Leon (anime)

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Leon (Japanese: ダンデ Dande) is a recurring character in . He is the of the Galar region's Pokémon League and was formerly the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the after obtaining the title of Monarch in the World Coronation Series in Flash of the Titans! before losing it to in Partners in Time!.
He is Ash's main rival in , with defeating Leon serving as his primary goal throughout the series.
==In animation==
===History===
====Pre-series====
Born and raised in Galar, Leon was a childhood friend of Sonia's. Due to having to take care of his family for a long time, she was his only friend and taught Leon the concepts of a Pokémon battle. During this period, Leon found a that would become his first Pokémon and what motivated him to go on a Pokémon journey. Sonia and Leon traveled together when they started on their journey, where Leon shortly after had his first Pokémon battle against Sonia herself. He wound up losing to her, but still found battling exciting and decided to devote his life to it.
In his first victory in battle, it was evident that Leon had a natural gift for being a great Trainer. In this period, Leon met more people and knew more about . As revealed in Toughing It Out!, Rose was responsible for inserting Leon into the world of competitive Pokémon battles. But, Leon's closeness to Rose ended up driving Sonia away from him, which made the two go their separate ways over time. In Sword and Shield: "From Here to Eternatus!", Rose reveals that his goal with this was to guide Leon so that he would become the hero of Galar, and be able to control .
On his journey, Leon went through the Pokémon League of Galar undefeated, and eventually reached the top spot among the Masters Eight of the World Coronation Series.
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Leon debuted in Flash of the Titans!, where he had a bout against in the finals of the World Coronation Series at Wyndon Stadium, using his to go up against Lance's Gyarados. After a hard-fought battle, Leon emerged victorious, making him the Monarch of the World Coronation Series. Shortly after the battle with Lance, in The Climb to Be the Very Best!, where Leon heard a commotion outside the stadium and went to see what was happening. Leon saw battling a Gigantamax with his and noticed that he had Gigantamaxed without a Dynamax Band. He gave Ash advice that allowed him to defeat Drednaw before properly introducing himself to them. The next day, Leon approached Ash and Goh at the Wyndon Pokémon Center and accepted Ash's earlier request for a battle. Beforehand, Leon gave Ash an explanation of how Dynamaxing and G-Max Moves worked and gave him his own Dynamax Band. During the battle, both sides Gigantamaxed their Pokémon, with Pikachu even managing to land a couple of hits on Charizard, but in the end, Pikachu was defeated. Ash and Leon then promised each other that once Ash was strong enough, they would battle again.
Leon reappeared in a flashback in Dreams Are Made of These!, when Ash explains to some kids about his goals.
In Toughing It Out!, Leon has a battle for the World Coronation Series with his rival Raihan and his . After a tough match, Leon emerged victorious, with this victory, Leon manages to defend his Monarch title. Afterward, he greeted Ash and Rose and encourages Raihan to retrain so they can battle in the future.
In Sword and Shield, Slumbering Weald!, during a series of Pokémon attacks that were using Dynamax and Gigantamax in an uncontrolled way, he had Charizard attack a rampaging Gigantamax . After defeating it, Leon reunited with Ash, and they flew off together to deal with other rampaging Pokémon. Later, they encountered a Dynamax , which they defeated in Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day!. He and Ash later took on a that had Gigantamaxed and took it down. Soon after, Rose and Oleana arrived. Leon was later seen in Hammerlocke, where it was revealed that he was suspicious of Rose and that he planned to investigate the city's Energy Plant. This investigation took Leon to the place where was being held prisoner. When Eternatus ended up breaking free and getting out of control, Leon decided that he had to capture it so he could calm the Pokémon down. Leon met Rose, who revealed his real intentions and, after confronting his former tutor together with Ash, he went to face Eternatus.
In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!, Leon and Charizard battled against Eternatus after it was re-awakened, but despite Charizard's best efforts they still struggled against the might of the Legendary Pokémon. When Leon attempted to Gigantamax Charizard, Eternatus absorbed all of the Dynamax energy from the area, preventing Leon from successfully Gigantamaxing Charizard. Along with Sonia, Leon witnessed Ash and Goh joining forces with Zacian and Zamazenta and finally managing to contain the power of Eternatus. When everything was finally resolved, Sonia revealed to Professor Magnolia that Leon was searching for Rose, who had disappeared after the incident.
Leon made a cameo appearance at the end of Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start! while watching Ash's World Coronation Series match against Volkner.
In The Sweet Taste of Battle!, Leon visited the Glimwood Tangle before heading to Ballonlea, where he met up with Raihan, Ash, Goh, and Chloe. Leon took part in Opal's All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge but lost to Ash. He then agreed to referee the battle between Ash and Opal.
In Battle Three With Bea! and A Battle of Mega Versus Max!, Leon appeared at the Stow-on-Side Stadium, watching the World Coronation Series match between Ash and Bea. During the battle, he arrived late, shocking the entire audience and serving as a commentator. At the end of the battle, Leon decided to leave without talking to any of the competitors, which left Ash disappointed.
In Meeting Up with the Monarch!, Leon defended his title in a battle against Flint. After yet another victory, Leon met up with Ash and invited him to a training session. Upon arriving at a place within the Wild Area, Leon and Ash decided to camp and participate in activities with some Pokémon they met in the area. After having the experience interrupted by a pair of , they discovered that one of the from their nest was injured, so they decided to help them. At the end of the day, Leon revealed some feelings and doubts to Ash before leaving to meet with Goh and Sonia.
In Catching the Aura of Fate!, Leon was interviewed to give his opinion on the upcoming battle between Ash and Raihan. In the next episode, he was one of the commentators of said battle at the Hammerlocke Stadium.
In Curtain Up! Fight the Fights!, Leon participated in the Masters Eight Tournament, along with the rest of the Masters Eight, reuniting with Ash and Lance, and meeting , Alain, and the other regional Champions. His first opponent was chosen to be Alain. Despite Alain managing to defeat Leon's Gigantamax , Leon still won the match without needing to use his final Pokémon at all. In the next episode, Leon watched Lance and Diantha's battle, where the Kalos Champion emerged victorious. After the battle, Leon was shown to be looking forward to battling Diantha in the semi-finals. In the following episodes, Leon watched the rest of the quarterfinal matches with the other Masters Eight members.
In It's... Champion Time!, Leon battled Diantha in the semi-finals. He was able to defeat her entire team while only losing two of his own and advanced to the finals as a result. Afterward, Leon and Diantha watched Ash's battle against . During the battle, he was quite impressed with Ash's performance and how he handled himself against his opponent. After the battle, Leon admitted to Diantha that he was looking forward to battling Ash in the finals.
In Just a Scone's Throw From Here!, Leon called Ash and Goh to Wyndon Stadium, where he revealed that he, Professor Magnolia, and Sonia had been working with Eternatus for it to become comfortable around people ever since the Darkest Day incident. Seeing this, Goh decided to entrust Eternatus to Leon.
In A Flood of Torrential Gains!, as Ash and Leon's battle was about to begin, Leon requested that Ash should be allowed to use Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax, instead of just one of them, which was accepted. The battle continued for the next few episodes. Near its climax, Eternatus appeared over Wyndon Stadium and recharged both Trainers' Dynamax Bands, allowing them to Gigantamax their Pokémon one more time. Ultimately, in Partners in Time!, the battle ended in a passionate showdown between Ash's Pikachu and Leon's Charizard. In the end, Charizard was defeated, putting an end to Leon's winning streak. Later, Leon promised Ash that he'd keep on having more battles to grow stronger, and handed Ash his trophy during the awards ceremony.
In This Could be the Start of Something Big!, Leon observed a training battle between Hop and Bea.
===Character===
Leon is a strong Trainer, having reached the final round of the World Coronation Series and subsequently becoming the Monarch, thus being undefeated for some time. Although Leon comes across as unstoppable, he revealed to that since the Darkest Day he felt powerless to deal with the threat. This made him question if there are people stronger than him and how far the strength limit of each one goes. Sonia is apparently the only person who can see this side of Leon, unlike most people, to her, Leon is more child-like in his relationship with Pokémon.
Leon is also a good sportsman, as seen in Flash of the Titans!, when he complimented after their battle and shook his hand and again in all his battles in the World Coronation Series, acting the same way after his battles with Raihan and Flint. Leon also has a very strong sense of justice, refusing to follow Chairman Rose's orders to capture for the former's personal ambitions, opting to seal Eternatus away to prevent the Darkest Day from occurring.
Leon is remarkably knowledgeable about the Gigantamax phenomenon, as seen in The Climb to Be the Very Best!, when he advised on how to battle with his Gigantamax in order to deal with a that also had Gigantamax. During Ash's battle against Opal, he realized that Pikachu had not Gigantamaxed, but rather bloated from the cream of . Furthermore, Leon is shown to have great knowledge on how Mega Evolution works, being able to recognize the great bond has with Ash.
As stated by some people, Leon and Ash have a lot in common, mainly in the way they take care of Pokémon. During the course of it is shown that Leon takes a keen interest in Ash's battles and more than once, Leon declared to Ash his desire to face him in an official battle. This even made Rose offer the same offer he made to Leon to be trained by him, but Ash refused even before knowing Rose's real intentions. As in the games, Leon is idealized by his younger brother Hop, who yearns to defeat him in battle. Hop also reveals that Leon often talks to him about Ash's progression in the World Coronation Series.
In his battles, Leon tends to change the moves that his Pokémon uses, as first seen in Toughing It Out!, where used three different moves than what it had used previously and always battles on equal terms with the opponent, always Gigantamaxing his Pokémon only after the opponent has the initiative to use it first. In his Masters Eight Tournament campaign, however, Leon took a different approach, for example Gigantamaxing his other Pokémon other than Charizard, using more direct attacks and focusing on covering the deficiencies his Pokémon have in speed and other attributes.
Like his game counterpart, Leon has a difficult time with directions, resulting in him becoming lost in the Glimwood Tangle and needing wild Pokémon to show him the way to Ballonlea and later getting lost while traveling with Ash through the Wild Area.
===Pokémon===
As expected from a high-level Trainer, all of Leon's Pokémon are very powerful. Leon's party consists of several Pokémon originating from his homeland, as well as his first Pokémon Charizard, some of which have been shown to be capable of Gigantamaxing. This has allowed Leon to achieve impressive victories in the World Coronation Series and the Masters Eight Tournament against other powerful Trainers like Raihan, Flint, Alain, and Diantha. 
Leon's adaptability is very similar to Ash's, being able to rapidly teach his Pokémon some improvised techniques, such as Counter Shield for . Another point in common with Ash is that Leon is very close to his Pokémon. This allowed Leon to develop his relationship with , which left aside its more aggressive side and became a more docile Pokémon over time.
In Meeting Up with the Monarch!, it was shown that Leon's training is based on his personal relationship with other Pokémon and training flying skills and strength skills with his Pokémon such as Charizard or . The strength of Leon's Pokémon is put to the test during the Full Battle against Ash, where Leon faced Ash and his Pokémon with all the battle mechanics Ash had at his disposal, and was still able to achieve several important victories even with a type disadvantage.
This listing is of Leon's known in :
====On hand====
====Escaped====
====Temporary====
===Achievements===
====Pokémon League====
Leon has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:
* Galar Champion Cup - Winner (prior to Flash of the Titans!)
====World Coronation Series====
Leon has competed in the World Coronation Series. His rank and class are as follows:
* Monarch (Master Class; from Flash of the Titans! to Partners in Time!)
* Masters Eight Tournament: Runner-up (Partners in Time!)
====Pokémon competitions====
* All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge - Participant (The Sweet Taste of Battle!)
=====Gallery=====
Leon Lance Monarch.png|Leon being crowned the Monarch of the World Coronation Series
===Artwork===
 	 	 	
Official artwork for 	Official artwork for 	Official artwork for 	Official artwork for
 	 	 	
Official artwork for 	Official artwork for from the Animage Magazine 	Artwork fromhttps://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1522523066256936961 	Official artwork for
 	 	 	
Official artwork forhttps://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1542780294025007104	Artwork from "After the story"https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1571378486551674880	Artwork from "After the story"https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1581525346158931968	Official artwork for
 	 	 	
Official poster from 	Official artwork from the Animage magazine 	Official artwork from the Animage magazine 	
===Voice actors===
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Journeys===
Leon debuted in Flash of the Titans!, where he played the same role as he does in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series. He battled for the title of Monarch of the World Coronation Series and won.
In The Climb to Be the Very Best!, Leon had a battle against , where he emerged victorious.
In Toughing It Out!, Leon defended his title in a battle against Raihan. 
In Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken! (Part 1) and Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken! (Part 2), Leon joined Ash, Goh, and Sonia to prevent the Darkest Day from happening. Despite their efforts, they were only able to defeat the Legendary Pokémon when they received the help of and .
Leon made one last appearance in Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start! & Trial on a Golden Scale! (Part 2), in a fantasy together with other Trainers.
====Pokémon====
This listing is of Leon's known Pokémon in the manga:
		
==In the games==
===Pokémon Mezastar===
Leon, in a version based on the animated series, appeared in Pokémon Mezastar.https://twitter.com/Pokemon_Meza/status/1567799914591035393https://twitter.com/Pokemon_Meza/status/1576134831108284416 In this game, Leon is seen using a , , , and , with Mr. Rime being a Pokémon that he was not seen using in at that point. In the first set in the Double Chain series, and Leon could also be challenged as Trainer Tag Battle opponents for a limited time as part of the ranked Challenge from Ash & Leon! campaign. In the second set in the Double Chain series, Leon also appeared as an opponent in an event that recreated the Masters Eight Tournament that ran from October 27 to November 21, 2022. Upon beating the character, the player can receive a Support Pokémon Ticket based on Leon's Charizard, which can Gigantamax.https://pokemonmezastar.com/event/e2210142/ 
====Pokémon====
=====Double Chain Set 1=====
======Trainer and Battle opponents======
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Pallet Town's Ashマサラタウンの サトシ 	
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=====Double Chain Set 2=====
======Trainer Tag Battle opponents======
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Unbeatable Champion Leonむてきのチャンピオン ダンデ 	
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====Disks====
==In the audio drama==
In celebration of the airing of JN100, the Japanese Pokémon animation's Twitter page launched a series of audio dramas. 
In the "A Morning in the Life of Dande", which was released on March 25, 2022.https://twitter.com/anipoke_PR/status/1507295029986951171 They depict Leon's daily life interacting with characters such as Sonia, Raihan, and his . 
===Voice actors===
==Trivia==
* In a CoroCoro article about Masters Eight Tournament participants, it is revealed that Leon had never lost more than two in a single battle.https://twitter.com/catillo596/status/1559357491795955713 This would remain true until Toying With Your Motions!, as managed to defeat three of his Pokémon.
* Leon is the first in the to:
** Have owned a Legendary Pokémon.
** Be a major rival of a main character.
* Leon is the first animated series character to defeat a Champion onscreen, when he defeated Lance in the episode Flash of the Titans!.
* Leon is the first major rival to defeat one of Ash's former main rivals in a battle, defeating Alain in the Masters Eight Tournament.
* Leon is the first animated series character with a full team of six Pokémon to have his entire team voiced by just one voice actor in the Japanese version: Kenta Miyake.
* Leon is the first in the animated series to Gigantamax more than one Pokémon in a single battle.
* In his appearance in This Could be the Start of Something Big!, Leon is shown wearing his outfit.
* Leon is the only Trainer who did not appear in to have used Counter Shield with one of his Pokémon.
* In , Leon's Pokémon have been the only Pokémon to use a number of moves:
** is the only one to use .
** is the only one to use .
** is the only one to use .
** is the only one to use .
==Names==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese 	ダンデ Dande 	From
English, Portuguese	Leon 	From dandelion
French 	Tarak 	From Taraxacum, the dandelion genus
German 	Delion 	From dandelion
Italian 	Dandel 	From dandelion
Spanish 	Lionel 	From dandelion
Korean 	단델 Dandel 	From dandelion
Chinese () 	丹帝 Dāndì 	Transliteration of his Japanese name. Contains 帝 dì (emperor)
Chinese () 	丹帝 Dāandai 	Transliteration of his Japanese name. Contains 帝 dai (emperor)
Russian 	Леон Leon 	Transcription of his English name
==References==
==Related articles==
* Leon
Category:Animation characters
Category:Trainers with Dynamax Bands
Category:Trainers with Legendary Pokémon
Category:Champions
es:Leon/Lionel
fr:Tarak/Pokémon, la série
it:Dandel (serie animata)
zh:丹帝（动画）