Lieutenant Surge

"The Lightning American"
Lt. Surge
Species	Human
Hair color	Blonde
Eye color	Blue
Base	Vermilion City Gym
Voiced by	Patrick Seitz (2019)
Debut	Pokémon: Red/Green Versions

Lieutenant Surge is one of the gym leaders faced in the first generation games of the Pokémon series. He acts as the gym leader of the Vermilion City gym and is said to hail from America.

Background

In the past, he apparently served in the army and was a strict taskmaster. His faith in electric-type Pokémon comes from the fact that they had saved his life when he was fighting in the war.

In Pokémon: Red, Blue, Green and Yellow Versions (as well as Pokémon: FireRed and LeafGreen Versions), Surge was the third gym leader who Red battled. Due to the cautious nature Surge had developed during his military service, he had sealed himself off from the rest of the room with an electrical barrier, one that could only be deactivated by pressing special switches hidden within wastebaskets. After being defeated, Surge gave Red the Thunderbadge as well as TM 24: Thunderbolt (Or TM 34: Shock Wave in FireRed and LeafGreen). In the Let's Go! games, he instead faced Chase/Elaine and gave them his Autograph in addition to TM 36: Thunderbolt upon being defeated. He could also be challenged to rematches after beating the Elite Four in those versions.

Several years later, Surge would be challenged by Ethan/Lyra in the Gold, Silver and Crystal Versions (as well as the HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions). He was the first Kanto gym leader that could be battled in the game, and he would once more give away the Thunderbadge upon defeat (as well as TM 34: Shock Wave in HeartGold and SoulSilver).

In HeartGold and SoulSilver, he later appeared outside the Power Plant between the hours of 9AM and 11AM every day, where he would exchange Pokégear numbers with Ethan/Lyra if they shows him a Pikachu. Calling him on Friday mornings (between the hours of 4AM and 10AM) will cause him to come to the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City for a rematch. After being defeated in a rematch, he will appear at Saffron City's Magnet Train station, where he will trade his own French Pikachu (an English one in the Japanese version) to the player for a Pikachu that was caught in the Viridan Forest. He also appeared at Route 39 on Saturdays, where the player could take a picture with him.

In Black and White 2, Lieutenant Surge returned as a competitor in the Pokémon World Tournament that was held at Unova, eager to prove himself as the number one trainer of electric Pokémon in the world. He could be faced in the Kanto Leaders, World Leaders and Type Expert Tournaments.

Pokémon Roster

Lieutenant Surge in full uniform.

Lt. Surge specialized in electric-type Pokémon. In the first generation games, his line-up consisted of Pikachu, Raichu and Voltorb. However, in Pokémon Yellow he had only a Raichu due to it being his only Pokémon in the anime. In Gold, Silver and Crystal (as well as the first match in HeartGold/SoulSilver), Surge had the following Pokémon in his roster:

• Raichu
• Electrode (2)
• Magneton
• Electabuzz

In HeartGold and SoulSilver, he used the following Pokémon in rematches:

• Raichu
• Manectric
• Magnezone
• Electrode
• Pachirisu
• Electivire

He also has his French Pikachu, nicknamed Volty, which he trades for a Pikachu caught in the Virdian Forest.

During tournament battles in Black 2 and White 2, his roster consists of Raichu, Electrode, Magnezone, Electivire, Jolteon and either Ampharos (in the Kanto Leaders Tournament) or Lanturn (in the World Leaders and Type Experts Tournaments).

For the Let's Go! games, his original roster is Voltorb, Magnemite and Raichu. For rematches, his roster is the same as his Gold/Silver roster, except that the second Electrode is replaced with a Jolteon.

In Other Pokémon Games

Lt. Surge appeared in Pokémon Stadium as one of the enemies in the Gym Leader Castle. His Pokémon in the first round were Raichu, Voltorb, Electrode, Pikachu, Magnemite and Magneton (most of which were later used for his roster in the Gold, Silver and Crystal versions). In the second round, he used Raichu, Tangela, Poliwrath, Lickitung, Electabuzz and Electrode. In Pokémon Stadium 2, Surge was the third opponent in the Kanto Gym Leader Castle. He used Raichu, Magneton, Electrode, Electabuzz, Porygon and Lanturn. In the second round his Pokémon were Raichu, Victreebel, Dodrio, Jolteon, Quagsire and Porygon2.

Surge (as he appeared in the anime) appeared in Pokémon Puzzle League as the fourth opponent. His line-up consisted of a Jolteon, Raichu and a Magneton.

In Pokémon Masters EX, Surge (with his HeartGold/SoulSilver design) and Voltorb appeared as a playable sync pair that could be unlocked at random through the Sync Pair Scout feature. His Voltorb could evolve into an Electrode through a Sync Pair Story in which he had to defeat Marshal in a one-on-one battle. Starting in May 2021, a variation of Surge with Raichu could also be obtained by exchanging Battle Points. He could also be seen using Magneton as an opponent in battle. Surge made an appearance within the "Battle Buffet Bash" prestige event, in which he ran a canteen as part of the Battle Buffet and served dishes such as yellow curry soup and Superchaged Spark Ramen, the latter of which was referred to as his speciality that he used to prepare for his friends.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• Lt. Surge was featured in an episode of the Pokémon anime, where his only Pokémon was a Raichu. He taunted Ash Ketchum for not evolving his Pikachu and often teased Ash by calling him a baby. Surge initially beat Ash, but Ash was ultimately able to prove himself when his Pikachu defeated Surge's Raichu in their rematch. Surge was referenced again years later during the Pokémon Journeys series. In that episode, Ash visited the Vermilion Gym and battled a new character named Visquez, who was acting as a substitute gym leader while Surge was away training and also used a Raichu. She promised to pass on word to Surge about how much Ash had grown as a trainer.
• He appears in the Pokémon Adventures manga, initially as one of the villainous gym leaders serving under Giovanni as part of Team Rocket. He uses the St. Anne for his criminal activities and nearly kills Red after he stumbles upon them. He captures Zapdos for Team Rocket, but is defeated in the final battles of the Red/Blue/Green arc by Red in Saffron City. He later appears near the end of the Yellow arc to battle the Elite Four for Team Rocket. He was supposed to fight alongside Red, but due to his absence, he was paired with Bill instead in battle against Bruno, until Red returned, at which point Surge drew back. In the Gold/Silver/Crystal arc, he was shown to have retained his gym leader status and used the S.S. Aqua to investigate and attempt to defeat the mysterious new Team Rocket leader, only to be defeated. After discovering proof that Gold and Silver were alive, he enlisted Morty's help in tracking them to see what they knew about the Mask of Ice. During the competition with the Johto gym leaders, he was paired against Morty in a match that ended with a draw. Raikou chose Surge as its master, and he used Raikou to escape being trapped on the bullet train and to battle the Mask of Ice alongside Misty and Blaine, although they were ultimately defeated.
• In the Pokémon Origins anime, he makes a brief appearance in one episode depicting his defeat at Red's hands.

Trivia

• The name "Surge" refers to an electrical surge. His Japanese name is Matis, in reference to a flower named Clematis.
• Surge is said to have also been a pilot when he lived in America (possibly while serving in the war), and his plane was powered by electric Pokémon.
• In Yellow, his speech is more condescending to reflect his attitude in the anime.
• HeartGold and SoulSilver reveals Pikachu to be Surge's favorite Pokémon.
• One of his gym's trainers seen in the first generation games and its remakes, Gentleman Tucker, previously served under Surge in the military and described him as a harsh taskmaster.