Kenny: the Twinleaf Town Coordinator chasing after Dawn

His French name changed midway through the series, but his role never did. Called Kenny in the French dub until the eleventh season and Gilles from the twelfth on, this Coordinator from Twinleaf Town follows Dawn from Contest to Contest across Sinnoh. He teases her, challenges her, beats her once, and ends up offering to travel with her.

Contents

• Kenny, Then Gilles: A Name Changed Mid-Run in the French Dub
• A Contest Rivalry Born in the Schoolyard
• Five Ribbons, and a Grand Festival That Ends at the Appeals
• A Team Built More for the Stage Than for the Battlefield
• "Dee Dee": The Nickname, the Jealousy, and a Rejected Offer
• Kenny at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Kenny, Then Gilles: A Name Changed Mid-Run in the French Dub

The French dub gives him two names in succession: Kenny until the eleventh season, Gilles from the twelfth on. Nothing changes in the story, only the label — which explains why French episode summaries call him one name or the other depending on when they were written.

His Japanese name, Kengo, comes from the word for diamond. The device clearly points to the pair of games the series is based on: the Japanese name of Paul is built on the word for pearl, which places the two boys on either side of the same title.

The rest of his ID card fits in a few lines: ten years old, Twinleaf Town as his hometown, and a blue Pokétch on his wrist — exactly the model given to the male character in Diamond and Pearl. The nod to the games carries right through to the accessory.

A Contest Rivalry Born in the Schoolyard

Kenny and Dawn have known each other since early childhood and grew up together in Twinleaf Town. He set out on the road a little before her, and chance — or not — had it that both received the same first Pokémon: a Piplup.

Viewers first meet him in a Contest final at Floaroma Town, facing her. The battle pits his Prinplup against Dawn's Piplup and ends in his defeat, after a close exchange. The same episode reveals that he had already competed in Jubilife City and, shortly before that, in another Contest that ended with a lost final.

His revenge comes much later, in Sandalstraw Town: Kenny wins the Contest against Dawn, his Prinplup beating her Ambipom. He takes the opportunity to spell out his goal — to surpass her on the Contest stage — which turns their friendship into an open rivalry.

🐧 Two kids from Twinleaf Town, the same first Pokémon: check out our Pokémon Starters.

Five Ribbons, and a Grand Festival That Ends at the Appeals

His record is that of a steady competitor rather than a prodigy. It opens with three setbacks: a final lost to Zoey at an unidentified Contest, a second-round elimination in Jubilife City, and the Floaroma Town final conceded to Dawn.

The wins follow: Sage Town, Gerbera Town, Sandalstraw Town, plus two Contests whose location isn't specified. The total comes to five Ribbons, the number required to enter the Grand Festival. Along the way, he loses the final in Solaceon Town to Jessie, who is competing in disguise.

His Grand Festival is over quickly. In the appeals round he presents Empoleon and Floatzel and attempts a combination of the former's Flash Cannon and the latter's Whirlpool; the combo falls flat in front of the judges and the second round slips away from him. He leaves the competition on that technical failure.

A Team Built More for the Stage Than for the Battlefield

Empoleon plays the role of his signature Pokémon, and it makes sense: it's the fully evolved form of the Piplup he started out with. The anime mostly shows it at its middle stage, as Prinplup, in the two finals that pit him against Dawn.

Breloom comes on the scene around the Solaceon Town Contest, with Energy Ball and Stun Spore in its move set. Its showing has an unexpected effect on the heroes: it gives Ash the idea of having his own Turtwig work on Energy Ball.

The rest of the roster listed on his profile rounds out his Contest toolkit: Floatzel with Whirlpool and Aqua Jet, Alakazam with Light Screen and Hidden Power, Machoke with Strength. Visual or defensive moves, tailored to how a performance is scored.

"Dee Dee": The Nickname, the Jealousy, and a Rejected Offer

A late episode of the series finally explains the nickname he saddles her with. When they were kids, a Plusle and a Minun electrified Dawn and made her hair stand up in spikes; Kenny then dubbed her "Dee Dee" in front of the whole class, to everyone's great amusement. The name stuck.

The teasing never stops: he happily spills his friend's most embarrassing memories in front of Ash. The series reads it as a veiled confession, especially since he can barely stand Ash being around, quizzes him about how long they've been traveling together and challenges him soon after. His calling as a Coordinator is murky, too: he eventually admits that watching her on TV without being able to join her weighed on him.

Two people around him can read the situation like an open book. Barry, introduced as his best friend — almost a brother, he says — accompanies him to Sandalstraw Town; Brock, for his part, goes from suspicion to certainty and encourages him to keep trying. The final act only half goes his way: Kenny beats Ash in battle to have Dawn travel with him, she declines, and she leaves him a letter saying she thinks he's very cute.

Kenny at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why is Kenny also called Gilles?
  Because the French dub changed his name partway through: he's Kenny until the eleventh season, then Gilles from the twelfth on. It's the same character.
• What is the connection between Kenny and Dawn?
  They grew up together in Twinleaf Town and have known each other since early childhood. He set off on his journey a little before her, with the same first Pokémon, a Piplup, and regularly runs into her at Contests.
• How many Ribbons has Kenny won?
  Five. His wins include Sage Town, Gerbera Town and Sandalstraw Town, the last of these against Dawn. His known losses came in Jubilife City, in Floaroma Town and in the Solaceon Town final against Jessie.
• Which Pokémon does Kenny use?
  Empoleon, evolved from his starter Piplup, is his go-to Pokémon. His profile also lists Breloom, Floatzel, Alakazam and Machoke.
• Why does he call Dawn "Dee Dee"?
  Because of a school memory: an electric shock from a Plusle and a Minun made Dawn's hair stand on end, and Kenny gave her the nickname in front of the whole class.

In short

Kenny holds an awkward place in the Sinnoh series: neither antagonist nor traveling companion. He reappears just often enough to remind us that Dawn had a life before, and leaves each time with one more Ribbon or a defeat that's hard to swallow. His failed Grand Festival and his last rejected offer make him one of the few rivals the series leaves on an outright failure.