Darach
| Darach コクラン Kokuran | |
 Artwork from Platinum | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Unknown |
| Region | SinnohPt JohtoHGSS |
| Trainer class | Castle Valet (Frontier Brain) |
| Generation | IV |
| Games | Platinum HeartGold and SoulSilver Masters EX |
| Commemorative print | Castle Print |
| English voice actor | Brian Timothy Anderson[1] (Masters EX) |
| Japanese voice actor | Yūichirō Umehara[2] (Masters EX) |
Darach (Japanese: コクラン Kokuran) is the Frontier Brain in charge of serving the Battle Frontier's Battle Castle. Darach is the only character in the games to have the Trainer class Castle Valet (Japanese: キャッスルバトラー Castle Butler).
In the core series games
He is one of the Frontier Brains of the Battle Castle in the Sinnoh and Johto regions. Darach is the host and caretaker of the Battle Castle, managing CP awarded to or spent by Trainers under the orders of Lady Caitlin. As Caitlin's butler, not only does he manage the Battle Castle but he also battles for her in her place and acts as the Frontier Brain of the facility. Darach will challenge the player on their 21st consecutive battle and award a Silver Print if defeated. He will battle the player again if the player reaches the 49th battle, this time handing out the Gold Print if defeated.
While Darach does not appear in Generation V, he is referenced by Caitlin in Black 2 and White 2. She reveals that Darach travels all the way to Unova to clean her villa in Undella Town before returning home.
Pokémon
Darach has these Pokémon when he is challenged for a print. Each Pokémon Darach uses in his print challenge teams has two variations that have different moves but are otherwise the same.
Silver Print challenge
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gold Print challenge
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Masters EX
- Main article: Darach (Masters)
Darach forms a sync pair with Staraptor in Pokémon Masters EX. Darach became a playable sync pair on October 25, 2021.
| Dex | Trainer | NDex | Pokémon | Type | Weakness | Role | EX role | Base potential | Availability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #143 | 
|
Darach | #0398 | 
|
Staraptor♂ |
Flying
|
Electric
|
|
★★★★★☆EX | Sync Pair Scout | |
Gallery
Sprites
|
|
|
| Sprite with Caitlin from Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver |
Overworld sprite from Platinum,HeartGold, and SoulSilver |
VS sprite with Caitlin from Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver |
Quotes
- Main article: Darach/Quotes
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Platinum arc
Darach appeared alongside Lady Caitlin in this chapter. Darach first appeared when Platinum started her challenge of the Battle Castle and was in charge of giving her Castle Points while Caitlin watched the battles. Once Platinum manages to win enough battles to face the Frontier Brain, Looker is shocked to find out that Darach is in fact, the Battle Castle Frontier Brain instead of Caitlin; Darach and Platinum then begin their battle.
In battle, Darach seems to have a different personality, this is shown when he drops his calm demeanor and starts laughing manically while confidently stating that he will win the battle. Despite the power his Pokémon possessed, Darach is eventually defeated once Platinum learns to manage money properly to find out his weaknesses.
Pokémon
| Debut | Deprogramming Porygon-Z |
|---|
Gallade first appeared outside of the Battle Castle, acting like Caitlin's bodyguard. During Platinum's battle with Darach, he was the first Pokémon used in their battle. He managed to defeat Platinum's Rapidash and Lopunny, but was defeated when Lopunny's Cute Charm prevented him from dodging a Dizzy Punch, allowing Empoleon to take advantage of his confused status and defeat him.
Gallade's known moves are Psycho Cut, Feint, and Night Slash, and his Ability is Steadfast.
Staraptor was the third Pokémon that Darach used in his battle against Platinum. It used confusing moves and kept healing itself in its battle against Platinum's Empoleon, but was defeated when she froze it with Blizzard.
Staraptor's known moves are Double Team and Roost.
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Darach or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
| Darach's Pokémon Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
Staraptor 
|
|
Supreme Victors | 
|
11/147 | Beat of the Frontier |
|
080/100 |
| Empoleon
|
|
Supreme Victors | 
|
27/147 | Beat of the Frontier |
|
035/100 |
| Staraptor LV.X
|
|
Supreme Victors | 
|
147/147 | Beat of the Frontier |
|
081/100 |
Trivia
- Caitlin appears in Darach's VS and in-battle sprites, despite the fact that she does not battle alongside him.
- Darach's VS sprite is the only VS sprite in the Generation IV and V games to feature more than one character.
- Darach's in-battle sprite has the most frames of any animated sprite in Generation IV, with five as opposed to the usual three.
- Darach is the only Generation IV Frontier Brain with a signature Pokémon: his Empoleon.
- An NPC in the Battle Castle says "Mr. Darach... His feelings for Lady Caitlin are all bottled up... Oh, how I pine for him...", which implies that Darach has feelings for Caitlin, but refuses to show these emotions to her.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | コクラン Kokuran | From 黒蘭 kokuran (pantropical widelip orchid) |
| English | Darach | From darach (Gaelic for oak) |
| German | Perenus | From perennierende Pflanze (perennial plant) |
| Spanish | Kokuran | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| French | Parsley | From parsley |
| Italian | Paride | From liparide (widelip orchid) |
| Korean | 코크런 Kokeureon | Transcription of his Japanese name |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 石蘭 / 石兰 Shílán | From 虎頭石蘭 hǔtóushí lán (Liparis nakaharai) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 石蘭 Sehklàahn | |
| Vietnamese | Kokuran | Transcription of his Japanese name |
Castle Valet
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
Related articles
 Sinnoh and Johto Battle Frontier
| |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||
|
This game character article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games. |
