Puka

If you were looking for the Pokémon Trading Card Game player, see Kyle Sucevich.

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Puka マイケル Michael ?

Puka

Debuts in The Pi-Kahuna Caught at Seafoam Island Gender Male Ability Unknown Current location With Victor

This Pokémon has not evolved.

Voice actor Japanese English As Pikachu Chika Sakamoto

Puka (Japanese: マイケル Michael) is a surfing Pikachu that appeared in The Pi-Kahuna.

History

Puka in his youth

Puka and Victor

Puka is at least twenty years old, having been first found by surfing enthusiast Victor shortly after he failed to conquer a large wave, "Humungadunga" (Japanese: ビッグ・チューズデー Big Tuesday). Victor was trying to emulate a feat achieved by his surfing hero Jan two decades ago. It met up with Ash's Pikachu when he visited Seafoam Island with his Trainer. Team Rocket spotted the two of them together and used their Gyarados submarine to snatch them.

Puka was rescued by Victor after Team Rocket's submarine was attacked by a group of angry Gyarados. At that moment, Humungadunga made its scheduled appearance, twenty years after Victor first fell to it. Ash and his friends watched from the beach as Victor, with Puka on his surfboard, successfully rode the big wave and planted a flag atop the rock, right next to where Jan first placed his flag forty years earlier. Puka and Victor returned to shore to be greeted by Ash, Misty, and Brock, as well as by young children looking up to Victor in awe. In a similar fashion to what his hero did after riding the big wave, Victor encouraged two young surfers and gifted them Jan's surfboard.

Personality and characteristics

Puka has gotten along with Victor very well ever since the time they first met. Puka looks noticeably older and larger than Ash's Pikachu, with wrinkles beneath his eyes. His ears have a different shape, similar to mini-humps, while most Pikachu ears are straight and pointy. His eyes are blue, while Ash's Pikachu's eyes, as well as most Pikachu eyes, are dark brown. Puka can sense big waves coming to the Seafoam Island beach where he lives, causing his eyes to glow. Incidentally, he does not use any Electric-type attacks throughout the entire episode, even when captured by Team Rocket; it is Ash's Pikachu that attacks. Whether Puka can in fact use any Electric attacks is up for debate, since his cheeks do not spark during the episode either.

Trivia

• Puka's English name comes from Puka shells, which are pieces of a shell belonging to a snail. They are used to make jewelry, and are very popular in Hawaii. "Puka" is also somewhat similar to "Pika", as in "Pikachu".
• Puka's Japanese name, along with Victor's Japanese name (Vincent) and Jan's name, are a reference to Hollywood actor Jan-Michael Vincent, the lead actor of the movie Big Wednesday, from which their episode takes inspiration.
• Puka might be based on the minigame of the Surfing Pikachu, located in Pokémon Yellow in Route 19, near Seafoam Islands.

Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Pikachu.

This article is part of Project COD, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each one-time character of the Pokémon animated series.