Doctor Zed

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Doctor Zed ゼッド博士 Dr. Zed
Dr. Zed
Gender	Male
Eye color	Blue
Hair color	Gray
Hometown	Unknown
Region	Unknown
Anime debut	Secrets of the Jungle
English voice actor	Billy Kametz
Japanese voice actor	Kōichi Yamadera

Doctor Zed (Japanese: ゼッド博士 Dr. Zed) is the main antagonist of Secrets of the Jungle. He works for the Biotope Company, studying the secrets of the Forest of Okoya.

History

Ten years prior to the events of the movie, Dr. Zed worked for Chrom and Phossa Molybdenum at the Biotope Company. They researched the mysteries of the healing spring water in the Forest of Okoya, seeking to locate its source. Chrom and Phossa eventually managed to acquire a sample of the spring water and were able to find its source, the Great Tree, hidden somewhere deep in the jungle. However, when they realized the tree was a sacred place to the troop of Zarude living there, they decided to put their research on hold until they could find a way to approach the matter in a way more respectful to the tree's residents. This enraged Zed, who was unable to persuade Chrom to change his mind. Returning to his office, Zed recorded a video diary about the project's postponement, only to suffer a psychotic break during the recording, trash the office and decide that he should lead the Biotope Company instead. He pursued Chrom and Phossa in his car, running them off a road and causing a fiery wreck. Unaware that they had sent their infant son Al away in a cradle down the nearby river with their research contained in a pendant, Zed stole their sample of the spring water and left them to die in the subsequent explosion, swearing he would rebuild their work from scratch. Al was later found by one of the Zarude, who named him Koko and raised him as a son.

Dr. Zed assumed leadership of the Biotope Company as he had planned, and over the next ten years, sent research teams led by his aide Sharon to survey the Forest of Okoya. One day, Ash Ketchum arrived at the Biotope Company's headquarters with Koko accompanying him, having discovered the feral boy's apparent connection to the organization via an old photograph of Chrom and Phossa wearing lab coats with the Biotope Company's logo on them as they held the infant Koko. Zed was surprised by the presence of Koko, who he quickly realized was actually the long-believed-deceased Al Molybdenum. After explaining Koko's parents' background to him, Zed admitted that they had died in an accident ten years prior and proved Koko's identity by scanning the boy's pendant. This scan produced a partially corrupted data file from which an image of the Great Tree was recovered, and when Koko reacted to the photograph, Zed realized that he knew where the Great Tree was. He asked Koko to tell him its location, but Koko pushed him away and fled.

However, Zed had covertly placed a tracking chip on Koko's shoulder, and he used this information to follow Koko to the Great Tree with his research team, several trucks, and a giant spider tank in tow. As he started causing destruction to the jungle, he was confronted by Ash and Koko, who tried to stop his actions. He restrained them in his Ariados's String Shot and imprisoned them in one of the trucks, leaving them in the custody of Team Rocket, who had disguised themselves as researchers to infiltrate the Biotope Company. Zed led his team to the Great Tree, and upon confirming the presence of an enormous energy source within the tree itself, ordered the tank's pilot to fire missiles into it. This act enraged the Zarude troop and led to their staging a counterattack. The resistance of the Zarude coupled with the unexpected cruelty and violence of Zed's plot caused Sharon and the rest of the team to begin doubting their leader. He broke down again, initially pleading with them that his decisions were correct but soon realized that they would not agree with him. When Ash and Koko caught up with them, Zed ejected the tank's pilot and took control of it himself, confessing his role in the deaths of Chrom and Phossa and calling Koko's survival unplanned but convenient for his cause. Ranting that he would prove his choices to be correct, he piloted the mech to engage in a fierce battle with Ash, Koko, and the Pokémon of the jungle, whom he derided as weak.

Although he was able to hold out against his enemies for a lengthy period of time, Zed was ultimately defeated when Ash's Pikachu destroyed the mech's control system using Iron Tail. He tried to flee from the scene of the battle but was spotted by Koko, who gave chase and cornered him on a fallen tree overlooking a river. He and Koko got into a physical struggle and Zed tried to escape by jumping into the river, only for Koko to ensnare him with a vine, leaving him trapped hanging over the water.

Later, while the Biotope Company worked to restore the Forest of Okoya and restructure in the wake of the incident, Dr. Zed was arrested based on his confession and other evidence leaked to the public by Team Rocket. He was last seen on a television broadcast as he was led into a police van by Officer Jenny, glaring angrily at the cameras as the doors were closed.

Character

Dr. Zed showing his true colors

Dr. Zed portrays himself as a calm and reasonable scientist, but this is merely a persona to mask his cruel, ambitious nature. He prioritizes the well-being of humans over Pokémon and is willing to destroy natural environments without any regard for the Pokémon living there. His ambition is so great that he even has little hesitation to eliminate people who stand in his way, not caring if his actions directly lead to their deaths, so long as he gets what he desires. His mask of sanity slips at the slightest sign of others' doubting his plans, revealing his true, maniacal personality. He has no loyalty to his colleagues; besides killing the Molybdenums to obtain their research and prevent their interference in his ambitions, he is later seen throwing another colleague out of his mecha's cockpit in order to pilot it himself, not caring how far down the other researcher had to fall. In summation, Dr. Zed is one of the few characters in the Pokémon anime who is purely evil with no redeeming qualities, along with Grings Kodai, Hunter J, Alva, the Iron-Masked Marauder, and Dr. Yung.

In additon to his cruel and sociopathic behavior, Dr. Zed is also cowardly. When his mecha's battery was destroyed, he fled, even going as far as attempting to jump off a cliff into a river rather than face his defeat. He remained defiant to the very end, glaring maniacally at the camera filming his arrest before being taken away.

Pokémon

Used

		Ariados (×4)
		Dr. Zed used these Ariados to restrain Ash Ketchum and Koko in order to prevent them from interfering in his attack on the Heart Tree. Their only known move is String Shot.
Debut	Secrets of the Jungle

Voice actors

Names

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