Ian (Sinnoh)

Ian (Japanese: イワオ Iwao) is the Gym assistant for the Oreburgh Gym and first appeared in Shapes of Things to Come.

He was first seen escorting Paul outside of the Oreburgh Gym, and was thought to be the Gym Leader by Ash until he admitted that the actual Gym Leader Roark wasn't available to fight. Instead, he claimed his job is taking care of the Gym's Pokémon.

Ian was also responsible for Ash getting his Badge case, offering the general qualifications for the Sinnoh League, and explaining where Roark was and his work, mining for coal and treasure. Once Roark and the gang returned to the Gym, Paul's request for a challenge was accepted, and Ian was the judge for the match.

His role as judge carried over to Ash's first Gym battle against Roark the following day in the episode A Gruff Act to Follow!.

In Wild in the Streets, Ian's brief role was to warn Roark of Aerodactyl's rampage and Armaldo and Kabutops' escape from the Oreburgh museum.

Ian made his last appearance in O'er the Rampardos we Watched!, once more as the judge for Ash's second battle against Roark.

Voice actors

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.