Charon

Charon プルート Pluto
[[File:File:Pluto.PNG|{{{size}}}]] Art from Platinum
Gender	Male
Eye color	Brown
Hair color	Mauve
Hometown	Unknown
Region	Sinnoh
Relatives	Saturn
Trainer class	Commander/Boss
Generation	IV
Games	Platinum
Member of	Team Galactic
Rank	Commander
Anime debut	Saving the World From Ruins!
English voice actor	None
Japanese voice actor	None

Charon (Japanese: プルート Pluto) is one of Team Galactic's four Commanders, introduced in Pokémon Platinum.

In the anime

File:Pluto anime.png

Charon in the anime

Charon appeared in Saving the World From Ruins!, albeit not in a speaking role. He is seen briefly in Team Galactic's base.

In the games

Charon is first seen along with Mars at Valley Windworks to get energy from the windworks. During this encounter, it is revealed that he joined the team after Mars. It's also here where the player discovers that Charon is, in fact, one of the four Commanders, though the fact that he is the most junior among the Commanders' ranks is not revealed until the Stark Mountain sub quest. He made a minor appearance in the Team Galactic Headquarters in Veilstone City right next to Saturn, where he was in front of the button to release the legendary Pokémon of the lake trio.

Charon's role in the game expands after the player defeats the Elite Four and obtains the National Pokédex. Upon seeing Cyrus and Saturn being defeated by the player, he sees that the team should have plans that complement his intelligence. After Cyrus retreats into the Distortion World, Charon takes over Team Galactic and becomes the new leader. He takes Mars and Jupiter with him to the Battle Zone so he can retrieve the Magma Rock from inside Stark Mountain and capture Heatran. However, once the player encounters them, Mars and Jupiter quit because "things were more exciting when Cyrus was the leader." It is also at this time that the international police officer Looker, who had been hunting Team Galactic since the beginning of the game, arrests Charon. He is not seen or heard from since.

According to a journal in a secret room in the Eterna Galactic HQ, Charon discovered and named Rotom. When he was a child, Charon lost his toy robot. He spent hours looking for it to no avail. Suddenly a Rotom jumped out of his lawnmower and he was surprised to say the least. He named the Pokémon "Rotom", and soon Charon and the Pokémon became good friends. Charon always wanted to hug his new friend, but he couldn't for obvious reasons. However, one day, Rotom got startled and zapped Charon, making him faint. When he awoke, Rotom was gone. Soon after, he found his toy robot in the garbage. When he picked it up, Charon realized that Rotom had entered his toy. He could then finally hug his new friend.

Notebook and Journal

In Pokémon Platinum, after obtaining the Secret Key to enter a special room in Team Galactic's hideout in Eterna, there are two books written by Charon: a notebook and a journal.

Notebook

The first is a notebook lying on a table. It says: "There is a mysterious notebook here. Its age is impossible to tell."

"It was by pure chance that I obtained information about the Pokémon Rotom. Remarkably, Rotom has the ability to enter and merge with special motors. It's now known that Rotom can stay inside a motor almost indefinitely. However, it will emerge if it enters a Union Room or Wi-Fi Club. Rotom will also emerge from the motor if it is left at the Day Care. Rotom may also forget certain moves when it leaves a motor. This Pokémon requires exhaustive observation and analysis. To ensure I get all the credit, my Rotom research must be kept secret. They will come to recognize me as the scientific genius Char..."

"The rest of the notebook is blank."

Journal

The journal is located in a chair in front of a machine. It says: "It's an old notebook. There's no telling how old it is."

"Our encounter was a sudden one. It was when I found my toy robot, one that I had earlier misplaced. At that instant, a Pokémon startlingly emerged from the lawn mower's motor! Clutching my robot, I started, transfixed by the peculiar Pokémon.

The Pokémon hovered in the air, held aloft by a power unseen. As if curious and unafraid of my presence, it floated toward me. Crackling sounds accompanied it, as if from static electricity in the air. Remarkably, it seemed the Pokémon was the source of this power! In alarm, I flinched, certain that my face would be subjected to a shock. Much to my surprise, the Pokémon seemed to favor me with a smile.

Finally, I came to realize that the Pokémon only wished to be friends. I have decided to name this most wondrous Pokémon 'Rotom.' Simple though it may be, Rotom emerged to me from the motor of a lawn mower. Motor and Rotom... Surely the link is obvious?

Rotom is a Pokémon that is simply sensational. The fact that it can turn invisible is simply the beginning. What makes Rotom unique is its ability to enter and operate machinery!

Rotom and I became fast friends. We were perpetual companions. The electricity from its body forbade contact, however. We could not touch, let alone hug or hold hands, but we cared not. For we were bonded on a much deeper, incorporeal level.

A feeling of mischief got the better of me one day. Seeing Rotom hovering, I decided to startle it--normally I would not. Perhaps frightened, Rotom discharged power beyond its usual range. I fell, stunned, into the arms of unconsciousness...

When I came to, to my horror I realized that Rotom had disappeared. I searched high and low for my friend in dismay and desperation. 'Don't chastise yourself. The fault is mine. No harm done. Let us play as we always have.' Though my words poured out, my friend could not be found to hear them...

My search for Rotom carried me far from home. It was in the town's rubbish heap that I again found my old toy robot. Curiously, our eyes met, then the robot waved a hand as if in greeting. I knew then that I had found my lost friend. I ran to it and hugged Rotom tight, talking on and on.

The robot's eyes lit up happily as I held it. I'm certain that, within it, Rotom was emitting lots of electricity. Somehow, I felt I could understand Rotom's thoughts better than before. Also, I realized that we would remain friends throughout our lives..."

"The notebook ends with this page..."

Pokémon

Befriended

↔ Rotom

In the manga

File:PlutoDPA.jpg

Charon in the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga

Charon first appears at the end of DPA27 as a silhouette. He is the leader of "Neo Team Galactic" following the departure of Cyrus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and plans to capture Kaisē in order to enter the Distortion World and capture Giratina.

In DPA32 Charon is seen for the first time actually battling, using Pokémon he specially conditioned to be fighting machines.

Trivia

• Charon, is the only Team Galactic Commander to not be named after a planet, denoting his subordinate status in both English and Japanese.
  • In Japanese, his name is Pluto, after the recently-demoted dwarf planet of the same name, whose planetary status was challenged after the discovery of a larger object, Eris, orbiting at around the same distance from the Sun.
  • In English, his name is Charon, after Pluto's largest natural satellite, which Pluto forms a binary system with, due to their incredibly similar size.
• Charon is, along with Cyrus, the only named member of Team Galactic that is not named after a planet, though he is named after a solar system object, unlike Cyrus.
• Aside from miscellaneous Grunts, Charon is the only member of Team Galactic that never battles the player. In fact, aside from his earlier friendship with Rotom, it is unknown if he has any Pokémon at all.

Names

Language	Name	Origin
Japanese	プルート Pluto	Pluto, a dwarf planet.
English	Charon	Charon, Pluto's largest moon.
German	Charon
Spanish	Plutón	Plutón, Pluto.
Italian	Plutinio	From Plutone, Pluto.

This game character article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.