Professor Birch
From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.
| Professor Birch オダマキ博士 Dr. Odamaki | |
 Art from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Littleroot Town |
| Region | Hoenn |
| Relatives | Brendan/May (as rival), unnamed wife, unnamed son (Emerald only) |
| Class | Pokémon Professor |
| Generation | III |
| Games | Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald |
| First episode | Get The Show On The Road! |
| English voice actor | Dan Green |
| Japanese voice actor | Fumihiko Tachiki |
Professor Birch (Japanese: オダマキ博士 Dr. Odamaki) is the resident Pokémon Professor of Littleroot Town and Hoenn. He specializes in Pokémon habitats and distribution.
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Background information
Birch distributes Pokédexes and one of the three starter Pokémon of Hoenn: Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip, to aspiring Hoenn trainers in the Generation III games. In addition, after trainers complete the Hoenn Pokédex in Pokémon Emerald, he will give them one of the three starter Pokémon of Johto: Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile.
He is known to be more outgoing than the other Pokémon Professors, and oftentimes his research takes him outdoors. His field of study is primarily how Pokémon behave in the wild.
In the games
In the Generation III games, Professor Birch is the father of the rival character.
In the start of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, he must be rescued from a wild Poochyena. In the start of Pokémon Emerald, he must be rescued from a wild Zigzagoon. After saving him, he will give the protagonist of the games the starter Pokémon they used in the rescue.
He often works with his child to help observe and capture wild Pokémon. His wife worries about him, because he's always busy and rarely has time to come home.
Pokémon
This listing is of Professor Birch's Pokémon in the video games in which he has appeared.
These Pokémon are given to a Trainer at the beginning of their journey:
 Treecko |  Torchic |  Mudkip |
These Pokémon are given to a Trainer at the beginning of their journey; and to a Trainer who has completed the Hoenn Pokédex:
| Treecko | Torchic | Mudkip |
 Chikorita |  Cyndaquil |  Totodile |
In the anime
Birch was first mentioned in a flashback of Harrison on Johto Photo Finish. His first appearance was in Get The Show On The Road when he gave May her Torchic. He later appeared in Dewford Town in both A Three Team Scheme! and Seeing is Believing!. Birch also appeared in A Six Pack Attack, when he was meeting Professor Oak. Later, Birch was seen in The Evolutionary War! at a vacation on A-B-C Islands. Over there, he and the twerps cleared the mystery of the Clamperl evolution. Birch's most recent appearance was a short cameo in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon; it is unknown if he will appear again since the main characters have left the Hoenn region.
His preferred mode of transport is a jeep that he drives recklessly.
Due to the relationship between characters in the games, it is widely speculated that Birch is the father of Brendan's anime counterpart. This character has made three short cameo appearances in the anime and has the starter Pokémon whose type weakens May's.
Pokémon
On hand
 Poochyena |
He also has these Pokémon to give to new trainers:
| Treecko | Torchic | Mudkip |
Trainers with his starter Pokémon
| Torchic (to Harrison) | Torchic (to May) |
Voice actors
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In the Pokémon Adventures manga
In Pokémon Adventures, Professor Birch is the father of Sapphire, and supplies her with most of her Pokémon. He is good friends with Norman.
After Ruby rescued Birch from some wild Mightyena, Birch gave him a Mudkip.
Birch gave away most of his Pokémon to Sapphire and Ruby. His last Pokémon was a Treecko, that he lost in a flood caused by Kyogre. Wally has since rescued the Pokémon and began to raise it.
Pokémon
This listing is of Prof. Birch's Pokémon in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
Released
| Treecko (Lost and found by Wally) | Torchic (Given to Sapphire) | Mudkip (Given to Ruby) |
 Aron (Given to Sapphire) |  Wailord (Given to Sapphire) |  Tropius (Given to Sapphire) |
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Professor Birch or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
| Name | Type | Level | Rarity | Set | Set no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Birch | T | – |  | EX Ruby & Sapphire | 89/109 |
| EX Emerald | 82/106 | ||||
| EX Power Keepers | 80/108 |
Names
| Language | Name | Reference to |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | オダマキ博士 Dr. Odamaki | オダマキ Odamaki, Aquilegia. |
| English | Professor Birch | Birch tree, following the naming of Professor Oak and Professor Elm. |
| French | Professeur Séko | From Séquoia, french word for Sequoiadendron. |
| German | Professor Birk | Birke means Birch in German. |
| Spanish | Profesor Abedul | Abedul means Birch in Spanish. |
| Chinese | 小田卷博士 Dr. Xiǎotiánquàn | 小田卷 is from 小田巻 Odamaki, Aquilegia. |
| Korean | 털보박사 Teolbobaksa |
Trivia
- Birch is the only Pokémon Professor who has been known to have given away multiple starter Pokémon that has only given away members of one species.
- He is the only Pokémon Professor not to appear in the same game as Professor Oak.
External links
- Odamaki's Profile on Pokeani (Japanese)
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| 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. |
