Master Katsumune

Biodata

Background and History

Career and Teaching

Katsumune became a top Breeder years before meeting Terrance and held an important position at the Breeder Headquarters. His credentials include recognition as a master of genetics and honors earned in competitions during his youth. A graduate of Coronet Academy, he later became its vice dean 9 11 19.

The Joy family hired him to teach Jun the fundamentals of breeding. Although she called him her teacher, this arrangement did not constitute the formal master–disciple relationship he considered necessary for passing down his secret techniques. Before the junior Breeder examination, he spent several months traveling and training with her 9 11.

Meeting Terrance

Katsumune met Terrance aboard the S.S. Tidal and became interested in the ten-year-old’s intention to take the Breeder examination. After inspecting Beautifly and learning that Terrance had largely raised her himself, he praised the boy’s ability. Jun then identified Terrance as the person who had previously discovered an error in her medicine 7 8.

Recognizing Terrance’s modest circumstances from his clothes, habits, and Beautifly’s development, Katsumune considered taking him as a disciple. He first wanted to examine the boy’s character and background, so he invited Terrance to travel with him and Jun. His questioning revealed that Jun possessed broader practical knowledge, while Terrance excelled in conceptual understanding and logical reasoning 9.

At the Breeder Headquarters in Qishui City, Katsumune sponsored Terrance when the boy could not afford the 1,000-yuan registration fee. During the examination, he reviewed both youngsters’ answers and promised special rewards if they each placed in the top five. Jun ultimately finished second and Terrance third 11 14 18.

The Mt. Chimney Experiment

For Terrance’s reward, Katsumune offered either Trainer registration with a starter Pokémon or an assessment for entry into Coronet Academy. Terrance chose the assessment despite the risk of losing both opportunities if he failed 18 19.

The assessment was tied to Katsumune’s heredity research. He had arranged for his Pidgeot to mate with a wild Altaria whose ancestry he believed included a Dragonite. Combined with Pidgeot’s diluted Dragon-type blood and a specially prepared formula, he hoped the resulting Swablu would develop exceptional Dragon-type potential 20.

Altaria resented his scheme and refused to entrust the Egg to him. After defeating her in battle, Katsumune negotiated a wager: a promising Trainer would hatch Swablu, raise it alone on Mt. Chimney for one month, and earn the approval of both mother and offspring. He had originally considered Jun for the trial but judged Terrance better suited to its demands 20 21.

Katsumune taught Terrance about hatching Eggs, raising newborn Pokémon, training moves, and drawing out potential. He supplied provisions and a pale blue nutrient solution formulated specifically for the Egg. Although Terrance could bring no other Pokémon, Katsumune’s Alakazam protected him from the shadows, while Katsumune cared for Beautifly 21 36 37.

At the trial’s conclusion, Alakazam reported events through Telepathy, and Katsumune asked Altaria whether Terrance had earned her approval. He was delighted to learn that Swablu had awakened Dragon Rush, confirming the experimental result he most wanted. Altaria ultimately allowed Swablu to leave with Terrance 35 36 37.

Rusturf Tunnel and Academy Enrollment

Katsumune later investigated the Whismur attacks disrupting construction of Rusturf Tunnel. He agreed with Terrance that construction noise alone was an inadequate explanation because Whismur possessed Soundproof. While working with Officer Jenny and the police, he lent Terrance Pidgeot to locate four young Trainers who had entered the mountains 43 44.

Using Alakazam’s Telepathy, Katsumune communicated with the group’s leader, Exploud, and calmed it. The underlying problem was nearly a hundred abandoned Diglett that had migrated into the area and disturbed the Whismur’s home. He negotiated a truce and subsequently promised to take responsibility for the Diglett problem when Exploud accepted Terrance’s battle challenge 46 47.

After the incident was resolved, Katsumune contacted Coronet Academy’s leadership and secured Terrance an enrollment opportunity. He accompanied Terrance aboard a ship bound for Sinnoh, planning to part ways there and speak with Jun’s parents in support of her chosen research path 48.

Appearance

• Elderly man with a beard, which he strokes while thinking or speaking 9 31 36.
• Physically capable despite his age; he walks easily through the interior of Mt. Chimney 20.

Personality

Katsumune is approachable and informal despite his prestigious titles. He laughs readily, teases his students, and shows little concern for ceremonial deference. When a clerk becomes overwhelmed by his credentials, he simply asks her to finish Terrance’s registration 8 9 11.

He is observant and traditional about mentorship. Terrance’s self-taught ability impresses him particularly because it was developed without Jun’s resources, but he does not immediately offer a formal discipleship. He values character as well as talent and believes meaningful hardship is necessary to develop a promising student 9 18.

Research and passing on knowledge matter more to him than ordinary fame or money. His enthusiasm can also make him scheming: he manipulates the circumstances of Altaria’s mating and remains determined to study Swablu despite her anger. The success of his Dragon Rush experiment excites him more than anything else 20 21 36 37.

He supports his students without demanding that they follow identical paths. He reassures Terrance that battling is not the only means of growth, respects the boy’s independent experimentation, and prepares to help Jun pursue a career different from her family’s usual expectations 36 47 48.

Abilities and Skills

Pokémon Heredity and Egg Moves

Katsumune specializes in using cross-species inheritance and Breeder guidance to give Pokémon moves they could not normally learn 9 10.

• Studies how inherited moves can reveal deeper talent and expand a Pokémon’s potential 10.
• Investigates the activation of ancestral traits across generations 20 21.
• Acknowledges uncertainty: he cannot initially guarantee Swablu’s inheritance of Dragon Rush 21.
• Distinguishes hypotheses from established results; he explicitly states that Taillow inheriting Thunderbolt has no known precedent 10.

Nutrient Formulation

He personally formulates a nutrient solution tailored to Altaria and Pidgeot’s offspring 21.

• Designed to accelerate hatching and efficiently bring out the newborn’s potential 21.
• Serves as a central component of his inheritance experiment, rather than a guaranteed means of producing the desired move 21.

Teaching and Development Assessment

Katsumune evaluates both theoretical knowledge and practical development 9 14 37.

• Uses targeted questions to identify Terrance and Jun’s strengths and readiness for the junior Breeder examination 9.
• Explains flaws in apparently correct examination answers through detailed, rigorous analysis 14.
• Teaches newborn care, Egg hatching, move training, and methods of drawing out potential 21.
• Recognizes Beautifly’s strong foundation and previously unrealized potential after caring for her during Terrance’s trial 37.

Pokémon Mediation

Katsumune resolves disputes by investigating Pokémon’s circumstances and communicating through Alakazam 43 46.

• Rejects the assumption that simply driving away the Whismur will solve the Rusturf Tunnel incident 43.
• Uses Alakazam’s Telepathy to negotiate with Exploud and de-escalate the confrontation 46.

Pokémon

Equipment and Resources

• Private aircraft — Uses a private plane and a helicopter with a private pilot for travel, including trips to Mt. Chimney and Verdanturf Town 20 21 37 43.
• Identification card — Displays his positions and accomplishments when used at the Breeder Headquarters; he presents it to sponsor Terrance 11.
• Communicator — Maintains contact with Jun while she considers her future 31.

Relationships

• Terrance — Protégé, examination sponsor’s beneficiary, and prospective successor. Katsumune considers formal discipleship but is not shown establishing it; he instead provides instruction, a demanding trial, and access to Coronet Academy 9 11 21 37 48.
• Nurse Joy Jun — Student whom he was hired to teach. He recognizes her ambitions beyond her family’s customary path and supports her decision to pursue ecological conservation research in Kalos 9 31 48.
• Altaria — Research subject and negotiating counterpart. His breeding scheme earns her resentment, forcing him to arrange the wager over Swablu’s upbringing 20 21.
• Swablu — Central subject of his ancestral-inheritance experiment. He initially hopes to catch it himself but ultimately prioritizes verifying his research over ownership 21 36.
• Beautifly — Terrance’s Pokémon, entrusted to his care during the trial. She develops stronger wind control and learns Air Cutter over that month, though Katsumune credits her existing foundation 36 37.
• Exploud — Leader of the Pokémon involved in the Rusturf Tunnel conflict. Katsumune negotiates with it and promises help with the displaced Diglett 46 47.

Notable Quotes

“That is my achievement: getting Pokémon to inherit moves they could never otherwise learn in their lifetimes.” 10

“For a breeder, having enough knowledge is all that matters. Battling isn't the only way for a person or a Pokémon to grow.” 36