View source for Battle judge

{{samename|NPC in the Pokémon games who assesses a Pokémon's {{IV}}s|Stats judge}}
[[File:Olivier.png|thumb|220px|Battle judge [[Olivier]]]]
A '''battle judge''' (Japanese: '''バトル審判''' ''battle referee''), also known as a '''referee''', is a [[Human|person]] who presides over the judgment of [[Pokémon battle]]s between {{pkmn|Trainer}}s in official, designated challenges in the {{pkmn|anime}}. They are identifiable by the {{i|Poké Ball}} symbol on their shirts.

==Role==
A battle judge is responsible for determining whether or not a {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} is able to continue battling. They can be found in [[Pokémon League Conference]]s and several other {{cat|Pokémon competitions}} featuring {{pkmn|battle}}s. They are in charge of officially beginning a match and upholding its rules, such as how many {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} a {{pkmn|Trainer}} is allowed to use and if there are any [[Recall|substitution]] limitations.

Battle judges have to make it clear to all of the Trainers involved what the parameters of the match are. The terms for a win are also in their ruling, as in what is required for a Trainer to lose the match. In general practice, the default appears to be until all of the available Pokémon on one side have [[Fainting|fainted]].

Pokémon battles conducted at [[Gym]]s and [[Battle Frontier]] facilities are also observed by an appointed judge. These are, most of the time, a capable student, intern, assistant, or even a relative to the [[Gym Leader]] or [[Frontier Brain]] who {{cat|Gym assistants|assist}} in calling battles against the challenger. Robots can also referee battles, as seen in the [[Battle Palace]], the [[Sunyshore Gym]], and the [[Lumiose Gym]]. In a similar capacity, it is shown in ''[[JN018|Destination: Coronation!]]'' that official battles in the [[World Coronation Series]] are presided over by a Drone {{p|Rotom}}.

[[File:Sunyshore Gym referee.png|thumb|left|250px|The Sunyshore Gym referee]]
The calls made by a referee are official and determine the outcome of the battle. This is not the case in most [[Kanto]] Gyms, where there is no referee present to rule, except in the case of [[Agatha]] in the [[Viridian Gym]], who allowed [[Scott]] to judge her match against Ash; the Gym Leaders primarily self-judged the match.

Gym Leaders themselves are qualified judges. {{an|Brock}} has provided judgment for many battles over the course of the series, [[Roark]] presided over an official Gym match between [[Byron]] and {{Ash}}, and [[Mr. Moore|Flannery's grandfather]]—the former [[Lavaridge Gym]] Leader—took up the position as the judge for [[Flannery]]'s match against Ash.

According to Brock, there are not many judges capable of evaluating a battle at the level necessary for battles sanctioned by the [[Pokémon League]]. [[Max]] hints at the profession's prestige and esteem: given that so few are capable of judging a League battle, simply being able to is an honor.

In [[Alola]]'s [[island challenge|trials]], the residing [[island kahuna]] typically watches over the Trainer's battle with the [[Totem Pokémon]]. During Ash's grand trials against [[Hala]] and [[Olivia]], {{an|Professor Kukui}} has judged in the kahuna's stead. In his grand trials against [[Nanu]] and [[Hapu]], [[Acerola]] and {{an|Kiawe}} took on the role of referee, respectively. During the [[Manalo Conference]], all four kahunas serve as referees.

==Requirements==
[[File:Goldenrod Gym Ref.png|thumb|220px|A female referee]]
Judges are trained to critically evaluate the battlefield, which includes the Pokémon, the Trainers, and the field itself, if the terrain is not ordinary. They have to be able to recognize when a Pokémon has [[Fainting|fainted]] and announce a winner through defeat, by determining all aspects of a Pokémon, including its type-cast and what a species as a whole is capable of.

The training a person must go through to become a judge was shown in ''[[AG092|Judgment Day!]]''. In the [[Hoenn]] [[region]], aspiring battle judges study at the Pokémon Battle Judge Training Institute located on [[Bomba Island]], where {{OBP|Serena|AG092}} teaches and {{OBP|Jimmy|AG092}} studied.

Their ruling is usually absolute, so making the correct call is imperative to the eventual announcement of a match. A wrong call might lead to the questioning of a judge's abilities to referee, especially in a professional setting. According to Serena, a battle judge must have confidence that the decision and ruling they are making is correct, otherwise it leaves room for error.

==Notable battle judges==
[[File:Jamero.png|thumb|220px|Jamero]]
===Jamero===
'''Jamero''' (Japanese: '''ジャメカくん''' ''Jameka-kun'') is a floating, mechanical surveillance device used at the [[Battle Palace]], and a [[character of the day]] that appeared in ''[[AG164|Ka Boom with a View!]]''.

Jamero is a robotic [[Gym]] assistant used to judge [[Spenser]] and {{Ash}}'s battle over an area that encompassed an entire section of land with various environmental terrains and obstacles. [[Scott]] described its abilities as being able to hit high speeds in the air or underwater, and is capable of making decisions in less than a split second. Also, what Jamero views is fed back through a laptop, which was in the balloon that Scott and {{ashfr|Ash's friends}} were riding in during the match. It declared Ash the winner when his {{AP|Sceptile}} defeated Spenser's {{p|Claydol}}.

====Voice actors====
{{vatable|color={{unknown color}}|bordercolor={{unknown color light}}
|ja=石塚運昇 ''[[Unshō Ishizuka]]''
|en=[[Rodger Parsons]]
|fi=Petri Hanttu
|pt_br=Vágner Santos
|es_eu=Eduardo del Hoyo}}

{{split|{{redlink|Drone Rotom}}}}
[[File:Drone Rotom anime.png|thumb|220px|A Drone Rotom]]

===Drone Rotom===
'''Drone Rotom''' (Japanese: '''ドローンロトム''' ''Drone Rotom'') are {{p|Rotom}} inhabiting drones that act as the official judges for [[World Coronation Series]] battles. Like the [[Rotom Pokédex]], the [[Rotom Phone]], and [[Rotomi]], this form of Rotom cannot be used in battle.

As soon as a battle appointment between two Trainers is made for a World Coronation Series match, a Drone Rotom is sent flying to the location where the battle takes place. The Drone Rotom can display a hologram picturing the participants in the battle and how many Pokémon they can send out. Like regular referees, it also explains the battle rules to Trainers. After the battle, the Drone Rotom will announce that the rankings have been updated and then leave the site.

[[File:Drone Rotom Galar.png|thumb|200px|Drone Rotom model from the games]]

====In the games====
In [[Pokémon Sword and Shield]], a Drone Rotom can be seen flying inside stadiums when the {{player}} faces a Gym Leader or other Trainers.

====In the anime====
A Drone Rotom first appeared in ''[[JN018|Destination: Coronation!]]'', where it judged the battle between {{Ash}} and [[Visquez]]. It since judged almost all of Ash's World Coronation Series matches. In ''[[JN115|Curtain Up! Fight the Fights!]]'', five Drone Rotom flew over [[Wyndon]] while expelling colored smoke to form the logo of the World Coronation Series in the sky, in order to celebrate the start of the [[Masters Eight Tournament]].

=====Voice actors=====
{{vatable|color={{electric color}}|bordercolor={{ghost color}}
|ja=マックスウェル・パワーズ ''[[Maxwell Powers]]''
|en=[[Jake Paque]]
|fi=Jon-Jon Geitel
|he=יולי סקר ''Yoli Seker''<br>אליעזר וייס ''Eliezer Weiss''
|it=Gianandrea Muià
|pl=Robert Mazurek
|pt_br=Ricardo Juarez
|pt_eu=Rui Oliveira}}

====In the manga====
[[File:Drone Rotom Adventures.png|thumb|left|150px|A Drone Rotom in [[Pokémon Adventures]]]]
[[File:Drone Rotom JNM.png|thumb|150px|A Drone Rotom in {{ma|Pokémon Journeys: The Series}}]]
=====Pokémon Adventures=====
A Drone Rotom first appeared in ''[[PASS16|Rising!! Opal of Ballonlea]]''. It was called by [[Opal]] during her match against {{Henry}}, where she announced her retirement after the current [[Galar League|Gym Challenge]].

Another Drone Rotom appeared in ''[[PASS27|Shock!! Chairman Rose's Plan]]'', filming [[Sordward]] and [[Shielbert]] battling {{p|Eternatus}} on the [[tower summit]].

=====Pokémon Journeys: The Series=====
A Drone Rotom first appeared in ''[[JNM09|Destination: Coronation!]]'', fulfilling the same role as in the anime. It also judged all of {{Ash}}'s subsequent [[World Coronation Series]] matches.
{{-}}

===Other notable battle judges===
:''See also: {{cat|Gym assistants|List of Gym assistants}}''
* [[Charlene]]
* [[Clembot]]
* [[Gurkinn]]

==In the TCG==
[[File:JudgeScarletViolet176.jpg|200px|thumb|Judge from {{TCG|Scarlet & Violet}}]]
{{main|Judge (Unleashed 78)}}
'''Judge''' was introduced as a {{TCG|Supporter card}} in the [[Pokémon Trading Card Game]] during the English HeartGold & SoulSilver Series (the Japanese LEGEND Era). It was first released in the Japanese {{TCG|Leafeon vs Metagross Expert Deck}} and the English {{TCG|Unleashed}} expansion, with artwork by [[Kouki Saitou]]. It has been subsequently reprinted in the English XY Series (the Japanese XY BREAK Era), the English Sun & Moon Series (the Japanese SM Era), the English Sword & Shield Series (the Japanese SWSH Era), and the English Scarlet & Violet Series (the Japanese SV Era). [[Full Art]] versions of the card were included in the {{TCG|Lost Thunder}} expansion ({{TCG|Thunderclap Spark}} in Japan), the {{TCG|Silver Tempest}} expansion ({{TCG|VMAX Climax}} in Japan), and the Japanese {{TCG|Shiny Treasure ex}} subset, with artwork by [[Sanosuke Sakuma]], [[Ryuta Fuse]], and [[Hideki Ishikawa]] respectively. It forces both players to shuffle their hand into their deck, and draw four cards.

=====Drone Rotom=====
'''{{TCG ID|Vivid Voltage|Drone Rotom|151}}''' was introduced as an {{TCG|Item card}} in the [[Pokémon Trading Card Game]] during the English Sword & Shield Series (the Japanese SWSH Era). It was first released in the Japanese {{TCG|Amazing Volt Tackle}} expansion and the English {{TCG|Vivid Voltage}} expansion, with artwork by [[5ban Graphics]]. It forces the opponent to reveal their hand, and lets the player look at the top card of the opponent's deck.

=====Other cards=====
The {{TCG|Team Up}} expansion ({{TCG|Tag Bolt}} in Japan) included the {{TCG ID|Team Up|Judge Whistle|146}} as both a Regular card and a {{TCG|Full Art card|Full Art}} {{TCG|Secret card}}. Both versions feature artwork by [[Ayaka Yoshida]]. It lets the player either draw a card, or put a {{TCG|Judge}} from their discard pile into their hand.
{{-}}

==In the TFG==
{{TFG ID|Black Star Promo|Judge|1}} appears as a unique type of figure at the [[Pokémon Trading Figure Game]], allowing to be used as a substitute for a coin flip.

==In other languages==
{{langtable|color={{fighting color light}}|bordercolor={{fighting color}}
|da=Dommer
|nl=Rechter
|fi=Tuomari
|it=Arbitro di lotta
|no=Dommer
|pl=Sędzia
|pt_br=Árbitro
|ru=Судья ''Sud'ya''
|sv=Domare
|es_eu=Juez Pokémon
|es_la=Árbitro Pokémon
}}

==See also==
* [[Contest Judge]]
{{League}}<br>
{{Project Anime notice|no}}

[[Category:Animation characters]]
[[Category:Terminology]]
[[Category:Gym assistants]]
[[Category:Battle Frontier characters of the day]]
[[Category:Animation characters]]
[[Category:Synthetic characters]]

[[de:Schiedsrichter]]
[[es:Árbitro/Juez Pokémon]]
[[it:Arbitro di lotta]]
[[zh:裁判]]