Rudy
| Rudy ジギー Ziggy | |
 Rudy | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Black |
| Hair color | Auburn |
| Hometown | Trovita Island |
| Region | Orange Islands |
| Relatives | Mahri (sister) |
| Trainer class | Gym Leader |
| Leader of | Trovita Gym |
| Badge | Spike Shell Badge |
| Challenge | Attack test, three-on-three battle |
| Animated debut | Misty Meets Her Match! |
| English voice actor | Matthew Mitler |
| Japanese voice actor | Ryō Horikawa |
Rudy (Japanese: ジギー Ziggy) is the Gym Leader of Trovita Island's Gym, known officially as the Trovita Gym. He hands out the Spike Shell Badge to Trainers who defeat him.
In animation
History
Rudy's only animated series appearance was in Misty Meets Her Match.
Rudy put all his efforts into wooing Misty after she saved his younger sister, Mahri, from a whirlpool, instead of focusing on Ash's challenge. Like most members of the Orange Crew, Rudy requires that all Trainers who face him pass a test of skill. He had Ash's Pokémon shoot at targets while aboard a moving boat.
After Ash passed Rudy's attack test, he faced him in a three-on-three battle pitting Pokémon of the same type against each other atop one of the rock pillars that surrounds Trovita Island. Prior to the fight, Rudy asked Misty if she wanted to stay with him after the match, but permitted Misty to decide after the battle was over. Ash lost the first round of the battle — Pikachu versus Electabuzz — but Bulbasaur won the battle against an Exeggutor by using Sleep Powder on it, causing it to fall off the pillar before Bulbasaur caught it with Vine Whip.
When the final round battle between his Starmie and Ash's Squirtle began, Rudy dedicated the match to Misty, subsequently ordering Starmie — evading Squirtle's Water Gun by dancing — to spin itself into a Thunderbolt. As Ash tried to think of a strategy, Misty, finally making up her mind, yelled at Ash to keep fighting as he was the only one who could bring out Squirtle's real power. His resolve renewed, Ash had Squirtle use Water Gun to force itself out of the path of Rudy's Thunderbolt, Squirtle subsequently learning Hydro Pump just in time to stop it falling into the nearby sea, subsequently using Hydro Pump and Skull Bash to defeat Starmie. After presenting Ash with his Badge and Misty with some flowers as a farewell, Rudy commented that he hoped Ash knew that he was a very lucky guy, and that Ash would find out what he meant some day.
He reappeared in a flashback in Hello, Pummelo!.
Character
Rudy is polite. His strategy includes teaching his Pokémon skills they would not normally learn, such as modern dancing techniques meant to enhance his team's speed and agility.
Pokémon
| の | This article is missing information on this character's English voice actor and Japanese voice actor. You can help by adding this information. |
This listing is of Rudy's known Pokémon in Pokémon the Series:
On hand
| Debut | Misty Meets Her Match |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | |
| English | Maddie Blaustein |
Electabuzz was Rudy's first choice of Pokémon in his Gym battle against Ash.
Electabuzz was shown to be extremely resilient to most attacks thrown at it, not even requiring to evade any of them, unlike Exeggutor and Starmie. Ash used Pikachu against him for the first round, trying to defeat the Electric-type Pokémon with Thunderbolt, then changing tactics and used Quick Attack instead. Neither attack fazed Electabuzz however, as it charged forward and defeated Pikachu with a single Thunder Punch.
Electabuzz's known moves are Quick Attack and Thunder Punch.
| Debut | Misty Meets Her Match |
|---|
Exeggutor was shown to be a nimble dancer, using this to evade Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf, with the aid of some music requested by Rudy. It was then ordered to go on the offensive, knocking Ash's Bulbasaur to the ground with a powerful Egg Bomb. Upon moving in for the finishing blow however, the tables were turned as Bulbasaur countered with Sleep Powder, causing Exeggutor to become dopey and clumsily stumble towards the precipice of the battlefield. Exeggutor was saved from falling into the water below by Bulbasaur, who used Vine Whip to rescue the snoozing Coconut Pokémon. It is assumed that Rudy also uses it when his challengers select a Psychic-type Pokémon to battle him.
Exeggutor's only known move is Egg Bomb.
| Debut | Misty Meets Her Match |
|---|
Starmie was shown to be powerful and fast. As with most of Rudy's Pokémon, Starmie was proficient in modern dancing, and used it to help avoid attacks thrown at it by Ash's Squirtle. Despite being quick and having Thunderbolt at its disposal, it was ultimately defeated by Squirtle with the help of its newly learned Hydro Pump. It reappeared in a flashback in Hello, Pummelo!.
Starmie's known moves are Water Gun and Thunderbolt.
In Trovita Gym
These Pokémon were seen in Rudy's Gym dancing to music. It is assumed he uses them when his challengers select a Pokémon of the same type to battle him.
 Hitmonchan ♂ |
Golem |
 Alakazam |
 Pidgeot |
 Rhydon |
 Venomoth |
Ninetales |
Voice actors
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In the manga
The Electric Tale of Pikachu
Rudy was featured in The Electric Tale of Pikachu, making him the only one of the Orange League Gym Leaders to make an appearance outside of the animated series. However, he was referred to as Jeremy in the English version. Events in the manga transpired similar to the animated series episode in which he was featured, although Tracey was not there. Rudy was the final Orange League Gym Leader that Ash battled, not the third. In addition, after Misty turned down Rudy's proposal, Mahri was disappointed because she wanted Misty to become her big sister. To solve this, Rudy starts to crossdress, becoming a big sister for Mahri.
Pokémon
This listing is of Rudy's Pokémon in The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga. Rudy battled with the following Pokémon:
| Debut | You Bet Your Wife |
|---|
Electabuzz was Rudy's first choice of Pokémon in his Gym battle against Ash. Electabuzz was shown to be extremely resilient to most attacks thrown at it, even being recharged when hit by an Electric-type attack. It beat Ash's Pikachu in a match of speed, and defeated it with a powerful Thunder Punch.
Electabuzz's only known move is Thunder Punch.
| Debut | You Bet Your Wife |
|---|
Exeggutor was shown to be a nimble dancer, and used its three heads to terrify Ash's Bulbasaur in its battle. It was easily defeated when it was put to sleep by Bulbasaur's Sleep Powder.
None of Exeggutor's moves are known.
| Debut | You Bet Your Wife |
|---|
Starmie was shown to be very powerful, knowing Electric-type attacks that would allow it to defeat its Water-type opponent. Eventually it was defeated by a combination of Hydro Pump and Skull Bash by Ash's Squirtle.
Starmie's only known move is Thunderbolt.
Rudy also handled the following Pokémon at his Gym:
| Debut | You Bet Your Wife |
|---|
Rudy used this Golem in the dance battle against Ash.
None of Golem's moves are known.
Trivia
- Rudy is the only member of the Orange Crew who hasn't met or defeated Team Rocket in battle.
- However, he may have unintentionally defeated them after his Exeggutor fell off the battlefield and knocked them into the ocean.
- Despite Rudy's battle style revolving around using Pokémon of the same type as the challenger, there are no Ice, Ghost, or Dragon-type Pokémon seen in his gym.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ジギー Ziggy | |
| English | Rudy | |
| Korean | 성기 Seonggi | |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 阿義 Ā Yì | Possibly derived from the 義 gi of Ziggy. |
Related articles
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |