Pokémon as a franchise has delivered some pretty iconic figures over the years, right from the get-go, Brock was one of these. Taking Pokémon’s colorful cast of elemental monsters aside for a moment, Pokémon delivers genuinely likable human characters – in all its mediums. Similar to our recent trip into Sabrina and LT. Surge’s closets, we’re giving Brock the same Super Fan treatment! Without a doubt, anyone who’s played the first game should at least know Brock and Misty – these two mostly because of the anime if not in-game progression.
For people like myself, Brock is the first gym leader you face. Choosing Charmander, I struggled. With enough time, you can grind the Viridian Forest to crawl a party of two or three up to level 20! Going up against his signature Onix and Geodude combination is still as clear as day in my mind. How can you not have some nostalgia for Brock? Even if you’re not a fan of the game but enjoy the cartoon, you’ll probably have great memories of him falling for every woman he sees as Ash’s companion.
As before, we’ll be looking into each medium to find some of the most bizarre things about Brock, from his dreams and ambitions to his secret stash of hidden Pokémon – is Brock actually stronger than the game lets on? Hidden talents, controversial lines, and proof that Brock is nothing more than a swindler! It’s all herein, so without any hesitation let’s fire up the fame checker and bang on our boulder badge! Brock wants to fight!
25 The First Pokémon Breeder
You’ll find no trace of this in the original Red, Green & Blue Versions. Apparently, he didn’t get the ambition until Pokémon Yellow Version, and yes, of course, this was to match his anime counterpart.
Breeding Pokémon didn’t become a feature until Generation II, where gender extended beyond Nidoran.
Just like Ash seeing Ho-Oh in the first episode, breeding was meant for Generation 1; just look at Ditto’s appearance in the first Generation.
24 Brock Doesn’t Play By The Rules!
When I mentioned earlier that Brock was a swindler, these claims aren’t without concrete evidence. Don’t you see, Pokémon fans, the answers, and proof were right in front of us all along! In Pokémon Red, Green, Blue & Yellow Versions, Brock’s Onix knows the move: Bide. Onix can only learn the move Bide at level fifteen, however, the Onix we fight is either level twelve or fourteen depending on the version you’re playing. Furthermore, in HeartGold and SoulSilver versions, he has a Rhyhorn with the Sturdy ability, despite Rhyhorn not being able to posses Sturdy.
23 Rhyhorn With Thunder Fang!
Evidence pointing to Brock being a cheater is reinforced by the special appearance in his party. In the Generation II remakes of HeartGold and SoulSilver, he has a Rhyhorn with Thunder Fang that you can obtain from him in a trade for a Bonsly – probably to match his anime counterpart. You can find Brock in Diglett’s Cave every day between 5 pm and 8 pm, but he’ll only trade on Saturday. He’s good for a photo taking though any other day, it’s also worth mentioning you’ll need his Pokégear number.
22 Fossil Collection!
Brock’s love for his specialist element, Rock-type, extends further than you might think. In addition to his parties throughout his many appearances in the games, Brock has collected a fair few Fossil Pokémon.
To be specific: Kabutops, Omastar, Aerodactyl, and Rampardos.
First seen using Fossil Pokémon in Generation II, to coincide, Brock’s manga counterpart uses Kabutops and Omastar in his party. This natural love he has for Fossil-Pokémon should come as no surprise, the fact he uses Aerodactyl in his party could suggest that he got his hands on some Old Amber at the Pewter Museum of Science.
21 Doctor Brock!
Brock’s last known main ambition was to become a Pokémon Doctor. This is hardly surprising, given Brock’s interest in Pokémon care and breeding. A Pokémon Doctor is a trainer who focuses on healing sick and injured Pokémon, like Nurse Joy. In the games, Pokémon Doctors were introduced in Generation V, and when beaten in battle, Doctors would allow the player to heal their party once. Additionally, Doctors’ knowledge appear to be highly sought after, they know what berries to use to heal, what conditions Pokémon are in, and some are considered ‘masters’ of evolution. A noble goal, Brock!
20 Brock Harrison?
Brock’s voice actor of ten years, the legendary Eric Stuart, actually revealed Brock’s surname to fans in 2006. According to Eric Stuart, Brock’s Surname is actually Harrison. Now, whether or not this is a direct translation from whatever his Japanese surname was is uncertain. One thing we do know however is that this is most likely true. Eric gave an interview with K-Magazine in 2006 and further evidence to support his claim has been hinted at in the anime. We’ve never had word from Sugimori whether or not this is true, but the fact it hasn’t been disproven by the Pokémon franchise says something about Stuart’s claim.
19 Secret Pokéstash!
In Pokémon Origins, Brock is seen to have many Pokémon. When Red confirms he has no gym badges, Brock chooses Onix and Geodude. Some of the most compelling evidence that Gym leaders possess lots of Pokémon of varying strengths, so they can keep the battle fair.
Under those circumstances, I’d love to be a gym leader!
Having as many Pokémon as I’d liked and challenging people fairly sounds like fun! Though, a lot of Brock’s Poké Balls must contain the same Pokémon, surely? Or are there more than just Rock-type Pokémon in there?
18 Origins’ Brock Design
Another way that Brock stands out in Pokémon Origins is with his appearance. Despite the fact that most other characters look more like their Firered and Leafgreen counterparts, Brock’s design is more similar to his Heartgold and Soulsilver sprite. Origin’s design changes were clever and nostalgic for me, it hit me right in the childhood seeing all our iconic moments brought to life once more.
17 Giving Brock The Chop
Shockingly, Brock almost found himself completely axed from the original Anime. Many things have changed over the years in the anime, especially when it comes to appeasing the multicultured audiences around the world. Brock was taken out because the creators thought that he may be perceived as having a stereotypical design, and so, we got Tracey Sketchit in Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands. However, it had an adverse effect where people were outraged by the decision the creators made. So after the Orange Isles, Brock came back, much to the fans delight. Tracey was never the most popular of companions anyway.
16 Two Perfect Girls
Before we get into the crazy, obsessive and borderline stalker-styled song that Brock sang in the Johto League; let’s take a second to thank Lord Phillock for this fantastic piece of fan art. Pokémon has had many great hits over the years, from the likes of the “Pokémon Rap” to the introductory songs.
Music’s something that’s only got better and better as Pokémon has gone on.
During his accompanying of Ash through the Johto League, Brock actually lost his marbles with his over-powering crush on the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys of the Pokémon world. He sang a borderline-creepy tune titled “two perfect girls” and the song found fame on the Pokémon CDs available for purchase. Definitely throwing this skeleton in the old closet, eh, Brock?
15 Brock’s Dark Backstory
Brock actually has the darkest backstory out of any of the characters in the anime. His parent’s dreams and ambitions were clearly put above the needs of their children. Mother and Father uprooted and left to pursue their own journeys across the Pokémon Nation, leaving poor old Brock to look after all his siblings. Brock was forced to become a full-time Gym Leader at the tender age of fifteen and it took the return of his Father to free him up. Later down the line, Brock’s brother Forrest became the Pewter City Gym Leader, with the help of his Brother. These kids don’t need their neglectful parents anymore!
14 Jelly-Filled Doughnuts?
Brock’s ability to draw the short straw is something we’ve seen countless times throughout the Anime. Aside from all the hopeless attempts of wooing the ladies, Brock has had some of the worst lines in the Anime, ever. Commonly in the English dub of the Anime, the gang would be seen eating various Japanese dishes. Most frequently is the Japanese dish, onigiri. Brock had the line reworked in the English dub to call onigiri, delicious jelly-filled doughnuts… Yeah, poor Brock, right? When balls of rice get renamed to jelly-filled doughnuts, you’ve got to admit, someone made a big old boo-boo in the translation department.
13 Brock Has An Admirer!?
Brock’s been renowned throughout the Pokémon animated series for the many phases of love he passes through every time he is introduced to a new female character. Funnily enough, Brock had an admirer all along, back home in Kanto. Mutually expressed by Brock, the infatuation that Pike Queen Lucy expresses for Brock is immense.
Her love of Brock actually goes further than a simple crush!
People claim that all of the Pokémon she keeps at home sort of resemble Brock, like Snorlax, Abra, Swinub, Skitty, Makuhita, and a Cyndaquil. Rumor has it she keeps a shrine of Brock fixed next to her bed! Thanks to Crystal Clair for this fan art!
12 Brock Caught One Of Ash’s Pokémon!
During the first season of the anime, in comparison to his Gym Leader companions, Ash is, well, pretty lame. Not only does he stink at the one thing he strives for, he never carries any of his knowledge over from region to region. But we’re not talking about Ash for the sake of highlighting his obvious flaws, we want to look at the episode: “The Legend of Dratini.” In this episode, Ash manages to catch thirty Taurus! Well, twenty-nine. Even though Brock catches a Taurus for Ash, it still belongs to Ash, which is weird because that’s just not how catching and owning Pokémon works as more recent stories have strived to implement in our minds.
11 Brock’s Sixth-Sense!
Undoubtedly, one of the most amazing things about Brock is his ability to sense the gender of other characters. Even with his eyes closed, and even when they’re dressed as a woman! Throughout the course of the anime, Brock’s ability has been showcased many times, usually with James from Team Rocket. The only exception to this is when Ash dresses like a girl. Those of you with a little imagination might consider the possibility that Ash is just so pretty that Brock can’t detect whether he is a woman or not. Who knows?
10 Brock’s Seventh-Sense!
Another detection ability that Brock has in the anime is the ability to tell apart all the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys. This probably comes from Brock’s lifelong love of the public servants, reinforced by his smash-hit “Two perfect girls.”
Whilst this ability is amazing, there’s a way you can learn this ability for yourselves, at least, for Officer Jenny you can.
Although all the Nurse Joys in a region look identical, the Officer Jennys have a subtle clue as to which one they are. Each Jenny has a hat that indicates their jurisdiction. Emblems atop the hats are all different and you can take this with you into the anime to practice Brock’s seventh sense for yourself.
9 We See His Eyes For The First Time!
Throughout the course of Pokémon’s various mediums, Brock has been renowned for walking around with his eyes closed constantly. This, however, is not strictly the case. In the episode “A Crowning Achievement,” Brock willingly opens his eyes to the world for the first time ever while messing around with Larvitar. In “The Ninja Poké-Showdown” Brock opens his eyes when he’s burnt by Charmander. He also opens them in “Who Gets To Keep Togepi?” (he opens his eyes when he’s hit by Jessie’s Arbok)! That’s at least three times that Brock has opened his eyes, maybe he thinks it makes him look cooler walking around with his eyes closed?
8 Good Guy For Life!
Brock’s reputation for being one of the do-gooders of the franchise expands into every medium of Pokémon. Whether it’s the video game, anime, manga or books, Brock is renowned for his positive moral alignment. Whereas other characters like LT Surge appear as both good and bad guys in the different mediums, or there’s Giovanni who is a solid bad-guy throughout. In the manga, for example, he is seen assisting Misty and Erika with their battle against Team Rocket. Brock’s moral alignment makes him an admirable and rememberable character throughout the Pokémon mediums.
7 The Half-Blood Rock Gym Leader
Throughout the first generations of Pokémon, there are many inconsistencies in the Pokémon elemental typing. For example, in the first generation, there wasn’t any pure rock-type Pokémon. The honor of the first pure rock-type Pokémon went to Sudowoodo. What this means for Brock is that he had no actual pure rock types.
Both Geodude and Onix are Rock and Ground types.
Not that this is Brock’s fault, of course, it’s no secret that Generation II Pokémon should have been in Generation I, so maybe Brock would have had a Sudowoodo in his party originally?
6 The Half-Blood Rock Gym Leader, Part II
Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning that neither Onix nor Geodude knows any Rock-type moves and in Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow versions, he hands out the TM: Bide, a normal type move. This was later changed in FireRed and LeafGreen versions. Evidently, the creators regretted their choices in the original games, giving Brock the TM: Rock Tomb, to hand out to players. Of course, as the game was further developed more moves become available to use and this is where the quick fixes came into effect, making Brock a better Rock gym leader. Interestingly, the only other gym leader to give out a TM that wasn’t his corresponding type is Falkner, who despite being a Flying-type Gym Leader, gives out the TM: Mud Slap.
