Professor Oak

Prof. Oak in Pokémon: FireRed and LeafGreen Versions.
Prof. Oak
Species	Human
Hair color	Gray
Eye color	Black
Relatives	Blue Oak (Grandson), Daisy Oak (Grandaughter)
Voiced by	Stan Hart (1998-2000)
Debut	Pokémon: Red Version/Pokémon: Green Version

Professor Oak is the Pokémon Professor of Kanto who is featured in Pokémon: Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen Versions as well as appearing in most of the other Pokémon games,

Background

Mainstream Games

Prof. Oak is known as the Pokémon Professor, namely because he has studied Pokémon most of his life. Back in the day, he was an incredibly skilled trainer, as suggested by his contemporary, Agatha. She goes on to describe Oak as tough and handsome to boot. Then his focus shifted, and his dream became making a complete guide on all the Pokémon in the world. This became the Pokédex, a handheld encyclopedia used by researchers to record information on Pokémon they encounter and capture. Oak taught many other people for a while, including Professor Elm. However he was becoming elderly and as such, unable to realize his dream.

It was then that he and invited his grandson Blue Oak, and his neighbor, Red, to his lab. He gave each one one of his remaining three Pokémon. Then he left them with a single task: to fulfill his dream. His grandson Blue was eager to try; however, his heart was in the wrong place. While Oak wanted him to complete his Pokédex, Blue didn't treat his Pokémon as friends, and was therefore surpassed by Red.

Professor Oak congratulated Red on his victory over the Elite Four, and escorted him to the final room of the Indigo Plateau, and recorded Red's team into the database of champions. (It should be noted that since only current and former Champions are allowed into the final room of the Elite Four, so it can be assumed that Oak was once a Champion himself.)

In Pokémon: Gold, Silver, and Crystal Versions he then struck a deal with the Goldenrod City Radio station, giving him a radio show, co-hosted by Mary. The show is actually prerecorded, so Oak will often go back to his laboratory to listen to it. He meets Gold at the beginning of Gold's journey at the house of Mr. Pokémon, and will give him a Pokédex after seeing how well Gold treated his Pokémon and seeing great potential in the trainer.

Oak also makes an appearance in Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl Versions, giving the player his or her National Pokédex.

Spin-off Games

In Pokémon Snap, Oak was given special permission to research the native species of Pokémon Island. To complete his “PKMN Report” he needed photographs of the Pokémon in their native habitat. He created the Zero-One to deal with it's adverse conditions, but he was still not getting any younger. He considered asking one of the skilled trainers he had encountered to take the photos, but worried that they might be tempted to catch the Pokémon. He, instead, enlisted the help of a wildlife photographer, Todd, to assist him.

In Hey You, Pikachu!, Professor Oak had developed a new portable computer called the PokéHelper which allowed people to communicate with Pokémon. He distributed a prototype version to the game's main character to test it on his Pikachu. Oak occasionally communicated with the player throughout the game to dispense advice.

Professor Oak, as he appeared in the anime, appeared in Pokémon Puzzle League. He invited Ash Ketchum to compete at the Puzzle Village. Ash could visit Professor Oak's Lab there in order to learn the rules of the game.

Other Appearances

• Professor Oak also made various appearances in the Pokémon anime, especially since the show's star is from Pallet Town. In the anime, Ash's extra Pokémon are sent to him instead of to Bill.

Trivia

• A trophy of Professor Oak appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee.