Lance (anime)

Lance ワタル Wataru
Art from Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Eye color	Brown
Hair color	Carmine
Hometown	Unknown
Region	Kanto
Animated series	Pokémon the Series
Debut	Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution
English voice actor	Wayne Grayson
Japanese voice actor	Susumu Chiba
Member of	Indigo League
Rank	Champion Elite Four
Member of	Johto League
Rank	Champion
Member of	World Coronation Series
Rank	Master Class (Rank 4)*
Specializes in	Dragon types
Manga series	Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Debut	Flash of the Titans!
Trainer class	Kanto & Johto Champion
Generation	VIII
Counterpart(s)	Lance
Games	Mezastar

Lance (Japanese: ワタル Wataru) is the Champion of the Indigo Elite Four and Johto League. He is also a member of the Pokémon G-Men detective organization.

In Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Lance becomes one of the top eight Pokémon Trainers in the world within the World Coronation Series.

In the anime

History

Lance in his debut

Pre-series

As revealed by Clair in Beauty is Skin Deep, Lance had previously trained for several months at the Blackthorn Gym in order to perfect his experience with Dragon Pokémon. This created a friendship between Lance and Clair, with both Trainers having learned a lot from each other.

Lance would later end up winning the Pokémon League, and would go on to win the Elite Four Cup as well, becoming the Champion and earning enormous respect among Trainers in the region. During this time, he joined the organization known as the Pokémon G-Men, with the aim of investigating illegal actions involving Pokémon.

The Legend of Thunder!

Lance made a cameo in Marina's fantasy in The Legend of Thunder!. Marina revealed that her goal as a Trainer is to one day be able to battle alongside Lance as a partner. She also has a notebook with several photos of Lance's deeds and actions that she showed to Jimmy.

Original series

Lance and Tyson

Lance later physically debuted in Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution, where he was sent to investigate Team Rocket's scheme at the Lake of Rage. He met Ash and his friends there, saving the trio from some Team Rocket Grunts. Ash wanted to help Lance in his mission, but Lance said it was too dangerous.

Lance infiltrated Team Rocket's base and stole a Grunt uniform to remain undiscovered. He went on to learn that Team Rocket was trying to investigate the properties of a Red Gyarados so that they could force Pokémon to evolve. Ash and his friends were later captured by Professor Sebastian and Tyson after they tried to intervene in their plans. Lance remained undetected, joining Team Rocket's convoy and helping them transport the Red Gyarados away from the Lake of Rage.

In Rage of Innocence, Lance helped Ash's group escape and defeated the Team Rocket trio with his Dragonite. Lance was then able to destroy Team Rocket's machine and blow up their laboratory. Lance also battled Tyson and defeated his two Fearow. Meanwhile, Ash was able to calm the Red Gyarados at first, but it continued to go berserk. Finally, Lance used his Dragonite to paralyze Gyarados and he then caught it to keep it from destroying Mahogany Town. Before leaving, Lance promised Ash that he would take care of Gyarados.

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

Lance and Ash in Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

Sometime after the incident at Lake of Rage, Lance became aware of suspicious actions in the Hoenn region. During the climax of Team Magma and Team Aqua's actions in Gaining Groudon, Lance infiltrated Team Magma's submarine and confronted Shelly, who suspected that he wasn't really a Team Magma Grunt. Shortly after the confrontation, Lance was reunited with Ash again, who had been captured by Team Magma after Pikachu absorbed the Blue Orb that controlled Groudon, and sent Gyarados to save Brock, May, and Max, who had been caught in the midst of the destruction caused by Archie's attack on Team Magma's base.

In the next episode, he participated in the final battle against Team Aqua alongside the members of Team Magma, where he soon left the battlefield to join Brock and the others. Lance freed Ash and went in search of a safe place to stay while the two Legendary Pokémon were battling each other. Afterwards, Lance helped stop the battle between Kyogre and Groudon along with Ash, May, and Brock. When Groudon and Kyogre finally calmed down, Lance and Dragonite saved Archie and witnessed the Orbs unite and finally disappear. As each of the Pokémon went its own way, Lance told Ash and the others about the legend of Groudon and Kyogre and the new world that was created after that.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Lance facing Leon in the finals of the World Coronation Series

In Flash of the Titans!, Lance was revealed to have won the Pokémon World Tournament in Driftveil City, as well as having been strong enough to reach the finals of the World Coronation Series, in which eight of the strongest Trainers from their respective regions gather to compete for the title of Monarch. During the finals at Wyndon Stadium, Lance faced the Galar League Champion Leon. Using his Dynamax Band, he was able to Dynamax his Red Gyarados and pit it against Leon's Charizard, which Leon Gigantamaxed in response. After a fierce battle, Gyarados was defeated, and Lance congratulated his opponent for becoming the Monarch. He also revealed that he had trained at Galar's Dragon-type Gym, and that he had been so impressed by the uniforms he saw there that he had chosen to base his current outfit on them.

In Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start!, A Battle of Mega Versus Max!, and Battling Turned Up to Eleven!, Lance appeared in a fantasy along with other Trainers participating in the World Coronation Series.

During the reveal of the full Masters Eight roster in Aim For The Eight!, Lance is revealed to be ranked fourth.

Lance and Diantha

In Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!, Lance appeared in a fantasy alongside Cynthia and Steven Stone. Paul used a team based on their aces during his battle with Ash.

In Curtain Up! Fight the Fights!, Lance attended the Masters Eight Tournament of the World Coronation Series, reuniting with Ash and Leon, and meeting Iris, Alain, and the other regional Champions. During the opening ceremony, his first opponent was selected to be Diantha. During Leon and Alain's battle, Lance talked to Steven about his history with Alain. Following the conclusion of the prior match, Lance headed to the battlefield to start his battle with Diantha. During the next episode, despite a strong performance and holding the lead for the majority of the battle, he was defeated by the Kalos Champion, making him the second person to be eliminated from the tournament. Following his loss, he briefly exchanged words with Ash, where he seemed positive despite the result of the battle, before heading back to Johto.

In A Flood of Torrential Gains!, Lance watched Ash's match against Leon alongside Dragonite.

Character

Lance's Dynamax Band

Lance cares deeply for his Pokémon, and he regards them as friends. He takes his role as a part of the Pokémon G-Men seriously and maintains his conviction towards keeping the world at peace. Lance often disguises himself to infiltrate evil organizations in order to gain valuable information before leaping into action.

Lance is largely independent but still receives assistance from allies like Officer Jenny. He quickly befriended Ash and his friends in Rage of Innocence, after realizing that they were also concerned for Red Gyarados's safety. He then enlisted their assistance to deal with Team Rocket and the Lake of Rage crisis. Lance was surprised to re-encounter Ash and the others in the Hoenn region and worked with them to disrupt Team Aqua and Team Magma's plans in Gaining Groudon and The Scuffle of Legends.

Lance is a tremendously powerful Trainer. He was even able to hold his own against Leon, the undefeated Champion of Galar and managed to defeat the two Fearow of Tyson, a high-ranking Team Rocket officer, in a battle without much difficulty. His go-to approach in battle is heavy offense with almost no defense. He will even allow an opponent's attack to land if he believes his Pokémon can withstand it, such as when he had Gyarados use Dragon Dance in the face of Leon's Charizard's Flamethrower. He believes strongly in the might and stamina of his Pokémon, stating that they will break down any manner of barrier constructed by their opponents.

Lance is seen to have extensive knowledge of the mythology of legends from other regions, this is seen when he explains to Maxie about the real purposes of the Orbs that Team Magma and Team Aqua managed to capture and later when he told Ash and his friends about the story of the old stories of Groudon and Kyogre when the crisis was finally resolved.

Pokémon

This is a list of Lance's known Pokémon in the anime:

Dragonite

Debut	The Legend of Thunder!
Voice actors
Japanese	Katsuyuki Konishi (EP235-AG098)
English	Katsuyuki Konishi

Main article: Lance's Dragonite

In Rage of Innocence, Lance used Dragonite to defeat the Red Gyarados. In The Scuffle of Legends, it helped stop the feuding of Groudon and Kyogre.

Gyarados

Debut	Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution
Voice actors
Japanese	Unshō Ishizuka (EP235-AG098)
English	Unshō Ishizuka (EP235-AG098)

Main article: Lance's Gyarados

Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution and Rage Of Innocence focused on a red Gyarados. It was on a destructive rampage until Lance caught it. In Gaining Groudon and The Scuffle of Legends, Gyarados helped stop the feuding of Groudon and Kyogre.

After a long absence, it reappeared in Flash of the Titans!, where it battled Leon and his Charizard, and became the first Pokémon in the anime to Dynamax.

Hydreigon

Debut	Pride of a Champion!

Hydreigon is Lance's third known Pokémon. It was used in Lance's Masters Eight Tournament battle against Diantha, managing to take out her Gourgeist before being defeated by Gardevoir.

Hydreigon's known moves are Dark Pulse, Tri Attack, and Flash Cannon.

Achievements

Pokémon League

Lance has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:

• Elite Four Cup - Winner (prior to Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution)
• Current Champion of Kanto and Johto (prior to Aim For The Eight!)

World Coronation Series

Lance's World Coronation Series rank

Lance has competed in the World Coronation Series. His rank and class are as follows:

• Masters Eight Tournament - Runner-Up (Flash of the Titans!)
• Rank: 4 (Master Class; as of Aim For The Eight!)
• Masters Eight Tournament - Top 8 (Pride of a Champion!)

Pokémon competitions

• Pokémon World Tournament - Winner (prior to Flash of the Titans!)

Artwork

Artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series	Official artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series	Official artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Voice actors

Language Voice actor Japanese 千葉進歩 Susumu Chiba English Wayne Grayson Arabic عماد فغالي Imad Feghaly (JN115-JN116) Mandarin Chinese 符爽 Fú Shuǎng (EP235-EP236) 賀宇傑 Hè Yǔjié (AG097-AG098) Czech Pavel Vondrák Danish Mathias Klenske (AG097-AG098) Finnish Tommi Haapaniemi (AG097-AG098) European French Stéphane Pelzer (EP235-EP236) Arnaud Léonard (AG097) Sébastien Hébrant (AG098) Nicolas Matthys (JN012-present) Hebrew עידו מוסרי Ido Moseri Italian Luca Sandri (EP235-EP236, JN012-present) Nicola Bartolini Carrassi (AG097-AG098) Polish Aleksander Gawek (EP235-EP236) Maciej Zuchowicz (JN012) Portuguese Brazil Francisco Freitas (EP235-EP236) Celso Alves (AG097-AG098) Bruno Carnevale (JN012-present) Portugal Ivo Bastos (JN012-present) Spanish Latin America Enzo Fortuny (EP235-EP236) Víctor Ugarte (AG097, JN012-present) Héctor Emmanuel Gómez (AG098) Spain Jorge Saudinós (EP235-EP236) Miguel Ángel Garzón (AG097-AG098) Juan Amador Pulido (JN012)

In the manga

Lance in Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Lance appeared in Flash of the Titans!, where he faced Leon in the World Coronation Series finals.

Pokémon

Gyarados

In the games

Pokémon Mezastar

Lance's promotional art for Pokémon Mezastar

Lance, in a version based on the anime, appeared in Pokémon Mezastar. In this game, Lance is seen using a Shiny Gyarados, Dragonite, Lapras, and Hydreigon, with Lapras being a Pokémon that he has not been seen using in the anime. In the second Double Chain series set, Lance also appeared as an opponent in an event that recreated the Masters Eight Tournament that ran from October 27 to November 21, 2022. Upon beating the character, the player can receive a Support Pokémon Ticket based on Lance's Gyarados.

Pokémon

Kanto & Johto Champion Lance カントー・ジョウトチャンピオン ワタル Difficulty: ★★★★☆ Gyarados Waterfall Dragonite Dragon Rush Lapras Ice Beam Hydreigon Crunch

Disks

Tag No.	Name	Type	Grade
3-2-024	Gyarados

Names

Language	Name	Origin
Japanese	ワタル Wataru	From 綿 wata (cotton) and possibly from 海神 "watatsumi"
English, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese	Lance	From lance, a weapon used by knights who fought dragons in legends and fairy tales
German	Siegfried	From Siegfried, a legendary hero who slayed a dragon named Fafnir
French	Peter	Possibly from petard, a medieval weapon
Korean	목호 Mokho	From 목화 (木花) mokhwa (cotton)
Chinese (Mandarin)	阿渡 Ā Dù*	From the Japanese name 渡 Wataru
	渡 Dù*
	小渡 Xiǎo Dù*
	彌 Mí*	From the Japanese name 彌 Wataru
	華達爾 Huádá'ěr*	Transliteration of his Japanese name. Contains 華 huá, magnificent
Chinese (Cantonese)	阿渡 A Douh*	From the Japanese name 渡 Wataru
Russian	Ленс Lens	Transcription of his English name
Thai	วาตารุ Wataru	Transcription of his Japanese name
Vietnamese	Wataru	Transcription of his Japanese name

Trivia

• Lance is the only known member of the Pokémon G-Men organization.
• In his appearances in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Lance appears wearing his Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver attire. In universe, it is based on the uniforms worn by Raihan and the Gym Trainers of Hammerlocke Stadium.
• Despite being introduced as a Champion, in Flash of the Titans!, Lance is referred to as an Elite Four member instead. In Aim For The Eight!, he's referred to as a Champion again, with Curtain Up! Fight the Fights! specifying that he's a new Champion. This implies that Lance lost his Champion title at some point before regaining it during Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
• Lance has disguised himself as a member of a villainous team twice: as a Team Rocket Grunt in Talkin' Bout an Evolution and later as a Team Magma Grunt in Gaining Groudon.
• Lance owning a Hydreigon could be a reference to Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, in which he uses one during the Pokémon World Tournament.
• Lance is the only regional Champion, current or former, whom Ash has met but not battled.
  • He's also the only member of the current Masters Eight whom Ash hasn't battled.
• Lance is the only participant in the Masters Eight Tournament to represent two leagues, being the Champion of the Indigo Elite Four and Johto League.

• 

  Lance disguised as a Team Rocket Grunt

• 

  Lance disguised as a Team Magma Grunt

Related articles

• Lance

Lance's Pokémon
On hand:	Dragonite	Gyarados	Hydreigon
Adventures only:	Dragonair (×4)	Aerodactyl	Tyranitar	Horsea	Lugia
Jō's Big Adventure only:	Charizard

Trainers in the World Coronation Series
Master Ash • Leon • Cynthia • Diantha • Steven • Lance • Alain • Iris Ultra Raihan • Flint • Drasna • Volkner • Marnie • Bea Great Kricketina • Rinto • Dozer • Tony Normal Korrina • Hayden • Visquez • Lob • Oliver

Pokémon the Series characters
Protagonists Ash Ketchum (Pikachu) • Misty (Togetic) • Brock • Tracey Sketchit • May • Max • Dawn (Piplup) • Iris (Haxorus) • Cilan • Serena • Clemont • Bonnie (Dedenne) • Lana • Kiawe • Lillie • Sophocles • Mallow • Rotom Pokédex • Goh (Grookey) Rivals Gary • Ritchie • Harrison • Drew • Harley • Morrison • Tyson • Solidad • Paul • Nando • Zoey • Kenny • Conway • Barry • Ursula • Trip • Bianca • Burgundy • Stephan • Georgia • Cameron • Aria • Alain • Miette • Tierno • Shauna • Trevor • Nini • Sawyer • Gladion • Horacio • Hau • Leon • Raihan • Horace • Bea • League Conference participants • Coordinators • Performers • World Coronation Series participants Antagonists Jessie (Wobbuffet) • James • Meowth • Giovanni • Butch • Cassidy • Dr. Namba • Matori • Pierce • Dr. Zager • Gozu • Tabitha • Maxie • Shelly • Archie • Hunter J • Saturn • Cyrus • Mars • Jupiter • Charon • Colress • Aldith • Ghetsis • Barret • Malamar • Lysandre • Mable • Celosia • Aliana • Xerosic • Bryony • Tupp • Zipp • Rapp • Plumeria • Guzma • Viren • Rose • Oleana Professors Professor Oak • Professor Ivy • Professor Elm • Professor Birch • Professor Rowan • Professor Carolina • Professor Juniper • Dr. Fennel • Cedric Juniper • Professor Sycamore • Professor Kukui • Professor Burnet • Professor Cerise • Professor Magnolia • Sonia • Professor Amaranth Relatives Delia Ketchum • Daisy • Violet • Lily • James's parents • Flint • Lola • Forrest • Brock's siblings • Norman • Caroline • Johanna • Chili • Cress • Grace • Meyer • Lana's father • Lana's mother • Harper and Sarah • Rango • Sima • Mimo • Kiawe's grandfather • Mohn • Lusamine • Gladion • Sophocles's parents • Molayne • Abe • Mallow's mother • Ulu • Walker • Camille • Halta Supporting Officer Jenny • Nurse Joy • Magikarp salesman • Todd Snap • Charles Goodshow • Casey • Liza • Sakura • Lance • Clair • Raoul Contesta • Mr. Sukizo • Steven Stone • Vivian Meridian • Robert • Scott • Lilian Meridian • Solana • Brandon • Marian • Yuzo • Rhonda • Cynthia • Reggie • Angie • Looker • Izzy and Cara • Lyra • Khoury • Tobias • Don George • Elder • Alder • Luke • Freddy O'Martian • Ingo • Emmet • Jervis • Virgil • N • Anthea and Concordia • Porter • Alexa • Sophie • Cosette • Clembot • Sanpei • Mairin • Astrid • Diantha • Korrina • Gurkinn • Monsieur Pierre • Palermo • Keanan • Malva • Samson Oak • Anela • Hobbes • Nina • Anna • Laki • Dana • Yansu • Wicke • Faba • Ilima • Acerola • Dia • Chloe • Chrysa • Ren • Parker • Talia • Lei • Danika • Quillon • Hop • Gym Leaders • Elite Four • Frontier Brains • Island kahunas • Many temporary characters Supporting Pokémon Fearow • Ho-Oh • Squirtle Squad • Pink Butterfree • Haunter • Jigglypuff • Mewtwo • Mimey • Lapras herd • Granbull • Pichu Brothers • Lugia • Silver • Delibird • Wynaut • Larvitar • Kyogre and Groudon • Articuno • Deoxys • Lake guardians • Forces of nature • Meloetta • Reshiram • Super-ancient Pokémon • Wooper • Florges • Squishy • Z2 • Guardian deities • Bewear • Toucannon's flock • Stoutland • Oranguru • Nebby • Stufful • Ultra Beasts • Grandpa Forest • Necrozma • Lunala • Shaymin • Mew • Rotom Phones • Pelipper • Thievul trio • Eternatus • Drone Rotom • Legendary heroes • Latias • Recurring wild Pokémon
See also: Pokémon Horizons characters

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.