Professor Kukui (anime)
Professor Kukui ククイ博士 Dr. Kukui | |
Art from the Sun & Moon series | |
Gender | Male |
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Eye color | Black |
Hair color | Black |
Hometown | Hau'oli Outskirts |
Region | Alola |
Relatives | Professor Burnet (wife) |
Trainer class | Pokémon Professor |
Game counterpart | Professor Kukui |
Anime debut | Alola to New Adventure! |
English voice actor | Abe Goldfarb |
Japanese voice actor | Keiichi Nakagawa |
Professor Kukui (Japanese: ククイ博士 Dr. Kukui) is a Pokémon Professor in the Alola region, a teacher at the Pokémon School on Melemele Island and a major supporting character of the Pokémon anime in the Sun & Moon series.
History
Professor Kukui is a regular character in the Sun & Moon series who debuted in Alola to New Adventure!. He works as a teacher at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island. Ash lives with him while attending school. In this continuity, he is initially not married to Professor Burnet until The Professors' New Adventure!.
In The Guardian's Challenge!, he gave Ash the Rotom Pokédex.
In Rocking Clawmark Hill!, Kukui and Ash found Rockruff injured. Upon further investigation, they found that it had been training on Clawmark Hill. After watching Ash train Rockruff, he noticed they had developed a bond and allowed Ash to catch Rockruff.
In Partner Promises!, he informed Ash about the guardian deities, since Ash had recently encountered Tapu Lele.
In Alola, Kanto!, he accompanied the class and Samson Oak to Kanto. The following episode, he revealed part of why he wanted to arrange the trip was to announce he wanted to establish an official Pokémon League in Alola.
In Family Determination!, Kukui accompanied his students to Poni Island to catch up with Lillie, who had ran away from home with her brother, Gladion, in search of a way to save her mother, Lusamine.
In Revealing the Stuff of Legend!, while watching the deities bless Nebby, he received a call for help from Professor Burnet on his cell phone and decided to go alone. Thanks to his Braviary, Kukui was able to drive away the Jangmo-o and Hakamo-o that had surrounded Burnet and her Munchlax, but by the time the two professors returned to the Altar of the Sunne, Ash and the others had already ridden off on Nebby into an Ultra Wormhole.
In The Professors' New Adventure!, he and Professor Burnet revealed that they were getting married. A few days later, the wedding ceremony was held on the beach outside his house.
Kukui's alter-ego, the Masked Royal, debuted in Pushing the Fiery Envelope!. When Ash and his classmates visited the Battle Royal Dome, Ash's Litten got agitated upon seeing Royal's Incineroar. This prompted him to invite Ash, along with Kiawe and Sophocles, to take part in a Battle Royal, which the Masked Royal easily won. Days later, after seeing Litten training to master Flame Charge, Kukui, dressed up again as the Masked Royal, showed up to have a one-on-one battle with Ash. During the battle, Litten evolved into a Torracat and was able to perfect Flame Charge. Despite this, however, the battle ended in the Masked Royal's victory. Afterwards, the Masked Royal declared that he and Incineroar were now Torracat's rivals.
The Masked Royal reappeared in SM081. He went up against Mad Boober, but interfering dirty tactics used by the Revengers caused him to nearly lose. Realizing this, Ash and Torracat teamed up with him, and they battled Mr. Elec and Mad Boober. Despite continued interference, they were able to defeat their opponents.
After the Ultra Guardians left for Ultra Space with a fully recovered Lunala in SM089, Professor Kukui and Faba volunteered to aid them. On Ten Carat Hill, he and Faba confronted the Matori Matrix by using their Pokémon to damage the team's airship and prevent them from entering the Ultra Wormhole. Afterwards, Kukui and Faba faced Gozu and his Mega Aggron in battle, but their Pokémon were swiftly beaten. Afterwards, he sent out his Incineroar and performed the Z-Move to defeated Mega Aggron. However, that blow his cover as his alias was discovered by Faba.
Character
Professor Kukui is a fairly serious, but happy character. Despite this, he usually likes to add the names of moves into conversations every now and then, much like how Samson Oak uses Pokémon puns. He has been shown to be also break from his serious and calm attitude, as shown in Crystal-Clear Sleuthing!, when he was completely shocked at the notion that Kiawe had stolen Ash's missing Electrium Z. Like Rotom Pokédex, he enjoys watching the television show Alolan Detective Laki and try to figure out who the culprit is during the episode. Much like his use of move names when he talks, he was shown to find it funny that the viewers assumed that the Rockruff which he befriended was actually his. The fact that Professor Kukui befriended the stray Rockruff, when he came upon the Pokémon, who had recently been attacked with Teeter Dance and decided to nurture it, shows that he is also a friendly and hospitable person.
Professor Kukui is a skilled Pokémon Trainer, and as the Masked Royal, he is able to handle battling multiple Pokémon at once in Battle Royals. The Masked Royal is the Battle Royal Dome's star Trainer, having a known record win streak of at least 21 victories. Despite some comically close calls, no human has been able to discern the Masked Royal's true identity, though Ash's Litten was able to recognize him from his scent.
Pokémon
This listing is of Kukui's known Pokémon in the anime:
On hand
の | This article is missing information on this character's Japanese voice actor and English voice actor. You can help by adding this information. |
Debut | Revealing the Stuff of Legend! |
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Voice actors | |
Japanese | |
English | Ryan Nicolls |
Professor Kukui's Braviary first appeared in Revealing the Stuff of Legend!, where he used it to help Professor Burnet escape from a group of Jangmo-o and Hakamo-o at the Vast Poni Canyon.
Braviary reappeared in The Professors' New Adventure!, attending the wedding of Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet as Kukui's partner Pokémon.
Braviary reappeared in SM089, where it attacked Team Rocket's helicopter. It then battled Gozu alongside Faba's Alakazam and Hypno, only to be hit by his Mega Aggron's Heavy Slam.
Braviary's knowns moves are Brave Bird and Rock Slide.
Debut | Pushing the Fiery Envelope! |
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Voice actors | |
Japanese | Toru Sakurai |
Professor Kukui's alias, the Masked Royal, was first seen using Incineroar in Pushing the Fiery Envelope!, winning him his 20th consecutive Battle Royal victory at the Battle Royal Dome. It later took part in another Battle Royal against Ash's Litten, Kiawe's Marowak, and Sophocles's Charjabug, easily winning the match despite holding back. It was later used in another battle against Ash's Litten, during which Litten evolved into a Torracat. Despite this, Incineroar still won the battle.
Incineroar reappeared in SM081, where it was seen taking part in another Battle Royal. It was later used in a battle, where it teamed up with Torracat and was able to defeat Mr. Elec and Mad Boober.
Incineroar reappeared in SM081, where Kukui sent it out to battle Gozu's Mega Aggron and quickly defeated it with Malicious Moonsault.
Incineroar's known moves are Darkest Lariat, Bulk Up, Throat Chop, and Cross Chop.
Incineroar can also perform the Z-Move Malicious Moonsault.
Befriended
Debut | The Guardian's Challenge! |
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Voice actors | |
Japanese | Megumi Hayashibara |
English | Haven Paschall |
- Main article: Ash's Rockruff
Rockruff is a wild Pokémon Professor Kukui took under his care. In Rocking Clawmark Hill!, he encouraged Ash to catch it after seeing the bond the two had developed.
At his house
Professor Kukui has two Luvdisc which he keeps in a fish tank in his house, along with a Corsola, that first appeared in The Guardian's Challenge!. They appeared again in A Shocking Grocery Run!, That's Why the Litten is a Scamp!, A Dream Encounter!, and Night of a Thousand Poses!.
None of Luvdisc's moves are known.
Professor Kukui has a Corsola, which he keeps in a fish tank in his house, along with two Luvdisc, that first appeared in The Guardian's Challenge!. It appeared again in A Shocking Grocery Run!, That's Why the Litten is a Scamp!, A Dream Encounter!, and Night of a Thousand Poses!.
None of Corsola's moves are known.
Ride Pokémon
Debut | Yo, Ho, Ho! Go, Popplio! |
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Professor Kukui was first seen riding a Poké Ride Wailmer around Melemele Island.
None of Wailmer's moves are known.
Voice actors
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Names
Language | Name | Origin |
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Japanese | ククイ博士 Dr. Kukui | From kukui (Hawaiian for the candlenut, the state tree of Hawaii) |
English, German, Italian |
Professor Kukui | Same as Japanese name |
French | Professeur Euphorbe | From euphorbe (spurge). Both the candlenut and the spurges are in the Euphorbiaceae family. |
Korean | 쿠쿠이박사 Kukui-baksa | Transliteration of Japanese name |
Chinese (Mandarin) | 庫庫伊博士 / 库库伊博士 Dr. Kùkùyī | Transliteration of Japanese name |
Chinese (Cantonese) | 庫庫伊博士 Dr. Fufuyī | Mandarin-based transliteration of Japanese name |
Spanish, Czech, Polish | Profesor Kukui | From English name |
Finnish | Professori Kukui | From English name |
Brazilian Portuguese | Professor Nogueira | From nogueira-de-iguape (candlenut). Nogueira is also a common Brazilian surname. |
Russian | Профессор Кекеи Professor Kekei | Similar to English name |
Vietnamese | Giáo sư Kukui | Same as Japanese name |
Turkish | Profesör Kukui | From English name |
Trivia
- Professor Kukui is the only Professor not shown giving out any starter Pokémon in the anime.
Related articles
This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |