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How strong do you consider Paul to be after his appearance in Journeys?

• Thread starter Kuzehiko
• Start date Jun 10, 2022

How strong is currently Paul?

Pokemon league champion, brain frontier, somewhere between a4 and regional champion, regional champion.

• Total voters 43

That moment I found a lifetime treasure

• Jun 10, 2022

What do you think is Paul's current level? He has a baddass team and beat one of Ash's strongest Pokemon and it required Ash's Pokemon to gain a new move to beat the rest of Paul's Pokemon. You say!  

Lord Godwin

The lord of darkness.

Frontier Brain/Brandon level He should've beaten Brandon and become a Frontier Brain, replacing Spencer. But instead his is the Champion-type Gym Leader.  

JustAStatistic

Super casual trainer.

Lower Champion, about the same level as Raihan. I don't think we got to see his full power though.  

DankOverlord

Komodo dragons rule.

Given his performance I can't put him any lower than Regional Champion  

PokemonBattleFanatic-

Hardcore paul fan.

Pokemon League Champion Level - (Sinnoh League/Lake Acuity) Frontier Brain/Brandon Level - (TEDUMH) Between E4 & Champion Level - (Current) Garchomp's feat against Ash's Dragonite is far more impressive than any feat I've seen from Torterra,Drapion,Electivire and Ursaring back in DP but I have a feeling those pokemon are stronger now along with Torterra/Electivire still being Paul's 2 strongest.I still personally think he's the most skilled battler in the entire series and when you combine that with his power that makes him a very dangerous trainer,I'm pretty sure he's closed the gap between him and Alain.  

PokemonBattleFanatic- said: Pokemon League Champion Level - (Sinnoh League/Lake Acuity) Frontier Brain/Brandon Level - (TEDUMH) Between E4 & Champion Level - (Current) Garchomp's feat against Ash's Dragonite is far more impressive than any feat I've seen from Torterra,Drapion,Electivire and Ursaring back in DP but I have a feeling those pokemon are stronger now along with Torterra/Electivire still being Paul's 2 strongest.I still personally think he's the most skilled battler in the entire series and when you combine that with his power that makes him a very dangerous trainer,I'm pretty sure he's closed the gap between him and Alain. Click to expand...

We are so back Zygardebros

Somewhere between E4 and Champion similar to characters like Raihan and Volkner  

I'd wager he's at around Champion level, or Four Heavenly Kings level at the very least.  

SerGoldenhandtheJust

Deluded dreamer.

• Jun 11, 2022

He's #9 in my eyes with his only competition being Flint  

janejane6178

Kaleido star forever in my heart <3.

He is very strong and impressive, as always  

Red and Blue

Well-known member.

Somewhere between E4 or Champion level. If he decided to compete in the PWC early on he would definitely make it into the Master Class  

What is the airspeed of an unladen Swellow?

As strong as the plot demands. No stronger, no weaker…  

Pokemonfan5

high E4-low champion level  

SerGoldenhandtheJust said: He's #9 in my eyes with his only competition being Flint Click to expand...

Weaker than Ash level.  

ZarudeSandstorm

Champion. His Pokemon are also champ levels.  

Aryash Bajaj

Say i'm fat again.

Very  

RafaSceptile

masdog said: As strong as the plot demands. No stronger, no weaker… Click to expand...

• Jun 12, 2022

TheBlackDuelist

@pump_upp - best crypto pumps on telegram .

• Jun 13, 2022

Strong enough that if he participated in the Masters Tournament from the jump, he definitely would have been a strong contender to be in the Top 8 and would been floating in that 8-10 spot. His Garchomp absolutely washed Ash's Dragonite, which clearly showed that he's been keeping up with his training.  

Screen Rant

Pokémon journeys redeemed ash's strongest rival with a great battle.

Ash's Sinnoh-era rival, Paul, made a return appearance in Journeys, and it proved just how impactful his encounter with Ash was on the rival trainer.

• Paul's reappearance in Pokémon Journeys showcases his growth as a character and his changed attitude towards Pokémon.
• Paul's battle with Ash helped prepare Ash for the upcoming Masters' Eight tournament.
• This episode serves as a satisfying epilogue to Paul's character arc and pleases long-time fans of the Pokémon anime.

Many fans of the Pokémon anime would agree that of all Ash's rivals throughout the series, the one who really pushed him to his limits was his Sinnoh-era rival, Paul . With a fundamental disagreement in their philosophies towards Pokémon, Ash and Paul had a vicious rivalry that culminated in Ash finally defeating him, using a Pokémon that Paul once abandoned for being too weak. This shook Paul's world, but fans wouldn't find out to what extent for years to come.

In Pokémon Journeys , Paul makes a surprising reappearance in "Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!", an episode set just before Ash begins to enter the Masters' Eight tournament. Paul admits that he's not participating in the tournament, but offers only a weak excuse as to why he's near Professor Oak's lab.

Ash, of course, can't help but challenge his old rival to a battle, and Paul agrees to fight him - but only using Pokémon that will be employed by Ash's opponents in the Masters' Eight tournament.

No Pokémon Rival's Growth Can Match Paul's

Pokémon journeys episode #114, "friends, rivals, lend me your spirit".

Ash and Paul battle it out, beginning with Ash's Lucario versus Paul's Gyarados. Despite having the typing disadvantage, Ash manages to pull out a victory by having Lucario use a new move, Bullet Punch. Their battle moves on to Ash's Dragonite versus Paul's Garchomp, but this time it's Paul who manages to eke out the win. Their final match comes down to Ash's Gengar versus Paul's Metagross, with both Pokémon weak to the other's typing. Ash's Gengar employs its newly-learned Will-o'-Wisp to burn Metagross, weakening its attacks and allowing it to win, claiming the match for Ash.

Paul leaves, seemingly pleased with the outcome despite his loss. It seems Paul's intention all along was to help Ash , by using Pokémon and strategies that his potential future opponents in the Masters' Eight would use. While Ash didn't end up battling Lance's Gyarados, he did battle Steven's Metagross and Cynthia's Garchomp, and the practice he gained from training with Paul here helped to give him an edge. This is a massive change from the Paul fans knew in Sinnoh, who only cared about winning at any cost.

Pokémon Journeys Provides The Perfect Epilogue to Paul's Arc

While Paul's character arc had reached its end by the time Ash left Sinnoh, this episode allowed Paul to come back and demonstrate how his encounters with Ash helped him to grow, arguably more so than any other rival of Ash's, except perhaps Gary. The old Paul would never have helped Ash , much less gone so far out of his way to do so. Paul even gets a moment with Ash's Infernape, the Pokémon that he had abandoned as a Chimchar, to help signal that his attitude towards Pokémon has changed for the better.

Paul hadn't appeared in over 500 episodes before this, so this was intended to please long-time fans, and please them it did. In just one appearance, Paul managed to solidify just how much he had changed as a result of Ash, help Ash out with his upcoming challenges, and finally make some peace with Infernape. By bringing Paul back, Pokémon Journeys didn't just treat long-time fans, but helped to remind Ash how far he'd come, and gave him that little push that just might've made the difference in the tournament.

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Pokémon Wiki

• View history

Pathetic. Paul's catchphrase

Paul is a character appearing in Pokémon the Series . He is the younger brother of Reggie and the main rival of Ash Ketchum from Sinnoh who received his Starter ( Turtwig ) in Sandgem Town from Professor Rowan and he has traveled through Kanto , Johto and Hoenn .

Unlike Ash, Paul is initially not a caring Trainer as he wants pure power from his Pokémon and the Trainers he faces to be strong. Paul is also known to release his Pokémon if he deems them weak or useless, which seems somewhat appropriate because of his ambition and seeing his Pokémon as tools for his own glory.

• 1 Appearance
• 2 Personality
• 3.1 Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
• 3.2 Pokémon the Series: Black & White
• 3.3 Pokémon Journeys: The Series
• 4.1 On hand
• 4.2 At home
• 4.3 Released/Abandoned
• 4.4 Given away
• 5.1.1 Kanto League
• 5.1.2 Johto League
• 5.1.3 Hoenn League
• 5.1.4 Sinnoh League
• 5.2 Pokémon League Status
• 5.3 Unofficial competitions
• 6 Voice actors
• 9 References

Appearance [ ]

Paul has mid-length purple hair that has one big strand hanging over the middle of his face, small dark eyes and he almost never smiles, except for the occasional smirk and a small chuckle whenever he deals with Ash Ketchum .

He wears a purple jacket with navy blue sleeves, a blue undershirt, dark purple pants and purple and navy sneakers with white soles.

Personality [ ]

Paul is perceived as a grumpy, cold, callous, cantankerous, abusive, grim, heartless, merciless, rude, mean, and rather arrogant Trainer, who has no interest in being friends with anybody (especially not his Pokémon ) and simply sees his Pokémon as tools to win battles and often not caring if they are hurt. These actions of his was because due to Pyramid King Brandon who defeated Paul's older brother, Reggie .

He is often annoyed and exasperated by Ash Ketchum 's actions, advice to treat his Pokémon nicely and tendency to act like a child to the point that Paul seems to barely see their rivalry. He dislikes Ash's philosophies such as friendship and trust because he believes that they are a sign of weakness, and he also dislikes training Pokémon hard to get stronger, preferring to only train ones that are naturally strong. Paul rarely shows any emotions, especially not positive ones, and this affects his dealings with his Pokémon, which can be very harsh. However, some occasions, he has been shown to lose his temper. One example was when he let his anger get out of control during his battle with Brandon when he wasn't able to beat Brandon's Pokémon.

Although Paul maintained a bitter rivalry with Ash for the duration of the Sinnoh series, his hatred of Ash as a person (rather than as a Trainer ) peaked at the end of the first season of the Diamond and Pearl series, where the two were forced to team up in the Hearthome City Tag Battle tournament. He treated Ash as a detriment rather than an ally, constantly telling him to stay out of his way and even having his Chimchar attack Ash's Turtwig at one point out of spite. When Paul released Chimchar and Ash subsequently caught it, he rudely told them that they deserved no better than each other: both were pathetic scum. After they won the tournament, Paul had no desire to keep the Soothe Bell prize due to his refusal to treat his Pokémon with basic decency. He gave it to Ash, but he violently threw it at Ash in a fit of anger rather than simply handing the bell over.

Despite his intense hatred of Ash, he does not necessarily wish harm on him, and helped him against Team Rocket multiple times even while he and Ash were enemies.

Paul knowingly abused his Pokémon both physically and emotionally, the prime example being Chimchar. He at one point had all of his Pokémon attack it at once in hopes of activating Blaze. He would constantly tell it that it was "worthless" and "pathetic", which left a strong negative impression on Chimchar.

While Gary Oak (Ash's previous major rival) and Trip (his next one) would directly insult Ash and call him immature names like "loser" or (in Trip's case) say he was "from the boonies", Paul would simply rudely say how poor of a Trainer Ash was. Instead of being a bully, he is only rude to Ash due to viewing him as an inferior Trainer, rather than as an inferior person like Gary and Trip. Despite this, his rivalry with Ash was overall much more bitter than Gary's and Trip's--whereas Gary and Trip simply didn't like Ash and enjoyed dissing him, Paul absolutely loathed Ash and, unlike with Trip, the feeling was mutual on Ash's part as Paul reminded Ash of Damian, the original trainer of his Charizard, a view that peaked after Paul ditched Chimchar.

Despite his seemingly cruel nature, Paul understands that he cannot treat everyone as horribly as he treats Ash, and can be polite whenever he wants to—especially towards authority figures like Cynthia , Nurse Joy and Professor Rowan . He also can acknowledge his opponent if he considers them to be a worthy opponent as an example of this is Roark , who he was very impressed by and he also seems to think a lot of Reggie (Paul's older brother), despite once saying he had 'a big mouth'. After his defeat by Brandon, he obliged to the latter when he told him they'll have a rematch one day once he controlled his emotions.

Paul's dislike of Ash stems-at least partially-from his disappointment in Reggie. Ash is known for treating his Pokémon as friends and equals, rather than as tools, much like Reggie does. Paul blames Reggie's philosophy as the reason he lost to Brandon, and thus he sees the same parallels in Ash. While he does not hold a grudge against Reggie for this because he is family, he does hold one against Ash. He also seems to enjoy seeing Ash getting angry, one example of which is when he chuckled and said to Ash "Man, you get worked up". Paul's "catchphrase" of sorts is 'Pathetic' who tends to direct it at Ash when Ash does or says something that Paul finds irritating or childish, and does not apologize for his actions, either.

Towards the end of the saga and especially after losing the battle to Ash in the Sinnoh League, Paul seems to reform somewhat and he is shown thanking his Electivire for a good battle- something that he had never done prior to the three-part final battle. Paul was also impressed by how Chimchar (Paul's former Pokémon) had become an Infernape and developed nicely after being in Ash's care and how well Ash had trained it and admitted as such after their final Sinnoh battle. Paul then decided to return to Snowpoint City to challenge Brandon again and he bids farewell to Ash, although on more friendly terms and he also seems sad when he sees Ash lose to Tobias . Later, Paul decided to help Ash against the competitors in the Master Class when training his Pokémon by using Pokémon reflecting of his opponents (such as Gyarados of Lance, Garchomp of Cynthia and last Metagross of Steven Stone). As it turned out later, this help was also his attempt to learn more about the connection between Pokemon and trainers, since he was offered to become a Gym Leader . The interest in this activity also speaks of the redemption of his character.

Biography [ ]

Paul's hometown was Veilstone City. [1] Paul and his Turtwig went to Kanto to watch his older brother, Reggie , battle against the Pyramid King Brandon . Unfortunately, Reggie couldn't knock out any of Brandon's Pokémon and he was easily defeated. Paul was shocked at his brother's defeat. Brandon yelled at Reggie and asked him where his true inner strength was, which made Paul wonder about his own strength as a Trainer, and from then on, he became obsessed with power. [2] Paul later started his Pokémon journey. He went to the Kanto , Johto and Hoenn regions, participating in League tournaments, but failed to win. His first Pokémon was Turtwig before he obtained others. [3]

Once he caught a Ninjask by using his Elekid , Paul watched a terrified wild Chimchar being chased by a pack of Zangoose . Chimchar got to an end of a cliff and he was cornered by the Zangoose. Out of desperation and determination, Chimchar managed to produce a blaze-infused Flame Wheel (which impressed Paul) and scared the Zangoose away. Paul then approached the fire type and asked it to join his team, which Chimchar accepted. [4] Paul later trained Chimchar, but didn't bond with it: he didn't give it much compliments or offer it decent food. [5]

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl [ ]

Paul watched Ash Ketchum capture a Starly with his Aipom prior to their first meeting and was unimpressed by him. [6] Paul had Elekid battle a Starly, and used his Poké Ball to capture it. However, the capture failed as that Starly was Ash's. Ash, who reunited with Brock, met up with Paul, asking if they saw a girl with a Pikachu. Paul denied, and sent three of his Starly out. He knew their strength, and kept the Starly that knew Aerial Ace, releasing the other two. Ash was not pleased that Paul was releasing his Pokémon, claiming one had to raise a Pokémon to bring out its potential. Paul ignored him; instead, he challenged him to a battle. Ash admitted he didn't have Pikachu with him at the moment, making Paul aggravated, as he left. Moments later, Paul and Elekid saw the rubble from Team Rocket's machine, as Ash, Brock and the girl (Dawn) fought Team Rocket. He then went to Professor Rowan's lab, encountering Ash and his friends again.

Paul introduced himself, and demanded a challenge from Ash, which he accepted. In the backyard, Ash and Paul sent their Starly to battle one another. However, Paul's Starly used Double Team to avoid Wing Attack and defeated Ash's Starly with an Aerial Ace. As Paul sent his Chimchar, Ash sent his Aipom to battle it. While Aipom was hit by Flame Wheel and Ember, it did manage to get a moment to defeat it with a Focus Punch. For their final Pokémon, Ash sent his Pikachu against Paul's Elekid. Elekid used Brick Break against Pikachu's Iron Tail, and the two sides fell down after the exhausting battle. Ash believed he lost, as his Pikachu fell a moment earlier, but Paul reminded him that both sides fainted, thus causing the match to end in a draw. He released Starly, thinking he could get a stronger one. He thanked Professor Rowan for using the backyard as the battle site, and walked away. [7]

On the way to Oreburgh City, Paul encountered the heroes, who were having some training. Paul noticed Ash's new Pokémon, Turtwig, but didn't think much of it. To prove he was wrong, Ash battled Paul, using Turtwig against his Chimchar. Turtwig wasn't fast enough to dodge Chimchar's attacks like Scratch or Ember, and just as Turtwig went to retaliate, it was captured by Team Rocket. Ash went to rescue his Turtwig, but in the confusion, Pikachu's Thunderbolt caused an explosion that blew Paul, Chimchar, Ash, Turtwig and Pikachu away. Brock and Dawn asked of them to meet them at the end of the forest, an idea Paul called stupid. He walked away, warning Ash about the Stantler. Paul later found Ash and Turtwig engrossed in an illusion by the Stantler, so his Chimchar used Ember to scare the Stantler away. Chimchar battled Stantler, using Flame Wheel to hit it. Paul used his Poké Ball to capture Stantler, but seeing it knew Tackle attack, thought it to be weak and released it.

Ash was nevertheless grateful for the rescue, calling Paul a friend, but Paul dismissed him, insisting that friends, especially Ash, were useless. As the two sides parted ways for a bit, Paul later encountered Ash facing an Ursaring. Chimchar used Flame Wheel to hit Ursaring, enough for Paul to catch it with a Poké Ball. Paul still belittled Ash for keeping the weak Turtwig, to which Ash defended it, stating it would grow stronger over time. Ash wanted to battle Paul, and taunted him into accepting the challenge. Paul's Chimchar managed to evade Turtwig's attacks by using Dig, and fired Ember attacks to burn it. Turtwig used the opportunity to use Razor Leaf in the holes to damage Chimchar this way, and entered the tunnels it dug. However, Chimchar's Flame Wheel proved too powerful for Turtwig, who eventually fainted. Despite Ash feeling bad that his Turtwig lost and got wounded, Paul was indifferent to that. Ash, however, swore to pay back to Paul by defeating him as his rival someday. [8]

As the heroes entered Oreburgh City, they encountered Paul, who also wanted to challenge the Gym Leader. The group was informed by a worker named Ian of Gym Leader Roark. However, the latter was busy working in the mines, searching for some hidden treasure. Thus, they went to see Roark in person in the mines, where Roark had his men dig out a rock—a fossil. Roark was happy, thinking he could awaken the Pokémon inside this rock soon. He turned to Ash and Paul, and accepted their challenges; since Paul came first, Roark faced him in the battle, though apologized for making him wait. Roark first used Geodude against Paul's Azumarill, and negated its Hydro Pump with Hidden Power, defeating it with Rollout. Paul then sent Elekid, who quickly defeated Geodude with a Brick Break. Roark sent Onix out, who attacked Elekid with Slam, though Elekid used Protect to defend itself.

Due to its Rock Head ability, Onix didn't take recoil damage from Double-Edge, and posed a considerable force with its Stealth Rock. As Onix wounded Elekid, Paul sent Chimchar out, who was damaged by Stealth Rock on the field. Paul's Chimchar using Dig was enough to defeat Onix, to which Roark sent Cranidos out. Cranidos' Headbutt and Zen Headbutt caused Chimchar to become frightened, ignoring some of Paul's commands, until it activated its Blaze ability. Chimchar retaliated with Flame Wheel to deal damage to Cranidos, until the latter used Zen Headbutt to defeat it. Paul sent Elekid back on the field, and used Brick Break against Cranidos' Flamethrower. In this exhausting match, Elekid won the battle, earning Paul the badge. [9]

Paul assumed that Ash wanted him to watch the Gym Battle to see him lose. As the two sides argued, Dawn wanted to break the fight, but became annoyed when Paul didn't remember who she was. Paul later had his Pokémon healed, and seeing Ash trying to figure out a strategy, claimed he could copy his. Ash became disgusted, remembering how poorly Paul had treated his Chimchar. Seeing a boy thanking Paul for giving him Azumarill, Ash realized that Paul thought of Azumarill as a weak Pokémon and gave it away, which made Dawn ponder what Elekid and Chimchar thought of Paul's tactics. During Ash's Gym Battle, Paul briefly watched this battle. He was about to leave until he saw Pikachu regaining its strength to face Roark's Cranidos. At the end of the battle, when Onix defeated Pikachu, Paul called the entire situation as pathetic. [10] When Roark spoke with the heroes, they remembered Paul's battle. Roark simply reminded Ash that he was angry over Paul, though that should not affect their upcoming rematch. [11]

The heroes encountered Paul on the road. Ash wanted to know how many badges he currently had, but Paul brushed him off as it was "none of his business". As the group encountered Cynthia , Paul challenged her to a battle, whom Cynthia believed to be the Sinnoh League challenger. She accepted his challenge, sending her Garchomp to defeat his Chimchar, Murkrow and Weavile with ease. When Paul sent Torterra, Garchomp managed to endure its Frenzy Plant, and defeat it with Giga Impact. Paul decided to stop the battle, seeing Cynthia was much stronger than he was. The crowd was displeased by Paul, but Ash defended the latter, seeing it was nevertheless a good battle. Cynthia expected more of these battles, but advised Paul to heal his Pokémon. He did so, and Nurse Joy and Cynthia gave them some medicine to recover. Cynthia noted Paul's Pokémon were well-trained, to which he added that he traveled many regions. However, he was not impressed by Chimchar's performance.

Ash started arguing with Paul, as the former thought Trainers needed to bond with their Pokémon, the latter stated they had to train them properly and strictly, else they'd become slobs. Paul simply stated he wanted to grow his power and strength. To try and settle the boys dwon, Cynthia took them near the place she had her battle with Paul. On a rock, she read a line "When every life meets another life, something will be born." She pointed out that she, too, strived for strength, but found something else, by meeting other Pokémon. When Team Rocket kidnapped Chimchar, Ash attempted to have Staravia attack them, but Paul's Ursaring fired a Hyper Beam to blast them off. Paul muttered that Chimchar nearly got taken away by losers, to which Cynthia advised him he could spend a night at the Pokémon Center with his Pokémon. [3]

On the way to Hearthome City, the heroes got separated, due to a failed plan by Team Rocket to capture their Pokémon. Ash saw Paul, who wanted to catch a Fearow. However, Ash distracted Paul by asking if he saw his friends around, which Paul denied. Later, Paul was approached by Dawn and Brock, but he denied having seen either one of their friends. [12] While on their way to Hearthome City , Ash recalled the events with Paul. [13] Paul enlisted in the Hearthome City's Tag Battle tournament. He encountered Ash, his Tag Battle partner, but he didn't want to have anything with him. Pikachu tried to greet his Elekid, who pushed him away. Pikachu wanted to retaliate, to which Ash stopped him but got electrocuted instead. Ash later wanted to discuss strategy with Paul, who was busy training his Chimchar's Flamethrower attack. He was not impressed, and refused Ash's attempt to help, as he didn't want to "mess it up".

Dawn reminded the two about trying to bond with Pokémon. Paul, however, quoted Cynthia's words during their encounter, and walked away. During the battle, Ash sent Pikachu and Paul his Chimchar against two Trainers' Rhydon and Magmar. Paul continued to ignore Ash, thinking Pikachu won't be able to do much damage. Paul didn't cooperate much with Ash, who remembered Zoey's combination attack from earlier, and had Pikachu use Iron Tail to stop Rhydon's Surf and defeat it. Eventually, Paul and Ash won the Tag Battle. Paul demanded of Ash to stay out of his way, but the latter reminded that Tag Battles were about teamwork, a virtue which Paul had not shown yet. [14]

Paul had Chimchar undergo a very intense training, as it had to face Paul's Ursaring, Murkrow, Torterra and Elekid—all four Pokémon at once. Chimchar barely evaded some of the attacks, and became injured before Ash arrived; Chimchar accidentally used Flamethrower on him, believing him to be another aggressor. Ash wanted to know why Paul trained Chimchar so hard, but Paul refused to answer. Ash reminded him they were a team, while Dawn, who also arrived, pointed out Paul's rude behavior. Paul simply explained he wanted Chimchar to grow stronger by putting pressure on it, else he'd release it. Ash believed he could simply improve Chimchar's strong points, but Paul didn't want that.

He left, ignoring Ash's statement that there were other ways to grow stronger. Paul continued training Chimchar. The latter was very exhausted, to the point it nearly fell down. Elekid went to use Thunder to awaken it, but Ash and others arrived, stopping the training and having Chimchar taken to the Pokémon Center. There, Brock healed Chimchar, before going to have a talk with Paul. Paul explained he wanted to draw out Chimchar's power just like it had battled Zangoose—the moment when Paul met Chimchar. He wanted to have Chimchar grow stronger, and awaken the power just like it had done before. However, the heroes and Nurse Joy described that Chimchar could not be put under pressure for the day, as it had to relax, to which Paul walked away.

The next day, Ash and Paul had another round, where they sent Turtwig and Chimchar to battle Metagross and Zangoose. The latter's presence frightened Chimchar, who was too frightened of such Pokémon. Despite Ash's offer that Turtwig would face Zangoose, Paul had Chimchar attack Zangoose, but Chimchar was too frightened of it. Turtwig and Chimchar attempted to attack Zangoose and Metagross, using Razor Leaf, Dig and Flamethrower, but were thwarted by the opponents' Pokémon and were overpowered. Paul was not pleased by these results, and out of spite he ordered Chimchar to use Flame Wheel on Ash's Turtwig, much to everyone's shock. Chimchar reluctantly did so, and managed to hit Zangoose and Metagross as well. Turtwig managed to cover in for Chimchar to attack Zangoose with Razor Leaf, until Zangoose fired a Fire Blast.

Chimchar went to protect Turtwig, in the moment its Blaze ability became activated. However, Paul refused to give orders to Chimchar, to which Ash had no choice but to command Chimchar to use Flamethrower. Chimchar listened to Ash, using Flamethrower to defeat Metagross, whereas Turtwig's Razor Leaf defeated Zangoose. While Ash and Paul won this round, moments later, Paul released his Chimchar. He swore Chimchar's training was over, and he would attempt to find a new Fire-type Pokémon. As Chimchar cried, Ash arrived, and offered Chimchar a spot in his team. [4] Paul entering the tournament with Chimchar and later releasing it was remembered by Ash, Dawn and Brock, as they were going to Snowpoint City. [15]

Witnessing this proposal, Paul told his two enemies that they deserved the worst: each other. The next day, Paul and Ash faced Holly and Brock during the final day of the tournament. Ash's Staravia attempted to attack, but Paul's Torterra executed Hyper Beam to strike both it and Farfetch'd. Paul claimed Staravia was simply too slow, which angered Ash, while Paul's Torterra quickly defeated Croagunk, too. While Ash praised Staravia for the effort, Paul reminded they didn't do a thing during this battle. After having his Torterra healed at the Pokémon Center, Paul joined Ash in facing Conway and Dawn in the final stage of the tournament. Paul sent Elekid and Ash his Chimchar to battle Dawn's Buizel and Conway's Heracross.

Ash and Paul's Pokémon got their moves countered and were badly hurt—due to Buizel's Aqua Jet and Heracross' Feint—until Elekid, who got wounded by Heracross' Megahorn, evolved into an Electabuzz. The latter's Thunder defeated Buizel, while Chimchar's Flamethrower defeated Heracross, too. Ash cheered for the victory and congratulated Paul for having Electabuzz evolve, but Paul dismissed him, thinking his Chimchar could not have defeated Heracross if Electabuzz was not on the field. Ash ignored him, and congratulated Chimchar on the victory, too. Later, when Paul passed by the group, he gave Ash the Soothe Bell, since he didn't need it. Paul walked away, as Ash cheered his Chimchar on. [1] Chimchar later had memories and nightmares of Paul, until it managed to defeat a bunch of Zangoose, but without activating its Blaze ability. [5]

Paul came to Veilstone City, finding a group of Gligar, led by a Gliscor, causing trouble. His Weavile used Ice Beam to attack Gliscor, but missed. Paul then sent Murkrow to use Haze, but the Pokémon flew away. The heroes noticed Paul has arrived to the city as well, but Paul asked of Ash to stay away as he wanted to capture Gliscor. Paul observed the situation, and had Weavile use Ice Beam to blast Team Rocket away, who attempted to kidnap the Gligar and Gliscor. Taking his second chance, Paul had Electabuzz and Weavile attack Gliscor, eventually defeating it. Paul captured Gliscor, and seeing its stats, decided to keep it. A lone Gligar went to attack Paul, whose Electabuzz used Thunder Punch to defeat it. Paul didn't think much of that Gligar and walked away. [16]

Paul battled Veilstone City's Gym Leader, Maylene, and won, using Honchkrow that evolved during that battle, and a Magmar that he had recently caught. However, Paul called Maylene a weak opponent, making her doubt herself. [17] He went to Pastoria City, and contacted Reggie to give him an Electabuzz for the Gym Battle. As Reggie did so, he mentioned that Ash had won the battle against Maylene, earning him the third badge. However, Paul, angered by the mere mention of Ash's name, hung up. [18] Paul witnessed Sho's Raichu defeating Ash's Pikachu. Paul called Ash pathethic, but he did agree with Sho that he should have Pikachu evolve into a Raichu. He remained behind for a while, but did not say a word to the heroes. Since Ash and Pikachu decided the latter did not have to evolve, and Pikachu defeated Raichu in a rematch, Paul simply left. [19] He briefly saw Ash on TV, being interviewed during the Wallace Cup. [20] He also watched Ash's Buizel's Ice Aqua Jet combo, but grew disinterested and walked away. [21]

Ash was training Gligar when it was swept away by the wind, falling near Paul, who wanted to catch a Drapion. When Ash found Gligar, he encountered Paul, asking him about his recent Gym Battle. Paul was dismissive, stating that a Coordinator that lost wouldn't care, as he had seen him perform in the Wallace Cup. Ash replied that Wallace suggested him to compete with Buizel, to which Paul reminded him about the Hearthome City's Tag Battle tournament, in which Paul had difficult time fighting alongside Ash. The two sides argued, as Ash stated that he had to train for the Sinnoh League. He pointed out that after Cynthia had defeated Paul, he found strength in his bonds with his friends and Pokémon. Paul ignored him, to which Ash and Brock wanted to know what Cynthia's words meant to him.

Paul ignored them, and went to leave; Ash challenged him to a battle, and Chimchar got his attention to stay and accept that challenge. Ash sent Gligar, who faced Gliscor. Gligar went to attack Gliscor, who was unaffected by its moves and quickly defeated it with Guillotine. Paul sent an Ursaring, to which Ash sent Chimchar. Ursaring countered Chimchar's moves, and slammed it away with Hammer Arm. As Chimchar's Blaze was activated, Paul became impressed, and as Ursaring was defeated by its Flame Wheel, Paul admitted he gained some respect to such power. As Chimchar went out of control, the heroes barely managed to stop its rage. Paul asked Chimchar whether Ash could control that Blaze ability. Ash replied that only Chimchar could control that ability, to which Paul called him a fool and walked away. [22] This encounter was remembered by Ash, Dawn and Brock, as they were going to Snowpoint City. [15] Eventually, Paul battled Fantina and obtained the Relic Badge from her.

Paul briefly watched Cynthia's match against Aaron. After the match was over, Paul approached Ash, asking him about Chimchar's Blaze. Ash, however, refused to speak about it, stating he didn't need to rely on it to win. Paul then had three workers (Team Rocket in disguise) take care of his Pokémon as he was studying. He then heard Ash and Dawn's training, before being noticed by Brock. Brock praised Paul's training a bit, though Paul was disappointed by Ash's due to not having Chimchar use its Blaze ability. Brock then mentioned that they met Paul's brother, Reggie, who had helped Ash in training Staravia's Brave Bird. Paul was dismissive about that, since he didn't like his brother to have quit after failing to obtain one final Symbol from the Battle Frontier. Paul then came to Ash, believing his training methods were similar to his own.

Ash refused to acknowledge that, reminding Paul that he had his Pokémon gang up on Chimchar and badly hurt it. Dawn reminded they were training for Ash's match in Hearthome City, to which Paul showed his Relic Badge. Ash was upset, thinking about Fantina's Hypnosis tactic, to which Paul suggested using the Blaze ability. The two sides then had a battle, using Turtwig and Honchkrow in which Turtwig evolved into a Grotle. However, Grotle's speed was reduced and it was an easy target for Honchkrow, who defeated it. After the battle was over, Paul had Torterra and Weavile train, as the two sides used Frenzy Plant and Ice Shard. At evening, his Torterra went to train Ash's Grotle, and upon it returning, Paul became curious but didn't utter a word. The next day, Ash thanked Paul for having his Torterra train his Grotle, but Paul dismissed him and walked away. [23]

When Barry encountered Ash, the former remembered Ash was teamed up with Paul during the Tag Battle tournament in Hearthome City. Barry admitted he liked Paul, due to his pursuit of strength, and noticed Ash's Chimchar originally belonging to Paul. [24] Paul entered the Pokéringer Contest. When Ash and others found out he was the participant, they went to ask him why didn't he greet them, but Paul ignored them and flew up. He faced Provo and his Dragonite, using his Honchkrow. Honchkrow was struck by Dragonite's Dragon Rush, and fired a Sky Attack that defeated Dragonite (due to Super Luck ability), winning that round. During the next round, he faced Ash and his Staravia. While Staravia obtained the ring, it was struck by Honchkrow's Sky Attack and Night Slash attacks, causing it to drop the ring.

However, Staravia evolved into a Staraptor, and managed to obtain the ring and use Close Combat on Honchkrow. Paul remained calm, as his Honckrow continued to attack. As the ring was dropped, Honchkrow went to get it, but Staraptor knocked the ring with its wing on the target, earning Ash the victory. Paul commented that his Honchkrow was weak and slow. When Ash approached him to show his Staraptor had evolved, Paul simply claimed that it took Ash that long to evolve it, and left. [25] Paul eventually arrived to Snowpoint City, to challenge Candice to a Gym Battle. [26] However, Candice and her Pokémon were exhausted, so she asked Paul to have their challenge tomorrow. Ash showed Paul his seventh badge, but Paul was disinterested and walked away. Still, Ash was still grateful for having Paul's Torterra show Grotle some new moves. Paul simply asked Ash why was he so much thankful about his Torterra. Zoey attempted to argue with Paul, but Dawn pulled her. Paul simply walked away, as Zoey wished that Candice would defeat him tomorrow.

The next day, Reggie came to Snowpoint City, to drop off a Pokémon he was nursing, and encountered his brother, Paul. Paul didn't care muc if his brother watched him battle, but suddenly, the Battle Pyramid facility flew over them. Ash recognized the facility, and told Paul about his encounter with the Frontier Brains. Paul became shocked to hear that Ash did challenge and win all seven Symbols. Upon encountering Brandon, the latter recognized everyone, including Paul, who challenged him. Paul simply replied that he wanted to finish what his brother couldn't—to beat Brandon. Paul didn't care much for anyone watching this 6-on-6 battle against Brandon. Paul sent his Hariyama to battle Brandon's Regirock, and despite being able to stop some of its moves, it was defeated by its Focus Punch.

He then sent Electabuzz to count on its Brick Break move, but it, too, was quickly defeated by Stone Edge/Hyper Beam combo. As Brandon swapped Regirock with Registeel, Paul was counting on his Magmar, who dealt a blow with Flamethrower. However, Registeel used Iron Head, causing Magmar to be overwhelmed as Paul swapped it with Nidoking. While Nidoking managed to inflict more damage with Earth Power and Double Kick, it, too, was defeated by Registeel's Iron Head. Brandon wanted to know why Paul was trying so ahrd to defeat him, to which Paul answered that he wanted to gather strength from his will, unlike Reggie did. Paul was annoyed by this talk, as he sent Lairon. Despite using Iron Defense, Lairon was quickly defeated by Regice's Ice Beam and Zap Cannon. Having little choice left, Paul sent Ursaring, colliding its Hammer Arm with Regice's Focus Punch. Regice fired a Zap Cannon as well, paralyzing Ursaring, then swapping it with Regirock and defeat it with Stone Edge.

Paul sent Magmar as his remaining Pokémon, but Regirock defeated it easily with Shock Wave. Brandon won the battle, and complimented Paul for having raised his Pokémon well. However, he noted that his feelings clouded his judgements in battle, so he offered a rematch once he control his emotions. Paul thanked him, and turned to Candice, asking her to prepare for the Gym Battle. Candice agreed, and left; Paul went to do the same, but Reggie got his attention by offering a match with Ash. Paul and Ash agreed, to which Reggie stated they could meet each other at Lake Acuity in ten days. [2]

Paul went to Lake Acuity, where he met with Reggie. Paul wondered why would he battle Ash in that moment, to which Reggie explained that his encounter with Brandon might've had some positive influence on him, which could be used to motivate him to battle Ash. As Ash arrived, Reggie reminded that this full battle was to show each other their strengths and weaknesses, as rivals to understand one another. As the battle started, Ash sent Buizel and Paul his Torterra. However, Ash swapped Buizel with Gliscor, reminding that Gliscor had evolved from his Gligar. Paul intentionally had Torterra endure Gliscor's attacks, until it bound Gliscor with Crunch and absorb its energy with Giga Drain. As Ash sent Staraptor, Paul quickly recalled Torterra and swapped it with Weavile.

Reggie commented that Paul's strategy had changed, unlike Ash's: Weavile managed to slow down Staraptor with Blizzard before striking it. However, Staraptor's speed enabled it to quickly defeat Weavile with Brave Bird. As the two sides recalled their Pokémon, they sent Grotle and Electabuzz. However, Electabuzz used Light Screen before being recalled, and the defense was put in place for Paul's Honchkrow, allowing it to reduce the damage from Grotle's Energy Ball. Honchkrow used Night Slash to strike Grotle and defeat it with Sky Attack. As Ash sent Pikachu next, Paul sent Magmortar, to which others recognized as Magmar that had eventually evolved. [27]

Continuing the battle, Pikachu attacked Magmortar, whose Flame Body burnt Pikachu, making him take continuous damage. Pikachu managed to execute its Coutner Shield to defend itself and attack Magmortar, but as it was still burnt, Ash swapped it with his Buizel. Magmortar used Rock Tomb to defend itself, but Buizel shattered those defenses with Water Pulse, forcing Paul to send his Ursaring out. Ursaring managed to beat Buizel with Focus Blast and Staraptor with Hammer Arm, before facing Ash's Chimchar. Planting Light Screen as defense, Paul then sent Torterra, who took less damage from Chimchar's Fire-type attacks. After Ash swapped Gliscor, Torterra quickly defeated it with Frenzy Plant, and sent Ursaring out again.

This time, Ursaring managed to endure Pikachu's Thunderbolt, triggering its Guts to become berserk and fire Pikachu at a lake to defeat it. Ash sent Chimchar out, whose Flame Wheel and Flamethrower combo proved useful enough to defeat Ursaring, toppling it down. Ash encouraged Chimchar, as it was fighting against its former Trainer, causing it to evolve into a Monferno. Paul sent Electabuzz out, who clashed with Monferno, and electrocuted it with Thunder. Monferno became paralyzed, but its Blaze ability was activated too: it clashed with Electabuzz's Thunder Punch with Mach Punch.

However, Monferno was defeated, and Ash lost the battle. Paul was pleased with this outcome, and let Reggie know he would send some of his Pokémon to be taken cared of. Paul walked away, leaving Ash troubled. [28] As his Pokémon were physically harmed and recovering, Ash remembered his battle against Paul. He surmized that Paul was tough, to which he had to improve his training to beat his rival. [29] When Ash faced Barry's father, Palmer, Barry reminded that his father raised his Pokémon with respect. This made Ash wonder how was Paul so powerful if he didn't raise his Pokémon that way. [30] Ash was in Brussel Town when he saw the newsreporters interviewing Paul. Paul declared that he had won his eighth Badge, and was preparing to face the Sinnoh League. [31]

Paul entered a Pokémon Center, where he encountered the heroes, along with Barry. Barry greeted Paul and asked him for a battle, to which Paul let him battle Ash instead. Barry didn't want to battle Ash, who had seven badges, to which Paul stared at Ash. The latter swore to have his battle at Sunyshore City, but Paul had a low opinion about that Gym and left. He briefly watched Ash and Barry battle, but as Ash and Monferno were assaulted by Team Rocket, he sent Electabuzz to attack them. He witnessed as Monferno evolved into an Infernape, and told Ash that the Blaze ability triggered its evolution. As Paul was about to leave, Ash thanked him for saving them. Ash wanted to have a rematch, to which Paul recalled Reggie's words. Thus, he swore to have a rematch at the Sinnoh League, then left. [32] Upon finding that Sunyshore City's Gym gave Beacon Badges away without a proper battle, Ash realized the meaning behind Paul's words about that Gym. [33]

Paul was seen walking through some ancient ruins that had statues of Dialga and Palkia . [34]

Paul eventually arrived at the Sinnoh League , where he watched the opening ceremony. [35] The heroes later encountered Paul, who has decided on which Pokémon to use. Ash swore to do his best, to which Paul belittled him, claiming that statement was pathethic as he was, for they all had eight badges already. Paul later had his battle, and won, advancing to the next round. [36] Paul was to face Barry in the next round, so he analyzed his Pokémon team. As the heroes arrived, Paul gazed at Ash, creeping him out. Barry was happy to see Paul was analyzing him, and swore to do his best. Paul left, commenting he'd treat it like a common battle.

At the battlefield, Paul faced Barry, sending his Magmortar to battle Barry's Skarmory. Skarmory deployed Spikes, but was quickly defeated by Magmortar's Flamethrower. Barry taunted Paul, due to Spikes inflicting damage when a Pokémon was sent out. Paul was unphased and sent Ursaring against Barry's Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee used Jump Kick to inflict heavy damage to Ursaring, and evaded its Focus Blast. Ursaring's wounds were dire, to the point its Guts Ability was activated: its Hammer Arm was able to defeat Hitmonlee. Barry sent Empoleon next, who inflicted damage with Drill Peck, surprising Paul enough to swap Ursaring with Electivire. Electivire electrocuted Empoleon with Thunder Punch, and cornered it to inflict damage by Giga Impact.

Empoleon stood up, its Torrent Ability being triggered. It fired a Hydro Cannon, but Electivire countered it with Protect. Using Thunder, Electivire defeated Empoleon, and Barry lost the round. Barry admitted that was a good battle, and had no regrets. Paul remarked that he wanted to have a rematch with Barry someday, which made the latter even more pumped up about it. [37] At the end of the round, Ash saw that his next opponent would be Paul, in a six-on-six battle. Ash later encountered Paul and Electivire, who were preparing themselves to battle Ash. [38]

Before his match began, Paul spoke with Reggie, who wished him luck in the upcoming battle. Reggie was glad that Paul met Ash, who influenced him, but reminded Paul that Ash was not to be underestimated. Once Paul ended the call, he was approached by Dawn, who wished to know how was Reggie doing. Paul ignored the question, and wondered how was Ash doing. Dawn replied that he was doing last-minute training, but wondered why did Reggie become curious about him. Paul was unsure, and wanted to walk away. However, he explained to Dawn why he hated Ash so much: Ash always preached about friendship with his Pokémon, and Reggie used to do the same, which Paul felt that was what led to Reggie's downfall. Regardless, Paul swore to defeat Ash, who was just another obstacle. Ash, Brock and Barry visited Paul, and the latter swore to Ash to have a great battle in this tournament.

Dawn reminded them about Cynthia's words, thinking Ash and Paul would create something new, and the two Trainers swore to face each other on the battlefield. On the field, Paul sent Aggron to battle Ash's Pikachu. Aggron used Metal Sound to lower Pikachu's Special Defense, and launched Flash Cannon to counter its Volt Tackle. However, Ash swapped Pikachu with Infernape, who got struck by Aggron's Double Edge. In retaliation, Infernape used Mach Punch to defeat it. Paul sent Gastrodon, whereas Ash swapped Infernape with Staraptor. Paul noticed Ash's pattern: Gastrodon fired its Muddy Water as a Counter Shield technique, to which Staraptor used Aerial Ace, targeting Gastrodon's belly. However, Gastrodon bound it with Body Slam, so Staraptor used Close Combat to release itself. However, it was defeated by Gastrodon's Ice Beam, and Paul called Ash was pathetic as ever.

Ash sent Buizel out, who used Aqua Jet, melding with Gastrodon's Ice Beam to create Ice Aqua Jet. Paul predicated that Ash is using the same Pokémon in their Lake Acuity battle. The tecnhique struck Gastrodon, and was defeated by Buizel's Ice Punch. Paul noted that Ash was using his team from Lake Acuity, and sent Drapion out. The latter managed to bind Buizel, and started to pummel it. [39] Paul expected Buizel to escape, as was why Drapion launched Toxic Spikes on the battlefield: any new Pokémon sent in would be poisoned. After Buizel was defeated, Ash sent Staraptor to battle Drapion, but, it, too, bound Staraptor with its tail and defeated it with Cross Poison. Ash sent Torterra next, who countered Cross Poison with Energy Ball. However, Drapion fired Pin Missile to counter its Leaf Storm, too. Drapion bound Torterra as well, and despite it using Synthesis to recover, Torterra was defeated by Drapion's Pin Missile.

Paul admitted that he found out his moves, through his Gastrodon and Aggron's defeat. Ash smiled, seeing Paul was unique, but promised he'd win. Paul believed in his victory, sending Ninjask against Ash's Gliscor. Ninjask overpowered Gliscor with its speed, eventually poisoning it by tossing it to the ground (filled with Toxic Spikes) with Fury Cutter. This forced Ash to send Infernape out, whose Flare Blitz dispelled the Toxic Spikes effect. It used Mach Punch, defeating Ninjask. Ash sent Pikachu next to battle Froslass, whose Hail allowed it to hide in the mist. Pikachu was unable to dodge her attacks, and got hit by her Ice Beam and Ice Shard. In a moment, Pikachu slammed her with Iron Tail and defeated her with Volt Tackle. Paul sent Drapion out to battle Ash's Gliscor, causing the two sides to clash. Paul had Drapion use Cross Poison to counter Gliscor's Stone Edge.

In return, Gliscor spinned as it used Giga Impact. Drapion launched Pin Missiles, whereas Gliscor swiftly dodged them. [40] Paul had Drapion intercept Gliscor's attack, and slam it to the ground. However, Gliscor was able to hit it with Fire Fang to burn it, and caused Drapion to faint as well. Paul sent Electivire out, so Ash had Gliscor remain on the field. Electivire used Thunder, emitting chunks of rocks, which it tossed to Gliscor, striking it. Gliscor attempted to hit it with Giga Impact, but Electivire grabbed it and defeated it with Brick Break. Ash sent Pikachu out, to which Electivire repeated its Thunder combo. Pikachu used Quick Attack to get closer to Electivire, who grabbed it by its tail.

Electivire slammed Pikachu to the ground, who was able to hit it with Iron Tail. Pikachu used Volt Tackle, to which Electivire absorbed the attack with its Motor Drive Ability, giving it speed. Ash anticipated this, blocking Electivire's Thunder Punch. Paul reminded Ash of their first battle, where Pikachu had used Iron Tail to get closer to Elekid. Like that time, Electivire used Brick Break to defeat Pikachu. Ash felt that Paul's tactics gave him a better position, but still felt Ash could turn the battle around. Paul dared him to do so, as Ash sent Infernape. Infernape clashed with Electivire, whose Protect blocked its Flamethrower. Electivire then retaliated with Thunder, striking Infernape. Paul called Infernape pathetic, whose Blaze Ability was activated.

Powered with this ability, Infernape launched Flamethrower, negating Electivire's Thunder and hitting it. After hitting Electivire with Mach Punch, the two sides collided with Thunder Punch and Flare Blitz. After the collision, the two sides stood, before Electivire smiling to Infernape and falling in defeat. Paul was defeated, and called Electivire into its Poké Ball, but praised it for battling well. After the battle was over, Ash went to meet up with Paul, and both sides showed respect to each other. Paul admitted Infernape was a very strong Pokémon. He announced he'd return to Snowpoint City and challenge Brandon. Ash wanted to have a rematch with Paul someday. Paul was surprised, but accepted his request, and wished him luck in the next round. [41] Paul watched the battle between Ash and Tobias on TV. He was a bit disappointed, then sighed and walked away. [42]

Pokémon the Series: Black & White [ ]

Paul did not appear in any of the episodes, but he makes a cameo appearance alongside his Pokémon in the ending Let's Join Hands , where he is the middle holding hands with Gary Oak and Luke .

Pokémon Journeys: The Series [ ]

Paul and his Electivire appearing in a flashback when Ash reminisced about his Sinnoh League battle against them. [43]

Later, he met with Ash and Goh at Professor Oak's Lab . Paul had his Electivire zap Ash's Gengar who was bouncing around hitting trees after meeting with Ash's Fire-types. While Ash and Goh saw Electivire, Paul steps out from behind a tree, asking if Gengar was Ash's, while reminding Ash to be more concern about his Pokémon's health, which Ash reminds Paul that he does. Just then Professor Oak arrives, who explains to Ash that Paul stopped by to visit the day before and he was learning about Pokémon. While Ash's Fire-types went to train with Gengar, Infernape stayed behind at first, but Paul tells Infernape to take care of Gengar, much to Goh's surprise. Ash explained to Goh that Infernape (as a Chimchar) used to belong to Paul until he disowned it for not living up to his standards and that Ash took over and raised Chimchar all the way into Infernape. Later, when Ash asked Paul if he wanted to compete in the World Coronation Series, he explained that he had no interest in World Coronation Series , claiming that he had no interest in festivities. Ash decided to take the opportunity to have an impromptu match with him, which he accepted, with the condition that it would be a 3-on-3 fight with no switching allowed (similar in their first battle). Ash sent Lucario while Paul sent Gyarados , who was defeated by Lucario. In the second round, he sent Garchomp against Ash's Dragonite , who defeated it. In the third round, he sent Metagross , who faced off against Ash's Gengar . During the match, as Gengar initially struggled to fight Metagross, Paul told Ash that if he had trouble facing him, he would certainly lose to the other champions.

At that point, Gengar used his newly learned Will-O-Wisp , burning Metagross and weakening its Meteor Mash , allowing him to finish it off with Shadow Ball , causing Paul to lose the match. Afterwards, Goh noted that the Pokémon that Paul had used were the signature Pokémon used by Lance , Cynthia and Steven , respectively. As Paul left, Professor Oak told Ash and Goh that Paul had been asked to become a Gym Leader and he wanted to know more about Pokémon. [44]

Paul returned home to Veilstone City. He and Reggie watched Cynthia's match against Iris in the Masters 8 at Reggie's house. [45] Later, they watched Ash's match against Steven Stone . Paul expressed a greater interest during Ash's battle against Steven's Metagross , seemingly pleased that his training with Ash had been effective. [46]

Pokémon [ ]

On hand [ ].

At home [ ]

Released/Abandoned [ ]

Given away [ ]

Achievements [ ]

Kanto league [ ].

8 Unknown Badges

Johto League [ ]

Hoenn league [ ], sinnoh league [ ].

• Cobble Badge
• Relic Badge
• Icicle Badge
• 3 unknown Badges

Pokémon League Status [ ]

• Indigo Plateau Conference (Indigo League): Unknown but did not win
• Silver Conference (Johto League): Unknown but did not win
• Ever Grande Conference (Hoenn League): Unknown but did not win
• Lily of the Valley Conference (Sinnoh League) Lost to Ash: Top 8

Unofficial competitions [ ]

• Hearthome Tag Battle: Champion (with Ash)
• PokéRinger - Squallville: Runner-Up (Loses to Ash)

Voice actors [ ]

• Japanese : Kiyotaka Furushima
• English : Julián Rebolledo
• Dutch : Tony Neef
• Hindi : Amit Diondyi (Cartoon Network dub)
• Paul's original name Shinji (Japanese: シンジ) is shared with Lake Verity .
• Paul was first revealed to the public through a CoroCoro Magazine scan that showed him alongside Ash and Dawn commanding a Chimchar. However, his name and role were not revealed until the following week, and so, he received the fan name "Nugai" (a pun derived from "new guy") during that time.
• In fact, Paul shares many similarities to him: like Silver, Paul believed in raising the power of his Pokémon through harsh training as opposed to forming a trusting relationship, which put him at odds with Ash throughout the series. Also, two of the Paul's official arts shows him in the same pose as Silver does in one of his official artwork by Ken Sugimori .
• Although a Pokédex is often a red or pink color, Paul's Pokédex is a black color.
• Three of Ash's Pokémon have evolved while battling Paul: Turtwig into Grotle, Staravia into Staraptor, and Chimchar into Monferno. Both Turtwig and Staravia evolved while battling Paul's Honchkrow. Paul also witnessed Monferno's later evolution into Infernape.
• Paul is the first regular rival seen catching a Pokémon and receiving a Gym Badge on screen.
• Paul is also the first regular recurring character to battle the Champion .
• He has also battled Ash more times than any other rival.
• Paul is the only Pokémon Trainer to abandon one of Ash's Fire type Pokémon that has been seen more than once outside of flashbacks.
• If one does not count the Squallville PokéRinger , Paul has been defeated onscreen four times, with three of his Pokémon debuting each time.
• Paul owns a Pokémon of every type except for Fairy . He did have an Azumarill , at one point, which is part Fairy, however, Fairy types did not exist until Generation VI .
• In Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl , Paul, like every Trainer who is part of the regular cast, owns at least one Pokémon that is part of a cross-generational evolution line that includes a member introduced in Generation IV .
• During the tenth season , Paul's catchphrase was "Stand by!" instead of "Stand by for battle!"
• This line only applies in the Diamond and Pearl series. In Journeys, Paul calls Ash "useless" while reminding him to be concerned about his Pokémon's well being.
• According to Masaaki Iwane (one of the anime animators), Paul could be the next Viridian City Gym Leader. [47]
• He's the only Sinnoh rival to make an appearance in Pokemon Journeys: The Series .

Gallery [ ]

References [ ]

• ^ a b DP052: Smells Like Team Spirit!
• ^ a b DP128: A Pyramiding Rage!
• ^ a b DP040: Top-Down Training!
• ^ a b DP051: Glory Blaze!
• ^ a b DP053: Tears for Fears!
• ^ DP002: Two Degrees of Separation!
• ^ DP003: When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
• ^ DP006: Different Strokes for Different Blokes!
• ^ DP015: Shapes of Things to Come!
• ^ DP016: A Gruff Act to Follow!
• ^ DP017: Wild in the Streets!
• ^ DP046: A Maze-ing Race!
• ^ DP048: Satoshi and Hikari! Heading Towards a New Adventure!!
• ^ DP050: Tag! We're It…!
• ^ a b DP120: Mysterious Creatures: Pocket Monsters!
• ^ DP064: Riding the Winds of Change!
• ^ DP066: Lost Leader Strategy!
• ^ DP069: Enter Galactic!
• ^ DP074: Pika and Goliath!
• ^ DP077: Staging a Heroes' Welcome!
• ^ DP078: Pruning a Passel of Pals!
• ^ DP081: Chim-Charred!
• ^ DP100: Aiding the Enemy!
• ^ DP101: Barry's Busting Out All Over!
• ^ DP118: Pursuing a Lofty Goal!
• ^ DP127: Sliding Into Seventh!
• ^ DP131: Pedal to the Mettle!
• ^ DP132: Evolving Strategies!
• ^ DP133: Uncrushing Defeat!
• ^ DP141: Challenging a Towering Figure!
• ^ DP155: Double-Time Battle Training!
• ^ DP163: Fighting Ire with Fire!
• ^ DP165: Flint Sparks the Fire!
• ^ MS013: Pokémon—Zoroark: Master of Illusions
• ^ DP182: An Old Family Blend!
• ^ DP183: League Unleashed!
• ^ DP184: Casting a Paul on Barry!
• ^ DP185: Working on a Right Move!
• ^ DP186: Familiarity Breeds Strategy!
• ^ DP187: A Real Rival Rouser!
• ^ DP188: Battling a Thaw in Relations!
• ^ DP189: The Semi-Final Frontier!
• ^ PJ068: Advice to Goh!
• ^ PJ114: Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!
• ^ PJ117: The Fiery Road to Mastership!
• ^ PJ118: Battling as Hard as Stone!
• ^ Masaaki Iwane's Tweet
• ^ Illustration by the cartoonist Mojacookie on Anipoke PR's Twitter
• 1 Legendary Pokémon
• 3 Ash Ketchum

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Review   The Pokemon Journeys Review Thread

• Thread starter LuxrayOfTheWild
• Start date Dec 16, 2022

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LuxrayOfTheWild

What lurks in the wild..

• Dec 16, 2022

A chair for baby bear

Active Member

Eh it was alright  

LucarioBoss

I feel Ash was handled well here and his goal was new yet innovative. His Pokemon were not mainly gen 8, but provided powerhouses. Goh was also a nice addition being the motto of the series and Pokemon GO. I feel Journeys was great in the travelling aspect and old companions aspect. I can't write down the amount of nostalgia I felt here and how much I screamed over character returns and teases. However, it failed to make Galar prominent and kinda ruined it. We never got the isle of armour nor did we get to see Pokemon like Calyrex, Galarian Birds and Hisuian Pokemon. Had they included the isle of armour and more galarian locations, we may have seen this happen. At the same time, making the lab Kanto based did little good. Sure, it worked in episode 114 where Ash goes to pallet town, but it was a lot of travelling. I'd have liked to see more connectivity between episodes. Character development for characters like Chloe, Bea, Leon and Pokemon like Dragonite, Dracovish and Grookey were done poorly. We never got dedicated training arcs induvidually for them. I missed that aspect of old series. All in all, Pokemon Journeys was good, and might I even go as far as to say it's in my second favourite behind XY. I loved seeing my old favourites return and old locations being showcased again in a new manner where Ash navigates them with experience. Sure, it had it's faults with characters, pokemon and development as well as connectivity between episodes, but still proved to be entertaining and provided a new thrill to the anime  

Well-Known Member

-2/10 Actually. -20. I could stomach this garbage as I assumed it was temporary, but the way Ash was handled as well as Team Rocket was downright shocking. Knowing this was their last series is something I don't think I could ever accept.  

RetroPokeFan

While the climax to it was pretty great (at least for the most part) as for the series itself it is one of the biggest mixed bags I've ever come across. When Journeys hits, it really hits with some great episodes. When it misses, it misses a little with either the episodes being mediocre or having good ideas but lacklustre execution. And when it flops, it flops hard, even in some cases being the worst the anime has ever been in years. I also can't forgive this series for wasting Galar as well and ignoring so many different Pokémon, gym leaders and places too. All of this is enough for me to give this a 2/5 because while this was a disappointing series with wasted potential in terms of the region hopping format, it does at least have some good episodes to keep it out of the dreaded 1/5 list.  

FinnishPokéFan92

Huggable electric rodent.

Johtoo said: -2/10 Actually. -20. I could stomach this garbage as I assumed it was temporary, but the way Ash was handled as well as Team Rocket was downright shocking. Knowing this was their last series is something I don't think I could ever accept. Click to expand...

Insanish Danish

Blossoming attorney.

ii kanji said: On the premise that we’re not being trolled, what a sad note to end Satoshi, Pikachu and the TRio’s main journey on Click to expand...

Islander Princess

"it wasn't a coincidence i met you of all people".

Cynthia lost fair and square.

Journeys to me, is an extremely mixed bag. I can't say most of the episodes good or bad because most episodes were meh. But if I had to rank it, it would easily be my least favorite series of the Pokemon anime. Journeys is the first series that really made me temporarily stop watching the anime out of pure anger. And it fills me with disappointment as I wanted to like journeys and I wanted to like Goh but instead, the exact opposite happen. And I'm someone who could still enjoy pokemon when it's lowest. I enjoyed BW and didn't hate Iris and I still don't. But in the end, I still stuck around. Because I wanted to see Ash succeed in being able to fight Leon. And knowing that this is Ash's last series just makes me sad, because I know this will be the last proper series I watch since I don't plan on watching the SV series. So I guess I should do my final ranting for journey and ranking every series as a whole. Journeys final rating....D. I can't rate it as a F because beneath all the crappy and boring episodes, there are still some good episodes. Ranking 1.DP 2.XY 3.SM 4.OS 5.AG 6.BW 7.JN  

cricketlaxwolvesbandy

Summoning....

Waiting to review after ABPM because it’s a part of JN but yeah JN is still trash, but it’s better than SM Series rankings: T1: XY/DP 3. AG 4. OS 5. BW 6. JN 7. SM  

I find Journeys a tough nut to crack, but the most telling thing for me is that the majority of its best moments involved older characters in some capacity, while a lot of the content native to it ended up underbaked and, frankly, just a bit forgettable. Ash's rivalry with Leon encapsulates this issue. It's a cornerstone relationship in the story, serving as Ash's motivation for the series, but at no point does the story explore why Ash wants to battle Leon so badly beyond the simple fact he's the strongest. Equally, at no point does the story explore why Leon regards Ash as such an interesting challenger. There's one whole episode of them together, showing us how similar they are in personality and philosophy, implying they're just naturally drawn to one another, but that, on its own, wasn't enough to make a compelling rivalry. The most compelling part of the rivalry was Ash even being allowed to battle Leon on somewhat equal footing, something the show had deprived him of for decades. Without that context, the rivalry wasn't strong to stand on its own. This is what makes Journeys so hard to rate. Most of it depends on the past to even function. The Masters 8, for instance, completely flops as an event without the meta of Ash being allowed to battle Champions after several years. Examine it within the context of Journeys' own narrative and you'll find a total lack of developed dynamics among the competitors and few reasons to really care about the outcome. It's hard to believe that in a room full of the most powerful and eccentric trainers in the world, the most interesting the conversation ever got was Iris asking Cynthia and Diantha for a photo. They spent more time giving basic commentary on the battles. Hardly the most riveting stuff. Nobody suffers more from this than Ash, because he's a characters who thrives from having a wide, diverse cast to bounce off of. He goes from having at least nine characters to bounce off in SM (Rotom, Lillie, Gladion, Sophocles, Mallow, Lana, Kiawe, Kukui, Burnet) to just the one in Journeys (Goh). And as good as that one relationship was, I missed seeing Ash have meaningful things to say to other people. After defeating Leon, overcoming his toughest opponent to date, the most profound thing Ash had to say was "I had fun battling", and it just sucked. Ash came off as one dimensional and boring, during a time when his character was supposed to be at its peak. I mean, how was it that Chloe could have a fun, interesting relationship with Dawn, yet apparently couldn't have a single decent conversation with Ash, who's very similar in personality and world view? There's a character with wasted potential. Chloe had such an intriguing set-up, not least because her personality and attitude were in opposition to both Ash and Goh. She was the aloof girl trying to find her own way against the two hyper boys going full steam ahead towards their goals, but at no point did they ever collide. They gradually warmed Chloe up to the idea of Pokemon and travelling, giving her this strong two-parter with Dawn to emphasise her need to try new things, but there was no follow up. A character who was all about exploring many possibilities, didn't do any actual exploring. The final episodes really summed it all up: while Ash and Goh are off riding around on Lugia, Chloe's left behind, by herself. Good job. Then there's Team Rocket... the poor guys. Bereft of any real purpose or direction, left with a dwindling number of appearances, and not even given their own Pokemon for much of the show. Journeys had some genuinely good, entertaining episodes that I'll probably rewatch, but as a whole package it never quiet managed to do what it set out to. As a celebration of the Pokemon anime, and a send-off for Ash and Pikachu, it did well bringing back a lot of characters we didn't think would ever return, but didn't quite go far enough. As its own original story, it put all its eggs into Goh's basket, neglecting to develop any other characters on its already small cast. It's legacy as Ash's last show will give it a frostier reception than it probably deserves, but it undeniably fell short in a lot of areas.  

Galar Adventurer

That's the way it is.

• Art style is the best it's been in a long time, being able to keep some of the loose nature of SM while still staying more visually appealing
• Being more liberal with things such as Ash's team or having Goh catch every starter this time around
• The ease of seeing other regions throughout the series is nice and opened up opportunities for them to showcase a lot of the world
• Continuity being used in a meaningful way to develop characters (Serena, the reserves/Paul, the Alolan episodes) as well as give proper closure to the past characters
• Lots of strong heartfelt episodes
• Having a general base allowed for more grounded slice-of-life episodes
• Ash as a character is fun to watch in Journeys
• Galar gets shafted HARD. Only half of the gym leaders in SS got to make a debut and too many of the Galarian Pokémon either got dealt very brief cameos (Flapple, Cursola, Orbeetle, Obstagoon) or just.. did not show up period. It's a shame because I think this gen has one of the more interesting lineups
• No female main character is disappointing and I think the series definitely could've benefitted from a third character to bounce off of. Chloe should've been prominent from the start instead of the awkward in-between of a protagonist and a side character we ended up with
• Neither Goh nor Chloe's arc really ends up being that compelling for me throughout the series
• Development for Ash's team is too sparse across the series and it's crazy to think Sirfetch'd ended up with the best out of all of them
• Many Pokémon prominent early on in the series end up falling off. What was the point of Mr. Mime going to the lab if it only got used in a battle once?
• Outside of Cinderace, the rest of Goh's starters also end up being underutilized
• Ash does not face any conflicts outside of JN036 which was handled poorly
• TR do not get enough to do outside of catching Pikachu in this series, and the one niche they did have ends up coming near the tail end of the series. Also a shame they were not allowed bonding episodes w/ their own Pokémon this time around

Piplup Simp

• Dec 17, 2022

There is one major pro and one major con to Journeys being Ash's last series. The pro is that we finally get a new protagonist after Ash which would be a breath of fresh air for many people. The con is that Ash, the first protagonist's journey will ultimately end on a very mediocre note. That's really the best way I can describe Journeys, medicore. It has some genuinely good or even great moments and episodes, but the series is brought down hard by so many problems from its pacing to the underdeveloped pokemon to having one of the most disappointing final seasons in the anime's history IMO to the point it almost rivals BW's terrible finale, this series really felt like it had no idea what it wanted to be. It tries to be an episodic comedy that SM was but it also tried to have a set narrative that gens 1-6 had, and it just results in the series having a very clear lack of direction and structure. Journeys spent most of its time meandering around with no direction whatsoever to the point I'd say it's pacing is worse than DP and Jotho's, the team is underdeveloped with Lucario being the only fleshed out member of the group, and Chloe is my least favorite companion in the whole show for how much of an afterthought she felt like in most of the series. Seriously, it felt like you could remove her Eevee storyline and almost nothing about the series' general story would change at all. These problems would've been fine if Ash was going to continue into the next series anyway, but as we all know that is not happening, so now we are supposed to look at Journeys as the grand finale to Ash's Journey, and honestly? Ash's Journey felt like it ended on a mediocre note. Sure, Ash vs Leon was great, but one battle that was only four episodes long can not save an entire series. There is so much more that I want to get into but I'll save those feelings for another day. Anyways Journeys is mediocre af and is weaker than BW IMO (I thought BW was OK, far from the best series but not as bad as people made it out to be) and let's hope that the Gen 9 anime will be better (I don't want to call it the "Pokemon 2023 Anime" or something like that though).  

Gengarzilla

"what do you mean, my gengarite is contraband".

I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I say this is by far my most despised series of the anime. I think I'd rather revisit all the worst moments of Best Wishes a hundred times over than ever watch any Journeys episode again. because inexplicably overpowered Ash is just as insulting, if not more so, than inexplicably stupid Ash. It ain't a case of "weak is bad, strong is good", this was a very delicate balancing act between two extremes and here they went way too far on the  other end for my liking.  

Super Moderator

To be fair, I don't think people had much of an issue with Ash losing Leagues until the Sinnoh League. As contrived as some of those defeats were, I don't know if forcing Ash to lose is worse than making him extremely powerful. It's hard to sell this as the cumulative of Ash's skill over the course of the various series when his team is largely underdeveloped and he has little struggle in a world wide tournament.  

Prepare for over-used stock animation!

I think the very first episode of this series was a perfect preview of what was to come: An episode that showed us something we had never seen before but was something a lot of people were excited to see- Pikachu's backstory. What was he up to before he became Satoshi's partner? We went in expecting a cool backstory and instead got an incredibly lame, boring episode about a Pichu bonding with a random Garura. No reason given why he didn't like being in a Poke Ball, we didn't see him being captured by Okido, very little backstory to Satoshi, nothing from the Rockets...a complete missed opportunity. And that's what this series was- a collection of missed opportunities. I've said it many times before, on paper this series was the perfect sendoff for Satoshi. Instead of competing in a region's gym quest and league, he travels around the world competing in a world championship. He reunites with familiar faces, we get closure to some older storylines, and it culminates with him winning the championship. But oh boy, it managed to take that premise and make it utterly, utterly disappointing. I remember the first year or so of this series and how we were outright trolled by the PR team of this show. Naming an episode Fushigisou, Isn't it Mysterious? but then making it have nothing to do with Satoshi's old Pokemon. Having an episode take place in Sinnoh featuring a Pochama and a Gureggru, but having it be a random competition and the Pokemon are owned by two COTDs. Having the "Battle Frontier" be a random tournament with no connection to the arc that lasted over a year. It really felt like we were constantly being shown what could have been, but then blamed for getting our hopes up. Eventually they stopped doing these fake-outs and gave us proper continuity, but even then a lot of it was pretty hollow. I think the episodic formula did not help either- it made it harder to tell more meaningful stories when they mostly had to be completely wrapped up in 20 minutes. I didn't hate Gou like a lot of people did, but I thought his whole schtick of catching every Pokemon he sees did not fit this show or its world-building. The idea of catching hundreds of Pokemon works in a mobile game where you don't really interact with the creatures very much, but in a show that is built around portraying Pokemon as living, breathing animals and their relationships to humans, having a main character just catch dozens of them randomly, only to throw them in an enclosure and barely interact with them, is a bit ehhh. Especially when it wasn't ever really used as a source of tension. I would have loved for this difference to be a source of conflict between Satoshi and Gou, but this show hasn't been allowed to have interesting dynamics between the main cast since 2013. The Rocket trio's showing in this series was also pretty abysmal. I still think their Best Wishes selves were much worse, but they didn't give us much to enjoy here. They barely appeared, and when they did they used that dumb Gachat machine after reciting their stock animation motto with their generic theme music. The art style in this series, when the animation director knew what they were doing, was honestly great. It took the bounciness and expressiveness from Sun&Moon and refined it a bit, adding in some of the detail that was lost. I've made it no secret I was not a fan of how the Rocket trio looked this series, especially after seeing how much nicer Yamato and Kosaburo looked when they reappeared. The new music done by Yuki Hayashi was a big mixed bag- most of the pieces were fine but didn't really fit the show. I'm glad they eventually started adding back in the older Miyazaki stuff, but that just made the new stuff sound even worse by comparison. This series had some nice moments and I loved the climax of the Masters 8, but it does not make up for three years of mediocrity. If I had to rate each series, keeping in mind I've not seen all of them in recent memory and my tastes change pretty frequently: OS > SM > DP > XY > AG > BW > JN  

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Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Pokémon Journeys: The Series (Japanese: ポケットモンスター Pocket Monsters ) is the seventh series of the Pokémon anime . This anime series is based on the events of all the core series games , including the Generation VIII games Pokémon Sword and Shield . It follows Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon and was succeeded by Pokémon Horizons: The Series . It premiered between November 17, 2019 and March 24, 2023 in Japan (although the first episode had a special screening two days earlier) and between June 12, 2020 and September 8, 2023 in the United States .

The series features "double protagonists" Ash Ketchum and Goh , along with their respective partners Pikachu and Cinderace . Similar to Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon , Ash is based in a single location, alongside Goh, and together they travel around the world , specifically all regions that have appeared in the core series (from Kanto to Galar ), and meet Pokémon living in each region while pursuing their respective goals. Ash continues his pursuit of becoming a Pokémon Master by entering the World Coronation Series , with the hopes of one day having an official match with the reigning Monarch, Leon . Goh, having had a fateful encounter with Mew when he was six, dreams of one day catching the Mythical Pokémon , and is currently filling his Pokédex and participating in the Project Mew research project in the hopes that they will get him closer to his dream. The series also features as supporting characters a young girl named Chloe , and her father Professor Cerise , who runs the Cerise Laboratory in Vermilion City .

As with the previous three series of the anime, this series introduces a new art style. For instance, Ash's eyes (both the irises and the overall eyes) are drawn larger, and Team Rocket 's eyes are drawn sharper than in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon . Overall, the characters are drawn more similarly based on Ken Sugimori's more recent character art. Characters are also consistently drawn with fingernails, like in Pokémon the Series: XY .

Pokémon Journeys: The Series features the return of many characters that have appeared over the course of the anime, from main characters (like Brock , Iris , and Dawn , for example) to recurring characters (like Gary Oak , Korrina , and Paul , among others), far more than any of the previous series. In addition to this, Pokémon Journeys: The Series concludes several storylines created over the years within the anime, such as the story of Mohn , Butch and Cassidy 's rivalry with Jessie and James , and Ash's story with Cynthia .

Pokémon Journeys: The Series is the first anime series to feature episodes split into two different story segments, something that started in Splash, Dash, and Smash for the Crown! / Slowking's Crowning! and continued with Pikachu Translation Check... / Up to Your Neck! and A Rollicking Roll… / Eyes on the Goal! . These episodes have a more comical and "loose" plot from the main anime story. This is also the first anime series to have special episodes released directly for streaming, with a four-part arc related to Pokémon Legends: Arceus , titled Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles , released directly on Japan's Prime Video service. [1]

After airing the first 136 episodes of Pokémon Journeys: The Series in Japan, on December 16, 2022, an eleven-episode miniseries focused on Ash and Pikachu which takes place after the events of those episodes called (Japanese: ポケットモンスター めざせポケモンマスター Pocket Monsters: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master ) was announced worldwide. [2] In the dub, this miniseries was combined with the special episode Distant Blue Sky! to form the final batch of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series , titled Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master .

Episodes in Pokémon Journeys: The Series are numbered with the prefix JN on Bulbapedia . For a complete episode listing, see the list of Pokémon Journeys: The Series episodes .

• 2 Japanese seasons
• 3 Dub seasons
• 5.1 Japanese DVD releases
• 6.1 Posters
• 6.2.1 Protagonists
• 6.2.2 Antagonists
• 6.2.3.1 Masters Eight
• 6.2.4 Supporting characters
• 9 In other languages
• 10 External links
• 11 References

Pokémon Trainer Ash Ketchum has a new plan: see the world! But first, he and his partner Pikachu are headed to the opening of the Cerise Laboratory, a research facility dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of Pokémon in every region. Ash meets Goh, another boy with boundless curiosity about Pokémon, and both are overjoyed when Professor Cerise asks them to become official research fellows. With Ash as determined as ever to become a Pokémon Master, and Goh aiming to catch one of every Pokémon (including the Mythical Mew), our heroes are in for adventure and excitement as they explore the wide world of Pokémon!

Japanese seasons

Pokémon Journeys: The Series has been divided into multiple parts in the Japanese release:

• Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター) ( JN001 - JN136 )
• Pocket Monsters: Arceus, the One Called God (ポケットモンスター 神とよばれし アルセウス) ( JNS01 - JNS04 )
• Pocket Monsters: The Distant Blue Sky (ポケットモンスター 遥かなる青い空) ( JNS05 )
• Pocket Monsters: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master (ポケットモンスター めざせポケモンマスター) ( JN137 - JN147 )

Pocket Monsters logo

Pocket Monsters: Arceus, the One Called God logo

Pocket Monsters: The Distant Blue Sky logo

Pocket Monsters: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master logo

Dub seasons

When Pokémon Journeys: The Series came to be dubbed into English and other languages, it was divided into three seasons:

• Pokémon Journeys: The Series ( JN001 - JN048 )
• Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series ( JN049 - JN090 )
• Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master ( JN137 - JN147 , JNS05 )

Pokémon Journeys: The Series logo

Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series logo

Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series logo

Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master logo

• Secrets of the Jungle

Home video releases

Japanese dvd releases.

• List of Japanese language new series home video releases

First Japanese poster

First Japanese main artwork

Second Japanese main artwork

Third Japanese main artwork

Second Japanese poster

Third Japanese poster

Fourth Japanese poster

Fifth Japanese poster

Sixth Japanese poster

Seventh Japanese poster

Eighth Japanese poster

Ninth Japanese poster

Tenth Japanese poster

Pocket Monsters: The Distant Blue Sky Japanese poster

Pocket Monsters: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master Japanese poster

Golden Fridays poster

English poster for Pokémon Journeys: The Series

English poster for Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series

English poster for Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series

English poster for Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master

English poster for Distant Blue Sky!

Protagonists

Antagonists

Masters Eight

Supporting characters

Professor Oak

Professor Cerise

• The Japanese name for this series retains its original title : Pocket Monsters .
• This also makes it the first series logo to not be colored in any shade of green, being completely blue instead. It is also the first one without any 3D perspective, having a flat 2D design.
• Netflix provides an epilepsy warning at the beginning of each episode after the TV rating chyron, thus marking the second time that the warning has been used outside of Japan, the first time being Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution .
• To be dubbed by Iyuno (formerly known as Iyuno Media Group) and Goldcrest Post.
• To be set in more than two game-original regions .
• Since the original series to be put on an extended hiatus; in this case, it was brought on by a production shutdown due to concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic .
• Since the original series to not have the names of the generation's first core series games in its title.
• Since the original series where Ash travels with more than one main group of traveling companions, with Goh being swapped out for Misty and Brock during the Aim to Be a Pokémon Master arc.
• Since Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire where Ash's outfit is not directly influenced by the male player character's outfit for the concurrent generation .
• This is also the only series where Ash participates in multiple Full Battles without losing any of them.
• Since Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl where Ash recalls any of the Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory to his party .
• Since Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl where Ash travels with traveling companions from previous series.
• Since Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl where Team Rocket uses Pokémon they had caught in previous series aside from Wobbuffet .
• Since Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl to feature regular broadcasting clip shows .
• Since Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl to feature more than three English opening themes .
• Since Pokémon the Series: Black & White where Pokémon have rejoined Ash's regular rotation after leaving it in a prior series.
• However, this message was removed in the English dub.
• Since Pokémon the Series: Black & White to feature a generic eyecatch rather than a guessing segment.
• In which a main character other than Ash catches all first partner Pokémon of the current generation.
• In which the concurrent generation in the anime concludes after the release of the following generation's initial games.
• It is also the first series to feature main series episodes where Ash and Pikachu are completely absent.
• To feature a movie that is released outside of July. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In which a main character catches a Legendary Pokémon .
• In which two protagonists catch the same Pokémon; with Ash and Goh each catching a Farfetch'd , though Goh catches the Kantonian form, while Ash catches the Galarian form.
• In which a main character owns both a Pokémon's regular form and its regional form.
• To have a Japanese opening theme with more than two different versions.
• In which Pokémon Eggs are given generic designs, contradicting their designs from previous series.
• In which the concurrent generation's regional Professor does not debut in the first two episodes.
• In which the Who's That Pokémon? segments from the original Japanese version are retained in the dub.
• In which the "To Be Continued" text is removed in the dub; it is only maintained in the official YouTube upload of the first episode , but was retained on This Could be the Start of Something Big! .
• In which an event-only location in the games is visited by the protagonists.
• The first Pokémon Ash caught was not introduced in the current generation and was a pseudo-legendary Pokémon .
• Ash catches a Ghost-type , baby , regional form , and Fossil Pokémon.
• Ash does not acquire any Fire-type Pokémon.
• Ash has Mega Evolved one of his Pokémon.
• Ash does not have a new female traveling companion.
• Ash does not have a new traveling companion that originates from the games.
• One of Ash's friends catches a Pokémon before Ash does.
• One of Ash's male traveling companions owns a Pokédex .
• Ash doesn't catch any concurrent first partner Pokémon.
• Ash does not participate in a Pokémon League .
• Ash's journey does not tie in with the journey from the games.
• Jessie doesn't catch any Pokémon.
• Team Rocket owns a Pokédex.
• Ash reunites with his traveling companions from more than one previous series.
• Released Pokémon of Ash's appear outside of the series they were released in.
• A released Pokémon re-joins Ash's ownership permanently.
• Previous rivals of Ash besides Gary make appearances outside of the series they were introduced in.
• Ash defeats an Elite Four member or a Champion .
• This is the only series featuring eyecatches where the eyecatches remain the same throughout without any variations.
• The first Japanese ending theme of this series was used for 70 episodes, longer than any other Japanese ending.

• Additionally, Ash obtains more Pokémon species that debuted in previous generations than he did from Generation VIII .
• This series features the most of Ash's former traveling companions from previous series out of any series, with all the previous companions making a physical appearance.
• This series also contains the least amount of endings introduced in a single series, with only two.
• This is also the only series where the number of Pokémon movies is not equal to the number of seasons of the series.
• It also has the shortest gap between clip shows, with only two weeks between JN119 and JN121 .
• The last 12 episodes of this series were released in the United States on the 25th anniversary of the original airing of the anime's first episode .
• With the end of Ash's saga in the Pokémon anime, the official Pokémon page on Twitter revealed an art containing the beginning of Ash's journey and his last scene in The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master! signed by Kunihiko Yuyama . [3] The tweet was later retweeted by Sarah Natochenny herself. [4] [5]
• On October 6, 2023, the official Pokémon YouTube channel released a video called A Timeless Journey that recalls some of the moments of Ash and his friends ' journey.

• On November 7, 2023 (approximately a year after Partners in Time! aired in Japan), they released a compilation of Ash's first battles and the climax of the battle against Leon in the aforementioned episode, and Ash's first and last interactions with Misty , Brock , Gary , and the Squirtle Squad .

In other languages

Pocket Monsters: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master

External links

• Official site (Japanese)
• ↑ https://www.pokemon.co.jp/info/2022/01/220114_a01.html
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_VMGv2kKEI&t=7
• ↑ https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1707138046200586390
• ↑ https://twitter.com/sarahnatochenny/status/1707447793604784324
• Articles with accompanying video
• Anime series

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