Ben: The Oblivia Ranger Who Travels on Latios's Back
1099 words | Reading time: 5 minutes
Ben is the Ranger you play as, or the one you meet. Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs offers two playable characters for a single adventure, and the one the player leaves aside stays in the story under their own name. Stationed in the Oblivia region, Ben is therefore sometimes the player's avatar, sometimes the heroine's mission partner — and in both cases a Ranger who works high in the sky.
Contents
- Playable or partner, depending on the box checked at the start
- A Ranger who makes captures on the wing
- An optimist caught off guard by Summer's kidnapping
- In the anime: a Heatran to capture
- Ben at a glance
- Frequently Asked Questions
Playable or partner, depending on the box checked at the start
The game opens with the usual choice between a male and a female character. Ben fills the male slot, and the plot in the Oblivia region doesn't change based on the answer given on that screen.
What changes is the place he takes afterward. When you play as the heroine, he reappears as her partner, and that's when he goes by the name Ben; the character you didn't pick is never erased from the story, he simply switches to the other side of the controller.
The symmetry is complete with Summer, the other half of the duo. The role he plays alongside her is exactly the one she plays alongside him in the opposite playthrough: the two Rangers were written as two versions of the same role.
A Ranger who makes captures on the wing
Nothing is spelled out in black and white, but the clues all point the same way. Ben and his colleague appear to belong to a Ranger Union unit geared toward aerial combat and capture, a specialty the game hints at rather than explains.
His traveling companion, on the other hand, is identified without any ambiguity. A Pichu known as Ukulele Pichu follows him throughout his journey in Oblivia, as his partner Pokémon, when the player plays as Ben.
It's their means of transportation that really sets the two Rangers apart. Where the heroine calls Latias using Ranger Signs, Ben befriends Latios, who then carries him from one island to the next: same need, two solutions, and two twin Legendaries split between the two versions of the hero.
🕊️ The Legendary he rides has its own section: check out our Legendary Pokémon.
An optimist caught off guard by Summer's kidnapping
His portrait takes only a few words, and it holds together. Ben is enthusiastic and never backs down from any obstacle once he's been given a mission, which makes him a handy engine of action for an investigation storyline.
That optimism has its limit, though, and the game makes a point of showing it. Summer's kidnapping by the Pokémon Pinchers genuinely worries him: the character's constant cheerfulness gives way to concern for his partner's fate, and it remains the only moment you see him falter.
In the anime: a Heatran to capture
The character appears on screen during the thirteenth season of the series. He's tasked with capturing a Heatran that knows the move Eruption, and he goes about it with help from Ash, Brock and Dawn.
The episode showcases the heart of the job rather than a battle between Trainers. The goal isn't to win a battle but to bring a dangerous Pokémon under control, which matches exactly the mission of a Ranger as the games define it.
A second appearance sheds light on the beginning of his story. A short film devoted to the early days of the Oblivia adventure shows how his friendship with Ukulele Pichu began, in other words the meeting that the game itself already takes for granted.
Ben at a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Game | Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs |
| Role | Male playable character, or the heroine's partner |
| Assignment | The Oblivia region |
| Partner Pokémon | Ukulele Pichu, when the player plays as Ben |
| Travel between islands | Latios, whom he befriends |
| Female counterpart | Summer, who calls on Latias |
| Names in other languages | Sully in French, Julian in German, Verán in European Spanish |
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Who is Ben in Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs?
One of the two characters the player can play as. If the player chooses the heroine, the male Ranger comes back into the adventure under the name Ben and becomes her partner, stationed like her in the Oblivia region. -
What is Ben's partner Pokémon?
A Pichu known as Ukulele Pichu, who stays with him throughout his time in Oblivia when the player plays as Ben. A short film tied to the game also looks back at how the two bonded. -
Why does Ben travel with Latios and not Latias?
Because the game splits the two Legendaries between its two heroes. The heroine summons Latias with Ranger Signs; Ben, for his part, befriends Latios, who carries him from island to island across the region. -
Does Ben appear in the anime?
Yes, during the thirteenth season, on a capture mission targeting a Heatran that can use Eruption. Ash, Brock and Dawn lend him a hand. -
What is Ben's connection to Summer?
They're two sides of the same role: whichever one the player doesn't control becomes the other's partner. Ben, usually very optimistic, becomes deeply worried when the Pokémon Pinchers kidnap Summer.
In short
Ben showcases a writing idea specific to this series: the hero you didn't choose doesn't disappear, he becomes a full-fledged character. He patrols an archipelago where the Pokémon Pinchers have made themselves at home. A Ranger whose good mood never wavers, except on the day his own partner is the one who gets kidnapped.