Marlon: the swimmer Gym Leader guarding Humilau's Wave Badge

His Gym opens onto the sea, and he dives in whenever nobody shows up to challenge him. Marlon runs the last Gym of the Unova League, in Humilau City, where he champions the Water type and awards the Wave Badge. He only holds the post on the second trip to the region, which makes him a late Gym Leader twice over: in the player's journey, and in the history of the region itself.

Contents

• Humilau City, the Last Gym on the Unova Circuit
• Several Pokémon World Tournament Brackets, One Sync Pair on Mobile
• In the Anime: Cameron's Last Badge
• In the Manga: Knocked Out at the First Real Hurdle
• A Japanese Accent, Two Colleagues and a Late Card
• Marlon at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Humilau City, the Last Gym on the Unova Circuit

Marlon closes out the Gym circuit of Black 2 and White 2: he presides in Humilau City, he builds his team around the Water type, and he awards the Wave Badge to the hero who beats him. His role is limited to those two versions and never returns in the rest of his generation.

His outfit comes down to three pieces: blue pants, navy flip-flops and nothing above the waist. His dark blue hair sticks out in every direction, and his tan is deep enough that the lines left by his swimsuit and his flip-flop straps are still visible — a look that tells you more about how he spends his days than his dialogue does.

His Gym team is fully documented. In Black 2 and White 2, Marlon fields Carracosta, Wailord and Jellicent, Challenge Mode adds a Mantine, and his two Pokémon World Tournament teams bring in Starmie, Alomomola, Quagsire and Cloyster.

Several Pokémon World Tournament Brackets, One Sync Pair on Mobile

Outside his Gym, the Pokémon World Tournament is what gives him the most playing time. He has several ways in, including the tournament that brings together his region's Gym Leaders, and the Type Expert Tournament devoted to the Water type.

The rules change the size of his team depending on the format: three Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles, and all six of his regulars when it's a Triple Battle. The same scale applies to both of these tournaments, so his exact lineup stays unpredictable from one battle to the next.

The mobile game has featured him since launch, in the outfit he wears in Humilau City, and pairs him with a Carracosta to form his sync pair. His profile there stresses a trait the main games left in the background: above all, he's a swimming enthusiast, whose Gym opens directly onto the sea.

🌊 The Water-type stars have their own shelf: browse our Pokémon figures.

In the Anime: Cameron's Last Badge

The anime gives him a single appearance, in the Black & White series, in an episode whose title already announces the destination: "The Road to Humilau!". It isn't Ash he battles, but Cameron, conceding the match and handing him his final Badge.

The episode documents three of his Pokémon: a Jellicent, whose Cursed Body Ability is put in the spotlight, a Mantine shown in action with Wing Attack, Bullet Seed and Psybeam, and a Wailord with no recorded moves. It's the only time the series lets him battle, which gives this trio a weight you wouldn't expect from such a brief appearance.

In the Manga: Knocked Out at the First Real Hurdle

The manga's Black & White arc doesn't treat him as a Gym Leader who stays put, but as a competitor in the Pokémon League tournament. He makes his way through Victory Road all the way to the end, qualifies, then finds himself up against Hood Man.

Each of them sends out just one Pokémon: Marlon picks his Jellicent, his opponent a Beheeyem, and it's the latter that wins. The Water-type specialist leaves the competition after that single exchange, without a chance to show the rest of his team.

His defeat doesn't end his role. When White asks him about the man who beat him, he replies that his opponent hadn't collected the eight Badges normally required, and mentions in passing that he finds Cheren suspicious. Two remarks that cast doubt on the fairness of the tournament rather than on his own performance.

A Japanese Accent, Two Colleagues and a Late Card

In the Japanese versions, Marlon speaks with a Kyūshū accent, the island that served as the model for the Hoenn region. The trait only exists in Japanese, but it roots the character in a very real seaside geography rather than in neutral speech.

Unova has only two Water-type Gym Leaders, and Marlon is the second, after Cress. He also shares a numbering coincidence with Juan and Wallace: all three are eighth Gym Leaders who specialize in the Water type.

The Trading Card Game, for its part, ignored him for a long time. His first card only arrived with the Mega Rising expansion of Pokémon TCG Pocket, released on October 30, 2025, well after his appearances on console and on screen.

Marlon at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Where is Marlon's Gym?
  In Humilau City, in the Unova region. It's the eighth and final Gym on the journey, it specializes in the Water type, and Marlon awards the Wave Badge there in Black 2 and White 2.
• Which Pokémon does Marlon use?
  At his Gym in Black 2 and White 2, he fields Carracosta, Wailord and Jellicent, with Challenge Mode adding a Mantine. At the Pokémon World Tournament, he also draws on Starmie, Alomomola, Quagsire and Cloyster, and the number of Pokémon he sends out depends on the format.
• In which games can you battle Marlon?
  He only serves as a Gym Leader in Black 2 and White 2. After that, you'll find him at the Pokémon World Tournament, where he competes in the Unova Leaders Tournament and in the one reserved for Water-type experts.
• Does Marlon appear in the anime?
  Yes, once, during the Black & White series. He battles Cameron and hands him his last Badge at the end of the match.
• What happens to Marlon in the manga?
  He enters the Pokémon League tournament in the Black & White arc. His Jellicent is beaten by Hood Man's Beheeyem, and he then casts doubt on how many Badges the man who beat him really had.

In short

Marlon belongs to that category of Gym Leaders the games bring in late and use sparingly: a single pair of versions, a single anime appearance, a manga tournament lost right out of the gate. What he does have to himself is a rare consistency between setting, type and character — a Gym open to the sea, a Trainer who goes for a swim between two challengers, and a tan that doubles as a business card. Unova's last obstacle is also its most laid-back.