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Characters appearing in the long-running manga, Pokémon Adventures. This page contains characters appearing in the Black & White and Black 2 & White 2 chapter.
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Dex Holders
Black
Black
The Dreamer
- Amulet of Dependency: Defied when it comes to Musha. Black refuses to have Musha help him focus in Gym battles, as he feels that he wouldn't be a good trainer if he were that dependent on his Pokémon. Played straight in other situations, though.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: But usually only when his Munna's helping him out; otherwise he's far too distracted.
- Badass Bookworm:
- Surprisingly, he is very studious and reads up on various information on his own (but only when said subject is on Pokémon, of course). Before going on his journey, he looked up to see who the current Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Champion were and also looked up his own Pokémon to see what they would eventually evolve into.
- Black has claimed that, since he was little, he would go to the local library to look up anything he didn't already know. Turns out, the real reason why he becomes like that was because Bianca's father won't allow her to play with him and Cheren if he isn't knowledgeable enough to be a Champion. He's so single-minded and determined in pursuit of his study, studying was more like breathing for him and made him incapable of multitasking if he had set his eyes on something.
- He even came up with a plan to attempt to get Kyurem to absorb the Light stone so that they could fight it from the inside. It didn't pan out, but it shows his intellect hasn't diminished before he gets free.
- Badass in Distress: Spends a good portion sealed inside the Light stone with Reshiram with no way out in the Black 2 White 2 arc. Though White eventually found him in the Entralink, where the Light stone had gone to.
- Bodyguard Crush: His Ship Tease with White, with him being her employee.
- Boisterous Bruiser: If Pokémon Battling can be considered Bruising then he fits this a bit. It helps that he’s a Large Ham and that he's pretty Keet as well.
- Catchphrase: When he begins his Sherlock Scan moments."The White noise... turns into black... and my mind... becomes blank!"
- When explaining why he knows any relevant info:
"Of course! I did my research after all!" (And variants thereof). - Character Development: After blowing off his friends for his dreams at the start, something Cheren actually tells him quite clearly when he talks to him, he obviously shows that he cares for White, Cheren and Bianca much more.
- Childhood Friends: To Cheren and Bianca.
- The Chosen One: For Reshiram, to defeat Zekrom and Team Plasma as a whole. Also deconstructed, as it gets in the way of his agenda of winning the league.
- The Determinator: Nothing will stop him on his quest to become Champion.
- Ditzy Genius: He is incredibly diligent and smart when it comes to Pokémon battling and his goal but he tends to lose focus and forget important things if they are about another subject.
- Dork Knight: Like Diamond, despite not being a true knight, he has more than enough Large Ham and Badass Bookworm dorkiness to compensate.
- Fatal Flaw: He really can't function without his Munna. In fact, just thinking too hard without it will cause him to pass out from exhaustion.
- Focusing too much on his dreams and forgetting others was one at the beginning.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: His title The Dreamer is related to the idea of the Dream World, which plays out in a fashion through his link with his Munna.
- Green-Eyed Monster: When White is going to compete in the Battle Subway, he has shades of this, since he had turned down his own chances at trying it out, only for White to do so herself. This leads to a minor case of I Want My Beloved to Be Happy, as Black is encouraged by Marshal and he later agrees to help White catch a Pokémon so that she can prepare for the Battle Subway. He even gives her Brav so she can have enough Pokémon to participate and very genuinely cheers her on .
- He's Back!: After a long wait, Black is freed from being stuck in the White Stone.
- Heroic BSoD:
- Understandably enters a state of shock when he learns that Musha only stayed with him for the taste of his dreams, and leaves him because the dreams have changed.
- Gets out of it though, with the encouragement of his other Pokémon. And later on Musha comes back, evolved as a Musharna, and reveals that it actually left so that it could become stronger to support Black's new dreams.
- Hot-Blooded: Begins everyday by shouting his dream to the world. Is very loud and boisterous all throughout.
- Hyper-Awareness: He has very good deducing skills, but mostly only after his head is cleared with his Munna's help.
- Innocently Insensitive: He blew off his friends quite quickly to start his adventure and would rather obtain badges to pay the the debt he placed on the B&W Corporation. That said, if he is called out on this, he will make an effort to fix that attitude and he's certainly never truly mean about it .
- Idiot Hero: Strangely, crosses over with Badass Bookworm. He spends hours in libraries studying and has great intellect, but due to his single-minded focus on his dreams it often doesn't come out. But when Munna eats his dreams he becomes incredibly focused and observant. That's not to say he isn't smart without his Munna. He does his research after all.
- Invisible Parents: Cheren mentions that he has both a mother and a father, but they were never shown. Still, they're loving enough to move to an entirely new neighborhood at their son's request.
- Lampshade Hanging: When Black is seen shouting in the early chapters, White's director wonders if someone's filming a "hot-blooded teen drama".
- Large Ham: Just see his quote.
- The Leader: Charismatic, among Cheren and Bianca.
- Nice Guy: Yes, he has several Innocently Insensitive moments and can sometimes forget everything and everyone else but his goals, but Black’s default mode seems to be cheerful and affable and it's later shown that he’s both very fond and very protective of his friends.
- No Indoor Voice: Whenever he declares his dreams, he isn't particularly observant of his surroundings.
- Paralysis by Analysis: When offered a chance to battle one of the Elite Four, Black is left perplexed at the thought of needing to yield his badges in defeat.
- Sealed Good in a Can: Ghetsis seals Black into the Light Stone at the end of the BW chapter.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: He's Manly Man to Cheren's Sensitive Guy.
- Ship Tease: With White. Everyone they meet thinks they're a couple, except for the couple in question.
- He spent a whole night frantically searching for White, and when he sees a mysterious figure holding her, he brings out his whole team to fight against them.
- He's willing to give up a chance to go on the Battle Subway AND HIS OLDEST POKÉMON just so White can grow stronger.
- The arc ends with him revealing he tried to keep his promise of promoting the agency at the end, wearing their logo under his shirt and wanting to reveal it as he was crowned champion. He asks White whether his debt is repaid, and she tearfully says yes.
- Shonen Hair: It's spiky, but at least it isn't Red's mountain.
- Shout-Out: His personality seems somewhat based on Black Star's, as shown with his constant shouts of YAHOO! and his dream to be the best trainer.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Towards N
. - The Smart Guy: Comes from being not only being a Badass Bookworm and using Awesomeness by Analysis, but also being willing to learn.
- Spirited Competitor: Very much so.
- To Be a Master: His goal, a surprising rarity for the series.
- Training from Hell: Forced into this by the Gym Leaders so they can defeat Team Plasma and use Reshiram.
- Work Off the Debt: Black has a massive debt for destroying a movie set which White paid for. He is now stuck with her, though White being the person she is, she actually doesn't expect him to pay all of it. Heartbreakingly ended at the end of the arc, with White declaring him free from his debt before he's trapped in the Light Stone.
- Wingding Eyes: When he's analyzing a situation after his mind has been 'blanked'.
Brav (Warr)
- Badass Adorable: As a Rufflet.
- Blow You Away: Flying is his secondary type; he also knows Whirlwind.
- Flight: The primary form of flying, and most reliable given Reshiram's...issues.
- Non-Elemental: Normal is his primary type.
Musha
- Big Eater: In addition to knowing Dream Eater, he has the tendency to be attracted to anyone that has a lot of dreams.
- Use Your Head: Knows Zen Headbutt.
- Psychic Powers: He's Psychic-type.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: N said he only worked with Black to eat his dreams. When the taste of Black's dreams changed, he left. Subverted when it turns out he just wanted to evolve, and Came Back Strong for Black in the finale.
Bo; previously Tep and Nite (Buoh; previously Poka and Chao)
- Badass Adorable: More as a Tepig, somewhat present as a Pignite.
- Like Trainer, Like Pokémon: He catches a cold in the first chapter of BW arc, just like what Black later from waiting in rain.
- Meaningful Rename: Black tends to nickname is Pokémon based on the final forms they take upon evolution. For Nite, because he didn't have any data on him, he decided to change his name to match his current form every time he evolves.
- Messy Pig: When he was first introduced, Tep was seen gobbling a bunch of berries and getting juice everywhere.
Tula
- All Webbed Up: Knows Spider Web.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Was once a Pokémon that attacked people after it was release by its trainer, but followed Black after he defeated it.
Costa (Goura)
- Dishing Out Dirt: Rock is his secondary type.
- Making a Splash: Water is his primary type.
- Older and Wiser: He's centuries old. He can detect whether his trainer is fully committed to a fight, and will only listen when he is.
- Prehistoric Monster: He's hundreds of years old.
- The Slacker: The original problem with him, he'd just laze about all through a battle. Averted later when he starts to trust Black, and subverted when he does it again only because Black was hesitating.
Reshiram
- Our Dragons Are Different: Dragon is its primary type.
- Playing with Fire: Fire is its secondary type.
- Sealed Good in a Can: It was sealed in the Light stone until Black released it. It gets sealed again after the battle with N and Zekrom ends, except with Black getting trapped alongside it.
White
White
The Dreamer
"Anything from acting in dramas, films, ads, plays to printing, please leave it to the BW Agency!!"
The female protagonist of the BW arc, she is the president of a company that rents out Pokémon for commercial purposes, such as TV shows. Her star Pokémon, Gigi, doesn't actually battle, but later she decides to become a Pokémon Trainer in order to understand it. She eventually gets her starter, a Servine named Amanda, and her own Pokédex from Bianca.
- Bodyguard Crush: Her Ship Tease moments with Black, her employee.
- Clothing Damage: When White is hit by a powerful razor leaf, her shirt tears up to her navel.◊ Her clothes remain in this state for the rest of the chapter.
- Doing It for the Art: Invoked - even if she loses money doing so, she always makes sure her Pokémon are in top shape and that her clients are satisfied.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: Like Black, Dreamer ties into the Dream World. However as manager of BW Agency, she's more the representative of Pokémon Musicals and Pokéstar Studios.
- Genki Girl: She's very...eccentric. Part of it is an act to get work and promotion for her business.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: She specifically says, word for word, that Black "Is not my boyfriend" when the massage spa manager mistakes Black to be her boyfriend and insists that she go on a cruise with him. Not that how she acts is very convincing.
- Honor Before Reason: She'll do anything if her company's reputation is on the line.
- Similarly though, she'll risk losing money from the company for the sake of helping other people (IE Black).
- Heroic BSoD: After Gigi abandons her for N, complete with Dull Eyes of Unhappiness. Has since rebooted and is looking into the Battle Subway for an OS upgrade.
- Improbable Age: She works as the representative of a company starting around the age of 14. In fact, she's their president AND their boss. Two years later at the age of 16, she essentially helps create Pokéstar Studios, aka POKÉMON HOLLYWOOD.
- Insistent Terminology: Tells Black to call her "Boss" ("President" or "Prez" in the Japanese version).
- The Leader: Mastermind and Charismatic of the Black and White duo, even though she can't initially fight.
- Letting Her Hair Down: Unlike most examples, this signifies her depression. Incidentally, fans all agree she's much prettier with her hair down.
- Lovable Coward: Gives off this vibe, considering that her first reaction to being attacked by Pokémon always seems to be screaming. Completely gone after her tenure on the Battle Subway.
- Oh, Crap!: She freaks when she realizes that due to someone else's carelessness she doesn't have the Pokémon needed for a shooting.
- Promotional Consideration: Once she realizes that Black has his own dreams to pursue, White agrees to sponsor him by taking care of all his out of battle needs in exchange for a gigantic Enforced Plug of the BW Agency after he's crowned champion. He manages to become champ, but he couldn't pull off the plug...
- Reasonable Authority Figure: She doesn't actually expect Black to pay the entirety of his massive debt and only wants his Tepig around for a few more shootings. She also gives him time to train for his own goals.
- Say My Name: Delivers a massive "BLAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!" as the latter becomes the Light Stone and flies away from her reach. This is in fact the last thing she says in the BW arc.
- Ship Tease: With Black. She denies any allegations of being his girlfriend, but many people still say otherwise.
- At one point, she notices that she has been talking about Black a lot, and talks about how he is actually pretty cool. It doesn't help that she tries to make up an excuse...all while she's only talking to herself.
- The arc ends with her tearfully saying Black's been freed from his debt before screaming Black's name as he's trapped in the Light Stone and spirited away.
- When the two of them are finally reunited in B2W2 and they're getting ready to escape the Dream World, she tells him she'll never let go of his hand again.
- Take Up My Sword: A lighter and much more nonlethal version. After she helps out Bianca in figuring out her dream of becoming a lab assistant, Bianca hands the Pokédex over to her, initiating her into the legend of the Dex Holders.
- Tomboyish Ponytail: For the most part, until she lets her hair down briefly.
- Took a Level in Badass: She started out as not being a Trainer. After the incident with N, White decided to learn how to defend herself but wasn't very good at it initially. After training on the Battle Subway, White goes from being unable to defeat a single Pokémon to actually managing to get far enough to face the Subway Bosses, Ingo and Emmet. She's also managed to evolve the Servine following her around into a Serperior, proving she's gotten pretty good at battling. By the Black 2 & White 2 chapter, she appears to be as formidable a trainer as any other Dex Holder, and is even the one to lead the charge in the final battle.
Gigi (Bubu-chan)
A Tepig from the BW Agency.- Badass Adorable: Despite being a small piglet she was able to defeat the Champion.
- Face–Heel Turn: Defects to N's side after realizing that White was holding her back from her potential as a fighter.
- Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: While White does let her return to the BW Agency, she states that she still considers her N's Pokémon, even after he let her go.
- Heel–Face Turn: Gigi decided she enjoyed show business, and White let her rejoin the BW Agency after she defected back from N.
- Playing with Fire: She's Fire-type.
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Eyelashes and a bow.
Amanda
- Green Thumb: She's Grass-type.
- Planimal: A Grass-type serpent.
- Smug Snake: Though only appearance-wise.
- Vine Tentacles: Knows Vine Whip.
Darling (Jessica)
- Green Thumb: Grass is her secondary type.
- Non-Elemental: Normal is her primary type.
- Planimal: Grass-type deer.
Dorothy
- Dishing Out Dirt: Ground is her primary type.
- Gonk: Even if her face wasn't flat, she'd come off as this.
- Punny Name: Contains "doro", Japanese for dirt.
- Psycho Electric Eel: Flatfish is more like it.
- Shock and Awe: Electric is her secondary type.
Nancy
- Making a Splash: She's Water-type.
- The Medic: Her ability is Healer.
Sally (Yunibou)
- Mega-Microbes: He's effectively a giant cell.
- The One Guy: The only male on White's team.
- Psychic Powers: He's Psychic-type.
Barbara
- Bad with the Bone: Bones all over that she can use as weapons.
- Blow You Away: Flying is her secondary type.
- Casting a Shadow: Capable of this with her Dark attacks.
- Combat Pragmatist: Dark is her primary type.
- Heel: The reason White captured her.
- Skeletons in the Coat Closet: As per the species.
Blake (Lack-Two)
Blake (Lack-Two)
The Arrester
"Codename: Black No. 2...superintendent of the International Police."
- The Ace: According to Looker's superiors, he's this to the International Police. He's even called "Mister Perfect".
- Ace Custom: All of Blake's Poké Balls have special grips molded exclusively for him, and he has special armor under his suit.
- Badass Normal: Blake doesn't just stand on the sidelines and shout orders when battling. While battling Genesect, Blake barrages it with Poké Balls, forcing Genesect to fight both Blake and his Pokémon.
- Beneath the Mask: He may seem like a skirt chasing class clown, but he's really part of the International Police. When he's not in class, he's pretty serious and professional.
- Bridal Carry: His return to the Trainer's School after encountering Keldeo was like this with Whitley, making all the girls jealous.
- Brutal Honesty: Due to his inability to understand emotions, he tends to speak very bluntly to the point of being rude, something which irritates Black and White.
- But Now I Must Go: After Ghetis and Colress are apprehended, Blake leaves for parts unknown with only his Pokémon for company. The epilogue, at least, heavily implies that he's the "Colress" that appears in the Sun & Moon Chapter.
- The Casanova: His classroom persona.
- Clothing Damage: Genesect's attack destroys his outer clothing (twice), but his body suit remains intact.
- Chick Magnet: After the battle that caused the aforementioned Clothing Damage is done and the surrounding area is leveled, a bunch of civilians come to see what happened. Amongst them are two girls who fight over who gets to bring Blake home and treat his injuries.
- Child Soldier: When compared to the other Dex holders who were often dragged to the conflict of evil organizations; Blake's character arc focuses solely on fighting Team Plasma, being one of the International Police's strongest trainers at the age of 12. This gets a justification later that he was taken in by the International Police as a baby and had been trained since.
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: While both Black and Blake are written as Badass Bookworms with excellent deducting skills, who got their starts from constantly reading texts from when they were young, the former is also a Hot-Blooded Idiot Hero and on top of that, requires his Munna bring out his focus, and cares about how Pokémon are treated, to the point of getting pissed at how awful Cheren treated his Snivy. Blake is shown to be a Stoic Perpetual Frowner wearing the mask of a Casanova and a Troll, is capable of using his deductive skills flawlessly under that persona, and makes it clear that he really doesn't care for how his Pokémon are treated.
- Dating Catwoman: Downplayed in that he and Whitley are not dating, but he is a member of the International Police flirting with a (former) member of Team Plasma.
- Dub Name Change: The official Japanese romanization of his name is Lack-two, but the official English translations give him the name Blake. His Japanese name is retained in that his International Police codename is "Black No. 2"
- Dull Surprise: He initially appears shocked when he finds out he is dismissed from the International Police, but he casually brushes it off as inconsequential.
- Foil: To Whitley, being a capable and emotionless International Police Agent, whereas she's a Team Plasma member who is poor at handling herself under pressure and is very expressive with her emotions. He's also an amoral person who doesn't comprehend the concept of right and wrong, whereas she's The Heart and pursues her goals out of compassion. Even their titles show their contrast — he's The Arrester, she's The Liberator.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: As The Arrester, he represents the Seven Sage mission in the BW postgame.
- I Shall Taunt You: Pulls one on Colress in their first battle to learn more about Genesect.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: In his introduction, he breaks up with his girlfriend Yancy so she can pursue her career as an idol. But actually he only saw her as a suspect and discarded her as soon he confirmed she wasn't his target.
- Improbable Age: He's a 12 year old who is a high ranking member of the International Police. He even outranks Looker.
- Interpol Special Agent: A member of the International Police, and a superintendent/inspector at that. Though he gets discharged for breaking the rules by taking Genesect when it was under strict supervision.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: When it's time to get serious, you can hardly believe this is the same kid who has been flirting around with every girl in class.
- Like Trainer, Like Pokémon: All of his Pokémon have Serious nature.
- Making a Splash: Blake appears to have a preference for Water-type Pokémon since half of his line up consists of Water types. Not to mention that Genesect’s Techno Blast can be a Water-Type attack with the Douse Drive installed.
- Memento Macguffin: He had the DNA Splicers with him for a long time as a remnant of what he knew of his biological family.
- No Sense of Personal Space: He's a little too friendly for Whitley's taste, but she is the only girl in their class who he hasn't ruled out to be ex-Plasma. In any case, Whitley's Foongus certainly doesn't appreciate him trying to get too close to its trainer.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Masquerades as a flirt that goes after every woman in his sight, only to turn into a stoic badass when he's on the job.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Possibly. He states that he goes by "Blake" at the Aspertia Trainer's School, indicating that it's not his real name. Then again, when Colress asked him his name as a sign of respect, he said his name was "Blake" then as well, so it could be real.
- Parental Abandonment: Blake is orphaned from a crime that involved the International Police and was raised by an agent there since.
- Perpetual Frowner: The biggest difference in his persona on the job: His default expression becomes a Death Glare.
- Simple, yet Awesome: The body suit he wears under his clothes is actually a highly protective armor that helps him withstand Pokémon attacks.
- Ship Tease: Invoked Trope with Whitley as part of his mission. It's thoroughly sunk by the end, with Whitley coming to accept that he doesn't actually feel that way toward her (or feel much of anything, for that matter), but still is glad to consider him a friend.
- The Stoic: Very cool-headed while in his police persona. It turns out he is unable to feel emotions.
- Secret Test of Character: The Magician reveals that his "firing" from the International Police was one, in order to show if he would still do his job and hold strong to his morals regardless. He passes.
- Sociopathic Hero: All his previous actions (manipulating girls' feelings, giving third parties access to Interpol's info in exchange of equipment, taking away dangerous Pokémon without authorization) foreshadowed he was this, but what confirmed it was when he was willing to push a very damaged Genesect in order to unfreeze the Musketeers, when confronted for the cruelty of this, he answered that he doesn't understand how that is cruel — if Genesect gets hurt he will just heal it. He admits that concepts like "fear" and "pity" are unknown to him, shocking Whitley and Keldeo with the latter realizing that he wasn't collected with his emotions like his masters, he just doesn't have any.
- Troll: In his classroom persona, he seems to enjoy messing with Whitley as much as he hits on her. At one point he even brings her along with him to a Virbank City concert while she's still unconscious, leading to a very rude awakening for poor Whitley.
- When He Smiles: After the confrontation with Colress and Genesect, it seems as though he gives an earnest smile to Looker... only to be subverted as he was actually going back to his cover persona and trying to woo girls that gathered at the scene of the crime.
- Worthy Opponent: To Colress. In the penultimate chapter of B2/W2, Colress even says that while his defeat frustrates him, he can accept it because it came from Blake.
Dewott
- Making a Splash: He’s Water-type.
Genesect
- Backpack Cannon: Through which it fires its Techno Blast move.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Bug is its primary type although it doesn’t look like it due to its artificial body.
- Extra-ore-dinary: Steel is its secondary type.
- Transforming Mecha: Is able to change from its bipedal form to a flying saucer-like form.
Kelden (Keldemaru)
A Keldeo that was mentored by the Swords of Justice. Blake offers to help it become stronger in exchange for working with him.
- Arch-Enemy: The Shadow Triad, but not Genesect. Ironically, it ended up on a team with the latter (though it's not known if it knows Genesect was used to do the deed). Later learns that this wasn't the case, it being the work of a different Genesect.
- All Your Powers Combined: Being mentored by the Swords of Justice has let it learn the unique skills of all three. It learned the power of charging from Terrakion, speed and sharpness from Virizion and how to keep a strong heart and never flinch from Cobalion.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Fighting is its secondary type, although its subverted in that it uses a sword.
- An Ice Person: Knows Ice Beam, something it can’t actually learn in the games.
- Laser Blade: The form Sacred Sword takes.
- Making a Splash: Water is its primary type.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Intervenes in the battle between the Triad and the Trio for this reason, prompting the other musketeers to do the same.
- Unstoppable Rage: As soon as it sees the Shadow Triad, it goes nuts.
Kabutott (Kabutomaru)
- Dishing Out Dirt: Rock is its primary type.
- Making a Splash: Water is its secondary type.
Gliscott (Liomaru)
- Blow You Away: Flying is its secondary type.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Ground is its primary type.
Escavalier
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Bug is its primary type.
- Extra-ore-dinary: Steel is its secondary type.
- Finger in a Barrel: Blake has it plug one of its lances into Colress' Shiny Genesect's cannon to disrupt its Techno Blast at the last second, damaging them both.
Whitley (Whi-Two)
Whitley (Whi-Two)
The Liberator
"My “dream” is...umm...a world where Pokémon can live as they please without getting hurt."
- Adaptational Villainy: Subverted. While she was part of Team Plasma, she is neither villainous nor does she have a mischievous personality.
- Animal Wrongs Group: She's a former member of Team Plasma, and still believes in its mission of liberating Pokémon. Played with in that, given that she was ten at the time and serving with her mom, it comes off as blindly following her parents' beliefs and not thinking things through herself yet.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Whitley is the one who delivers the Breaking Speech to Ghetsis in the end, making him realize that he's doomed to perpetual failure due to all the Pokémon he's victimized.
- Breaking Old Trends: She's the first female Pokédex Holder to not have a starter Pokémon at all. Explanation Averted in XY where she ends up getting Malva's former Delphox.
- Broken Pedestal: All of the leadership of Team Plasma that isn't N is this to her, especially Ghetsis. She's also quite crushed when she realizes that Blake only pretended to care about her as part of his mission.
- The Cameo: Appears in the final chapter of the XY arc, having been given the Delphox that used to belong to Malva to see if she can get Delphox to open up to her. While she, Foongy and Accelgor are scorched, Whitley does reveal she's made progress in getting Delphox to trust her.
- Classical Antihero: She's quick to panic under pressure, is a bit of a doormat and Butt-Monkey, and her very Foongus has little respect for her, seeing her as someone who can't be left on her own.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Her history with Team Plasma which she now tries to hide.
- Domino Mask: She wears one as part of her costume in the Pokéstar film she partakes in, as the heroine fighting against Brycen-Man (played by... well, Brycen.)
- Dub Name Change: The official Japanese romanization of her name is Whi-two, but the official English translations give her the name Whitley.
- Foil: To the capable and emotionless police agent Blake, being a Team Plasma member who is poor at handling herself under pressure and is very expressive with her emotions. She's also The Heart and pursues her goals out of compassion, whereas Blake is an amoral person who doesn't comprehend the concept of right and wrong. Even their titles show their contrast — she's The Liberator, he's The Arrester.
- Freudian Slip: Admits her allegiance to Team Plasma to Blake while afraid as she didn't really partake in their crimes. This only confirms Blake's suspicions and leads to Whitley's capture.
- Lovable Coward: Moreso than White was, as she gets easily freaked out not just by Pokémon battles but by anyone making close personal contact with her out of fear that her ties to Team Plasma will be exposed.
- Must Make Amends: She develops this attitude after learning just how unjustified Team Plasma was in most of its "liberation" of Pokémon. At the end of the arc, she joins N, Anthea and Concordia in personally returning all stolen Pokémon to their trainers.
- New Transfer Student: She transfers to the Pokémon Trainer's School at the start of the second term in September.
- Plot Coupon: She is in possession of a chip that contains Team Plasma's "liberation" records and the blueprints to stop a machine Colress is building. It's now in possession of Hugh.
- Protectorate: Yamamoto states that she has an innate sort of helpless quality that makes most Pokémon want to protect her, the trade-off being that the Pokémon don't necessarily respect her as their trainer. Trevor takes advantage of this quality by sending her the Delphox Malva stole and raised. The Delphox refused to listen to anyone else, but it appears to have grudgingly accepted Whitley.
- Ship Tease: While she was initially put off by Blake's advances, she slowly starts to develop feelings for him, to the point that he even replaces N in her dreams. It's thoroughly sunk by the end, with Whitley coming to accept that he doesn't actually feel that way toward her (or feel much of anything, for that matter), but still is glad to consider him a friend.
- There is also some hints for her and Hugh, particularly in the final chapter where it's implied that Hugh might have developed feelings for her.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: When Ghetsis is being arrested and swears that he'll escape one day and fool people into making him a leader once more, Whitley shuts him down by telling him that the Pokémon will never be fooled, as they will never forgive or forget what he's done to them.
- Third-Person Person: Depending on the translation, she speaks like this.
- Undying Loyalty: For N and the original Team Plasma, still believing in their just crusade to free Pokémon from humans. As such, she wasn't exactly thrilled to receive a Pokédex, the icon of Pokémon enslavement. This changes by the end of the arc, as she realizes that Team Plasma's crusade was completely misaimed, although she still remains loyal to N, who's come to the same conclusion about "Pokémon liberation".
Foongy (Dake-chan)
- The Cameo: Alongside Whitley in the final chapter of X and Y.
- Chest Monster: He looks like a Poké Ball. When Whitley was first presented with the Pokémon she was supposed to take care of, she was confused that there was a Poké Ball with them and accidentally threw Foongy after learning he was a Pokémon.
- Glass Cannon: Foongy can one shot opponents he really shouldn't be able to even under the most generous of circumstances, but it doesn't take much for him to get knocked down, either.
- Green Thumb: Grass is his primary type.
- Poisonous Person: Poison is his secondary type.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Is deceptively powerful for his size. He knocked out a Pawniard with one Giga Drain, and a whole room of Muk with a single Clear Smog.
- This Is My Human: After they meet N during the final stretch of the arc, he reveals that Foongy considers himself to have adopted Whitley, seeing her as in need of his protection. She's a little insulted at this.
Accelgor
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Bug is their primary Type.
- Butt-Monkey: Its appearance consists of being slammed into a wall due to Whitley's inexperience with throwing Poké Balls and then being literally pressed against it to use Acid Spray. It was also scorched by Delphox in the X and Y chapter.
- The Cameo: Alongside Whitley in the final chapter of X and Y.
- Hollywood Acid: Knows Acid Spray, which Whitley uses to get to N on the Plasma Frigate by melting a wall open.
Delphox
- Heel–Face Turn: Slowly but surely, she's made one while under Whitley's care.
- Playing with Fire: Her primary type.
- Psychic Powers: Her secondary type.
Allies
Unova
Professor Juniper
- Control Freak: Has some shades of this.
- Butt-Monkey: A rare female example in the B/W arc. Her starter Pokémon often beat each other up, leaving a destructive mess in their wake (one such site being her own lab) and two of her three Dexes are broken with the remaining functioning one in the hands of someone whose sanity she questions. Then in a darker turn of this, N flat out states that she only sees Pokemon as objects due to her not actually doing anything for the starters and always choosing to prioritize her research over them, leaving her in a stunned state.
- Character Development: After called out by N, she reassesses how she does things and by the B2/W2 arc has become a more competent scientist who cares more about Pokémon.
- Innocently Insensitive: Her treatment of the starters in BW: She failed to notice how they were nervous, ignoring them to talk on the phone, and then scolding them for messing up her lab when they got into a fight. She then packaged up the Pokémon and had them mailed rather then giving them out herself. All of this was seen by N’s Zorua who reported it to him, leading him to massively call her out for how shoddily she treated the starters and declaring that she only sees Pokémon as objects.
- Jerkass Realization: Has one in regards to how poorly she treated the starters after N called her out, causing her to reevaluate how she does things.
- Straw Hypocrite: Called out by N for treating Pokémon as things and not caring for them enough to give them to their Trainers personally. The results weren't pretty.
Cheren
- Adapted Out: His only Pokémon are Servine, a male Unfezant and Gigalith.
- Adaptational Villainy: To the point that he joins Team Plasma, something he would never have done in the games (he was one of the people most vehemently against Plasma in the game).
- Somewhat subverted when it's revealed that he only joined Team Plasma because he'd been brainwashed into doing so.
- Apologizes a Lot: Apologizes for even the most pointless of reasons.
- Bad Boss: When fighting Black at the Pokémon League, he reveals that he doesn't have any attachment to his Pokémon. His Snivy hasn't even evolved. However, this is due to Team Plasma's brainwashing of him.
- Badass Teacher: Becomes a teacher at the Aspertia City Trainer’s School in the Black 2 & White 2 chapter, and a Gym Leader by the end of the arc.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: What causes him to join Team Plasma and turn against his former friend, Black.
- Deadpan Snarker: Particularly in regard to Black being a Large Ham.
- Decoy Protagonist: His appearance alongside Black and Bianca in volume 43 indicate this, standing alongside the starter Pokémon.
- Demoted to Extra: Though he possesses a Pokédex and was a rival in the original game, the fact that he's not named after a version and that said Pokédex is damaged places him to supporting character. His Pokédex eventually ended up completely destroyed.
- Face–Heel Turn: At the Pokémon League, he reveals that he's joined Team Plasma. Later on, it's revealed that he's been brainwashed into doing so, though.
- Ship Tease: With Bianca in the B2/W2 arc. His students notice.
- Sweat Drop: He does it quite often, seeing how one of his best friends is a Large Ham while the other is a ditz.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: By the time he enters the Pokémon League, he's cold and indifferent towards everyone, believing that cheering and supporting contributes nothing in becoming stronger. However, it was revealed that he was brainwashed all the way back in Driftveil City.
Bianca
- Adapted Out: Her only Pokémon are Oshawott and Lampent.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: She gets easily distracted upon their arrival at Striaton City that she ignores Cheren's reprimanding.
- Decoy Protagonist: Like Cheren, her appearance alongside him and Black in volume 43 indicate this, standing alongside the starter Pokémon.
- Demoted to Extra: See Cheren. Ironically enough, the lack of screentime further adds to her character, as she feels even more useless as she hasn't accomplished much on her journey, and ends up bonding with White and developing alongside her on one of her adventures.
- The Ditz: Not the brightest of people, although she still looks smart next to Black.
- Genki Girl: She's very energetic and excitable.
- Jack of All Trades: Implied to be her strength, as she knows how to play all kinds of instruments and Professor Juniper describes her as someone that can do anything without flaw.
- Ship Tease: With Cheren in the B2/W2 arc. His students notice.
- Take Up My Sword: Gives her Pokédex to White, making her an official Dex Holder as she returns home to become a lab assistant.
- The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: There really is very little in the way of family resemblance between the two.
Fennel
- No Indoor Voice: She's very loud. Even more so than Black.
Cedric Juniper
Professor Juniper's father.- Big Ol' Eyebrows: And they look even bigger due to Eyes Always Shut.
- Signature Mon: Samurott. It is the third of the first set of starters that Gigi and Amanda are from.
Cilan, Chili, & Cress
The triplet gym leaders of Striaton Gym.
- Adapted Out: They don't have their Lillipup, nor do they have their Multi Battle Pokémon.
- Bishie SparkleCress: Our teamwork sparkles!Cilan: We, too, are three bright shining stars.
- Character Tics: Like in the anime, the brothers tend to place their arms in a certain location. Cilan places his behind his back, Chili puts his on his hips, Cress crosses them in front of his chest.
- Curtains Match the Window: Green for Cilan, red for Chili and blue for Cress.
- Elemental Powers
- Green Thumb: Cilan specializes in Grass-type Pokémon.
- Making a Splash: Cress specializes in Water-type Pokémon.
- Playing with Fire: Chili specializes in Fire-type Pokémon.
- Fiery Redhead: Chili.
- Hot-Blooded: Chili.
- Skintone Sclerae: Cilan
- Signature Mon: Pansage, which later evolves into a Simisage, for Cilan, Pansear, which later evolves into a Simisear, for Chili and Panpour, which later evolves into a Simipour, for Cress.
- Troll: Chili. He lied to Black about disqualifying him from challenging their Gym (because of Bianca's interference) only to take it back immediately while laughing uproariously.
- Waistcoat of Style: As part of their waiter outfits.
Lenora
Gym Leader and Museum owner of the Nacrene City Gym.- Adaptational Badass: Her first Pokémon is a Stoutland.
- Badass in Distress: Captured by Team Plasma after being defeated by the Shadow Triad.
- Happily Married: To Hawes.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: She acknowledges that her Stoutland got taken out in one hit because she had spammed Take Down beforehand, which whittled down its HP.
- Non-Elemental: Specializes in Normal-type Pokémon.
- Signature Mon: Stoutland.
Burgh
Gym Leader of the Castelia City Gym.- Ambiguously Gay: Well he certainly is flamboyant enough.
- Badass in Distress: Captured by Team Plasma after being defeated by the Shadow Triad.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Specializes in Bug-type Pokémon.
- Canon Foreigner: A Venipede.
- Performance Artist: He uses his art in his Gym challenge.
- Scarf Of Ass Kicking: A small red one.
- Signature Mon: Venipede.
Elesa
Gym Leader of the Nimbasa City Gym- Adapted Out: A variation in that she has two Emolga but only uses one to battle Black.
- Badass in Distress: Captured by Team Plasma after being defeated by the Shadow Triad.
- Cool Horse: Zebstrika, which a flashback shows that she's had since she was a little girl.
- Male Gaze: Elesa is formally first introduced with her rear facing the readers while she is on her knees.
- Ms. Fanservice: She is a model after all.
- Shock and Awe: Specializes in Electric-type Pokémon.
- Signature Mon: Zebstrika.
- The Stoic: Surprisingly averted. She's actually quite cheerful compared to her game counterpart.
Clay
Gym Leader of the Driftveil City Gym.- Americans Are Cowboys: It’s only natural that the Region based off of an America location (even if it is New York City) would have a cowboy Gym Leader.
- Badass in Distress: Captured by Team Plasma after being defeated by the Shadow Triad.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Specializes in Ground-type Pokémon.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be a bit mean but he’s ultimately a good person and he warms up to Black despite their rocky introduction.
- Signature Mon: Excadrill.
Skyla
Gym Leader of the Mistralton City Gym. She's also the pilot of a cargo company.- Ace Pilot: Capable of putting on air shows with her cargo plane, she delivered an epic finale to the Pokémon Musical along with the guests' prop cases.
- Badass in Distress: Captured by Team Plasma after being defeated by the Shadow Triad.
- Blow You Away: Specializes in Flying-type Pokémon.
- Signature Mon: Swanna.
- Stripperiffic: For a pilot’s suit it certainly doesn’t cover a lot.
Brycen
Gym Leader of the Icirrus City Gym.- Badass in Distress: Is at first seemingly captured by the Shadow Triad with the rest of the Gym Leaders, but it turns out to be just an ice statue. He's still captured by Ghetsis later in the Pokémon League.
- Canon Foreigner: Has two extra Vanillish.
- Cool Mask: A blue domino mask.
- An Ice Person: Specializes in Ice-type Pokémon.
- The Mentor: He personally trains Black for a time to get him up to snuff against Team Plasma.
- Signature Mon: Cryogonal.
- The Stoic: Although it becomes subverted whenever he is playing Brycen-Man.
- Warrior Monk: In appearance only though.
Drayden
Gym Leader of the Opelucid City Gym.- Adapted Out: He's only got his Druddigon.
- Old Master: The oldest and strongest of the Unova Gym Leaders.
- Our Dragons Are Different: Specializes in Dragon-type Pokémon.
- Signature Mon: Druddigon.
Iris
- Adapted Out: She doesn't have Fraxure, Hydreigon, Archeops or Aggron.
- Adaptational Nationality: While the games and anime indicate that Iris is a native to Unova, here it's revealed that her birth place is in Johto's Blackthorn.
- Ambiguously Brown: Her nationality is unknown and even her being from Blackthorn City doesn’t help in that regard.
- Bratty Half-Pint: She enjoys teasing Black about his possible love life.
- Brutal Honesty: Straight-up tells Burgh that his newer paintings look terrible, and much later teases Black about his love life.
- Girlish Pigtails: A weird double example with two at the top and two at the bottom.
- It's Personal: She wants to take down N for what he did to Alder.
- Little Miss Badass: She participates in the Unova League. In the BW 2 arc, it is revealed she has become the champion. In fact, she even defeated the Elite Four, Alder, and even N to earn the title!
- Little Miss Snarker: She can be very cutting when she wants to be, albeit in a playful way.
- Our Dragons Are Different: Specializes in Dragon-type Pokémon. That said, she has a Lapras in a flashback.
- Shipper on Deck: Entertains the possibilities of both Black x White and Black x Bianca.
- Signature Mon: Fraxure, which later evolves into a Haxorus.
Marlon
A cheerful man who initially appears as a League participant. In the Black 2 & White 2 chapter he has been made the Gym Leader of the Humilau City Gym.- Adapted Out: He only has Jellicent.
- Making a Splash: Specializes in Water-type Pokémon.
- Signature Mon: Jellicent.
- Super-Senses: He has a very good sense of smell, especially when it comes to water. He can tell where a water Pokémon came from and that the Hood Man likely didn't have eight badges but was participating in the League anyway, due to the fact that he didn't smell like the water you had to pass by through the Badge Gates.
Emmet and Ingo
- Adapted Out: They only have Durant and Klinklang.
- Innocently Insensitive: When White is still a beginner at the Battle Subway, Emmet sees her educative as a Trainer that tends to get ovewhelmed and lose every battle.
- No Sense of Personal Space: Emmet.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Emmet wears white while Ingo wears black. Emmet is also obsessed with battling and requires Ingo to rein him in.
- Signature Mon: Durant for Emmet and Klinklang for Ingo.
- Tag Team Twins: Subverted in that they don’t actually fight together on the Battle Subway.
Shauntal
Ghost-type Elite Four member of Unova.- Adapted Out: She doesn't have her Cofagrigus
- Cloudcuckoolander: She cheerfully enrages Thundurus and Tornadus further in their fight as to get more inspiration for her next novel.
- Genki Girl: She is very loud and energetically shows off her novels.
- Perky Goth: How hyper she is doesn’t seem to match with all the purple and black she wears.
- Soul Power: Specializes in Ghost-type Pokémon.
Grimsley
Dark-type Elite Four member of Unova.- Adapted Out: His Bisharp is his only on-panel Pokémon but Black's notebook shows he has Krookodile too.
- Batman Gambit: Pulls one off in his introduction to expose a disguised Plasma grunt.
- Combat Pragmatist: Specializes in Dark-type Pokémon.
- The Gambler: He’s been a casino dealer for over ten years and sees everything as a game.
- Scarf Of Ass Kicking: A yellow one that’s long enough to go all the way down his back.
- Signature Mon: Bisharp.
Marshal
Fighting-type Elite Four member of Unova.- Barefisted Monk: Specializes in Fighting-type Pokémon.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: That are somehow also part of his hair.
- Curbstomp Battle: He effortlessly defeats Black’s entire team when Black attacks him after seeing Marshal holding an unconscious White.
Alder
- Adapted Out: He doesn't have Druddigon or Volcarona.
- The Bus Came Back: He completely disappeared after losing to N, but appears at the end of B2W2 arc to help fight against Team Plasma with iris and Gorm.
- Cool Old Guy: He’s incredibly personable and loves playing with his Pokémon.
- Friend to All Living Things: Pokémon tend to gather around him.
- I Let You Win: It turns out he purposely lost his fight against N because he was convinced by Team Plasma's ideals.
- Signature Mon: Bouffalant.
Hugh
A student at the Aspertia City Trainers' school. He harbors an intense hatred of Team Plasma.- Berserk Button:
- Team Plasma, due to them stealing his sister's Purrloin.
- He also doesn't take remarks about his sister well, having his Vibrava attack the girls at the trainer school when they bring her up and accuse him of being a bad brother.
- Big Brother Instinct: He is fiercely protective of his little sister.
- Blood Knight: He is extremely focused on battles and getting stronger, to the point where he is upset at anyone in the Trainers’ school not taking things seriously.
- Celibate Hero: He has no interest in romance and gets mad at Blake for wasting his time flirting. However, he starts having feelings for Whitley by the end of the arc.
- Hot-Blooded: He tends to shout a lot when he is serious about something, which annoys those around him.
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: He’s not happy when he learns Leo was with his sister.
- Pet the Dog: After Whitley tearfully admits that Team Plasma was wrong and apologizes for being a part of it, Hugh stops yelling at her and trying to intimidate her, and just tries to get her to lead him to where his sister's Purrloin might be. Then, when the Plasma Frigate launches a freezing ray at the city, Hugh pushes Whitley out of its path, even when doing so causes him to fall and get knocked out.
- Later, he formally apologizes to Whitley for being so angry with her in the first place since he now knows that her faction of Team Plasma isn't the same as the one he hates.
- Serious Business: He takes going to the Trainer's School more seriously than anyone, believing that it'll make him stronger.
- Signature Mon: Trapinch, which later evolves into a Vibrava.
- Ship Tease: With Whitley, particularly in the final chapter which implies he may have feelings for her now.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: He was very kind before Team Plasma stole his sister’s Purrloin, making him angry and obsessed with strength.
Leo
- Cannot Talk to Women: His defining characteristic.
- Canon Foreigner: He has no in-game equivalent, being a strange mix of a Youngster and a PokéManiac.
- Ship Tease: With Hugh’s younger sister.
Roxie
Gym Leader of the Virbank City Gym.- Adapted Out: She only has Whirlipede.
- Poisonous Person: Specializes in Poison-type Pokémon.
- The Rock Star: She’s the lead singer and bassist of a famous band.
- Signature Mon: Whirlipede.
Antagonists
Team Plasma
General tropes:
- Adaptational Karma: All members of Team Plasma, including N, are arrested, with guys like Ghetsis and Colress getting it big time.
N
- Adaptational Villainy: His sympathetic traits aren't gone, but this version of N is much more villainous then usual prior to his Heel–Face Turn.
- Anti-Villain: The "villain" part of this seems to be invoked, what with all the villainous actions he pulls whenever he appears. Some speculate that Kusaka did this to deconstruct most fans' treatment of his character.
- Arch-Enemy: Enforced for Black in the BW arc, with them having the dragons of ideal of truth.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: When he is crowned king of Team Plasma by Ghetsis.
- Big Bad: Of the Black/White arc. Except for... you know.
- Break Them by Talking: Quite fond of these, giving one to just about anyone who talks about his morals being in the wrong. Their results include causing Gigi to abandon White and join him, making Black doubt himself to the extent he passed out, and completely breaking Aurea Juniper's mind.
- Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: His default expression when he's not crying. He loses them in finale of the B/W arc and has them replaced with normal, expressive eyes.
- Easily Forgiven: Subverted, where he was arrested with all the Team Plasma members in BW2 arc but released on a bail.
- Freudian Excuse: He was brought up around Pokémon harmed by humans, so he grew to hate humans and love Pokémon as a result. The state of his eyes also suggest that his brainwashing partially has a literal component to it as well.
- Heel–Face Turn: At the end of the B/W arc.
- Heel Realization: He realizes at the end of the B/W arc that all he's done has only managed to hurt Pokémon rather than help them, and that the villainous path he's been following is not the answer.
- The Hero: Refers to himself as this when he awakens Zekrom. He actually lives up to this title in the B2/W2 arc.
- Jerkass: He’s very brutal in preaching his opinions on Trainers and Pokémon. He attacks Black out of nowhere in their first meeting and delivers Breaking Speechs to Black, White and Professor Juniper over the course of the arc. He gets better at the end, though.
- Jerkass Has a Point: To White on the ferris wheel when bringing up how she's been denying her Pokémon the chance to do anything other than performing, including what's in their nature to do.
- And then there was the fact that, as he pointed out, Professor Juniper didn't even bother to personally give Black and his friends their Starter Pokémon or Pokédexes. She had them mailed.
- Kick the Dog: Because even an Anti-Villain can be a Jerkass when he feels like it. Particularly when he convinces White's Gigi to abandon her and join him, then acts completely nonchalant when White falls off the ferris wheel. For some reason, he sends his Servine to her side, so at least he has some sense of trading.
- His Zorua does these kinds of actions on a regular basis. A noteworthy example would be disguising as Alder towards his Accelgor to think he'll heal him, then attacking him with Flame Burst. That asshole.
- Not only his Zorua, but his Tympole also gets the share, with it being the one to destroy the Pokédex that was meant for Cheren.
- Lack of Empathy: Shows no trace of respect to any human who utilized Pokémon in any way, shape or form, regardless of the person they are, and only shows positive emotion to his own Pokémon. This begins to change toward the end, first toward White and then toward Black and then toward everyone in the B2/W2 arc.
- Manipulative Bastard: He can be this, like he was to White's Tepig Gigi. A strange example as he does it honestly for the Pokémon's own good rather than for his own. This is in stark contrast to game persona.
- No Sense of Personal Space: Kusaka seems to be playing up N's
Memetic Molester status by having him whispering in Black's ear and grabbing him up close to say something in his face.- Not helping is when N gets uncomfortably close to White inside one of the Nimbasa ferris wheel cars.
- Pet the Dog: He surprisingly comes to show some admiration and respect toward White when he sees her after the ferris wheel incident, genuinely pleased with how far she's come and that she's taken his words to heart and learned more.
- Signature Mon: Zekrom once he is chosen by it to the point where it is the only Pokémon he doesn’t release at the end of Black & White. However, it's seen leaving N with Reshiram for Black at the end of B2W2, thus giving the role to his Zorua.
- Sparkling Stream of Tears: When he sees Pokémon being used in a commercial. He also cries during his battle with Black.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: He can understand the thoughts of Pokémon.
- Deconstructed. Unlike Yellow and Lance, emphasis is placed on speaking. He occasionally grossly misinterprets a Pokémon's true thought and feelings. It appears to be that unlike the other two, he can't read their minds.
- Stalker without a Crush: He's been watching Black since day 1, and also had his Zorua spy on Professor Juniper.
- The Stoic: In his earliest appearances, he would have the same dead expression on his face, even when doing something like crying or having a Tympole sent flying at his face. As the story progresses, he grows out of it and expresses a lot more.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Despite all he's done, White can't help but cry when she hears his backstory.
- Took a Level in Kindness: He is a much kinder and truly heroic person in the B2/W2 arc, matching his original game persona. He even forgives and attempts to redeem Ghetsis, who is having none of it.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: The well-being of Pokémon is his motivation.
Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius
- Abusive Parents: To N, whom he's raised in solitary confinement and literally brainwashed against humanity, even to the point of using Hypnosis to disorient his mind. And then when he's failed to serve the purpose Ghetsis intended for him, he disowns him, calling him worthless and stating that he'd only ever viewed him as a "decoration" for his plan. He makes more than one attempt to kill N in the B2/W2 Chapter, including savagely beating him across the face with his cane when he reaches out to him to save his life.
- Adaptational Villainy: As bad as he is in the games, he's even worse here. He brainwashes trainers into releasing their Pokemon, attempts to burn Black alive, and beats N to near death with his cane when the latter attempts to save him.
- A Sinister Clue: His left eye and left arm are the only ones he keeps visible.
- Ax-Crazy: Though you wouldn't be able to tell at first, torture and murder appear to be his automatic response to any opposition he faces. We see just how depraved he truly is in the penultimate chapter of the B2/W2 arc, when the mask of sanity breaks completely and he tries to pretty much kill everyone, himself included, just to avoid being taken prisoner.
- Bastardly Speech: His successfully convinces some people into releasing their Pokémon. It's later revealed that he had some in the crowd brainwashed into doing this, which then put pressure on others in the crowd to do it of their own free will.
- Big Bad: The true one of the Black & White chapter, and of the Black 2 & White 2 chapter, with Colress answering to him.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He's very polite and usually always smiling with good cheer, but it's all part of the mask he wears - in reality, he's a complete and utterly sadistic psychopath.
- The Chessmaster: His master plan has been years in the making and he even has a contingency plan to fall back on in the case it doesn't work out as he'd hoped.
- Control Freak: At the heart of Ghetsis' personal philosophy is him being in control of all things: plans, people, and Pokémon alike. His Villainous Breakdown happens as he loses control over everything, including his own final fate and, ultimately, his own mind.
- Death Seeker: He becomes this in the penultimate chapter of the B2/W2 arc, rationalizing that he'd rather die with his dreams of conquest than become a prisoner and be made to face justice for his atrocities. Unfortunately for him, he's denied this pleasure at every turn. Worth noting that this trope only applies to death on his terms - the notion of being killed in a way he can't control terrifies him.
- Defiant to the End: Averted. He attempts to be this as he's being led to imprisonment. Whitley and the Pokémon of Unova are having none of it, and he suffers a Laughing Mad Villainous Breakdown instead.
- Diabolical Mastermind: What he truly is beneath all the pretenses of majesty and righteousness.
- Dirty Coward: In the B2/W2 Chapter. First he would rather die than be taken as a prisoner, and then he would rather be taken as a prisoner than face the wrath of all the Pokémon he's harmed.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: In the B2/W2 Chapter, when N saves him from falling off the burning Plasma Frigate and tells him he still loves him as his father and appreciates what he did for him when bringing him up, Ghetsis snaps and strikes N across the face with his cane, calling him a "monster" and ranting at him to not dare touch him and tell him he loves him as a father after the way he betrayed him.
- Evil Cripple: His right arm is damaged and always concealed, and in the B2/W2 arc he always uses his special cane as he walks.
- Fate Worse than Death: When Ghetsis' ambitions crumble before his eyes, he's at the point where he would prefer to die than to be made a prisoner of the law and locked away in disgrace. Unfortunately, that's what ends up happening to him, and after he's been completely broken both physically and mentally. He's now stuck in a Morton's Fork scenario where both his desired outcomes - victory or death on his own terms - are beyond his grasp.
- Faux Affably Evil: Once he stops hiding his true colors. Even moreso than his game counterpart, which makes his underlining depravity that much more horrifying.
- Jerkass: Just like in the games, but made worse because of how polite and cheery he is.
- Karma Houdini: He escapes the B/W arc scot-free, with not even a Villainous Breakdown (unlike in the games).
- Karma Houdini Warranty: In the B2/W2 arc, where his plans completely fall apart, he nearly dies, and suffers a massive Villainous Breakdown as he's hauled off by the police.
- Kick the Dog: The man is pretty much a habitual dog kicker.
- The biggest example comes at the end of the Black/White arc: as Reshiram is being absorbed into the Light Stone (due to Zekrom's resealing), Ghetsis, in a final act of spite at his enemy, uses Colress' Beheeyem to force Black into the pull so that he too is absorbed into the Stone (after using its psychic powers to defend himself). After which he escapes and plans to regroup.
- He tops this when at the climax of the B2/W2 arc when he bludgeons his own son half to death with his cane in fury over N daring to save his life and offer him forgiveness. It's also heavily implied in the visuals that he's beaten his own Hydregion with his cane, and he attempts to blow up the Plasma Frigate with several Pokémon on it, which sends the Frigate on a crash course with N's Castle, which holds even more Pokémon inside put at risk of getting wiped out.
- Kill It with Fire: At the BW arc's climax, he tries to have Black and all his Pokémon burned alive in order to erase the "inconvenient facts" of N and Zekrom's defeat by Black and Reshiram.
- Kill It with Ice: In the Black and White 2 arc, Ghetsis goes around freezing many populated cities in Unova and plans on unleashing Kyurem's full power upon Unova so that the entire continent would be engulfed by ice, putting a fatal chill over all the inhabitants until they surrender control of Unova to him.
- Knight of Cerebus: Given how vile he is, things take a turn for the grim and serious whenever he shows up.
- Knight Templar: Even if he doesn't truly believe in the cause of Pokémon liberation, he does sincerely view himself and the world order he envisions as being perfect and necessary enough to justify the cruel, villainous deeds he takes in the name of this goal.
- Lack of Empathy: Holds no one who isn't himself in high regard, seeing all people and Pokémon as merely tools for him to use and ultimately throw away as he pleases.
- Laser-Guided Karma: In the B2/W2 arc, his attempt to evade punishment for his crimes is thwarted by Zekrom, the Legendary Pokémon that he'd had his abused son seek out and befriend as part of his plan. And if that wasn't enough, thousands upon thousands of Pokémon he and Team Plasma had made victims of under the guise of "liberation" truly liberate themselves from captivity, leading to many a Death Glare from them and Ghetsis completely losing his mind.
- Laughing Mad: Twice in the penultimate chapter of the B2/W2 arc - first when he's falling several feet from the Plasma Frigate to his death, thinking he's about to die on his own terms rather than be captured, and then later when his mind completely breaks due to being surrounded by Pokémon shooting Death Glares at him, with this laughter being completely mirthless and mixed with panic, disbelief, and pure stark screaming madness.
- Manipulative Bastard: One of the series' shining examples of this trope.
- The Man Behind the Man: To N in the Black/White arc and to Colress in the Black 2/White 2 arc.
- Mask of Sanity: He's always kindly smiling and acting polite even as it becomes increasingly obvious that he's a psychopath. The mask shatters in the penultimate chapter of the B2/W2 arc.
- Narcissist: He believes that he should rule the world and have control over all Pokémon simply because he believes that he is perfect and is entitled to it.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: His well-meaning quest to liberate Pokémon from trainers turns out to be a facade, as he only wants to make having Pokémon illegal for any trainer who isn't with his Team Plasma regime.
- Offing the Offspring In the B2/W2 arc, he attempts to subject his son N to a Fate Worse than Death, and when that doesn't stick, he knocks him off from high above down towards the ocean using his cane. Later on he bludgeons N half to death as part of his Villainous Breakdown.
- Sinister Minister: He holds public sermons where he preaches about the cause behind Team Plasma's crusades, the liberation of Pokémon, to crowds of people he hopes to convert into followers, and appears very kindly and charming...even as he's doing horrible, horrible things.
- Smug Smiler: He wears an insufferably smug and content grin on his face as his default expression. Until he starts losing it in the B2/W2 Chapter, that is...
- Smug Snake: While he's a skilled Chessmaster and Manipulative Bastard who is exceedingly dangerous and not to be taken lightly, his overconfidence leads to his final defeat being that much more crushing for him. This is showcased particularly well in his last scene where, even after everything, he's still certain of his skills to manipulate people into believing what he wants them to believe and following him, expressing that he thinks people may one day follow his lead again even after he's been incarcerated. But when Whitley points out that his ability to deceive others will not extend to Pokémon, many of whom will remember the pain he's caused, will never forgive him, and will always rise up to stop him, Ghetsis loses his marbles and shows himself to be a Dirty Coward underneath all his bluster.
- The Sociopath: This is man who puts his own ambitions and desires ahead of the lives, feelings, and well-being of others, treats his Pokémon and even his own son as tools for his uses, looks at his followers as being extensions of his own will, and who would destroy anything and use or throw away anyone in order to get what he wants, all while grinning serenely, carrying a casual air about him and giving no thought to people he harms, even flat out enjoying their suffering.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: He always looks kind and acts polite, even when doing truly horrific things that he clearly enjoys doing. The "soft-spoken" part is subverted big time when he undergoes his Villainous Breakdown in the penultimate chapter of the B2/W2 arc.
- Taking You with Me: He attempts this in the penultimate chapter of the B2/W2 arc, initiating a self destruct for the Plasma Frigate so that he and all people and Pokémon on board would perish just so he wouldn't have to be disgraced by being taken prisoner and facing justice for his crimes.
- Torture Technician: He seems very fond of violent torture using his Pokémon, as well as some emotional and mental torture of others.
- Ungrateful Bastard: N saves his life and is willing to forgive him. In response, Ghetsis strikes N with his cane and calls him a freak.
- Villainous Breakdown At the finale of the B2/W2 arc, when Kyurem is freed and his plans are coming apart at the seams, Ghetsis starts to crack and, rather than be captured and face up to his deeds, attempts a murder-suicide on the Plasma Frigate. When N saves his life and offers forgiveness, he uses his cane to strike N across the face and savagely beat him while raving about how his son is a disgusting creature who has no right to touch him. Ghetsis falls from the Frigate, Laughing Mad all the way, only to be caught in the grasp of Zekrom, who looks down at him with a Death Glare which makes him panic and scream at it in fear. Then, before he's taken away by the police, he attempts to make a point to Black and White with one last Bastardly Speech only for Whitley to refute him by saying "even if you can still fool people, you cannot fool the Pokémon. All the Pokémon you hurt will never forget. Just like today with Zekrom, they'll never let you escape! And they'll never forgive you!" Which rouses hundreds of Pokémon to her side, all of them giving Ghetsis a Death Glare just like Zekrom had given him earlier. At this, whatever was left of Ghetsis' sanity vanishes and he's reduced to Laughing Mad as a frightened, thrashing, gibbering wreck of a man who even attempts to board the police helicopter willingly just to escape the angry Pokémon.
Shadow Triad
- Adaptational Karma: They never suffered any real defeat or capture in the games. Here, they get beat down by the Swords of Justice and presumably arrested off-screen.
- Ascended Extra: Are more prominent in this manga than in the games.
- Character Tics: Each of the Shadow Triad tends to place their arms in a certain location. One places his behind his back, another puts his on his hips, and the last one crosses them in front of his chest.
- Karmic Defeat: In the end, they're defeated by the Swords of Justice, whom they froze in the previous arc.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus break free of their mind control, the Shadow Triad are defenseless against the Swords of Justice, whom they had victimized in the past. They plead for mercy, only for each Sword of Justice to stomp on the head of each Triad member, knocking them unconscious.
- Olympus Mons: They are given Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus by Giallo and use them to capture most of the Gym Leaders.
- Ninja: They have this vibe with their designs and their actions.
- Red Herring: Based on the way they hold their arms, them having masks styled after Pansage, Pansear and Panpour, and Cilan, Chili and Cress being absent when the Gym Leaders fight the Shadow Triad, it was implied that the Striaton Gym Leaders were actually secretly the Shadow Triad. However, it turns out they are completely different people when the three Gym Leaders appear to battle the Shadow Triad.
- Signature Mon: A Lilligant, Larvesta and Basculin respectively.
- Spies In a Van: They do this to spy on the Dark Stone that is under Clay's protection.
- Terrible Trio: They are a team of three villains.
- The Unfought: Averted. Unlike the first Black and White games, they are seen battling with Pokémon. They would later be fought in-game in Black 2 and White 2.
Rood
One of the Seven Sages who is given more focus in B2W2 arc.- The Atoner: Spends the arc doing everything he can to stop Black Team Plasma, and is wrecked with guilt for Hugh's little sister's Purrloin.
Colress
- And I Must Scream: He is frozen solid by Kyurem in the penultimate chapter of the B2/W2 arc, although in the final chapter he's recovered from it.
- Arch-Enemy: He develops this relationship with Blake.
- A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Colress was the one who controlled the Frigate to freeze Unova Region, and even froze Lack-Two and Whi-Two. In the penultimate chapter of B2/W2 arc, he receives the same treatment by Kyurem.
- Big Bad: Of Black 2 & White 2, being the primary threat as the leader of Team Plasma, even if he answers to Ghetsis.
- Mind Manipulation: Not only does he use the Colress Machine to forcibly take control of Pokémon like Genesect and Kyurem, he used his Beheeyem to brainwash people into going along with Team Plasma's ideals behind the scenes. Some of his other victims may even have been Cheren and N.
- Canon Character All Along: He first appears as Hood Man in Black & White, taking part in the Pokémon League before being revealed to be Colress at the end of the arc.
- Characterization Marches On: He was more in line with his more tranquil, analytical game characterization in his earliest appearances, but soon grew into more of a Psychopathic Manchild as a contrast to his nemesis Blake who is a kid who acts more like an adult.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: He's very lively and expressive, a stark contrast to N in the previous arc.
- Graceful Loser: In the penultimate chapter of the B2/W2 arc, he says that his defeat frustrates him but that he is also willing to accept it because it came from Blake, his Worthy Opponent.
- Curiously, the Viz translation changes this and has him instead being a sore loser who says he won't accept defeat...until Kyurem shows up, that is.
- I Am Not Left-Handed: After Blake destroys his second Colress Machine he was using to control his Shiny Genesect, he orders it to hit Blake with a Techno Cannon, promptly revealing that he personally trained and bonded with that Genesect, making the second machine a bluff just to pull all his other Pokémon away from him.
- Irony: He tells Looker in the beginning of B2W2 arc that bonds and trust aren't enough to bring out the full potential of a Pokémon and is now resorting to the Colress Machine. In his final battle against Blake, it's his bonds with his Red Genesect, and not his Colress Machine, that he almost manages to finish him off.
- Karma Houdini: Although temporarily frozen by Kyurem and then kept in a holding cell after being thawed out, Colress ends the B2/W2 arc a free man thanks to the Magician...or does he? It is strongly hinted that the Colress we see at the chapter's conclusion is really Blake, going undercover under his identity.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Abandons Team Plasma and tries to flee once Rood's able to get the Anti-Colress Machine up and running and breaks his control of Kyurem. Blake quickly chases after him on his Genesect to ensure he doesn't get away.
- Mirror Match: The rematch against Blake pits the Genesect he caught from him earlier against his own Shiny Genesect.
- Olympus Mons: As Hood Man, he controls Tornadus, Thundurus and Tornadus, and later on as himself, he is able to control them in their Therian Formes. With the Colress Machine, he controls Genesect before Blake captures it, and then takes control of Kyurem. In his rematch against Blake, he uses a Shiny Genesect against Blake's own Genesect.
- Psychopathic Manchild: This version of Colress is a lot more immature than other versions, being prone to childish bouts of glee when things go right for him and frustration when they go wrong, as well as lacking an attention span for things that don't interest him personally.
- Villainous Friendship: Played with, with both Ghetsis and Colress calling each other "friends". Colress completely drops this when he realizes that Team Plasma is done for.
- Signature Mon: Shiny Genesect.
- We Will Meet Again: Once Blake captures Genesect, Colress promises him that he'll one day be crushed by his Colress Machine before teleporting away.
