Archie

Archie as seen in Pokémon: Ruby and Sapphire Versions
Archie
Species	Human
Hair color	Black
Height	5'9"
Base	Aqua Hideout
Voiced by	Adin Rudd (2021)
Debut	Pokémon: Ruby/Sapphire Versions

Archie is the leader of Team Aqua whose was featured in the third generation Pokémon games, with a different role depending on the version. He is main antagonist in Pokémon Sapphire Version and its remake Alpha Sapphire, while in Emerald he and Maxie of Team Magma share the limelight as antagonists, and in Ruby/Alpha Ruby he instead appears as a helpful side character.

Background

Archie's was a Pokémon trainer who wished to expand the world's oceans, due to the importance of water in sustaining life and how aquatic Pokémon could be endangered by humanity's actions. His motives were expanded upon in Omega Sapphire, as he believed that the world had grown too disordered, and that by restoring the world to a pristine state by flooding it, life could then have a fresh start.

In all versions, Archie formed a group called Team Aqua to carry out his goals. In all versions save for Ruby/Omega Ruby, these plans involved awakening the ancient Water-type Pokémon, Kyogre.

Ruby/Omega Ruby

It is unknown if Archie still sought to awaken Kyogre in Ruby, but if so he did not actively pursue this goal. Instead, he focused on using Team Aqua to foil Team Magma's plans to awaken Groudon. He first showed up at Meteor Falls, bringing in Team Aqua to prevent Team Magma from stealing the Meteorite, but failing to do so. However, they were able to track Team Magma to Mt. Chimney and battled them there in an attempt to prevent Team Magma from erupting Mt. Chimney with their weapon. Although Archie was distracted by a group of grunts, Brendan/May arrived in time to defeat Maxie for him. Archie showed up later on in the Seafloor Cavern, after Maxie had awakened Groudon, to scold him for attempting to control its power.

In Omega Ruby, his characterization and goals were altered to be closer to his villainous counterpart. He simply focused on trying to stop Team Magma instead of advancing Team Aqua's own goals. After Primal Groudon was awakened and got out of Maxie's control, Archie brought Maxie and Team Magma back to Sootopolis City to try to help figure out a solution. He also apologized to Brendan/May for letting them down as an adult. In the wake of Groudon's defeat, Archie reached out to Maxie and suggested that they work together to make a world where everyone could coexist together, one that they could pass on proudly to the next generation.

Afterwards, Archie traveled to the Battle Resort. There, he ran into Brendan/May again. Thinking back on recent events, he mused about the possibility that, in another world, it could have been he and Kyogre whom Brendan/May had to stop, though he quickly dismissed the idea as nonsense. Archie had Matt pass a Mega Stone (Sharpedonite) onto the trainer as a gift and then moved along.

Sapphire/Alpha Sapphire

Archie engineered a variety of schemes revolving around awakening Kyogre from its resting place in the Seafloor Cavern. After his men failed to steal the Devon Goods from the Slateport Museum, Archie stepped in himself and left Brendan/May, the young trainer whom had defeated his men, off with a warning. Afterwards, his next plan involved manipulating Professor Cozmo and then stealing a Meteorite from Meteor Falls.

That meteorite was used to power a machine at the volcanic Mt. Chimney, which would drain the volcano so that it could ultimately become a new habitat for water Pokémon after it was filled with rainwater. Maxie and Team Magma were opposed to this and attempted to battle him to prevent this, although it was ultimately Brendan/May who challenged and defeated Archie. Archie decided to give up on this plan and retreated, but he assured his opponent that Team Aqua would win in the end. Afterwards, he put the final steps of his plan to resurrect Kyogre into motion; by stealing the Red Orb from Mt. Pyre and then hijacking Captain Stern's new Explorer 1 submarine from Slateport City.

Using the Explorer 1, Archie entered the Seafloor Cavern where Kyogre slept. He arrived at Kyogre's resting place just after Brendan/May and then battled them once again, believing that they would have to "disappear" so that he could make his dream come true. He was defeated again, but the Red Orb acted automatically in awakening Kyogre, which then fled. Archie found to his dismay that Kyogre's power was out of his control even with the Red Orb in his possession, and that Kyogre's power was more harmful to the world than he had intended. Seeing the error of his ways, Archie later returned the orb to Mt. Pyre.

In Alpha Sapphire, his role was expanded and altered in some places. His goal was not just to awaken Kyogre, but to enhance its power through the process known as Primal Reversion, and this plan was known as Project AZOTH. He also learned most of what he knew about awakening Kyogre from Zinnia, who posed as one of his grunts. His actions at Mt. Chimney were changed into being an attempt to change the stolen meteorite into a Mega Stone, but he gave the meteorite to Brendan/May after hearing word of the Blue Orb. On that note, he also successfully stole the Blue Orb instead of the Red Orb, which turned out to be the key to achieving Primal Reversion. Archie also played more of a role in helping to prepare Brendan/May to fight Primal Kyogre and approved of Shelly giving them the Aqua Suit for that purpose. After the incident was resolved, Maxie reached out to Archie about working together to try to make a better world, but Archie felt unsure about it because he still believed in the world that he dreamed of making. Still, he advised Brendan/May about using the Red Orb to help control Kyogre.

He also appeared during the Delta Episode, where Zinnia had managed to steal his Key Stone, and so he had Shelly give Brendan/May a Mega Stone (Sharpedonite) to help the trainer in trying to stop her. In the aftermath of the Delta Episode's events, he admitted that what he did was unforgivable and decided to turn over a new leaf. He saw the futility of getting wrapped up in his own beliefs, so he decided that Team Aqua would take a step into the unknown and work with different people from then on.

Archie also appeared at the Battle Maison, as a potential partner for Multi Battles.

Emerald Version

In this version, Archie and Maxie actively competed in attempting to revive their respective legendary Pokémon (and both eventually succeeded). Archie first showed up in person when his men were foiled by Brendan/May in their attempt to steal the Devon Goods from the Slateport Museum. Archie saw Brendan/May was just a kid and let them off with a warning. Archie and Team Aqua later pursued Maxie and Team Magma after they stole the Meteroite from Meteor Falls, in an attempt to prevent them from using it to rouse Mt. Chimney's volcano. Archie was not able to make it to Maxie in time, but Brenda/May was. After Brendan/May defeated Maxie, Archie congratulated them and left wondering whose side they were on.

Team Aqua later attacked Mt. Pyre. Although Team Magma had beaten them there, the Red Orb needed to awaken Kyogre was still there, so Archie claimed it and retreated it to Team Aqua's base in Lilycove City. Stealing the Submarine Explorer 1 from Slateport, Archie used it to travel to the Seafloor Cavern. There he once more found Brendan/May in his way at Kyogre's resting place and battled them, being defeated by the player trainer. However, the Red Orb acted automatically in awaking Kyogre, which fled without heed to any of Archie's orders. After hearing of the destruction Kyogre rained upon the land and being scolded by Maxie, Archie began to feel remorse with his actions.

Archie and Maxie then witnessed Kyogre and Groudon's epic battle at Sootopolis City, with Archie still being in denial and trying in vain to make Kyogre listen to his orders. Eventually Rayquaza descended and stopped the battle, at which point Archie and Maxie both mused on this outcome, then they both left to return their orbs to Mt. Pyre.

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon

During the post-game Episode RR storyline in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Giovanni used the technology of the Aether Institute to pull over villains from other dimensions so that they could serve him as part of Team Rainbow Rocket. He specifically pulled them from worlds in which they were successful in their goals. This included a version of Archie had successfully summoned Kyogre. He had been in the process of using its power to expand the world's oceans when he was swallowed by a tidal wave and pulled across dimensions. Unware of Giovanni's role in his situation, he was grateful to work under him while figuring out a way back home, and he respected the Rainbow Rocket Grunts under his command as if they were his own crew. He also considered using Kyogre to repeat his plan in this world as well.

He and Maxie were the first bosses who could be faced within the castle. He was defeated by Sun/Moon and was impressed to have been beaten by someone so young. He then gave them some advice on how to proceed in the castle and was left wondering if he would have been able to pull off his plan back home if his world had a trainer like them. Later on, Archie ran into Maxie and argued with him. Each of them remembered defeating the other in his own world, and they decided to have a battle to decided who would take over the Alola Islands. But before this battle could commence, they both vanished as Colress had them sent back to their original worlds.

Pokémon Roster

Archie uses the following Pokémon in Sapphire, Emerald and Alpha Sapphire:

• Mightyena
• Golbat/Crobat - Archie uses a Golbat the first time he is battled in Sapphire, but it is a Crobat during the Seafloor Cavern battle in Sapphire and Emerald.
• Sharpedo - In Alpha Sapphire, he will Mega Evolve it into Mega Sharpedo during the second battle.
• Muk (second battle in Alpha Sapphire only)

When teaming up with Archie at the Battle Maison, he uses Sharpedo (with Mega Evolution) and Crobat.

In Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, he uses the same line-up as his second battle in Alpha Sapphire, but with Kyogre added to his team and without any Mega Evolution.

In Other Pokémon Games

In Pokémon Masters EX, Archie (the Omega version) and Kyogre appeared as a playable sync pair that could be unlocked at random through the game's Sync Pair Scout feature during limited time periods, starting in June 2021. Archie was also shown using his Sharpedo. He and Kyogre were featured as enemies faced in several events, and he was also featured in the Story Event "Masters of Land and Sky". In that event, Archie opposed the artificial island of Pasio due to its effect on the ocean's ecosystem and sought out Kyogre in hopes of using its power to sink the island. He ultimately obtained Kyogre, but it got caught up in a battle with Groudon, and Archie experienced a change of heart when a child he had befriended was endangered. Archie and Maxie worked together with the other trainers to calm the two Legendary Pokémon. In the aftermath of the battle, their respective Admins joined them, but Archie and Maxie agreed to have a small truce before battling each other.

Both Archie and Maxie were later featured in the Villain Arc chapter "Hoenn: Deltas of Land, Sea and Sky". It was shown that Archie was taking Shelly's advice and taking his time so that Team Aqua could properly research Kyogre before potentially using it against Team Magma. Matt seemed to disagree, however, as he felt that Archie had changed and would really want to beat Team Magma before anything else. Soon afterwards, an increase in natural energy sent Kyogre and Groudon into a rampage and caused them to battle each other. The battle was ultimately broken up by Zinnia's Rayquaza, but Kyogre and Groudon went off on their own. Both Archie and Maxie sent out search teams to find the Pokémon, but Zinnia showed up to warn Archie that they were being manipulated by an outside force. The Pokémon were eventually found, but Matt and Courtney were tricked into forming bonds with them that caused their negative feelings to be influenced by the two Pokémon's rampage. Archie was ultimately able to reach out to Matt and calmed him down enough to contain Kyogre and Groudon's rampage until the caused of their rampage could be nullified. One cause was a Pasio-bound meteor that Zinnia was able to destroy, while the other was device planted by Team Rocket that amplified the natural energy which was destroyed by Steven Stone. In the aftermath of the conflict, Archie and Maxie agreed to form a real truce in order to focus on going after the masterminds behind the incident. Archie and Maxie would meet up in "Paulo Interlude: The Last Evil", in which they discussed the growing threat posed by Team Break under Paulo's control, and they came to see Paulo as being misguided as they once were. During the Final Chapter, they showed up to help fend off a group of Team Rocket members led by Proton and Petrel.

Archie was also featured in the Story Event "Twin Stars Far Apart". He found a sleeping Jirachi with Tate and Liza and told them about the Pokémon. He also warned them not to tell others about the Jirachi so that it would not get swarmed with wishes. After Liza got lost in an Ultra Wormhole, Archie brought Tate back to the Jirachi and guided him in awakening the Pokémon so that they could use its wish-granting power to save Liza. They were ultimately successful in bringing Liza back. In the aftermath, Archie watched Tate and Liza perform at the star festival. He made a wish on a shooting star for Tate and Liza to grow up in a world where people and Pokémon could keep on laughing together the way they were at that festival.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon anime, Team Aqua appeared throughout the episodes of the Pokémon anime set in Hoenn, although Archie himself did not appear until the two-part episode featuring Kyogre and Groudon's battle. Archie was successful in claiming the Red Orb and using it to control Kyogre, but it corrupted and eventually merged with Archie, causing him to seek the flooding of everything without regard for anyone, including his own men. However, after Kyogre is defeated by Groudon the orb was ejected from Archie's body and he was knocked out, being awakened by Shelly with no recollection of what had happened when he was under the orb's influence.
• Archie was featured as a main antagonist in the Ruby/Sapphire and Emerald arcs of the Pokémon Adventures manga. In the Ruby/Sapphire arc, he acted as the head of Hoenn TV while secretly leading Team Aqua, and he used this position to hide Team Aqua's activities from the public, while making Team Magma infamous and feared. They only succeeded in stealing the prototype submarine engine and the Blue Orb from Maxie. However, after Maxie stole the entire submarine, the two later form an alliance to enter the Seafloor Cavern together and then have Groudon and Kyogre battle each other to decide which is truly better. Even though Kyogre and Groudon were ultimately driven off by Raquaza and they were separated from their orbs, the two had been corrupted by the orbs to the point of insanity, at which point they teamed up together to begin eliminating all potential threats to them. However, they were ultimately defeated by Ruby and Sapphire, then sealed within Wallace's aircar. It was later shown that Sird freed them and offered a special armor to one of them that would possibly allow them to survive the potentially fatal after-effects of being possessed by the orbs. Archie won the armor (implied to have resulted in Maxie's death) and used it to operate as Guile Hideout, the mysterious villain of the Emerald saga, hunting Jirachi and using one of its wishes to fashion a fake Kyogre. However, all of the Pokédex trainers team up together to destroy it, and Archie loses his armor in the battle. Afterwards he rejects Emerald's help and attempts to find his armor so he could make another Kyogre with Jirachi's last wish, but he finds Gold's fake armor instead and disappears in a brilliant explosion when he reaches for the real armor. Archie and Maxie returned in the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire arc, where they reformed their groups and awakened Groudon and Kyogre's Primal Forms. However, it ultimately turned out that they were brought back to life by a mysterious power and carried out their actions to help destroy Grand Meteor Delta. Following its destruction, their bodies disappeared, and they entrusted their subordinates with the world's protection.
• He was featured in an episode of the Pokémon Generations anime based on the Alpha Sapphire version of events. The episode was about Archie and Team Aqua exploring the the Seafloor Cavern, awakening Kyogre's Primal Form and being attacked by it.

Trivia

• His Japanese name is Aogiri, the name of a Chinese parasol tree and also containing the Japanese word for "blue".
• According to a Magma Grunt in Omega Ruby, Archie and Maxie used to be on the same team.
• Shelly's room at Team Aqua's hideout in Alpha Sapphire has a picture of Archie and Shelly as children with Jirachi. This indicates that the two have known each other since childhood and have met the legendary Pokémon. While this is not directly referenced in the "Twin Stars Far Apart" event in Pokémon Masters EX, Archie is shown to know a lot about Jirachi, and he tells Shelly that Jirachi has met a nice trainer at the end of the event.
• Archie received a new design for Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire. In addition to his outfit changing, he was made tanner and given rougher facial hair. Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon would later use a design based on his appearance from the original third generation games instead.
• He keeps his Key Stone in the anchor that he wears around his neck, known as a Mega Anchor.