Faba (anime)
| Faba ザオボー Sauboh | |
 Art from Sun and Moon series | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Blue |
| Hair color | Blond |
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Alola |
| Game counterpart | Faba |
| Anime debut | A Dream Encounter! |
| English voice actor | Daniel J. Edwards (SM043-SM132) Unknown (SM137-SM146) Kaiji Tang (JN112) |
| Japanese voice actor | Mitsuaki Madono |
Faba (Japanese: ザオボー Sauboh) is a recurring character who appeared in the Pokémon anime. He works at the Aether Foundation. At first, Faba acted antagonistically towards Ash and his classmates, in particular Lillie, but went on to become an ally.
History
Pre-series
Faba was revealed to be a founding member of the Aether Foundation in The Secret Princess, alongside Wicke, and the married couple Lusamine and Mohn. Following Mohn's disappearance during an Ultra Wormhole experiment, Faba remained at the Aether Foundation, serving as its Branch Chief.
Some time later, Faba worked on the creation of Silvally, a Pokémon created to combat Ultra Beasts. Although the project was a success, Faba lied to Lusamine and reported it to be a failure, keeping Silvally's existence a secret from her. Four years prior to the start of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, Faba secretly opened an Ultra Wormhole down in Aether Paradise's underground research area and successfully summoned a Nihilego.
However, when Lillie stumbled across the site, the Ultra Beast took notice of her and attempted to take her back with it. As Faba could only watch in horror, Lillie was saved by Silvally. The fear Lillie felt caused her to suppress her memories of the event. However, her traumatic emotions still remained, causing her to become unable to touch any Pokémon. Sometime after the incident, Faba put restrictions on Silvally by giving it a special limiter mask, reverting it to a Type: Null. Because of this mistreatment, Gladion ultimately stole Silvally from him.
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon
Faba debuted in A Dream Encounter!. He, along with Lusamine, Professor Burnet, and Wicke, investigated the Altar of the Sunne due to Ultra Aura being detected from that location. When they were unable to find anything, Faba blamed this on Burnet's equipment malfunctioning, only for Lusamine to point out his jealousy of Burnet. Later, after receiving another Ultra Aura response, Faba accompanied Lusamine and Professor Burnet to Professor Kukui's house on Melemele Island, where he met Ash and Nebby. He became upset with Lusamine when she entrusted Nebby to Ash, and for not letting the Aether Foundation take care of it instead.
In Deceiving Appearances!, Faba and Wicke welcomed Ash and his classmates to Aether Paradise. During their tour of Aether Paradise, he followed the group around to learn more about Nebby. Faba also began feeling troubled by Lillie making contact with Pokémon again, not wanting her to remember the incident that caused her fear. It was also revealed that he hired Team Rocket as Aether Foundation employees after taking a keen interest in their talking Meowth.
In Mission: Total Recall!, Faba traveled to Gladion's hotel room to take back Type: Null. After defeating Gladion's Pokémon in battle, he hypnotized Gladion and successfully retrieved Type: Null. Later that day, Faba noticed Lillie and Ash, wandering through Aether Paradise's lab area on a quest to remember the cause of Lillie's fear. Fearing that Lillie had regained her memories, Faba attacked her and Ash and attempted to erase her memories. However, he was stopped when Gladion and Lusamine arrived after having found Type: Null. Upon being sent out, Type: Null broke free from its helmet and evolved into Silvally, allowing it to easily defeat Faba's Pokémon. Seeing Silvally made Lillie remember everything and helped her overcome her fear. As Lillie celebrated being able to touch Pokémon again, Faba managed to sneak away.
Following his foiled scheme, Faba had been looked for, but could not be found. In Faba's Revenge!, he was seen watching Ash and his classmates at the Pokémon School. He planned on kidnapping Nebby to open an Ultra Wormhole and catch an Ultra Beast in order to restore his honor. While everyone's attention was elsewhere, Faba managed to lure Nebby away from the group and tricked it into teleporting them to Aether Paradise's lab area. He was soon confronted by Ash, Lillie, Gladion, and Lusamine who successfully managed to free Nebby from the machine before he was able to successfully open up an Ultra Wormhole. However, Nebby then evolved into Cosmoem, radiating enough Ultra Aura for a wormhole to appear, summoning a Nihilego. As Faba stared in admiration, Nihilego knocked him aside before engaging in battle with the others, eventually succeeding in taking Lusamine with it into the Ultra Wormhole. In the next episode, when Faba was confronted by Wicke and Burnet about Lusamine's capture, he desperately attempted to pin the blame of the incident on Lusamine herself.
After Lusamine's rescue, Faba attended Kukui and Burnet's wedding in The Professors' New Adventure!. He apologized to Ash and his classmates for his actions and revealed that he was demoted and made into Wicke's subordinate. He was then asked to show the group details of the Ultra Guardians, a task force dedicated to dealing with any potential Ultra Beast incidents.
In Dummy, You Shrunk the Kids!, Faba was invited to be a special teacher at the Pokémon School to teach about science. He showed off his new invention, which could shrink objects, allowing them to be placed in Poké Ball-like capsules. Faba attempted to demonstrate it on a blackboard, only for the machine to malfunction, which resulted in Ash, Lillie, and Sophocles getting shrunk. A subsequent accident caused them to be swept away from the school. Whilst the others set off to find Ash, Lillie, and Sophocles, Faba stayed behind to make repairs on his machine with help from the Rotom Pokédex. After Ash, Lillie, and Sophocles were returned to their normal sizes, Faba attempted to demonstrate his machine once more, which resulted in Togedemaru growing in size.
In The Shape of Love to Come!, Faba was seen with Lusamine and Wicke, when Ash, Professor Burnet, and Professor Kukui called the Aether Foundation to inform them about Poipole's habit of putting its feelings into its drawings. While Wicke thought it was romantic, Faba was disappointed that it wasn't really "scientific".
In Filling the Light with Darkness!, mysterious dark clouds appeared over Alola, leaving all of the adults tired and without motivation. After doing some research, Faba, Lusamine, Wicke, and Burnet, found out that the cause of the incident was a small Ultra Wormhole that was slowly draining Alola's Ultra Aura. The Ultra Guardians were sent to the Altar of the Sunne, where, under Faba's instruction, the members with Z-Rings combined their Z-Power to fuel his machine that could disperse the clouds and reveal the hidden Ultra Wormhole. In the next episode, he and the others witnessed Lunala and Necrozma emerging from the wormhole. He was later seen arriving at Melemele Island, along with Lusamine, Wicke, and Burnet. While everyone was later watching Lunala recover in the Ultra Guardians base, Faba informed them of Team Rocket's Matori Matrix.
After the Ultra Guardians left for Ultra Space with a fully recovered Lunala in The Prism Between Light and Darkness!, Faba and Professor Kukui volunteered to aid them. On Ten Carat Hill, he and Kukui confronted the Matori Matrix by using their Pokémon to damage the team's airship and prevent them from entering the Ultra Wormhole. Afterwards, Faba and Kukui faced Gozu and his Mega Aggron in battle, but their Pokémon were swiftly beaten. In the next episode, Faba didn't own any more Pokémon, forcing Kukui to sent out his Incineroar, who was able to defeat Mega Aggron with its Malicious Moonsault. Faba quickly figured out Kukui's secret identity upon noticing the resemblance between him and the Masked Royal, and revealed he was a big fan of the Masked Royal. He and Kukui then witnessed Tapu Koko attacking Team Rocket's airship, after which the team retreated. Faba later joined the rest of Alola in showering Necrozma with light so it could revert to its true form. After Necrozma had returned to its Ultra form, Faba watched as the Ultra Guardians, Nebby, and Lunala returned to Alola, alongside Kukui, Lusamine, Burnet, and Wicke.
In Turning the Other Mask!, Faba and James participated in a handshake event held by the Masked Royal. Later, the two headed backstage, hoping to get an autograph, only to discover Molayne preparing to change into the Masked Royal costume to cover for Kukui. Mistaking him for an impostor, Faba and James attacked Molayne and tied him up. When Mad Magmar appeared, demanding the Masked Royal face him in a rematch, Faba took on the Masked Royal persona and tried to battle him with Incineroar, only to be easily defeated. Later, after Mad Magmar had been defeated, Faba woke up in the bleachers and tried to resume the fight, only to discover that it was over, however, he then found out that the Masked Royal autographed his prized Masked Royal T-shirt, making him very happy.
In Don't Ignore the Small Stufful!, Faba encountered Team Rocket, who had secured jobs at the Aether Foundation thanks to Wicke. He was suspicious of them at first, but Wicke spoke up for them. Later, Faba discovered a list of potential Pokémon targets that Team Rocket had. He then realized that a Stufful was unaccounted for and alerted Wicke. They later found Stufful clinging to Jessie's hair, accused them of stealing Stufful, and didn't believe their excuses after they ran. Faba then watched as Bewear arrived to collect Team Rocket and was reunited with Stufful, who was its child, in the process.
In Chasing Memories, Creating Dreams!, Faba initially did not want to participate in the upcoming Alola League, due to preferring to be a spectator. However, he later expressed interest in the prospect and ultimately decided to join after learning that the winner would get to fight the Masked Royal.
He was among the 151 Trainers taking part in the Battle Royal preliminary round of the Manalo Conference in Battle Royal 151!, using his Alakazam. In the end, Faba was among the Trainers to progress to the Top 16. The match-ups for the next round revealed that he would be battling Ash, prompting Faba to start thinking of a strategy to defeat him.
In the following episode, Faba faced off against Ash in the first match of the Manalo Conference, using his Hypno. Having spied on Ash the night before, Faba assumed Ash's Meltan was the weakest member of his team and had Hypno ensure that Ash had to battle with Meltan instead of Pikachu as Ash had originally intended. But it backfired when Meltan ate part of Hypno's pendulum rendering Hypno powerless, and Hypno was soon defeated, eliminating Faba from the competition. Faba then continued to make appearances throughout the Manalo Conference, watching the battles alongside Lusamine, Professor Burnet, and Wicke.
In Enter the Champion!, Faba attended the award ceremony for Ash's victory, only for it to be interrupted when three Guzzlord arrived at the stadium through wormholes. In Z-Move Showdown!, Faba helped monitor the situation while Ash, his classmates, Gladion, Hau, Kukui, and the island kahunas teamed up to defeat the Junkivore Pokémon and send them back to Ultra Space. Following the incident, he watched the exhibition match between Ash and Professor Kukui, enthusiastically cheering for the latter.
In Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues!, Faba bade farewell to Lusamine and her children when they left on their journey to find Mohn. He was later seen working at Aether Paradise alongside Wicke and Rotom.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
In Helping the Hometown Hero!, Faba greeted Lusamine and her family on their return to Alola and was reunited with Mohn. The next day, he and Wicke acted as commentators during the Battle Royal match between Professor Kukui, Ash, Gladion, and Kiawe.
Character
When Faba first appeared, he was rather mean-spirited, constantly trying to grab Nebby. Realizing that his past actions involving Nihilego may be revealed, Faba took measures to prevent it from happening by ruthlessly attacking Gladion and Ash, whilst preparing to wipe Lillie's memories of the incident. He later apologized profusely for his actions and was forgiven. Faba has since become a trusted ally for the Ultra Guardians and the Aether Foundation.
A different side to Faba was shown in Securing the Future!, when he realized that Professor Kukui was in fact the Masked Royal. He revealed that he was a big fan and honored Kukui's request to keep his identity secret.
Faba is a bit clumsy, as seen in Beauty is Only Crystal Deep!, when he attempted to show off an invention that would allow the Ultra Guardians to catch Pheromosa, only to get stuck on the glue himself. His attempts to free himself failed until Wicke suggested that he take off his jacket.
Faba tends to use sneaky tactics in battle. This was seen in Battling Besties!, where he had Hypno use its Psychic powers to ensure Meltan was sent out to battle instead of Pikachu like Ash originally intended.
Pokémon
This listing is of Faba's known Pokémon in the anime:
| の | This article is missing information on this character's Japanese voice actor. You can help by adding this information. |
On hand
| Debut | Mission: Total Recall! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | |
| English | Bill Rogers |
Alakazam is Faba's first known Pokémon. It was first used alongside Hypno to battle Gladion's Umbreon and Lycanroc. It was able to defeat Umbreon using a combination of Miracle Eye and Psychic. It was later used to stop Ash from saving Lillie, but was defeated by Gladion's Silvally. It reappeared in a flashback in Faba's Revenge!. In The Professors' New Adventure!, it attended the wedding of Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet with Faba.
In The Prism Between Light and Darkness!, Alakazam battled Gozu alongside Hypno and Professor Kukui's Braviary, only to be hit by his Mega Aggron's Heavy Slam. Alakazam briefly reappeared in Securing the Future!, where it was recalled into its Poké Ball after being defeated.
In Battle Royal 151!, Faba used Alakazam in the Battle Royal preliminary round of the Manalo Conference, where it was seen defeating a Boldore. Alakazam was among the 16 Pokémon left fighting, allowing Faba to progress to the next round.
Alakazam's known moves are Miracle Eye, Psychic, Teleport, and Shadow Ball.
| Debut | Mission: Total Recall! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Sunshine Ikezaki |
| English | Jake Paque |
Hypno is Faba's second and only other Pokémon. It was first used alongside Alakazam to battle Gladion's Umbreon and Lycanroc. It was able to incapacitate both Lycanroc and its Trainer using Hypnosis. Faba had planned to use Hypno's Hypnosis to erase Lillie's memories of the Ultra Beast incident, but it was stopped by Ash's Pikachu and eventually defeated by Gladion's Silvally. In The Professors' New Adventure!, it attended the wedding of Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet with Faba.
In The Prism Between Light and Darkness!, Hypno battled Gozu alongside Alakazam and Professor Kukui's Braviary, only to be hit by his Mega Aggron's Heavy Slam. Hypno briefly reappeared in Securing the Future!, where it was recalled into its Poké Ball after being defeated.
In Battling Besties!, Faba used Hypno during his battle against Ash in the Manalo Conference. However, it was defeated by Meltan after it had eaten its pendulum.
Hypno reappeared in a flashback in Final Rivals!.
Created
| Debut | Rising from the Ruins! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Toru Sakurai |
| English | Abe Goldfarb |
- Main article: Gladion's Type: Null
Silvally was created by Faba in order to combat Ultra Beasts. Due to an incident where it caused Lillie's fear of touching Pokémon, it was given a special limiter mask, reverting it to a Type: Null. It was later taken by Gladion and added to his team.
Temporary
| Debut | Pushing the Fiery Envelope! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Toru Sakurai |
| English | H.D. Quinn |
- Main article: Professor Kukui's Incineroar
Masquerading as the Masked Royal, Faba sent Incineroar to battle Mad Magmar and his Magmortar, only to be quickly defeated.
Achievements
Pokémon League
Faba has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:
- Manalo Conference - Top 16 (Battling Besties!)
Voice actors
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Trivia
- In promotional material for the Manalo Conference, Faba was given the title of (Japanese: アローラの発明王 Alola's inventor king).
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ザオボー Sauboh | From Saubohne (German for faba bean) |
| English | Faba | From faba bean |
| French | Saubohne | From Saubohne (German for faba bean) |
| German | Fabian | From Vicia faba (faba bean) |
| Italian | Vicio | From Vicia faba (faba bean) |
| Spanish | Fabio | From Vicia faba (faba bean) |
| Korean | 자우보 Jaubo | Transliteration of Japanese name |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 扎奧博 / 扎奥博 Zhā'àobó | Transliteration of Japanese name |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 扎奧博 Jaat'oubok | Mandarin-based transliteration of Japanese name |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Fábio | From Vicia faba (faba bean) |
| Russian | Фаба Faba | Transcription of English name |
| Thai | เซาโบ Sauboh | Same as Japanese name |
Related articles
 Aether Foundation
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| Aether Bases (Heahea City • Route 8 • Route 16) • Aether Paradise • Aether House | |||||
| President | Branch Chiefs | ||||
| Lusamine (Masters • anime) |
Wicke | Faba (anime) | |||
| Other members | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aether Foundation Employees | |||||
| Related | |||||
| Mohn • Lillie (Masters • anime) • Gladion (Masters • anime) | |||||
| In Pokémon the Series | |||||
| Former members: Jessie • James • Meowth Ultra Guardians: Ash • Lana • Kiawe • Lillie • Sophocles • Mallow • Gladion | |||||
See also: Team Skull • Ultra Recon Squad
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| Trainers in League Conferences | ||||||||||||||
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
