Raihan
Raihan キバナ Kibana | |
"The tamer of dragons!" | |
Artwork from Sword and Shield by take[1] | |
Gender | Male |
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Eye color | Teal |
Hair color | Black |
Hometown | Hammerlocke |
Region | Galar |
Trainer class | Gym Leader |
Generation | VIII |
Games | Sword and Shield, Masters EX |
Leader of | Hammerlocke Stadium |
Badge | Dragon Badge |
Specializes in | Dragon types |
Game animation debut | Sky |
English voice actor | Nazeeh Tarsha (Twilight Wings) Mike Dent[2] (Masters EX) |
Japanese voice actor | Kousuke Toriumi[3] (Twilight Wings, Masters EX) |
Anime debut | Toughing It Out! |
English voice actor | Danny Kramer |
Japanese voice actor | Tatsuhisa Suzuki (JN027-JN045) Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (JN082-present) |
Raihan (Japanese: キバナ Kibana) is the Gym Leader of Hammerlocke's Gym, known officially as Hammerlocke Stadium. He specializes in Dragon-type Pokémon. He gives the Dragon Badge to Trainers who defeat him. He's also well-known for utilizing weather tactics in his battles.
In the core series games
Raihan is the eighth and final Gym Leader of the Galar League, and he is recognized as the strongest Gym Leader in Galar. He is also the self-proclaimed rival of Champion Leon, and despite having a losing streak of 0 to 10 against him, he is the only person who has come close to beating him, having managed to knock out more of Leon's Pokémon than anyone else. He's said to be strong enough to become a Champion if he moved to another region, but has refused to do so out of desire of wanting to defeat Leon. He is often seen taking selfies on his Rotom Phone, a habit he initially picked up to remind him of the pain of defeat, but one which eventually spread to other parts of his lifestyle. Outside of training his Pokémon, his hobbies include fashion and cultivating his social media presence.[4]
While Raihan specializes in the Dragon type, he will often use Pokémon of other types to set up weather conditions such as sandstorm and harsh sunlight. Uniquely amongst Galar's Gyms, Raihan's Gym also heavily focuses on Double Battles.
In Pokémon Sword and Shield, Raihan first appears during the game's opening cut-scene, having an exhibition match with Leon. The player first meets Raihan in Hammerlocke to get his permission to visit the local vault, which contains tapestries about Galar's history. Once the player has earned seven Gym Badges, they challenge and defeat Raihan. Immediately afterwards, Raihan is also challenged and beaten by Hop. The player rematches Raihan in the Champion Cup in Wyndon and beats him once again. When Rose starts the Darkest Day, Raihan organizes the evacuation of Hammerlocke to keep people safe from the event.
During the post-game, Raihan helps the player, Hop, and Piers in defeating a group of Dynamax Pokémon let loose at the Hammerlocke Stadium by Sordward and Shielbert. During this encounter, Raihan admits that Piers managed to give him a tough challenge in the Champion Cup, despite his refusal to use Dynamax, and suggests that they should have a battle where neither of them uses it.
League Cards
This is a transcript of the back of Raihan's League Cards in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
- Normal League Card
- "Raihan is commonly regarded as the most skilled Gym Leader in the Galar region. He has striven for victory in every environment, and as a result, he has adopted a battle style where he utilizes weather effects to their fullest. It is rumored that he could easily become another region's Champion should he choose to move, but it seems that to Raihan, defeating Leon is much more important. His uploaded selfies are quite popular. Occasionally he'll post a photo that only shows a sandstorm."
- Rare League Card
- "Raihan started taking selfies so as to never forget the pain of his defeats, but more recently he has been taking photos showing off his training routine, his fashion choices, and the like, causing some fans to leave harsh comments whenever he loses to Leon. It's true that Raihan is on a ten-nil losing streak against Leon, but no other Pokémon Trainer has managed to KO as many of Leon's Pokémon as Raihan has. Raihan no doubt looks forward to taking a selfie after finally defeating Leon."
Pokémon
Raihan keeps his Pokémon in Ultra Balls.
Pokémon Sword and Shield
In all battles, Raihan will Gigantamax his Duraludon at the first opportunity.
Gym battle
This battle is a Double Battle.
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Second battle
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Champion tournaments
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Galarian Star Tournament
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In the spin-off games
Pokémon Masters EX
- Main article: Raihan (Masters)
Pokémon Unite
Raihan and his Duraludon appear in Pokémon Unite as an enemy Trainer to fight during the Legacy Trainer Showdown event between September 9, 2022 and October 6, 2022.
Artwork
Concept art from Sword and Shield |
Sprites
Icon from the Galarian Star Tournament menu |
League Cards
Raihan's League Card in Sword and Shield |
Raihan's rare League Card in Sword and Shield |
Quotes
- Main article: Raihan/Quotes
In the anime
Main series
Prior to his introduction to the series, Raihan entered the current World Coronation Series competition just to challenge Leon. During the current season, Raihan was skilled enough to grow rapidly in his rank, soon entering the Master Class.
In Toughing It Out!, Raihan had a battle against Leon during the World Coronation Series in Wyndon. His Duraludon battled Leon's Charizard only to be defeated after a tough battle between the two Trainers. After Leon's victory, Raihan reiterated his goal to defeat him.
Raihan reappeared in a flashback in Sword and Shield, Slumbering Weald!.
In Sword and Shield: "From Here to Eternatus!", Raihan helped Sonia against a group of Macro Cosmos employees who had accosted her outside the Energy Plant and Hammerlocke Stadium. In the following episode, he easily defeated them and then left Sonia so he could take care of rampaging Dynamax Pokémon in the area. After Goh caught Eternatus and the Darkest Day ended, he and Duraludon were seen looking on as the Kommo-o they were battling reverted back to its normal state.
Raihan made a cameo appearance at the end of Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start! while watching Ash's World Coronation Series match against Volkner.
In The Sweet Taste of Battle!, Raihan met Ash and Goh when they all visited Ballonlea for Opal's All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge. He was reluctant to participate, but did so anyway as Opal refused to let him just walk away. However, Raihan's cake ultimately lost to Ash's. He then stayed to watch the battle between Ash and Opal. After the battle, Raihan participated in eating the cakes decorated during the contest, finding Ash's cake very tasty.
Raihan appeared in a fantasy in Battling Turned Up to Eleven!, along with other Masters Eight Trainers.
In Big Brother to the Rescue!, Ash got notified that his next match would be up against Raihan. In Catching the Aura of Fate!, Raihan noted his surprise that Ash had climbed through the ranks so quickly and began training for the match, declaring his intention to be the one to defeat Leon.
Ash and Raihan battled at the Hammerlocke Stadium in Aim For The Eight!. Utilizing his weather strategies, Raihan quickly started to overwhelm Ash. However, Raihan was ultimately defeated, causing his and Ash's ranks to swap places and Ash rising to the Master Class. Raihan took a commemorative photo with Ash and told him to not lose until he'd get a chance to defeat him and Leon.
Character
Like his game counterpart, Raihan has a strong rivalry with Leon, and it is the real reason he entered the World Coronation Series. As expected of a Masters Eight member, Raihan is an exceptional Trainer, being able to enter the Master Class shortly after the current season of the competition begins and is strong enough to knock out several Pokémon from Rose's associates with a single move.
Raihan is also very flirtatious, as seen when he defended Sonia from Rose's associates, during which he called her a "beautiful woman". After fending off Rose's crew, Raihan remarked that he would have asked Sonia out on a date if the circumstances weren't critical and also referred to her as a "lovely lady". This attitude of Raihan over time proved to be a disguise for his real feelings, so Raihan after being defeated by Leon started taking selfies to portray his true emotions.
Pokémon
This listing is of Raihan's known Pokémon in the anime:
On hand
Debut | Toughing It Out! |
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Voice actors | |
Japanese | Yūichi Nakamura |
English | Billy Kametz |
Duraludon is Raihan's first known Pokémon, as well as his ace. It is capable of Gigantamaxing. Raihan used it in his battle against Leon, where it went up against Charizard, only to be defeated.
In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!, Raihan used Duraludon to defeat the Pokémon of Oleana's subordinate and other Macro Cosmos employees. Later, after the Darkest Day ended, Duraludon was seen battling a Dynamaxed Kommo-o.
In Aim For The Eight!, Duraludon was the final Pokémon used in Raihan's World Coronation Series match against Ash, where it went up against Lucario. Despite its powerful Max Moves, Duraludon was defeated by Lucario's giant Aura Sphere.
Duraludon's known moves are Metal Claw, Iron Defense, Stone Edge, Steel Beam, and Breaking Swipe.
As a Gigantamax Duraludon, it can use Max Rockfall, Max Steelspike, and G-Max Depletion.
Debut | Aim For The Eight! |
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Flygon is Raihan's second known Pokémon. It was the first Pokémon that Raihan used in his World Coronation Series match against Ash, where it went up against his Dragonite and won, before losing to Gigantamax Gengar.
Flygon's known moves are Dragon Claw, Steel Wing, Sandstorm, and Crunch.
Debut | Aim For The Eight! |
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Goodra is Raihan's third known Pokémon. It was the second Pokémon that Raihan used in his World Coronation Series match against Ash, where it went up against his Gigantamax Gengar. The confrontation between the two Pokémon eventually led to a double knockout.
Goodra's known moves are Rain Dance, Thunder, Surf, and Hydro Pump.
Temporary
Debut | The Sweet Taste of Battle! |
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Voice actors | |
Japanese | |
English | Ryan Bartley |
Raihan borrowed an Alcremie from Opal to take part in the All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge.
None of Alcremie's moves are known.
Traveling with
Rotom Phone |
Achievements
World Coronation Series
Raihan has competed in the World Coronation Series. His rank and class are as follows:
- Rank 7* (Master Class; prior to Toughing It Out!)
- Rank 8 (Master Class; Big Brother to the Rescue!)
- Rank 9 (Ultra Class; Aim For The Eight!)
Pokémon competitions
- All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge - Participant (The Sweet Taste of Battle!)
Voice actors
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Artwork
Official artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork from Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Official artwork for Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Pokémon: Twilight Wings
In Early-Evening Waves, Raihan was briefly seen on a magazine cover. In Sky, Raihan had a battle against Leon at Wyndon Stadium.
In The Gathering of Stars, Raihan was seen at Hammerlocke Stadium with his Flygon, receiving an invitation letter for the Galarian Star Tournament from Leon. He was later seen at Wyndon Stadium, walking out onto the field for the tournament's opening ceremony.
Pokémon
This listing is of Raihan's known Pokémon in Pokémon: Twilight Wings:
On hand
Debut | Sky |
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Voice actors | |
Japanese | |
English | Allegra Clark |
Debut | Sky |
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Flygon was used during the battle between Leon and Raihan. It defeated Leon's Aegislash and then went up against his Dragapult. It reappeared in The Gathering of Stars.
Flygon's known moves are Stone Edge and Draco Meteor.
Debut | Sky |
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Traveling with
Rotom Phone |
Achievements
Pokémon competitions
- Galarian Star Tournament - Participant (The Gathering of Stars)
GOTCHA!
Raihan briefly appeared in GOTCHA!.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Raihan debuted in Gulp Gulp!! Pokémon. He was first seen at the gates of Hammerlocke, speculating on which Trainers would be able to earn the right to face him in the Gym Challenge. Later, in front of the Hammerlocke gate, Raihan met Henry Sword, who had come to see the vault. After a short battle that ended in Raihan's victory, Raihan took Henry to the vault, only for them to find Sonia under attack by a wild Oranguru. By teaming up, Raihan and Henry managed to calm Oranguru down.
In PASS17, when large rumbling came from the Hammerlocke Energy Plant, Raihan had Leon and Sonia move citizens to safety while he went inside to investigate. There, he encountered Rose and Oleana, who admitted they were experimenting with Wishing Stars to find a new source of electricity and prevent an energy crisis a thousand years away. Raihan agreed to keep what he learned secret, but questioned Rose's real intentions, noting that the Wishing Stars Rose had looked like an offering to something.
In PASS22, Raihan traveled to Spikemuth, where he met with Piers to discuss Rose's decision to disqualify Bede from the Gym Challenge. A loud sound coming from Route 9 Tunnel interrupted their conversation, and when Raihan and Piers went to investigate, they encountered a crashed Flying Taxi and Leon, who rescued the driver and the passenger, Sonia. While Raihan and Leon took the victims to a hospital in Hammerlocke, Piers was entrusted with a device Sonia meant for Casey Shield.
In PASS25, the Gym Leaders gathered at Rose Tower to find out if Rose intended on bringing harm to Galar. Raihan met with Leon, Sonia, and Nessa in Hammerlocke. They planned to join the others in Wyndon, only for Rose to unleash Eternatus and restart the Darkest Day. Power Spot lights began appearing all over the region, causing Pokémon to start Dynamaxing at random. Raihan's group and Henry's group later reunited at the Energy Plant, where they found Rose ecstatic that his plan was a success.
Rose explained he meant no harm to Galar and sent Sordward and Shielbert to defeat Eternatus and prevent the Darkest Day from spiraling out of control. Despite their claims of being descendants of the heroes that once stopped the Darkest Day, Sordward and Shielbert were unable to win, forcing Rose to take their place. Oleana explained that Rose's actions were for the benefit of Galar and requested that everyone help stop Eternatus. The group agreed and made their way to the summit, where they found Rose had already been defeated. By teaming up, Raihan, Piers, Leon, Hop, Marnie, Nessa, and Melony managed to take Eternatus down, only for it to get back up and unleash its Eternamax form. Eternatus easily overwhelmed everyone, but they were saved by Zacian and Zamazenta.
The two Pokémon attempted to use the Rusted Sword and Shield, only for Eternatus to snatch the items and Henry out of the air. Zacian and Zamazenta struck Eternatus with a double Giga Impact, causing a massive explosion of energy and light. Once the light cleared, Henry, Zacian, Zamazenta, and Eternatus had all vanished. Raihan and everyone injured from the explosion were all taken to recover from the effects of Eternatus's poison.
Pokémon
On hand
Debut | Gulp Gulp!! Pokémon |
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Duraludon is Raihan's first known Pokémon. It was first seen with its Trainer as he wondered about the Trainers participating in the Gym Challenge. Later, he used it to battle Dynamax Pokémon that were rampaging due to the Darkest Day.
None of Duraludon's moves are known.*
As a Gigantamax Duraludon, it can use G-Max Depletion.*
Debut | Thump!! The Gazing Sage |
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Sandaconda is Raihan's second known Pokémon. It was first used in Raihan's battle against Henry, where it emerged victorious.
Sandaconda's known moves are Sandstorm, Skull Bash, and Slam.
Debut | PASS17 |
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Goodra is Raihan's third known Pokémon. It was first used to help Raihan sneak into the Energy Plant.
None of Goodra's moves are known.
Debut | PASS17 |
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Flygon is Raihan's fourth known Pokémon. It was first used to help Raihan sneak into the Energy Plant. It was later used to battle Eternatus on the Tower Summit.
Flygon's only known move is Dragon Rush.
Borrowed
Charizard is one of Leon's Pokémon. Raihan borrowed it to transport an injured Cabbie to a hospital in Hammerlocke.
Traveling with
Rotom Phone |
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Raihan appeared in Toughing It Out!, where Raihan battled Leon for the title of Monarch in the World Coronation Series. Just like in the anime, he was defeated after an intense battle.
Pokémon
This listing is of Raihan's known Pokémon in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series manga:
Debut | Toughing It Out! |
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Duraludon is Raihan's only known Pokémon, as well as his ace. It is capable of Gigantamaxing. Raihan used it in his battle against Leon, where it went up against Charizard, only to be defeated.
Duraludon's known moves are Metal Claw, Stone Edge, and Steel Beam.
As a Gigantamax Duraludon, it can use Max Rockfall and Max Steelspike.
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Raihan in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Raihan's Pokémon Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats. | |||||||
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Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
Duraludon V | Evolving Skies | 198/203 | Skyscraping Perfection | 076/067 | |||
Duraludon | VMAX Climax | 253/184 | |||||
Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
Raihan | Su | Evolving Skies | 152/203 | Skyscraping Perfection | 063/067 | ||
Evolving Skies | 202/203 | Skyscraping Perfection | 077/067 | ||||
Evolving Skies | 224/203 | Skyscraping Perfection | 084/067 | ||||
S-P Promotional cards | 228/S-P | ||||||
VMAX Climax | 150/184 | ||||||
VMAX Climax | 259/184 | ||||||
S-P Promotional cards | 264/S-P | ||||||
Trivia
- In September 2022, it was confirmed that Take designed every one of the original Galar Gym Leaders, including Raihan.[5]
- Raihan's uniform number is "241", which can be read in Japanese as goroawase for 強い tsuyoi, meaning "powerful".
- Raihan and his Gym Trainers' uniforms resemble Lance's outfit from Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
- The anime references this by having Lance reveal that his outfit was based on said uniforms.
- Raihan is one of three Gym Leaders that are battled together in a Double Battle for a Gym Badge, the other two being Tate and Liza.
- When Raihan's Rotom Phone takes a picture of him during his Gigantamax animation, the photo's background will be of Hammerlocke Gym even if the battle is elsewhere, such as Wyndon Stadium.
Names
Language | Name | Origin |
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Japanese | キバナ Kibana | From 黄花藤 kibanafuji (common laburnum) and possibly 牙 kiba (fang) |
English | Raihan | From golden rain and golden chain (names for the common laburnum) |
German, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese |
Roy | From Laburnum anagyroides (scientific name of the common laburnum) and possibly roy (Middle French for king) |
Italian | Laburno | From laburno (laburnum) |
Korean | 금랑 Geumnang | From 금사슬나무 geumsaseunnamu and 노랑꽃등 norangkkotdeung (names for the common laburnum) |
Chinese (Mandarin) | 奇巴納 / 奇巴纳 Qíbānà | Transcription of his Japanese name |
Chinese (Cantonese) | 奇巴納 Kèihbānaahp |
References
Trainers in the World Coronation Series | ||||||||
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Pokémon the Series characters | ||||||||||||||
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See also: Pokémon Horizons characters |
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. |