This article is about the character fromPokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. For the English voice actor credited as Ed Paul, seeTed Lewis.

Paul シンジShinji
Paul
Gender	Male
Eye color	Black
Hair color	Purple
Hometown	Veilstone City
Region	Sinnoh
Relatives	Reggie (brother)
Trainer class	Trainer
Animated debut	Two Degrees of Separation!
English voice actor	Julián Rebolledo
Japanese voice actor	Kiyotaka Furushima

Paul (Japanese:シンジShinji) is a major recurring character inPokémon the Series. He is aPokémon Trainer fromVeilstone City who was first seen at the end ofTwo Degrees of Separation!, though his full introduction was inWhen Pokémon Worlds Collide!. He isAsh's mainrival inPokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl.

History

Pre-series

Paul started hisjourney with hisTurtwig throughoutSinnoh, having been inspired by his older brotherReggie's own travels.

InA Pyramiding Rage!, it was revealed that, while Paul was still a beginning Trainer, he watched Reggie lose toPyramid King Brandon, thus costing him a victory of theKantoBattle Frontier. Afterwards, Paul became determined to become more powerful. Like his brother, Paul traveled throughHoenn,Johto, and Kanto, participating in their respectiveLeague Conferences, but failing to win any of them, before returning to Sinnoh.

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

Paul debuted briefly inTwo Degrees of Separation!, although he was formally introduced inWhen Pokémon Worlds Collide!, where he captured threeStarly but released two of them after finding out they didn't knowAerial Ace. He challengedAsh to a three-on-threebattle. After the battle resulted in a tie, Paulreleased the thirdStarly hecaught, writing it off as weak, and walked off.

InDifferent Strokes for Different Blokes, he defeated Ash in a Single Battle after meeting him along the way when exploringBewilder Forest. He caught hisUrsaring in the forest. During the episode, he insulted Ash and especially hisTurtwig by calling it pathetic, sparking their rivalry. At this point, Ash realized Paul's strategy of disregarding Pokémon and then releasing them if they did not meet his expectations. He also commented that he would not lose to Paul again.

InShapes of Things to Come!, Paul then battled theOreburgh GymLeaderRoark and managed to win theCoal Badge. Although he stayed to watch Ash's first battle against Roark in thenext episode, he walked off. His style of indiscriminately releasing weak Pokémon was shown again as he gave theAzumarill he used against Roark to a kid in thePokémon Center after it easily lost to Roark's Geodude despite the 4x type advantage.

InTop-Down Training!, Paul challenged theSinnoh LeagueChampionCynthia to aFull Battle. After his first four Pokémon were easily defeated byCynthia's Garchomp, he surrendered.

InTag! We're It...!, he was a participant in theHearthome City Tag Battle Competition, where he was partnered with Ash. Despite winning the quarterfinal match, he was disappointed with hisChimchar and released him, which Ash quickly caught. Eventually, Paul and Ash managed to win the tournament. Paul then revealed how he captured Chimchar: one day, he ran across him and saw him activating hisBlazeAbility to ward off a horde ofZangoose that were violently attacking him. Paul was impressed and decided to catch Chimchar, but he never managed to recreate that powerful Blaze while under his ownership. After winning the tournament, he wrote off the tournament as nothing more than an opportunity to boost his battling skills, giving hisSoothe Bell prize to Ash.

InRiding the Winds of Change!, Paul caught hisGliscor.

InPika and Goliath!, he watchedAsh's Pikachu battleSho'sRaichu. After watching Pikachu lose to Raichu, he approached Ash and said Pikachu needed toevolve to even come close to being an equal to Raichu. Later on, he witnessed Pikachu defeat Raichu in Ash'srematch against Sho.

Prior toLost Leader Strategy!, Paul returned to hishometownVeilstone City, where he challenged the new Gym LeaderMaylene to aGymbattle. His Pokémon had atype advantage over Maylene'sFighting-typeteam. This, coupled with the fact that Maylene was feeling out of sync with her Pokémon, resulted in an embarrassing match in which she failed toknock out a single one of his Pokémon. As Maylene awarded him with theCobble Badge, Paul noted that she was the weakest Gym Leader he had ever battled, which greatly upset her.

InChim - Charred!, Paul battled Ash after arguing with him over Ash's true skills as a Trainer. After using his Gliscor to defeatGligar with relative ease, he then pitted his Ursaring against Chimchar. Chimchar struggled for much of the battle, but ended up making a comeback and defeating Ursaring after finally activating Blaze. The battle ended prematurely when Chimchar's Blaze couldn't be controlled since it was activated out of resentment and a determination to defeat Paul. Paul was impressed as this version of Blaze appeared much more powerful than the one that initially drove him to catch Chimchar in the first place.

InAiding the Enemy!, Paul used hisHonchkrow in a Single Battle against Ash and his newly evolvedGrotle, defeating Ash with ease partly due to Grotle being unable to adapt to its loss of speed. This was seen by hisTorterra, who later helped Ash's Grotle handle the changes in itsEvolution.

InPursuing a Lofty Goal!, he participated in theSquallville PokéRinger with his Honchkrow, and made it to the finals but lost toAsh's Staraptor, which was newly evolved.

InA Pyramiding Rage!, Paul challengedBrandon to a Full Battle, hoping that he would be able to do what his brother failed to. However, he lost to Brandon withoutdefeating any of his Pokémon. Brandon informed him that this loss was because he could not control his emotions.

Following Reggie's suggestion inA Pyramiding Rage!, Paul battled Ash in a Full Battle inPedal to the Mettle! andEvolving Strategies!. It was revealed that Paul had evolved hisMagmar intoMagmortar since his battle with Brandon. Despite Ash's Chimchar evolving intoMonferno and three of Ash's Pokémon using theCounter Shield strategy, Paul won the match easily with only two of his Pokémon fainting, one of which, Ursaring, having defeated half of Ash's team nearly single-handedly.

InDouble-Time Battle Training!, it was revealed that Paul had earned theMine Badge fromCanalave Gym and, by doing so, had collected the eightBadges required to enter theSinnoh League.

InFighting Ire with Fire!, Paul encountered Ash for the first time since their Full Battle. He also met his admirerBarry for the first time; however, Paul wasn't impressed by him and refused his offer for a battle, suggesting he battle Ash instead since he was denying all challenges to go into serioustraining. He later watched the battle between Ash's Monferno andEmpoleon and whenPikachu,Piplup, and Empoleon were nearly crushed by one ofTeam Rocket's damaged mechas, he saved the three with the help of hisElectabuzz. He then witnessed Monferno evolving intoInfernape, who then saved Electabuzz and the other Pokémon from getting crushed. Paul was impressed by Infernape, and gained a little respect for Ash at how well he had raised him. When asked by Ash if they could have another Full Battle, Paul confirmed they would in the Sinnoh League, and that Reggie was looking forward to seeing it.

Paul entered theLily of the Valley Conference inAn Old Family Blend!, where he was shown in the stadium along with all of the other competitors. He passed the preliminary round inLeague Unleashed! and defeated Barry in the third round inCasting a Paul on Barry! with his superior tactics and the superior power of his Pokémon.

His next battle was against his rival Ash inFamiliarity Breeds Strategy!, continuing intoA Real Rival Rouser! andBattling a Thaw in Relations!. After a fierce battle, Paul was finally defeated, and he and Ash parted on good terms, Ash having earned Paul's full respect. It also seemed Paul had decided to change himself somewhat, as when Electivire was defeated, he thanked it for a job well done; up to this point, this was something Paul practically never did, even if his Pokémon won. Afterwards, Paul stated that his next intention was to return toSnowpoint City and re-challenge Brandon.

He briefly appeared inThe Semi-Final Frontier!, where he watched Ash as he lost toTobias.

Privately commenting toDawn andBrock on the battle between Ash and Paul, Cynthia predicted that they would both be entering the Champion League soon.

Paul made a cameo appearance during the ending credits ofZoroark: Master of Illusions, in which he was seen visiting ancient ruins with statues ofDialga andPalkia.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Paul made a cameo appearance in a flashback inAdvice to Goh!.

InFriends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!, Paul appeared atProfessor Oak's Laboratory in order to learn more about Pokémon fromProfessor Oak. During the visit, he reunited with Ash. Knowing that Ash was in the Masters Eight of theWorld Coronation Series, Paul used hisGyarados,Garchomp, andMetagross (reflecting the Pokémon owned byLance, Cynthia, andSteven, respectively) to battle againstAsh's Lucario,Dragonite, andGengar, and ultimately lost. As Paul left, Professor Oak revealed that Paul had received an offer to become aGym Leader.

InThe Fiery Road to Mastership!, Paul appeared with Reggie, watching Cynthia'sMasters Eight Tournament match againstIris. In thenext episode, they watched Ash's match against Steven. Paul expressed a greater interest during Ash's battle againstSteven's Metagross, seemingly pleased that his training with Ash had been effective.

Character

Paul underwent quite a bit of character development throughoutPokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl. Early in the series, Paul was very reserved and apathetic. As such, he displayed very little emotion when interacting with others, other than an occasional rough smirk when dealing withAsh. He was also very callous, seeingPokémon as tools for combat rather than living beings to make friends with, and his only concern in them being their strength inbattle. He strongly disliked weak Pokémon and had a tendency ofreleasing them if they continuously underperformed in battles or otherwise failed to meet his expectations. To this effect, Paul always checked newcaptures with hisPokédex to learn whatmoves they knew, and released them if he deemed them not strong or potent enough, showing a preference for attaining immediately strong Pokémon instead of training weaker ones to become strong, in addition to making his choices entirely on a first impression. As for the ones he decided to keep, he was shown to be cold, stern, and demanding, willing to engage in ruthless strategies in battle if he felt they would ensure a victory or make his Pokémon stronger, even if it risked injuring them in the process. He felt thatbonding with Pokémon would only turn them into slackers, which was proven onone occasion when he gave his prizeSoothe Bell, an item that raises a Pokémon's happiness, away to Ash.

He also had a habit of scolding his Pokémon for losing to opponents he felt they could have beaten, some examples being hisAzumarill,Chimchar, andHonchkrow, once again showing his distaste when expectations weren't met. These beliefs and behaviors were best exemplified in his harsh treatment of Chimchar (which in and of itself was noted to be much worse compared to that of his other Pokémon); hewas shown to have fed him straight from tin cans and rushed him so they could get back to training, as well as forcing him to not dodge attacks (even super effective ones) for the sake of being able to activate hisBlazeAbility at will under pressure. Hewas also shown to have had his other Pokémon relentlessly attack him for this same purpose. This particularly brutal treatment had formed out of Paul's impatient desire to recreate the powerful first impression which led to Chimchar's capture, a result which Paul's training methods ultimately failed to produce. Notably, besides Chimchar, none of his Pokémon had expressed any truly overt dislike towards Paul or dissatisfaction with him as theirTrainer despite his tough methods, and none are known to have ran away of their own volition, with hisElectivire andUrsaring in particular becoming more powerful battlers under his training.

However, Paul had a major turning point after his crushing loss toBrandon inA Pyramiding Rage! and underwent a serious attitude adjustment; he maintained his reserved and stoical personality, but he ceased his cruel tendencies and began treating his Pokémon less like tools and more like highly professional partners. While he still doesn't show them open affection like Ash does, he seems to have dropped his habit of scolding them; in fact, he started to do the exact opposite and commend them not only when they won, but even when they lost, which was something he practically never did prior. For example, inBattling a Thaw in Relations!, he praised his Electivire after it defeatedAsh's Gliscor, and thanked it for its efforts after it lost to Ash's Infernape. It is unknown if he continues to practice his selective catching methods after this point as he has never been seen catching or releasing Pokémon again. He had also seemingly become less apathetic and more caring of others, which was best exemplified inFighting Ire with Fire! when he helped saveAsh's Pikachu,Dawn's Piplup, andBarry's Empoleon fromTeam Rocket's destroyed mecha at no benefit to himself or his Pokémon.

Paul originally felt that Ash was a weak Trainer when they first met, as shown when Ash capturedStarly and he questioned him about how strong this Starly was. Ash's very different attitude towards Pokémon provided much fuel to theirrivalry. Despite this, Paul barely recognized Ash as a serious Trainer or a rival; Paul regularly disregarded Ash's speeches about friendship and love, taunting and belittling him almost every time they encountered each other, with Ash's Pikachu's usage ofVolt Tackle seemingly being the only initial point of Paul's interest. Paul also occasionally perceived Ash's actions to be hypocritical, accusing him at afewpoints of using methods similar to his own, specifically ones that Ash had criticized him for; these include Ash's decision to enter theWallace Cup which Paul insisted was no different than himself entering theHearthome City Tag Battle Competition just to strengthen his Pokémon, and noting that they both have their own Pokémon attack each other for training. Their radically different beliefs often led to intense arguments, withAsh's friends once noting that their opposing attitudes made it impossible for the two to just ignore each other.

However, Paul's first hint of respect for Ash himself was shown inA Pyramiding Rage!, when he was very surprised to hear that he had won his ownBrave Symbol from Brandon, something both his brother and later Paul himself failed at. Notably, after this discovery and his subsequent defeat at the hands of Brandon, Paul would become more subdued and much less caustic in his interactions with Ash. Though they remained at clear odds for the time being, he started regarding Ash more seriously and would no longer mock his abilities as a Trainer. His change in attitude was shown after his victories against Ash andBarry, where, despite their losses, he would not dismiss their efforts like before and would even be complimentary after a hard-fought battle. After a long, tough battle inSinnoh'sPokémon League Conference, Paul ended up losing to Ash, and in doing so, gained respect for him and ended their bitter rivalry on civil terms.

Paul has also been shown to have a certain degree of athleticism, as seen inDifferent Strokes for Different Blokes when he and Chimchar were able to downwardly scale a cliff of a waterfall nearBewilder Forest by swinging and leaping from rocks and branches. His catchphrase when calling out Pokémon is "<Pokémon>, standby for battle!" (Japanese:○○！ バトルスタンバイ！<Pokémon>, Battle Standby!).

As revealed inLost Leader Strategy!, Paul occasionally gives some of his Pokémon to his brotherReggie for temporary training and caretaking. He disagrees with his brother's decision to give up on being a Pokémon Trainer after failing to get the Brave Symbol from Brandon and often harbored contempt towards him for still holding to his old views and beliefs about Pokémon instead of changing them after the defeat, in addition to not understanding why Reggie would give up battling after a single loss to Brandon. Nevertheless, it seems that their brotherly relationship has been reanimated in the aftermath of Paul's own loss against Brandon, as their interactions afterwards are more cordial even in private conversation. As shown inFamiliarity Breeds Strategy!, during their video conversation, Paul seemed disappointed that Reggie would not be able to come to the match because of his work, but was glad to hear that his older brother was supporting him in the battle with Ash.

Paul appears to feel complete indifference toDawn, shown most tellingly inA Gruff Act to Follow where he is revealed to have not remembered her name. However, he talks to her more openly about Ash much later inFamiliarity Breeds Strategy!, confessing that his main problem with Ash is how his talk about bringing out a Pokémon's inner strength through his bond with them and that any Pokémon has the potential to be strong reminds him a lot of his brother, the resemblance to Reggie bringing Paul discomfort. Paul shows a mix of mild respect and distaste towardsBrock in their few direct interactions. While Paul usually keeps his distance due to Brock's association with Ash and doesn't go out of his way to engage with him as with Ash, Paul did willingly open up about Chimchar's history when questioned by Brock inGlory Blaze!, and later explained his frustrations with Reggie to Brock inAiding the Enemy!. Paul does show respect for his elders, such asProfessor Rowan,Cynthia,Nurse Joy, Brandon, andProfessor Oak, even in situations where he doesn't agree with them or heed their advice. He also shows respect toGym Leaders, but not ones who he feels are weak. For example, he was shown to be respectful towardsRoark whom he judged to have been a worthwhile opponent after their battle but he was openly rude and mean toMaylene upon defeating her with ease.

DuringPokémon Journeys: The Series, Paul was shown to have developed a lighter side, allowing Electivire to go play withPikachu andGrookey. He still appeared to be fundamentally serious and strict, and yet he was also much more mindful towards the condition of a battling Pokémon, to the point of scolding Ash for seemingly ignoring his Pokémon's well-being during a new battle technique. He also continued complimenting his Pokémon on their performance, regardless of result, and was shown to talk to others with his usual coolness in addition to openly smiling at them more, seen when Paul bid Infernape farewell. Much of Paul's changes in this series were attributed to the fact that he was asked to become aGym Leader, which encouraged him to learn more about Pokémon and their nature.

Pokémon

This section is missing information on this character's Japanese voice actor. Please feel free to edit this section to add this information.

As a result of Paul's selectiveteam creation, his active team is composed of Pokémon that he deems to be powerful. As shown many times throughout the series, Paul regularly rotates the Pokémon in his possession, basing his choices on his knowledge of the opponents he prepares to battle. This can be most prominently seen in hisFull Battle with Ash atLake Acuity, where he prepares many specific moves and strategies for Ash'sSinnoh party based on all of their previous encounters.

Paul is a highly skilled battler, able to observe the battling styles of others and incorporate them into his own. This was shown in hisLily of the Valley Conference battle with Ash, where he adopted several of Ash's unorthodox strategies and quickly used them to his advantage. It was shown again inFriends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!, where Paul was able to imitate the battling styles ofLance,Cynthia, andSteven in order to prepare Ash for theMasters Eight Tournament.

Whilst the captures of Ursaring and Gliscor were shown inDifferent Strokes for Different Blokes andRiding the Winds of Change!, respectively, and Ninjask's was revealed in a flashback duringGlory Blaze!, his team has for the most part beencaught off-screen. Several other Pokémon in his possession were caught onscreen but later released, as they were deemed not strong enough to remain on his active roster.

The Pokémon Paul does not carry with him on hand are left withReggie at his home inVeilstone City. This list is from Paul's Pokémon up toPokemon Journeys: The Series:

On hand

Elekid → Electabuzz →Electivire

Debut	Two Degrees of Separation!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kenta Miyake
English	Bill Rogers

Main article:Paul's Electivire

Electivire was the first of Paul's revealed Pokémon. Paul used it as anElekid during his first appearance inWhen Pokémon Worlds Collide! in a battle againstAsh and hisPikachu. InSmells Like Team Spirit!, Elekidevolved intoElectabuzz during a tag battle in which it was fighting alongsideAsh's Chimchar. It reappeared as an Electivire inCasting a Paul on Barry!, having evolved off screen at a prior point. It was used by Paul to battleBarry and Ash in his League matches. It was the last Pokémon used against Ash in their Full Battle at theLily of the Valley Conference.

Gyarados

Debut	Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!

Paul usedGyarados as his first Pokémon against Ash when battling atProfessor Oak's Laboratory. It went up againstLucario, only to be defeated.

Gyarados's known moves areIce Fang andHyper Beam.

Garchomp♂

Debut	Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Marc Thompson

Paul usedGarchomp as his second Pokémon against Ash when battling atProfessor Oak's Laboratory. He went up againstDragonite and won.

Garchomp's known moves areDragon Claw,Stone Edge, andDraco Meteor.

Metagross

Debut	Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!

Paul usedMetagross as his third Pokémon against Ash when battling atProfessor Oak's Laboratory. It went up againstGengar, only to be defeated. It reappeared in a flashback inBattling as Hard as Stone!.

Metagross's known moves areAgility,Psychic, andMeteor Mash.

With Reggie

Ursaring

Debut	Different Strokes for Different Blokes
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Unshō Ishizuka

Main article:Paul's Ursaring

Paul caughtUrsaring with the help of hisChimchar. Ursaring was seen several times since, often battling against Chimchar.

Weavile

Debut	Top-Down Training!
Voice actors
Japanese	Chinami Nishimura
English	Bill Rogers

Paul caughtWeavile while he journeyed throughHoenn,Johto, orKanto. Weavile made its first appearance in a battle againstCynthia's Garchomp where it lost, despite the double type-advantage ofIce.

Paul sent Weavile out inRiding the Winds of Change! where it worked withElectabuzz to captureGliscor.

Weavile briefly appeared inAiding the Enemy asTorterra's sparring partner.

Weavile appeared again inPedal to the Mettle! where it went up againstAsh's Staraptor inAsh and Paul'sFull Battle and lost, despite the type-advantage.

InBattling a Thaw in Relations!, it was with Reggie along with Paul's Torterra,Ursaring, andHonchkrow, disappointed to find out itsTrainer had lost.

Weavile's known moves areBlizzard,Ice Beam,Ice Shard,Swords Dance, andMetal Claw.

Murkrow →Honchkrow

Debut	Top-Down Training!
Voice actors
Japanese	Daisuke Sakaguchi
English	Tim Werenko

Main article:Paul's Honchkrow

Honchkrow's first official appearance was as aMurkrow inTop-Down Training!, in which Paul used it inbattle againstCynthia's Garchomp. Itevolved off-screen betweenRiding the Winds of Change! andLost Leader Strategy!.

Turtwig → Grotle →Torterra

Debut	Top-Down Training!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Billy Beach

Main article:Paul's Torterra

Torterra is one of Paul's strongest Pokémon and hisfirst partner Pokémon as well. It made its first appearance inTop-Down Training!, in which it was used in a battle againstCynthia's Garchomp.

Ninjask

Debut	Glory Blaze!
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Billy Beach

Paul'sNinjask was caught shortly before Paul metChimchar, as shown in a flashback inGlory Blaze!. It did not appear again until it was used as Paul's fourth Pokémon against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference, where it went up againstGliscor. Taking advantage of its superior speed, it managed to cause substantial damage while not taking a single hit in return. Gliscor was thenrecalled in favor ofInfernape, who eliminated Ninjask with the blast wave from anUndergroundFlare Blitz and a successfulMach Punch.

Ninjask's known moves areAgility,Fury Cutter, andGiga Drain, and itsAbility isSpeed Boost.

Gliscor

Debut	Riding the Winds of Change!
Voice actors
Japanese	Yūji Ueda
English	Marc Thompson

Paul caughtGliscor inRiding the Winds of Change! after hearing of its reputation as a powerful Pokémon, causing a lot of trouble along with its pack ofGligar. While easily standing up againstElectabuzz and Weavile, it was finally caught by Paul, while Ash was trying to talk with it.

Gliscor appeared again inChim - Charred!, in which it was used to battleAsh's Gligar and won the battle rather easily.

Gliscor made a brief appearance inAiding the Enemy! along with Paul's other Pokémon outside of thePokémon Center while theTeam Rocket trio took care ofPaul's Torterra. Gliscor was not seen again after this.

Gliscor's known moves areX-Scissor,Sandstorm,Knock Off, andGuillotine.

Magmar →Magmortar

Debut	Lost Leader Strategy!
Voice actors
Japanese	Yūji Ueda
English	Tom Wayland

Main article:Paul's Magmortar

Paul choseMagmortar to replace hisChimchar after he released it. It first debuted as aMagmar inLost Leader Strategy!, in which it appeared in a flashback. Magmar made its first real appearance inAiding the Enemy!, sleeping with Paul's other Pokémon.

Magmar's Evolution was revealed inPedal to the Mettle! when Paul chose Magmortar to battleAsh's Pikachu.

Hariyama

Debut	A Pyramiding Rage!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Bill Rogers

Hariyama fought againstBrandon's Regirock, with Paul bringing it out to utilize its type advantage. However, it was eventually taken out by aFocus Punch.

Hariyama's known moves areArm Thrust andForce Palm.

Nidoking♂

Debut	A Pyramiding Rage!
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi
English	Katsuyuki Konishi

Nidoking was used to fight againstBrandon's Registeel. Despite landing super effective hits on Registeel, Nidoking was unable to take it down and was knocked out by a powerfulIron Head.

Nidoking's known moves areEarth Power,Double Kick, andThunderbolt.

Lairon →Aggron

Debut	A Pyramiding Rage!
Voice actors
Japanese	Daisuke Sakaguchi (as Lairon) Kenta Miyake (as Aggron)
English	Billy Beach

Aggron first appeared as aLairon inA Pyramiding Rage!, in which it fought againstBrandon's Regice. However, it was defeated before it could attack even once.

InFamiliarity Breeds Strategy!, Lairon was shown to have evolved into Aggron. It was the first Pokémon he used in hisLily of the Valley Conference battle with Ash, going up againstPikachu first. Ash eventually withdrew Pikachu in favor ofInfernape, who managed toburn Aggron withFlare Blitz and subsequently defeat it with aMach Punch. Later, though, it was revealed that Aggron's defeat had been a part of Paul's strategy all along.

Aggron's known moves areIron Defense,Metal Claw,Metal Sound,Flash Cannon, andDouble-Edge, and its Ability isRock Head.

Gastrodon

Debut	Familiarity Breeds Strategy!
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Tom Wayland

Gastrodon was the second Pokémon used against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference, going up againstStaraptor. Copying Ash'sCounter Shield and using its squishy body to its advantage, Gastrodon quickly had Staraptor on the ropes, promoting Ash to recall it and useBuizel instead. Buizel ultimately succeeded in defeating Gastrodon, although this defeat turned out to have been a part of Paul's plan.

Gastrodon's known moves areMuddy Water,Body Slam,Water Pulse, andIce Beam.

Drapion

Debut	Familiarity Breeds Strategy!
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka
English	Unshō Ishizuka

Drapion was the third Pokémon used in Paul's Lily of the Valley Conference match against Ash. Having used his first two Pokémon to make Ash reveal his strategy, Paul used Drapion to more than level out the numbers, defeating Buizel, Staraptor, andTorterra in rapid succession before being recalled, not in small part thanks to its Toxic Spikes. It later returned to the battlefield to faceGliscor, who eventually defeated Drapion after a prolonged skirmish.

Drapion's known moves arePin Missile,Cross Poison,Toxic Spikes, andPoison Fang.

Froslass♀

Debut	A Real Rival Rouser!
Voice actors
Japanese	Satsuki Yukino
English	Bella Hudson

Froslass was the fifth Pokémon used by Paul in his battle against Ash in the Lily of the Valley Conference. Going up againstAsh's Pikachu, she used Hail to change the battle conditions in her favor. Pikachu was able to survive Froslass's assault, though, and struck back withIron Tail before finishing Froslass off withVolt Tackle.

Froslass's known moves areHail,Ice Shard, andIce Beam, and her Ability isSnow Cloak.

Released

It is implied that Paul has caught and released many more Pokémon than what has been shown onscreen.

Starly (×2)

Debut	When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kiyotaka Furushima
English	Sarah Natochenny

Paul caught these twoStarly the same time he caught the final one. Paul released the two once he scanned them on hisPokédex, deeming them too weak for histeam, and the fact that they only knewTackle andSand-Attack.

Both Starly's known moves areTackle* andSand Attack*.

Starly

Debut	When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
Voice actors
Japanese	Kiyotaka Furushima
English	Sarah Natochenny

Paul caught the finalStarly the same time he caught the other two. He decided to keep it once he scanned it on his Pokédex, due to its knowledge of Aerial Ace. It was used againstAsh's Starly in their first battle. Despite Paul's Starly winning, Paul decided it was not up to his standards and so it was also released after their battle.

Starly's known moves wereAerial Ace andDouble Team.

Stantler

Debut	Different Strokes for Different Blokes
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi
English	Katsuyuki Konishi

Paul caughtStantler while inBewilder Forest, but released it as soon as he scanned it on his Pokédex, due to the fact that its onlymove wasTackle.

Stantler's only known move isTackle*.

Chimchar♂

Debut	When Pokémon Worlds Collide!
Voice actors
Japanese	Megumi Hayashibara
English	Bill Rogers

Main article:Ash's Infernape

When Paul first sawChimchar, he was being chased by a group ofZangoose. Paul was impressed with him and added him to his regular team. However, this first impression did not match up to Chimchar's normal abilities and so Paul regularly criticized him for being weak. After losing toCynthia's Garchomp inTop-Down Training, Paul realized that Chimchar was not fulfilling his expectations. This culminated in theHearthome City Tag Battle Competition, in which he was forced to battle alongsideAsh. During a battle against a Zangoose and aMetagross, Chimchar was too scared to make any attacks when caught in Zangoose's claws. After the battle, Paul released Chimchar in front of Ash, who then invited him to join his team.

Given away

Azumarill

Debut	Shapes of Things to Come!
Voice actors
Japanese	Tomoko Kawakami
English	Kayzie Rogers

Paul was first seen usingAzumarill for his battle withRoark inShapes of Things to Come!, attempting to use thetype advantage over theRock-type Pokémon. However, Roark'sGeodude had little trouble in defeating theWater Pokémon, deflecting Hydro Pump withHidden Power and knocking it out withRollout.

Unsatisfied with its loss, Paul gave Azumarill away to a little boy duringA Gruff Act to Follow!, claiming it had no potential to improve and there was no point wasting his time on it. This infuriatedAsh, pushing their rivalry even further.

Azumarill's known moves wereHydro Pump andWater Gun*.

Achievements

Badges obtained

It can be assumed that Paul has at least eightGymBadges each fromHoenn,Johto, andKanto, as he has entered all three of their championship competitions.

Sinnoh Badges

This listing is of the Badges Paul has obtained in theSinnohregion:

• Coal Badge (Shapes of Things to Come!)
• Cobble Badge (prior toLost Leader Strategy!)
• Relic Badge (prior toAiding the Enemy)
• Four unknown Badges* (prior toDouble-Time Battle Training!)
• Mine Badge (prior toDouble-Time Battle Training!)

Pokémon League

Paul has competed in the followingPokémon League Conferences:

• Ever Grande Conference - Unknown (prior toTwo Degrees of Separation!)
• Silver Conference - Unknown (prior toTwo Degrees of Separation!)
• Indigo Plateau Conference - Unknown (prior toTwo Degrees of Separation!)
• Lily of the Valley Conference - Top 8 (Battling a Thaw in Relations!)

Pokémon competitions

Paul has competed in the followingPokémon competitions:

• Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition - Winner (withAsh;Smells Like Team Spirit!)
• Squallville PokéRinger - Runner-Up (Pursuing a Lofty Goal!)

Gallery

• 
  Paul after winning the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition

Voice actors

Artwork

Concept artwork fromPokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl			Artwork from "After the story"[1]

Trivia

• Paul was first revealed to the public through aCoroCoro scan that showed him alongsideAsh andDawn commanding aChimchar. However, his name and role were not revealed until the following week, and so, he received the fan name "Nugai" (a pun derived from "new guy") during that time.
• Three ofAsh's Pokémon have evolved while battling Paul: Turtwig intoGrotle, Staravia intoStaraptor, and Chimchar intoMonferno. Both Turtwig and Staravia evolved while battlingHonchkrow. Paul also witnessed Monferno's later Evolution intoInfernape.
• Paul is the first regular rival seencatching a Pokémon and receiving aGymBadge on screen.
• If one does not count theSquallvillePokéRinger, Paul has been defeated onscreen four times, with three of his Pokémon debuting each time.
• Paul has battled Ash more times than any other rival.
• Paul shares his Japanese name with that ofLake Verity.
• Paul is the only Trainer to abandon one of Ash's Pokémon that has been seen more than once outside of flashbacks.
• Paul is the only character to have participated in aFull Battle against Ash more than once.
  • He has participated in four Full Battles on-screen, the most of any Trainer inPokémon the Series other than Ash.
  • He is also the only character to have forfeited a Full Battle.
• During his battle with Ash atLake Acuity, Paulrecalled his Pokémon a total of seven times, the most out of any Trainer in the animated series within a single battle.
• Paul is the first regular recurring character to battle theChampion of acore seriesregion.
• Paul owns a Pokémon of everytype except forFairy. While he used to own anAzumarill, it was not a Fairy type at the time when he owned it.
• Paul makes a cameo appearance alongside his Pokémon in the endingLet's Join Hands.
• In the English dub, Paul has a habit of referring to things he dislikes as "pathetic". No equivalent phrase exists in the Japanese version.
• During thetenth season, Paul's catchphrase was "Stand by!" instead of "Stand by for battle!".

Names

References

Related articles

• Episodes focusing on Paul
• Images on the Bulbagarden Archives

Paul'sPokémon
On hand:	Electivire	Gyarados	Garchomp	Metagross
At home:	Ursaring	Weavile	Honchkrow	Torterra	Ninjask	Gliscor
	Magmortar	Hariyama	Nidoking	Aggron	Gastrodon	Drapion
	Froslass
Released:	Starly (×3)	Stantler	Chimchar
Given away:	Azumarill

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

• Characters
• Male characters
• Characters with an unknown Japanese voice actor
• League Conference participants
• Animation characters