Paul: Difference between revisions

This article is about the character from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. For the English voice actor credited as Ed Paul, see Ted Lewis.

Paul シンジ Shinji
Paul
Gender	Male
Eye color	Black
Hair color	Purple
Hometown	Veilstone City
Region	Sinnoh
Relatives	Reggie (brother)
Trainer class	Trainer
Anime debut	Two Degrees of Separation!
English voice actor	Julián Rebolledo
Japanese voice actor	Kiyotaka Furushima

Paul (Japanese: シンジ Shinji) is a recurring character who appeared in the Pokémon anime. He is a Pokémon Trainer from Veilstone City who was first seen at the end of Two Degrees of Separation!, though his full introduction was in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!. He is Ash's main Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl rival.

History

Pre-series

Paul started his journey with his Turtwig throughout Sinnoh, having been inspired by his older brother Reggie's own travels.

In A Pyramiding Rage!, it was revealed that, while Paul was still a beginning Trainer, he watched Reggie lose to Pyramid King Brandon, thus costing him a victory of the Kanto Battle Frontier. Afterwards, Paul became determined to become more powerful. Like his brother, Paul traveled through Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto, participating in their respective League Conferences, but failing to win any of them, before returning to Sinnoh.

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

Paul debuted briefly in Two Degrees of Seperation!, although he was formally introduced in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!, where he challenged Ash to a three-on-three battle. After the battle resulted in a tie, Paul released one of the three Starly he caught, writing it off as weak, and walked off. In Different Strokes for Different Blokes, he defeated Ash in a Single Battle after meeting him along the way when exploring Bewilder Forest. He caught his Ursaring in the forest. During the episode, he insulted Ash and especially his Turtwig by calling it pathetic, sparking their rivalry. At this point, Ash realized Paul's strategy of disregarding Pokémon and then releasing them if they did not meet his expectations. He also commented that he would not lose to Paul again.

In Shapes of Things to Come!, Paul then battled the Oreburgh Gym Leader Roark and managed to win the Coal Badge. Although he stayed to watch Ash's first battle against Roark in the next episode, he walked off. His style of indiscriminately releasing weak Pokémon was shown again as he gave the Azumarill he used against Roark to a kid in the Pokémon Center after it failed to help him in the battle.

In Top-Down Training!, Paul challenged the Sinnoh League Champion Cynthia to a Full Battle. After his first four Pokémon were easily defeated by Cynthia's Garchomp, he surrendered. In A Maze-ing Race!, he was a participant in the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, where he was partnered with Ash. Despite winning the quarterfinal match, he was disappointed with his Chimchar and released him, which Ash quickly caught. Eventually, Paul and Ash managed to win the tournament. Paul then revealed how he captured Chimchar: one day, he ran across him and saw him activating his Blaze Ability to ward off a horde of Zangoose that were violently attacking him. Paul was impressed and decided to catch Chimchar, but he never managed to recreate that powerful Blaze while under his ownership. After winning the tournament, he wrote off the tournament as nothing more than an opportunity to boost his battling skills, giving his Soothe Bell prize to Ash.

Paul and Ash

In Riding the Winds of Change!, Paul caught his Gliscor. In Pika and Goliath!, he watched Pikachu battle Sho's Raichu. After watching Pikachu lose to Raichu, he approached Ash and said Pikachu needed to evolve to even come close to being an equal to Raichu. Later on, he witnessed Pikachu defeat Raichu in Ash's rematch against Sho.

Prior to Lost Leader Strategy!, Paul returned to his hometown Veilstone City, where he challenged the new Gym Leader Maylene to a Gym battle. His Pokémon had a type advantage over Maylene's Fighting-type team. This, coupled with the fact that Maylene was feeling out of sync with her Pokémon, resulted in an embarrassing match in which she failed to knock out a single one of his Pokémon. As Maylene awarded him with the Cobble Badge, Paul noted that she was the weakest Gym Leader he had ever battled, which greatly upset her.

In Chim - Charred!, Paul battled Ash after arguing with him over Ash's true skills as a Trainer. After using his Gliscor to defeat Ash's with relative ease, he then pitted his Ursaring against Chimchar. Chimchar struggled for much of the battle, but ended up making a comeback and defeating Ursaring after finally activating Blaze. The battle ended prematurely when Chimchar's Blaze couldn't be controlled since it was activated out of resentment and a determination to defeat Paul. Paul was impressed as this version of Blaze appeared much more powerful than the one that initially drove him to catch Chimchar in the first place.

In Aiding the Enemy!, Paul used his Honchkrow in a Single Battle against Ash and his newly evolved Grotle, defeating Ash with ease partly due to Grotle being unable to adapt to its loss of speed. This was seen by his Torterra, who later helped Ash's Grotle handle the changes in its evolution. He also participated in the Squallville PokéRinger in Pursuing a Lofty Goal! with his Honchkrow, and made it to the finals but lost to Ash's Staraptor, which was newly evolved.

In A Pyramiding Rage!, Paul challenged Brandon to a Full Battle, hoping that he would be able to do what his brother failed to. However, he lost to Brandon without defeating any of his Pokémon, Brandon informing him that this loss was because he could not control his emotions.

Following Reggie's suggestion in A Pyramiding Rage!, Paul battled Ash in a Full Battle in Pedal to the Mettle! and Evolving Strategies!. It was revealed that Paul had evolved his Magmar into Magmortar since his battle with Brandon. Despite Ash's Chimchar evolving into Monferno and three of Ash's Pokémon using the Counter Shield strategy, Paul won the match easily with only two of his Pokémon fainting, one of which, Ursaring, having defeated half of Ash's team nearly single-handedly. He had his Pokémon use a broad variety of strategies that he kept up his sleeve until this battle, and as a result, his strategy of completely overwhelming and outsmarting Ash succeeded with excellent results.

Scolding Chimchar

In Double-Time Battle Training!, it was revealed that Paul had earned the Mine Badge from Canalave Gym and, by doing so, had collected the eight Badges required to enter the Sinnoh League.

In Fighting Ire with Fire!, Paul encountered Ash for the first time since their Full Battle. He also met his admirer Barry for the first time; however, Paul wasn't impressed by him and refused his offer for a battle, suggesting he battle Ash instead since he was denying all challenges to go into serious training. He later watched the battle between Ash's Monferno and Barry's Empoleon and when Pikachu, Piplup and Empoleon were nearly crushed by one of Team Rocket's damaged mechas, he saved the three with the help of his Electabuzz. He then witnessed Monferno evolving into Infernape, who then saved Electabuzz and the other Pokémon from getting crushed. Paul was impressed by Infernape, and gained a little respect for Ash at how well he had raised him. When asked by Ash if they could have another Full Battle, Paul confirmed they would in the Sinnoh League, and that Reggie was looking forward to seeing it.

Paul entered the Lily of the Valley Conference in An Old Family Blend!, where he was shown in the stadium along with all of the other competitors. He passed the preliminary round in League Unleashed! and defeated Barry in the third round in Casting a Paul on Barry! with his superior tactics and the superior power of his Pokémon. His next battle was against his rival Ash in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, continuing into A Real Rival Rouser! and Battling a Thaw in Relations!. After a fierce battle, Paul was finally defeated, and he and Ash parted on good terms, Ash having earned Paul's full respect. It also seemed Paul had decided to change himself somewhat, as when Electivire was defeated, he thanked it for a job well done; up to this point, this was something Paul practically never did, even if his Pokémon won. Afterwards, Paul stated that his next intention was to return to Snowpoint City and re-challenge Brandon. He briefly appeared in The Semi-Final Frontier!, where he watched Ash as he lost to Tobias.

Privately commenting to Dawn and Brock on the battle between Ash and Paul, Cynthia predicted that they would both be entering the Champion League soon.

Paul made a cameo appearance during the ending credits of Zoroark: Master of Illusions, in which he was seen visiting ancient ruins with statues of Dialga and Palkia.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Paul made a cameo appearance in a flashback in JN068.

Character

Paul and Reggie

Paul had undergone quite a bit of character development throughout Diamond and Pearl. Early in the series, Paul was very reserved and apathetic, and as such, has been shown to display very little emotion, other than an occasional rough smile when dealing with Ash. He was also very callous, especially when battling, seeing Pokémon as tools for combat rather than living beings to make friends with, and his only concern in them was of their strength in battle. He strongly disliked weak Pokémon and had a tendency of releasing them if they did not meet his expectations. To this effect, Paul always checked new captures with his Pokédex to learn what moves they knew, and released them if he deemed them not strong or potent enough. As for the ones he decided to keep, he was shown to be cruel, callous, and rather impatient, training them with very harsh and brutal methods to make them grow stronger as fast as possible, with little regard for their physical or emotional well-being. He felt that bonding with Pokémon would only turn them into slackers, which was proven when, on one occasion, he gave his prize Soothe Bell, an item that raises a Pokémon's happiness, away to Ash. He also had a habit of scolding his Pokémon for losing to opponents he felt they could have beaten, some examples being Azumarill, Chimchar, and Honchkrow. These beliefs and behaviors were best exemplified in his harsh treatment of Chimchar (which in and of itself was much worse compared to that of his other Pokémon); he was shown to have fed him straight from tin cans and rushed him so they could get back to training, as well as forcing him to not dodge attacks (even super-effective ones) for the sake of being able to activate his Blaze Ability at will under pressure. He was also shown to have had his other Pokémon relentlessly attack him for this same purpose.

However, Paul had a major turning point after his crushing loss to Brandon in A Pyramiding Rage! and underwent a serious attitude adjustment; he maintained his reserved and stoical personality, but he ceased his cruel tendencies and began treating his Pokémon less like tools and more like partners. While he still doesn't show them affection, he seems to have dropped his habit of scolding them; in fact, he started to do the exact opposite and commend them not only when they won, but even when they lost, which was something he practically never did prior. For example, in Battling a Thaw in Relations!, he praised his Electivire after it defeated Ash's Gliscor, and thanked it for its efforts after it lost to Ash's Infernape. It is unknown if he continues to practice his selective catching methods after this point as he has never been shown catching or releasing Pokémon again. He had also seemingly become less apathetic and more caring of others, which was best exemplified in Fighting Ire with Fire! when he helped save Ash's Pikachu, Dawn's Piplup, and Barry's Empoleon from Team Rocket's destroyed mecha.

Paul originally felt that Ash was a weak Trainer when they first met, as shown when Ash captured Starly and he questioned him about how strong Starly was. Ash's very different attitude towards Pokémon also provided much fuel to their rivalry. Despite that, Paul barely recognized Ash as a serious Trainer or a rival, often disregarding his speeches about friendship and love, and taunting and belittling him basically every time they met up with each other. There were also a few points during their rivalry where Paul accused Ash of hypocrisy, for using training methods that he believed were similar to his own (which Ash had criticized him for), such as entering the Wallace Cup and having his own Pokémon attack each other. However, Paul's first hint of respect for Ash was shown in A Pyramiding Rage!, when he was very surprised to hear that he had won his own Brave Symbol from Brandon, something both his brother and later Paul himself failed at. Notably, after this discovery and his subsequent defeat at the hands of Brandon, Paul would become more subdued and much less cold. While still being at odds with Ash, he would no longer mock his abilities as a Trainer. His change in attitude was shown after his victories against Ash and Barry, where, despite their losses, he would not dismiss their efforts like before and would even compliment them on a hard-fought battle. After a long, tough battle in Sinnoh's Pokémon League Conference, Paul ended up losing to Ash, and in doing so, gained respect for him and ended their bitter rivalry.

Paul has also been shown to have a certain degree of athleticism, as seen in Different Strokes for Different Blokes when he and Chimchar were able to downwardly scale a cliff of a waterfall near Bewilder Forest by swinging and leaping from rocks and branches. His catchphrase when calling out Pokémon is "<Pokémon>, standby for battle!". As revealed in Lost Leader Strategy!, Paul occasionally gives some of his Pokémon to his brother Reggie for temporary training and caretaking. He disagrees with his brother's decision to give up on being a Pokémon Trainer after failing to get the Brave Symbol from Brandon, and often harbored contempt towards him for having similar views and beliefs about Pokémon to Ash.

Paul appears to feel indifference to Dawn, showing that he didn't even bother to remember her name in A Gruff Act to Follow. However, he talks to her about Ash in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, confessing his main problem with Ash is his talk about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength through his bond with them and how any Pokémon has the potential to be strong reminds him a lot of his brother. Paul shows mild respect as well as distaste towards Brock, probably because he supports Ash's view on Pokémon. Paul does show respect for his elders, such as Professor Rowan, Cynthia, Nurse Joy, and Brandon. While he respects Professor Rowan and Nurse Joy for their wisdom and positions, he only respects Cynthia and Brandon for their abilities as Trainers. He also shows respect to Gym Leaders, but not ones who he feels are weak. For example, he was shown to respect Roark whom he judged to be a worthy opponent in the end, but he was openly rude and mean to Maylene, whom he defeated with ease.

Pokémon

As a result of Paul's selective team creation, his active team is composed of Pokémon that he deems to be powerful. Whilst the captures of Ursaring and Gliscor were shown in Different Strokes for Different Blokes and Riding the Winds of Change!, respectively, and Ninjask's was revealed in a flashback during Glory Blaze!, his team has for the most part been caught off-screen. Several other Pokémon in his possession were caught onscreen but later released.

On hand

This listing is of Paul's Pokémon as of the most recent Japanese episode and the ones used for the last Full Battle against Ash:

		Elekid → Electabuzz → Electivire
		Main article: Paul's Electivire Electivire was the first of Paul's revealed Pokémon. Paul used it as an Elekid during his first appearance in When Pokémon Worlds Collide! in a battle against Ash and his Pikachu. In Smells Like Team Spirit!, Elekid evolved into Electabuzz during a tag battle in which it was fighting alongside Ash's Chimchar. It reappeared as an Electivire in Casting a Paul on Barry!, having evolved off screen at a prior point. It was used by Paul to battle Barry and Ash in his league matches. It was the last Pokémon used against Ash in their full battle at the Lily of the Valley Conference.
Debut	Two Degrees of Separation!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Bill Rogers

		Ninjask
		Paul's Ninjask was caught shortly before Paul met Chimchar, as shown in a flashback in Glory Blaze!. It did not appear again until it was used as Paul's fourth Pokémon against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference, where it went up against Gliscor. Taking advantage of its superior speed, it managed to cause substantial damage, while not taking in a single hit. Gliscor was then recalled in favor of Infernape, who eliminated Ninjask with the blast wave from an Underground Flare Blitz and a successful Mach Punch. Ninjask's known moves are Agility, Fury Cutter, and Giga Drain, and its Ability is Speed Boost.
Debut	Glory Blaze!
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Billy Beach

		Lairon → Aggron
		Paul's Aggron first appeared as a Lairon in A Pyramiding Rage!, in which it fought against Brandon's Regice. Despite having a significant type advantage, it lost in a matter of seconds after only managing to use Iron Defense; Regice froze it solid with Ice Beam and then knocked it out with a single Zap Cannon. In Familiarity Breeds Strategy! it was shown to have evolved into Aggron. As Paul's first Pokémon, it went up against Pikachu in the Lily of the Valley Conference match against Ash. With about even strength, Ash made the decision to switch to Infernape. After being successfully burned by Flare Blitz, it was knocked out by an exceedingly powerful Mach Punch. It was one of the two Pokémon used by Paul to uncover Ash's strategy, the other being Gastrodon. Aggron's known moves are Iron Defense, Metal Claw, Metal Sound, Flash Cannon and Double-Edge, and its Ability is Rock Head.
Debut	A Pyramiding Rage!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Billy Beach

		Gastrodon
		Paul's Gastrodon was the second Pokémon used against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference, going up against Staraptor. Adapting Ash's tactics from their previous full battle, Gastrodon was shown to be able to easily keep Staraptor off by creating a Counter Shield using Muddy Water. Ash then ordered Staraptor to attack, flying just above the ground, only to be caught by Gastrodon's Body Slam. It then fired Water Pulse directly into the air, planning to dodge the attack descending at an increased speed at the last second. Breaking free by using Close Combat on the ground, Staraptor was then hit by a direct Ice Beam and subsequently substituted with Buizel. It was at this point Paul realized Ash was using the same Pokémon as last time, calling him "pathetic and predictable". As Gastrodon started off with an Ice Beam, Buizel again used his improvised Ice Aqua Jet, sending Gastrodon flying. Going for another Body Slam from the blast, Buizel countered with an Ice Punch, effectively eliminating Gastrodon. Gastrodon was one of the two Pokémon used by Paul to uncover Ash's strategy, the other being Aggron. Gastrodon's known moves are Muddy Water, Body Slam, Water Pulse, and Ice Beam.
Debut	Familiarity Breeds Strategy!
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Tom Wayland

		Drapion
		Drapion was the third Pokémon used in the Lily of the Valley Conference match against Ash where it was sent out after Paul had uncovered his strategy. As a result, Drapion was able to successfully eliminate half of Ash's team (Buizel, Staraptor and Torterra). After defeating Torterra, it was recalled, making Drapion the only Pokémon Paul recalled during the entire battle. Throughout the battle, Drapion's Toxic Spikes poisoned most of Ash's team, until Infernape's improvised Underground Flare Blitz completely burned them off. Later, Drapion went up against Gliscor and, after a fierce battle, was finally knocked out after being successfully burned by Fire Fang. Drapion's known moves are Pin Missile, Cross Poison, Toxic Spikes, and Poison Fang.
Debut	Familiarity Breeds Strategy!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Unshō Ishizuka

		Froslass ♀
		Froslass was the fifth Pokémon used by Paul in his battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. Going up against Ash's Pikachu, she successfully contained his Thunderbolt with Hail, while also activating her Snow Cloak ability, allowing her to constantly disappear and reappear during the battle. Frustrated with the single-sided attacks, Ash ordered Pikachu to use Volt Tackle, described by Paul as "pathetic". As Pikachu went charging towards the oncoming Froslass and ended up going through causing no damage, it seemed Ash was in trouble. Froslass then fired Ice Shard to finish the battle, which Pikachu dodged for a successful Iron Tail, also breaking up the Hail. Pikachu was then frozen by a subsequent Ice Beam, while Froslass was preparing another Ice Shard. Breaking free with Volt Tackle, Pikachu finally took Froslass out of the match. Froslass's known moves are Hail, Ice Shard, and Ice Beam, and her Ability is Snow Cloak.
Debut	A Real Rival Rouser!
Voice actors
Japanese	Satsuki Yukino
English	Bella Hudson

With Reggie

In Veilstone City, Reggie told Ash that Paul's "other Pokémon are here too" which may include his reserves. In Glory Blaze!, Paul mentions that he wanted Chimchar to become the most powerful out of all his Fire-type Pokémon. This could mean he has other Fire-type Pokémon besides Magmortar.

		Turtwig → Grotle → Torterra
		Main article: Paul's Torterra Torterra is Paul's strongest Pokémon and his starter as well. It made its first appearance in Top-Down Training!, in which it was used in a battle against Cynthia's Garchomp. Torterra helped Ash's Grotle cope with its lack of speed after evolution.
Debut	Top-Down Training!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Billy Beach

		Ursaring
		Main article: Paul's Ursaring Paul caught Ursaring in Different Strokes for Different Blokes with the help of his Chimchar. Ursaring was seen several times since, often battling with Chimchar.
Debut	Different Strokes for Different Blokes
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Unshō Ishizuka

		Murkrow → Honchkrow
		Main article: Paul's Honchkrow Honchkrow's first official appearance was as a Murkrow in Top-Down Training!, in which Paul used it in battle against Cynthia's Garchomp. It evolved off-screen between Riding the Winds of Change! and Lost Leader Strategy!.
Debut	Top-Down Training!
Voice actors
Japanese	Shin-ichiro Miki
English	Bill Rogers

		Weavile
		Paul caught Weavile while he journeyed through Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. Weavile made its first appearance in a battle against Cynthia's Garchomp where it lost, despite the double type-advantage of Ice. Paul sent Weavile out in Riding the Winds of Change! where it worked with Electabuzz to capture Gliscor. Weavile briefly appeared in Aiding the Enemy as Torterra's sparring partner. Weavile appeared again in Pedal to the Mettle! where it went up against Ash's Staraptor in Ash and Paul's Full Battle and lost, despite the type-advantage. In Battling a Thaw in Relations! it was with Reggie along with Paul's Torterra, Ursaring and Honchkrow, disappointed to find out Paul had lost. Weavile's known moves are Blizzard, Ice Beam, Ice Shard, Swords Dance, and Metal Claw.
Debut	Top-Down Training!
Voice actors
Japanese	Chinami Nishimura
English	Bill Rogers

		Gliscor
		Paul caught Gliscor in Riding the Winds of Change! after hearing of its reputation as a powerful Pokémon, causing a lot of trouble along with its pack of Gligar. While easily standing up against Electabuzz and Weavile, it was finally caught by Paul, while Ash was trying to talk with it. Gliscor appeared again in Chim - Charred!, in which it was used to battle Ash's Gligar and won the battle rather easily. Gliscor made a brief appearance in Aiding the Enemy! along with Paul's other Pokémon outside of the Pokémon Center while the Team Rocket trio took care of Paul's Torterra. Gliscor was not seen again after this. Gliscor's known moves are X-Scissor, Sandstorm, Knock Off, and Guillotine.
Debut	Riding the Winds of Change!
Voice actors
Japanese	Yūji Ueda
English	Marc Thompson

		Magmar → Magmortar
		Main article: Paul's Magmortar Paul chose Magmortar to replace his Chimchar after he released it. It first debuted as a Magmar in Lost Leader Strategy!, in which it appeared in a flashback. Magmar made its first real appearance in Aiding the Enemy!, sleeping with Paul's other Pokémon. Magmar's evolution was revealed in Pedal to the Mettle! when Paul chose Magmortar to battle Ash's Pikachu.
Debut	Lost Leader Strategy!
Voice actors
Japanese	Yūji Ueda
English	Tom Wayland

		Hariyama
		Hariyama fought against Brandon's Regirock, with Paul bringing it out to utilize its type advantage. It appeared to be very powerful, managing to block Regirock's otherwise deadly Stone Edge with its hands and strike with multiple Arm Thrusts. However, it was caught at close range, stunned with Shock Wave and subsequently taken out by Focus Punch. Hariyama's known moves are Arm Thrust and Force Palm.
Debut	A Pyramiding Rage!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Bill Rogers

		Nidoking ♂
		Paul's Nidoking fought against Brandon's Registeel. Nidoking also proved to be powerful, and unlike Paul's other Pokémon in the battle, actually put up something of a fight. He even surprised Brandon with his ability to recover so quickly from a Flash Cannon to the face. He hit Registeel directly with all of his attacks, but the Drill Pokémon ultimately didn't manage to cause much damage to the Iron Pokémon and was defeated with a powerful Iron Head. Nidoking's known moves are Earth Power, Double Kick, and Thunderbolt.
Debut	A Pyramiding Rage!
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi
English	Katsuyuki Konishi

Released

It is implied that Paul has caught and released many more Pokémon than what has been shown onscreen.

		Starly (×2)
		Paul caught these two Starly the same time he caught the final one. Paul released the two once he scanned them on his Pokédex, deeming them too weak for his team, and the fact that they only knew Tackle and Sand-Attack. Both Starly's known moves are Tackle* and Sand-Attack*.
Debut	When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kiyotaka Furushima
English	Sarah Natochenny

		Starly
		Paul caught the final Starly the same time he caught the other two. He decided to keep it once he scanned it on his Pokédex, due to its knowledge of Aerial Ace. It was used against Ash's Starly in their first battle. Despite Paul's Starly winning, Paul decided it was not up to his standards and so it was also released after their battle. Starly's known moves were Aerial Ace and Double Team.
Debut	When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kiyotaka Furushima
English	Sarah Natochenny

		Stantler
		Paul caught Stantler while in Bewilder Forest, but released it as soon as he scanned it on his Pokédex, due to the fact that its only move was Tackle. Stantler's only known move is Tackle*.
Debut	Different Strokes for Different Blokes
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi
English	Katsuyuki Konishi

		Chimchar ♂
		Main article: Paul's Chimchar When Paul first saw Chimchar, he was being chased by a group of Zangoose. Paul was impressed with him and added him to his regular team. However, this first impression did not match up to Chimchar's normal abilities and so Paul regularly criticized him for being weak. After losing to Cynthia's Garchomp in Top-Down Training, Paul realized that Chimchar was not fulfilling his expectations. This culminated in the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, in which he was forced to battle alongside Ash. During a battle against a Zangoose and a Metagross, Chimchar was too scared to make any attacks when caught in Zangoose's claws. After the battle, Paul released Chimchar in front of Ash, who then invited him to join his team.
Debut	When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
Voice actors
Japanese	Megumi Hayashibara
English	Bill Rogers

Given away

		Azumarill
		Paul was first seen using Azumarill for his battle with Roark in Shapes of Things to Come!, attempting to use the type advantage over the Rock-type Pokémon. However, Roark's Geodude had little trouble in defeating the Water Pokémon, deflecting Hydro Pump with Hidden Power and knocking it out with Rollout. Unsatisfied with its loss, Paul gave Azumarill away to a little boy during A Gruff Act to Follow!, claiming it had no potential to improve and there was no point wasting his time on it. This infuriated Ash, pushing their rivalry even further. Azumarill's known moves were Hydro Pump and Water Gun*.
Debut	Shapes of Things to Come!
Voice actors
Japanese	Tomoko Kawakami
English	Kayzie Rogers

Achievements

Badges obtained

It can be assumed that Paul has at least eight Gym Badges each from Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto, as he has entered all three of their championship competitions.

Paul's Relic Badge

Sinnoh Badges

This listing is of the Badges Paul has obtained in the Sinnoh region:

• Coal Badge (Shapes of Things to Come!)
• Cobble Badge (prior to Lost Leader Strategy!)
• Relic Badge (prior to Aiding the Enemy)
• Four unknown Badges* (prior to Double-Time Battle Training!)
• Mine Badge (prior to Double-Time Battle Training!)

Pokémon League

Paul has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:

• Ever Grande Conference - Unknown (prior to Two Degrees of Separation!)
• Silver Conference - Unknown (prior to Two Degrees of Separation!)
• Indigo Plateau Conference - Unknown (prior to Two Degrees of Separation!)
• Lily of the Valley Conference - Top 8 (Battling a Thaw in Relations!)

Pokémon competitions

Paul has competed in the following Pokémon competitions:

• Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition - Winner (with Ash; Smells Like Team Spirit!)
• Squallville PokéRinger - Runner-Up (Pursuing a Lofty Goal!)

Voice actors

Artwork

Concept artwork from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

Trivia

Early artwork

• Paul was first revealed to the fandom through a CoroCoro scan that showed him alongside Ash and Dawn commanding a Chimchar. However, his name and role were not revealed until the following week, and so, he received the fan name "Nugai" (a pun derived from "new guy") during that time.
• Three of Ash's Pokémon have evolved while battling Paul: Turtwig into Grotle, Staravia into Staraptor, and Chimchar into Monferno. Both Turtwig and Staravia evolved while battling Honchkrow. Paul also witnessed Monferno's later evolution into Infernape.
• Paul is the first regular rival seen catching a Pokémon and receiving a Gym Badge on screen.
• If one does not count the Squallville PokéRinger, Paul has been defeated onscreen three times. Each was a Full Battle and each time three of his Pokémon debuted.
• Paul shares his Japanese name with that of Lake Verity.
• Paul has three Pokémon in common with Ash's main rival in the original series, Gary: Electivire, Nidoking, and Magmar.
  • Paul and Ash also have three Pokémon in common that come from the same evolutionary families: two Torterra, two Gliscor, and a Froslass and a Glalie, respectively.
• Paul is the only Trainer to abandon one of Ash's Fire-type Pokémon that has been seen more than once outside of flashbacks.
• Paul is the first regular recurring character to battle the Champion of a core series region.
• Paul makes a cameo appearance alongside his Pokémon in the ending Let's Join Hands.
• During the tenth season, Paul's catchphrase was "Stand by!" instead of "Stand by for battle!"

Names

Related articles

• Episodes focusing on Paul
• Images on the Bulbagarden Archives

Paul's Pokémon
On hand:	Electivire	Gyarados	Garchomp	Metagross
At home:	Ursaring	Weavile	Honchkrow	Torterra	Ninjask	Gliscor
	Magmortar	Hariyama	Nidoking	Aggron	Gastrodon	Drapion
	Froslass
Released:	Starly (×3)	Stantler	Chimchar
Given away:	Azumarill

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