Lance ワタルWataru
Art fromPokémon Journeys: The Series
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Eye color	Brown
Hair color	Carmine
Hometown	Unknown
Region	Kanto orJohto
Animated series	Pokémon the Series
Debut	Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution
English voice actor	Wayne Grayson
Japanese voice actor	Susumu Chiba
Member of	Indigo League
Rank	Champion Elite Four
Member of	Johto League
Rank	Champion
Member of	World Coronation Series
Rank	Master Class(Rank 4)*
Specializes in	Dragon types
Manga series	Pokémon Journeys
Debut	Flash of the Titans!
Trainer class	Kanto & Johto Champion
Generation	VIII
Counterpart(s)	Lance
Games	Mezastar

Lance (Japanese:ワタル Wataru) is theChampion of theIndigoElite Four andJohto League. He is also a member of thePokémon G-Men detective organization.

InPokémon Journeys: The Series, Lance becomes one of the top eightPokémon Trainers in theworld within theWorld Coronation Series.

In animation

History

Pre-series

As revealed byClair inBeauty is Skin Deep, Lance had previously trained for several months at theBlackthorn Gym in order to perfect his experience withDragon Pokémon. This created a friendship between Lance and Clair, with both Trainers having learned a lot from each other.

Lance would later end up winning thePokémon League, and would go on to win theElite Four Cup as well, becoming the Champion and earning enormous respect among Trainers in theregion. During this time, he joined the organization known as thePokémon G-Men, with the aim of investigating illegal actions involving Pokémon.

The Legend of Thunder!

Lance made a cameo inMarina's fantasy inThe Legend of Thunder!. Marina revealed that her goal as a Trainer is to one day be able to battle alongside Lance as a partner. She also has a notebook with several photos of Lance's deeds and actions that she showed toJimmy.

Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver

Lance later physically debuted inTalkin' 'Bout an Evolution, where he was sent to investigateTeam Rocket's scheme at theLake of Rage. He metAsh andhis friends there, saving the trio from someTeam Rocket Grunts. Ash wanted to help Lance in his mission, but Lance said it was too dangerous.

Lance infiltrated Team Rocket's base and stole a Grunt uniform to remain undiscovered. He went on to learn that Team Rocket was trying to investigate the properties of aRed Gyarados so that they could force Pokémon toevolve. Ash and his friends were later captured byProfessor Sebastian andTyson after they tried to intervene in their plans. Lance remained undetected, joining Team Rocket's convoy and helping them transport the Red Gyarados away from the Lake of Rage.

InRage of Innocence, Lance helped Ash's group escape and defeated theTeam Rocket trio with hisDragonite. Lance was then able to destroy Team Rocket's machine and blow up their laboratory. Lance also battled Tyson and defeated his twoFearow. Meanwhile, Ash was able to calm the Red Gyarados at first, but it continued to go berserk. Finally, Lance used his Dragonite toparalyze Gyarados and he thencaught it to keep it from destroyingMahogany Town. Before leaving, Lance promised Ash that he would take care of Gyarados.

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

Sometime after the incident at Lake of Rage, Lance became aware of suspicious actions in theHoenn region. During the climax ofTeam Magma andTeam Aqua's actions inGaining Groudon, Lance infiltrated Team Magma's submarine and confrontedShelly, who suspected that he wasn't really aTeam Magma Grunt. Shortly after the confrontation, Lance was reunited with Ash again, who had been captured by Team Magma afterPikachu absorbed theBlue Orb that controlledGroudon, and sent Gyarados to saveBrock,May, andMax, who had been caught in the midst of the destruction caused byArchie's attack on Team Magma's base.

In thenext episode, he participated in the final battle against Team Aqua alongside the members of Team Magma, where he soon left the battlefield to join Brock and the others. Lance freed Ash and went in search of a safe place to stay while the two Legendary Pokémon were battling each other. Afterwards, Lance helped stop the battle betweenKyogre andGroudon along with Ash, May, and Brock. When Groudon and Kyogre finally calmed down, Lance and Dragonite saved Archie and witnessed the Orbs unite and finally disappear. As each of the Pokémon went its own way, Lance told Ash and the others about the legend of Groudon and Kyogre and the new world that was created after that.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

InFlash of the Titans!, Lance was revealed to have won thePokémon World Tournament inDriftveil City, as well as having been strong enough to reach the finals of theWorld Coronation Series, in which eight of the strongest Trainers from their respectiveregions gather to compete for the title of Monarch. During the finals atWyndon Stadium, Lance faced theGalar League ChampionLeon. Using hisDynamax Band, he was able toDynamax his Red Gyarados and pit it againstLeon's Charizard, which LeonGigantamaxed in response. After a fierce battle, Gyarados was defeated, and Lance congratulated his opponent for becoming the Monarch. He also revealed that he had trained atGalar's Dragon-type Gym, and that he had been so impressed by the uniforms he saw there that he had chosen to base his current outfit on them.

InUltra Exciting from the Shocking Start!,A Battle of Mega Versus Max!, andBattling Turned Up to Eleven!, Lance appeared in a fantasy along with other Trainers participating in the World Coronation Series.

During the reveal of the full Masters Eight roster inAim For The Eight!, Lance is revealed to be ranked fourth.

InFriends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!, Lance appeared in a fantasy alongsideCynthia andSteven Stone.Paul used a team based on their aces during his battle withAsh.

InCurtain Up! Fight the Fights!, Lance attended theMasters Eight Tournament of the World Coronation Series, reuniting with Ash and Leon, and meetingIris,Alain, and the other regional Champions. During the opening ceremony, his first opponent was selected to beDiantha. During Leon andAlain's battle, Lance talked to Steven about his history with Alain. Following the conclusion of the prior match, Lance headed to the battlefield to start his battle with Diantha. During thenext episode, despite a strong performance and holding the lead for the majority of the battle, he was defeated by theKalos Champion, making him the second person to be eliminated from the tournament. Following his loss, he briefly exchanged words with Ash, where he seemed positive despite the result of the battle, before heading back toJohto.

InA Flood of Torrential Gains!, Lance watched Ash's match against Leon alongsideDragonite.

Character

Lance cares deeply for his Pokémon, and he regards them as friends. He takes his role as a part of thePokémon G-Men seriously and maintains his conviction towards keeping theworld at peace. Lance often disguises himself to infiltrate evil organizations in order to gain valuable information before leaping into action.

Lance is largely independent but still receives assistance from allies likeOfficer Jenny. He quickly befriendedAsh andhis friends inRage of Innocence, after realizing that they were also concerned forRed Gyarados's safety. He then enlisted their assistance to deal withTeam Rocket and theLake of Rage crisis. Lance was surprised to re-encounter Ash and the others in theHoennregion and worked with them to disruptTeam Aqua andTeam Magma's plans inGaining Groudon andThe Scuffle of Legends.

Lance is a tremendously powerfulTrainer, able to hold his own againstLeon, the undefeatedChampion ofGalar, and managed to defeat the twoFearow ofTyson, a high-ranking Team Rocket officer, without much difficulty. His go-to approach in battle is heavy offense with almost no defense. He will even allow an opponent's attack to land if he believes his Pokémon can withstand it, such as when he had Gyarados useDragon Dance in the face ofLeon's Charizard'sFlamethrower. He believes strongly in the might and stamina of his Pokémon, stating that they will break down any manner of barrier constructed by their opponents.

Lance is seen to have extensive knowledge of the mythology of legends from other regions, this is seen when he explains toMaxie about the real purposes oftheOrbs that Team Magma and Team Aqua managed to capture and later when he told Ash and his friends about the story of the old stories ofGroudon andKyogre when the crisis was finally resolved.

Pokémon

This is a list of Lance's knownPokémon inPokémon the Series:

Dragonite 

Debut	The Legend of Thunder!
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi (EP235-AG098)
English	Katsuyuki Konishi

Main article:Lance's Dragonite

InRage of Innocence, Lance usedDragonite to defeat theRed Gyarados. InThe Scuffle of Legends, it helped stop the feuding ofGroudon andKyogre.

Gyarados  

Debut	Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka (EP235-AG098)
English	Unshō Ishizuka (EP235-AG098)

Main article:Lance's Gyarados

Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution andRage Of Innocence focused on aredGyarados. It was on a destructive rampage until Lancecaught it. InGaining Groudon andThe Scuffle of Legends, Gyarados helped stop the feuding ofGroudon andKyogre.

After a long absence, it reappeared inFlash of the Titans!, where it battledLeon and hisCharizard, and became the first Pokémon in the animated series toDynamax.

Hydreigon

Debut	Pride of a Champion!

Hydreigon is Lance's third known Pokémon. It was used in Lance'sMasters Eight Tournament battle againstDiantha, managing to take out herGourgeist before being defeated byGardevoir.

Hydreigon's known moves areDark Pulse,Tri Attack, andFlash Cannon.

Achievements

Pokémon League

Lance has competed in the followingPokémon League Conferences:

• Elite Four Cup - Winner (prior toTalkin' 'Bout an Evolution)
• Current Champion ofKanto andJohto (prior toAim For The Eight!)

World Coronation Series

Lance has competed in theWorld Coronation Series. His rank and class are as follows:

• Masters Eight Tournament - Runner-Up (Flash of the Titans!)
• Rank: 4 (Master Class; as ofAim For The Eight!)
• Masters Eight Tournament - Top 8 (Pride of a Champion!)

Pokémon competitions

• Pokémon World Tournament - Winner (prior toFlash of the Titans!)

Artwork

Artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series[1]	Official artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series	Official artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series[2]

Voice actors

In the manga

Pokémon Journeys

Lance appeared inFlash of the Titans!, where he facedLeon in theWorld Coronation Series finals.

Pokémon

Gyarados

In the games

Pokémon Mezastar

Lance, in a version based on the animated series, appeared inPokémon Mezastar.^[3] In this game, Lance is seen using a ShinyGyarados,Dragonite,Lapras, andHydreigon, with Lapras being a Pokémon that he has not been seen using in the animated series. In thesecond Double Chain series set, Lance also appeared as an opponent in an event that recreated theMasters Eight Tournament that ran from October 27 to November 21, 2022. Upon beating the character, the player can receive a Support Pokémon Ticket based onLance's Gyarados.^[4]

Pokémon

Kanto & Johto Champion Lance カントー・ジョウトチャンピオン ワタル Difficulty: ★★★★☆ Gyarados Waterfall Dragonite Dragon Rush Lapras Ice Beam Hydreigon Crunch

Disks

Tag No.	Name	Type	Grade
3-2-024	Gyarados

Trivia

• Lance is the only known member of thePokémon G-Men organization.
• In his appearances inPokémon Journeys: The Series, Lance appears wearing hisPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver attire. In universe, it is based on the uniforms worn byRaihan and theGym Trainers ofHammerlocke Stadium.
  • InPokémon Horizons: The Series,Team Dragon Rampage's uniforms are similar to the outfits Lance wore in his most recent appearances.
• Despite being introduced as aChampion inTalkin' 'Bout an Evolution, Lance is instead referred to as anElite Four member inFlash of the Titans!. InAim For The Eight!, he is referred to as a Champion again, withCurtain Up! Fight the Fights! specifying that he is a new Champion. This implies that Lance lost his Champion title at some point before regaining it duringPokémon Journeys: The Series.
• Lance has disguised himself as a member of avillainous team twice: as aTeam Rocket Grunt inTalkin' Bout an Evolution and later as aTeam Magma Grunt inGaining Groudon.
• InThe Legend of Thunder!, Lance is seen with a normal-colored Gyarados inMarina's imagination, but it is unknown if he actually owns one.
• Lance owning aHydreigon could be areference toPokémon Black 2 and White 2, in which he uses one during thePokémon World Tournament.
• Lance is the only regional Champion, current or former, whomAsh has met but not battled.
  • He's also the only member of the current Masters Eight whom Ash hasn't battled.
• Lance is the only participant in theMasters Eight Tournament to represent two leagues, being theChampion of theIndigoElite Four andJohto League.

• 
  Lance disguised as aTeam Rocket Grunt
• 
  Lance disguised as aTeam Magma Grunt

Names

Main article:Lance → Names

References

Related articles

• Lance

Lance'sPokémon
On hand:	Dragonite	Gyarados	Hydreigon
Adventures only:	Dragonair (×4)	Aerodactyl	Tyranitar	Horsea	Lugia
Jō's Big Adventure only:	Charizard

Trainers in theWorld Coronation Series
Master Ash •Leon •Cynthia •Diantha •Steven •Lance •Alain •Iris Ultra Raihan •Flint •Drasna •Volkner •Marnie •Bea Great Kricketina •Rinto •Dozer •Tony Normal Korrina •Hayden •Visquez •Lob •Oliver

This episode article is part ofProject Anime, aBulbapedia project that covers all aspects ofPokémon animation.

• Characters
• Male characters
• Animation characters
• Manga characters
• Champions
• World Coronation Series participants
• Elite Four Trainers
• Dragon-type Trainers
• Trainers with Shiny Pokémon
• Trainers with Dynamax Bands