Kabu

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Kabu (Japanese: カブ Kabu) is the Gym Leader of Motostoke's Gym, known officially as Motostoke Stadium. He specializes in . He gives the to Trainers who defeat him.
==In the core series games==
Kabu is designated the third Gym Leader Galar s face in their Gym Challenge. However, Kabu is also known to be the first real challenge in the Gym Challenge. Often, Trainers give up due to being unable to defeat him. Kabu was originally a Trainer from Hoenn who was invited to the Galar League. He is the current Leader of the Motostoke Gym. He lost the Gym position at one point but regained back several years later in glorious fashion.https://swordshield.pokemon.com/en-us/people-galar-region/fire-gym-leader-kabu/ He made several attempts to becoming but could never reach it. He attempted a no-holds-barred approach to winning his fights but was not satisfied with the results. He even dropped to the minor division of Galar League. However, after facing off against Leon, he regained faith in his potential. He also developed a more unrelentingly positive outlook on life as a result, battling to win with every intention with his Pokémon.
Kabu is first seen at Motostoke Stadium for the Gym Challenge's opening ceremony. The and Hop first meet him in Galar Mine No. 2, defeating a pair of s who were disturbing the local wild Pokémon. He explains to the two young Trainers that he sometimes visits the mine to train against the Pokémon that live there, before returning to his Gym. After being defeated, Kabu is joined by Milo and Nessa at Motostoke's front gate as he recites a cheer for the player and Hop to wish them good luck for the rest of their Gym Challenge. Kabu later participates in the Champion Cup at Wyndon, but is defeated by Piers in the first round. He also participates in the post-game Champion tournaments and the Galarian Star Tournament.
After Kabu's initial defeat, the player is awarded with the , , and the Fire Uniform.
===League Cards===
This is a transcript of the back of Kabu's League Cards in .
;Normal League Card
:"Kabu is a Pokémon Trainer who was invited from the Hoenn region. There were a few times where he was very close to becoming , but victory always seemed to elude him at the last moment. Because of this, he adopted a no-holds-barred approach to for a time, but even that did not bring the results he wanted. He even dropped to the minor division at one point, but after a fantastic battle with Leon, he regained faith in his own potential. His motto is to keep learning and training as long as he is alive."
;Rare League Card
:"Interview with Challenger KabuQ: How do you see your own battle style?Kabu: "Just, straightforward, direct. I'm still young, so I try to keep things simple. Just burn as hot as I can, you know? Still, I've hit a bit of a losing streak, so I've tried incorporating into my Pokémon's move set. That's one thing I want to tell everyone—experiment with every possibility of your Pokémon. Moves, Abilities, items... Try everything, and there's sure to be a path forward!"
===Pokémon===
Kabu keeps his Pokémon in Ultra Balls.
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=====Gym battle=====
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=====Max Raid Battle partner=====
Kabu teams up with the player, Hop, and Piers to face a Dynamax in a Max Raid Battle.
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=====Champion tournament=====
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=====Galarian Star Tournament=====
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==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Masters EX===
Kabu forms a sync pair with and in Pokémon Masters EX. His Centiskorch is capable of Gigantamaxing. Kabu became a playable sync pair on June 16, 2024.
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==Gallery==
===Artwork===
Concept art from
===Sprites===
Icon from the menu
===League Cards===
 	
Kabu's in	Kabu's rare in
==Quotes==
==In animation==
===Pokémon Horizons: The Series===
Kabu made his debut at the end of The Bittersweet Truth, where he was seen eating at the Motostoke Battle Café. In the next episode, he made his way to Motostoke Stadium where Liko and Roy joined him to ask about the . Wanting to assist the two young Trainers, he, Kabu had them undergo a session that helped them find new methods of using their Pokémon's most basic attacks by using them to either light up or extinguish the flames of a group of .
After Roy had won the challenge, Kabu challenged the two to a Tag Battle, with his apprentice as his partner. Kabu's easily overwhelmed both and , even when the latter learned mid-battle. Once Fuecoco had been defeated, Kabu left the battle against Liko to Wakaba. After Liko's unexpected surrender, Kabu told her that while being kind and compassionate is a good thing, being compassionate to this degree during a battle can be disrespectful toward both the opponent and the participating Pokémon, as both Wakaba and Sprigatito were disappointed in her not finishing the battle in earnest. When Liko and Roy later left, Kabu encouraged Liko to find her own path in life.
In Fiery Galarian Moltres, Kabu went to the Galar Mine to investigate the reports of a collapse that happened there. Upon arriving there, he found Liko, Roy, and Friede, who revealed that the chaos had been caused by a . When they left, Kabu realized that Friede was trying to hide , but simply smiled and let them go.
Kabu appeared in a flashback to Liko and Roy's journey in From So Far Away.
====Pokémon====
This listing is of Kabu's known in :
====Artwork====
 	 	 	 	
Official poster from	Key artwork ofKabu and Centiskorch	Concept art from	September Calendar	Eyecatch
====Voice actors====
===Pokémon: Twilight Wings===
In Assistant, Kabu was jogging at Wyndon Stadium. 
In Sky, he gave his thoughts about Leon in an interview while working out in a gym.
In The Gathering of Stars, he was seen jogging with his Centiskorch at Motostoke after receiving an invitation letter for the Galarian Star Tournament. He was later seen at Wyndon Stadium, walking out onto the field for the tournament's opening ceremony.
====Pokémon====
===GOTCHA!===
Kabu briefly appeared in GOTCHA!.
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
Kabu debuted in Chomp!! Defeat Drednaw. He, along with various other Gym Leaders, was first seen reacting to the news that Leon had endorsed two s for the Gym Challenge. 
In Blazing!! Bede's Feelings, Kabu was revealed to have faced Marnie in a Gym battle, but lost. He later faced Bede, , , and Hop in Gym battles, which he also lost. After Hop's victory, Kabu, Milo, and Nessa personally congratulated him and Casey for completing the first three Galar Gyms.
In Rumble!! The Horrific Darkest Day, the Galar Gym Leaders gathered at Rose Tower to find out if Rose intended on bringing harm to the region. While Oleana kept the Gym Leaders busy, Henry, Casey, Bede, Hop, and Marnie went up to meet Rose, only find he was elsewhere. On a video screen, Rose announced his intention to restart the Darkest Day and ensure the safety of Galar's future. Power Spot lights began appearing all over the region, causing Pokémon to start Dynamaxing at random. While some traveled to confront Rose at the Hammerlocke Energy Plant, Kabu went back to Motostoke to help deal with the rampaging Dynamax Pokémon.
In GRRR!! The Irrepairable Gears, Macro Cosmos employees were dispatched to deal with the Dynamax Pokémon, allowing Kabu's group to provide backup for the others against . By the time they arrived, Kabu's group found Eternatus had fled, leaving those who battled it unconscious and covered in poison. The injured were taken to a hospital to recover.
By PASS40, the others had fully recovered from Eternatus's poison and were discharged from the hospital. Kabu and the others then set off to help stop the Darkest Day, which had begun once again.
====Pokémon====
Kabu has at least two other Pokémon, as he participated in a three-on-three Gym battle against .
==In the TCG==
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Kabu or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
==Trivia==
* Kabu was designed by take.Tweet about designing all of the Gym Leaders for Pokémon Sword & Shield
* Kabu's uniform number is "187", which can be read in Japanese as for 火花 hibana, meaning "sparks".
* Kabu's sponsor is Huo Guo Hot Pot, whose logo can be seen on his shorts.
* Kabu is the only Gym Leader in Galar to:
** Originally be from another region.
** Have their English name be the same as their Japanese name.
* Kabu was the first Gym Leader introduced before Generation IX to appear in Pokémon Horizons: The Series.
==Names==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese 	カブ Kabu 	From 蕪 kabu (), 兜 kabuto (a type of Japanese helmet, whose design is incorporated into Kabu's Gym logo), and 火 ka (fire)
English, German,French, Italian,Brazilian Portuguese	Kabu 	From his Japanese name
Spanish 	Naboru 	From nabo (turnip)
Korean 	순무 Sunmu 	From 순무 sunmu (turnip)
Chinese () 	卡蕪 / 卡芜 Kǎwú 	From the transcription of his Japanese name and 蕪菁 / 芜菁 wújīng / mòuhjīng
Chinese () 	卡蕪 Kāmòuh 	From the transcription of his Japanese name and 蕪菁 / 芜菁 wújīng / mòuhjīng
==References==
==Related articles==
* Images on the Bulbagarden Archives
Category:Sword and Shield characters
Category:Gym Leaders
Category:Fire-type Trainers
Category:Trainers with Dynamax Bands
Category:Multi Battle partners
Category:Pokémon Adventures characters
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