Paul: Difference between revisions

This article is about the character from the Diamond & Pearl series. For the English voice actor credited as Ed Paul, see Ted Lewis.

Paul (Japanese: シンジ Shinji) is a rival of Ash in the anime. He is from Veilstone City in Sinnoh. He was first seen at the end of Two Degrees of Separation, though his full introduction was in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!. He is Ash's first and main Diamond & Pearl series rival, though he ended his rivalry with him after his loss to him in DP188.

History

Template:Spoiler At the beginning it was assumed that Paul was a trainer just starting out. However this was proven false in Top-Down Training where he revealed that he had already traveled through Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, participating in their respective Leagues but didn't win anything before returning to Sinnoh. In A Pyramiding Rage!, it was revealed that Kanto was the very first region he traveled through.

A Pyramiding Rage! was an important episode that revealed much about Paul's motivation as a Pokémon trainer and more about his character. When Reggie was a roaming Pokémon trainer, he had lost to Brandon. Reggie's loss to Brandon is what caused Paul to be so adamant about strength in battle. This single loss is also what caused Paul to become the callous person he was, and that was because of how his brother handled the loss. Instead of bearing the shame of his loss to Brandon, Reggie moved on with his life and put the loss behind him. Paul found this to be unacceptable, and he became disappointed of his brother. He challenged Brandon to a full battle in hopes that he would be able to do what his brother never could. However, Paul lost to Brandon without being able to knock out any of Brandon's Pokémon. Brandon says that this loss was because Paul was unable to control his emotions.

Following Reggie's suggestion in A Pyramiding Rage!, Paul battled Ash in a full battle in Pedal to the Mettle! and Evolving Strategies!. Here, he shows his true colors in battle and, despite Ash's Chimchar evolving into Monferno and three of Ash's Pokémon using the Counter Shield strategy, Paul won the match easily with only at a loss of two Pokémon overall, where one defeated half of Ash's team nearly single-handedly. He had his Pokémon use a broad variety of strategies, which he kept up his sleeve until this battle, such as tempting Ash to send his Staraptor up against his Torterra so he could attack it with Stone Edge, Electabuzz using Light Screen to aid its comrades, using his Ursaring against Ash's Pikachu so as to activate its Guts ability, and his Magmortar using Rock Tomb to protect itself against Water-type attacks. As a result, his strategy of completely overwhelming and outsmarting Ash with his more powerful Pokémon team succeeded.

Paul and Ash

In Double-Time Battle Training!, it was revealed that Paul had earned the Mine Badge from Canalave Gym and, by doing so, had collected the eight badges he required to enter the Sinnoh League.

Paul reappeared in Fighting Ire with Fire!, encountering Ash for the first time since their full battle. He also met his admirer Barry for the first time; however, Paul wasn't impressed by him and refused his offer for a battle, suggesting he battle Ash instead. He later watched the battle between Ash's Monferno and Barry's Empoleon and when Pikachu, Piplup and Empoleon were nearly crushed by one of Team Rocket's damaged mechas, he saved the three with the help of his Electabuzz. He then witnessed Monferno evolving into Infernape, who then saved Electabuzz and the other Pokémon from getting crushed. Paul was impressed by Infernape, and gained a little respect for Ash at how well he had raised it. When asked by Ash if they could have another full battle, Paul confirmed they would in the Sinnoh League, and that Reggie was looking forward to seeing it.

In An Old Family Blend!, he was shown in the stadium along with all the other competitors. In League Unleashed!, he passed the preliminary round. In Casting a Paul on Barry!, with his superior tactics and the superior power of his Pokémon, he defeated Barry in the third round. His next battle was against his rival Ash in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, continuing into DP187 and DP188. After a fierce battle, Paul was finally defeated, and he and Ash parted on good terms, Ash having earned Paul's respect. It also seems Paul may have decided to change somewhat, as when Electivire is defeated, he thanks it for a job well done, something that, up until that point, Paul never did, even if his Pokémon won. Afterwards, Paul states that his next intention is to return to Snowpoint City and re-challenge Brandon. He briefly appears in DP189, seeing Ash lose to Takuto.

Personality and training

Paul's only concern in his Pokémon is of their strength in battle. He strongly dislikes weak Pokémon and has a habit of releasing them if they do not meet his high expectations. To this effect, Paul always checks new captures with his Pokédex to learn what moves they know and trains the Pokémon he keeps harshly to make them strong. He feels that bonding with Pokémon would only turn them into slackers. He also has a habit of scolding his Pokémon for losing to opponents he feels they could have beaten, and this was a recurring trait when he owned Chimchar. As a person, he is very callous and even at times brutal, especially in battle; and as a result, he has been shown to have very little emotion other than an occasional rough smile.

Reggie and Paul

Sometimes, he gives some of his Pokémon to his brother, Reggie, for temporary training and caretaking, as revealed in Lost Leader Strategy!. Paul also disagrees with his brother for giving up on being a Pokémon Trainer after failing to get the Brave Symbol. He feels his brother's approach and view on this to be wrong. Reggie cares about his brother, but has no illusions about Paul's character. He openly admits that Paul has always had a cruel streak.

Paul feels that Ash is a weak trainer and can easily bring on Ash's anger by stating it. Ash's very different attitude towards being friends with Pokémon also provides much fuel to their rivalry. Out of all the rivals that Ash has, Paul seems to be the most harsh towards him and his Pokémon. Despite that, Paul barely recognizes their rivalry and Ash as a trainer and ignores Ash's speeches about loving his Pokémon. Ash on the other hand has a hatred of Paul that flares up at Paul's indifference to his Pokémon. However Ash accepts that Paul is a strong trainer but considers himself on the same par as him. Paul's only hint of respect for Ash was in A Pyramiding Rage! when he was very surprised to hear that Ash had beaten Brandon in a Pokémon battle before.

Although Paul finds most of Ash's Pokémon weak, he has shown a particular interest in his Pikachu, as shown in A Gruff Act To Follow, after Pikachu used Thundershock on Roark's Cranidos. Paul is also angered by how Ash contradicts himself by criticizing Paul's training methods and then uses similar ones, such as entering the Wallace Cup, despite Ash's motivations being clearly different than Paul's.

Paul appears to feel indifference to Dawn, showing that he didn't even know her name in A Gruff Act to Follow. Paul shows mild respect as well as distaste towards Brock, probably because Brock supports Ash's view on Pokémon. Paul does show respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, Cynthia, Nurse Joy and Brandon .

Pokémon

As a result of Paul's selective team creation, his active team is composed of Pokémon that he deems to be powerful. While the captures of Ursaring and Gliscor were shown in Different Strokes for Different Blokes and Riding the Winds of Change! respectively, the rest were obtained off-screen.

This listing is of Paul's Pokémon as of the most recent Japanese episode and the ones used for the last full battle against Ash:

On hand

		Electivire
		Main article: Paul's Electivire Electivire was the first of Paul's revealed Pokémon. Paul used it as an Elekid during his first appearance in When Pokémon Worlds Collide! in a battle against Ash and his Pikachu. In Smells Like Team Spirit!, Elekid evolved into Electabuzz during a tag battle where it was fighting alongside Ash's Chimchar. It reappeared as an Electivire in Casting a Paul on Barry!, having evolved off screen at a prior point. It was used by Paul to battle Barry and Ash in his league matches.
Debut	When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Kenta Miyake

		Aggron
		Paul's Aggron first appeared as a Lairon in A Pyramiding Rage!, where it fought against Brandon's Regice and lost in a matter of seconds. In Familiarity Breeds Strategy! it was shown that Lairon had evolved into an Aggron and battled against Ash's Pikachu in the Lily of the Valley Conference. It managed to give Pikachu problems, but was eventually defeated by Ash's Infernape. Aggron's known moves are Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Metal Sound, Flash Cannon and Double-Edge, and its ability is Rock Head.
Debut	A Pyramiding Rage!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Billy Beach

		Gastrodon
		Paul's Gastrodon first made its appearance in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!. It battled against Ash's Staraptor where it proved to be a tough opponent, even using Muddy Water as a Counter Shield. However, it was beaten by Ash's Buizel after Ash recalled Staraptor. Gastrodon's known moves are Muddy Water, Body Slam, Water Pulse and Ice Beam, and its ability is Sticky Hold.
Debut	Familiarity Breeds Strategy!

		Drapion
		Main article: Paul's Drapion Paul's Drapion first made its appearance in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, where it battled against Ash's Buizel. It was able to grab Buizel when it tried to attack Drapion from behind. In the next episode, it fought fiercely and defeated three of his Pokémon. In DP188, it was finally beaten after being burned by Gliscor's Fire Fang.
Debut	Familiarity Breeds Strategy!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka

		Ninjask
		Paul's Ninjask was caught shortly before Paul met Ash, as shown in a flashback in Glory Blaze!. In DP187, it was revealed that Paul still had Ninjask, and Paul chose it to battle against Ash's Gliscor. It fought hard against Gliscor but was eventually defeated after a hard battle with Infernape. Ninjask's known moves are Agility, Fury Cutter and Giga Drain, and its ability is Speed Boost.
Debut	Glory Blaze!
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Billy Beach

		Froslass ♀
		Paul's Froslass was used by Paul in his second full battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference where she went up against Ash's Pikachu. Using Hail, Froslass able to both cause damage to Pikachu, restrict his Thunderbolt and allow herself to hide. Eventually, Pikachu was able to get the upper hand and defeated Froslass with Iron Tail and Volt Tackle. Froslass's known moves are Hail, Ice Shard and Ice Beam, and her ability is Snow Cloak.
Debut	DP187
Voice actors
Japanese	Satsuki Yukino

With Reggie

In Veilstone City, Reggie told Ash that Paul's "other Pokémon are here too" which may include his reserves. In Glory Blaze!, Paul mentions that he wanted Chimchar to become the most powerful out of all his Template:Type2 Pokémon. This could mean he has other Template:Type2 Pokémon besides Magmortar.

		Torterra
		Main article: Paul's Torterra Torterra is Paul's strongest Pokémon and his starter as well. It made its first appearance in Top-Down Training! where it was used in a battle against Cynthia's Garchomp. Torterra helped Ash's Grotle cope with its lack of speed after evolution.
Debut	Top-Down Training!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Billy Beach

		Ursaring
		Main article: Paul's Ursaring Paul caught Ursaring in Different Strokes for Different Blokes with the help of his Chimchar. Ursaring was seen several times since, often battling with Chimchar.
Debut	Different Strokes for Different Blokes
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Unshō Ishizuka

		Honchkrow
		Main article: Paul's Honchkrow Honchkrow's first official appearance was in Top-Down Training!, as a Murkrow, where Paul used it in battle against Cynthia's Garchomp. It evolved off-screen between Riding the Winds of Change! and Lost Leader Strategy!.
Debut	Top-Down Training!
Voice actors
Japanese	Shin'ichirō Miki
English	Bill Rogers

		Weavile
		Weavile made its first appearance in Top-Down Training!. It was used in a battle against Cynthia's Garchomp. Despite having a type-advantage, Weavile lost easily to Garchomp. It was also revealed in this episode that Paul caught Weavile while journeying through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. It was not seen again until Riding the Winds of Change! where Paul used it and Electabuzz to capture Gliscor, and again until Aiding the Enemy, where it was seen training with Torterra. It appeared again in Pedal to the Mettle!, where it was one of the battlers in Ash and Paul's full battle. It lost to Ash's Staraptor, despite the type-advantage. It appeared again in DP188 at Reggie's house, along with Paul's Torterra, Ursaring and Honchkrow, they were all unhappy to find out Paul had lost. Weavile's known moves are Blizzard, Ice Beam, Ice Shard, Swords Dance and Metal Claw.
Debut	Top-Down Training!
Voice actors
Japanese	Chinami Nishimura
English	Bill Rogers

		Magmortar
		Main article: Paul's Magmortar Paul chose Magmortar to replace his Chimchar after he released it. It first debuted in Lost Leader Strategy! as a Magmar where it appeared in a flashback. It made its first real appearance in Aiding the Enemy!, sleeping with Paul's other Pokémon. Magmar's evolution was revealed in Pedal to the Mettle! when Paul chose Magmortar to battle Ash's Pikachu.
Debut	Lost Leader Strategy!
Voice actors
Japanese	Yuji Ueda
English	Bill Rogers

		Gliscor
		Main article: Paul's Gliscor Gliscor was accidentally blown into a city from a forest by strong winds, and was soon terrorizing the town with a flock of Gligar it had drawn to the city until it was captured by Paul in Riding the Winds of Change!. Gliscor's next appearance was in Chim - Charred! where it easily defeated Ash's Gligar. It then made a brief cameo in Aiding the Enemy and has not been seen since, even in DP188, when several of Paul's Pokémon under Reggie's care appeared.
Debut	Riding the Winds of Change!
Voice actors
Japanese	Yuji Ueda
English	Marc Thompson

		Hariyama
		Paul's Hariyama has only appeared in A Pyramiding Rage!. It fought against Brandon's Regirock and lost to a Focus Punch. Hariyama's known moves are Arm Thrust and Force Palm.
Debut	A Pyramiding Rage!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Bill Rogers

		Nidoking ♂
		Paul's Nidoking has only appeared in A Pyramiding Rage!. He fought against Brandon's Registeel. Despite managing to hit Registeel directly with all of his attacks, the Drill Pokémon didn't manage to cause much damage to the Iron Pokémon and was defeated with an Iron Head. Nidoking's known moves are Earth Power, Double Kick and Thunderbolt.
Debut	A Pyramiding Rage!
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi
English	Katsuyuki Konishi

Released

It is implied that Paul has caught and released many more Pokémon than has been shown on-screen.

		Starly (x2)
		Paul caught three Starly in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!. Two of them were released as soon as he checked them on his Pokédex. Their known moves were Tackle and Sand-Attack.
Debut	When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kiyotaka Furushima
English	Sarah Natochenny

		Starly
		Paul caught three Starly in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!. Two of them were released as soon as he checked them on his Pokédex. The final Starly was kept due to its knowledge of Aerial Ace and used against Ash's Starly in their first battle. Despite Paul's Starly winning, Paul decided it was not up to his standards and so it was released after the battle. Starly's known moves were Aerial Ace and Double Team.
Debut	When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kiyotaka Furushima
English	Sarah Natochenny

		Stantler
		Paul caught Stantler in Different Strokes for Different Blokes, but released it as soon as he checked it on his Pokédex, due to the fact that its only move was Tackle.
Debut	Different Strokes for Different Blokes
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi
English	Katsuyuki Konishi

Given away

		Azumarill
		Paul caught Azumarill for his battle with Roark in Shapes of Things to Come, attempting to use the type advantage over the Template:Type2 Pokémon. However, Roark's Geodude had little trouble in defeating the Water Pokémon. After such a loss, Paul gave Azumarill away to a little boy during A Gruff Act to Follow. Azumarill's known moves are Hydro Pump and Water Gun.
Debut	Shapes of Things to Come
Voice actors
Japanese	Tomoko Kawakami
English	Kayzie Rogers

Known badges obtained

Sinnoh League

• Coal Badge (Shapes of Things to Come!)
• Cobble Badge (prior to Lost Leader Strategy!)
• Relic Badge (prior to Aiding the Enemy)
• Unknown Badge (prior to Double-Time Battle Training!)
• Unknown Badge (prior to Double-Time Battle Training!)
• Unknown Badge (prior to Double-Time Battle Training!)
• Unknown Badge (prior to Double-Time Battle Training!)
• Mine Badge (prior to Double-Time Battle Training!)

It can be assumed, if not confirmed, that Paul also has at least eight badges each from Kanto, Johto and Hoenn, as he has entered all three of their league conferences.

Pokémon League

Paul has competed in the following Pokémon League competitions:

• Ever Grande Conference (off-screen)
• Indigo League Conference (off-screen)
• Silver Conference (off-screen)
• Lily of the Valley Conference (Top 8)

Pokémon competitions

• Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition (Champion - with Ash) (Smells Like Team Spirit!)
• PokéRinger (Runner-up) (Pursuing a Lofty Goal!)

Voice actors

Trivia

Early artwork

• Paul was first revealed to the fandom through a CoroCoro scan that showed him alongside Ash and Dawn commanding a Chimchar. However, his name and role was not revealed until the following week and so he received the fan name "Nugai" during that time.

Sketch of Silver

• Paul seems to have been heavily based on the game rival Silver.
  • Regarding personality, they both are rather cold towards not only the people around them, but also to their Pokémon. Both have been reprimanded by the Champion in their respective regions (Lance and Cynthia) for it, after challenging them and being quickly defeated.
  • Paul has similar taste in Pokémon to the Silver portrayed in Pokémon Adventures. Both have an Ursaring, a Honchkrow and a Weavile. Furthermore, when Silver had a cameo in the original Japanese opening of The Legend of Thunder!, he was seen with a Nidoking, another Pokémon that Paul has.
  • Another interesting similarity is that the pose used in Paul's stock art is the same as the pose in a picture of Silver drawn by Ken Sugimori, right down to the angle and position of the hands and feet. Also, concept art of Paul has shown an early design where he had heavy pants and boots similar to Silver's.
• Some of Paul's Pokémon are based off Pokémon owned by other rivals of Ash and his friends. There are also some traits he shares with Ash's main rival, Gary:
  • Paul's Torterra is similar to Gary's Blastoise, as in that they are turtle-based starter Pokémon.
  • Both trainers own an Electivire.
  • Gary's Magmar is in the same evolution family as Paul's Magmortar.
  • Both trainers own a Nidoking.
  • Paul often acts rudely to Ash, much like Gary did until the end of the Johto saga.
• Three of Ash's Pokémon have evolved while battling against Paul: Turtwig into Grotle, Staravia into Staraptor, and Chimchar into Monferno.
  • In addition, Monferno evolved again into Infernape in Paul's presence. Interestingly, Chimchar was originally Paul's but was released.
  • Turtwig and Staravia both evolved while battling Paul's Honchkrow.
• Paul is the first regular rival seen capturing a Pokémon on screen.
• Paul has been known to have conflicting views on his own training strategies. In one battle he claims the Trainer is at fault for all losses, yet whenever one of Paul's Pokémon has lost, Paul blames them.
• Paul has been defeated very easily twice in the series by two powerful Trainers: Cynthia and Brandon.
  • In Top-Down Training!, Paul loses to Cynthia, without knocking out any of her Pokémon, hardly damaging her Garchomp, and ultimately giving up after using four of the six Pokémon in his party.
  • In A Pyramiding Rage!, Paul loses to Brandon, hardly injuring his Regirock, Registeel, and Regice, all six of his Pokémon being defeated in the process.
  • Both of these Trainers spoke to him after their victory; Cynthia told Paul to raise his Pokémon with love and respect, and Brandon told him that he lost because he can't control his emotions.
• Paul has been defeated onscreen three times, and each time three of his Pokémon debuted. (Torterra, Weavile, and Murkrow for Cynthia; Nidoking, Lairon, and Hariyama for Brandon; and Froslass, Drapion, and Gastrodon for Ash.)
  • Each of these battles were Full battles.
• Paul shares his Japanese name with that of Lake Verity.
• Paul has used a Pokémon of every Elemental type except for the Template:Type2 and the Template:Type2.

Names

External links

• Shinji's Profile on Pokeani (Japanese)
• Shinji's Pokémon on Pokeani (Japanese)

Paul's Pokémon
On hand:	Electivire	Gyarados	Garchomp	Metagross
At home:	Ursaring	Weavile	Honchkrow	Torterra	Ninjask	Gliscor
	Magmortar	Hariyama	Nidoking	Aggron	Gastrodon	Drapion
	Froslass
Released:	Starly (×3)	Stantler	Chimchar
Given away:	Azumarill

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.