Professor Oak
| Professor Samuel Oak オーキド•ユキナリ博士 Dr. Yukinari Okido | |
 Art from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen | |
| Age | 50 |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Eye color | Black*, blue* |
| Hair color | Gray*, brown* |
| Hometown | Pallet Town |
| Region | Kanto |
| Relatives | Blue, Daisy (games) Gary Oak (anime, manga) May (manga adaptation) |
| Trainer class | Former Trainer, Pokémon Professor |
| Generation | I, II, III, IV |
| Games | Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Pokémon Snap, Stadium, Stadium 2 |
| Anime debut | Pokémon - I Choose You! |
| English voice actor | Stan Hart (4Kids) Carter Cathcart (TPCi) Tara Jayne (child) |
| Japanese voice actor | Unshō Ishizuka Keiko Toda (child) |
Professor Samuel Oak (Japanese: オーキド•ユキナリ博士 Dr. Yukinari Ōkido, Ōkido-Hakase and Orchid are also seen) is a Pokémon Professor who lives and works at his research lab in Pallet Town. According to Professor Elm, Oak concentrates on Pokémon and human relationships as a profession.
In the games
In Generation I
Professor Oak works in his Laboratory in Pallet Town with his aides. He gave Red and Blue their Starter Pokémon in Pokémon Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen. He is an idol to many Trainers and researchers, including Professor Elm, and always plays an important supporting role in the many games that he appears in.
He was a childhood friend of Agatha. They remained good friends and top-class Pokémon Trainers until Oak stopped battling and became interested in Pokémon research. Agatha said that he became soft and started to regard him as a fool. However, Oak still affiliates with the Pokémon League as an adviser.
Pokémon
Red, Green, and Blue
Professor Oak confirms having been a successful Trainer in his youth; however states that he only possesses the following Pokémon. Red is allowed to choose one in order to begin his journey. His grandson, Blue, the player's Rival, then picks the Pokémon whose type has an advantage against their own.
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Yellow
- Main article: Red's Pikachu (game)
Professor Oak catches this Pikachu while stopping Red from beginning his journey without any Pokémon. He later decides to give it to him.
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| Pikachu Lv.5 | |||||||||||||||||||
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This Eevee was intended for Red but was taken by Blue in his impatience. Its evolutionary path is determined by the player's interactions with its Trainer.
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In the Generation I games there is unused Trainer data for Prof. Oak. This implies that Oak was originally going to be able to be battled. In the data, Oak has Level 66 Tauros, Level 67 Exeggutor, Level 68 Arcanine, Level 70 Gyarados and one of the Kanto starters at Level 69. This places his strength on-par with the player's rival and the Pokémon League champion. As well, four of his Pokémon are identical to the ones used by the champion, only higher level, so originally Oak may have been intended to be in the game as the champion, or at least another high-ranking Trainer. This is supported by an email on the PC in Oak's lab, from the Pokémon League issuing a challenge to all Trainers, then specifically requesting Oak to come visit them. The only known ways to battle Oak are by performing the Mew glitch with a special stat of 226 or by performing the old man glitch with MN as the character in the 3rd, 5th or 7th slot of the player's name.
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In Generation II
Professor Oak was always well-known in Kanto but in Generation II he became more of a celebrity, a "star Pokémon Researcher". He started to be famous in Johto because of his Radio Show with DJ Mary. He was going to turn down the show at first but Mary's energy and persistence wore him down. Ethan/Kris first met him visiting the home of Mr. Pokémon, another of Oak's childhood friends. Later he grants the young Trainer access to Mt. Silver, a place which only the finest Pokémon Trainers may enter, after the player has earned all the badges in Johto and later Kanto.
Professor Oak has many old friends. One of them is Kurt, a Poké Ball smith from Azalea Town and another is Professor Elm who used to be Oak's assistant. In fact, there is a picture on Kurt's wall saying "...a young Prof Oak?" and an email addressed to him from Professor Elm can be found in his lab:
- "...
- Prof. Oak, how is your research
- coming along? I'm still plugging
- away. I heard rumors
- that <name> is
- getting quite a reputation.
- I'm delighted to hear that.
- Elm in New Bark Town 8-)"
It should be noted that this is the first time that an emoticon is used in a Pokémon game.
Professor Oak has gained many fans and admirers. One of them is Schoolboy Chad, who frequently calls the player to share trivia about Oak.
In Generation III
Professor Oak returns in FireRed and LeafGreen to reprise his role from the Generation I games. He also grants the player the National Pokédex after they have caught 60 different species of Pokémon and defeated the Elite Four.
Pokémon
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Fame Checker
This is a list of the Fame Checker's information on Professor Oak in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
- Pallet Town - sign
- What does this person do?
- "Oak Pokémon Research Lab."
- Pallet Town Research Lab - Prof. Oak
- What is this person like?
- "To make a complete guide on all the Pokémon in the world...
- That was my dream!"
- Pallet Town Research Lab - aide
- What is this person like?
- "Prof. Oak may not look like much, but he's the authority on Pokémon.
- Many Pokémon Trainers hold him in high regard."
- Viridian City - Pokémon Journal
- Family and friends?
- "Prof. Oak reportedly lives with his grandchildren, Daisy and Blue."
- Pokémon League - Agatha
- Family and friends?
- "I hear Oak's taken a lot of interest in you, child.
- That old duff was once tough and handsome.
- But that was decades ago. He's a shadow of his former self."
- Pallet Town Research Lab - aide
- What does this person do?
- "Prof. Oak is going to have his own radio show soon.
- The program will be called Prof. Oak's Pokémon Seminar."
- Message from Oak
- From: Prof. Oak
- To: [Player]
- "Why do Pokémon compete and battle so hard for you?
- They do so because they can see the love and trust you have towards Pokémon.
- Never forget that."
In Generation IV
Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Professor Oak is also a good friend of Professor Rowan. He visits Sinnoh often, has a home in Eterna City, introduces Trainers to Pal Park, and gives them the National Pokédex, as well as the Up-Grade, Poké Radar and the function Trainer Counter of the Pokétch. A letter that he sends to the player in a special event allows the player to find Shaymin. An aide in Rowan's laboratory mentions that Oak is Rowan's junior in terms of seniority. In Platinum, after providing the Up-Grade, Professor Oak will talk about the legendary birds and say that they have been sighted in Sinnoh. From this point Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres will be visible roaming on the map.
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Professor Oak returns in the Johto remakes to fulfill a similar role as he did in Gold, Silver, and Crystal, albeit expanded. For obtaining all sixteen badges and defeating Red, he will give the player one of either Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. He also gives the player HM08 (Rock Climb) to assist them in navigation through Mt. Silver. He will also gives the player the National Pokédex before boarding the S.S. Aqua. Finally, if both Kyogre and Groudon from HeartGold and SoulSilver are traded into the same game, he will give the player a Jade Orb so that Rayquaza may be caught at the Embedded Tower.
Pokémon
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Quotes when completing the Pokédex (evaluation via Pokégear)
Johto Pokédex
- Wow!
- That is a complete Johto Pokédex!
- Thanks to you, <PLAYER>, the Johto Pokédex is complete!
- Wow...
- You've done an incredible job!
National Pokédex
- Excellent!
- That is an amazing National Pokédex!
- Wow...
- You've lived up to my expectations wonderfully!
- No, you've exceeded them, <PLAYER>. You've become an amazing Trainer!
- Thank you, <PLAYER>!
After completing both the Johto and National Pokédex:
- You have truly surprised me!
- You've more than exceeded my expectations. You've gone far past them in completing the National Pokédex!
- I'm speechless...!
- Because of this, the world of Pokémon and Trainers is more vast, deeper, and more abundant!
- Now there will be no end to Pokémon research!
In the anime
- Main article: Professor Oak (anime)
Professor Oak appears semi-regulary in the Pokémon anime and gives Ash Ketchum useful information.
In side games
Professor Oak also was one of the two human characters appearing in Pokémon Snap. He was working on a Pokémon Report for the Pokémon species of Pokémon Island, and hired Todd to take pictures for the report. He provided Todd with the ZERO-ONE and its Dash Engine upgrade, Pokémon food, Pester Balls, and a Poké Flute. When Todd took a picture of each of the Pokémon Signs, Professor Oak drew a connection between them and the constellations to determine that Mew must be on Rainbow Cloud.
In the manga
As he is the leading professor of the Kanto region, Professor Oak appears in many different Pokémon manga series.
In the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
Professor Oak makes a few appearances in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga. He is a role model to Ash and is Bill's mentor. Unlike in the anime, he does not give Ash his Pikachu, in fact, he does not meet Ash until after he has already begun his Pokémon journey.
Ash meets Professor Oak for the first time in Clefairy Tale. They meet at Mt. Moon after Ash has been wandering lost in the mountains for weeks, searching for a rare Clefairy. Oak, who has been living among the Clefairy, rescues Ash and introduces him to Bill and a tribe of wild Clefairy. The three attend the tribe's evolution ceremony, after which Oak gives Ash the latest upgrade to the Pokédex for free, months before it will be available to the public.
Ash later encounters Oak again in Clefairy in Space, where he is investigating strange activity, which turned out to be caused by another group of Clefairy.
Ash encounters Oak one last time at the Pokémon Research Center in The Orange Islands, shortly before he travels to the Orange Archipelago. Here, the Professor and Bill are researching a giant Slowpoke that was found in the Pokémon storage system.
Pokémon
This listing is for Professor Oak's known Pokémon in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga.
 →  →  Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard |
 Sandshrew |
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Although Professor Oak's first mention was in A Glimpse of the Glow in a conversation between Red and some Pallet Town children, he is described as being an expert on all things Pokémon, however he is also "just a mean old nut". His debut was in Bulbasaur, Come Home!, where Red had wandered into his lab and was immediately accused of being a thief. In his haste, Red accidentally released all the Pokémon in the lab, including Bulbasaur, causing the two to track them down and re-capture them. After being saved by Red from a Machoke attack in Viridian City, Oak gave Red the Bulbasaur and a Pokédex. The professor also makes appearances in The Secret of Kangaskhan and Gyarados Splashes In!, talking about Team Rocket's experiments. He was then kidnapped by Team Rocket to force him to help them with their experiments after Blaine's defection, although he refused and they resorted to trying to use Blue to convince him, who later saves him. Oak later appears in Volume 3 to battle Green under the alias "Doctor O" and reveals Green's phobia of Flying-type Pokémon and her theft of Squirtle. However, he shows compassion by giving her the last Pokédex. He then forfeits his right to enter the finals after telling her that he has already won a championship, thus ensuring that Red and Blue's tournament match would determine the champion.
In the Yellow arc, he was talking with Misty about Red's mysterious disappearance when Pika wanders into the lab seriously injured. Yellow then barges into his lab uninvited. He then makes her battle him with his Spearow and is impressed how she defeats him without harming either Pokémon, giving Yellow his trust and as such he allows Yellow to take Pika and Red's Pokédex, which he made a few modifications on. Oak then sends letters to Blue on Blue's Pidgeot instead of more advanced communication so nobody can track them. This was decided upon after Blue's encounter with Agatha of the Elite Four when she wanted to kill him after learning that he was Oak's grandson, although Blue was still unsure of how the two knew each other.
In the Gold, Silver & Crystal arc, Oak is now known as the leading authority on Pokémon in both Kanto and Johto and has developed the three new Pokédexes. The first was stolen by Silver, the second and third he gave to Gold and Crystal. During the battle with the Masked Man, he gave out the titles to the six Pokédex holders and Yellow. At the end, he employed Crystal as his assistant and thanks to her, the Pokédex had been filled and he owned all non-legendary Pokémon for his research (though little did he reveal, over a hundred new ones were discovered in Hoenn, ready for Crystal to catch again). He then hurried off to the Goldenrod Radio Tower to attend Pokémon Talk and was inturrupted in the middle when Emerald came to call, asking for a Pokédex. However, Oak didn't think he was ready and told him to come back when he was, and temporarily registered him.
In the FRLG saga, Oak was captured by the The Three Beasts to lure Red, Blue, and Green to the Sevii Islands; but not before he recalled their three Pokédexes. After he was freed at Trainer Tower, Oak revealed the three new Pokédexes that had the National Pokédex capability, though two of the old models were destroyed in the ensuing battle in the Trainer Tower, and the unscathed one given to Yellow (like the other two, however, it had its pages transferred to Red's).
One of Professor Oak's projects was a full analysis of a report holding all information on the last awakening of Jirachi, which Kimberly earlier stole from the Rockets for him. From this, he worked out that it would appear where the Battle Frontier was being built during its opening week. He immediately contacted Scott and, while he would not move the opening, Professor Oak managed to convince Scott to allow a Pokédex holder to protect Jirachi. This was Emerald. However, someone stole the disc with all the data from Professor Oak's lab and badly defeated his Pokémon in the process.
His relationship with Agatha was also revealed when the two were younger. Oak defeated Agatha in the finals for the first Pokémon League Championship and Agatha met him after the battle and asked why he quit their "research group." He explained that he wanted to create the Pokédex, which she thought was a stupid idea that would never be complete (to which Oak replies that if it isn't complete in his generation, his children and grandchildren would take over for him), and a battle ensued. Oak barely won after a battle that lasted several hours, with Agatha swearing a personal vendetta over him and anyone who associates with him.
Pokémon
He has these Pokémon, or has owned them in the past:
On hand
| Debut | Just a Spearow Carrier |
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Oak's Fearow first appeared as a Spearow while participating in the Pokémon League as Dr. O. Spearow goes up against her Jigglypuff and Blasty. Spearow was able to survive Jigglypuff's attacks by staying in the air. It was also able to defeat her Blasty by using Mirror Move to copy his attacks right back.
It evolved into a Fearow somewhere in the FireRed & LeafGreen arc. It wasn't used that much in that chapter and the Emerald arc where it was only seen by his side.
Fearow's known moves are Fury Attack and Mirror Move, and it has a Hardy nature.
| Debut | Take a Chance on Chansey |
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Kanga was seen in a flashback of Oak defeating a Tauros in a tournament. After the tournament was done, Oak walked out of the battlefield and saw Agatha. Kangaskhan was used along with Chansey against Agatha's Gastly and Gengar. After a long battle, Kangaskhan was able to defeat her two Pokémon with the help of Chansey's Softboiled.
Kanga's known moves are Mega Punch and Dizzy Punch.
| Debut | Buzzing Elekid |
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Professor Oak's Stantler, Antch, was seen with him while doing his research in the woods.
Stantler's known moves are Confuse Ray and Take Down.
| Debut | Buzzing Elekid |
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Professor Oak's Ledyba, Bach, was seen with him while doing his research in the woods.
Ladyba's only known move is Supersonic.
Given away
| Debut | Punching Poliwrath |
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Oak gave a Chansey to his granddaughter, Daisy. She nicknamed her Lucky-tchi.
Lucky-tchi's only known move is Softboiled.
| Debut | A Glimpse of the Glow |
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- Main article: Blue's Charizard
Oak gave Charmander to Blue before A Glimpse of the Glow. It evolved into a Charmeleon and then Charizard later on.
In the laboratory
 Kakuna |
 Pidgey |
 Caterpie |
 Metapod |
 Rattata |
 Tentacool |
 Poliwag |
 Weedle |
 Meowth |
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Professor Oak appears in the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga series. He gives Kai Midorikawa his starter Pokémon, Charmander. He offers a starter Pokémon to Isamu Akai as well, however, Isamu decides to choose a Clefairy that he had befriended earlier that day instead.
Pokémon
Gives to new Trainers
 Bulbasaur |
 Charmander |
 Squirtle |
Given away
- Main article: Kai Midorikawa's Charizard
Charmander was given to Kai in The Pokémon Clefairy Enters!! as his starter Pokémon. It has evolved into its final stage right away. It is seen to be Clefairy's rival as both of them were given to their respective Trainers on the same day.
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Professor Oak or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
| Name | Type | Rarity | Set | Set no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Oak | T |  |
Base Set | 88/102 |
| Base Set 2 | 116/130 | |||
| Professor Oak's Research | T | |
Expedition Base Set | 149/165 |
| EX FireRed & LeafGreen | 98/112 | |||
| EX Dragon Frontiers | 88/101 | |||
| Professor Oak's Visit | Su | |
Secret Wonders | 122/132 |
| (H) | Unnumbered Promotional cards (no English release | - | ||
| Professor Oak's New Theory | Su | |
HeartGold Collection | 068/070 |
There also exists a "dark counterpart" of Professor Oak, called Impostor Professor Oak, who has also appeared in other Pokémon media. Apart from his first incarnation, expansions in which he has been featured also include Dark Pokémon. The following list is of cards mentioning or featuring Impostor Professor Oak or his Pokémon.
| Name | Type | Rarity | Set | Set no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impostor Professor Oak | T |  |
Base Set | 73/102 |
| Base Set 2 | 102/130 | |||
| Impostor Oak's Revenge | T | |
Team Rocket | 76/82 |
| Impostor Professor Oak's Invention | T | |
Neo Destiny | 94/105 |
Other appearances
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Professor Oak appears as a random trophy wearing his regular clothing from the anime.
Trophy information
The leading expert on the study of Pokémon. It seems there are always new and mysterious species of Pokémon being brought to light, and Professor Oak is at the heart of it all with his insightful research. The Pokédex is one of his inventions: new Trainers receive one, and a Pokémon to boot, when they start out.
Sprites
| File:RB Oak.png | File:Y Oak.png | 
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File:GSC Oak.png | File:OakSprite.png | File:OakHGSSIntro.png |
| Professor Oak's sprite from Red and Blue |
Professor Oak's sprite from Yellow |
Professor Oak's back sprite from Yellow |
Professor Oak's sprite from Gold, Silver and Crystal |
Professor Oak's sprite from FireRed and LeafGreen |
Professor Oak's sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
Trivia
- Professor Oak is the only Pokémon Professor to have appeared in all released generations so far, with the sole exception of Generation V appearing in Generation I and their Generation III remakes as the regional professor and making occasional appearances in Generation II and Generation IV.
- Professor Oak was the first non-player character introduced in the Pokémon games, appearing before the adventure even starts.
- Professor Oak is the only professor who can be battled, though only through a glitch or cheating.
- It has been speculated that Professor Oak became Champion of the Elite Four in his younger years. Agatha states that he was once tough and handsome, and then Oak himself, upon taking the player into the Hall of Fame in Generations I and III, states that only those who have become Champion are allowed into the Hall of Fame. Thus, it is possible that he was once a Champion, because he is allowed to enter the Hall of Fame.
- This can also be supported by the fact that the default rosters for the unused Professor Oak Trainer class in Generation I have Pokémon whose levels are around that of the Champion's Pokémon.
- If the player speaks to Professor Oak in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and has their Pokédex evaluated with at least 484 of the 493 Pokémon caught, he will say "Meeting you is something l will cherish all my life long.", using a lowercase L instead of an I.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | オーキド ユキナリ博士 Dr. Yukinari Ōkido | オーキッド Ōkiddo, Orchid. 大木戸 Ōkido is a Japanese family name and placename. Literally, big-tree family. |
| English, Spanish, Italian | Professor Samuel (Sammy) Oak | Oak tree, perhaps derived from Japanese Ōkido. |
| French | Professeur Chen | Chêne means Oak in French. |
| German | Professor Eich | Eiche means Oak in German. |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Professor Samuel (Sam) Carvalho | Carvalho means Oak in Portuguese. |
| Korean | 오용호 박사 Dr. O Yongho | 오 (伍) O is a Korean family name, probably chosen because of its similarity to the first syllable in Ōkido. |
| Chinese | 大木博士 Dr. Dàmù 大木雪成 Dàmù Xuěchéng (full name) |
大木 (big tree) is from 大木 Ōki 雪成 is from Japanese 雪成り yuki nari, "to become snow". |
| Thai | ดร.ออคิด Dr. Orkid | Similar to the Japanese name. |
| Indonesian | Professor Oki (Kanto saga) Professor Orchid (Johto - present) |
Derived from Prof. Ōkido. Similar to the Japanese name. |
External links
- Ōkido's Profile on Pokeani (Japanese)
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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. |
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