Ball Guy
| Ball Guy ボールガイBall Guy | |
 Ball Guy's League Card from Sword and Shield | |
| Age | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Gender | Unknown |
| Eye color | Unknown |
| Hair color | Blond(Twilight Wings) |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Galar |
| Generation | VIII,IX |
| Counterpart(s) | Ball Guy (Masters) |
| Games | Sword, Shield Masters EX |
| English voice actor | Kellen Goff[1](Masters EX) |
| Japanese voice actor | Tomokazu Seki(Masters EX) |
| Animated series | Pokémon: Twilight Wings |
| Debut | Assistant |
| English voice actor | N/A |
| Japanese voice actor | N/A |
| Manga series | Pokémon Adventures |
| Debut | Thump!! The Gazing Sage |
TheBall Guy (Japanese:ボールガイBall Guy) is a character introduced inPokémon Sword and Shield.
In the core series games
The Ball Guy is the mascot of theGalarPokémon League. Over the course of theirGym Challenge, theplayer will meet a person dressed in a Ball Guy mascot costume in or near each Stadium Lobby, who will give them a varietyPoké Ball with each meeting. It is later revealed that the person dressed as the Ball Guy is not sanctioned by the Pokémon League and has been acting of their own volition. Their true identity is unknown. The player can receive the Ball Guy'sLeague Card outside of Motostoke Stadium after they becomeChampion. The Ball Guy mascot will also reward the player after they defend their title or win theGalarian Star Tournament inWyndon Stadium.
InPokémon Scarlet and Violet, if the player hassave data from Pokémon Sword or Shield, a woman inMesagoza will give them aRotom Phone case modeled after the Ball Guy. Additionally, starting in version 3.0.0, once the player has tutored theTeam Star Bosses,Atticus can sell the player a helmet designed after the Ball Guy atPorto Marinada.
League Card
This is a transcript of the back of the Ball Guy'sLeague Card inPokémon Sword and Shield.
- "This mysterious figure has taken it upon himself (herself?) to dress up in the fashion of thePokémon League's official mascot. The mysterious individual is known to many as "the Ball Guy" but in point of fact, all are mystified when it comes to this person's true identity or age or even gender. While the Ball Guy is known for her (his?) habit of handing out rarePoké Balls here and there around Galar, it's a mystery as to why or even where these balls come from. It's all very mystifying..."
Items given
Gym Challenge
| Item | Location | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Poké Ball | In front ofMotostoke Stadium | Sw Sh |
 | Friend Ball | InTurffield Stadium's lobby | Sw Sh |
 | Lure Ball | InHulbury Stadium's lobby | Sw Sh |
 | Level Ball | InHammerlocke Stadium's lobby | Sw Sh |
 | Heavy Ball | InStow-on-Side Stadium's lobby | Sw Sh |
 | Love Ball | InBallonlea Stadium's lobby | Sw Sh |
 | Moon Ball | InCirchester Stadium's lobby | Sw Sh |
 | Dream Ball | InWyndon Stadium's lobby | Sw Sh |
Champion Cup victories
- Main article:Wyndon Stadium → Ball Guy's rewards
Each time theplayer wins a Champion Cup tournament or aGalarian Star Tournament during the post-game, the Ball Guy will give them one of the following rewards.[2]
| Item | Location | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Wishing Piece | From the Ball Guy after the day's first tournament win | Sw Sh |
 | Nugget ×1-3 | From the Ball Guy after winning a tournament (15% chance, 5% for each amount) | Sw Sh |
| Poké Ball ×100 | From the Ball Guy after winning a tournament (10% chance) | Sw Sh |
 | Great Ball ×5 | From the Ball Guy after winning a tournament (5% chance each) | Sw Sh |
 | Ultra Ball ×5 | ||
 | Rare Candy | ||
 | Big Nugget | ||
 | Net Ball ×3 | ||
 | Nest Ball ×3 | ||
 | Repeat Ball ×3 | ||
 | Timer Ball ×3 | ||
 | Luxury Ball ×3 | From the Ball Guy after winning a tournament (5% chance each) | Sw Sh |
 | Dive Ball ×3 | ||
 | Dusk Ball ×3 | ||
 | Heal Ball ×3 | ||
 | Quick Ball ×3 | ||
| Rare Candy ×3 | From the Ball Guy after winning a tournament (1.8% chance each) | Sw Sh |
 | Life Orb | ||
 | Toxic Orb | ||
 | Flame Orb | ||
 | Iron Ball | ||
 | Fast Ball | From the Ball Guy after winning a tournament (0.125% chance each) | Sw Sh |
| Level Ball | ||
| Lure Ball | ||
| Heavy Ball | ||
| Love Ball | ||
| Friend Ball | ||
| Moon Ball | ||
 | Beast Ball | ||
In events
As part of a campaign by the@poke_times twitter run byThe Pokémon Company, the handle was taken over by the Ball Guy. During this time, the twitter postedthis retweet campaign, promising rarePoké Balls if players retweeted it enough times. Eventually, all goals were met, and a set of nine total Poké Balls, including theApricorn Balls,Dream Ball, andBeast Ball, were distributed via universal, region-free serial code. The distribution ended on January 15th, 2020.
| Code | Poké Balls | Link |
|---|---|---|
| K0UN1NMASC0T | Level Ball Moon Ball Fast Ball | [1] |
| 1YAHAYA | Heavy Ball Lure Ball Beast Ball | [2] |
| 0KUGAFUKA1B0RU | Love Ball Friend Ball Dream Ball | [3] |
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Masters EX
- Main article:Ball Guy (Masters)
Ball Guy forms async pair withAmoonguss,Voltorb, andHisuianElectrode inPokémon Masters EX. His Hisuian Electrode is capable ofDynamaxing. Ball Guy became a playable sync pair on March 21, 2023.
| Dex | Trainer | NDex | Pokémon | Type | Weakness | Role | EX role | Base potential | Availability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #165 |  | Ball Guy | #0591 |  | Amoonguss♂ | Poison | Ice |  | ★★★★★☆EX | Variety Sync Pair Scout | |
| #165 | | Ball Guy | #0100 |  | Voltorb | Electric | Ground |  | ★★★★☆☆EX | Trainer Lodge Friendship Level 100 | |
| #165 |  | Sygna Suit Ball Guy | #0101 |  | Electrode  Hisuian Form | Grass | Ice |  |  | ★★★★★☆EX | EX Fair Sync Pair Scout |
Quotes
- Main article:Ball Guy/Quotes
In animation
Pokémon: Twilight Wings
InAssistant, an unmasked Ball Guy was seen sitting at a table inWyndon.
InThe Gathering of Stars, the Ball Guy was seen outsideWyndon Stadium.
Pokémon Evolutions
The Ball Guy appeared inThe Champion, dancing at theWyndon Stadium before the start ofVictor andLeon'sChampionship Match.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Sword & Shield arc
Casey is a fan of the Ball Guy. She owns a Ball Guy mask and was first seen using it to scareMarvin inWow!! That's One Big Pokémon.
The actual Ball Guy was first seen inThump!! The Gazing Sage at theMotostoke Stadium. They were seen reacting in pain whenKabu loudly congratulated Casey andHop for beating the first three GalarGyms.
They were then seen again inRising!! Opal of Ballonlea at theBallonlea Stadium, bringing dry towels to Henry and Marvin after they got wet during their earlier training.
In the TCG
- Main article:Ball Guy (Shining Fates 57)
TheBall Guy was introduced as aSupporter card in thePokémon Trading Card Game during the English Sword & Shield Series (the Japanese Sword & Shield Era). It was first released in the JapaneseShiny Star V expansion before debuting in English in theShining Fates expansion, with artwork byHitoshi Ariga. It was also released as aFull Art card in the same Japanese and English expansions, with artwork by the same artist. It allows the player to search their deck for up to threeItem cards with the word "Ball" in their name, put them in their hand, then shuffle their deck.
Trivia
- The Ball Guy's gender is consistently left ambiguous in the games, strategy guide, and official websites.[3][4] Despite this, official social media posts have sometimes used male pronouns when referring to the character, albeit with in-text hesitation before doing so.[5]
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ボールガイBall Guy | From モンスターボールMonster Ball (Poké Ball) andguy |
| English, Indonesian | Ball Guy | From their Japanese name |
| German | Ballduin | FromPokéball (Poké Ball) and the nameBalduin (Germancognate of the name "Baldwin") |
| European Spanish, Latin American Spanish | Bolifacio | FromPoké Ball and the nameBonifacio (Spanish cognate of the name "Boniface") |
| French | Ball Masqué | FromPoké Ball andmasqué (masked), as well as a pun ofbal masqué (masquerade ball) |
| Italian | Ballino | FromPoké Ball and-ino (suffix used to indicate profession) |
| Korean | 볼가이Ball Guy | From 몬스터볼Monster Ball (Poké Ball) andguy |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 阿球Ā Qiú /A Kàuh | From 精靈球 / 精灵球Jīnglíng Qiú / Jīnglìhng Kàuh (Poké Ball) and thefamilial prefix 阿ā / a |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 阿球Ā Qiú | |
| Hindi | बॉल गाइBall Guy | Transcription of their Japanese and English names |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Cara da Bola | Fromcara (guy) andPoké Bola (Poké Ball) |
| Thai | บอลกายBall Guy | Transcription of their Japanese name |
References
- ↑Kellen Goff on Twitter
- ↑https://twitter.com/Sibuna_Switch/status/1787167849250795918
- ↑"It's hard to miss the Ball Guy when you enter the stadium. They have a Poké Ball for you again, but it's a bit more special this time!" —Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield: The Official Galar Region Strategy Guide
- ↑"...Ball Guy is the well-dressed mascot of the Galar Pokémon League, and now they're ready to join your plush collection!"Ball Guy Poké Plush - 12 ½ In. —Pokémon Center Official Site
- ↑Pokémon (@Pokemon) onTwitter:"Thinking about...him." Posted on April 23, 2020.
 | This game character article is part ofProject CharacterDex, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in thePokémon games. |
