List of Orange Islands Gym Leaders
Below is a list of Orange Islands Gym Leaders, fictional characters who serve as Pokémon Gym Leaders in the Orange Islands region in the Pokémon anime.
Collectively known as the Orange Crew, each of these Gym Leaders is in charge of a Pokémon Gym. Unlike other Gym Leaders, these five characters were created for the anime (along with the entire Orange Islands region), and do not appear in other media except the official manga adaptation of the anime. The Orange Crew mostly favor tests of skill, endurance, or other tests of the applicant’s mettle, instead of straight head-to-head battles. Each of them poses to Ash a challenge to overcome or task to complete before he earns the badges he needs to go on to the Orange League championships.
Cissy
Cissy (ナツミ, Natsumi in the Japanese language version), is Mikan Island’s Gym Leader. She is an expert on Water-type Pokémon, and one of the rules of her Gym is that opponents must use Water-type Pokémon as well. She lives with Senta, her assistant and little brother, who is also a Pokémon trainer and, according to Tracey Sketchit, she is known as “one of the toughest trainers in the Orange Crew”. She is very tough indeed, as well as a bit of a trickster. She hands out the Coral Eye Badge to trainers who defeat her.
When he seeks her out to win his first Orange League badge, Ash discovers that Cissy, like the rest of the Orange Crew, conducts a different kind of Gym battle from those he was used to in the Indigo League. The first part of Cissy’s match is an accuracy test, in which both trainers have their Pokémon use Water Gun to accurately hit targets. The second test is a Surfing race around some buoys near the coast. Ash prevails in both and wins the badge thanks to the speed of his Lapras.
Cissy’s Pokémon
Danny
Danny (ダン, Dan in the Japanese language version), is Navel Island’s Gym Leader. He does not specialize in a particular Pokémon type. He appears to be in his mid-20s and enjoys water sports including sailing and windsurfing. Danny hands out the Sea Ruby Badge to trainers who defeat him.
He is the second Gym Leader Ash encounters in the Orange Archipelago. He and Misty seem to have a minor flirtation in the anime episode “Navel Maneuvers”. Like other members of the Orange Crew, Danny doesn’t simply battle Ash; instead, he challenges Ash to work with his Pokémon in order to win the Badge. Initially, Ash has to climb a mountain without the aid of any of his Pokémon. Then, Ash and Danny each choose one of their Pokémon to try to freeze a geyser of superheated water. Each then picks three Pokémon to carve a bobsled (or toboggan) of sorts from the ice, and the final challenge is a bobsled race down the side of the mountain. Ash wins the last two challenges (the requisite is two out of three) and receives the badge from Danny.
Danny’s Team
Rudy
Rudy (ジギー, Jigī in the Japanese language version), is Trovita Island’s Gym Leader. He specializes in combat between Pokémon of the same type. His strategy also includes teaching his Pokémon skills they would not normally learn, such as modern dance. Trainers who defeat him earn the Spike Shell Badge.
Rudy is the third Gym Leader that Ash Ketchum meets while traveling through the Orange Archipelago. In the episode “Misty Meets Her Match”, he ignores Ash and puts all his efforts into wooing Misty, who had saved his younger sister Mahri and her Seel from a whirlpool. Although he appears cultured and charismatic, Rudy fails to convince Misty to stay with him on the island.
Like Mikan Island Gym Leader Cissy, Rudy requires that all trainers who face him pass a test of skill. He has Ash’s Pokémon shoot at targets while aboard a moving boat. After Ash passes Rudy’s attack test, they face off in a three-on-three battle atop one of the rock pillars that surround Trovita Island, in which each of Rudy’s Pokémon are of the same type as the ones Ash chooses. Ash prevails in two out of three rounds, capturing the Spike Shell Badge. Rudy then tells Ash that he’s a lucky guy (because Misty continued to travel with him), but Ash doesn’t seem to understand what Rudy means.
Rudy’s Pokémon
- Electabuzz (used against Pikachu)
- Exeggutor (used against Bulbasaur)
- Starmie (used against Squirtle)
- Hitmonchan
- Golem
- Alakazam
- Rhydon
- Pidgeot
- Venomoth
- Ninetales
Rudy in the manga
Rudy was featured in a chapter of the Pokémon: Surf’s Up, Pikachu manga, which (very) loosely parallels the plot of the anime, making him the only member of the Orange Crew besides Drake to appear in another medium. In the first American comic book-form edition, he was called Jeremy, but this was corrected when the manga was collected into graphic novels.
Events that transpire in the manga are similar to those in the anime, although Tracey is not present. In addition, after Misty turns down Rudy’s marriage proposal when Ash beats him, Mahri is disappointed because she wanted Misty to become her big sister. To make Mahri happy, Rudy begins to crossdress, becoming a big sister for her.
Luana
Luana (ルリコ, Ruriko in the Japanese language version), is Kumquat Island’s Gym Leader, and she owns a luxury hotel on Kumquat Island that also doubles as her Gym. Pokémon trainers often stay at the Kumquat Hotel to help prepare for battle. The actual Gym appears to be the largest in the Orange Islands, not counting Pummelo Stadium. She specializes in Double Battles (a feature that would not be added to the games for another four years), in which each trainer uses two Pokémon simultaneously. Luana hands out the Jade Star Badge to trainers who defeat her. She is a very large, and very loud woman.
When Ash first meets Luana, she mistakes him for her son, Travis. Ash bears a striking resemblance to Travis, who also has a Pikachu. Luana misses her son and wishes to care for him again. Luana’s maternal instinct extends to her Pokémon, whom she cares for deeply, treating each one like her own child. Ash uses Pikachu and Charizard for their match. Despite their initial unwillingness to cooperate, the two pull together in the end and are able to defeat Luana’s Pokémon.
Luana’s Team
Drake
- For the leader of the Hoenn Elite Four, see List of Elite Four members#Drake.
Drake (ユウジ, Yūji in the Japanese language version), is the leader of the Orange Crew, and resides on Pummelo Island. He shares his name with the leader of the Elite Four in Hoenn.
Although the American dub implies that Drake is merely the fifth and final Gym Leader in the Orange League, the Japanese version specifically uses the title "Head Leader" to denote his importance, and the Pokémon: Surf’s Up, Pikachu! manga refers to him as the "Supreme Gym Leader".
In any case, his importance is obvious, as trainers must defeat the other Gym Leaders to face him in the massive Pummelo Stadium, and are awarded a championship title and various honors upon defeating him. However, Drake is not necessarily a League Champion, as it is not clear whether or not he ever actually had to defeat a previous Head Leader in order to take the title. (The manga implies that he did.)
In both media, Ash Ketchum was the first person to defeat Drake in Orange League history, Pikachu being the only Pokémon to ever take down Dragonite (at the time, both were weak from fighting). It's interesting to note that Drake's Dragonite probably would not have been defeated had Team Rocket not interfered during the match.
Drake's English voice actor is Scottie Ray.
Drake’s Team
See also
References
- Manga volumes
- Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Electric Pikachu Boogaloo Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, April 5 2000. ISBN 1-56931-436-5
- Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Surf’s Up, Pikachu Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, June 2000. ISBN 1-56931-494-2