Baoba

Baoba (Japanese: バオバ Baoba) is a non-player character that first appeared in . At that time, he was the owner and warden of the Kanto Safari Zone in Fuchsia City and was known simply as Safari Zone Warden. (Japanese: 園長 Park Head). He also used to be nicknamed Warden Slowpoke, due to his vacant look. In , it was revealed that the warden had built a new west of Cianwood City.
==In the core series games==
The warden plays the same role in . He is first encountered in his house east of Fuchsia City's Pokémon Center. When spoken with, he can only mumble: the false teeth he wears have been lost deep in the Safari Zone. If they are returned to him, he will reward the with .
To encourage interest in the Safari Zone, the Warden runs a special promotion: Pokémon Trainers who are able to locate the Secret House at the far end of the Safari Zone within the allotted step limit are given . This Hidden Machine is required to progress to Cinnabar Island.
The locals of Fuchsia City nicknamed him "Warden Slowpoke" because of his vacant look similar to that of a . Despite this appearance, he is actually very knowledgeable about Pokémon. He takes care of all the Pokémon in the Safari Zone and Zoo, and has a large collection of Pokémon Fossils as well. The warden is good friends with Koga, the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City. Koga will sometimes patrol the Safari Zone as security.
Three years after the initial defeat of Team Rocket, Baoba closes the Safari Zone and goes traveling. In the Safari Zone simply cannot be accessed; however, in a Pal Park is in its place. It is stated by Baoba's grandchild that Baoba's son runs the Pal Park. On his travels, Baoba decides to open a new Safari Zone in Johto; the site he chooses is at the northern end of . As part of the games' plot, the player will meet with Baoba on , who promises to inform the player as soon as the Safari Zone is open for business. He will call, announcing the opening of the Safari Zone, once Amphy the of the Olivine Lighthouse has been healed.
Throughout the remainder of the game, Baoba will issue two challenges to the player: catch a in the Safari Zone and catch a in the Safari Zone. By completing these challenges, the Safari Zone will gradually become customizable, and the player will be able to arrange the six areas in any way they choose. The amount and variety of Pokémon available will also change. Baoba will always call the player via the Pokégear to announce that these changes have been activated.
The signs outside his house remained the same throughout the first three generations, only changing significantly in Generation IV due to the replacement of the Safari Zone with Pal Park.
In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Baoba's Gold Teeth are no longer found deep within the Safari Zone. They have been moved south of Fuchsia at Kanto Route 19's beach, where Jessie and James happen to dig them up from the sand and give them to the player, instead. As thanks, he teaches the player's the Secret Technique Strong Push.
;Generation I
;Generation II
;Generation III
;Generation IV
==Gallery==
===Sprites and models===
 	 	
Overworld sprite from	Overworld sprite from	Overworld sprite from
==Quotes==
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
The Safari Zone warden is known as Kaiser in , because he had no official first name when his episode was made. He appeared in EP035. He found a in the Safari Zone as a boy, but as a result of media hype surrounding the event, the Dratini retreated into a lake and Kaiser resolved to protect the Safari Zone and the Pokémon that live within it. states that he knows the warden well.
When and visit the Safari Zone, Kaiser acts violently because he fears they may harm the Pokémon within. He aims a gun at Ash, which led the episode to be banned worldwide. It has not been aired in any country outside Asia (leading to confusion in other parts of the world in how Ash obtained all of his 30 , which he caught in this episode, because every time he threw a Safari Ball, a group of Tauros would run in front of him).
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
Baoba is the warden of the Kanto and Johto Safari Zones.
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In this arc, Baoba is unnamed and referred to simply as the Safari Warden. He owns two robotic called Pidgebots, which accompany when he decides to play the Safari Game. After Red breaks the rules by catching a Safari Zone Pokémon with a normal , Baoba has to look for Red. He only does so in the next morning, and collapses in shock when Red shows Baoba a horde of Pokémon he's caught.
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Baoba, still unnamed, makes a cameo appearance in Start the Countdown, Starmie, seeing the stalling Team Rocket airship fly past towards .
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In Epilogue, Baoba makes a cameo appearance in one of the ships heading to the .
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Baoba is finally named when he appears in this arc, opening Johto's new Safari Zone near . Team Rocket Petrel was able to disguise as Baoba to break free of who had battled him there and was about to silence him.
===Pokémon Zensho===
The Safari Zone warden appears in PZ06. Similar to the plot of Red and Blue, he has lost his Gold Teeth, which agreed to find. After recovering the dentures from the , Satoshi learned that they had been stolen by Koga as a petty revenge for the warden having built the Safari Zone where a ninja village once stood. The warden, however, being childhood friends with Koga, didn't hold a grudge against him, having made sure to not touch the area's original Pokémon when building the Safari Zone and knowing that Koga just had his own kind of love for nature.
==Trivia==
* The missing dentures the player must find is similar to the Ape Inc. RPG , where the player must find the Healer's so people can understand him.
==Names==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese 	バオバ Baoba 	From
English, German, Spanish,Italian, Vietnamese	Baoba 	Same as Japanese name
French 	BaobaThibault Souryre	Same as Japanese nameFrom sourire (smile)
Korean 	바오바 Baoba 	From baobab
Chinese () 	巴奧巴 Bā'àobā 	Transcription of his Japanese name
Chinese () 	巴奧巴 Bā'oubā 	Transcription of his Japanese name
==Related articles==
Category:Red, Blue and Yellow characters
Category:FireRed and LeafGreen characters
Category:HeartGold and SoulSilver characters
Category:Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! characters
Category:Pokémon Zensho characters
Category:Pokémon Adventures characters
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