Contest Judge
A Pokémon Contest Judge (Japanese: コンテストの審査員 Contest Judge) is a person who works at Contest Halls judging Pokémon Contests. Contest Judges have appeared in the core series games, Pokémon the Series, and multiple manga series. They preside over the proceedings, enforce the rules, assign scores, and ultimately decide the winner.
In the core series games
Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, a single judge supervises the formal procedures and reviews the performances delivered by the contestants' Pokémon. He will react in different circumstances and his input will affect the progress of the competition. His reactions and their effects are listed below.
| Screenshot | Description |
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When a Pokémon uses a move which makes itself move first or last in the next turn, the Judge will have the number 1 or 4 over his head and the Pokémon will be indicated with the text "NEXT TURN: X", where X is the same number over the Judge's head. If another Pokémon uses a similar appeal and moves to the beginning or end, the Pokémon that performed earlier will shift position, and "NEXT TURN: X" will change accordingly. |
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When a Pokémon uses a move which scrambles the order in the next turn, the Judge will have a question mark over his head, and each Pokémon will be indicated with the text "NEXT TURN: ?". |
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When a Pokémon uses a move twice in a row, the Judge will have a coil spring over his head. The Pokémon will lose two hearts the first time a move is repeated, three hearts the second time, and so on. There are a few moves to which this rule does not apply, such as Hidden Power. To prevent repeating moves accidentally, the name of the move used in the previous turn is grayed out when selecting a move to appeal with. |
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When a Pokémon uses a move which can be combined with another, the Judge will have a single exclamation mark over his head and the Pokémon will be indicated by a flashing red dot or a flashing panel. When the Pokémon knows a move which can form a combination with the move used in the previous turn, the name of the move will be red when selecting a move to appeal with. |
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When a Pokémon uses a move which forms a combination with the move used in the previous turn, the Judge will have a double exclamation mark over his head and the Pokémon will receive double the amount of hearts it would in a basic appeal. |
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When a Pokémon uses a move which increases its condition, the Judge will have a star over his head and the Pokémon will be indicated with a star. Subsequent moves will add one extra heart to the Pokémon's score. The Pokémon can continue to increase its condition during the competition, and one extra heart will be added to its score for each star received. Pokémon with an increased condition are less likely to become nervous. |
Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, there are three judges in charge of overseeing Pokémon Super Contest proceedings—Jordan, Dexter, and Keira. They play an active role during the Acting Competition, where they award points to Pokémon that have performed moves for them.
| Circumstance | Hearts awarded |
|---|---|
| Sharing a judge with no one | +3 |
| Sharing a judge with one contestant | +2 each |
| Sharing a judge with two contestants | +1 each |
| Sharing a judge with three contestants | None |
The excitement in the Contest Hall is measured through each Judge's Voltage, a series of five ovals that may be filled or emptied depending on the moves performed to them. Performing a Tough move in a Toughness Contest will raise the Voltage by one whereas a Cute or Beautiful move will lower the Voltage by one. If a Judge reaches five Voltage after a Pokémon's performance, the Pokémon will be awarded bonus hearts, as shown in the table below.
| Judge | Hearts awarded | |
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Jordan | +5 (regular judge) |
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Dexter | +8 (head judge) |
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Keira | +5 (regular judge) |
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Although the judges do not appear in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, they are mentioned by a few non-player characters in the Contest Halls, and mechanics similar to those associated with the Judge of Pokémon Contests in Generation III affect the performances of the contestants' Pokémon during the Pokémon Contest Spectaculars.
In animation
Pokémon the Series
In Pokémon the Series, a set of judges sit together to decide which Pokémon Coordinator most effectively displays their Pokémon. The panel of judges is usually formed by:
- The Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee and Head Judge, Mr. Contesta;
- The President of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo;
- The operator of the local Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy.
The judges are responsible for evaluating each presentation delivered during the Performance Stage and determining the contestants who will advance to the next stage. In order to do that, they take into consideration the Pokémon's entry, its level of cooperation with its Trainer, its appearance, and the way it executes its moves. They form opinions from the first attack and then analyze the degree of the Pokémon's development from that point onward. In Double Performances, the synchronicity between the two Pokémon is also observed. After assessing a performance, they share their thoughts by making quick comments. When all performances have been reviewed, the results are revealed by the master of ceremonies.
In the Battle Stage, the judges are tasked with subtracting points from a Coordinator's score. They will generally take points away from Coordinators whose attack plan failed or whose Pokémon got hit with an attack. A particularly appealing move or combination delivered by a contestant's opponent is also a cause for point deduction. In addition, Coordinators will see their points reduced when their strategies are taken advantage of. During a Contest Battle, the judges pay attention to the Pokémon's wellness, and if they perceive that a Pokémon is unable to continue battling, they will rule Battle Off for said Pokémon. This will end the battle immediately and the Coordinator with the remaining Pokémon will be declared the winner of the match. In two-on-two Contest Battles, the judges also evaluate the pair's teamwork.
At the end of a Pokémon Contest, the judges will rise from their seats to congratulate the Coordinator who emerged victorious. As the Head Judge, Mr. Contesta awards the winner with a prize Ribbon.
Special cases
There are instances in which the judges are joined by a special guest. This usually occurs during major events, such as the Wallace Cup and the Grand Festival. Additionally, some competitions will have more than one Nurse Joy serving as judge.
Pokémon Contests not officially established by the Pokémon Activities Committee, such as the Terracotta Town Pokémon Contest, will not have Mr. Contesta or Mr. Sukizo serving as judges; the local Nurse Joy, however, may join the judging panel.
- Wallace is a part of the panel of judges in the competition bearing his name, the Wallace Cup.
- Vivian briefly left her duties as an announcer to join the judging panel for the Kanto Grand Festival from May, We Harley Drew'd Ya! to Channeling the Battle Zone!.
- Johanna filled in for Nurse Joy in the Neighborly Town Pokémon Contest in Teaching the Student Teacher!.
- Fantina temporarily closed the Hearthome Gym to attend the Sinnoh Grand Festival as a special guest judge from Last Call — First Round! to A Grand Fight for Winning!.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Diamond & Pearl arc
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, the judges for the Pokémon Super Contest appeared in Perturbed by Pachirisu judging a Coolness Contest Platinum had entered.
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!
In the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga, the Super Contest Judges appeared in Beauty Contest: The Pokémon Super Contest!!, overseeing the proceedings of a Normal Rank event Hareta and Jun were taking part of.
In other languages
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Related articles
| Contest Judges | |||||
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Pokémon Contests | 
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| Necessary Spoils Pokéblocks • Poffins Contest Categories Cool • Beautiful • Cute • Clever • Tough Rounds Appeal • Battle • Dance • Visual |
Participation Contest • Super Contest • Contest Show Coordinator • Contest Hall • Contest Pass The Grand Festival Kanto • Hoenn • Sinnoh Top Coordinator • Ribbon Cup | ||
| Others Combinations • Opponents (III • IV • VI • VIII) • Double Performance • Jamming Ribbons (list) • Stickers • Ball Capsules • Ranks • Judges • Announcers • Wallace Cup | |||
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
