Bill

This article is about the Pokémon Researcher. For the English voice actors, see Bill Rogers or Billy Regan. For the common Trainer card in Pokémon Trading Card Game, see Bill (Base Set 91).

Bill (Japanese: ソネザキ・マサキ Masaki Sonezaki) is a Pokémon Researcher, widely regarded as an expert in many fields. He has made many appearances in the games. Bill is most commonly found in his Sea Cottage, which is north of Cerulean City at the end of Route 25. He is most notable for his first appearance in the Generation I games Green, Red, Blue, and Yellow versions and for his Pokémon storage system that has been pertinent in the entire main series.

In the games

Bill is the talented and famous inventor. He invented the original Pokémon storage system and Time Capsule.

People, including himself, call him Pokémaniac because of his large collection of both common and rare Pokémon. The first one he caught was an Abra; however, his favorite Pokémon are Eevee and its evolutions. Bill also gives a free Eevee to Gold/Kris in Generation II and another one to Bebe in Generation IV, which is later given to Lucas/Dawn.

Bill also has several friends that share his interests in computer technology. One of them is Celio, his old friend from One Island in the Sevii Islands. He is also close with Lanette and Bebe, the storage system developers of Hoenn and Sinnoh, respectively.

Bill also has some fans, like Pokémaniac Brent of Generation II who calls the player with information about him. Most of his calls are trivia about Bill himself and his family, such as the fact that Bill's mother used to be a Kimono Girl and that Bill's younger sister can't wink. Brent also revealed the fact that Bill is lactose-intolerant, which was also stated by Celio in Generation III.

Bill has been shown to have a large family. In Fuchsia City lives his adult sister and grandpa, who in Generation II watches over Bill's cottage on Route 25 while he is visiting the rest of his family in Goldenrod City.

In the Japanese versions of the games, Bill speaks in Kansai Dialect like most Goldenrod City natives.

Generation I

Bill as a Clefairy in the Sea Cottage

In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, Bill can be found at the Cerulean Cape, initially performing an experiment on Pokémon teleportation. However, Bill accidentally becomes combined with the body of a Clefairy and requires the player's help to fix the problem. After things are back in order, he speaks about his Pokémon storage system and what was formerly on the PC menu as "Someone's PC" will change to "Bill's PC". He will also give away an S.S. Ticket so that the player can board the S.S. Anne.

Generation II

In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, Bill is visiting his family in Goldenrod City. After he gets the Time Capsule up and running in Ecruteak City, players can visit him in Goldenrod and receive an Eevee.

Generation III: Hoenn

While visiting Lanette, players can check one of her computers to find an E-mail from Bill. The English translation of the E-mail makes it seem as if Bill is crediting Lanette for upgrading his system, whereas the Japanese text clearly establishes that he and Lanette are co-developers of the original system.

English Letter:

"... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Your storage system

offers more convenience than mine.

It has a lot of user friendly features that

make it fun and useful too. It makes me

proud that I played a part in its development.

Here's hoping that you'll continue

research in Storage Systems.

From Bill

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..."

Generation III: Kanto

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions, Bill is in the same area as in the original games. However, he also appears on Cinnabar Island asking for help in the Sevii Islands shortly after Blaine is defeated. While on Knot Island, he introduces the player to Celio.

Fame Checker

This is a list of the Fame Checker's information on Bill in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

Cerulean City — Blue (game)

• What does this person do?

"After all, Bill's world-famous as a Pokémaniac. He invented the Pokémon Storage System on PC, too."

Cerulean City — Kid

• Favorite kind of Pokémon?

"Bill has lots of Pokémon! He collects rare ones, too!"

Fuchsia City — Bill's grandfather

• What is this person like?

"He's my grandson! He always liked collecting things, even as a child!"

One Island — Celio

• Favorite kind of Pokémon?

""Bill is a Pokémaniac, so he likes every kind. Apparently, the first one he caught was an Abra."

One Island — Celio

• Family and friends?

"Bill's hometown is Goldenrod City, where his folks still live. I've heard it's quite the festive, bustling city."

One Island — Celio

• There's a rumor…

"Apparently, Bill can't stomach milk at all."

Message from Bill

• From: Bill
• To: Player

"Hey, there! Celio had nothing but praise for you. Hearing that makes me happy. When you catch some rare Pokémon, come show me, okay? Promise!"

Generation IV

In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Bebe mentions that Bill invented the original PC storage system, and that she tinkered with it to make it easier to use. Upon giving the player an Eevee, Bebe refers to Bill as a friend from Johto to whom the Eevee previously belonged.

In the anime

Ash, Misty, and Brock met Bill at his lighthouse in Mystery at the Lighthouse.

Bill had previously been trapped in a Kabuto costume for what he claims to have been hours (in the dub only; the original didn't state how long he had been in the costume) until Ash finally comes to press the release button for him. Afterwards, Bill fulfills a request made by Professor Oak to give Ash and his friends a lesson on the basics of Pokémon, during which Bill shares the idea that there may be many more than just 150 species of Pokémon. The remainder of his appearance is spent focused on explaining to Ash and company his recent project, involving a mysterious Pokémon whose cry can be heard across the sea.

Voice actors

• Japanese
  • 小野坂昌也 Masaya Onosaka
• English
  • Maddie Blaustein
• Brazilian
  • Marcelo Campos

In the TCG

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

Name	Type	Level	Rarity	Set	Set no.
Bill	T	–		Base Set	91/102
				Base Set 2	118/130
				Legendary Collection	108/110
			–	"P" Promotional cards (no English release)	009/P
Bill's Teleporter	T	–		Neo Genesis	91/111
Mail from Bill	T	–		Neo Destiny	105/105
Bill's Maintenance	T	–		Expedition Base Set	137/165
				EX FireRed & LeafGreen	87/112
				EX Crystal Guardians	71/100
				POP Series 5	6/17

In the manga

In the How I Became a Pokémon Card Manga

In the first chapter of How I Became a Pokémon Card, a younger Bill rescues a lost Dratini from an angry crowd and it lives with him for a couple of days, until its father, an angry Dragonite, begins to go on a rampage. Dratini returns home, promising to always be friends with Bill.

Also, Bill makes appearances in Pokémon Zensho and Electric Tale of Pikachu.

In the Pokémon Special manga

Bill has been dragged into all sorts of misadventures in almost every chapter ever since Red, Green & Blue when he is turned into a mutated Rattata by his experiments and snatched up by a Fearow in ...But Fearow Itself!. In this same chapter Bill offers to help Red with his Pokémon's storage problems, making allusion to his Pokémon storage system. His other exploits including helping Red find and capture an Eevee that had escaped from Team Rocket; facing Lorelei in combat with Yellow; fighting alongside Lt. Surge against Bruno on Cerise Island; and being attacked by a group of playful Staryu after meeting Crystal.

Bill not only designed the Pokémon storage system, he also maintains it from his home, and is the one who repairs it after the Mask of Ice's Team Rocket sabotaged it, allowing trainers from all over to send their Pokémon to aid Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver and Crystal in their battle against Ho-Oh and Lugia. He also creates a portable Pokémon Transfer system using a PokéGear and a Pokédex, allowing Crystal to send Professor Oak the Pokémon she captured while the system is down. During the FireRed and LeafGreen arc, he plays an integral role in stopping Team Rocket.

At the end of Volume 15, he is showed working with Daisy Oak, and they seem to be getting along well, hinting at a possible relationship between the two, although there is never any solid evidence provided later.

His Pokémon include Vulpix (which he keeps as a guard "fox"), Magikarp, Exeggcute (which evolved into Exeggutor during the chapters taking place in the Sevii Islands) and Farfetch'd. In the Japanese version, Bill speaks with an Osaka accent. However, as an Osaka accent is impossible to render in English, in the English translation he speaks with a very thick Southern or Texan accent, which is commonly used when translating manga and anime due to the similarity in perception of the two accents in the two cultures. His accent was actually so thick as to be unintelligible to some characters within the manga, which provided a source of humor at times. When Bill reappears during the FireRed and LeafGreen arc, his accent is less noticeable.

He is said to be the creator of the Vs Seeker.

Vulpix

Magikarp

→ Exeggcute → Exeggutor

Farfetch'd

Trivia

• Bill being mixed with a Pokémon during a teleportation experiment seems to be a direct reference to the movie The Fly, in which a scientist experimenting with teleportation pods ends up combined with a fly.
• If a player declines to go to the Sevii Islands after defeating Blaine, Bill will wait in Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Center. During this period, he is both back at his home on Route 25 and on Cinnabar Island at the same time.
• In the anime, Bill has green hair, and appears to be wearing some strangely formal clothing. This is somewhat awkward compared to the TCG card image and his appearances in various manga, where he wears a polo shirt and his hair is a darker brown hue. It also contrasts with his in-game attitude, where he states that he "can't stand fancy dos."
• Many rumors sprouted up during the time of Generation I where if the player could travel to the gap which appeared at the back of Bill's House, they would encounter Mew. This proved to be false and to stop further rumors, the gap had been removed in the Generation III remakes.
• In Generation II, a fan of Bill periodically reveals some trivia, including that his younger sister can't wink and his mother used to be a Kimono Girl. He also says Bill is lactose intolerant. Celio also claims this in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

Name origin

Bill's name may be derived from Bill Gates, former head of Microsoft, and developer of the Microsoft Windows operating system for PCs. His Japanese name, Masaki, means Japanese Spindle. It is also similar to みさき misaki, meaning cape, where he lives.

Professor Oak • Mom (Kanto) • Mom (LGPE) • Red • Blue • Green • Trace • Daisy • Old man • Bill • Celio • Mr. Fuji • Safari Zone Warden • Copycat • Primo • Koichi
Pokémon Fan Club Chairman • Erik and Sara • Lostelle • Teala • Selphy • Cal • Steven Stone • Maylene • Mina • Cameron • Mr. Game • Morimoto
Team Rocket • Gym guide • Gym Leaders • Elite Four • Professors' aides • Magikarp salesman • Name Rater • Day-Care Person • Mr. Hyper

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.