Profs and Comrades: Professor Oak

Since the beginning of this month, I'd been wracking my brains in regard to what I wanted to discuss for this month's "four fours", and I even intended for the first one to be put up yesterday - which obviously didn't materialize. Today, though, I've finally settled on a topic, which would be the Pokémon Professors, whose character and renown are magnificent and impressive for many Pokémon fans like me. Appropriately, I start out with one for whom the above quality is decidedly so for many fans and particularly old ones, as Professor Oak of Kanto.

For many long-time fans, this Pokémon Professor might represent the epitome of any character who possesses the title. His research laboratory is well-known, and he serves a "mentoring" role for several characters - one of which might have a certain special relation. Not to mention, he is the character first seen in the original first generation games, which automatically means that he also introduces not only the game but also the world of Pokémon itself. The significance of all of these aspects may then be considered somewhat extreme as such.

In that regard, Professor Oak can also be considered "the people's professor", as many people (fans) can readily identify something related to him, the associated generation, and/or Pokémon as a whole, something that most other professors down the line may have a hard time claiming. As a bit of an aside, his Japanese name (Yukinari Orchid - the latter word corresponding to "Oak" by sound) has an elegant connection in a way, for fans on that side of the pond.

Although people who come first are not necessarily significant - besides being for that fact - Professor Oak is as such and will likely always remain that way for all of the aspects mentioned above, and even as Pokémon provides continued novelty of many other aspects. Considering the title of this post, he too may be considered a "comrade" in some ways because of the above, and it seems fitting to open a good and important series topic for me to write about.

One year ago: Quickies: Sailing on the Seas with Pokémon

Two years ago: The Varied Hues of PokéStops

Three years ago: YouTube Pokémon Highlights: Other Species Channels

Four years ago: The Beautiful Game(s)?

Five years ago: Fantastic Beasts (and How to Battle with Them)

Six years ago: A Raid Dream

Seven years ago: Too Much Information, Too Much Excitement?