Professor Oak (anime)
| Professor Samuel Oak オーキド•ユキナリ博士 Dr. Yukinari Okido | |
 Art from the Best Wishes series | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Black*, blue* |
| Hair color | Gray*, brown* |
| Hometown | Pallet Town |
| Region | Kanto |
| Relatives | Gary Oak (grandson) May Oak (granddaughter; EToP only) |
| Trainer class | Former Trainer, Pokémon Professor |
| Game counterpart | Professor Oak |
| Anime debut | Pokémon - I Choose You! |
| English voice actor | Stan Hart (EP001-AG133) Carter Cathcart (MoMP-present) Tara Jayne (child; M04) |
| Japanese voice actor | Unshō Ishizuka Keiko Toda (child; M04) |
Professor Samuel Oak (Japanese: オーキド•ユキナリ博士 Dr. Yukinari Okido) is a Pokémon Professor and a major supporting character of the Pokémon anime who lives and works at his research lab in Pallet Town. He appears semi-regularly to give Ash Ketchum advice to help him achieve his goal of becoming the greatest Pokémon Master.
In the anime
Professor Oak lives up the road from Delia Ketchum and her son. and the two often appear together as they are good friends. His only known relative is his grandson, Gary Oak.
His often-forgetful attitude and other antics are also notorious. He also has a hobby of composing haiku-like poems about Pokémon or Pokémon-related themes.
In the novelizations written by Takeshi Shudō, Professor Oak comes from a prestigious family. He has two brothers, one of whom is the mayor of Pallet Town while the other is its postmaster, and his grandfather was the first Trainer from Pallet Town to receive widespread recognition. According to Professor Elm, Professor Oak's studies and research mostly focus on how humans and Pokémon interact with each other.
In the original series
When Gary was ready to become a Pokémon Trainer, Oak gave him his first Pokémon which was a Squirtle. That same day, Ash came to him as he was also starting his Pokémon journey and needed his first Pokémon as well. But because he was so late, the only Pokémon Oak had left was a rebellious Pikachu.
Over the course of Ash and Gary's journeys, Professor Oak took care of the Pokémon they captured that were sent to his lab. He would often gloat about how much farther ahead his grandson was to Ash, which often caused him to be extra competitive. During the Indigo Conference, Oak became greatly disappointed to find out that Gary had lost in the third round. But he arrived there anyway with Ash's mother to cheer Ash on.
After the end of the Indigo Conference, Professor Oak asked Ash to pick up a mysterious Poké Ball from his friend, Professor Ivy, who lived on Valencia Island in the Orange Archipelago. He wasn't at all surprised when Ash called him asking if he could compete in the Orange League. Though he wanted to study the GS Ball, he also wanted Ash to compete in the league so that he can get more training. During Ash's adventures in the Orange Islands, he befriended a Pokémon Watcher by the name of Tracey Sketchit who was a great admirer of Professor Oak. When they arrived back in Pallet Town, Tracey asked if he could become his assistant which he graciously accepted.
Not being able to discover the mystery behind the GS Ball, Professor Oak called for Ash's assistance once more and asked him to travel to the Johto region and give the Ball to his friend Kurt. He also explained that there were many new Pokémon out west which made Ash all the more eager to go and catch up with his rival, Gary.
Professor Oak traveled to Johto on a couple of occasions for conferences.
It was also shown in many episodes, like during the Indigo League,that he felt more like a father or grandfather to Ash than to Gary. He would show up at Ash's apartment at the Indigo Plateau and go and eat with him and the others. It also seemed that he trusted Ash more, giving him the GS Ball when Gary could have brought it to Kurt faster in his car than Ash on foot. --Blazikenisawesome (talk) 20:29, 6 August 2013 (UTC)
In the Advanced Generation series
Professor Oak made a few appearances during the Advanced Generation as well and was in a few episodes of the Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station's side story episodes.
In Gonna Rule the School, he was lecturing the students of Rustboro's Pokémon Trainer's School via satellite. That's were he first spoke to another one of his admirers, Max. Oak traveled to Hoenn in A Six Pack Attack! to meet with his friend, Professor Birch and brought along the Kanto starters as they interacted with the Hoenn starters.
In The Right Place and The Right Mime, Professor Oak noticed that one of his Squirtle felt most comfortable being with May. That was when he suggested that May keep the Squirtle and raise it into a strong Pokémon. He also said he would watch after her Bulbasaur.
While Ash was trying to earn his final Frontier Symbol from Brandon, Professor Oak visited him and told him about Gary's research in the Sinnoh region. He recommend that he should travel there after earning his final symbol so that he can learn about the Pokémon that lived out there.
In the Diamond & Pearl series
Ash spoke to Professor Oak frequently over the phone while he traveled through the Sinnoh region. Dawn was able to recognize him from television, but it wasn't because of his Pokémon research. He traveled to Sinnoh in A Faux Oak Finish! to give a lecture in Twinleaf Town.
In the Best Wishes series
Professor Oak made plans to travel to the Unova region to meet with his friend, Professor Juniper, in In The Shadow of Zekrom! and invited Delia and Ash to go with him. He has since returned to Kanto as seen in Crisis from the Underground Up! where Ash calls his laboratory from Nimbasa City. In New Places... Familiar Faces!, Ash called Professor Oak to inform about his loss at the Vertress Conference.
In The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!, Professor Oak appeared again in a video lecture about the Kanto starter Pokémon that was presented at the Kanto Fair.
In To Catch a Rotom!, he appeared in the Decolore Islands, having traveled to Mutoro Island. He wished to capture a Rotom to study, and eventually succeeded after helping Ash and his friends defeat Team Rocket.
Pokémon
This listing is of Professor Oak's known Pokémon:
On hand
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Rotom's seiyū |
| Debut | Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up? |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Katsuyuki Konishi |
| English | Katsuyuki Konishi |
Professor Oak caught this Pidgey off-screen during Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up?, where he used it to get back the food that Team Rocket had stolen and then send them blasting off.
Pidgey's known moves are Quick Attack and Gust.
| Debut | The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Katsuyuki Konishi |
| English | Katsuyuki Konishi |
Professor Oak used his Dragonite to battle against the Mirage Mewtwo created by Dr. Yung along with Misty's Gyarados, May's Combusken, and Ash's Pikachu, but like the other Pokémon, it was defeated.
Dragonite's known moves are Twister, Hyper Beam and Dragon Rage.
| Debut | To Catch a Rotom! |
|---|
Professor Oak caught a Rotom in To Catch a Rotom! at Mutoro Island. He came to meet Ash and his friends to the Decolore Islands on Mutoro Island and told them that he wanted to catch himself a Rotom in order to study its forms. They went to a site where lots of old electrical machines were kept, luring in three Rotom. At first, Professor Oak's attempt to capture one failed, but once he had, along with Ash and friends, saved the Rotom from being captured by Team Rocket, one of them freely accepted to come with him, and allowed itself to be captured by him.
Rotom reappeared in BW130 where it surprised Ash on the computer screen when he was contacting Professor Oak. Rotom was shown to be very affectionate towards him as it shocked him the first time it happened.
Rotom's known moves are Thunderbolt, Leaf Storm* and an unidentified Electric-type move used in BW130.
Mentioned
In the dubbed version of Putting the Air Back in Aerodactyl!, Professor Oak told Tracey that when he was a young Trainer, he owned a Seaking, which he met in a creek near Vermilion City.
- Various Pokémon are used in his lectures, which may belong to him or to Trainers whose Pokémon he cares for.
Gives to new Trainers
| Debut | Pokémon - I Choose You! |
|---|
Bulbasaur is a Pokémon that Professor Oak gives to new Trainers. Bulbasaur was mentioned in the first episode of the anime, as one of the three Starter Pokémon new Trainers in Pallet Town can choose from. Ash dreamed of owning one, and it was his second choice of a starter, after Squirtle. However, when he arrived at Professor Oak's Laboratory, it was too late, as an unnamed Trainer who started the same day had already taken it.
In Journey to the Starting Line a new Trainer called Gilbert claimed a Bulbasaur. Another one appears in A Six Pack Attack! where Prof. Oak shows them to Max. Suddenly Team Rocket capture them along with the other Kanto and Hoenn starters. Max finds them and makes Bulbasaur and Treecko Tackle and Pound the bars away. It then helps send Team Rocket blasting off. Another one appears in The Right Place at the Right Mime! along with the other starters.
| Debut | Pokémon - I Choose You! |
|---|
Charmander is a Pokémon that Professor Oak gives to new Trainers. Charmander was mentioned in the first episode of the anime, as one of the three Starter Pokémon new Trainers in Pallet Town can choose from. Ash dreamed of owning one, although it was his last choice of a starter coming after Squirtle and Bulbasaur. However, when he arrived at Professor Oak's Laboratory, he found out it was too late, as another Trainer who started the same day had already taken it.
In Journey to the Starting Line, Gilbert was intended to start his journey as a Pokémon Trainer, but the trio of Kanto Starter Pokémon were scared off when Ash's Tauros stampeded through Professor Oak's house. Professor Oak, Tracey, Delia and Gilbert split up in order to find the three missing Pokémon. The Charmander was the first one to be found.
Another one appears in A Six Pack Attack! where Prof. Oak shows them to Max. Suddenly Team Rocket capture them along with the other Kanto and Hoenn starters. Max is able to find them he has Torchic and Charmander heat the cage with Ember until finally they are free. It then helps send Team Rocket blasting off. Another one appears in The Right Place at the Right Mime! along with the other starters.
Various Charmander's known moves are Ember.
| Debut | Pokémon - I Choose You! |
|---|
Squirtle is a Pokémon that Professor Oak gives to new Trainers. Squirtle was mentioned in the first episode of the anime, as one of the three Starter Pokémon new Trainers in Pallet Town can choose from. Ash dreamed of owning one, and it was his first choice of a starter. However, when he arrived at Professor Oak's Laboratory, he found out it was too late, as another Trainer who started the same day had already taken it.
In Journey to the Starting Line, a set of the three Kanto starter Pokémon in which a boy named Gilbert was supposed to choose from as his starting Pokémon were scared off by Ash's Tauros. Professor Oak, Tracey, Delia, and Gilbert had to split up and find the three missing Pokémon. Squirtle was the second one found. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon was stuck in a tree that was hanging over a cliff. Ash's Bulbasaur managed to catch the Squirtle before it could fall off the cliff.
Another one appears in A Six Pack Attack! where Prof. Oak shows them to Max. Suddenly Team Rocket capture them along with the other Kanto and Hoenn starters. Max finds them and asks Mudkip and Squirtle to cool the bars with Water Gun which eventually frees them. It then helps send Team Rocket blasting off. Another one appears in The Right Place at the Right Mime! along with the other starters, in the end May claims Squirtle.
Gave away to Trainers
 Gary's Squirtle |
 Ash's Pikachu ♂ |
 Gilbert's Bulbasaur |
 May's Squirtle |
Residing at his Lab
Other
There are various Pokémon that live on the Oak Corral. Only a handful have been seen but there are various kinds of different Pokémon. People like Prof. Oak and Tracey care for them. Other Trainers' Pokémon reside here such as Gary's.
Previously resided at his Lab
 Bulbasaur ♀ |
 Aipom ♀ |
 Doduo |
Past
- Main article: Sam
He appears as a young boy, Sam (Japanese: ユキナリ Yukinari) in the fourth film, Celebi: Voice of the Forest. Ash Ketchum befriends the young Oak, who, because he time-traveled from 40 years in the past, is around the same age as Ash. The revelation that Sam is Oak, while inferable thanks to disclosure of Oak's first name in The Power of One, comes only at the end of the movie when Oak implicitly confirms the connection through his knowledge of Sam's name despite Ash having never told him of it. Additionally, Tracey finds the sketchbook in which young Sam drew Pikachu sleeping with Celebi in Oak's closet.
Despite the fact that Sam sees many Generation II Pokémon throughout the movie (notably the legendary Pokémon Celebi and Suicune), the Pokédex he gifts Ash in the Kanto arc only catalogs Generation I Pokémon, claiming that they are all the Pokémon that the world knows. This discrepancy is likely no longer canon, instead representing a silent retcon that occurred due to the ever-increasing number of Pokémon; indeed, Pokémon from Generation II, Generation III, and Generation IV are able to be trained in Kanto during the Generation I remakes FireRed and LeafGreen, as well as during the Generation II remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver. Perhaps to avoid a similar plothole, the number of Pokémon as of the current generation is no longer explicitly mentioned in anime-related media.
Status unknown
| Debut | Celebi: Voice of the Forest |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | |
| English | Eric Stuart |
The younger Professor Oak, "Sam", used his Charmeleon in battle against the Iron-Masked Marauder's Sneasel, and won.
Charmeleon's known moves are Flamethrower and Headbutt.
Befriended
| Debut | Celebi: Voice of the Forest |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Kazuko Sugiyama |
| English | Kazuko Sugiyama |
- Main article: Celebi (M04)
Sam met this Celebi during his time. However, it bumped into him while on the pursuit of a Pokémon Hunter which accidentally transports him to the present time of Ash and company. This time, the Iron-Masked Marauder was after Celebi. After Ash and Sam defeated the Marauder by snapping Celebi out of its dark self and got revived by the other Celebi from the past, this Celebi that met Sam took him back to his own time.
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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.
| Debut | Clefairy in Space! |
|---|
Professor Oak sent out Sandshrew to find out the shadowy figure that was lurking in Apple City.
Sandshrew's only known move is Fissure.
Mentioned
| Debut | Clefairy Tale |
|---|
Professor Oak mentions that when he was a beginning Trainer, he caught a Charmander that he named Char (Japanese: ヒーくん Hi-kun). Char would later evolve into a Charmeleon and Charizard.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | オーキド ユキナリ博士 Dr. Yukinari Okido | 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. His given name could possibly be derived from the Salem Oak, a long-lived tree of Salem, New Jersey. |
| French | Professeur Chen | Chêne means Oak in French. |
| Québec French | Professeur Oak | Still Oak. |
| 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 雪成・大木 Xuěchéng Dàmù (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 | Profesor Okido (Kanto saga) Profesor Orchid Profesor Oak (Sinnoh-present) |
Same as Japanese and English name. |
Related Articles
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
