Proton
| Proton ランス Lance | |
 Art from HeartGold and SoulSilver by Takao Unno[1] | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Green |
| Hair color | Green |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Johto |
| Trainer class | Rocket GruntGSC ExecutiveGSCHGSS |
| Generation | IV |
| Games | Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, SoulSilver, Masters EX |
| Member of | Team Rocket |
| Rank | Executive |
| English voice actor | Clifford Chapin[2] (Masters EX) |
| Japanese voice actor | Shō Okumura (Masters EX) |
Proton (Japanese: ランス Lance) is one of the Team Rocket Executives introduced in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. In Generation II, Proton's role was filled by two separate characters: an ordinary Grunt in the Slowpoke Well and an unnamed Executive in the Goldenrod Radio Tower.
In the core series games
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Proton is first seen and battled in the Slowpoke Well, where Team Rocket is trying to cut off Slowpoke tails to make a profit. Later, the player meets and battles him for the second time in Goldenrod Radio Tower.
Proton is labeled as the scariest and cruelest of Team Rocket, yet also remains one of the more popular Executives. A Grunt in the Radio Tower admits to how she admires him. Proton seems to be very easily aggravated.
In Generation II, the character of Proton is, in reality, two characters: an ordinary grunt originally taking his place in Slowpoke Well and a Rocket Executive encountered in the Goldenrod Radio Tower. These two are amalgamated into Proton for Generation IV, who shares both their single Pokémon.
Pokémon
Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal
First battle
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Second battle
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Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
First battle
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Second battle
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In the spin-off games
Pokémon Masters EX
- Main article: Proton (Masters)
Proton forms a sync pair with Golbat in Pokémon Masters EX. Proton became a playable sync pair on September 6, 2023.
Proton first appeared as an NPC during the Johto chapter of the Villain Arc. He also made notable appearances later in the Villain Arc.
| Dex | Trainer | NDex | Pokémon | Type | Weakness | Role | EX role | Base potential | Availability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #180 | 
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Proton | #0042 | 
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Golbat♂ |
Flying
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Ice
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★★★★★☆EX | Variety Sync Pair Scout |
Gallery
Sprites and models
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| Grunt sprite from Generation II |
Sprite from Generation II |
Sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
VS sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
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| Overworld sprite from Generation II |
Overworld sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver | ||
Quotes
- Main article: Proton/Quotes
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Proton appears alongside the other three Executives. He, along with his teammates, take control of Team Rocket from Carr, saying that they will stay true to Giovanni's intentions.
While Petrel is tasked on finding the Plates related to Arceus, Ariana is tasked on stopping intruders from stopping them, Proton is tasked with finding the Sinjoh Ruins. While Ariana battles Crystal on Route 38, he and the other Executives arrive on the scene. Suddenly, Arceus appears in front of them and Crystal attempts to capture it, shocking the Executives in the process. Despite her tenacity, Crystal ultimately fails in capturing the Pokémon and is sent flying into a tree.
The Executives chase Arceus down and find it battling Gold at the Ruins of Alph. Once Arceus uses its powers and transports them all to the Sinjoh Ruins, the four Executives restrain Arceus and force it onto the Mystri Stage. Using its great powers, they force Arceus to create the legendary Pokémon Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina.
Believing they have pleased their boss, Giovanni, Proton, Ariana, and Archer begin tearing up. However, Silver distracts them by flying towards the Pokémon so Gold and Crystal can finish off the other legendary Pokémon. Once they do so, Arceus, now freed from its restraints, uses its powers to send Proton and the other Executives flying. During the final battle with Arceus, Proton stayed away from the fight by hiding behind a rock with his teammates. After the battle had ended, Proton left with the other Team Rocket members and Giovanni.
Pokémon
Weezing was seen alongside Proton when he was communicating with the Rocket Grunts about the Plates.
None of Weezing's moves are known.
Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure
Proton appears in The Revived Team Rocket where he arrives with some Team Rocket Grunts by the Slowpoke Well where they rob some Slowpoke in order to profit their tails. He cameos later on where Jō battles the grunts in Team Rocket's hideout in Mahogany Town.
Pokémon
| Debut | The Revived Team Rocket |
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Zubat was sent out to battle Jō's Totodile. It was simultaneously defeated in the end along with Koffing.
None of Zubat's moves are known.
| Debut | The Revived Team Rocket |
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Koffing was sent out to battle Jō's Totodile. It had the upper hand after Zubat gave piercing damage to Totodile. However, it got defeated along with Zubat in the end, not before being commanded to use Selfdestruct.
Koffing's only known move is Self-Destruct.
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Proton in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
| Related cards 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 | # |
| Team Rocket's Trickery | Su | Undaunted | 
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78/90 | Reviving Legends |
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076/080 |
| Tyranitar Constructed Standard Deck | 018/019 | ||||||
Trivia
- Proton's name was changed in the English, Spanish, and Italian localizations of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, presumably due to his original name matching that of Lance, who is present in the same games.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ランス Lance | From MGM-52 Lance, a surface-to-surface missile system used by the US Army |
| English | Proton | From Proton, an expendable launch system used for commercial and Russian government space launches |
| German, French, Vietnamese | Lance | From his Japanese name |
| Spanish | Protón | From his English name |
| Italian | Milas | From Milas, anti-submarine variant of the Italian Otomat missile |
| Korean | 랜스 Lance | From his Japanese name |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 蘭斯 / 兰斯 Lánsī | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 蘭斯 Làahnsī |
Related articles
References
 Team Rocket
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| Rocket Game Corner • Team Rocket Hideout • Viridian Gym • Team Rocket HQ • Rocket Warehouse | |||||
| Boss | Admins | ||||
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| Giovanni (Masters • Pocket Monsters) |
Archer (Masters) |
Ariana (Masters) |
Petrel (Masters) |
Proton (Masters) | |
| Other members | |||||
| Jessie (Masters) • James (Masters) • Meowth • Team Rocket Grunts (Rocket Siblings) • Scientists (Gideon) Grey (Golden Boys) • Kaede (How I Became a Pokémon Card) | |||||
See also: Pokémon the Series • Adventures • Team GO Rocket • Team Rainbow Rocket
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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. |
