He's tall. He's got a spiky hairdo that would make a Super Saiyin jealous. And for whatever reason, he travels the world of Pokémon with his eyes shut tight. So, who's that Pokémon (trainer)?! It's Pewter City gym leader Brock! Brock's come a long way since his almost cameo level appearance as a gym leader in Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Red. Of course, he was unquestionably a central part of the Pokémon anime. Arguably the most complex character on the show, while you may not know it, Brock has a flushed out backstory and deeply rooted, extremely relatable and sympathetic character motivations that drive his actions. If Ash and Misty are the stars of the show, Brock is their guiding light, always there with an answer or a friendly, almost fatherly tip.
And speaking of Misty and Ash, Brock is unique in that his relationship with Pokémon differs somewhat from his two younger traveling companions. Beneath that rock-type trainer is a caring interior, and a Pokémon trainer with a lot of heart. Interestingly enough, for a brief time, Brock's creators actually had plans to write him off the show and never bring him back. But Pokémon without Brock is like Mario without Luigi! Sonic without Tails! Crash Bandicoot without...uh...that mask thing! I'll work on that last one.
Fathers, hide your daughters: this is 15 Crazy Things You Never Knew About Brock!
15 Brock Has A Last Name
In a world where the majority of the main characters only go by their first name (in the Japanese version of the anime, even Ash doesn't have a last name), Brock is one of the few characters with a last name. In a July 2006 interview with K-Zone magazine, Brock's voice actor, Eric Stuart, revealed Brock's last name is Harrison. While this hasn't been confirmed anywhere else, it seems like few people in the world would know the rock solid Pokémon slinger better than his voice actor. And Brock Harrison does have a really nice ring to it! It kind of sounds like an old Hollywood actor name, almost like Rock Hudson. Rock Hudson, Brock Harrison. Pretty similar, right? I guess they were nervous about calling a guy who hangs out with rocks all day "Rock." Probably a little too on the nose, right, Ash Ketchum?
14 Brock Comes From A Broken Home
Ash's rock solid right-hand man hasn't always had it easy. After receiving his first Pokémon at the age of ten (an Onix, which I for some reason always thought had a "y" in it), Brock, his mother, and his nine siblings were abandoned by their father, Flint, who went off to become a great trainer. So yeah, dad wasn't around too much growing up.
If that wasn't bad enough, his mother, Lola, ended up leaving her family as well when her husband never returned, off to pursue a career in Pokémon training of her own. This left Brock as essentially the sole caretaker for his enormous nine sibling family. Gee, I can't figure out why this guy has issues with women.
13 Something Really Bad Happened Between Brock And Professor Ivy
Brock briefly left the Pokémon anime to stay with, presumably, the love of his life, Professor Ivy. But things clearly didn't work out, and when Brock returned to the show, it was clearly something traumatic had happened between the two of them. Even mentioning Ivy's name around Brock makes him drop to his knees, curl up in a ball, and yes, even turn blue. Listen, everybody's been through a bad break up or two, but this is next level. So what happened between Brock and Professor Ivy? No one knows for sure, although that hasn't stopped the internet from speculating wildly. A lot of the theories are gathered in this video from YouTuber A Brandon To The Past, including the theory Ivy was actually already married, or that she performed experiments on Brock. Poor Brock.
12 Brock Doesn't Even Like Battling Pokémon
Interestingly enough, despite his somewhat occasionally brusque attitude and affinity towards seemingly gruff, rock type Pokémon, Brock is actually a big softy who doesn't much care for the world of battling Pokémon. Brock didn't even want to take over as his family's gym leader, and only did so out of obligation. Rather, Brock prefers studying Pokémon with a particular focus on breeding them. In fact, Brock has even participated in a Pokémon breeding competition, the Pokémon Beauty Contest in Bonitaville (Brock entered a Vulpix along with Suzie).
It actually makes perfect sense that a guy who essentially raised nine children would have an affinity for caring for things over making them fight each other to the point of exhaustion. And as for the whole breeding thing...well, you've seen how this guy gets around a Nurse Joy.
11 Brock Has Issues With Women
Man oh man. When Brock gets near a good lookin' honey, he simply cannot control himself. Brock pretty much can't walk two feet without falling head over heels in love, and nearly any time the group encounters a female, there's a strong chance Brock goes gaga for her. There's pretty much no woman on the show Brock isn't attracted to at some point, and that includes Misty, and Jessie from Team Rocket (come on, man! They're the bad guys!).
One theory is that Brock's repeated infatuations stem from a desire to marry and find a new mother figure for his nine abandoned siblings. Yeesh. Kinda reminds me of the plot of Adam Sandler classic Big Daddy (no? Too dated? I'll keep working on it).
10 Brock Has A Sixth Sense When It Comes To Attraction
Brock knows what he likes. And even when the world tries to pull the wool over his eyes, his heart still knows what it's after. How do I know? Because Brock can actually tell when women are cross dressing as men and does not find them attractive. Anytime Brock comes across a man dressed as a woman (which happens more than you'd think on Pokémon), he's instantly able to tell because he doesn't go into his normal, girl crazy state.
There is, of course, one exception to this. When Ash crosses dresses as Ashely, Brock is unable to tell that he is actually a man. At the same time, Brock is also not attracted to Ashely, likely because she is ten years old and he only seems interested in women who are his age or older. So for anyone keeping track, Brock is good at breeding Pokémon, catching Pokémon, giving advice, and figuring out if someone is actually a man dressing as a women. What a renaissance man!
9 Brock's Not Afraid To Show Off The Goods
You ever wonder what Brock look like under that shirt? Well, the answer is easy to find, even without Googling "Brock, topless" which I definitely do not recommend you do! Especially if you are working in a public place! Just trust me on this one.
Brock actually appears topless in his character sprite in the original Pokémon Blue and Red. And hey, can you blame him? Working out in the gym all day with those big, tough rock type Pokémon. It's bound to get pretty warm in there. So you throw off that heavy, 100% cotton shirt, why not, it's just you—oh, what's that? A challenger in the gym? Oopsie, I didn't have time to put my shirt back on! Oh well, guess you'll just have to battle me and my MASSIVE PECS. Now that's trainer intimidation.
8 Brock Only Knows One Song...
Brock is not afraid to bust out in song, which is really saying something, since apparently, he only knows one: Takeshi's Paradise, the ninth ending song from the Japanese anime. For whatever reason, Brock frequently finds himself stuck entertaining, and each and every time, this song is his go to. When singing the song, Brock dons a sombrero and two maracas with Pokéballs on the end.
As it turns out, Brock is actually credited with singing one other song "Two Perfect Girls," which details his love for Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny. Maybe he learned this one after admitted he only knew one. The song is about how Brock wishes he could be a one woman man, but, tragically, loves two girls. Life is full of difficult decisions, isn't it?
7 ...But His Voice Actor Knows Quite A Few
Brock's first voice actor, Eric Stuart, provided the sedimentary soldier's voice for nearly a decade before eventually being replaced along with the rest of the cast when the Pokémon show switched American distributors. Stuart has a very impressive resume, and has also done roles on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series reboot and Yu-Gi-Oh!
These days, Stuart is more focused on his music career, something he got into when he formed his first band at the age of 14. Stuart had actually recorded over 40 original songs by the time he left high school, which, if you're keeping track, definitely beat's Brock's one. If you want to learn more about Eric Stuart or sample some of his music, you can check out his website at ericstuart.com.
6 Brock's Creators Were Scared He Was Racist
In a truly bizarre yet true story, Brock was briefly written off the show because his creators feared his constantly closed eyes made him look like a racist stereotype. Brock gets pretty unceremoniously dumped during the Orange Islands story arc, and the reason, according to Masamitsu Hikada, former director and storyboard artist for the Pokémon anime, is because the Japanese team working on the show thought he was too close to a racially insensitive rendering of a Japanese person.
Even though they received no complaints from viewers, Brock was written off the show and replaced by Tracey Sketchit, a tall, white dude. Brock was then quickly brought back when fans actually were upset. "...we realized no one really cared about it and liked Brock, so we brought him back.” Weird story, man.
5 Brock Isn't Much For Leveling Up His Pokémon
Even though Brock is known for his work as a rock type Pokémon trainer, when you first encounter him in the Pewter City Gym in Pokémon Red or Blue (generation one), none of the Pokémon he uses actually know any rock type specific moves. This obviously completely changes the player's strategy, as they can use Pokémon weak to rock type moves since none will be used in the battle.
If you think about what we know about Brock's character, it actually makes sense these Pokémon wouldn't have learned a ton of abilities. Brock is more interested in breeding and caring for Pokémon than battling them, and took over the gym out of pure obligation to his family. So the fact that his Pokémon wouldn't have leveled up to the point of learning new abilities actually stands to reason. Hooray for continuity!
4 Brock Is Pretty Much The Only One Keeping The Party Alive
While Brock served as a father figure for his nine siblings, he also acts as a sort of parent to Ash and Misty, in many ways holding their hands throughout their journey. Brock does the majority of the cooking, and is always stocked with potions and Pokémon food. In one episode, Brock even pulls an entire tea set out of his incredibly well-stocked backpack. Not only that, but Brock also always has maps with him, so the trainers know where they're going (remarkably, the Pokédex doesn't double as a GPS). While he doesn't engage in battle often on the show, Brock is a wealth of Pokémon battle strategy, likely from his days as a gym leader. It's pretty safe to say Ash and Misty would be lying in a ditch somewhere without Brock keeping them afloat.
3 Yes, Brock Can Open His Eyes
That's right folks, even though Brock appears to inexplicably travel the world with eyes shut tight, he can (and has) opened his eyes on multiple occasions. That said, he almost never actually opens them by choice. The three episodes in the animated series Brock's given us a glance at his pupils are:
The Ninja Poké-Showdown: He takes a flamethrower attack from a Charmander.
Who Gets to Keep Togepi: He's hit in the back of the head by Arbok's tail.
A Crowning Achievement: Brock makes a face for a Larvitar.
So, if you're keeping track, that's literally one time in the entire series Brock has opened his eyes without having them forced open via some sort of Pokémon attack. Yet, Brock never stumbles, never walks into anything, and arguably has the best eye for datable women of anyone on the show. I see you, Brock.
2 Brock Is Quick On The Draw
Even though Brock claims he doesn't enjoy battling Pokémon, that doesn't mean he isn't one heck of a trainer and Pokémon hunter. In fact, of all the central characters in the Pokémon anime, Brock is the fastest to catch a Pokémon after his series debut, snagging a Zubat one episode after first appearing (in the episode Clefairy and the Moon Stone). This puts Ash to shame, who himself took two episodes to catch a measly Caterpie. Really, bro? It took you that long to catch a Caterpie? That's like taking two weeks to finish the first level in Super Mario Bros. I'm pretty sure you can catch a Caterpie by tripping and accidentally dropping a Pokéball in its general area. Seriously, try it sometime. It works.
1 Brock Doesn't Hang Out With People His Own Age
Brock often serves as kind of a guide, or even a father figure for Ash on his journey, and there's a reason for that. In most of his character bios, Brock is listed as being fifteen years old, a full five years older than both Ash and Misty. This may explain his being frequently rejected by Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys, considering he's likely in the area of ten years younger than them (not to mention not legal)! There are two ways to look at this: one is that Brock has trouble making friends with kids his own age and instead feels more at home among younger ones. Another is that Brock has spent a lot of his life being a father of sorts to his nine siblings, and helping and taking care of those younger than him is just a part of who he is. Let's look at it that way. The first one is kinda weird anyway.