Shadow Triad
| Shadow Triad ダークトリニティDark Trinity | |
 The Shadow Triad in theBlack 2 and White 2 trailer | |
| Age | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Eye color | Gray |
| Hair color | White |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Unova |
| Trainer class | Team Plasma |
| Generation | V,VIII,IX |
| Games | Black, White,Black 2, White 2 Masters EX |
| English voice actor | Jason Griffith(B2W2AT) Ben Balmaceda[1](Masters EX) |
| Japanese voice actor | Akira Ishida(B2W2AT) Takaaki Torashima(Masters EX) |
| Member of | Team Plasma |
| Rank | Bodyguards |
| Manga series | Pokémon Adventures |
| Debut | Letting Go |
TheShadow Triad (Japanese:ダークトリニティDark Trinity), each referred to individually asShadow (Japanese:ダークDark), are three faithful servants ofGhetsis andN and are high-ranking members ofTeam Plasma.
The Shadow Triad are completely loyal to Ghetsis because he once saved their lives.
In the core series games
They appear many times inPokémon Black and White, first being seen inChargestone Cave, mostly to escort theplayer to eitherN orGhetsis. They make very sudden ninja-like appearances, appearing seemingly out of thin air.
The Shadow Triad are the ones who enabled Ghetsis to evade arrest, creating an opening in which Ghetsis was able to escapeCheren's confinement. After Team Plasma has been defeated, they appear atMarvelous Bridge and on the orders of Ghetsis, give the player theAdamant Orb,Lustrous Orb, andGriseous Orb—the three orbs of thePokémon of myth. However, on Ghetsis's orders, they make no attempt to find him. They vanish from the bridge and are not seen again for the rest of the game.
At some point after Black and White's events, they appear in front ofStriaton GymLeaders at Striaton Restaurant, challenge and easily defeat the trio, before disappearing.
InPokémon Black 2 and White 2, the Shadow Triad are first seen withZinzolin on thePlasma Frigate. After the player, Cheren, andHugh finish off the remainder of theTeam Plasma Grunts, Zinzolin has the Shadow Triad escort the player off the ship.
The Shadow Triad are later seen inOpelucid City after it has been frozen by the Plasma Frigate. They steal theDNA Splicers so that Ghetsis can use it onKyurem, but are chased by the player andDrayden. After finally being caught, a Shadow challenges the player to a battle, and even though he loses, they still get away.
The Shadow Triad are seen again on the Plasma Frigate after talking to Ghetsis about Kyurem. Each Shadow battles the player after they give Hugh backhis sister'sPurrloin, which has evolved intoLiepard since it was stolen. After defeating them, they allow the player to leave but warn them about Ghetsis and Kyurem, and end up staying behind with Hugh and Liepard. After Ghetsis has been defeated and suffers a mental breakdown, a Shadow comes to take him away.
After the player enters theHall of Fame, the Shadow Triad remain inIcirrus City and challenge the player once perseason. Still loyal to Ghetsis, they attempt to regain his lost heart by defeating the player.
Pokémon
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
Opelucid City
Plasma Frigate
Icirrus City
They are all fought individually, in a Single Battle,Triple Battle, andRotation Battle, respectively. If the player has fewer than three Pokémon remaining, or declines battle, the remaining opponents will vanish until theseason changes.
Single Battle
Triple Battle
Rotation Battle
Returned
ThePurrloin stolen fromHugh's sister is revealed to have evolved into aLiepard, and is returned toHugh by the Shadow Triad when they are encountered inGhetsis's room.
 Purrloin → Liepard |
In spin-off games
Pokémon Masters EX
The Shadow Triad appears during theVillain Arc inPokémon Masters EX as NPCs. Each of them uses aBisharp.
Gallery
Artwork
 |  |
| Early concept art from Black and White | Concept art from Black 2 and White 2 |
Sprites and models
In thecore series
 |  |
| Sprite from Black 2 and White 2 | Overworld sprite from Generation V |
In other games
 |  |  |
| Model from Masters EX | VS model from Masters EX | Shadow Triad's sync move mindscape (Marvelous Bridge) |
Quotes
- Main article:Shadow Triad/Quotes
In animation
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 Animated Trailer
The Shadow Triad appeared in thePokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 Animated Trailer.Nate was first seen chasing one of the Shadows through the frozen Opelucid City. He had hisLucario attack the Shadow withAura Sphere, but the attack was blocked by the Shadow Triad'sBisharp, allowing the trio to get away withthe item they had stolen.
Pokémon
Voice actors
| Language | Voice actor | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 石田彰Akira Ishida | |
| English | Jason Griffith | |
| European Spanish | Fernando Cordero | |
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Black & White arc
The Shadow Triad debuted inLetting Go. They were first seen reporting toGhetsis after observingN's battle withBlack inAccumula Town. InDefeating Stoutland, the Triad were seen spying onClay, who had unearthed theDark Stone.
InThe Battle Within, they arrived inNacrene City, where they began their operation to steal the Dark Stone. While they battledLenora, severalTeam Plasma Grunts infiltrated theNacrene Museum to find the Dark Stone's holding place. Initially, they held the advantage until Lenora was joined by five other Gym Leaders, who had been planning to ambush the villains after learning of their plans. Despite their teamwork, the Gym Leaders eventually fell to the Shadow Triad's trump card, theforces of nature. Though they were unable to find the Dark Stone, the Shadow Triad took the defeated Gym Leaders toN's Castle, thoughBrycen managed to escape.
InThe Shadow Triad, the Triad tried and failed to capture theSwords of Justice. Later at theP2 Laboratory, they tested Team Plasma's newest creation,Genesect, before being interrupted by theStriaton City Gym Leaders,Cilan,Cress, andChili. Despite their combined strength, the Striaton Gym Leaders were unable to defeat their opponents, even afterevolving their Pokémon. They were eventually rescued byKeldeo, who had been watching the battle and determined the Gym Leaders to be the better humans. The Shadow Triad took that opportunity to try and capture Keldeo, forcing its mentors to step in and rescue it, using their swords to send both the Shadow Triad and the flying. Refusing to give up, one of the Triad had Genesect fire aTechno Blast at Keldeo, forcing its masters to step in and protect it. The beam froze Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion solid, causing them to sink into the water.
Black 2 & White 2 arc
The Shadow Triad returned as members of Team Plasma. InTherian Forme III, the Shadow Triad appeared to preventBlake from arresting Ghetsis. Kelden, remembering its previous encounter with them, proceeded to attack them on its own, giving Ghetsis the chance to escape. Blake managed to sneak aboard the Plasma Frigate, but was forced to leave his Pokémon behind while they fought the Shadow Triad and the Forces of Nature without him. InPink Slip, the three were revealed to have defeated Blake's Pokémon. They then left to regroup with the Plasma Frigate.
InDeduction Time, the Shadow Triad were sent to battle the Swords of Justice and Kelden on the outskirts ofLacunosa Town. Later, Kelden tried to strikeColress down, only to end up shattering theReveal Glass instead, reverting the Forces of Nature back to the Incarnate Formes. Kelden's mentors took this opportunity to defeat the Forces of Nature. Their attempts to beg for mercy were ignored by Cobalion, who promptly struck the Shadow Triad down as the Forces of Nature fled.
In their first appearance, they all were wearing identical black masks. In all later appearances, they are seen wearing different masks which resemble theelemental monkeys' facial patterns, but are much darker in color.
Pokémon
On hand
| Debut | The Battle Within |
|---|
ThePansage-masked Shadow used aLilligant to attack Lenora at Nacrene City. Later, she fought againstClay'sExcadrill andElesa'sEmolga. Later, she faced the Striaton triplets and had an advantage due to the type match ups.
Lilligant's known moves areQuiver Dance,Mega Drain, andHyper Beam, and her Ability isChlorophyll.
| Debut | The Battle Within |
|---|
ThePansear-masked Shadow used aLarvesta to attack Lenora at Nacrene City. Later, he fought againstBurgh'sWhirlipede and won, only to be defeated byBrycen'sCryogonal. Later, he faced the Striaton triplets and had an advantage due to the type match ups. It was later revealed that Larvesta was hatched from anEgg that was created by Ghetsis'sVolcarona.
None of Larvesta's moves are known, and his Ability isFlame Body.
| Debut | The Battle Within |
|---|
ThePanpour-masked Shadow used a Blue-StripedBasculin to attack Lenora at Nacrene City. Later, he was used againstSkyla in addition to fighting Lenora. Later, he faced the Striaton triplets and had an advantage due to the type match ups.
Basculin's only known move isAqua Tail, and his Ability isAdaptability.
Used
- Main article:Forces of nature (Adventures)
Tornadus was caught byGiallo near theBattle Subway train. Later, the Shadow Triad used Tornadus to battle the Gym Leaders at Nacrene City. Afterward, he was given toHood Man in order to figure out how to change between his Incarnate and Therian Formes.
- Main article:Forces of nature (Adventures)
Thundurus was caught by Giallo near the Battle Subway train. Later, the Shadow Triad used Thundurus to battle the Gym Leaders at Nacrene City. Afterward, he was given to Hood Man in order to figure out how to change between his Incarnate and Therian Formes.
- Main article:Forces of nature (Adventures)
Landorus was caught by Giallo near the Battle Subway train. Later, the Shadow Triad used Landorus to battle the Gym Leaders at Nacrene City. Afterward, he was given to Hood Man in order to figure out how to change between his Incarnate and Therian Formes.
| Debut | The Shadow Triad |
|---|
Genesect was a weapon created by Team Plasma. It first appeared in theP2 Laboratory where the Shadow Triad were shown testing its strength. After their defeat at the hands ofCobalion,Terrakion, andVirizion, the Shadow Triad used Genesect to freeze the three and send them sinking into the water.
Genesect's only known move isTechno Blast.
In the TCG
- Main article:Shadow Triad (Plasma Freeze 102)
Shadow Triad was introduced as aSupporter card in thePokémon Trading Card Game during the English Black & White Series (the Japanese BW Era). First released in theThunder Knuckle expansion, it later debuted in English in thePlasma Freeze expansion, with both prints featuring an illustration byYusuke Ohmura. Shadow Triad allows the player to take aTeam Plasma card from their discard pile and put it in their hand.
Trivia
- The Shadow Triad are the only notable members of Team Plasma who have not appeared in theanimated series.
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 黑暗鐵三角Hāk'am Titsāamgok* 黑暗三人組Hāk'am Sāamyàhnjóu* |
| Mandarin | 黑暗鐵三角Hēiàn Tiěsānjiǎo* 黑暗三人組 / 黑暗三人组Hēiàn Sānrénzǔ* | |
| European French | Trio des Ombres | |
| German | Finstrio | |
| Italian | Trio Oscuro | |
| Korean | 다크 트리니티Dark Trinity | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Tríade das Sombras (TCG,PS495-PS497) Tríade das Trevas (PS523-present) | |
| European Spanish | Trío Sombrío | |
| Vietnamese | Bộ Ba Bóng Tối | |
References
Related articles
 Team Plasma | |||||
| P2 Laboratory •N's Castle •Plasma Frigate | |||||
| King | Mastermind | Acting leader | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |||
| N (Masters) | Ghetsis (Masters) | Colress (Masters) | |||
| Seven Sages | |||||
| Zinzolin •Gorm •Bronius •Ghetsis •Giallo •Ryoku •Rood | |||||
| Other members | |||||
| Anthea and Concordia •Shadow Triad •Team Plasma Grunts | |||||
| In other media | |||||
| Pokémon the Series:N •Aldith •Barret •Schwarz and Weiss Pokémon Adventures:N •Whitley •Whitley's mom Other manga:Togari (Fire and Thunder) | |||||
 | This game character article is part ofProject CharacterDex, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in thePokémon games. |
