Cliff (GO)

Cliff クリフ Cliff
"The Bighearted Ruffian"
Art from Pokémon GO
Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Eye color	Brown
Hair color	Black
Hometown	Unknown
Region	Unknown
Trainer class	Team GO Rocket Leader
Generation	VII, VIII, IX
Games	Pokémon GO
Member of	Team GO Rocket
Rank	Leader
Specializes in	Rock types

Cliff (Japanese: クリフ Cliff) is one of the Leaders of Team GO Rocket in Pokémon GO.

He has a short temper, and he is feared for his strength and his intolerance to disloyalty. However, he's also renowned at the same time for his big heart and kind soul.

Multiple of Cliff's in-game quotes note his loyalty to Team GO Rocket, with him stating that he "owes the boss [his] life" and that "Team GO Rocket saved [him]".

Starting June 10, 2023, Cliff began appearing at Gyms, taking them over in five-star Shadow Raids using Shadow Articuno. Defeating him allowed players to capture Shadow Articuno in the bonus challenge, with a possibility of it being Shiny.

History

Cliff was the first Team GO Rocket Leader encountered by one of Professor Willow's assistants. Blanche and Professor Willow, while testing an unsuccessful prototype of the Rocket Radar, were suddenly approached by Cliff, warning them that they were "encroaching on Team GO Rocket territory." Cliff told the two to retreat in a surprisingly gentle tone. Professor Willow and Blanche, unprepared for a battle, decided to return to the lab.

On November 5, 2019, Cliff sent the following message to Blanche:

"Blanche. You overthink.

You overcalculate.

You overcomplicate.

But can’t you see? It’s pretty simple. Your time as a leader is OVER!!!"

On November 12, 2019, Cliff was tracked down by Blanche using the Rocket Radar and was defeated in a one-sided battle.

On July 26, 2020, during Pokémon GO Fest 2020, Cliff battled Blanche. Blanche initiated the battle by sending out a Lapras, while Cliff sent a Shadow Tyranitar. Tyranitar used Stone Edge but Lapras retaliated with Hydro Pump. In the end, Blanche won the battle when Giovanni recalled Cliff to him along with the other Team GO Rocket Leaders.

Pokémon

Trainer Battles

Cliff uses a team of three Shadow Pokémon in a Trainer Battle, each independently and randomly selected from separate pools. During battle, Cliff will always use a Protect Shield whenever possible. Upon being defeated, Cliff will abandon one of the Shadow Pokémon used in battle.

The following lists the possible Pokémon used by Cliff since August 8, 2024. Green-colored cells denote the Pokémon that will be encountered during the bonus challenge. These Shadow Pokémon have a chance of becoming Shiny, as denoted by the icon.

For a historic list of Cliff's past Pokémon teams, see Team GO Rocket Leader (Trainer class)/Pokémon change history.

Leader Cliff Team GO Rocket Leader
#1	#2	#3

Shadow Raids

Cliff may control Gyms in five-star Shadow Raids, using the following Pokémon during specific times.

Pokémon	Boss CP	Catch CP	Availability
Articuno	40165	1604 - 1743 2005 - 2179	Saturday and Sunday, June 10 - August 27, 2023 Saturday and Sunday, February 3 - 25, 2024
Suicune	37761	1566 - 1704 1957 - 2130	Saturday and Sunday, May 4 - May 26, 2024

Gallery

Models

Model from Pokémon GO

Icons

Icon from Pokémon GO

Quotes

Main article: Cliff (GO)/Quotes

Trivia

• Tyranitar has always been one of Cliff's usable Pokémon.

Names

Language	Name	Origin
Japanese	クリフ Cliff	From cliff
English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Turkish	Cliff	Same as his Japanese name
Korean	클리프 Cliff	Transcription of his Japanese name
Chinese (Mandarin)	克里夫 Kèlǐfū	Transcription of his Japanese name
Chinese (Cantonese)	克里夫 Hākléihfū
Hindi	क्लिफ़ Cliff	Transcription of his Japanese/English name
Thai	คลิฟ Cliff	Transcription of his Japanese name

Related articles

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.