Nando: The Sinnoh Bard Who Wouldn't Pick Contests or Gyms

He speaks in poems and travels with a golden harp on his back. Nando crosses paths with Ash and Dawn early in the Sinnoh saga, at a time when he still doesn't know which career to pursue. Contests and Gyms don't share the same audience, the same rules or the same calendar. His answer comes down to a refusal: he'll do both.

Contents

• The rival who refused to choose
• Three Ribbons, from Hearthome City to Beach Rose Town
• The Grand Festival: two appeal rounds and a semifinal decided on the clock
• The other half of his journey: the Lily of the Valley Conference
• A Mew-shaped harp, and a costume that isn't one
• Nando at a glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

The rival who refused to choose

When he first appears, at the start of season 10, his hesitation between Contests and Gym battles eats at him so much that it becomes a storyline in its own right. The character doesn't resolve the dilemma, he sidesteps it: he signs up for both circuits at once.

That choice makes him a one-off in the series. No other rival has pursued Ribbons and Badges at the same time; the others pick one side or the other, and the storytelling locks them into the competition that defines them.

The consequence shows on screen: Nando switches settings from one appearance to the next, sometimes on a Contest stage, sometimes on a battlefield. Dawn has in fact never faced him in a Contest battle, which isn't the case with any of her other rivals.

Three Ribbons, from Hearthome City to Beach Rose Town

His first documented win comes at the Contest in Hearthome City. There he showcases Sunflora and a Kricketune he had just caught, then wins the Ribbon in the final against Zoey — an opponent he'll meet again later under far less favorable circumstances.

His fourth Ribbon, won in Beach Rose Town with the same Kricketune, isn't shown: the heroes learn about it from a TV screen. It's a common device for secondary rivals, whose progress the series condenses between two appearances rather than devoting an episode to it.

That Kricketune is the constant in his stage repertoire. It shows up in almost every performance and battle the series shows him in, whereas the rest of the team rotates from one competition to the next depending on the effect he's after.

The Grand Festival: two appeal rounds and a semifinal decided on the clock

At the Sinnoh Grand Festival, he opens with Kricketot and Altaria, then follows up in the second appeal round with Roserade and Sunflora. He shows up that day with seven Badges already in hand, proof that his second career has been moving forward in parallel without being shown on screen.

The semifinal pits him against Zoey in a Double Battle, with Kricketune and a Lopunny that is still new to his team. Ash and Brock compare the pair to a violinist accompanied by a dancer, an image that fits the character's musical register right down to the way he builds a performance.

Zoey, using Leafeon and Mismagius, wins by a few points when time runs out. This razor-thin defeat still leaves him in the final four, a rank no other male character reached at the Sinnoh Grand Festival — a result put into perspective by our feature on Pokémon Contests and the Grand Festival.

The other half of his journey: the Lily of the Valley Conference

The Gym path takes him all the way to the Lily of the Valley Conference, the event that closes Sinnoh's Badge circuit. There he faces Ash in the very first round, in the only official battle the series has them fight against each other.

He sends out Roserade, Armaldo and Kricketune against Heracross, Staraptor and Quilava. The match goes Ash's way and ends his League run, with no second round for him.

So both of his careers end the same way: elimination by an opponent already established in the story. What sets Nando apart isn't a title, but the fact that he went far on two fronts the series usually presents as incompatible.

A Mew-shaped harp, and a costume that isn't one

The object that identifies him is a golden harp he carries everywhere and whose silhouette is shaped like Mew. The motif isn't an isolated decorative detail: his lyre bears the same emblem, which makes the Mythical Pokémon a constant visual signature of the character.

For Contests, he switches instruments. His stage harp is bigger, with two Mew joined together — one at the toe, the other at the tail. So the competition accessory is an enlarged version of the one he travels with, not a different attribute.

His outfit follows the same economy. Where coordinators put on a costume designed for the stage, he makes do with his usual clothes, plus a few accessories: the character doesn't dress up to compete, he goes on stage just as he travels.

🎼 The Pokémon that gives his harp its shape has its own section: see our collection dedicated to Mew.

Nando at a glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Nando in the Pokémon anime?
  A bard Ash and Dawn meet at the start of season 10, in the Sinnoh region. He mostly speaks in poems and travels with a golden harp.
• Does Nando compete in Contests or Gym battles?
  Both, and that's exactly what makes him unique. Unable to choose, he commits to both circuits at once: he's the only rival in the series to collect Ribbons and Badges in parallel.
• Which Pokémon does Nando use?
  The series shows him with Kricketune, Kricketot, Sunflora, Roserade, Altaria, Armaldo and Lopunny. Kricketune is the most consistent: it appears in his Contest performances as well as in his battles.
• Did Nando win the Sinnoh Grand Festival?
  No. He's knocked out in the semifinals by Zoey, in a Double Battle lost by a few points when time ran out. He still reaches the final four, which no other male character managed at that Grand Festival.
• What does Nando's harp represent?
  It's shaped like Mew, and his lyre bears the same motif. For Contests, he uses a bigger instrument with two Mew joined together, one at the toe and the other at the tail.

In short

Nando wins neither the Grand Festival nor the Sinnoh League. What makes him interesting is the structure of his journey rather than his track record: the series uses him to show that its two main disciplines, usually kept apart, can be pursued by the same person. A bard who plays the harp between battles, and who took both careers all the way to their final test.