- "Hey, kid! What do you think you're doing here? You won't live long in combat! That's for sure! I tell you kid, electric Pokémon saved me during the war! They zapped my enemies into paralysis! The same as I'll do to you!"
- — Lt. Surge, Pokémon Red, Blue, LeafGreen and FireRed
Lt. Surge serves as the Gym Leader at Vermilion City's Gym. He holds the Thunder Badge for the trainers that can defeat him, and specializes in Electric-type Pokémon.
Appearance[]
Lt. Surge resembles an adult with spiked blond hair, blue eyes, and light skin.
In Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version, Lt. Surge wears a sleeveless green shirt and camouflage pants. He keeps his black boots, and also now wears a dog tag.
Lt. Surge's build is that of a large, muscular man, having tall stature and a very muscular body.
Personality[]
Lt. Surge is serious and always flared up. He appreciates challengers who are persistent. Lt. Surge is also paranoid, since he has set up a lot of traps in his gym.
Etymology[]
The name Lt. Surge originates from "lieutenant" (shortened to form Lt.) and "surge" (referring to surging electricity). It may also be a play on "sarge", a shortened informal term for the title "sergeant".
His Japanese name, Machisu, may originate from "machine" or "march" (as he was military personnel). It may also involve "Clematis", a genus of flowers, following the plant-based naming of most Gym Leaders.
Biography[]
Lt. Surge is a war veteran originating from a region far away from Kanto (originally the United States of America in earlier versions, but later implied to be an unspecified equivalent). Little is known about Lt. Surge's tenure as a war veteran. In the Generation I games and their remakes, Gentleman Tucker in the Vermilion City Gym says that Lt. Surge was his commanding officer in the army during an unspecified war, where his life was saved by Electric-type Pokémon. There is also a rumor that Lt. Surge was a pilot, while in America, who used Electric-type Pokémon to power his plane. Prior to Generation VII, Lt. Surge was referred to as the "Lightning American," something that was likely changed to avoid raising questions about the world of Pokémon's relationship to the real world. Someone in the lobby of the Pokémon World Tournament mentions that Lt. Surge might be from Unova.
Games[]
Lt. Surge first appears in Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version and Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition. In these games, Lt. Surge is the third Gym Leader. The player can challenge Lt. Surge in the gym of Vermillion City, but only once one of the player's Pokémon has learned Cut, allowing them to cut down a tree blocking the path to the gym. In Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version, Lt. Surge uses a Voltorb, a Pikachu, and a Raichu. In Pokémon Yellow, he uses only a Raichu, consistent with his appearance in the Pokémon anime, and is the only Gym Leader is the game to use only one Pokémon. When the player wins, Lt. Surge gives them not only the Thunder Badge, but also TM024 (Thunderbolt). In the Generation III remakes, Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version, Lt. Surge uses the same set of Pokémon as in Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version, but the TM that he gives out is different: TM034 (Shock Wave).
In the Generation II games, Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version and Pokémon Crystal Version, Lt. Surge is the first Gym Leader of the Kanto region whom the player can challenge. When the player wins against Lt. Surge in a Pokémon battle, they receive the Thunder Badge, as usual, but no longer any TM.
In Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version, Lt. Surge's Pokémon are slightly higher leveled than in the original Generation II games. Like in Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version, Lt. Surge also gives out the TM034 (Shock Wave) when the player wins against him. Like the other Gym Leaders, Lt. Surge can be fought against in another battle; in Lt. Surge's case, this can be done by first going to the Power Plant after Zapdos is captured or defeated, but only between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM, so that Lt. Surge shows up there. Furthermore, the player also needs to have a Pikachu walking outside with them so that Lt. Surge can give them his PokéGear number, then on Friday morning, the player can call Lt. Surge to rematch him at the Fighting Dojo.
Other appearances[]
Sprites[]
Pokémon[]
Red, Green, and Blue[]
 Voltorb 
|
 Pikachu
|
 Raichu
| |||||
| Lv. 21 | ? | Lv. 18 | ♂ | Lv. 24 | ♂
| ||
| Ability: Unknown | Ability: Unknown | Ability: Unknown
| |||||
| Item: None | Item: None | Item: None
| |||||
| Tackle | Thundershock | Thunderbolt | |||||
| Screech | Thunder Wave | Thundershock | |||||
| Sonic Boom | Growl | Thunder Wave | |||||
| - | Quick Attack | Growl | |||||
Yellow[]
 Raichu
| |||||||
| Lv. 28 | ♂
| ||||||
| Ability: Unknown
| |||||||
| Item: None
| |||||||
| Thunderbolt | |||||||
| Growl | |||||||
| Mega Punch | |||||||
| Mega Kick | |||||||
Gold, Silver, and Crystal[]
 Electabuzz
|
 Electrode
|
Electrode
|
 Magneton 
|
 Raichu
| |||||
| Lv. 44 | ♂ | Lv. 40 | ? | Lv. 40 | ? | Lv. 40 | ? | Lv. 46 | ♂ |
| Ability: Unknown | Ability: Unknown | Ability: Unknown | Ability: Unknown | Ability: Unknown | |||||
| Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | |||||
| Thunderbolt | Screech | Explosion | Zap Cannon | ThunderPunch | |||||
| Thunder | Double Team | Swift | Lock-On | Thunder | |||||
| Thunder Wave | Swift | Double Team | Double Team | Light Screen | |||||
| Quick Attack | Explosion | Screech | Swift | Quick Attack | |||||
FireRed and LeafGreen[]
 Voltorb
|
 Pikachu
|
 Raichu
| |||||
| Lv. 21 | ? | Lv. 18 | ♂ | Lv. 24 | ♂
| ||
| Ability: Soundproof | Ability: Static | Ability: Static
| |||||
| Item: None | Item: None | Item: None
| |||||
| Tackle | Shock Wave | Shock Wave | |||||
| Screech | Thunder Wave | Quick Attack | |||||
| Sonic Boom | Double Team | Thunder Wave | |||||
| Shock Wave | Quick Attack | Double Team | |||||
HeartGold and SoulSilver[]
 Electrode
|
Electrode
|
 Electabuzz
|
 Magneton
|
 Raichu
| |||||
| Lv. 47 | ? | Lv. 47 | ? | Lv. 53 | ♂ | Lv. 47 | ? | Lv. 51 | ♂ |
| Ability: Static | Ability: Soundproof | Ability: Static | Ability: Sturdy | Ability: Static | |||||
| Item: None | Item: None | Item: Sitrus Berry | Item: None | Item: None | |||||
| Shock Wave | Charge Beam | Shock Wave | Shock Wave | Shock Wave | |||||
| Double Team | Double Team | Low Kick | Double Team | Double Team | |||||
| Thunder Wave | Screech | Light Screen | Supersonic | Thunder Wave | |||||
| Light Screen | Self-Destruct | Quick Attack | Mirror Shot | Quick Attack | |||||
Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee![]
 Voltorb
|
 Magnemite
|
 Raichu
| |||||
| Lv. 25 | - | Lv. 25 | - | Lv. 26 | -
| ||
| Item: None | Item: None | Item: None
| |||||
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt | |||||
| Swift | Sonic Boom | Quick Attack | |||||
| Light Screen | — | Double Kick | |||||
| — | — | — | |||||
 Electrode
|
 Jolteon
|
 Electabuzz
|
 Magneton
|
Raichu
| |||||
| Lv. 56 | - | Lv. 56 | - | Lv. 56 | - | Lv. 56 | - | Lv. 57 | - |
| Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | Item: None | |||||
| Mirror Coat | Thunder | Thunder Punch | Thunder | Thunder Punch | |||||
| Explosion | Shadow Ball | Ice Punch | Flash Cannon | Iron Tail | |||||
| Thunderbolt | Reflect | Fire Punch | Tri Attack | Brick Break | |||||
| Foul Play | Quick Attack | Brick Break | Hyper Beam | Quick Attack | |||||
Stadium[]
Stadium 2[]
Fame Checker[]
-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!"
Trivia[]
- Lt. Surge shares many similarities to the Street Fighter character Guile due to the fact that they are both muscular blonde Americans (or American equivalents) who were part of the military. Also Lt. Surge's attire in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver is incredibly similar in appearance to Guile's main attire in the series.
- In the anime and in Pokémon Yellow, Lt. Surge's Raichu can use Mega Kick, which Raichu cannot learn normally.
Gallery[]
| Locations · Pokédex | |
| Gym Leaders | |
| Others | |
| See also | |
| Characters | |
| Kanto | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johto | |||||||
| Hoenn | |||||||
| Sinnoh | |||||||
| Unova |
| ||||||
| Kalos | |||||||
| Galar | |||||||
| Paldea | |||||||
| Orange Islands | |||||||
| See also | |||||||