Pokémon hunter
- This article is about the criminals who hunt and sell Pokémon. For the type of Trainer in the Generation III side series games, see Hunter (Trainer class).
A Pokémon hunter, also known as a Pokémon poacher (Japanese: ポケモンハンター Pokémon hunter), is typically a person who captures wild Pokémon, sometimes many of the same species at a time, to sell for profit. They often use exceptionally powerful Pokémon. Some Pokémon hunters also attempt to steal Pokémon from their Trainers.
For a list of Pokémon hunters, see Category:Pokémon hunters.
In the games
In the games, people who steal Pokémon are often referred to as Pokémon thieves. Relatedly, in the core series, if the player attempts to catch a Pokémon belonging to another Trainer, a message will appear, typically stating the phrase "Don't be a thief". This phrase is referenced by Looker in Pokémon Platinum. This is also referenced in the animated series in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series episode When a House is Not a Home!, where Goh's Rotom Phone says the phrase when he attempts to catch a Grookey that's already owned by someone else. In the side series, Team Snagem is a gang of Pokémon thieves that steal Pokémon from their Trainers using the Snag Machine.
Lorelei also refers to poachers in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
Hunters are occasionally referenced in Pokédex entries, although this is typically in reference to people hunting wild Pokémon in order to eat them, rather than poaching Pokémon for profit. However, exceptions apply, such as Persian being hunted for the valuable jewel embedded in its forehead.
In animation
Pokémon the Series
Team Rocket was the first major organization shown in the animated series to steal Pokémon for profit. The first major hunter to appear in a movie, the Iron-Masked Marauder, was also a member of Team Rocket. As the main antagonist of Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, he planned to use a sinister Poké Ball, called the Dark Ball, to capture and control Celebi.
Pokémon Hunter J was the first recurring Pokémon hunter in the series. She traveled through the Sinnoh region with her henchmen, stealing Pokémon on behalf of her clients, who often gave large sums of money in exchange. Like the Iron-Masked Marauder, she often used underhanded tactics and devious gadgets to achieve her goals.
Pokémon hunters tend to be far more dangerous than other villains in the series, as they typically have no qualms about having their Pokémon attack humans directly or using guns and other weapons to attack their target. This is most often shown by Hunter J, who in Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! Part 2 seemed to try to kill Ash repeatedly. Similarly, the Pokémon hunter Rico had his Pokémon attack Jessie and James in A Poached Ego!.
Notable hunters
The Power of Us
In The Power of Us, a movie which takes place in a separate continuity from Pokémon the Series, a pair of hunters appear as minor antagonists.
Pokémon Horizons: The Series
A group of hunters appeared in The Wild Pair, Friede and Cap!.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
A Pokémon poacher who was also a Bird Keeper appeared in Really Raikou & Entirely Entei (Part 1), later arrested by Falkner for trespassing a protected zone and rampant hunting of Pokémon.
Movie adaptations
Celebi: a Timeless Encounter
A Pokémon poacher and the Iron-Masked Marauder appeared in Celebi: a Timeless Encounter, serving similar roles to their appearance in Celebi: The Voice of the Forest.
Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us: Zeraora's Story
A trio of Pokémon hunters served as antagonists in Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us: Zeraora's Story, serving the same role as in The Power of Us.
Pokémon
 Scyther |
 Houndoom |
Pokémon Ruby-Sapphire
Red and his Pokémon encountered a hunter in A Visitor From Outer Space?!.
Pokémon
Swampert is the hunter's only known Pokémon.
Swampert's known moves are Brick Break, Tackle, and Water Gun.
In other languages
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Related articles
| Animated series-exclusive Trainer classes | ||
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