Drayden
- Not to be confused with Drayton.
| Drayden シャガ Shaga | |
| "The Spartan Mayor" | |
 Artwork from Pokémon Black and White | |
| Age | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Eye color | Yellow |
| Hair color | White |
| Hometown | Opelucid City |
| Region | Unova |
| Relatives | Drayton (grandson) |
| Trainer class | Gym LeaderBB2W2 Pokémon TrainerB2W2 |
| Generation | V |
| Games | Black, White, Black 2, and White 2 |
| Member of | Unova League |
| Rank | Gym Leader |
| Leader of | Opelucid Gym |
| Badge | Legend Badge |
| Specializes in | Dragon-types |
| Animated series | Pokémon the Series: Black & White Pokémon Generations |
| Debut | Iris and Excadrill Against the Dragon Buster! (Pokémon the Series) The Uprising (Generations) |
| English voice actor | Mike Pollock (Pokémon the Series) |
| Japanese voice actor | Masaki Terasoma (Pokémon the Series) Masami Iwasaki (Generations) |
Drayden (Japanese: シャガ Shaga) is the Gym Leader of Opelucid City's Gym, known officially as the Opelucid Gym, and the mayor of Opelucid City. He specializes in Dragon-type Pokémon and gives the Legend Badge to Trainers who manage to defeat him. In Pokémon White, Iris held the title of Opelucid City Gym Leader instead.
In the core series games
Drayden appears in Pokémon Black and White where he is the mayor of Opelucid City. In Black, he is the Gym Leader of Opelucid City's Gym, the last Gym to be challenged by the player in the region. Trainers who defeat Drayden will receive the Legend Badge, along with TM82 (Dragon Tail).
In White, after defeating the Pokémon League, he will teach Draco Meteor to the player's Dragon-type Pokémon if they have high friendship. He can always be found in his home in Opelucid City since in this game, Iris takes his place as Gym Leader.
He also reappears at N's Castle where he and many of the other Unova Gym Leaders hold off the Seven Sages.
Drayden is said to train by wrestling with Pokémon.
Drayden returns once again as a Gym Leader in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, but as the player's seventh Gym challenge. The TM Drayden gives away remains the same.
After the Gym battle, Drayden takes the player to his home in Opelucid City and tells them about the legendary Dragon-type Pokémon Kyurem. Shortly afterwards, an explosion will be heard from outside, caused by the Plasma Frigate's ice cannon. Drayden sends out his Haxorus to crush the ice with Dragon Tail, but finds that it is unbreakable when Zinzolin shows up looking for the DNA Splicers. After rounding up all the Team Plasma Grunts and defeating Zinzolin in battle, the Shadow Triad shows up and steals the DNA Splicers, after which the player battles one of them. Even though the player wins, the Shadow Triad escapes with the Splicers. Cheren then shows up and Drayden tells the player to head to Humilau City.
Afterwards, he will be in the first floor of his home in Opelucid City, where he will offer to teach Draco Meteor to the player's Dragon-type Pokémon if they have high friendship.
In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Drayden is revealed to have a grandson named Drayton, who is a student at Blueberry Academy, a member of the BB League Elite Four, and its former Champion. He is also acquainted with Hassel of Paldea's Elite Four, whom he has told how his grandson has had to repeat the same year in the academy three times due to him slacking in class.
Pokémon
Pokémon Black
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Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
Gym battle
Easy Mode/Normal Mode
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Challenge Mode
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Pokémon World Tournament
Drayden uses three of these Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles, and all six in Triple Battles. He will always lead with his signature Pokémon, Haxorus.
Unova Leaders Tournament
Type Expert/World Leaders/Mix Master Tournament
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National Gymquirer
Pokémon Black and White
- Jingle: "Woo hoo! All right! It's 'The National Gymquirer'!"
- Page: "That's right! We collect the hottest gossip about Gym Leaders seen around town! Here is today's letter. From someone going by the name Madame Scale. Thank yooou! 'I'm from Opelucid City, and I just went home for the first time in a long time. I saw Drayden and Iris counting up a big handful of coins! Isn't that setting a bad example for kids, flaunting your wealth like that?' Hmmm... That's living the high life! But you know, the Opelucid Gym Badge is shiny like a coin... Maybe you saw wrong? 'The National Gymquirer'! We eagerly await your letters!"
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
- Jingle: "Woo hoo! All right! It's 'The National Gymquirer'!"
- Page: "That's right! We collect the hottest gossip about Gym Leaders seen around town! Here is today's letter. From someone going by the name Opelucitizen. Thank yooou! 'Drayden is a man among men who puts himself on the line to protect the people living in our city. He always gives his all, even in training. According to his training schedule I just happened upon, he does:'
- 1. 10,000 sit-ups
- 2. 10,000 push-ups
- 3. 10,000 squats
- Isn't that outrageous?' Huh... How old is that guy anyway? 'The National Gymquirer'! We eagerly await your letters!"
Gallery
Sprites
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| Sprite from Black |
Sprite from Black 2 and White 2 |
Overworld sprite from Generation V |
VS sprite from Generation V |
Quotes
- Main article: Drayden/Quotes
In the anime
Main series
Pokémon the Series: Black & White
Drayden debuted in Iris and Excadrill Against the Dragon Buster! in Iris's flashback, where he was introduced as a Dragon Master. He witnessed Iris and Excadrill in battle while visiting the Village of Dragons and congratulated her on her victory. Iris then quickly challenged Drayden to a battle, which he graciously accepted. However, the Dragon Master proved to be too powerful for the young Trainer and Iris and Excadrill lost. He appears to be acquainted with the village elder.
Drayden physically debuted in A Village Homecoming!, where he was introduced as the Opelucid Gym Leader; and again in the next episode, where he had a battle with Iris and won. Drayden was also revealed to be the President of the Opelucid Academy, a prestigious academy located in Opelucid City, where he handpicks the students to study at the academy. He appears to have an interest in Iris, and once scolded her at the academy for failing to recognize Fraxure's exhaustion during a battle. It was also revealed that Drayden had talked with the Elder, recommending Iris to go on a journey, and about the possibility of Iris one day becoming the Gym Leader of the Opelucid Gym.
Drayden made a cameo appearance in the ending credits of Genesect and the Legend Awakened.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Drayden reappeared in Thrash of the Titans!, meeting Ash and Goh when they arrived at the Opelucid Gym for Ash's World Coronation Series battle against Iris. When they entered the Gym, Drayden surprised Ash by revealing that Iris had become the Champion of Unova. He then joined Goh in watching the battle.
In The Fiery Road to Mastership!, Drayden was shown watching Iris's Masters Eight Tournament match against Cynthia.
Pokémon
This listing is of Drayden's known Pokémon in the anime:
| Debut | Iris and Excadrill Against the Dragon Buster! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Kenta Miyake |
| English | Tom Wayland |
Drayden's Haxorus appeared in Iris's flashback, where it battled her Excadrill and won. Excadrill's loss to Haxorus was what caused him to disobey Iris for many years.
It reappeared in Drayden Versus Iris: Past, Present, and Future!, where it battled Excadrill again. Both Pokémon fought a tough battle, which ended in a tie after a clash of Drill Run and Giga Impact.
Haxorus appeared in Thrash of the Titans! during a flashback of Drayden's battle against Iris.
Haxorus's known moves are Rock Smash and Giga Impact.
| Debut | Drayden Versus Iris: Past, Present, and Future! |
|---|---|
| Voice actors | |
| Japanese | Kenta Miyake |
| English | Marc Thompson |
Drayden used Druddigon as his second in his battle against Iris. It battled Iris's Dragonite, and after a very tough match, it finally emerged victorious with its Dragon Tail attack.
Druddigon was shown to be very strong, being able to withstand Dragonite's super effective Ice Beam and intercept it in the middle of a Dragon Rush.
Druddigon's known moves are Dragon Claw, Flash Cannon, Double Team, and Dragon Tail.
| Debut | Thrash of the Titans! |
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Axew watched the battle between Iris and Ash alongside Drayden. In The Fiery Road to Mastership!, Axew was shown watching Iris's Masters Eight Tournament match against Cynthia alongside its Trainer.
None of Axew's moves are known.
Voice actors
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Pokémon Generations
| の | This article is missing information on this character's English voice actor. You can help by adding this information. |
Drayden has appeared in two Pokémon Generations episodes. He made his first appearance in The Uprising, in which he was seen outside N's Castle trying to stop the Seven Sages. Together with several other Unova Gym Leaders, he battled the many Team Plasma Grunts to prevent them from achieving Team Plasma's goals.
He then reappeared in The Frozen World, in which he tried to protect Opelucid City from being attacked by Zinzolin and his army of Grunts. However, he was unsuccessful, as Colress was able to freeze the entire city using a cannon powered up by the Legendary Kyurem, while Zinzolin managed to get the DNA Splicers to further Team Plasma's nefarious plans.
Pokémon
This listing is of Drayden's known Pokémon in Pokémon Generations:
| Debut | The Uprising |
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Drayden's Haxorus first appeared in The Uprising, where it was seen battling against two Whirlipede belonging to a group of Team Plasma Grunts.
It reappeared in The Frozen World, where it battled against Team Plasma once again.
Haxorus's known moves are Dragon Tail and Dragon Pulse.
Voice actors
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GOTCHA!
Drayden briefly appeared in GOTCHA!.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Black & White arc
Drayden first appeared in The Mystery of the Missing Fossil as part of Black's imagination when he expressed his desire to defeat each of the Unova Gym Leaders.
He debuted in person in Finding Truth. Brycen informed him of the other Gym Leaders failing to protect the Dark Stone from the Shadow Triad, leading to them getting kidnapped. Fearing that Team Plasma may obtain Zekrom's power, Drayden decided the best option was to obtain Reshiram's power via the Light Stone. As he said this, the Light Stone rolled towards Black, choosing him as the next Hero of Truth.
In Decisions, Decisions, Drayden and Brycen met on the Tubeline Bridge while Black trained in order to wield the Light Stone. Brycen noted relying on Reshiram would make them no better than Team Plasma. Drayden replied that they had no other option strong enough to face a Legendary Pokémon like Zekrom. Later, Drayden properly introduced himself to Black, stating he expected great things from the boy. Afterward, Drayden left to do his own business and told Iris to stay with Black for the duration of his training in hopes that she would learn from it as well.
In The Cold Hard Truth, Drayden held a press conference in Opelucid City, where he revealed to the public that the Pokémon Association agreed to change the Pokémon League's opening date would be pushed up from three months to a week. Black was horrified to learn this news, as he believed it would be impossible to win his final Gym Badge in that amount of time.
In Dream a Little Dream, Drayden hosted the Pokémon League's opening ceremonies. Later, Black challenged Drayden to a Gym battle, pointing out that he still had until the tournament officially began to earn his final Badge. Drayden accepted the challenge and faced Black in a small hallway. Eventually, he was defeated, earning Black the Legend Badge and a place in the League tournament.
In Cold Hard Truth, Team Plasma launched their attack on the Pokémon League by summoning N's Castle from the depths of the earth. The castle surrounded the League building while several Team Plasma Grunts came out and cornered everyone. Drayden and Iris worked together to protect innocent bystanders from the Grunts. After Team Plasma was defeated, Drayden and the others watched as N and Zekrom flew off to parts unknown.
Black 2 & White 2 arc
Two years later, in Mr. Perfect, Drayden congratulated Cheren on becoming a teacher at the Aspertia City's Trainers' School. He revealed that he made Iris the Opelucid Gym Leader in order to focus on finding Black, who had been sealed in the Light Stone. He also revealed the existence of Kyurem and warned Cheren that the newly-resurfaced Team Plasma may be after it.
In Giant Chasm, Drayden helped free people trapped by ice created by Team Plasma's flying ship, the Plasma Frigate. He declined Kimi's suggestion to go and face Team Plasma, declaring that as a mayor, his main focus is keeping the public safe from harm.
Pokémon
| Debut | School of Hard Knocks |
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Druddigon is Drayden's only known Pokémon. It was first used to battle Iris's Fraxure, where it easily defeated its opponent. When Drayden was speaking to the press in front of his Gym, Druddigon roared at the crowd to get them to quiet down. During Drayden's Gym battle against Black, Druddigon went up against Black's Braviary, Brav. With its speed, Druddigon proved to be a powerful foe but was defeated when Brav opened a door to let in a blizzard, freezing Druddigon in place and leaving it wide open to an attack.
Druddigon's known moves are Dragon Tail, Dragon Rage, and Rock Climb, and its Ability is Sheer Force.
Drayden also has at least three other Pokémon in his arsenal as seen in the flashback in the battle against Iris.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Drayden appeared in Thrash of the Titans!.
Pokémon
 Axew |
Trivia
- Drayden's Japanese Leader title is スパルタン メイヤー.
- In Black and White, the only differences between Drayden and Iris's teams are the genders of their Pokémon and their Druddigon and Haxorus's Abilities: Drayden has an all-male team and his Druddigon has Rough Skin and his Haxorus has Rivalry, while Iris has an all-female team and her Druddigon has Sheer Force and her Haxorus has Mold Breaker.
- Drayden is currently the only Unova Gym Leader who is not present in Pokémon Masters EX as an NPC or a playable character.
- As he is the seventh Gym Leader to be challenged in Black 2 and White 2, Drayden is the only Dragon-type specialist Gym Leader who, in at least one case, is not the last faced by the player.
- This does not apply in Black, where he is the final Gym Leader to be challenged by the player.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | シャガ Shaga | From 射干 shaga (fringed iris), matching with Iris |
| English, Brazilian Portuguese | Drayden | From dragon and den (as in Dragon's Den) |
| German | Lysander | From lys (French for lily) or fleur-de-lys (royal symbol that resembles a stylized iris) and the Spartan general Lysander |
| Spanish | Lirio | From lirio (lily; iris) |
| French | Watson | From Watsonia (a genus belonging to the iris family) |
| Italian | Aristide | From Aristea (a genus belonging to the iris family) and possibly the Athenian statesman Aristides |
| Korean | 사간 Sagan | From 사간 (射干) sagan (blackberry lily) |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 夏卡 Xiàkǎ | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 夏卡 Hahkā | Mandarin-based transcription of his Japanese name |
| Vietnamese | Shaga | Transcription of his Japanese name |
Related articles
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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. |
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- Characters with an unknown English voice actor
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