If you were looking for the character with the Japanese name Kurt fromthe thirteenth movie, seeKarl.

Kurt ガンテツGantetsu
Artwork fromPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Gender	Male
Eye color	Black
Hair color	Gray
Hometown	Azalea Town
Region	Johto
Relatives	Maizie (granddaughter)
Generation	II,IV
Games	Gold, Silver,Crystal,HeartGold, SoulSilver
Animated debut	A Shadow of a Drought
English voice actor	Jimmy Zoppi
Japanese voice actor	Masashi Hirose

Kurt (Japanese:ガンテツGantetsu) is aPoké Ball smith who lives inAzalea Town. In addition to making his own custom Balls out ofApricorns, he studies Poké Ball mechanics, and is known far and wide as a Poké Ball expert. He isMaizie's grandfather.

In the core series games

Kurt lives in a house in the northwest corner ofAzalea Town inPokémon Gold, Silver,Crystal,HeartGold, and SoulSilver. AfterTeam Rocket is cleared out of theSlowpoke Well, he gives the player aLure Ball (in Gold, Silver, and Crystal) or aFast Ball (in HeartGold and SoulSilver). After this, he offers to make hisApricorn Balls as long as he is brought an Apricorn. By the next day, he will have crafted it into one of his customPoké Balls, depending on the color of the Apricorn. In Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, he allows the player to give him multiples of one kind of Apricorn, which allows more than one of his special Poké Balls to be obtained per day. Additionally, in Crystal, when the player obtains theGS Ball, Kurt will examine it for a day if it is brought to him. FindingIlex Forest restless after this, he asks the player to check things out. After that,Celebi can be caught in the forest. In his house, there is a picture of Kurt,Professor Oak, and alady with determined eyes.

InPokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Kurt is mentioned by an old man in theAkala Ferry Terminal. He describes him as "the masterful Poké Ball smith who is the pride of theJohto region" and talks about the GS Ball, which he suggests may stand for "greatest smith's ball". Kurt is also referenced inThe Isle of Armor inPokémon Sword and Shield: when the player obtains a rare Poké Ball from theCram-o-matic for the first time,Hyde says that a "real old guy" who is friends withMustard once visited to make such Poké Balls for him. InPokémon Legends: Z-A, a woman on a rooftop says that she wants to collect Kurt's Poké Balls and put them on display together.

Gallery

Artwork

Official artwork from Gold and Silver

Sprites

Prototype sprite from Spaceworld '97 demo	Prototype sprite from Spaceworld '99 demo	Overworld sprite from Generation II	Overworld sprite from Generation IV

Quotes

Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

Azalea Town

• Before beating Team Rocket at the Slowpoke Well

"Hm? Who are you? <player>, eh? You want me to make someBalls? Sorry, but that'll have to wait. Do you knowTeam Rocket? Ah, don't worry. I'll tell you anyhow.Team Rocket's an evil gang that usesPokémon for their dirty work. They're supposed to have disbanded three years ago. Anyway, they're at theWell, cutting offSlowpoketails for sale! So I'm going to go give them a lesson in pain! Hang on,Slowpoke! OldKurt is on his way!"

• After beating Team Rocket at the Slowpoke Well

"Hi, <player>! You handled yourself like a real hero at theWell. I like your style! I would be honored to makeBalls for a trainer like you. This is all I have now, but take it."

• After giving the player the Lure Ball

"I makeBalls fromApricorns. Collect them from trees and bring 'em to me. I'll makeBalls out of them."

• If talked to when the player has at least one Apricorn

"You have anApricorn for me? Fine! I'll turn it into aBall."

Choosing an Apricorn^C

"WhichApricorn should I use?"

Choosing how many^C

"How many should I make?"

If an Apricorn is chosen

"It'll take a day to make you aBall. Come back for it later."

CANCEL

"Oh... That's a letdown."

• If talked to while working on a Ball^GS

"I'm working! Don't bother me!"

• If talked to while working on a Ball^C

"Now that my granddaughter is helping me, I can work much faster."

"I'm working! Don't bother me!"

• When the Ball(s) is/are finished

"Ah, <player>! I just finished yourBall. Here!"

• Upon giving player the Ball(s)

"That turned out great. Try catchingPokémon with it."

• If talked to after obtaining the GS Ball^C

"Wh-what is that? I've never seen one before. it looks a lot like aPoké Ball, but it appears to be something else. Let me check it for you."

• If talked to while checking the GS Ball^C

"I'm checking it now. Ah-ha! I see! So..."

• After checking GS Ball^C

"<player>! ThisBall started to shake while I was checking it. There must be something to this!" [!]

• After running outside^C

"Ilex Forest is restless! What is going on? <player>, here's yourGS Ball back! Could you go see whyIlex Forest is so restless?"

• If talked to before going to Ilex Forest^C

"Could you go see whyIlex Forest is so restless?"

Slowpoke Well

"Hey there, <player>! The guards^GS/guard^C up top took off when I shouted at them^GS/him^C. But then I took a tumble down theWell. I slammed down hard on my back, so I can't move. Rats! If I were fit, myPokémon would've punished them... Ah, it can't be helped. <player>, show them how gutsy you are in my place!"

"Way to go, <player>!Team Rocket has taken off. My back's better too. Let's get out of here."

Ilex Forest (only if Celebi is caught)^C

"Whew, wasn't that something! <player>, that was fantastic. Thanks! The legends about thatShrine were real after all. I feel inspired by what I just saw. It motivates me to make betterBalls! I'm going!"

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Azalea Town

"Hm? Who are you? <Player>, eh? You want me to make some Balls? Sorry, but that'll have to wait. Do you know Team Rocket? Ah, don't worry. I'll tell you anyhow. Team Rocket's an evil gang that uses Pokémon for their dirty work. They're supposed to have disbanded three years ago. Anyway, they're at the Well, cutting off SlowpokeTails for sale! So I'm going to give them a lesson in pain! Hang on,Slowpoke! Old Kurt is on his way!"

Slowpoke Well

"Hey there, <player>! The guard up top took off when I shouted at them. But then I took a tumble down the Well. I slammed down hard on my back, so I can't move. Rats! If I were fit, my Pokémon would've punished them... Ah, it can't be helped. <Player>, show them how gutsy you are in my place!"

"Way to go, <player>! Team Rocket has taken off. My back's better, too. Let's get out of here."

Azalea Town (after Kurt returns)

"Hi, <player>! You handled yourself like a real hero. As I mentioned before, Team Rocket was disbanded by a boy calledRed three years ago. Now that they have come back... I have a bad feeling about it... In any case, it would please me greatly to make Poke Balls for a Trainer like you, <player>.This is all I have now, but take it."

Azalea Town (after Team Rocket leaves)

• When talked to before being given anyApricorns

"You have Apricorns for me? Fine! I'll turn them into Poké Balls."

• After Kurt receives the Apricorns

"It'll take a day to make you a Poké Ball. Come back for it later."

• If the player decides not to give any Apricorns

"Oh... That's a letdown."

• When talked to while in the process of making the Poké Balls

"I’m working! Don’t bother me!"

• When talked to after Kurt has finished making the Poké Balls

"Ah, <player>! I just finished your Poké Ball. Here!"

• After placing Poké Balls into player'sbag

"That turned out great. Try catching Pokémon with it."

In animation

History

Kurt was first mentioned inThe Rivalry Revival, whereProfessor Oak toldAsh andhis friends to deliver theGS Ball to him for studying.

Kurt made his physical debut in thePokémon the Series: Gold and Silver episodeA Shadow of a Drought. After Ash had accidentally stepped on one ofAzalea Town'sSlowpoke, Kurt disguised Ash and his friends as Slowpoke to avoid the angry townspeople. He then told them that he had been investigating strange sounds coming from theSlowpoke Well, which later turned out to be caused by the activities ofTeam Rocket. After Ash and his friends had foiled Team Rocket's plan to steal all the local Slowpoke, they were surprised to learn Kurt's identity as the man they had been supposed to meet.

InGoing Apricorn!, Ash gave the GS Ball to Kurt, who agreed to study it. Afterwards, he demonstrated Ash,Misty, andBrock his ability to make customPoké Balls out ofApricorns, and gave each of them aFast Ball. After a trip through a nearby forest, the group also gave Kurt twoBlue Apricorns and oneBlack Apricorn to be fashioned into Poké Balls. The completed Poké Balls were delivered to the group byMaizie in thenext episode, with Ash and Misty each taking one of theLure Balls and Brock taking theHeavy Ball.

InA Farfetch'd Tale, Professor Oak mentioned that he hoped Kurt would be able to solve the mystery of the GS Ball.

Character

Kurt is regarded as an expert inPoké Balls, and specializes in craftingApricorn Balls. He is often working extensive hours trying to meet customer demands, though he enjoys the process and required attention to detail to achieve a good product. Despite his gruff nature, he is a generous individual who adores his granddaughterMaizie, who he is currently mentoring to make Apricorn Balls.

Voice actors

In the manga

Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure

Kurt appeared inPocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure. When he witnessedTeam Rocket stealing theSlowpoke and cutting off their tails, he came to the Slowpoke's rescue. He tried stopping Team Rocket but is pushed back by one of the members.

Pokémon Adventures

History

Past

In their youth,Professor Oak,Agatha, Kurt,Pryce, and the old couple who run theGoldenrod CityPokémon Day Care were all close friends. To try to cheer Pryce up, Kurt helped write the lyrics of "Boy and his Lapras", which was also sung byDJ Mary after that.

Gold, Silver & Crystal arc

Silver got a Heavy Ball from Kurt and intended to catch anUrsaring with it. Kurt cautioned Silver that only experiencedTrainers could wield his special Poké Balls.

Later,Gold metMaizie and Kurt. Kurt explained that once, his ancestors were the only ones capable of creating Poké Balls until companies started to mass-produce them. Kurt then carried a slight grudge against Gold for making fun of his Apricorn Balls, saying that Gold wasn't experienced enough to use his special Balls, something that annoyed Gold. He then challenged Gold to catch a Pokémon using one of his balls and if he couldn't by dusk, he would have to become his apprentice, which he accepted.

Kurt made aFriend Ball for Gold, and later Gold and Silver were able to use their custom Poké Balls to capture aTeddiursa and Ursaring. Silver kept Ursaring for himself while Gold gave Teddiursa to Maizie. Kurt then appeared atSlowpoke Well, to see a mass ofTeam Rocket Grunts tied up and defeated, everyone wondering who did it.

Later, theMasked Man forced Kurt to turn over his plans for the GS Ball.

Emerald arc

Both Kurt and Maizie made a cameo appearance inEpilogue aboard theS.S. Aqua on their way to theBattle Frontier.

Black 2 & White 2 arc

While Kurt was not seen in person, in a bonus page ofVolume 52, a schedule for the Aspertia Trainers' School revealed that Kurt teaches on Ball Studies (ボール学Ball Studies).

Pokémon

This listing is of Kurt's Pokémon in the Pokémon Adventures manga.

Shuckle

Debut	Teddiursa's Picnic

Shuckle is Kurt's only known Pokémon. It was assisting Kurt on making the special Poké Balls from the Apricorns given to him.

None of Shuckle's moves are known.

Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys

Kurt appeared inThe Great Search! Let's Rescue The Slowpoke!. FollowingTeam Rocket infiltrating theSlowpoke Well, Kurt tried to stop them, but injured his back. When the well started to flood, Kurt gaveGold some of hisApricornPoké Balls to save the well's Slowpoke from drowning. Afterwards, Kurt gave Gold aLevel Ball as thanks.

Kurt also appeared in a flashback inLet's Fight For The Future!!.

Pokémon HeartGold SoulSilver: Pokédex Completion Comic

Kurt briefly appeared inPokémon HeartGold SoulSilver: Pokédex Completion Comic.

Pokémon Pocket Monsters

Kurt appears inFind Slowpoke!!, where aSlowpoke of his was stolen. He was able to retrieve the Slowpoke fromGiovanni before he was able to get the tail for profit. However, the tail was cut off while stolen but it was able to get placed back on.

He reappears inPMHGSS04.

Pokémon

Slowpoke

Debut	Find Slowpoke!!

Slowpoke is Kurt's only known Pokémon. It was stolen by Giovanni and Team Rocket along with the Slowpoke at the Slowpoke well in order to get their tails for profit. Kurt was able to rescue his Slowpoke before its tail was sold.

Slowpoke's known moves areRain Dance andDisable.

Names

Notes

Trivia

• The cardApricorn Maker (Skyridge 121) depicts a man that is likely based on Kurt.

Related articles

This game character article is part ofProject CharacterDex, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in thePokémon games.

• Characters
• Male characters
• Game characters
• Animation characters
• Manga characters
• Pokémon Adventures characters
• Gold, Silver and Crystal characters
• HeartGold and SoulSilver characters
• Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys characters
• Fathers