Raoul Contesta
| Raoul Contesta コンテスタ Contesta | |
 Raoul Contesta | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | Hoenn, Kanto, Sinnoh |
| Anime debut | All Things Bright and Beautifly! |
| English voice actor | Mike Pollock (AG035-AG144, DP161-DP177) Craig Blair (AG151-DP155) |
| Japanese voice actor | Kōichi Sakaguchi |
Raoul Contesta (Japanese: コンテスタ Contesta), often referred to as Mr. Contesta, is a recurring character who appeared in the Pokémon anime. He is the Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee and, along with Mr. Sukizo and Nurse Joy, one of the judges of Pokémon Contests. He first appeared in All Things Bright and Beautifly!.
In the anime
History
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
Raoul Contesta debuted in a non-speaking appearance in All Things Bright and Beautifly!. At the start of the Rustboro Contest, the announcer introduced him as the Director of the Contest Committee. During the Appeals Round, he was less than pleased to see Mademoiselle Jessica failing to show off the attacks of her Seviper. As a result, he gave her a zero for her performance.
In Win, Lose or Drew!, Mr. Contesta was impressed by Drew's performance in the Slateport Contest, saying he and his Roselia had made great use of the entire stage. He also commended Robert's appeal, as he felt that Milotic's use of Safeguard was awe-inspiring. In Come What May!, he got up from his chair showing indignation and disqualified a disguised Jessie for cheating, urging her to leave the Contest Hall immediately. At the end of the episode, he congratulated May for her victory and gave her the Fallarbor Ribbon.
In Cruisin' for a Losin', Mr. Contesta―along with his fellow judges―ruled Battle Off for May's Bulbasaur during her match against Savannah's Lairon in the Rubello Town Pokémon Contest. When May said she wasn't done fighting, he assisted Nurse Joy in addressing May's lack of concern for the well-being of her Pokémon, saying that a Pokémon's health must be the number one priority of a Coordinator, not winning.
In The Ribbon Cup Caper, Mr. Contesta was seen inspecting the damage done to the Ribbon Cup by May's Munchlax. After listening to May's apologies, he said the Ribbon Cup should never have broken so easily and realized that the one on display was actually a fake. Having no Ribbon Cup to reward the winner and no time to make another, Mr. Contesta considered canceling the Hoenn Grand Festival. However, Officer Jenny pointed out that the thief who had stolen the Ribbon Cup couldn't have escaped as they were in the middle of the ocean. With help from Ash and his friends, she was able to find Brodie and retrieve the Ribbon Cup. After that, a grateful Mr. Contesta said the Grand Festival could go on as planned.
In Deceit and Assist, Mr. Contesta was unimpressed by May's Skitty's performance in the main Appeals Round of the Hoenn Grand Festival. He commented that, by repeatedly using Assist, May was displaying the skills of her other Pokémon rather than Skitty's talents. Despite that, the score he and the other judges gave May was enough to place her among the 32 Coordinators moving on to the Contest Battles.
Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
In Throwing the Track Switch, Mr. Contesta appeared on Marian's television show, during which Marian asked him about his opinion on the current circuit. Mr. Contesta praised Kenny, who earlier on the show had been revealed to have won the Sage Ribbon.
Character
Ever since the Rustboro City Pokémon Contest, Raoul Contesta has been seen judging every Pokémon Contest and related competitions, including the Grand Festival tournaments of Hoenn, Kanto, and Sinnoh, as well as the worldwide Wallace Cup. He is the Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee and the man behind the Pokémon Contests. As the Head Judge, Mr. Contesta is known to be fair but firm. He is usually the first one to comment on the Pokémon, and the one who offers advice to the Coordinators. He is also the one who presents the winning Coordinator with the prize Ribbon.
Voice actors
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In the manga
Ash & Pikachu
Raoul Contesta appeared in The Enchanting Pokémon Soul!.
Trivia
- In the English dub of the anime, Raoul Contesta is the second character to regain his original voice actor following the voice actor switch, the first being Giovanni.
- Both of these characters were voiced by Craig Blair before regaining their original voice actors.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | コンテスタ Contesta | From contest. |
| English | Raoul Contesta | From his Japanese name. |
| Spanish | Mariano* / Raoul Contesta | |
| Chinese | 康肯斯坦 Kāngkěnsītǎn | Transliteration of his Japanese name. |
Related articles
| Contest Judges | |||||
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
