Raoul Contesta

Raoul Contesta (Japanese: コンテスタ Contesta), often referred to as Mr. Contesta, is a recurring character in . He is the Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee and, along with Mr. Sukizo and Nurse Joy, one of the judges of Pokémon Contests. He first appeared in All Things Bright and Beautifly!.
==In animation==
===History===
====Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire====
Raoul Contesta debuted in a non-speaking appearance in All Things Bright and Beautifly!. At the start of the , the announcer introduced him as the Director of the Contest Committee. During the Appeals Round, he was less than pleased to see Mademoiselle Jessica failing to show off the attacks of her . As a result, he gave her a zero for her performance.
In Win, Lose or Drew!, Mr. Contesta was impressed by Drew's performance in the Contest, saying he and his had made great use of the entire stage. He also commended 's appeal, as he felt that 's use of was awe-inspiring. In Come What May!, he got up from his chair showing indignation and disqualified a disguised Jessie for cheating, urging her to leave the Contest Hall immediately. At the end of the episode, he congratulated for her victory and gave her the Ribbon.
In Cruisin' for a Losin', Mr. Contesta―along with his fellow judges―ruled for May's Bulbasaur during her match against Savannah's in the Rubello Town Pokémon Contest. When May said she wasn't done fighting, he assisted Nurse Joy in addressing May's lack of concern for the well-being of her Pokémon, saying that a Pokémon's health must be the number one priority of a , not winning.
In The Ribbon Cup Caper, Mr. Contesta was seen inspecting the damage done to the Ribbon Cup by May's Munchlax. After listening to May's apologies, he said the Ribbon Cup should never have broken so easily and realized that the one on display was actually a fake. Having no Ribbon Cup to reward the winner and no time to make another, Mr. Contesta considered canceling the Hoenn Grand Festival. However, Officer Jenny pointed out that the thief who had stolen the Ribbon Cup couldn't have escaped as they were in the middle of the ocean. With help from and , she was able to find Brodie and retrieve the Ribbon Cup. After that, a grateful Mr. Contesta said the Grand Festival could go on as planned.
In Deceit and Assist, Mr. Contesta was unimpressed by May's Skitty's performance in the main Appeals Round of the Hoenn Grand Festival. He commented that, by repeatedly using , May was displaying the skills of rather than Skitty's talents. Despite that, the score he and the other judges gave May was enough to place her among the 32 Coordinators moving on to the Contest Battles.
====Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl====
In Throwing the Track Switch, Mr. Contesta appeared on Marian's television show, during which Marian asked him about his opinion on the current circuit. Mr. Contesta praised , who earlier on the show had been revealed to have won the Ribbon.
===Character===
Ever since the Rustboro City Pokémon Contest, Raoul Contesta has been seen judging every Pokémon Contest and related competitions, including the Grand Festival tournaments of Hoenn, Kanto, and Sinnoh, as well as the wide Wallace Cup. He is the Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee and the man behind the Pokémon Contests. As the Head Judge, Mr. Contesta is known to be fair but firm. He is usually the first one to comment on the , and the one who offers advice to the s. He is also the one who presents the winning Coordinator with the prize Ribbon.
===Voice actors===
==In the manga==
===Ash & Pikachu===
Raoul Contesta appeared in The Enchanting Pokémon Soul!.
==Trivia==
* In the English dub of the anime, Raoul Contesta is the second character to regain his original voice actor following the voice actor switch, the first being .
** Both of these characters were voiced by Craig Blair before regaining their original voice actors.
==Names==
Language	Name 	Origin
Japanese	コンテスタ Contesta 	From contest.
English 	Raoul Contesta 	From his Japanese name.
 	Mariano / Raoul Contesta	
Chinese 	康肯斯坦 Kāngkěnsītǎn 	Transliteration of his Japanese name.
==Related articles==
* Images on the Bulbagarden Archives
Category:Animation characters
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