Spinel

Spinel スピネル Spinel
Spinel in the Mega Voltage arc
Age	Unconfirmed[1]
Gender	Male
Eye color	Pink
Hair color	Teal
Hometown	Unknown
Region	Unknown
Animated series	Pokémon Horizons: The Series
Debut	The Ancient Poké Ball
English voice actor	Matt Mercer
Japanese voice actor	Makoto Furukawa
Member of	Exceed
Rank	Researcher (prior to HZ006 - HZ089) Director (HZ089 - present)
Member of	Explorers
Rank	Admin (prior to HZ006 - HZ089) Boss (HZ089 - present)

Spinel (Japanese: スピネル Spinel^[2]) is a former admin and current leader of the Explorers, and the main antagonist of Pokémon Horizons: The Series starting with the Mega Voltage arc. He used to be an Exceed scientist who was recruited into the Explorers. After the events of Where the Adventure Leads, Spinel became the leader of the Explorers and the director of Exceed.

In animation

History

Pre-series

Years before becoming a member of the Explorers, Spinel was a researcher at Exceed. With a brilliant profile, he caught the attention of Gibeon who personally recruited him to his cause. This made him the only one of the Explorers Admins not to have an involvement with Hamber who was mainly responsible for training the organization's new talents.

Pokémon Horizons: The Series

Spinel first appeared as a hologram in The Ancient Poké Ball, in a meeting with the other Explorers Admins. Upon seeing Amethio's flaws, he started mocking him, doubting whether or not he actually saw the black Rayquaza. Amethio and Spinel's squabbles were interrupted by Hamber before Gibeon decided to give Spinel the mission to investigate the Rising Volt Tacklers.

Spinel made his physical debut in The Future I Choose, where it was revealed that he used his Magneton to jam the Rising Volt Tacklers' phone signals to prevent them from communicating with their Rotom Phones in the previous episode. Later, Spinel was shown spying on the Brave Olivine in order to analyze the Rising Volt Tacklers' skills as Trainers.

In An Unexpected Picnic!, Spinel used a large amount of Magneton to create another electrical interference, preventing the Brave Olivine from updating its flight systems, leaving it stranded near Levincia.

In Fly! Wattrel!!, Spinel had his Magneton and Beheeyem lead Friede into an ambush in Levincia, but had them retreat once Charizard Terastallized into a Dark type. Later, he lured Liko into the city with a false advertisement for a spice Murdock was looking to purchase. He cornered her in an alley and had his Beheeyem put Liko and her Sprigatito and Rotom Phone in a trance, allowing him to take her pendant without difficulty. In the following episode, Spinel was seen at his base of operations studying the pendant and tracking the movement of the Rising Volt Tacklers and Liko.

In Quaxly, We Can Do It, Spinel moved the van that served as his base to a cargo ship in Levincia's harbor, aiming to make a quiet getaway while the Rising Volt Tacklers were misdirected into pursuing a different ship. However, when he drove past Liko, Roy, and Dot, an Ancient Poké Ball in Liko's possession reacted to her pendant as he passed by with it. The three were able to follow him to the ship, where he sent Beheeyem and Magneton to corner Dot and her Quaxly, only for Liko and Roy to save her in time. When they were able to defeat his Pokémon with the combined forces of Sprigatito, Quaxly, and Fuecoco, Spinel was forced to send his Umbreon into battle, easily defeating his three opponents. The Ancient Poké Ball then reacted with Liko's pendant again, forcing Spinel to exit his van, which in turn allowed Liko and Sprigatito to reclaim the pendant from him. Spinel was left laughing maniacally before retreating at Umbreon's urging when Arboliva emerged from the ball to protect Liko and the others.

Later, Spinel was summoned to a meeting of the Explorers leadership to submit a report on his mission. He was antagonized for his failure by Coral, Chalce, and Sidian before Hamber brought the meeting to an abrupt ending when Spinel offered no information beyond the contents of his report. He then stepped out of his van and looked out over the ocean, musing that he could not submit unverified information and expressing his own curiosity in the truth behind Liko and the pendant.

In Reunion at the Ancient Castle!, it was revealed that Spinel was with Chalce at an Explorers research facility during the events in Galar.

In As Long as I'm with My Friends, it was revealed that Spinel sent several pieces of false information to Dot to mislead the Rising Volt Tacklers. During the meeting with the other Explorer admins, Spinel suggested that the group keep an eye on the movements of the Rising Volt Tacklers so that they could finally take possession of Terapagos, but Amethio and the other members decided to follow in the footsteps of the black Rayquaza.

In Respective Departures, Spinel monitored Amethio's training with Hamber alongside Chalce. Soon after, they decided to focus on their main objective, finding the Black Rayquaza.

Prior to Transform! Hero of the Seas, Palafin, Spinel led a select group of Explorers to create a tower on an island near Levincia. In A Challenge from the Explorers, Friede went to investigate the island after receiving information from Liko and Roy, and in the following episode, Friede met with Spinel, this time in person. During the confrontation, Spinel revealed that everything was just a trap created specifically for Friede and had a violent battle with his Umbreon against Friede and Captain Pikachu. After Friede managed to create a strategy and managed to escape, Spinel assessed how Friede is an opponent to be studied further.

In From So Far Away, Spinel left with his teammates from the battle against Rayquaza and together they returned to the Explorers base. Later, he heard the new team guidelines imposed by Gibeon and was the only one to accept them without question, after which Spinel left the meeting with the other Explorers.

In The Treasure of Eternity, Spinel returned to the Exceed building, where he was revealed to be working as a researcher. There, he found Friede investigating the Treasure of Eternity project. After Friede found the vault that was supposed to contain the project empty, Spinel watched as he made his escape. Spinel was then revealed to have taken the crystal of Laquium from the vault before Friede could get there, and left the building by car on his own. However, he was unaware that Zirc and Onia had been monitoring him at the behest of Amethio, who suspected that he was planning something.

In The Approaching Shadow!, Spinel interrupted Liko and Amethio's battle and as an experiment, Spinel used the mist generated by the Treasure of Eternity on his Umbreon, causing it to go feral and defeat Amethio's Terastallized Ceruledge in a single hit. Angered by it, Terapagos transformed into its Terastal Form and destroyed the Laquium with its power, forcing Umbreon back into its normal state. After trapping Liko and Amethio inside a cave and meeting with Chalce again, Spinel comes to the conclusion that Terapagos and the Laquium are opposites. After that, Spinel revealed his true intentions to Chalce, revealing that for him if the Explorers wanted to have a future, he should take Amethio out of action, revealing at the same time that he already knew of the blood tie between Gibeon and his rival in the group. In the next episode, Spinel used his Beheeyem to record footage of Amethio letting Liko go with their target, after which he arranged for a meeting and used the footage to frame Amethio. Amethio realized Spinel's deceit but was unable to give his perspective after Gibeon silenced him. Gibeon then proceeded to put Amethio on probation from Explorers missions, much to Spinel's pleasure.

In Shine on, Terastallization! Liko vs. Roy!, back at the Explorers's base, Spinel started looking through the Terapagos data that Chalce stole from Naranja Academy. Chalce also revealed that Hamber started questioning her, but she told him nothing.

In The Wonders of the World!, Chalce met with Spinel at Exceed headquarters, where they discussed Amethio's whereabouts after he was put on probation.

In The Truth Revealed!, Spinel attended a meeting with the other Explorers where Sidian reported that the Rising Volt Tacklers successfully obtained all Six Heroes and restored Pagogo to its full strength. Gibeon instructed everyone to prepare for the battle that will follow in Laqua. Back in Paldea, Amethio infiltrated the Exceed building and uncovered plans Spinel made that involved the Laquium. Assuming that Spinel planned to betray Gibeon, Amethio, Onia, and Zirc all set off for Laqua to put a stop to Spinel's machinations.

In The Pokémon Paradise of Laqua!, after Pagogo removed the barrier keeping Laqua sealed, Friede was greeted by Spinel. In the following episode, the Explorers admitted they were aware of Laqua's location from the beginning and just waited for the Rising Volt Tacklers to take down the barrier for them. Utilizing his intellect, Spinel kept Friede struggling by using his Beheeyem to swap its Ability with Captain Pikachu's. Despite this, Friede countered with his unpredictability and intuition, allowing him to win the battle through luck, much to Spinel's irritation. While Friede celebrated his victory, Spinel managed to slip away undetected.

In Guided by the Black Rayquaza!, Spinel joined Gibeon in the spot where the Laquium was located, only to find a still-living Lucius also there. Despite Lucius's protests that the Laquium was too dangerous for humans to wield, Spinel dismissed his words and summoned the other Explorers. Chalce, Coral, and Sidian each arrived with a machine that stimulated the ground where the Laquium was buried, forcibly activating it and making it expand uncontrollably.

In Where the Adventure Leads, Spinel watched as Pagogo and the Six Heroes purified Laqua of Laquium. Having kept some in reserve, he unleashed it on the Six Heroes after Lucius released them, causing them, apart from the Black Rayquaza, to go berserk. With Gibeon having died as his supply was purified, Spinel took over the Explorers and also succeeded Cervantis as the director of Exceed. He subsequently reformed the Explorers, using them as a group to fight Pokémon across the world who had succumbed to a mysterious phenomenon (which was actually Laquium), blaming the Rising Volt Tacklers for its emergence. After Amethio went missing, Spinel sent a report to Hamber and Cervantis claiming that Amethio was responsible for the failure in Laqua and perished in the operation, though neither of them believed it.

In HZ091, it is revealed that Spinel had captured the berserk Six Heroes and was anticipating the Black Rayquaza's capture, which had continued to elude him. While he was watching the captured Six Heroes in their cells, he declared that the world would bow before the Explorers, revealing his true intentions in becoming ruler of the entire world. In HZ100, Spinel received a report from Indy and Rubella saying that the Rising Volt Tacklers had reformed. As he petted Umbreon, he was pleased with the report and swore to take the team down once again.

In HZ104, Spinel appeared on a tour of an Exceed factory, interrupting a conversation between Cervantis and Zirc and Onia over the Rotom Phone. After being questioned about the Strong Sphere by Cervantis, Spinel assured him that everything was proceeding according to plan.

In HZ107, Spinel met Indy and Rubella at an Explorers base. During the conversation, his Beheeyem sensed Uruto's presence and Spinel met him for the first time, immediately deducing that he was a member of the Rising Volt Tacklers and had him taken away. Roy later followed Uruto's Sableye to the base, where he and Chalce observed him through the cameras. Chalce expressed concern that he was acting too hastily as he could have crushed them at any time, which he admitted, but had also been aware that Amethio had returned and wanted to eliminate all threats before they could become a serious issue. He was also aware of Hamber's role in Amethio's return.

Character

Spinel is shown to be snarky and dismissive towards others, especially with Amethio, easily irritating him, which results in him becoming unprofessional around his associates. He is formal around other Explorers members, as well as in front of his superiors. He happily obliges and obeys orders from Gibeon. Spinel is shown to be very confident in his abilities and looks down on everyone, including his adversaries, to whom he displays a condescending attitude, while maintaining a seemingly unflinching sense of level-headedness, rarely if ever seen losing his cool. He was not seen working with other members of the Explorers at first, but was later shown to be a close collaborator of Chalce. However, he holds no affection for or attachment to any of them, even outright admitting to Friede that he is simply using Coral, Sidian, and even Chalce for his benefit.

Spinel is shown to gather intelligence on his targets before acting, and relies on deception and subterfuge in conducting his operations. Spreading false information via the Internet is one of his trademark tactics; he will do this in order to mislead his targets, split them up, and lure them into traps. He tends to keep himself hidden and instructs his Pokémon through radio transmitters, allowing for them to easily escape with minimal risk once their tasks are finished. He also prefers to divide and entrap his targets so his ambush attacks will prove more effective. When out in public, he wears a disguise and changes his personality in order to keep his true identity a secret. Spinel had no problem erasing anyone's memory, as seen when he had his Beheeyem erase Liko's memory after he stole her pendant. He also had no reservations about directly attacking other humans with his Pokémon.

Spinel is callous and has no reservations even in abusing his own Pokémon for the sake of his experiments. While he shows considerable affection to his Umbreon, such stroking it and preferring to use it for worthy battles, he did not hesitate to put it in a crazed, pained state to see how Pagogo would react to the Treasure of Eternity. Spinel also has an envious and vindictive nature as seen with his animosity towards Amethio, where he intentionally tries to kill him and when that fails, frames him as a traitor and tricking Gibeon to expel his grandson. He also tricks most of the public that the Rising Volt Tacklers are responsible for the events at Laqua and will stop at nothing to ensure they stay out of his way.

However, Spinel loses his composure at times, openly showing his psychopathic nature. The first time this occurred was when he witnessed the giant Arboliva that emerged from an Ancient Poké Ball once owned by Lucius. When Arboliva appeared before him, he appeared to lose some of his sanity, laughing maniacally at how fascinating he found it. He did not retreat until his Umbreon urged him to, and he acted uncharacteristically in the subsequent meeting of the Explorers leadership, where he said little outside of what he filed in his report and did not respond to Coral's taunting. Later on, he had a similar reaction to seeing the effect Laquium had on his Umbreon and Terapagos's subsequent transformation to nullify it, although he reverted to his usual persona soon afterward to resume plotting with Chalce. Saying the phrase "laughably grim" at Liko, Roy, and Dot to taunt them (because he thinks they're so weak) shows how insane he is, as seen in Quaxly, We Can Do It, but Dot was able to surprise him by using the phrase against him when the trio won the battle and wanted the pendant back.

Spinel is a man of logic, utilizing well-coordinated attacks and clever strategies to catch his opponents off guard in battle. However, he can get caught off guard and be surprised by an opponent's unpredictable strategies by sheer intuition, much to his shock during his battle against Friede.

At his core, Spinel is a cruel, treacherous, and ambitious individual, willing to do anything to attain power. When Gibeon accepted his passing and entrusted the future to Amethio, Spinel angrily rejected both the outcome and his leader's wishes. He was prepared to seize control of the Explorers by force and declared Laquium under the Explorers' jurisdiction. He is arrogant enough to claim he will surpass Gibeon, and that the world will bow before him.

Pokémon

This listing is of Spinel's known Pokémon in Pokémon Horizons: The Series:

On hand

Magneton → Magnezone

Debut	The Future I Choose
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Bill Rogers

Magnezone is Spinel's first known Pokémon. It was first seen as a Magneton, where it was being used to create an electrical interference, preventing the Rising Volt Tacklers from communicating with their Rotom Phones. It was eventually chased off by Friede and Captain Pikachu.

In Fly! Wattrel!!, Magneton lured Friede and his Charizard to Levincia, where it and Beheeyem launched an ambush. They were driven off after Friede Terastallized Charizard and unleashed a powerful Tera Blast.

In Guided by the Black Rayquaza!, Magneton was revealed to have evolved into Magnezone. Spinel used its electricity to power Gibeon's Laquium mining machines.

Magnezone's known moves are Zap Cannon and Electro Ball.

Umbreon

Debut	The Future I Choose
Voice actors
Japanese	Kei Shindō
English	Lisa Ortiz

Umbreon is Spinel's second known Pokémon and his main partner. It was first seen by Spinel's side as he spied on the Rising Volt Tacklers.

In Quaxly, We Can Do It, Spinel sent Umbreon out against Liko, Roy, and Dot as a last resort after the three defeated his Magneton and Beheeyem, unleashing a sneak attack that easily overpowered them. However, when Liko's pendant activated and caused the giant Arboliva to intervene, Umbreon urged Spinel to retreat.

In The Plan to Capture Rayquaza, Spinel had Umbreon battle Friede and Captain Pikachu. While Umbreon's Foul Play was able to turn Pikachu's power against him, Umbreon was unable to defeat the two, as Pikachu used Foul Play's recoil to create an opportunity to escape Spinel's trap.

In The Approaching Shadow!, Spinel used Umbreon as his test subject, exposing it to Laquium's mist, causing it to go feral and defeat Amethio's Ceruledge in one attack. Terapagos then transformed into its Terastal Form and forced Umbreon back to normal, exhausting Umbreon who was then recalled by Spinel.

In The Rising Volt Tacklers vs. The Explorers!, Umbreon partnered with Beheeyem in a Double Battle against Friede's Charizard and Captain Pikachu. They initially held the advantage due to Beheeyem Skill Swapping Pikachu's Lightning Rod Hidden Ability, but were ultimately defeated after Friede successfully lured their opponents into getting in the way of a Dark-type Tera Blast. Beheeyem was defeated on the spot, while Umbreon was soon finished off by a Volt Tackle.

Umbreon's known moves are Snarl, Reflect, Quick Attack, and Foul Play.

Beheeyem

Debut	The Future I Choose
Voice actors
Japanese	Daisuke Namikawa
English	Daman Mills

Beheeyem is Spinel's third known Pokémon. While it is a powerful battler, Beheeyem is mainly used to spy on the Rising Volt Tacklers, as seen in its debut episode, Liko and Amethio, and The Pokémon Paradise of Laqua!.

In Fly! Wattrel!!, Beheeyem immobilized Friede's Charizard, allowing Magneton to attack it. Once Friede Terastallized Charizard into a Dark type, Beheeyem withdrew. Beheeyem later assisted Spinel in distracting Liko by putting her in a trance, even doing the same thing to her Sprigatito and Rotom Phone, which allowed its Trainer to steal her pendant while also erasing Liko's memories of the Rising Volt Tacklers.

In The Rising Volt Tacklers vs. The Explorers!, Beheeyem partnered with Umbreon in a Double Battle against Friede's Charizard and Captain Pikachu. After a brief exchange of attacks, Spinel learned about Cap's Hidden Ability Lightning Rod and had Beheeyem use Skill Swap to acquire it and be able to counter Pikachu's Electric-type moves. Despite this, Beheeyem still lost after being lured by a Thunder Punch into getting in the way of a Dark-type Tera Blast.

Beheeyem's known moves are Dark Pulse, Psychic, Meteor Beam, Teleport, Thunderbolt, and Skill Swap, and its Ability is Telepathy.

Traveling with

Rotom Phone

Used

Magneton (multiple)

Debut	An Unexpected Picnic!
Voice actors
Japanese
English	Bill Rogers

These wild Magneton were first used to create another electrical interference to prevent the Brave Olivine from updating its systems. They were driven off by Friede's Charizard.

None of their moves are known.

Held captive

Arboliva	Moltres	Lapras ♀
Kleavor	Gouging Fire

Voice actors

Artwork

Artwork from Pokémon Horizons: The Series	Concept art from Pokémon Horizons: The Series	Concept art from Pokémon Horizons: The Series	Eyecatch

In the manga

Pocket Monsters

Spinel briefly appeared in a flashback in HZM03.

Trivia

• In the Brazilian dub, Spinel's Umbreon is referred to as female.

Names

References

Related articles

Explorers Boss: Administrators: Hamber • Coral • Sidian • Chalce Agents: Onia • Zirc • Indy • Rubella Locations: Mount Pericarp • Laqua Exceed • Amethio's mansion Exceed's Test Center Objects: Laquium • Strong Spheres Former: Lucius • Rystal • Gibeon Cervantis • Amethio Related: Maria

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.