Norman

This article is about the Gym Leader of Petalburg City. If you were looking for the president of 4Kids Productions, see Norman J. Grossfeld.

Norman センリ Senri
"A man in pursuit of power!"
Art from R/S/E
Gender	Male
Eye color	Navy
Hair color	Navy
Hometown	Petalburg City (born in Johto)
Region	Hoenn (originally Johto)
Relatives	Brendan/May (as player), wife (games) May, Max, Caroline (wife: anime)
Class	Gym Leader
Generation	III
Games	Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
Gym	Petalburg Gym
Type	Normal
Badge	Balance Badge
First episode	There's no Place Like Hoenn
English voice actor	Dan Green
Japanese voice actor	Jūrōta Kosugi

Norman (Japanese: センリ Senri) is the Gym Leader of Petalburg City's Gym, known officially as the Petalburg Gym and the father of the player in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. He is an expert of Normal-type Pokémon, and hands out the Balance Badge to any Trainer who defeats him.

In the games

Norman is also the player character's father in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald no matter which gender is selected. The other gender choice (and therefore the rival) is the son/daughter of Professor Birch.

Although he is the first Gym Leader encountered, he refuses to battle until the player has at least four badges. Once he is beaten, he gives the player the Balance Badge.

Norman and his family are originally from Johto. He, as well as the player, have just moved to Hoenn so that he could take up the position of Gym Leader. People have come to describe him as someone who "lives for Pokémon."

Norman also provides special items scanned in via e-Reader to the player.

Pokémon

This listing is for Norman's Pokémon in the video games in which he has appeared.

Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire

Cutscene

Norman loans this Pokémon to Wally to show him how to catch Pokémon.

None Leader Norman Ruby and Sapphire Route 102

Zigzagoon ♀ Lv.7  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Pickup Moves Tackle Normal -- -- -- -- -- --

Gym battle

3100 Leader Norman Ruby and Sapphire Petalburg Gym

Slaking ♂ Lv.28  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Truant Moves Yawn Normal Faint Attack Dark Slack Off Normal Facade Normal Vigoroth ♂ Lv.30  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Vital Spirit Moves Slash Normal Faint Attack Dark Fury Swipes Normal Facade Normal Slaking ♂ Lv.31  Normal  Held item: Sitrus Berry Ability: Truant Moves Focus Punch Fighting Slack Off Normal Yawn Normal Facade Normal

Pokémon Emerald

Cutscene

Norman loans this Pokémon to Wally to show him how to catch Pokémon.

None Leader Norman Emerald Route 102

Zigzagoon ♀ Lv.7  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Pickup Moves Tackle Normal -- -- -- -- -- --

Gym battles

3100 Leader Norman Emerald Petalburg Gym

Spinda ♂ Lv.27  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Own Tempo Moves Psybeam Psychic Encore Normal Teeter Dance Normal Facade Normal Vigoroth ♂ Lv.27  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Vital Spirit Moves Slash Normal Faint Attack Dark Encore Normal Facade Normal Linoone ♂ Lv.29  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Pickup Moves Slash Normal Belly Drum Normal Headbutt Normal Facade Normal Slaking ♂ Lv.31  Normal  Held item: Sitrus Berry Ability: Truant Moves Yawn Normal Faint Attack Dark Counter Fighting Facade Normal

First Rematch

9000 Leader Norman Emerald Petalburg Gym

Chansey ♀ Lv.42  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Natural Cure Moves Sing Normal Skill Swap Psychic Light Screen Psychic Focus Punch Fighting Slaking ♂ Lv.42  Normal  Held item: Sitrus Berry Ability: Truant Moves Double-Edge Normal Fire Blast Fire Blizzard Ice Shadow Ball Ghost Spinda ♂ Lv.43  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Own Tempo Moves Skill Swap Psychic Hypnosis Psychic Teeter Dance Normal Facade Normal Slaking ♂ Lv.45  Normal  Held item: Sitrus Berry Ability: Truant Moves Double-Edge Normal Flamethrower Fire Thunderbolt Electric Hyper Beam Normal

Second Rematch

10000 Leader Norman Emerald Petalburg Gym

Chansey ♀ Lv.47  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Natural Cure Moves Sing Normal Skill Swap Psychic Light Screen Psychic Focus Punch Fighting Slaking ♂ Lv.47  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Truant Moves Double-Edge Normal Fire Blast Fire Blizzard Ice Shadow Ball Ghost Kangaskhan ♀ Lv.45  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Early Bird Moves Fake Out Normal Reversal Fighting Endure Normal Dizzy Punch Normal Spinda ♂ Lv.48  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Own Tempo Moves Skill Swap Psychic Hypnosis Psychic Teeter Dance Normal Facade Normal Slaking ♂ Lv.50  Normal  Held item: Sitrus Berry Ability: Truant Moves Double-Edge Normal Flamethrower Fire Thunderbolt Electric Hyper Beam Normal

Third Rematch

11000 Leader Norman Emerald Petalburg Gym

Blissey ♀ Lv.52  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Natural Cure Moves Sing Normal Skill Swap Psychic Light Screen Psychic Focus Punch Fighting Slaking ♂ Lv.52  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Truant Moves Double-Edge Normal Fire Blast Fire Blizzard Ice Shadow Ball Ghost Kangaskhan ♀ Lv.50  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Early Bird Moves Fake Out Normal Reversal Fighting Endure Normal Dizzy Punch Normal Spinda ♂ Lv.53  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Own Tempo Moves Skill Swap Psychic Hypnosis Psychic Teeter Dance Normal Facade Normal Slaking ♂ Lv.55  Normal  Held item: Sitrus Berry Ability: Truant Moves Double-Edge Normal Flamethrower Fire Thunderbolt Electric Hyper Beam Normal

Fourth Rematch

12000 Leader Norman Emerald Petalburg Gym

Blissey ♀ Lv.57  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Natural Cure Moves Sing Normal Skill Swap Psychic Protect Normal Focus Punch Fighting Slaking ♂ Lv.57  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Truant Moves Double-Edge Normal Fire Blast Fire Blizzard Ice Shadow Ball Ghost Kangaskhan ♀ Lv.55  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Early Bird Moves Fake Out Normal Reversal Fighting Endure Normal Dizzy Punch Normal Tauros ♂ Lv.57  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Intimidate Moves Take Down Normal Earthquake Ground Protect Normal Fire Blast Fire Spinda ♂ Lv.58  Normal  Held item: None Ability: Own Tempo Moves Skill Swap Psychic Hypnosis Psychic Teeter Dance Normal Facade Normal Slaking ♂ Lv.60  Normal  Held item: Sitrus Berry Ability: Truant Moves Shadow Ball Ghost Flamethrower Fire Thunderbolt Electric Hyper Beam Normal

In the anime

Norman in the anime.

In the anime, he is the father of May and Max, and the husband of Caroline.

Very early in his Hoenn journey, Ash Ketchum arrived with May in Petalburg City in the hope of getting his first gym battle. Ash found the Petalburg Gym and met Max. May stopped him and allowed Ash to meet her parents, Caroline and Norman. Norman turned out be to the real Petalburg City Gym Leader. Norman used his Pokémon, a Vigoroth, to save May's Torchic from Team Rocket.

Norman is a good friend of Professor Birch and was most likely to have been the person to send May to Littleroot Town to get her first Pokémon. As May did not initially like Pokémon, this seems to have created some distance between the two. Before Ash knew that Norman was May's father, he comments that it sounds like she knows the Petalburg Gym Leader pretty well, to which she replies, "No, I just wish I did" and becomes subdued.

The day after that, in Love, Petalburg Style, May and Max tried to figure out why Norman and Caroline are getting all worked up as Ash Ketchum tries to save Norman's three Pokémon from Team Rocket. It all turned out that Norman had Nurse Joy build a firework launcher to make fireworks in a form of a Beautifly in anniversary of their own wedding day.

Ash Ketchum had his gym battle with Norman in Balance of Power. Using his Grovyle, Pikachu, and Torkoal, Ash defeated Norman's Pokémon, much to Max's dismay. Max stole the Balance Badge and locked himself up in Norman's greenhouse. Norman was able to get Max under control and Max gave Ash his Balance Badge.

Pokémon

This listing is of Norman's Pokémon in the Pokémon anime.

Slaking

Slakoth

Vigoroth

Voice actors

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Norman in Pokémon Adventures

	Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

In Pokémon Adventures, Norman is the father of Ruby, and his wife is nameless. He is a man who believes in power and he is very skillful in battling. Because of that, he strongly disagreed with Ruby's obsession with contests. When Ruby reached his 11th birthday, however, he decided that Ruby is old enough to make his decision and finally let him have his own way.

Physically, he is so strong that he can squeeze a phone receiver into pieces without effort, and he won't hesitate to use this strength on his son when he deems necessary. However, he still cares for Ruby very much: He asked his wife to arrange their move to Hoenn on the date of Ruby's birthday so that he can tell him about his permission for Ruby to take part in contests in person. He also prepared a pair of special running shoes made by the Devon Corporation for his birthday. Later, he also gave a Pokéblock holder to Ruby.

There are several hints from the series showing Norman has had unpleasant encounters with the Pokémon Association. The beginning of all could possibly be traced back to seven years prior to the start of the Ruby/Sapphire Saga, where Norman failed his Gym Leader Test in Johto.

Seven years ago, Norman was banned from taking the Gym Leader Test for five years, because of Ruby, who had fended off a Salamence. At that time, the Pokémon Association had Rayquaza locked up nearby. They were experimenting with an artificially made stone called the Emerald Orb. The Salamence broke into Rayquaza's containment area and set it free. As a result, Norman took the blame for his son, and became distant from his family to hunt down Rayquaza.

During the battle between Groudon and Kyogre, Norman fought using Rayquaza and defeated and calmed the two titans. He died after Groudon and Kyogre left to their respective domains, supposedly because of the strain needed to control Rayquaza without a proper medium. However, Norman was later revived under mysterious circumstances when Ruby released his Celebi.

Pokémon

This listing is for Norman's Pokémon in the Pokémon Adventures manga.

On hand

Slakoth ×2

Vigoroth

Slaking

Spinda

Released

Rayquaza

• Temporarily gained control of with the help of Wally; however, after Norman's apparent death, Rayquaza has flown away.

Given to Ruby

Skitty (Coco)

Ralts (Ruru)

Poochyena (Nana)

Given to Wally

Flygon

Quotes

"Hm... So, you did get four Gym Badges. Fine, as I promised, we will have a Pokémon battle. <name>... I'm so happy that I can have a battle with my own child. But, a battle is a battle! I will do everything in my power as a Gym Leader to win. <name>, you'd better give it your best shot, too!

"... I... I can't... I can't believe it. <name>... I lost to <name>? But rules are rules! Here, take this."

"As the Gym Leader, I can't express how upset I am... But as a father, it makes me both happy and a little sad. It's odd..."

First rematch (Pokémon Emerald):

"<name>... I had a feeling that you would come. I would never refuse to accept a challenge from you. You do understand, don't you? Inside a Gym, it doesn't matter that we are a parent and child. No, because we are parent and child, we owe it to each other to do the best we can. Isn't that right, <name>?"

"Uh... Haha... Maybe that was going too hard..."

"<name>... What is your dream? My dream... Hahaha... It has already come true, actually."

Trainer's Eyes

Strategy
I flexibly adapt my style.

Trainer's Pokémon
Grown in a balanced manner.

Self-Introduction
Pokémon are my life. My chosen path is harsh...

Trivia

• Norman has lighter hair in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
• Senri, Norman's Japanese name, means a long distance, while Haruka, May's Japanese name, means far away.
• He is the first and only father of the player that has been seen in the main series of games so far.

Names

References

• Pokémon.com There's no place like Hoenn.
• Pokémon.com A Double Dilemma.
• Pokémon.com Love, Petalburg Style
• Pokémon.com The Balance of Power

External links

• Senri's Profile on Pokeani (Japanese)

Gym Leaders of the Hoenn region
Ruby and Sapphire
Roxanne of Rustboro City	Brawly of Dewford Town	Wattson of Mauville City	Flannery of Lavaridge Town	Norman of Petalburg City	Winona of Fortree City	Tate and Liza of Mossdeep City	Wallace of Sootopolis City
Emerald
Roxanne of Rustboro City	Brawly of Dewford Town	Wattson of Mauville City	Flannery of Lavaridge Town	Norman of Petalburg City	Winona of Fortree City	Tate and Liza of Mossdeep City	Juan of Sootopolis City

This game character article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.