Brock (anime)

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Brock
タケシ Takeshi
Brock DP Anime art.png
Art from the Diamond & Pearl series.
Age 15 (as of debut)
Gender Male
Eye color Black
Hair color Brown
Hometown Pewter City
Region Kanto
Relatives Flint (father), Lola (mother), Forrest (brother), 8 other siblings
Trainer class Gym Leader, Breeder
Game counterpart Brock
Leader of Pewter Gym
Badge Boulder Badge
Specializes in Template:Type2s
Anime debut Showdown in Pewter City
English voice actor Eric Stuart (4Kids)
Bill Rogers (TPCi)
Japanese voice actor Yūji Ueda

Brock (Japanese: タケシ Takeshi) is a close friend and former traveling partner of Ash Ketchum.

About

Brock in the original series

In the anime, Brock is a Pokémon Breeder and a former Gym Leader who is a close friend and traveling companion of Ash's. Some notes on official sketches of his character set his age at 15 at the start of the series.

He originally trained Template:Type2 Pokémon, but has, since the second episode he appeared in, diversified. As he has stated in Battling A Cute Drama!, his philosophy is that the important thing about being a Pokémon Trainer is the bond between Trainer and Pokémon. He is an experienced cook and caretaker by nature, so he always makes scrumptious food both for Pokémon and for humans.

One of his best known character traits is that he falls in love with every pretty woman he meets, particularly Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. He can tell whether they are real (women) or impostors as well. This "ability" has been used multiple times in the series. He has always held a supporting role in the series, usually contributing more in terms of wisdom and comedic antics than the action and battles of the series.

Early on, he showed that he carries around a Boulder Badge for identification. He also has a Contest Pass for the Kanto region, though he only used it once, as well as one for Hoenn which was required to watch a contest there.

Brock has had two notable musical appearances. One is the Japanese ending theme タケシのパラダイス Takeshi's Paradise, which is about his love for women and his determination to find love despite often appearing foolish and getting heartbroken. There is a running joke about him singing this song often in the anime, since it's the only song he knows. The other is the Pokémon Karaokémon song Two Perfect Girls, which is about his love of both Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy.

Appearance

Brock flirting with Nurse Joy

Brock's most notable feature about his appearance is that his eyes naturally appear closed. The rare times people see them open are when they are forced open unnaturally: from a hit with Charmander's Flamethrower in The Ninja Poké-Showdown, when being hit in the back of the head by Arbok's tail in Who Gets to Keep Togepi?, and when he makes a face for Larvitar in A Crowning Achievement. This has been the center of fan attention for a long time.

He also has tan skin, notably darker than the skin of any other major character in the anime, until Iris in the Best Wishes series.

Brock, along with Tracey and Cilan, are the tallest of Ash's traveling companions, and the closest to looking like an adult. Next to actual adult characters, however, it is clear that he is still a teenager.

Not counting temporary outfits, he has worn three different outfits over the span of the anime, all of which have had the colors orange, green, and brown, with blue shoes. The majority of his outfits in the games are also made up of the colors orange, green, and brown.

Character

Brock in the Advanced Generation series
Brock with his eyes open in A Crowning Achievement

Brock is considered the most mature, wise and level-headed of the main characters, and he is arguably the most intelligent character as well. He often acts as an older brother and caretaker to the other characters and a voice of reason in disputes. He will usually place others before him and will help and support his friends even against his better judgment or at his own expense. While he is not shown to battle often, he can understand the situations and strategies in any Pokémon battle, and often explains them to the other characters, probably due to the fact that he was once a Gym Leader. His wisdom is possibly derived from how observant he is; he can tell just by sight how a Pokémon is feeling and spot the differences between the various Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy.

Brock always carries books and maps with him, and thus is usually the character who knows where the group is headed and what they can do when they get there, though in Advanced Generation this role was mostly taken over by the PokéNav. He also carries a lot of other supplies, such as potions, Pokémon food, and a set of cookware, as well as practical tools like a brush and pocket knife; in The School of Hard Knocks, the extent of his preparedness and comically large capacity of his bag was demonstrated, as he pulled out a table and full tea set out of his backpack. He is a domestic, and grooms not only his Pokémon but also those of his friends with whom he travels. He handles all the cooking and cleaning for his friends.

Max pulling Brock's ears

Despite this, all his maturity and rationality leaves him completely at the sight of a beautiful woman, as he falls in love with every pretty girl he meets. Brock has a desperate need for female companionship which grows worse as he fails to gain it. He will do anything and everything he thinks will impress women, which inevitably ends with his heart being broken every time. A few women have shown interest in him as well, such as Wilhelmina, Temacu, Lucy, Holly, Autumn, Narissa and Lizabeth, but most do not notice him or are not interested. No matter how many times he is disappointed, though, Brock remains determined to find a girl to start a relationship with, and has indicated several times he would stop traveling with Ash and stay with the girl if this happened. This behavior tends to wear on the nerves of other characters, and Misty and Max have both commonly dragged Brock away from women by his ear. Some of Brock's own Pokémon, most notably Croagunk, have attacked him for getting too flirtatious with women.

His goals have played a passive role in his character's activity and development. Unlike other characters, who aspire to achieve and excel in competitive fields like Pokémon training and Pokémon Contests, his aim to become a great Pokémon Breeder is a quiet one and thus does not get showcased frequently. His other goal, to find a girlfriend, is similar to Team Rocket's quest to capture Pikachu in that both are for comedy and thus doomed to fail. His role has always been purely one as support for other main characters.

History

Brock's family

Not much is known about his early childhood, except that his first Pokémon was his Onix, which he received as a gift at the age of 10. Sometime after, his father, Flint, left home to become a great Trainer. When he never returned, his mother, Lola, left them as well, leaving Brock to take care of his siblings, as well as their house and Pewter Gym, by himself (though the English version of Showdown in Pewter City has Flint claim she died, and some speculate he was lying). However, Flint eventually returned home considering himself a failure, and instead of returning to his family he donned a disguise and sold rocks as souvenirs at the edge of town. After Brock awarded Ash the Boulder Badge, Flint came forward and confessed who he was. Flint took on the responsibilities of the Pewter Gym and his family, leaving Brock free to journey with Ash and Misty.

Brock only became the Gym Leader because he felt it was his responsibility, and he admitted to Ash that he would rather care for Pokémon than battle them. It is his dream to become a great breeder, and when Flint took back control of the Gym, Brock was allowed to start following this dream. Most notably, he took care of a Vulpix that belonged to a breeder named Suzy. Shortly before Vulpix was returned, Brock used it in a Pokémon Beauty Contest.

A young Brock

Brock was also able to meet and make advances towards the many beautiful women he met. At first, he was more casual about approaching women, such as the Officer Jenny in Cerulean City, and more modest as well, such as when he met Melanie. However, he became more open and passionate towards almost all single young women as time progressed.

Brock briefly left the show during the Orange Islands saga to work for Professor Ivy on Valencia Island and so is only seen in a couple of cameos in the second movie. While there, something happened that will probably remain secret as Brock will only huddle and say "that name" whenever he is asked about it. (Brock does mention his work for her in Destiny Deoxys, though this line was added in the dub.) After this incident, Brock returned to Kanto where he was found by Delia Ketchum, who helped him to regain his strength. Brock then became a rival to Mimey until he rejoined Ash and Misty as the three traveled to Johto. They stayed together for the entire region, but at the end of this journey, the three went their separate ways, with Brock's help requested at home by his father.

In The Little Big Horn Brock mentions he participated in Little League Baseball when he was younger.

Upon his return home, Brock was dismayed to find that his mother had returned and commandeered the gym, turning the Rock-type haven into a brightly decorated Template:Type2 den. Brock battled her for the honor of Rock-types and won, promising his brother Forrest that he would become Gym Leader someday.

Some old memories of Brock with his traveling companions

After that, Brock returned to follow Ash through Hoenn, along with their new friends May and Max, and then through Kanto again as Ash took on the Kanto Battle Frontier. He left briefly when the Advanced Generation series ended in order to visit his home, but quickly returned to travel with Ash and Dawn in Sinnoh. Near the end of the Sinnoh saga, Brock began to show interest in becoming a Pokémon Doctor, and so, rather than following Ash to Unova to advise him, decided to remain in Kanto to study.

Brock is among the longest-running main characters in the anime, having been present in nearly every episode between Showdown in Pewter City and Memories are Made of Bliss!, with the notable exception of the Orange Islands saga, the final original series episode, the first three episodes of the Advanced Generation series, and the first episode of the Diamond & Pearl series. His tenure is ranked only under Ash and Pikachu, who have appeared in every episode, and Jessie, James, and Meowth, who have appeared in every episode except for the first, AG120 and a few episodes of the Best Wishes series.

Brock makes an appearance in SS025 where he plays a major role in helping Forrest to officially become the Pewter City gym leader.

Pokémon

As gym tradition dictated, Brock's first Pokémon were Rock-types. However, once he was able to leave his gym to travel, he has dedicated himself to learn about how to care for a variety of Pokémon. Thus, his Pokémon tend to be an eclectic mix of types and dispositions. However, all of his Pokémon tend to have strong bonds with Brock and are on par with Ash's Pokémon in terms of battling strength, despite the fact that Brock does not go out of his way to train his Pokémon.

This is a listing of Brock's Pokémon as of the most recent Japanese episode. As Brock has returned to Pewter City in order to study to become a Pokémon Doctor, all of his Pokémon are there and none are listed as "on hand."

At Pewter Gym / Home

Brock Steelix.png
Onix → Steelix
Brock Geodude.png
Geodude
Brock Crobat.png
Zubat → Golbat → Crobat
Brock Forretress.png
Pineco → Forretress
Brock Ludicolo.png
Lotad → Lombre → Ludicolo
Brock Marshtomp.png
Mudkip → Marshtomp
Brock Sudowoodo.png
Bonsly → Sudowoodo
Brock Croagunk.png
Croagunk
Brock Chansey.png
Egg → Happiny → Chansey

Returned

Brock Vulpix.png
Vulpix

Caught for someone else

Tauros
Ash's Tauros
Debut EP035
Main article: Ash's Tauros

Brock caught a Tauros in the Safari Zone. However, as this was one of Ash's Safari Balls, the Tauros in question is actually one of Ash's Tauros.

Temporary

Ninetales
Brock's Ninetales

Brock commanded a Ninetales during a battle with Team Rocket.

Ninetales's only known move is Flamethrower.

Magnemite
Brock's Magnemite

Brock trained a Magnemite during the first day of the summer school academy.

Magnemite's only known move is Thunder.

Onix #2
Onix #2

Onix was used in the first leg of the triathlon.

Feraligatr
Brock's Feraligatr

Brock used a Feraligatr in the second leg of the triathlon.

Achievements

Voice actors

Language Voice actor
Japanese うえだゆうじ Yūji Ueda
English Eric Stuart (4Kids dub)
Bill Rogers (TPCi dub)
Arabic رأفت بازو Rafat Pazo
Bulgarian Александър Воронов Alexander Voronov
Mandarin Chinese 符爽 Fú Shuǎng
梁興昌 Liáng Xìngchāng
于正昇 Yú Zhèngshēng
Croatian Igor Mešin
Czech Martin Písařík (EP005-EP209, movies 1, 2 and 3)
Jan Maxián (DP002-DP135, movie 11)
Michal Holán (DP136-present)
Jiří Balcárek (movie 4)
Danish Peter Holst-Beck
Dutch Fred Meijer
Unknown voice actor (movies 4-7)
Filipino Julius Figueroa
Finnish Jari Salo
Juha Paananen
French Canada Martin Watier
Europe Laurent Chauvet (EP005-AG145)
Antoni Lo Presti (AG146-present)
German Marc Stachel
Hebrew גיא רושיניאק Guy Roshiniak
Hungarian Sótonyi Gábor
Indonesian Dicky Rahman (Kanto saga)
Dendry Patma (Johto saga-DP episode, movie 2-7)
Kamal Nasuti (DP episode-present, movie 8-10)
Italian Nicola Bartolini Carrassi (season 1-2)
Luca Bottale (season 3-present)
Korean 구자형 Ku Ja-Hyeong
변영희 Byeon Yeong-Hyi
Norwegian Eirik Espolin Johnson
Erik Skøld
Polish Marek Włodarczyk (EP005-AG040, DP053-present, all movies)
Waldemar Barwiński (DP002-DP052)
Portuguese Brazil Alfredo Rollo
Portugal Peter Michael (EP005-EP083, movies 1 and 2)
Rui Quintas (EP115-AG192, Pokémon Live)
Luís Barros (DP002-DP052)
Pedro Almendra (DP053-present, movies 10-present)
Vítor Emanuel (movies 3 and 4)
Russian Дмитрий Завацкий Dmitrii Zavatskii
Spanish Latin America Gabriel Gama (EP005-DP009, DP011-DP020, DP158-present)
José Antonio Macías (one scene of EP164)
Alan Prieto (DP010, DP021-DP157)
Arturo Mercado Jr. (movies 4 and 5)
Spain Javier Balas
Sergio Sánchez (movie 3 and Mewtwo Returns)
Swedish Mattias Knave
Thai นิรันดร์ บุญยรัตพันธุ์ (น้าต๋อย) Nirun Boonyarattaphan (Na Toy) (Original series and Advanced Generation series)
อภินันท์ ธีระนันทกุล Apinan Teeranantagun (Diamond & Pearl series)
Turkish Tugay Erverdi


In the manga

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

Brock in The Electric Tale of Pikachu

Brock is a frequently recurring character in the manga. Like in the anime, he is a traveling companion of Ash and Misty.

Brock first appears in Play Misty For Me, where Ash challenges him for the Boulder Badge. After defeating Brock and earning the badge, Ash leaves Pewter City and continues his journey alone.

Brock reappears in Haunting My Dreams, meeting Ash by coincidence in Saffron City. He becomes a steady traveling companion of Ash in The Human Race and the Pokémon Race, though he separates from Ash in Days of Gloom and Glory while he prepares for the Indigo Plateau Conference.

Brock in the manga is much like he is in the Pokémon anime: he is the Leader of the Pewter City Gym, but he takes a break from his duties as Gym Leader to travel. Unlike in the anime, he does not hand control of the Gym to his father or his siblings, instead, he closes the Gym completely while he travels. Brock has a weakness for pretty girls such as the Sensational Sisters, and he is the only character that can tell the many Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys apart.

Pokémon

Onix
Brock's Onix
Main article: Brock's Steelix

Brock used Onix during his challenge as a Gym Leader against Ash. It lost horribly though. Later, it fought against the Black Fog along with Brock's Geodude but it was defeated by its Dream Eater.

Geodude (x2)
Geodude (x2)
Main article: Brock's Geodude

Brock used these Geodude during his challenge as a Gym Leader against Ash. It lost horribly though. Later, they fought against the Black Fog along with Onix but they were defeated by its Dream Eater.

Graveler
Brock's Graveler

Graveler was used to try and impress Professor Oak but was never shown to him because of Brock's nervousness paralyzing him.

Golem
Brock's Golem

Golem was used to try and impress Professor Oak but was never shown to him because of Brock's nervousness paralyzing him.

Other

Vileplume
Brock's Vileplume

Brock used this Vileplume as a bouquet to try and impress Misty's sisters.


Ash and Brock in Magical Pokémon Journey

In the Magical Pokémon Journey manga

Brock, along with Ash and Misty, made cameo appearances in bonus chapters. In those, Brock and company have mistakenly wandered into the world Magical Pokémon Journey is set in. The bonus chapters chronicle their attempts to return to their own world (of the anime) and their encounters with various aspects of the Magical Pokémon Journey canon which differ from the anime's canon (such as the use of Poké Balls).

In the TCG

This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring the anime version of Brock or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Name Type Level Rarity Set Set no.
Brock's Crobat Grass - - Theater Limited VS Pack (no English release) 002/018
Brock's Forretress Metal - - 8th Movie Half Deck (no English release) 011/020
Brock's Marshtomp Fighting - - 9th Movie Half Deck (no English release) 008/019
Brock's Mudkip Water - - ADV-P Promotional cards (no English release) 038/ADV-P
Croagunk M Psychic 38 - Movie Commemoration Random Pack (no English release) 013/022

Trivia

  • Most official sources do not give Brock a last name. However, several sources suggest that in the anime, his last name is Harrison. In the July 2006 issue of K-Zone Magazine, Eric Stuart was interviewed and stated that Brock's last name is Harrison.
  • Brock captured a new Pokémon sooner after his debut than any other main character, even Ash, by capturing Zubat in Clefairy and the Moon Stone.
  • Brock has been shown to be able to identify when women are really cross dressing men in disguise by having a peculiar lack of attraction to them. He's also able to do the opposite. A significant exception to this is Ash, who in the guise of Ashley was able to fool Brock.
  • Brock has owned four Pokémon whose evolutions debuted in a different generation than that Pokémon. (Golbat, Onix, Bonsly, and Happiny). All of them have since evolved.

Interview with Hidaka about Brock's short absence from the anime

There had been some debate between members of the fanbase in regards to why Brock was removed from the main cast during the Orange Islands arc, why Tracey Sketchit was created, and why Brock returned later. In an interview with former Pokémon anime director and storyboard artist Masamitsu Hidaka, he stated his own reason why Brock was removed from the cast and why he eventually returned. He (or, rather his translator) revealed that the true reason they replaced Brock is because, once they realized Pokémon was going global, there was a chance that Americans, if not anyone else outside of Japan, would view Brock as a racist stereotype because of his eyes (even though there wasn't an actual complaint yet). So they created a "tall, anglo-saxon looking person to be on the safe side". They later replaced Tracey with Brock again once they realized that no one really cared as to what Brock looks like, and actually enjoyed his character.

However, this was only stated by Hidaka and not by any other staff member.

Names

Language Name Origin
Japanese タケシ Takeshi From take, bamboo. Possibly from 岳 take ("mountain peak").
English, Italian, Spanish Brock Rhymes with and contains the word rock.
French Pierre Literally means "stone".
German Rocko From English rock.
Korean Ung '웅' means 'man-like', brave. A common word used for boy's names in Korea
Chinese (Mandarin) 小剛 / 小刚 Xiǎo Gāng May be named after 首藤志, Takeshi Shudō. Also, 剛 can mean "hard", "firm" or "strong".
Chinese (Cantonese) 小剛 Síu Gōng Same as Mandarin name.


Related articles

External links



Pokémon the Series characters
Protagonists Ash Ketchum (Pikachu) • Misty (Togetic) • BrockTracey SketchitMayMaxDawn (Piplup) • Iris (Haxorus) • CilanSerenaClemontBonnie (Dedenne) • LanaKiaweLillieSophoclesMallowRotom PokédexGoh (Grookey)
Rivals GaryRitchieHarrisonDrewHarleyMorrisonTysonSolidadPaulNandoZoeyKennyConwayBarryUrsulaTripBiancaBurgundyStephanGeorgiaCameronAriaAlainMietteTiernoShaunaTrevorNiniSawyerGladionHoracioHauLeonRaihanHoraceBeaLeague Conference participantsCoordinatorsPerformersWorld Coronation Series participants
Antagonists Jessie (Wobbuffet) • JamesMeowthGiovanniButchCassidyDr. NambaMatoriPierceDr. ZagerGozuTabithaMaxieShellyArchieHunter JSaturnCyrusMarsJupiterCharonColressAldithGhetsisBarretMalamarLysandreMableCelosiaAlianaXerosicBryonyTuppZippRappPlumeriaGuzmaVirenRoseOleana
Professors Professor OakProfessor IvyProfessor ElmProfessor BirchProfessor RowanProfessor CarolinaProfessor JuniperDr. FennelCedric JuniperProfessor SycamoreProfessor KukuiProfessor BurnetProfessor CeriseProfessor MagnoliaSoniaProfessor Amaranth
Relatives Delia KetchumDaisyVioletLilyJames's parentsFlintLolaForrestBrock's siblingsNormanCarolineJohannaChiliCressGraceMeyerLana's fatherLana's motherHarper and SarahRangoSimaMimoKiawe's grandfatherMohnLusamineGladionSophocles's parentsMolayneAbeMallow's motherUluWalkerCamilleHalta
Supporting Officer JennyNurse JoyMagikarp salesmanTodd SnapCharles GoodshowCaseyLizaSakuraLanceClairRaoul ContestaMr. SukizoSteven StoneVivian MeridianRobertScottLilian MeridianSolanaBrandonMarianYuzoRhondaCynthiaReggieAngieLookerIzzy and CaraLyraKhouryTobiasDon GeorgeElderAlderLukeFreddy O'MartianIngoEmmetJervisVirgilNAnthea and ConcordiaPorterAlexaSophieCosetteClembotSanpeiMairinAstridDianthaKorrinaGurkinnMonsieur PierrePalermoKeananMalvaSamson OakAnelaHobbesNinaAnnaLakiDanaYansuWickeFabaIlimaAcerolaDiaChloeChrysaRenParkerTaliaLeiDanikaQuillonHopGym LeadersElite FourFrontier BrainsIsland kahunasMany temporary characters
Supporting Pokémon FearowHo-OhSquirtle SquadPink ButterfreeHaunterJigglypuffMewtwoMimeyLapras herdGranbullPichu BrothersLugiaSilverDelibirdWynautLarvitarKyogre and GroudonArticunoDeoxysLake guardiansForces of natureMeloettaReshiramSuper-ancient PokémonWooperFlorgesSquishyZ2Guardian deitiesBewearToucannon's flockStoutlandOranguruNebbyStuffulUltra BeastsGrandpa ForestNecrozmaLunalaShayminMewRotom PhonesPelipperThievul trioEternatusDrone RotomLegendary heroesLatiasRecurring wild Pokémon
See also: Pokémon Horizons characters


Main characters
Ash KetchumPikachuGary OakRitchieMay OakProfessor OakDelia KetchumJessieJamesMeowth
Gym Leaders
BrockMistyKogaSabrinaGiovanniRudyDrake
Other
A.J.AyaBillDamianDarioDuplicaEevee brothersGiselleJeanette FisherOfficer JennyJoeNurse Joy
Lara LaramieMahriMelanieMikeyMimiProfessor OrvillePotterFlorinda ShowersRubySamuraiTommy


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