Raoul Contesta コンテスタContesta
Raoul Contesta
Gender	Male
Hometown	Unknown
Region	Hoenn,Kanto,Sinnoh
Animated debut	All Things Bright and Beautifly!
English voice actor	Mike Pollock (AG035-AG144,DP161-DP177) Craig Blair (AG151-DP155)
Japanese voice actor	Kōichi Sakaguchi

Raoul Contesta (Japanese:コンテスタContesta), often referred to asMr. Contesta, is a recurring character inPokémon the Series. He is the Chief of thePokémon Activities Committee and, along withMr. Sukizo andNurse Joy, one of thejudges ofPokémon Contests. He first appeared inAll Things Bright and Beautifly!.

In animation

History

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

Raoul Contesta debuted in a non-speaking appearance inAll Things Bright and Beautifly!. At the start of theRustboroContest, theannouncer introduced him as the Director of the Contest Committee. During theAppeals Round, he was less than pleased to seeMademoiselle Jessica failing to show off theattacks of herSeviper. As a result, he gave her a zero for her performance.

InWin, Lose or Drew!, Mr. Contesta was impressed byDrew's performance in theSlateport Contest, saying he and hisRoselia had made great use of the entire stage. He also commendedRobert's appeal, as he felt thatMilotic's use ofSafeguard was awe-inspiring. InCome What May!, he got up from his chair, showing indignation towards adisguised Jessie for cheating and urging her to leave theContest Hall immediately. At the end of the episode, he congratulatedMay for her victory and gave her theFallarborRibbon.

InCruisin' for a Losin', Mr. Contesta―along with his fellow judges―ruledBattle Off forMay's Bulbasaur during her match againstSavannah'sLairon in theRubello Town Pokémon Contest. When May said she wasn't done fighting, he assistedNurse Joy in addressing May's lack of concern for the well-being of her Pokémon, saying that a Pokémon's health must be the number one priority of aCoordinator, not winning.

InThe Ribbon Cup Caper, Mr. Contesta was seen inspecting the damage done to theRibbon Cup byMay's Munchlax. After listening to May's apologies, he said the Ribbon Cup should never have broken so easily and realized that the one on display was actually a fake. Having no Ribbon Cup to reward the winner and no time to make another, Mr. Contesta considered canceling theHoenn Grand Festival. However,Officer Jenny pointed out that the thief who had stolen the Ribbon Cup couldn't have escaped as they were in the middle of the ocean. With help fromAsh andhis friends, she was able to find Brodie and retrieve the Ribbon Cup. After that, a grateful Mr. Contesta said theGrand Festival could go on as planned.

InDeceit and Assist, Mr. Contesta was unimpressed byMay's Skitty's performance in the main Appeals Round of the Hoenn Grand Festival. He commented that, by repeatedly usingAssist, May was displaying the skills ofher other Pokémon rather than Skitty's talents. Despite that, the score he and the other judges gave May was enough to place her among the 32 Coordinators moving on to theContest Battles.

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

InThrowing the Track Switch, Mr. Contesta appeared onMarian'stelevision show, during which Marian asked him about his opinion on the current circuit. Mr. Contesta praisedKenny, who earlier on the show had been revealed to have won theSageRibbon.

Character

Ever since theRustboro CityPokémon Contest, Raoul Contesta has been seen judging every Pokémon Contest and related competitions, including theGrand Festival tournaments ofHoenn,Kanto, andSinnoh, as well as theworldwideWallace Cup. He is the Chief of thePokémon Activities Committee and the man behind the Pokémon Contests. As the Head Judge, Mr. Contesta is known to be fair but firm. He is usually the first one to comment on thePokémon, and the one who offers advice to theCoordinators. He is also the one who presents the winning Coordinator with the prizeRibbon.

Voice actors

In the manga

Ash & Pikachu

Raoul Contesta appeared inThe Enchanting Pokémon Soul!.

Trivia

• In the English-languagedub ofPokémon the Series, Raoul Contesta is the second character to regain his original voice actor following the voice actor switch, the first beingGiovanni.
  • Both of these characters were voiced byCraig Blair before regaining their original voice actors.

Names

Related articles

• Images on the Bulbagarden Archives

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

• Characters
• Male characters
• Contest Judges
• Animation characters