Explorers

This article is about the group from Pokémon Horizons. For the games, see Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.

Explorers エクスプローラーズ Explorers

The Explorers logo

Leader Gibeon Region Worldwide Admins Hamber, Amethio, Spinel, Onyx, Agate, Sango Major targets Liko, Terapagos, Roy, Black Rayquaza, Friede, Rising Volt Tacklers, Diana Base locations Unknown Anime debut The Pendant That Starts It All: Part One

The Explorers (Japanese: エクスプローラーズ Explorers) are a mysterious organization with a distant connection with Lucius that is after Liko's pendant, the Rising Volt Tacklers' sworn enemy, and the main antagonistic organization in Pokémon Horizons: The Series. As revealed in HZ034, the Explorers' goal is to find Rakua's location.

History

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Pre-series

Originally the Explorers was a group made of friends of Lucius. Although neither their purpose nor ensuing fate are known, the organization managed to exist in the present, well after Lucius passed away.

At some point in the past, Hamber joined the Explorers and approached Diana, an old friend of his, with an offer to join the organization under the pretext of introducing her to someone who could aid her adventures. However, this was actually an attempt to obtain her pendant, which she refused to hand over. After that, the Explorers decided to pursue the pendant until they found out that it was in the possession of Diana's granddaughter Liko, at which point they decided to find her in order to take it. Eventually, they were able to find Liko attending the Indigo Academy in the Kanto region.

Pokémon Horizons: The Series

Amethio battling Friede for the first time

The Explorers were introduced in The Pendant That Starts It All: Part One. With the goal of obtaining Liko's pendant, Amethio introduced himself as a supposedly representative of Liko's grandmother, requesting her to return the pendant. When Liko attempted to escape she was chased after, and eventually cornered by, Amethio, Zirc, and Onia. Upon the arrival of Friede, the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers, Amethio engaged in a battle with him. Their battle was cut short after Liko's pendant displayed an unknown power that shielded her from an incoming attack, which Friede used as an opportunity to escape with her. Having witnessed the pendant's mysterious power, the Explorers shifted their objective to acquiring both Liko's pendant and Liko herself, believing her to play a key role in the pendant's secrets.

Following an aerial chase of the Rising Volt Tacklers airship in the following episode, they managed to invade their enemy's ship, the Brave Olivine, where another battle between Amethio and Friede ensued. Due to a powerful Leafage from Liko's Sprigatito, the barrier around the battlefield broke, exposing everyone to the ongoing thunderstorm. This forced the Explorers to retreat, but not without taking Sprigatito as a hostage.

In For Sure! 'Cause Sprigatito's with Me!, Zirc managed to plant a tracker on the Brave Olivine while the ship was docked at the town where the Explorers were hiding out with Sprigatito. In the next episode, Amethio conferenced with Hamber, his superior, from his team's submarine. When asked if he had informed Gibeon, the Explorers' leader, about Liko's pendant, Amethio replied that he had not yet done so. The trio then set off to follow the Brave Asagi using the tracker's signal.

Gibeon communicating with Explorers leaders after Amethio's mission in Kanto

Amethio, Zirc and Onia attacked the Rising Volt Tacklers in Found You, Fuecoco! and The Ancient Poké Ball, in another major operation meant to steal Liko's pendant. They were forced to retreat when a Shiny Rayquaza appeared from Roy's ancient Poké Ball after the ball and pendant synced with each other. Later, Amethio was summoned to a meeting of the Explorers' leadership to give a report to Gibeon, where fellow Admin Spinel mocks him for his failure. Because of Amethio's acting on his own, Gibeon removed him from the mission and instead assigned Spinel to obtain the pendant. After the meeting, Amethio calmly decided to continue pursuing the Rayquaza, which had disappeared after his team's retreat.

Spinel confronting Friede in Paldea

Spinel was later seen spying on the Rising Volt Tacklers in HZ012, and in HZ013, he commenced his attack by using his fleet of Magneton to disable the Brave Asagi near Levincia , as well as using his other Pokémon to battle Friede and his Charizard to try and distract him, and briefly successfully obtains Liko's pendant thanks to his Beheeyem. In the subsequent episodes Spinel attempts to plan his escape with the pendant but the Rising Volt Tacklers comprising of Liko, Roy and Dot track him down and thwart his plans, managing to steal Liko's pendant back from him with the help of Lucius's Arboliva. After this setback, Spinel reports his failure to the rest of the Explorers, causing him to be mocked by some of the Admins such as Sango, after the meeting Spinel plans to continue with his mission.

In HZ021, Amethio, Zirc, and Onia arrived in Galar after tracking the black Rayquaza to the Galar Mine. Amethio informed the others that he would now be acting against Gibeon's orders by continuing to pursue Rayquaza, but they still insisted upon following him, which he accepted. In the following episode, Amethio, Zirc and Onia arrived at the Galar Mine as where they came across Liko, Roy, and Friede as they battled them. However, when a Galarian Moltres that had an Ancient Poké Ball arrive and attack them, Onia and Zirc retreated from their battle against Liko and Roy, as Moltres was too powerful for them to battle, while Amethio continued his Pokémon battle against Friede, with Charizard and Ceruledge fighting each other again. When Galarian Moltres showed up after chasing off Liko and Roy it immediately confronted Friede and Amethio, interrupting their battle. However, Amethio eventually retreated from Moltres in the next episode, and changed up his plans as he decided to also steal the mysterious Pokémon that formed from Liko's pendant.

In HZ024, Amethio, Zirc, and Onia reported their findings to Hamber. As Spinel and Agate were busy in the Explorers' laboratory, Hamber recruited Onyx and Sango to go to Galar with him, as he wanted to see the Pokémon for himself. After giving their report, Amethio, Zirc, and Onia followed Liko, Roy, and Friede to Diana's castle near Hammerlocke. Once they reached the old castle, the three Explorers surrounded their targets in order to take the Pokémon away.

Explorers' Admins gathered to discuss their next steps

In HZ025, the Explorers trio attempted to steal Terapagos but were stalled by Diana who confronted them with her Arcanine to let the others escape. Unbeknownst to all, Hamber, Sango, and Onyx were heading towards the castle as well. Amethio battled Friede with Ceruledge and Charizard facing off again, but was defeated when the opponent Terastallized his Pokémon. Meanwhile, Zirc and Onia confronted Liko and Roy, but the two youths were able to defeat them and win. Hamber and his Dusknoir approached and confronted Diana, while Sango and Onyx disobeyed his orders to standby and started wreaking havoc at the castle. The admin duo then confronted Liko and Roy, only for Captain Pikachu to arrive and rescue them, fending off their Glalie and Garganacl at once. Eventually Sango ordered her Glalie to use Self-Destruct, however the Rising Volt Tacklers were able to escape. In the aftermath of the battle, Onyx scolded Sango for her reckless behavior while Gibeon talked to Hamber about how their plans will eventually come into fruition despite the mission's failure.

In HZ027, the Explorers admins decided to meet in person for a meeting on their next move. Spinel also sent false information to Dot once again about the Black Rayquaza in order to slow down the Rising Volt Tacklers. During the meeting, Onyx and Sango suggested that they should face the Rising Volt Tacklers head on. However, Spinel believed that they shouldn't as it was too risky given his experience in battling with the younger members in Paldea which resulted in failure. Amethio then surprisingly agreed with him before suggesting that they should purse the Black Rayquaza instead to not only draw out the remaining Six Heroes, but also to stay ahead of the Rising Volt Tacklers. His fellow admins eventually agreed with him.

In HZ033, Amethio found the Black Rayquaza and battled it, but lost. After returning to base, Amethio asked Hamber to train him in order to become stronger, which he accepted. In the next episode, Amethio and Hamber trained by using their Ghost-type Pokémon. After the training, Amethio was given a Tera Orb by Hamber. Also, Agate and Spinel were watching through the latter's Beheeyem, as they decided to let them have their moment and continue their research on Terapagos in order to pursue the Black Rayquaza.

Notable Members

Main members

This is the list of Explorers members up to the most recent Japanese episode:

Member	Rank	Description	Debut
Gibeon	Boss	The boss of the Explorers who is mentioned for the first time in The Treasure After the Storm! and his voice is first heard in The Ancient Poké Ball. He has yet to make a physical appearance in the series, and speaks with his followers only via a holographic monolith that conceals his identity. His subordinates hold him in high, almost reverential regard, typically referring to him as "Master Gibeon," behaving in a highly deferential way when in his presence, and identifying the Explorers as "only existing to fulfill" his wishes.	The Ancient Poké Ball*
Hamber	Second-in-command	The second-in-command of the Explorers. He debuted in The Treasure After the Storm!, receiving progress reports from Amethio and his subordinates. In addition to his position as a commander in the organization, he acts as Gibeon's advisor and assistant.	The Treasure After the Storm!
Amethio	Admin	The very first admin in the Explorers to be introduced in the series.	The Pendant That Starts It All: Part One
Spinel	Admin	Spinel first appeared in The Ancient Poké Ball in a meeting with the other Explorers Admins. Upon seeing Amethio's flaws, Spinel started mocking him, doubting whether or not he actually saw the Black Rayquaza. Amethio and Spinel's squabbles were interrupted by Hamber before Gibeon decided to give Spinel the mission to investigate the Rising Volt Tacklers.	The Ancient Poké Ball
Sango Sango	Admin	Sango first silhouetted in The Ancient Poké Ball in a meeting with the other Explorers Admins. She first appeared properly in HZ016.	The Ancient Poké Ball
Onyx Onyx	Admin	Onyx first silhouetted in The Ancient Poké Ball in a meeting with the other Explorers Admins. He first appeared properly in HZ016.	The Ancient Poké Ball
Agate Agate	Admin	Agate first silhouetted in The Ancient Poké Ball in a meeting with the other Explorers Admins. She first appeared properly in HZ016.	The Ancient Poké Ball
Onia	Grunt	A grunt that works as a trio along with her partner Zirc and their superior, Amethio.	The Pendant That Starts It All: Part One
Zirc	Grunt	A grunt that works as a trio along with his partner Onia and their superior, Amethio.	The Pendant That Starts It All: Part One

Associates

This is listing of characters who aided the Explorers in their goals at some point during the events of Pokémon Horizons: The Series:

Bisharp's Trainer	Explorers' subordinates

Technology

Gadgets

• In The Pendant That Starts It All: Part Two, the trio used their watches to change into the organization's standard uniform.
• In For Sure! 'Cause Sprigatito's with Me!, Zirc planted a tracker in the husk of the Rising Volt Tacklers' airship. It was later found and destroyed by Quaxly in HZ006.
• In HZ014, Spinel communicated with his Pokémon using a small transceiver attached to them. He also used the transceivers in HZ016 to communicate with Liko, Roy, and Dot.

Watches	Tracker	Transceiver

Vehicles

• In The Treasure After the Storm!, Amethio contacted Hamber from a submarine. This submarine later made further appearances as Amethio, Zirc and Onia's method of transportation around the world.
• Spinel was seen using a van outfitted with high-tech surveillance equipment as a base of operations in multiple episodes.
• In HZ016, Spinel used a cargo ship docked in Levincia to transport his van from the city.
• In HZ025, Hamber, Onyx, and Sango traveled to Galar using an Explorers helicopter.

Submarine

Other

• In The Ancient Poké Ball and several subsequent episodes, the Explorers leadership are shown using a virtual reality space to meet with each other and give reports to Hamber and Gibeon. The individual members use hologram technology to project themselves into this space, which appears and disappears upon their entering and leaving it. While Hamber and the five Explorers admins move around and interact with each other in this space as if it is real, Gibeon speaks through a holographic monolith that stands at the center of the space.

Artwork

File:Amethyo Pokemon 2023 Expression Sheet.jpg
Official artwork of Amethio from Pokémon Horizons: The Series	Official artwork of Zirc and Onia from Pokémon Horizons: The Series
Official artwork of Spinel, Onyx, Agate, and Sango

Trivia

• The Explorers is the first villainous organization created specifically for the anime.
• The names of the members of the organization presented in the anime refer to gemstones and rocks used in the creation of jewelry.

Names

Language Title French Explorateurs German Entdecker Italian Esploratori Korean 익스플로러즈 Explorers Polish Pionierzy Portuguese Brazil Desbravadores Portugal Exploradores Spanish Exploradores

References

Explorers Boss: Gibeon Administrators: Hamber • Spinel Coral • Sidian • Chalce Agents: Onia • Zirc Former members: Amethio Related: Exceed • Laqua • Laquium

Villainous teams Core series: Team Rocket • Team Magma • Team Aqua • Team Galactic • Team Plasma Team Flare • Team Skull • Team Rainbow Rocket • Team Yell • Team Star Side series: Team Snagem • Cipher Spin-off games: Team Great Rocket • Phobos Battalion • Go-Rock Squad • Team Dim Sun • Team Debonairs Pokémon Pinchers • Dark Legion • The Rogers • Team GO Rocket • Team Break • Unitas Animation only: Explorers Manga only: Neo Team Rocket (Adventures) • Team Kings (Horizon)

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.