Sketchit - Professors

Professors

Professor Samuel Oak (オーキド博士, Ōkido-hakase?, Professor Okido)

Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka (Japanese), Stuart Zagnit (credited as Stan Hart- 4Kids, English) and Jimmy Zoppi (as Sonny Strait; TPCi, English)

Professor Oak is a Pokémon researcher who was once a competitive Trainer, and is generally considered the best in his field. As such, his role in the Pokémon games and anime is that of a mentor to young Pokémon Trainers, a source of information and an occasional plot device. Amongst other things, he is credited with inventing the Pokédex. He also hands out a Bulbasaur, Charmander, Pikachu, or Squirtle to beginning trainers (depending on which Pokémon the trainer chooses) to start their adventure in the Kanto Region and owns a Pidgey and a Dragonite. Although he is an expert on all matters relating to Pokémon, Professor Oak specializes in Pokémon behavioural science. He appears in Pokémon 4Ever as a child who was pulled into the future by Celebi. Additionally, it is apparent after Pokémon 3: The Movie that he knew Delia Ketchum since she was a child. In the fourth Pokémon movie, Ash meets a boy called Samuel who has been brought to the future by the time-travelling Celebi. At the end of the movie, Sam returns back to his time, with Ash upset to leave his new close friend. It is then revealed that the boy Ash, Misty, and Brock befriended grew up to be Professor Oak, meaning that Professor Oak was best friends with Ash when he was a boy. He also creates poems centered around Pokémon and is known as the rhyming professor by Dawn. He is named after the oak tree in English version of the game, while he is named after the orchid in the original Japanese version.

Professor Felina Ivy (ウチキド博士, Uchikido-hakase?, Professor Uchikido)

Voiced by: Keiko Han (Japanese), Kayzie Rogers (English)

Professor Ivy is the resident Pokémon professor of the Orange Islands, south of the region of Kanto. Professor Ivy is first introduced in the second season of the Pokémon anime. Ash and his friends, Misty and Brock make their way to Valencia Island and meet the Professor. The unusual Pokéball that Professor Ivy discovered is dubbed the GS Ball. It serves as a plot device that leads Ash to the region of Johto. During the second season, Brock decides to stay with Ivy to study Pokémon breeding, but later returns to Ash's group. She also appears in the animated film Pokémon: The Movie 2000. Her English name is a reference to the ivy tree.

Professor Elm (ウツギ博士, Utsugi-hakase?, Professor Utsugi)

Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue (Japanese), Nathan Price (English)

Professor Elm is in charge of giving novice trainers their first Pokémon (Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile) in the video games Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. He was a student of Professor Oak and moved to New Bark Town in the region of Johto where he conducts his research on Pokémon breeding. His English name refers to the elm tree, while his Japanese name refers to Deutzia. Professor Elm dresses quite casually, with a shirt that has a stripe across it slightly covered by his lab coat. He wears khaki slacks and sometimes wears night slippers or moccasins.

He is stereotypically depicted as a professor that has a tendency to be absent-minded, due to his immersion in his work. His forgetfulness was shown in an episode of the Pokémon anime where Team Rocket visit his laboratory, and the professor carelessly assumes them to be Nurse Joy from the Pokémon Center without looking up, and tells them to take the Pokémon, which they do. When the real Joy arrives, Elm discovers that one of his Pokémon, Totodile, has been stolen. With the help of Officer Jenny and the local Police Department, the Pokémon is recovered from Team Rocket. Professor Elm has also been described as the top student of Professor Oak, and seems to have a desire to surpass Professor Oak's accomplishments. He has a Corsola.

Professor Birch (オダマキ博士, Odamaki-hakase?, Professor Odamaki)

Voiced by: Fumihiko Tachiki (Japanese), Dan Green (English)

Professor Birch is considered the "Pokémon Professor" in the Hoenn region. Unlike other Pokémon scientists, he is known for his field work, rather than, in his own words, remaining "cooped up in his lab all day." He is an expert in the field of Pokémon habitual distribution. He is also responsible for giving new Pokémon Trainers one of the three Hoenn starter Pokémon: Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip. These Pokémon are found in Pokémon games Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. His English name refers to the birch tree, while his Japanese name refers to the Columbine flower.

In the anime, Professor Birch appears at the start of the Hoenn Saga. When Ash arrives in the Hoenn region, his Pikachu is ill from an overexposure to magnetism, and needs treatment immediately. Birch himself takes Ash and Pikachu back to his lab. Birch gives May her first Pokémon, a Torchic, a Pokédex, and some Poké Balls. He later appears when Ash, May, Brock, and Max return to Littleroot to help save the Starter Pokémon from Team Rocket, and also helps to solve the mystery of Clamperl's evolutions.

Professor Rowan (ナナカマド博士, Nanakamado-hakase?, Professor Nanakamado)

Voiced by: Iemasa Kayumi (Japanese), Craig Blair (English)

Professor Rowan is the authority on Pokémon in the region of Sinnoh, the setting of the Pokémon video games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and Pokémon Platinum. Professor Rowan's name derives from the rowan tree, continuing the trend of the names of Pokémon professors deriving from the names of trees, while his Japanese name refers to Sorbus commixta, the Japanese Rowan tree.

Rowan's laboratory is located in Sandgem Town, making him the first professor in the Pokémon series not to live in the protagonist's town. He specializing in the research of Pokémon evolution and is considered a senior researcher to Professor Oak, whom he is old friends with. He gives the player a Pokédex, and allows him or her and the rival to keep one of the three Sinnoh Starter Pokémon (Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup) each after they are attacked by Starly while searching for a rare Pokémon, having seen a red Gyarados on TV appearing at Lake Verity (a reference to Pokémon Gold and Silver).

Professor Rowan appears in the first episode of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, "Following a Maiden's Voyage!" He meets Dawn and later gives her Piplup. He owns a Starly and a Staraptor. He runs a Pokémon Summer Academy; he is shown to be serious in nature as is exhibited by breaking up Ash and Angie's constant fights and surprising them when they are late arriving to the Summer Academy.

Professor Aurea Juniper (アララギ博士, Araragi-Hakase?, Professor Araragi)

Voiced by: Naomi Shindō (Japanese), Khristine Hvam (English)

Professor Juniper is the authority on Pokémon in the region of Unova, the setting of the Pokémon video games, Pokémon Black and White. Professor Juniper's name derives from the juniper tree, continuing the trend of the names of Pokémon professors deriving from the names of trees, while her Japanese name derives from a name for the Japanese Yew.

Juniper's laboratory is located in Nuvema Town. In the anime, she is a friend of Professor Oak. As a present, she gives the player and the player's rivals Cheren and Bianca, the Starter Pokémon of Unova: Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott.

Professor Juniper appears in the first episode of Pokémon: Best Wishes! titled "In The Shadow of Zekrom!". She meets Trip and later gives him Snivy and when her Oshawott runs away and follows Ash, she allows Ash to keep the Pokémon.