Koga

"The Poisonous Ninja Master"
Koga
Species	Human
Hair color	Blue
Eye color	Black
Base	Fuchsia City Gym
Relatives	Janine (daughter)
Voiced by	Stan Hart (2000) Christopher Bevins (2019)
Debut	Pokémon: Red/Green Versions

Koga is a Pokémon trainer who has appeared as an opponent in the first two generations of games in the Pokémon series. He originally appeared in the first generation as Fuchsia City's gym leader, but he went on to become a member of the Elite Four in the second generation games. He is known for being a ninja master who specializes in poison-type Pokémon. Koga is descended from a long line of ninjas and has trained his daughter to follow in his stead.

Background

Koga originally acted as the leader of the Fuchsia City gym, where challengers had to navigate a maze of invisible walls in order to reach him. He often taunted his opponents and started many of his statements with aggressive laughter. He was also known to patrol the Safari Zone in order to keep the area safe. Red challenged him at his gym in Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Yellow (as well as Pokémon: FireRed and LeafGreen Versions). After Koga was defeated, he gave Red the Soulbadge along with TM 06: Toxic. In a Fame Checker message, he mentioned that both he and Red must set their sights higher. In the Let's Go! remakes, Koga was instead challenged by Chase/Elaine and initially used his ninja skills to disguise himself as the gym guide. He gave TM 27: Toxic and could later be challenged to rematches in these versions. He also expressed his interest in joining the Elite Four.

He later dedicated his time to training his daughter Janine as a ninja and Pokémon trainer. At some point over the following few years, Koga became a member of the Elite Four based in Indigo Plateau, while leaving Janine to watch over the Fuchsia City gym as its new gym leader. Koga was the second member of the Elite Four to be challenged by Ethan/Lyra in Pokémon: Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions. He attempted to intimidate the trainer by talking about the threat he posed as a ninja as well as the different status effects that his Pokémon could cause. He was still defeated and decided that he must hone his skills, while telling Ethan/Lyra to move on to the next room.

Pokémon Roster

Generation I

In Red, Blue and Green, he has two Koffing, a Muk and a Weezing. Koga instead uses three Venonat and a Venomoth in the Yellow Version. In Let's Go!, his roster instead consists of Weezing, Muk, Golbat and Venomoth, with a Tentacruel being added for rematches.

Generation II

Koga in HeartGold and SoulSilver

Koga's Pokémon roster in the Gold/Silver/Crystal (as well as the first battle in HeartGold/SoulSilver) versions is:

• Ariados
• Forretress
• Muk
• Venomoth
• Crobat

In HeartGold/SoulSilver, uses the following roster for rematches:

• Skuntank
• Venomoth
• Toxicroak
• Muk
• Crobat
• Swalot

In Other Pokémon Games

Koga appeared as the fifth opponent faced within the Gym Leader Castle in Pokémon Stadium. In the first round he uses a Venomoth, Muk, Weezing, Venonat, Nidorina and Nidorino. In Round 2, Koga uses Venomoth, Muk, Weezing, Hypno, Tangela and Parasect. In Pokémon Stadium 2, he was battled with the other Elite Four members in that game's Gym Leader Castle. His roster in the first round was identical to his roster in Gold, Silver and Crystal, except that his Crobat and Forretress were replaced with Golbat, Electrode and Gligar. In the second round, Koga used Venomoth, Magmar, Lapras, Ariados, Lanturn and Stantler. Koga, as depicted in the anime, appeared as the sixth opponent in Pokémon Puzzle League, after Erika and before Sabrina. In this game, he used Venomoth, Voltorb and Golbat. In Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, Koga was the tenth opponent, battled with the other second generation Elite Four members. He fought using a Crobat.

In Pokémon Masters EX, Koga and his Crobat appeared as a playable sync pair that could be recruited by the player. He has also used Venomoth, Ariados and Muk when battled as an opponent. He was featured and recruited in Chapter 16 of the Main Story. In that chapter, he and Janine had formed a team for the Pokémon Masters League tournament, and they were the latest opponents that the player's team had to face. After Koga and Janine were defeated, Koga attempted to assure his daughter that he saw her as an equal on the battlefield and not a hindrance, but Janine decided to depart on her own personal journey to become stronger. Koga then volunteered to join the player's team. In Chapter 23, he and Clair commiserated over dealing with others questioning their respective fashion choices, and he considered buying one of Valerie's outfits for his daughter until he saw how expensive they were. During the Villain Arc, Koga and Janine showed up during the Johto chapter to hold off Petrel and his forces for Silver. Koga also appeared as an opponent in the Johto Challenge of the Champion Stadium mode, which replicated the Elite Four line-up from the second generation games.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• Koga appeared in an episode of the Pokémon anime, were his gym was located in a mansion similar to a classic Japanese one, but filed with secrets and traps. Ash challenged him and won his badge. Koga was also shown to be training his sister, Aya, who may have inspired the character of Janine. While Koga did not reappear outside of that episode, Aya made another appearance during the Johto series.
• In the manga The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Koga makes a small appearance in one chapter in which Team Rocket and several Pokémon end up trapped in his gym.
• Koga also appeared in the Pokémon Adventures manga as an antagonist and one of the gym leaders working under Giovanni as part of Team Rocket in the Red/Green/Blue arc. He first battles Red with Misty at Mt. Moon, where he uses an injection to evolve a Rhyhorn into Rhydon. He is also involved in reanimating the dead Pokémon at Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower with Gastly until defeated by Blue. He battled Blue again in the final Team Rocket battles at Saffron City and was defeated again. At the end of the Yellow arc the Team Rocket members return to help the trainers fight the Elite Four on Cerise Island. Koga is paired with Blue against Agatha and escapes after she is defeated. He goes missing over the next few years, leading Janine to replace him as Fuschia Gym Leader. He resurfaces near the end of the Gold/Silver/Crystal arc where he is shown to have partnered with Bruno due to both being remnants of evil organizations seeking new purpose. They help Red and Blue to travel to Johto and later on recruit Will and Karen into their ground, mimicking the second generation Elite Four line-up. The HeartGold/SoulSilver arc later shows that this Elite Four was successful in receiving official recognition from the Pokémon Association, and they later compete with Gold at the Pokéthlon.
• In an episode of the Pokémon Origins anime, Koga makes a brief appearance in an episode depicting Red beating him at a gym battle.

Trivia

• His English name is derived from Kouga-ryu, which is a style of ninjutsu; in Diamond and Pearl, a trainer asks if the player is a "Kouga" or Iga ninja in reference to the two schools of ninjutsu. Koga's Japanese name is actually Kyou, named after a type of apricot.
• Koga is more directly referenced in Diamond and Pearl, when a ninja Pokémon trainer mentions rumors he heard of a legendary ninja gym leader living in a faraway land.
• In HeartGold/SoulSilver, it is shown that Janine brings lunch to Koga every day in the late afternoon, due to how busy he is as a member of the Elite Four.
• In Gold/Silver/Crystal, his room at the Pokémon League contains a grassy area sporting several trees. In HeartGold/SoulSilver, it contains a stony floor with patches of moss and is surrounded by large trees.
• He is the only gym leader from the first five generations not to make an appearance in Black and White 2, due to his promotion to the Elite Four. Instead, it is Janine who competes in the Pokémon World Tournament. He is still mentioned by her, as she talks about wanting to become stronger than him and also needing to train more with him.
• In each game based on the first generation, Koga describes Toxic as a secret technique from four hundred years ago. In Let's Go!, he specifies that it was passed down his family line.