Professor Kukui (anime)

Professor Kukui ククイ博士 Dr. Kukui
Art from the Sun & Moon series
Gender	Male
Eye color	Black
Hair color	Black
Hometown	Unknown
Region	Alola
Relatives	Professor Burnett (wife)
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 Professor 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 and Professor Burnet about to get married

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 come home injured and on investigating found 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 SM063. 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.

Character

Principal Oak 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 SM017, 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 (Japanese アローラ探偵ラキ Alola 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.

Pokémon

This listing is of Professor Kukui's known Pokémon in the anime:

On hand

		Braviary ♂
		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's only known move is Brave Bird.
Debut	Revealing the Stuff of Legend!
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Ryan Nicholls

		Incineroar
		Professor Kukui's alias, the Masked Royal, was first seen using Incineroar in SM063, 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's known moves are Darkest Lariat, Bulk Up, Throat Chop, and Cross Chop. Incineroar can also perform the Z-Move Malicious Moonsault.
Debut	SM063

Befriended

		Rockruff
		Main article: Ash's Rockruff Rockruff is a wild Pokémon Professor Kukui took under his care. In Rocking Clawmark Hill!, he allowed Ash to catch it after seeing the bond the two had developed.
Debut	The Guardian's Challenge!
Voice actors
Japanese	Megumi Hayashibara
English	Haven Paschall

Ride Pokémon

		Wailmer
		Professor Kukui was first seen riding a Poké Ride Wailmer around Melemele Island. None of Wailmer's moves are known.
Debut	Yo, Ho, Ho! Go, Popplio!

At his house

		Luvdisc (×2)
		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! and That's Why Litten is a Scamp!.
Debut	The Guardian's Challenge!

		Corsola
		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! and That's Why Litten is a Scamp!.
Debut	The Guardian's Challenge!

Voice actors

Names

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