Professor Rowan

Professor Rowan ナナカマド博士 Dr. Nanakamado
Art from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Age	60
Gender	Male
Hometown	Sandgem Town
Region	Sinnoh
Relatives	Unknown
Class	Pokémon Professor
Generation	IV
Games	Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
First episode	Following a Maiden Voyage
English voice actor	Billy Beach
Japanese voice actor	Iemasa Kayumi

Professor Rowan (Japanese: ナナカマド博士 Dr. Nanakamado) is the resident professor of Sinnoh. He specializes in Pokémon evolution.

Professor Rowan is an old friend of Professor Oak, and Rowan's assistant claims that Oak is Rowan's junior in terms of seniority.

In the games

Lucas meets Professor Rowan for the first time

Professor Rowan works in Sandgem Town with Dawn/Lucas and their family. This makes him the only Professor from the handheld games that does not live in the player's hometown. He left to go to Kanto to study Pokémon with Professor Oak for four years, until coming back reaching a conclusion: that Sinnoh holds greater secrets. He has a stern personality that makes him seem intimidating and mean, but he is actually very kind and patient. Rowan says he still feels a thrill whenever he travels anywhere with his Pokémon. He apparently has a sweet tooth, as the refrigerator in his laboratory is full of nothing but sweets and candy. In Platinum he can be seen occasionally in the basement of the Veilstone Department Store sulking about the fact they've run out of Rage Candy Bar's.

Rowan's particular field of study is Pokémon evolution, having discovered that 90% of all Pokémon are connected in some way to others through evolution. He is also interested in determining if evolution is supposed to be a form of Pokémon reaching maturity, or a way for an "incomplete" being to become "more complete", and the implications that the process has on legendary Pokémon, which don't evolve.

In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Professor Rowan is seen for the first time observing Lake Verity with his assistant. After being interrupted by the player and his friend, he quickly walks off leaving his briefcase containing the three starter Pokémon. The player and his friend try to return it to him, but are attacked by wild Pokémon in the process, who, in response, use the starter Pokémon to fend them off. After returning the Pokémon to Rowan in his lab, Rowan hear about the survival tactics that they used, and tells them to keep the Pokémon, as well as giving them each a Pokédex to record data about every single Pokémon. Soon after, Rowan and his assistant visits Jubilife City to deliver some study notes to someone, however he is attacked by Team Galactic, who want his research for themselves, however the player returning from Oreburgh City just in time to help.

After becoming suspicious of Team Galactic's activities, he gathers his assistant, the player and his friend, in the Canalave Library later in the game, and tell them about the legends of Sinnoh, and discuss strange happenings within the region lately, however before they are able to finish, a huge earthquake shakes the region in which the four of them quickly escape the building before the aftershock. Quick to his feet, Rowan runs off to Lake Verity, where he find out that it is Team Galactic who have set off the bomb and are planning to capture the Lake Trio. Team Galactic attack them again, but the player rescues him just in time.

Professor Rowan role in Pokémon Platinum is largely the same of that the in Diamond and Pearl, however he is first met on the T-junction between Route 201, Twinleaf Town and the Verity Lakefront. He gets to the player and his friend just in time to stop them from going through the tall grass, and with that decides to give them a Pokémon each. Later on, after the player leaves his lab in Sandgem Town, he will give the player TM27 (Return), the first TM the player will get in the game.

In the anime

Prof. Rowan in the anime

Professor Rowan made his debut anime appearance in Following a Maiden's Voyage to give Dawn her Piplup. Another appearance he made was in Ill-Will Hunting!.

He also appeared from Camping It Up! to One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team! at a school with his assistants and Yuzo. He was one of the people by the finish line in One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!.

He made a cameo appearance in Saving the World From Ruins!.

Pokémon

Starly

Staraptor

He also has these Pokémon to give to new Trainers:

Turtwig

Chimchar

Piplup

Known Trainers with his starter Pokémon

Piplup (to Dawn)

Voice actors

In the manga

In Pokémon Adventures, he gave Platinum three Pokétches, three Pokédexes and Turtwig (for Diamond), Chimchar (for Pearl), and Piplup (for herself)

In Pokémon DP Adventure!, Professor Rowan adopted Hareta as a grandson. However, on seeing Hareta's ability to understand the souls of Pokémon, he felt it was best to leave him out in the forest with his Pokémon friends to care for him. He did not see Hareta again for four years. Deciding it would help the boy to travel and see the world, the Professor decided he should be a Pokémon Trainer and travel with his assistant, Mitsumi, and one of his Pokémon, Piplup.

Pokémon given away

Pokémon Adventures

Turtwig (given to Platinum)

Chimchar (given to Platinum)

Piplup (given to Platinum)

Pokémon DP Adventure!

Piplup (given to Hareta)

In the TCG

This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Professor Rowan or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Name	Type	Level	Rarity	Set	Set no.
Professor Rowan	T	–		Diamond & Pearl	112/130
				Secret Wonders	123/132
			(H)	Miscellaneous Promotional cards	–

Trivia

• Rowan's Japanese name is actually the word for the rowan tree. After much speculation that it would be a direct translation, it was revealed that his name would be Rowan in the English translation, continuing the long-standing pattern of professors named for trees.
• Rowan's studies naming 90% of all Pokémon as related through evolution are only close to true even as of Generation IV, as there are 77 Pokémon that do not evolve into or from any others, 35 being legendary Pokémon, giving a total of 84% that are related by evolution. However, if those studies didn't count legendary Pokémon, the 90% estimate would be correct.
• Unlike Oak who wants the Pokédex to be filled by capturing all 150 Pokémon, Rowan prefers the player to merely see all 150.
• He is the only Professor not to be found in the player's hometown.
• According to Pokémon Platinum, Rowan has been researching in Kanto for 4 years, one year before Red and Blue's journey started.

Name

External links

• Nanakamado's Profile on Pokeani (Japanese)

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.