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Brock, known as in Japan, is a fictional character in the ''
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
'' franchise owned by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
. In the ''Pokémon'' video games, he is the Gym Leader of Pewter City in the Kanto region and mainly uses Rock-type Pokémon. In the
anime series is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, Ash first battles him and then invites Brock to accompany him on his journey so that Brock can become a Pokémon breeder. He exited the series at some point, replaced by Tracey Sketchit, due to worries that people may find him to be a racial stereotype due to his thin eyes. However, when the company noticed that no one complained, they reintroduced him. He has generally been well-received, with fans of the anime happy whenever he is brought back into the series.


Concept and creation

Developed by
Game Freak is a Japanese video game developer, best known as the primary developer and co-owners of the ''Pokémon (video game series), Pokémon'' series of role-playing video games. History Predating the video game company, ''Game Freak'' was a self- ...
and published by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
, the ''Pokémon'' series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' for the
Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species, or evolve. The ultimate goal is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain creatures from all Pokémon species. Designed by
Ken Sugimori is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, mangaka, manga artist, and Video game director (disambiguation), director. He is best known as the primary character designer and art director for the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Sugimori is also credi ...
as a "gym leader", a Pokémon trainer that acts as an area boss, Brock was introduced in ''Red'' and ''Blue''. Due to the nature of the game's development, only one set of concept sketches was done before implementing the character as sprite art within the game. Originally intended to be the game's second gym leader battle, Brock was changed to be the first instead for the game's final release. To illustrate that Brock rarely smiles, Sugimori drew him with his eyes always closed, something he considered a rare decision. For the anime, Brock was designed by Atsuko Nishida. In the anime, Brock was one of the companions to protagonist Ash Ketchum. However, he was eventually replaced with the character Tracey Sketchit. His removal was controversial, leading to fan outcry that caused him to be reintroduced to the anime. Despite them noting that they like to change up the cast in general, it was also clarified that they were worried that fans may perceive Brock as a racist stereotype by Americans, namely due to his thin eyes. This was a worry they had since the beginning of the series, and while there were no complaints, they anticipated controversy. Furthermore, the company specifically included Tracey, wanting to include a "tall, Anglo-Saxon looking person to be on the safe side." They ultimately decided to introduce Brock again due to the lack of complaints and their personal affinity for him. He has since been one of the most recurring characters in the show. Brock was voiced in Japanese by
Yūji Ueda is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer from Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He is best known for voicing the roles of Sagara Sanosuke in ''Rurouni Kenshin'', Akito Tenkawa in '' Martian Successor Nadesico'', Valerino in the 1992 series of '' C ...
in the Pokemon anime and by Eric Stuart in English. He has been voiced by other actors in later Pokemon anime and games. Bill Rogers voiced Brock in later English episodes. In '' Pokemon Origins'', he was voiced by
Tomokazu Sugita is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and author. He mainly plays young men and is characterized by his "deep bass voice," and he often performs ad-libs and imitations. He is best known for his roles as Gintoki Sakata in ''Gintama'', ...
in Japanese and
Johnny Yong Bosch Johnny Yong Bosch (born John Jay Bosch; January 6, 1976) is an American actor. His first major role was the portrayal of Adam Park, the second Black Power Ranger and later, the Green Zeo Ranger and first Green Turbo Ranger in the ''Power Rangers ...
in English. In the video game '' Pokémon Masters'', he is voiced by Kōsuke Toriumi in Japanese and by Tommy Arciniega. He was also portrayed by Dennis Kenney in '' Pokemon Live!''.


Appearances


In the video games

Brock is the Gym Leader of Pewter City in the fictional region of Kanto. He specializes in Rock-type Pokémon, and the player may battle him in ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', ''Gold'' and ''Silver'', as well as subsequent remakes of both. He also appears as an opponent in '' Pokémon Stadium'' and '' Pokémon Stadium 2''. Brock, along with
Misty In cryptography, MISTY1 (or MISTY-1) is a block cipher designed in 1995 by Mitsuru Matsui and others for Mitsubishi Electric. MISTY1 is one of the selected algorithms in the European NESSIE project, and has been among the cryptographic tech ...
and Blue, return in ''Pokémon Black 2'' and ''White 2'' as tournament opponents. Alongside his Onix, Brock also appears as a sync pair in '' Pokémon Masters EX'' near the beginning of the game.


In the anime

In the ''
Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
''
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, Brock aspires to be the greatest Pokémon breeder, but remains as the Pewter City Gym Leader to take care of his nine siblings. After he is defeated by Ash, he gives Ash the badge, despite Ash thinking he didn't deserve it. Brock ultimately joins Ash so that he can pursue his dream of being a Pokémon breeder. He eventually leaves his friends in the Orange Islands series to join Professor Felina Ivy, who he is attracted to, and was replaced by Tracey Sketchit. Brock eventually rejoins Ash, having left Ivy for unknown reasons, and travels with him and
Misty In cryptography, MISTY1 (or MISTY-1) is a block cipher designed in 1995 by Mitsuru Matsui and others for Mitsubishi Electric. MISTY1 is one of the selected algorithms in the European NESSIE project, and has been among the cryptographic tech ...
to Johto. Since then, he has departed and reunited with Ash and others in Hoenn and Sinnoh. He is largely absent after this until the '' Sun & Moon'' series, where he gets a pair of episodes. Brock later appears in two more episodes of the ''Sun & Moon'' series when he reunites with Ash in Alola. He makes a guest appearance in '' Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series'' during the final episodes of Ash's journey.


Promotion and reception

Brock has received multiple pieces of merchandise. A figure based on his depiction in ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' was released as part of the "Next VENDOR'S Innovation" series. He was also included as part of Megahouse's "G.E.M." series of figures. A yearly tradition of modifying the statue of a man named Hikoichi Orita (at
Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...
after it was repeatedly vandalized in the 1990s) lead to a modification being made to depict Brock, among other characters, instead. He was chosen as part of a trend, where the focus became featuring supporting characters from popular works. Brock has been generally well-received, identified as an "unforgettable" character by ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
''. The book ''The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture'' described Brock's portrayal in the anime as a mentor figure, providing an authoritative voice for Ash in the series. It additionally noted him as representing the concept of early maturity in Japanese stories, in his acceptance of a position of independence and his strong interest in women. The book ''Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon'' cited him as a heavily popular character in the United States, with boys identifying themselves with the character and expressing a desire to be "friends with characters that are known to be good or considerate friends". The book additionally noted a contrast to other characters in the series, in that Brock is drawn with "thinly drawn eyes and slightly darker skin tone". ''
Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'' is an American monthly Video game journalism, video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and video game console, game consoles. It debuted in August 1991, when the video game reta ...
'' writer Brian Shea felt he served as a "litmus test" to measure a trainer's ability early on, while ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
'' writer felt he was a difficult battle for people who picked Charmander in ''Red'' and ''Blue'', and also people who played '' Pokémon Yellow'', due to Pikachu's weakness to his Pokémon. His removal from the anime was criticized by fans. Brock's reintroduction in the ''Pokémon Sun'' and ''Moon'' anime was met with a lot of attention on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, which ''ITmedia'' staff identified as indicative of his popularity. ''Kotaku'' writer Brian Ashcraft noted the negative fan reaction to the removal of Brock and Misty from '' Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!'', particularly since the story is an adaptation of the original story that featured Brock and Misty. The removal of Brock, whose skin is darker, also had fans concerned for the lack of skin color diversity. Fellow ''Kotaku'' writer Kenneth Shepard wrote that, despite Ash having other companions, ending the series by reuniting Ash with his original companions Brock and Misty was fitting. Brock also served as an inspiration for baby names, leading to a rise in the use of the name Brock.


References


External links


Brockanime
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Bulbapedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brock (Pokemon) Animated characters introduced in 1997 Animated human characters Anime and manga characters introduced in 1997 Characters created by Ken Sugimori Male characters in animated films Male characters in animated television series Male characters in video games Pokémon characters Teenage characters in animated films Teenage characters in anime and manga Teenage characters in television Teenage characters in video games Television characters introduced in 1997 Video game bosses Video game characters introduced in 1996