Irida: the Pearl Clan leader who inherited the role too soon

Irida didn't get to choose when she became leader: her mother's death made that choice for her. Born in the Alabaster Icelands of Hisui, she leads the Pearl Clan, whose deity rules over space, and faces off against Adaman, her counterpart in the Diamond Clan. Their feud is constant and loud, but it never stops them from ending up on the same side when the situation demands it.

Contents

• An Heir Groomed Since Childhood, Thrust Into Power Too Soon
• Adaman: A Rivalry That Starts With a Quarrel Over Gods
• Kleavor, the Balms and the Clan's Wardens
• Red Chain or Origin Ball: Two Ways to Serve Palkia
• The Trainer: No Poké Balls, a Glaceon and Four Partners in All
• Irida at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

An Heir Groomed Since Childhood, Thrust Into Power Too Soon

She was raised in the Pearl Settlement, steeped in her people's beliefs: the "Almighty Sinnoh" worshiped there is held to be the master of space and of Hisui's vast expanses. The faith isn't window dressing; it's the lens through which she reads every event in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Her mother led the clan before her, and Irida had long been training to succeed her, notably by measuring herself against Palina, her childhood rival — whom she insists on calling by a pet name that Palina can't stand. The leader's death cut that apprenticeship short and put Irida in charge of the clan overnight.

It's a heavy load for someone her age: the Noble Pokémon to watch over, the negotiations with the Diamond Clan and the Galaxy Team, and Coin's defection from her own ranks. The mobile game sums her up well, describing her as appointed very young and prone to worry, yet able to make the right call for the region's future. Even her French name, Nacchara, ties her back to her clan: it comes from nacre, and from nacarat, the dark pink that recalls Palkia's pearls.

Adaman: A Rivalry That Starts With a Quarrel Over Gods

The player first meets her in the middle of an argument. Outside the Galaxy Team's headquarters, she and Adaman argue over which of their two "Sinnohs" deserves the name, each standing firm behind their own clan's deity.

The squabble carries on all the way into the office of Kamado, at the very moment Kleavor spins out of control. The description of her personality admits it outright: she can't let a jab from Adaman go unanswered, is loyal and combative, and only lets her guard down with someone she's sure of.

The bickering stops dead in the face of injustice. When Kamado drives the protagonist out of Jubilife Village like an outcast, she openly voices her outrage and the Diamond Clan's leader, just as stunned, backs her up. After the crisis, invited together to the harmony festival, the two rivals spare a thought for their ancestors, who, unlike them, actually waged war on each other. Illustrator take, who designed both characters, confirmed as much publicly in early September 2022.

Kleavor, the Balms and the Clan's Wardens

Her first instinct is to keep the matter in-house. She tries to calm Kleavor, the Noble entrusted to Lian, by her own means, and fails — only after putting the newcomer who fell through the space-time rift to the test does she agree to hand the mission over.

She doesn't just stand by and watch: together with her Warden, she prepares the balms without which calming the Noble would be impossible. That success is enough for her to place her full trust in the protagonist, especially since another stranger who came out of the same rift, Ingo, had already been entrusted by her with the ride Pokémon Sneasler.

Her path then takes her to Firespit Island, where she battles the player in a sweltering heat she can barely stand: perfectly at home in frozen landscapes, she hates the heat. She then heads off with Adaman to Avalugg's Legacy, to see Gaeric, the Warden of the local Noble, whom she calls her "master" even though he answers to her.

Red Chain or Origin Ball: Two Ways to Serve Palkia

At the Ancient Retreat, where the two leaders have joined their protégé, the decision falls to the player. Only one of the two will come along from then on, while the other stays behind to keep an eye on Kamado; whoever goes works with Volo to oversee the Lake Guardians' trials, then the forging of the Red Chain.

At the Temple of Sinnoh, once the Commander has come back to his senses, her role depends entirely on that choice. If chosen, she becomes the voice of Palkia, which asks to be caught so it can lend a hand against Dialga; if passed over, she brings Professor Laventon what's left of the sacrificed Red Chain, the raw material for the Origin Ball in which Palkia will be sealed.

She also follows Lian into the Primeval Grotto to extract the Origin Ore, the key component of that Ball. When the Miss Fortunes burst into the mine, she speaks of Coin with more regard than Coin ever shows her, then praises her Warden for how he stood up to the bandits. Later, she is at the Lava Dome Sanctum when Heatran is caught.

❄️ Eevee's icy evolution has its own shelf: see the section Eevee.

The Trainer: No Poké Balls, a Glaceon and Four Partners in All

Her battle style says a lot about her faith: she keeps none of her Pokémon in a Poké Ball and sends them all out onto the field together. The first battle she offers is a kind of entrance exam and comes right before the showdown with Kleavor, Lord of the Woods; it's the next one, at Beachside Camp, that you don't strictly need to win.

The battles after that get noticeably more serious. Beating her gets her to hand over the Lustrous Globe, a request then has you defeat her using only Palkia in its Origin Forme, and she closes out every run of the Path of Tenacity at the Jubilife Village Training Grounds, as the last opponent, after Lian and Gaeric.

Glaceon is her favorite Pokémon, the one she poses with at the photography studio. The mobile game, which added her in spring 2023, made it her default partner and gives her Flareon as an alternate partner, unlocked by maxing out her friendship level in the Trainer Lodge. Her two extra outfits break away from the Eevee line: a Hisuian Zoroark for her Special Costume, and a Hisuian Typhlosion that can Terastallize into the Poison type for her Anniversary outfit.

Elsewhere, her appearances are more of a nod. Her trading card, released in spring 2022 in the Astral Radiance expansion, lets you search your deck for a Water Pokémon and an Item card, revealed to your opponent before you shuffle. In the anime, she only appears in the background, during an ending sequence, delighted with the headpiece Palina has just given her — the same one she wears in the game.

Irida at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Irida in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
  She's the leader of the Pearl Clan, one of Hisui's two clans. Raised in the Pearl Settlement and the daughter of the previous leader, she took charge of her people at a very young age, when her mother died, and worships the "Almighty Sinnoh," the deity of space.
• Why do Irida and Adaman argue?
  Because each of them defends their own clan's deity. Their first scene together is a clash over who the true "Sinnoh" is, and the feud flares up again whenever they cross paths. It stops dead when Kamado banishes the protagonist: the two leaders then join the protagonist together at the Ancient Retreat.
• Which Pokémon does Irida use?
  Glaceon is her favorite Pokémon and her default partner in the mobile game, which also pairs her with Flareon as an alternate partner, plus a Hisuian Zoroark and a Hisuian Typhlosion depending on her outfit. In battle, she keeps none of her Pokémon in a Poké Ball and sends them all out at once.
• Should you pick Irida or Adaman at the Ancient Retreat?
  Both paths lead to the same outcome. If you pick Irida, she oversees the Lake Guardians' trials and then acts as Palkia's medium at the Temple of Sinnoh; otherwise, she keeps watch over Kamado and brings Professor Laventon the remains of the Red Chain, which are used to make the Origin Ball.
• Where can you battle Irida again after the story?
  At the Jubilife Village Training Grounds, in the Path of Tenacity runs, where she's the last opponent in each run, after Lian and Gaeric. Two requests also let you challenge her, one of which allows only Palkia in its Origin Forme.

In short

Irida is one of the few characters in the series whose authority is portrayed as a burden rather than an achievement: she wields a power she was still preparing for when it fell on her. She stubbornly contradicts Adaman, calls a subordinate "master," entrusts her Nobles to a stranger who came out of a rift — and still, at every crossroads, makes the decision that protects Hisui. Her loyalty to the master of space takes her as far as speaking on its behalf at the Temple of Sinnoh.