Brycen: From Icirrus Gym Leader to Pokéstar Studios Star

He left his Gym for a film set. Brycen runs the seventh Gym of the Unova League, in Icirrus City, and specializes in the Ice type. His Shaolin-monk look earned him his Chinese-sounding French name, Zhu. But above all, he's one of the few Gym Leaders in the series whose post lasts just one game, abandoned in the sequel for a far flashier second career.

Contents

• Icirrus City: A Gym Held for a Single Game
• Pokéstar Studios, or Brycen's Second Career
• The Pokémon World Tournament and the Mobile Game
• Beyond the Games: Anime, Short Film and Cards
• Brycen at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Icirrus City: A Gym Held for a Single Game

Brycen holds the seventh of the Unova League's eight Gyms, the one in Icirrus City, where he defends the Ice type. His tenure lasts only one game: he is a Gym Leader only in Black and White, and he then steps down to devote himself to film, leaving the Icirrus Gym without a Leader.

In French, the character takes his name from his appearance. His look evokes a Shaolin monk, and "Zhu" deliberately sounds Chinese — a rare case in a lineup of Gym Leaders mostly built around their type. His signature Pokémon is Beartic, the very one that accompanies him on screen.

His place in the journey is no scheduling accident. Pryce of Mahogany Town and Candice of Snowpoint City hold exactly the same rank as he does in their respective Leagues, with the same specialty. Three seventh Gym Leaders of the Ice type, and three Gyms in the north of their region: the series is clearly fixated on where the cold belongs.

Pokéstar Studios, or Brycen's Second Career

In Black 2 and White 2, Brycen hung up his Gym Leader title and took to the stage. He became an actor at Pokéstar Studios, Unova's movie studio, where he plays the title role in the "Brycen-Man" film series. The player, for their part, makes their own feature films there.

The battles therefore take place during filming, and follow the player's progress. In the first film, Brycen-Man, Brycen fields a Pawniard and a Vullaby against a Riolu lent to the director. In Brycen-Man Strikes Back, he brings out a Honchkrow and a Scrafty, while his opponent this time has a Lucario. In the third installment, he takes on two Lucario at once: the escalation is written into the script as much as into the difficulty.

Brycen-Man isn't his only role, either. He also stars in the Full Metal Cop series and its sequels, as Mecha Cop. Finally, the game drops a thread that is never tied up: Brycen is said to be at odds with the father of Roxie, with nothing explaining why.

❄️ The cold-weather specialists have their own shelf: see the section dedicated to Pokémon figures.

The Pokémon World Tournament and the Mobile Game

The tournament that brings together the series' great Trainers enters him in several events, including the Unova Leaders Tournament and the Type Expert Tournament devoted to the Ice type. He has a pool of six Pokémon there, from which the game draws depending on the format.

That format changes everything about preparing for a match. Brycen fields only three of his six Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles alike, and all of them in Triple Battles — so a game plan built on a first encounter won't play out the same way in the next round.

The mobile game has featured him since launch, and gives him two outfits that match his two lives. In his usual look, he forms a sync pair with Cryogonal, and an alternate sync pair with Walrein obtained by exchanging an invitation coupon. In the Brycen-Man costume, his partner is a Zoroark.

Beyond the Games: Anime, Short Film and Cards

The anime brings him on stage through a rescue, with his Beartic at his side: he comes to the aid of Ash's group, then tries to free the Guardian of the Mountain from a hunter who has captured it. The official battle only comes in the following episode, when Ash finally challenges him on his home turf in Icirrus City.

He returns in an animated short, in a completely different register. Stationed outside N's Castle with other Unova Gym Leaders, he stops the Seven Sages from escaping and takes on the grunts of Team Plasma to foil their plan. It's one of the rare scenes in which the region's Gym Leaders act as a single unit.

The Trading Card Game added him later. His first card was released in Japan on October 4, 2019, in an expansion devoted to Trainer duos, and reached France on November 1 of that year with the release of Sun & Moon—Cosmic Eclipse.

Brycen at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Where is Brycen's Gym?
  In Icirrus City, in the Unova region. It's the seventh Gym on the journey, and Brycen defends the Ice type there.
• Why is Brycen no longer a Gym Leader in Black 2 and White 2?
  Because he changed careers. In the sequel, he's an actor at Pokéstar Studios, Unova's movie studio, and plays the title role in the Brycen-Man film series. The player battles him during filming, no longer in a Gym.
• Which Pokémon does Brycen use?
  Beartic is his signature Pokémon and the one that accompanies him in the anime. The mobile game pairs him with Cryogonal and Walrein in his usual outfit, and with Zoroark in the Brycen-Man costume. At Pokéstar Studios, his film teams change from one movie to the next: Pawniard and Vullaby, then Honchkrow and Scrafty.
• What does Brycen have in common with Pryce and Candice?
  All three are the seventh Gym Leaders of their League, and all three specialize in the Ice type. Their Gyms are also located in the north of their respective regions.
• Does Brycen appear in the anime?
  Yes, during the Unova saga. He first steps in with his Beartic to help Ash's group and try to free the Guardian of the Mountain from a hunter, then battles Ash in Icirrus City in the following episode.

In short

Brycen is a Gym Leader the series quickly moved into a new career, and that's what makes him interesting: his post lasts one game, his acting career outlives it. Pokéstar Studios turns him into a fictional supervillain within his own world, the mobile game gives him two outfits for his two lives, and the anime remembers him as a man who steps up to the front line for a captured Pokémon. Few Ice-type specialists leave behind such a colorful legacy after giving up their Gym.