Captain キャプテンCaptain
CaptainsMallow (right), andLana (left), two captains ofAkala Island. Illustrated byKirisAki forCosmic Eclipse
Other names
Introduced in	Generation VII
Appears in	Sun and Moon,Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Masters EX
Gender	Both
Counterpart	{{{counterpart}}}
Notable members	See list
Animated debut
TCG debut	[[(TCG)|]]
TCG card	{{{card}}}
Manga debut	Going Ashore and Neighboring Akala Island(Adventures) Attack on the Headquarters(Horizon)

ATrial Captain, usually referred to as simplycaptain (Japanese:キャプテンCaptain), is someone who designs and presides over a certainisland challenge trial and gives guidance to participatingTrainers and trial-goers.

Captains have previously completed their own island's challenge before becoming a captain,^[1] and they retire from their position when they turn 20.^[2] Mechanically, they can be seen as theAlolan equivalent toGym Leaders, and like them, theyspecialize in certaintypes ofPokémon. Captains can be identified by the flower-shaped adornment they wear someplace on their bodies, each with a different colored jewel to represent their specialized type. Unlike Gym Leaders, captains are not often the ones fought, but rather, theTotem Pokémon found at the end of a trial. Captains are known to be the ones to care for and train their respective Totem Pokémon, as is the case withLana, training theWishiwashi that reside inBrooklet Hill. There are 6^SM or 7^USUM Captains who each preside over a trial site in the island challenge, although as shown by theVast Poni Canyon trial inPokémon Sun and Moon, a trial can exist in a functional form without a captain to preside over it.

Normally, captains are chosen by the island'skahuna. However, in special circumstances, they may be chosen by the previous captain, as was the case whenMolayne choseSophocles to succeed him after retiring. Like some Gym Leaders, many captains are seen to have secondary professions or hobbies seen outside their usual job. Examples includeMallow, who works at her family's restaurant andMina, who is a painter.

All captains keep their Pokémon inUltra Balls, with the exception ofLana, who usesNet Balls instead. They are part of theCaptainTrainer class.

Terminology

Prior to the release ofPokémon Sun and Moon, captains were referred to twice as "Trial Captains": once in a trailer^[3], and once on the official site^[1]. As both instances occur in text that is in title case, it is unclear whether it was originally intended to be a proper noun or not. Otherwise, they were always referred to simply as "captains".^[4]

InPokémon Sun, Moon,Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, they are always referred to as "captains", and the phrase "Trial Captain" is never used in-game. While theTrainer class "Captain" is always capitalized, it is not capitalized in running text.

Subsequently, several articles onPokémon.com have used the term "Trial Captain", both capitalized as a proper noun as "Trial Captain" and in lowercase as "trial captain". In the English localization ofPokémon Masters EX, some characters, namelyMallow^[5] andSelene,^[6] have referred to the position as "Trial Captain".

In Japanese, the title has always been referred to as キャプテンCaptain, with no descriptor or usage of the word "trial".

Ilima's mother notes that he gained the title of "captainship" through his skill.^[7] This is the only time "captainship" has been used in English in any title.

Pokémon and type usage

Like theirGym Leader andisland kahuna counterparts, their Pokémon and type usage can rely on numerous factors. Like them, captains also specialize in a singular Pokémontype. This type can be seen in the trial andTotem Pokémon that they care for, and not just used in battle when they're off duty.

The types theyspecialize in is often attributed to them based on their trial's geography or the hobby or job the captain may have. For example,Sophocles, who works in theHokulani Observatory, enjoys studying electronics and inventions, so his trial tests the player inElectric-type Pokémon. The Totem Pokémon that he cares for,Vikavolt^SM orTogedemaru^USUM, is also of that type. CaptainLana ofBrooklet Hill, who is an avid fisher, had raised the Totem Wishiwashi^SM all on her own.

In the core series games

Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon

Captain (Japanese:キャプテンCaptain) is theTrainer class given for when they are battled. Unlike Gym Leaders and island kahuna, battling captains in Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon is not always mandatory to complete the story, and are often done as side tasks and missions when the player comes back to them at a later point. During the story, the player will have to carry out the trial that the captain had set up for them to finish. The captain themselves are intended to help guide trial-goers through the trial. Some captains may actively be a part of the trial themselves or a part of another's trial, such as Mallow, Kiawe and Lana all took part of theLush Jungle trial, helping Mallow create the "Mallow Special."

Captains do however participate in battle, for example,Ilima will ask the player for a battle before taking their trial inVerdant Cavern, whileMina will ask for a battle in the Looker Episode of Sun and Moon, neither of which are a part of any trial. In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Mina's trial consists of meeting and battling several of the captains who's trials the player has previous completed. All captains are able to be battled against in theGeneration VII titles at least once either as part of the story, or as side quest. All captains will use aZ-Crystal of their respective type at least once.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

Mina appears atVermilion City after her ship, theS.S. Anne, has taken off without her. It is unknown whether or not she is a captain during this time, as she never mentions trials or the island challenge. Mina can be battled once a day after her initial fight with the player, and will offer aBottle Cap after every defeat.

List of Trial Captains

Melemele Island

Melemele Island
Captain	Location	Type	Totem Pokémon	Ally Pokémon
Ilima	Verdant Cavern	Normal	GumshoosSUS	YungoosSUS
			Alolan RaticateMUM	Alolan RattataMUM

Akala Island

Akala Island
Captain	Location	Type	Totem Pokémon	Ally Pokémon
Lana	Brooklet Hill	Water	WishiwashiSM (School Form)	WishiwashiSM	AlomomolaSM
			AraquanidUSUM	DewpiderUSUM	MasquerainUSUM
Kiawe	Wela Volcano Park	Fire	SalazzleSM	SalanditSM
			Alolan MarowakUSUM	SalazzleUSUM
Mallow	Lush Jungle	Grass	Lurantis	TrumbeakSM	CastformSM
				ComfeyUSUM	KecleonUSUM

• Hiker David is being considered asKiawe's replacement after he leaves his position.^[8]

Ula'ula Island

Ula'ula Island
Captain	Location	Type	Totem Pokémon	Ally Pokémon
Sophocles	Hokulani Observatory	Electric	VikavoltSM	CharjabugSM	CharjabugSM
			TogedemaruUSUM	SkarmoryUSUM	DedenneUSUM
Acerola	Thrifty Megamart (Abandoned Site)	Ghost	Mimikyu	HaunterSM	GengarSM
				BanetteUSUM	JellicentUSUM

• Molayne was previously a Trial Captain forUla'ula Island, giving his role toSophocles.

Poni Island

Poni Island
Captain	Location	Type	Totem Pokémon	Ally Pokémon
Mina	NoneSM	Fairy	NoneSM	NoneSM
	Seafolk VillageUSUM		RibombeeUSUM	BlisseyUSUM	PelipperUSUM

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Masters EX

All captains have appeared inPokémon Masters EX. Some of them appear within thePML Arc as part of the game's Main Story.Lana,Acerola, andMina all play a significant role in theAlola chapter of theVillain Arc.

In animation

Pokémon the Series

InPokémon the Series, trial-goers can freely challenge aTotem Pokémon without having someone to supervise them. As a result, trials are not presided by captains. However,Lana,Kiawe,Sophocles, andMallow have appeared as students of thePokémon School andclassmates ofAsh. They all debuted inAlola to New Adventure!.

Ilima debuted inTurning Heads and Training Hard! as a graduate of the Pokémon School. He is mentioned to have participated in theKalos League and is capable of wieldingMega Evolution.

Acerola debuted inWhy Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime? as a girl living in a library onUla'ula Island. Like in thegames, she has a close relationship withNanu. She also provided support for Ash with his Ula'ula Island grand trial.

Mina debuted inThe Shape of Love to Come! as a wandering artist. With the assistance of herRibombee, Mina can detect the emotions of both humans and Pokémon.

All the characters that serve as captains in the games participated in theAlola LeagueManalo Conference, with Kiawe faring the best out of them and landing in the Top 4.

GOTCHA!

Along with relatedPokémon Leaguetype experts, all of the captains appear in theGOTCHA! music video.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Lana,Kiawe, andMallow are the first captains to appear inPokémon Adventures, debuting inGoing Ashore and Neighboring Akala Island. The three are initially reluctant to recognizeSun as a trial-goer, but soon Sun and Kiawe bond with each other upon learning that both of them have the same goal of savingmoney for a certain purpose. Lana, still unconvinced, leads Sun toBrooklet Hill for her trial. Eventually Sun manages to complete Lana's trial by calming the localTotem Pokémon, earning her respect.

While Sun and Lana travel to Brooklet Hill,Moon and Mallow head toLush Jungle to find the specialMirage Berry meant to be delivered for theguardian deities of Alola. After witnessing aXurkitree battlingTapu Lele in the sky above the forest, the two start searching for the Mirage Berry, which they eventually find with the help of the localwild Pokémon.

Later, afterProfessor Kukui's boat is attacked by a wildBruxish, Sun and Moon are saved and brought to theAether House, where they meet CaptainAcerola, who tasks Sun with clearing her trial at theThrifty Megamart. Sun eventually clears the trial by befriending the local Totem Pokémon, aMimikyu, which he evencatches and adds to histeam.

Ilima, the sole captain ofMelemele Island, later joins Acerola, the captains of Akala, andHau in traveling toPo Town to talk withTeam Skull. However, when they arrive at Team Skull's base, they are surrounded and attacked by a group ofUltra Beasts, which are soon revealed to have been summoned by aCosmog inGuzma's possession. The Ultra Beasts eventually break out of Po Town and start rampaging aroundUla'ula Island, forcingMolayne andSophocles to start evacuating people to theHokulani Observatory.

Six months after Ultra Beasts had started to appear in Alola,Mina, the sole captain ofPoni Island, finally answers the call to join the other captains and joins them onExeggutor Island. Later, after the captains finish theirtraining on Exeggutor Island, they move to Hokulani Observatory, from which they detect anUltra Wormhole opening aboveMount Lanakila. When they attempt to travel there to investigate, they are attacked by an army of Ultra Beasts commanded byAether Foundation Employees. By combining theirZ-Moves, the captains are able to defeat all the Ultra Beasts.

Pokémon Horizon

Lana, Mallow, and Kiawe appeared in a cameo inAttack on the Headquarters.

Trivia

• The Japanese, Korean, and Italian terms for captains are the same as their respective terms forwardens.
• The four-sided cloverorigin mark used to denote Pokémon originating from Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, or Ultra Moon resembles the flower-shaped adornment that each captain uses to identify themselves.

In other languages

References

Related articles

• Gym Leader
• Frontier Brain
• Island kahuna
• Warden

Trial Captains andisland kahunas of theAlola region

Verdant Cavern

Ilima

Brooklet Hill

Lana

Wela Volcano Park

Kiawe

Lush Jungle

Mallow

Hokulani Observatory

Sophocles

Thrifty Megamart

Acerola

Seafolk Village

Mina

Melemele Island

Hala

Akala Island

Olivia

Ula'ula Island

Nanu

Poni Island

Hapu

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

• Trainer classes
• Game characters
• Terminology
• Pokémon Sun and Moon
• Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon