Karen

Karen in Pokémon: HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions.
Karen
Species	Human
Affiliation	Elite Four (Kanto/Johto)
Hair color	Blue
Eye color	Purple
Voiced by	Mela Lee (2019)
Debut	Pokémon: Gold/Silver Versions

Karen is one of the new members of Kanto and Johto's Elite Four who appears as an opponent in Pokémon: Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions. She is a specialist in Dark-type Pokémon.

Background

Karen preferred Dark-type Pokémon due to their wild and tough image, which appealed to her. She considered judging Pokémon by their strength to be a selfish perception and believed that skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites. She took Lance's place as the leader of the Elite Four following his resignation. Lance would end up becoming the new champion of the Elite Four, presumably by defeating them all.

In Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver, Karen was challenged and defeated by Ethan/Lyra. She commended the trainer, saying that they understood what was important in raising Pokémon, and she then sent them to battle the champion.

Pokémon Roster

Karen has the following Pokémon in Gold, Silver and Crystal (as well as the first battle in HeartGold and SoulSilver):

• Umbreon
• Vileplume
• Murkrow
• Gengar
• Houndoom

In HeartGold and SoulSilver, Karen uses the following roster in rematches:

• Weavile
• Spiritomb
• Absol
• Honchkrow
• Houndoom
• Umbreon

In Other Pokémon Games

Karen appeared in Pokémon Stadium 2 as the fourth member of the Elite Four to be battled in the Johto Gym Leader castle. In this game, her roster consists of Umbreon, Victreebel, Murkrow, Magmar, Gengar and Vileplume in the first round, and Persian, Slowbro, Electrode, Umbreon, Murkrow and Misdreavus in the second round. She also appeared in Pokémon Puzzle Challenge as the twelfth opponent as part of the Elite Four, and she used a Murkrow in battle.

In Pokémon Masters EX, Karen and her Houndoom appeared as a playable sync pair that could be unlocked at random through the Sync Pair Scout feature. Her Houndoom could also Mega Evolve into Mega Houndoom when using a sync move in battle. A variation of Karen paired with Umbreon instead could also be unlocked with Battle Points starting in May 2021. She has also been seen using Honchkrow in battle. Within the Main Story, she was featured as an opponent in Chapter 25, where she fought alongside Will and Grimsley during the finals of the Pokémon Masters League and was defeated by Scottie/Bettie's team. In the "Champion Time" Story Event, she defeated Marnie in an exhibition match. Karen would later play a role in the Johto chapter of the Villain Arc, in which she helped to battle Team Rocket. Karen also appeared as an opponent in Kris's Sync Pair Story, where she had to be defeated in order for Kris's Croconaw to evolve. She also made an appearance in the "Champion Time" Story Event, where she defeated Marnie in an exhibition match. Karen was featured as an opponent in the Johto Challenge of the game's Champion Stadium mode, which replicated the Elite Four line-up from the second generation games.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• Karen appears in the Pokémon Adventures manga, where she and Will are among the children raised by the Mask of Ice as his servants. Unlike the others, they apparently were not kidnapped and instead willingly joined the Mask of Ice due to being prodigies at battles and being bored of everything. During the Gold/Silver/Crystal arc, they appear when they use Ho-Oh and Lugia to battle Silver and Green under the Mask of Ice's orders at Ilex Forest, although Karen is ultimately defeated by Green. Afterwards, they are recruited by Koga and Bruno into their new Elite Four, which consists of remnants of villainous organizations seeking new purpose. In the HeartGold/SoulSilver arc, it is shown that this Elite Four was officially recognized by the Pokémon Association, and at one point they compete against Gold at the Pokéthlon, although Karen herself does not take part in any of the events.

Trivia

• Her Japanese name is Karin, which could refer to the names of several different types of trees. Her English name is almost identical to it and could also be referring to the word 'darken'.
• In Gold/Silver/Crystal, her room at the Elite Four is an area surrounded by a dark chasm. It sports a more unique design in HeartGold/SoulSilver, featuring a purple tiled floor containing starry patterns, several large blue crystals filling the dark chasms and a large set of curtains near Karen's position.