Contest Judge

A Pokémon Contest Judge (Japanese: コンテストの Contest Judge) is a person who works at Contest Halls judging Pokémon Contests. Contest Judges have appeared in the core series, the , and multiple series. They preside over the proceedings, enforce the rules, assign scores, and ultimately decide the winner.

In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
In, a single judge supervises the formal procedures and reviews the performances delivered by the contestants'. He will react in different circumstances and his input will affect the progress of the competition. His reactions and their effects are listed below.

In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
In, there are three judges in charge of overseeing Pokémon Super Contest proceedings—Jordan, , and Keira. They play an active role during the, where they award points to that have performed moves for them.

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 performed to them. Performing a move in a Toughness Contest will raise the Voltage by one whereas a  or  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.

In 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 the anime
In the, a set of judges sit together to decide which Pokémon Coordinator most effectively displays his or her. 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, 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 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 Pokémon Adventures manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, the judges for the Pokémon Super Contest appeared in Perturbed by Pachirisu judging a ness Contest had entered.

In the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga
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 were taking part of.