize TM as the Hoenn counterpart. Blaine is the exception, rewarding TM38 (Fire Blast) instead of TM50 (Overheat), as Flannery does. He does reward TM50 in Generation IV, however.
- Blaine’s new design and cane in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver may be a reference to The Riddler, particularly the hat, cane and Blaine’s gym revolving around riddles.
- Blaine’s portrait in Pokémon Stadium is the only one to not use his headshot from Pokémon Red and Green promotional material. Instead, it uses his headshot from the manual of the Japanese version of Red and Green.
- Blaine is the only Kanto Gym Leader to be neither super effective against or resistant to the type of the Gym Leader before him.
Design differences
Blaine has two separate character designs. The first one is from early Sugimori artwork for Pokémon Red and Green Versions seen in concept artwork[4] and the Japanese manual. In this design, Blaine dons a damaged military uniform worn, which resembles the Imperial Japan-era 98 Shiki-Gun-i. He is depicted as a balding man with light red hair to the back and side of his head. Furthermore, he lacks a moustache, and bears a more gaunt, albeit serious, facial expression. This more archaic design was reused in Pokémon the Series: The Beginning (as Blaine's real look) and very briefly in the Pokémon Adventures manga as a disguise after his moustache was burned. Additionally, an unused sprite for this design would be seen in the SpaceWorld 1999 demo of Pokémon Gold and Silver, being used as a placeholder for the female Rocket Executive's sprite.[5]
Later, in Pokémon Blue and outside-Japan Pokémon Red and Blue Versions the artwork was revised and he started to be depicted as an older man with a mustache, and no hair on his scalp, wearing sunglasses and lab coat. This design was originally used for the Silph Chief. Despite the artwork changes, his new design was used in all Generation I main series games, including the Pokémon Red and Green Versions. This means that Blaine's design was probably changed very late in the production of Red and Green, since his official artwork and his in-game sprite are completely different portrayals. However, his Red and Green overworld sprite still shows him without glasses, while later in the Yellow Version, his glasses are clearly visible.
The reasons for changing the design is unknown; however, the Fame Checker in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen explains why he doesn't always wear sunglasses: "Blaine is said to remove his dark shades only when he is thinking up new quiz questions."
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Blaine is shown wearing a hat. He wears more sophisticated clothing than his previous lab coat. He also sports a cane that resembles a question mark.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | カツラ Katsura | From 桂 katsura (katsura tree), 鬘 katsura (wig), and 火 ka (fire) |
| English, European Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Brazilian Portuguese |
Blaine | From blaze, brain, and flame |
| German | Pyro | From the prefix pyro- (relating to fire) |
| French | Auguste | From ustion (act of burning) |
| Korean | 강연 Gang-yeon | From 강연 (講演) gang-yeon (lecture), 강 (強) gang (strong), and 연 (燃) yeon (burn) |
| 대머리박사 Daemeori-Baksa[n 1] | From 대머리 daemeori (bald) and 박사 (博士) baksa (doctor) | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 夏伯 Xiàbó / Hahbaak | From 夏 xià (summer) and 伯 bó (uncle; respectful term for senior males) |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 夏伯 Xiàbó | |
| Chinese (Taiwan) | 假髮 Jiǎfǎ[n 2] | From 假髮 jiǎfǎ (wig) |
| Chinese (mainland China) | 胜伯 Shèngbó[n 3] | From an orthographic borrowing of Japanese 勝 katsu (victory) and 伯 bó (uncle; respectful term for senior males) |
| Indonesian | Blain | Similar to his English name |
| Thai | คาสึระ Khasuera | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| Vietnamese | Katsura | Transcription of his Japanese name |
Notes
References
Related articles
| Blaine's Pokémon | ||||||
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| On hand: | ||||||
| Adventures only: | ||||||
| Pocket Monsters only: | ||||||
| Zensho only: | ||||||
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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. |