Lt. Surge (Japanese: マチス Matisse[4]) is the Gym Leader of Vermilion City's Gym, known officially as the Vermilion Gym. He hands out the Thunder Badge to Trainers who defeat him in battle. He specializes in Electric-type Pokémon.
In the core series games
Lt. Surge is known as the "Lightning Lieutenant". Apparently, he is or was an American soldier who fought in at least one war, during which Electric-type Pokémon saved his life. As a member of the army, Surge was a strict CO, and was rather cautious. He was a pilot as well, and used Electric-type Pokémon to power his planes, a practice that in at least one occasion saved his life. Also, Surge saved the life of one of the Trainers in his Gym who was in the army at the same time. A little paranoid, Lt. Surge installed a series of traps in the Gym. He takes a liking to Trainers with a lot of guts.
In addition to the Thunder Badge, Lt. Surge gives out TM24RBY/TM36PE (Thunderbolt) in the Generation I games and Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. In FireRed, LeafGreen, HeartGold, and SoulSilver he gives out TM34 (Shock Wave). In Gold, Silver, and Crystal, he doesn't give out a TM. Also, in HeartGold and SoulSilver, he trades a foreign Pikachu with the player for another Pikachu. In Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, in addition to the Thunder Badge and the reward TM, he also gives the player his Autograph as a reward for defeating him.
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, he will be outside of the Power Plant between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. This only occurs after the player has captured, not defeated, Zapdos. If the player defeated Zapdos, they will need to battle the Elite Four again for Zapdos to reappear. If the player arrives walking with a Pikachu, he will happily give his Pokégear number out, and if called on Friday morning, will be at the Fighting Dojo for a rematch. After the player gets his Pokégear number, he will be at the Magnet Train station in Saffron City. There he'll offer to trade his French (English in non-English-language versions) Pikachu, nicknamed Volty, for the player's Pikachu that he saw at the Power Plant (though it need not be the same one). She will be at the same level as the Pikachu traded, will know the moves appropriate for that level, and be holding a Yellow Shard.
In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Lt. Surge participates in the Pokémon World Tournament. He and the other Gym Leaders of Kanto participate in the Kanto Leaders Tournament, while also participating in the Type Expert and World Leaders Tournaments with the Gym Leaders from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova.
Fame Checker
This is a list of the Fame Checker’s information on Lt. Surge in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
- Vermilion City - Sign
- What does this person do?
- "Vermilion City Pokémon Gym
- Leader: Lt. Surge
- The Lightning American!"
- Vermilion Gym - Lt. Surge
- Favorite kind of Pokémon?
- "I tell you, kid, electric Pokémon saved me during the war!"
- Vermilion Gym - Gentleman Tucker
- What is this person like?
- "When I was in the Army, Lt. Surge was my strict CO.
- He was a hard taskmaster."
- Vermilion Gym - Gentleman Tucker
- What is this person like?
- "Lt. Surge was always famous for his cautious nature in the Army."
- Vermilion Gym - Sailor Dwayne
- What is this person like?
- "Lt. Surge installed the traps in the Gym himself.
- He set up double locks everywhere."
- Vermilion City - Pokémon Journal*
- There’s a rumor...
- "Lt. Surge is rumored to have been a pilot while home in America.
- He used the electricity generated by Pokémon to power his plane."
- Message from Lt. Surge
- From: Lt. Surge
- To: [Player]
- "Hey kid!
- You electrified me in our battle!
- I didn’t know that there were gutsy trainers like you.
- It made me change my mind about you!"
Pokémon
Pokémon Red and Blue
Lt. Surge has one X Speed per Pokémon, using it randomly 25% of the time.
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Pokémon Yellow
Lt. Surge has an X Speed, using it randomly 25% of the time.
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Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal
Lt. Surge has a Hyper Potion.
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Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Lt. Surge has a Super Potion and a Full Heal.
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Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Gym battle
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Rematch
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Traded to the player
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
Pokémon World Tournament
Lt. Surge uses three of these Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles and all six in Triple Battles. Lt. Surge will always lead with his signature Pokémon, Raichu.
Kanto Leaders Tournament
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Type Expert/World Leaders Tournament
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Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
Gym battle
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Rematch
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In the side series games
Pokémon Stadium
Lt. Surge appears in Pokémon Stadium as the third Gym Leader the player faces during the Gym Leader Castle challenge. During Round 2, he also uses Pokémon outside his specialty type to counter any Ground-type Pokémon used against him.
Pokémon
Round 1
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Round 2
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Pokémon Stadium 2
Lt. Surge returns in Pokémon Stadium 2 as part of the Kanto Gym Leader Castle.
During the game's end credits, Lt. Surge is seen having a battle with Morty at the Ecruteak Gym.
Pokémon
Round 1
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Round 2
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In the spin-off games
Pokémon Puzzle League
In Pokémon Puzzle League, Lt. Surge is one of the opponents in the 1P Stadium mode, and one of the characters available in the 2P Stadium mode.
Pokémon
Pokémon Masters EX
- Main article: Lt. Surge (Masters)
Lt. Surge, in his Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver design, forms a sync pair with Voltorb and its evolved form Electrode, along with Raichu in Pokémon Masters EX. Lt. Surge became a playable sync pair since the game's release.
Gallery
Artwork
Sprites and models
In the core series
In other games
Quotes
- Main article: Lt. Surge/Quotes
In the anime
Main series
Lt. Surge appeared in Electric Shock Showdown. He was quick to show off his powerful Raichu upon Ash's arrival at the Vermilion Gym. Lt. Surge then laughed at the sight of Pikachu and mocked him for his apparent weakness, though he eventually agreed to battle Ash. Pikachu was quickly overwhelmed and defeated by Raichu's onslaught of attacks.
After Pikachu recovered at the local Pokemon Center, Ash had a rematch with Lt. Surge. When Pikachu was able to use his Agility to evade Raichu's attacks, Lt. Surge had Raichu use Thunderbolt to destroy the Gym's lights and glass windows. However, Pikachu didn't sustain any damage after he grounded himself with his tail, while Raichu exhausted all of its electrical power. Pikachu then used the opportunity to defeat Raichu, earning Ash his third Badge, the Thunder Badge.
He reappeared in a flashback in Pika and Goliath!.
In Destination: Coronation!, it was revealed that Surge left the Gym in the care of Visquez and left on his own journey to become a better Electric-type Trainer. It was also revealed that he trained the Raichu that Visquez owns, and Ash's fame had grown amongst the Trainers at the Gym.
Character
An intimidating person, Lt. Surge surrounds himself with other tough-looking Trainers. He is arrogant, loud, and crude; and refers to all challengers as "babies" until they manage to defeat him. Lt. Surge generally looks down on unevolved Pokémon, preferring to evolve them as soon as possible. He also seems to be an extremely brutal battler, as nearly every Trainer that faced him ended up with their Pokémon being seriously injured.
In spite of his preference for evolved Pokémon, Lt. Surge does not take into account any advantages an unevolved Pokémon may have over their evolved forms. Though he managed to defeat Ash and Pikachu once with pure power, Pikachu was able to use speed-altering moves like Agility, which Raichu couldn't learn, to outrun and defeat it. Surge and Raichu came to respect Ash and Pikachu's tenacity after this defeat, and, as shown in Destination: Coronation!, tells his Gym Trainers stories about their rematch to this day.
Pokémon
This listing is of Lt. Surge's known Pokémon in the anime:
On hand
Trained
Voice actors
Pokémon Origins
Lt. Surge appeared briefly in File 2: Cubone. He was shown facing Red at the Vermilion Gym during a Gym battle and eventually getting defeated, earning Red the Thunder Badge.
Pokémon
GOTCHA!
Lt. Surge briefly appeared in GOTCHA!.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Lt. Surge and his Raichu with Sabrina and her Mr. Mime
History
Red, Green & Blue arc
Lt. Surge is one of the evil sub-leaders of Team Rocket. In his debut chapter, Danger: High Voltorb, he used the S.S. Anne in Vermilion City to transport captured Pokémon illegally. He tried to kill Red, but was bested after Red's Poliwhirl evolved into Poliwrath.
Lt. Surge captured Zapdos at the abandoned Power Plant under Giovanni's orders. He then fought Red at Silph Co. with an Electrode bazooka and Magneton shield all powered by his newly caught Zapdos. He also had an electrocution suit on so he couldn't be shocked by Zapdos' power. Red waits for him to make Zapdos use its full power and makes Saur cut up the power cords to his machines and his suit so he gets electrocuted instead. However, he, along with the rest of Team Rocket, was dispersed when the chimera made from the legendary Pokémon was defeated by Red, Blue, and Green in Saffron City.
Yellow arc
Some time later, the Elite Four tried to destroy humanity. Team Rocket's admins joined up with Blue, Green and Yellow to stop them. During the battle against the Elite Four on Cerise Island, Lt. Surge was paired with Red according to Sabrina's Spoons of Destiny. However, with Red absent due to injuries, Lt. Surge had to choose Bill as his partner instead, whose Spoon had not bent due to the fact that he was accompanying Green and Yellow, thus not intending to battle in the first place. When Red arrived the moment that Bill and Lt. Surge were about to lose, Lt. Surge's spoon bent, revealing Red as his true partner. Red then resumed his battle with Bruno. When it finished, Lt. Surge became fed up and pushed Bill into the acidic waters below, though Bill was saved by Red.
Gold, Silver & Crystal arc
In Johto, Lt. Surge owned and captained the new luxury liner, S.S. Aqua. He was first seen driving out of the Union Cave in a submarine. His Magnemite accidentally captured Crystal, who later freed his submarine by capturing the Corsola that were keeping it stuck. He repaid her by taking her to Olivine City free of charge. He then went to Mahogany Town to investigate the rise of Team Rocket under a different leader, since Koga and Giovanni disappeared and Sabrina was busy healing her wounds. He confronted the Masked Man, but lost and barely managed to escape with his life. He then stumbled upon Silver's Gyarados while exploring the Lake of Rage.
He is then led to several items of Gold and Silver's including one of their Pokédexes and goes to Morty so he can use them to locate the lost boys, who tells him that they are at the Whirl Islands. He is able to return their stuff and watches the Johto Pokédex holders battle against Lugia before a message is sent to him stating that he is being summoned to a Gym Leader tournament at Indigo Plateau that would pit the Kanto Gym Leaders against the Johto Gym Leaders. Lt. Surge is fatefully pitted against Morty for the competition, but their match ends in a draw due to Morty's Misdreavus using Destiny Bond just as his Magnemite beats it. Soon, the Masked Man struck. Using his latest recruitment, Raikou, Lt. Surge separated the two coaches of the Magnet Train and returned it to Indigo Plateau before challenging the Masked Man (along with Misty and Blaine) and losing to him. The excess electricity fed to the Magnet Train proved useful later on.
Character
Lt. Surge prefers to travel by sea, as he captains two ships and drives a submarine. He can also fly through the air by having four of his Magneton create an energy platform for him to ride on.
In battle, Lt. Surge generally prefers to use his Electabuzz to zap anything that gets in his way. He also uses other Electric-type Pokémon to provide distractions with Selfdestruct.
Pokémon
This listing is of Lt. Surge's Pokémon in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
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| Electabuzz is one of Lt. Surge's most powerful Pokémon and he noted that he is disobedient and Surge couldn't even get it in a Poké Ball. He was first seen on the S.S. Anne, where Surge sent him out to fight against Red and his Poliwhirl. He seemingly had the upper hand until the Water-type Pokémon evolved into a Poliwrath after being pushed off the side of the ship, which resulted in Red defeating Surge and Electabuzz. He was used to fight against Red again during the battle at Silph Co.. Two years later, Electabuzz was used in the battle of Cerise Island, where he helped battle Bruno, but was not able to damage his Pokémon due to their evasiveness. During the Gym Leader Tournament in Johto, he fought against Morty's Gastly and Misdreavus, who almost defeated him before Surge switched him with Magnemite. Electabuzz's known moves are Thunder Punch, Thunderbolt, Thunder Shock, and Thunder, and his Ability is Static. | ||
| Debut | Buzz Off, Electabuzz! | |
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| Lt. Surge owns many Magneton and uses them for aerial transportation by having them create an energy platform using their magnetic charge. He has carried (and sometimes trapped) many people using this ability, from allies like Bill and Gold and enemies such as Red. Magneton's known moves are Supersonic, Sonic Boom, Flash, and Thunderbolt. | ||
| Debut | Buzz Off, Electabuzz! | |
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| Lt. Surge owns many Magnemite that first appeared acting somewhat like guards of the S.S. Anne. In Johto, Surge used one in the Gym Leader Tournament, where it defeated Morty's Misdreavus before it fainted from the effect of Destiny Bond, resulting in a tie between the two Gym Leaders. Magnemite's known moves are Protect and Zap Cannon. | ||
| Debut | Danger: High Voltorb | |
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| The main bulk of Lt. Surge's force resides in the power of his Voltorb and Electrode's Selfdestructs, and he has many of them on his team. This strategy was particularly instrumental in the defeat of Bruno when one of Surge's Electrodes used its Selfdestruct on Bill's Exeggcute's Egg Bomb, resulting in an explosion that took down Bruno's Onix, which was being used as a platform for the battle. They also later proved handy when their combined Selfdestruct attacks aided in his narrow escape from the Masked Man. Voltorb's only known move is Thunder Wave. Electrode's only known move is Self-Destruct. | ||
| Debut | Danger: High Voltorb | |
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Released
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Zapdos was used as an experiment from Team Rocket. He took control of it prior to Zap! Zap! Zapdos. Around the end of the battle against Red, it ended up shocking Lt. Surge with its tremendous Thunder attack after Saur's Razor Leaf tore up his insulating underwear, rendering it useless and nearly killing him. As a result, Red earned his Badge and stole his electric-proof gloves. While he was knocked out cold, Zapdos was called upon by Sabrina's Kadabra and was merged into Thu-Fi-Zer, the Rockets' ultimate creation. After its defeat, it flew away alongside its fellow legendary birds and was later recaught by Green. | ||
| Debut | Go for the Golbat | |
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Temporary
Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure
Lt. Surge in Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure
Lt. Surge appeared as a silhouette in JBA5 alongside his Raichu and the other Kanto Gym Leaders.
Pokémon
This is a listing of Lt. Surge's known Pokémon in the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga:
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Lt. Surge appeared in a flashback in Destination: Coronation!.
Pokémon
This is a listing of Lt. Surge's known Pokémon in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series manga:
Pokémon Pocket Monsters
Lt. Surge in Pokémon Pocket Monsters
Lt. Surge first appears in The Big Activity In The Mountains And The Oceans!!, where he is seen on the S.S. Anne.
He shouts out a speech to the fishermen who showed no interest and threw rocks at him, due to the fact that he was responsible for the theft of a whole bunch of Water-type Pokémon. Red goes onboard and meets him. While on board, Red challenges him to a Pokémon battle with Lt. Surge using Voltorb. Red pits Clefairy against the Poké Ball-shaped object. Voltorb attacks Clefairy but Clefairy uses a deflector to negate the attack. During the battle, the fisherman boo him whenever he got the upperhand.
In the middle of the battle, Voltorb evolves into an Electrode and Red's Pikachu teams up with Clefairy to defeat the Electrode. Electrode is defeated when Clefairy fires a beam at it. The Electrode gets sent to one of the cannons which caused an explosion which destroyed the ship. Lt. Surge becomes upset when a whole bunch of his Water-type Pokémon become free.
Unlike other media, Lt. Surge has more Pokémon that is not the type he specializes in.
Pokémon
This is a listing of Lt. Surge's known Pokémon in the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga:
Released
Pokémon Zensho
Lt. Surge in Pokémon Zensho
Lt. Surge first appeared in PZ04 and challenged Satoshi to a Gym battle. Satoshi eventually defeated his Electabuzz by tying it up with the barbed-wire fence surrounding the battlefield, earning Satoshi the Thunder Badge. Afterwards, it was revealed that Lt. Surge was a friend of the captain of the S.S. Anne, who came to congratulate Satoshi of his victory and gave him HM01 (Cut).
Pokémon
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| As Satoshi was wondering which Pokémon Lt. Surge was going to use, the Captain tells him that he has an Electrode on the team. However, it was not used in the Gym battle and it was revealed that Electrode evolved from a Voltorb when Lt. Surge was telling Satoshi the time he was in the navy and a Voltorb crashes to a tree and the tree fell down. None of Electrode's moves are known. | ||
| Debut | Vermilion City | |
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| As Satoshi was wondering which Pokémon Lt. Surge was going to use, the Captain told him that he has a Magnemite and Magneton on the team. However, they were not used in the Gym battle. None of Magnemite or Magneton's moves are known. | ||
| Debut | Vermilion City | |
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In the TCG
Lt. Surge has an eponymous Theme Deck in the Gym Heroes expansion. Its Japanese counterpart is based on the Vermilion Gym.
Artwork
Artwork from the cards:
Cards
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Lt. Surge or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
In the TFG
Lt. Surge was slated to be released as a Trainer figure in the Unnamed Third Set of the Pokémon Trading Figure Game.
Trivia
Lt. Surge's height in the anime
- Lt. Surge's Japanese Gym Leader title is ライトニング タフガイ. Prior to Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, his title was イナズマ アメリカン！.
- In the Japanese, French, German, and Chinese localizations, Surge's rank is Major. In the English, Spanish, and Italian localizations, his rank is Lieutenant.
- Lt. Surge uses several English phrases such as "Goddamn" in the Japanese anime and games.
- The battle against Lt. Surge in Pokémon Yellow is the only time a Gym Leader will only use one opposing Pokémon. This is due to the games mimicing the anime.
- In Pokémon Stadium 2, Lt. Surge has a Raichu that knows Surf and Reversal. It is impossible to obtain such a Raichu in the games, as Surf is an event move for Pikachu while Reversal is an Egg Move.
- As in HeartGold and SoulSilver, Lt. Surge's Trainer ID number is 33038.
- In the Pokémon World Tournament, the man who describes all of the World Leaders questions if Lt. Surge is from Unova. This is probably because Lt. Surge is from America, and the Unova region is based on New York City.
- It is also mentioned in Unova's history that they have been at war, which Lt. Surge also mentions in the Generation I games and their remakes.
- In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the player has an autograph in their room identical to the one that Lt. Surge gives to the player in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
- In the Chuang Yi translation of Pokémon Pocket Monsters, he is called "Matisse".
- In the anime, Lt. Surge is depicted as being among the tallest human characters, being at least twice Ash, Misty, and Brock's height.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
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| Japanese | マチス Matisse | From the genus Clematis |
| English, Italian Dutch | Lt. Surge | From lieutenant, lightning, electrical surge, and possibly sarge (informal form of sergeant) |
| German, French | Major Bob | From Bob, a stereotypical American name, and possibly a reference to Platoon |
| Spanish | Teniente Surge* Lt. Surge* | From his English name Same as his English name |
| Korean | 마티스 Matisse | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 馬志士 / 马志士 Măzhìshì* | Transcription of his Japanese name and 士兵 shìbīng (soldier) |
| 馬奇 / 马奇 Mǎqí* 麥奇 Màiqí* | Partial transcription of his Japanese name | |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 馬志士 Máhjisih* | Transcription of his Japanese name and 士兵 sihbīng (soldier) |
| 麥奇 Maahkkèih* | Mandarin-based transcription of his Japanese name | |
| Czech | Poručík Surge | From his English name |
| Indonesian | Letnan Surya* Letnan Serj* | Similar to his English name. Literally "Lieutenant Sun" From letnan (lieutenant) and his English name |
| Norwegian | Løytnant Surge | From his English name |
| Polish | Porucznik Surge | From his English name |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Ten. Surge* Tenente Surge* Lt. Surge* | From his English name From his English name Same as his English name |
| European Portuguese | Tenente Surge | From his English name |
| Russian | Лейтенант Серж Leytenant Serzh | From his English name |
| Swedish | Löjtnant Surge | From his English name |
| Thai | แมททิส Maetthit | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| Turkish | Teğmen Surge | From his English name |
| Vietnamese | Matis | Transcription of his Japanese name |
