Professor Willow (Japanese: ウィロー博士 Dr. Willow) is a Pokémon Professor who appears in the Pokémon GO mobile game. Similar to Professor Birch, he specializes in Pokémon habitats and distribution. Unlike other Professors who directly give Trainers their first Pokémon, Professor Willow gives Trainers their first Poké Balls to capture their first Pokémon.
Background information
Professor Willow was an only child who learned his love of Pokémon and exploring from his parents. His mother researched Pokémon ecology and his father was fascinated by the outdoors.[4] Before setting out on his own exploration, he worked in a lab studying Pokémon under Professor Oak, whom he still looks up to today.[5]
In addition to Professor Oak in Kanto, Professor Sycamore in Kalos, Professor Magnolia in Galar, and Jacq in Paldea are also colleagues of his.
Despite his confident presentation, Professor Willow confesses to a shy side and values spending time alone outdoors for his research.[6] He always wears his lab coat to help himself focus on his research.[7] His dream is to explore uncharted lands and to examine and document new Pokémon species yet to be discovered in their natural habitat.[8]
Upon discovery of many Meltan-disguised Ditto by his assistants at the conclusion of the Chikorita Community Day, Professor Willow contacted Professor Oak to discuss the matter.[9] It was revealed during later Special Researches that Professor Willow has a Meltan as his Pokémon buddy.
While investigating Team GO Rocket take-overs, Professor Willow recovered some corrupted files from his computer, uncovering data about Team GO Rocket Leaders Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo. He later found out that Team GO Rocket Grunts were dropping Mysterious Components behind them when defeated at invaded PokéStops. With the help of his assistants, the three team leaders, he was able to build an early Rocket Radar prototype to locate the Team GO Rocket Leaders and later the Super Rocket Radar to locate Giovanni himself.[10]
On June 5, 2022, during the second day of the Pokémon GO Fest 2022 event, Professor Willow suddenly disappeared, and in his stead appeared Rhi, of the GO Ultra Recon Squad. It was later revealed that Professor Willow had entered an Ultra Wormhole and ended up in Ultra Space. On August 27, 2022, Rhi and the player managed to rescue Professor Willow from Ultra Space in time for the Pokémon GO Fest 2022 Finale event, though his outfit was changed for a few months.
On November 5, 2022, following the Dratini Community Day Classic event, Professor Willow was contacted by Jacq when Trainers discovered a ?????? Coin from the Paldea region upon spinning a golden PokéStop. Jacq contacted Professor Willow again soon after to discuss the ecology of Gimmighoul. Gimmighoul's Chest Form was named by Jacq, while its Roaming Form was named by Professor Willow.[11]
Transferring Pokémon
The player can transfer Pokémon to Professor Willow using the "Transfer" option on the status screen in exchange for one Candy for that Pokémon's evolutionary family. A Pokémon transferred to the Professor is permanently lost, equivalent to releasing a Pokémon in the core series games.
Assistants
Candela, Blanche, and SparkProfessor Willow has three assistants who each are head of a team that research Pokémon in different ways. They perform this research inside Gyms owned by their respective teams, with each team's mascot being one of the legendary birds. The leader of the teams will also appraise the Pokémon of trainers on their teams when asked to.
His assistants are:
- Spark, the leader of Team Instinct (Japanese: チーム・インスティンクト Team Instinct), who is researching Pokémon breeding. Team Instinct Trainers believe a Pokémon's intuition is linked to how they are hatched. Team Instinct is represented by Zapdos.
- Blanche, the leader of Team Mystic (Japanese: チーム・ミスティック Team Mystic), who is researching Pokémon Evolution. Team Mystic Trainers believe that by staying calm and analyzing every situation, they can't lose. Team Mystic is represented by Articuno.
- Candela, the leader of Team Valor (Japanese: チーム・ヴァーラー Team Valor), who is researching Pokémon strength. Team Valor Trainers believe that their Pokémon are the strongest because they train to naturally enhance a Pokémon's power in search of true strength. Team Valor is represented by Moltres.
Gallery
Artwork
 |
| Appearance from Pokémon GO between August 27th and November 30th, 2022[12] |
Quotes
Main article: Professor Willow/QuotesIn the anime
| の | This article is missing information on this character's Japanese voice actor. You can help by adding this information. |
Main series
Professor Willow in the animeProfessor Willow debuted in HZ042, where he was seen contacting Friede to ask the Rising Volt Tacklers to investigate a sudden appearance of several Pikachu with caps similar to Captain Pikachu's. Soon after, the call was interrupted when one of them electrocuted him.
Pokémon
 | Gimmighoul | |
| This Roaming Form Gimmighoul is Professor Willow's only known Pokémon. It appeared alongside him when he contacted Friede to ask for help. None of Gimmighoul's moves are known. | ||
| Debut | HZ042 | |
|---|---|---|
Voice actors
The Two Professors
Professor Willow is a main character in The Two Professors, a series of three CGI-animated shorts.
In the TCG
Main article: Professor's Research (SWSH Promo 178)
TCG print of Professor WillowOn March 4, 2021, Niantic announced that they had reached an agreement with The Pokémon Trading Card Game and that Professor Willow would appear in the TCG starting summer 2021.[13] Professor Willow's TCG card art and availability were revealed on June 15, 2021.[14][15] Each card comes with a unique 16 digit code that can be redeemed in Pokémon GO from July 1, 2021, at 12:00 a.m. UTC to August 1, 2023, at 12:00 a.m. UTC to unlock a Special Research as well as a medal. A version without a code but with a Pokémon GO stamp was later included in the Pokémon GO V Battle Deck—Mewtwo vs. Melmetal.
In Stores
On November 19, 2019, an extension to the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo called Pokémon GO Lab was unveiled. This space includes a life-size statue of Professor Willow, as well as Pokémon GO-related merchandise and a real-time monitor displaying trainer names and team scores for the Pokémon GO Gym attached to the lab.[16]
Voice actors
While Pokémon GO does not include vocal performances, in various promotional materials, he is voiced by Robbie Daymond in English. In the Japanese version of The Two Professors, he is voiced by Nobuyuki Sakemoto.
Trivia
- Willow was designed by Yusuke Kozaki.[17]
- Professor Willow is the only Pokémon Professor to be named after a tree outside of the core series games.
- Professor Willow is the first Pokémon Professor in a spin-off game to have a colleague from the core series.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ウィロー博士 Willow-hakase | From willow |
| English, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese | Professor Willow | Same as Japanese name |
| French | Professeur Willow Professeur Saule* | Same as Japanese name From saule (willow) |
| Spanish, Indonesian | Profesor Willow | Same as Japanese name |
| Korean | 윌로우박사 Willow-baksa | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 維羅博士 / 维罗博士 Wéiluó-bóshì | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 維羅博士 Wàihlòh-boksih | |
| Hindi | प्रोफ़ेसर विलो Professor Willow | Transcription of his English/Japanese name |
| Thai | ศาสตราจารย์วิลโลว์ Satsatrachan Willow | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| Turkish | Profesör Willow | Same as Japanese name |
| Russian | Профессор Уиллоу Professor Uillou | Transcription of his English name |
Related articles
References
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