| “ | Light... come forth from the darkness. | „ |
| ~ King of Pokélantis |
The King of Pokélantis is an antagonist appearing in the Pokémon: Advanced Generation anime episode "Battling the Enemy Within" as the main antagonist.
He was voiced by the late Unshō Ishizuka in the Japanese version, and Rodger Parsons in the English version. Both of their voice actors also narrated the series.
Description[]
Appearance[]
As depicted by his statue, the king was an elderly man who wore a robe and wielded a staff.
Personality[]
The king was a selfish and arrogant tyrant who sought absolute control over everything around him. His arrogance led him to try to control Ho-Oh, only for it to destroy his very kingdom.
He was open to the idea of competing in Pokémon battles to obtain what he desired. However, he had absolutely no qualms about using dirty tactics in battle, such as causing debris to fall on his opponents and using living shields. Due to his arrogance, he utterly refuses to accept defeat.
Role in the Episode[]
Past[]
Many centuries ago, possibly millennia, the king ruled over his empire with an iron fist. However, he wished to control the entire world and all of the Pokémon in it. He attempted to capture the Legendary Pokémon known as Ho-Oh, but this backfired and the legendary bird destroyed his entire kingdom as punishment. Afterwards, the king died and his evil soul somehow came to be imprisoned in the very orb that he attempted to trap Ho-Oh in.
The orb was then hidden in a stone labyrinth in the Kanto Region to remain for all eternity. The legend of the lost city and its king came to be passed down for generations, but became garbled up over time. The legend then stated that the king was successful in trapping Ho-Oh.
Present[]
In the present day, Ash and co. literally stumble into an ancient tomb where they meet Brandon, who is investigating the ruins. He tells them the story of Pokélantis, but warns them not to venture any further. Ash, however, was too interested in seeing Ho-Oh again and rushes past him. He then finds the statue depicting the king and a throne with the stone orb sitting in it. He picks it up and calls for Ho-Oh, but instead the ball unleashes a dark force which consumes and possesses Ash, revealing to be the spirit of the King of Pokelantis. As soon as he is released, he attempts to take the others' Pokémon for himself, but Brandon, who introduces himself as King of the Battle Pyramid, challenges the evil spirit to a Pokémon Battle for the fate of all things, which the king of Pokélantis accepts.
In the Pyramid, the king summons Ash's Sceptile to battle Brandon's Regirock. Despite the type disadvantage, Regirock proves formidable, so the king has Sceptile aim for the ceiling to cause debris to fall on his opponent, a dishonorable tactic that Ash would never use. Brandon calls him a coward, causing Ash to break free of the possession, but this was short lived and he was once again taken over. However, Regirock blasts away the rocks entrapping it and prepares to fire a Hyper Beam, but the king orders Sceptile to hide behind the referee, forcing Regirock to disengage the attack. Sceptile then starts aiming for Regirock's legs on the king's order, but Regirock then uses Lock-On and then fires Hyper Beam for a direct hit, defeating Sceptile and winning the match for Brandon.
The king refuses to accept this loss and orders Pikachu to battle, much to others' protest. From within, Ash tells Pikachu to electrify him; Pikachu somehow hears this and does so, finally releasing the evil spirit from Ash's body. Brandon uses the stone orb to trap the king inside again. He then criticizes Ash for being so arrogant, which allowed the king to take control of him in the first place.
