Archie Pokemon – Everything You Need To Know

by Geoff | Last Updated: May 19, 2020

Any avid fan knows that leadership is critical in the Pokemon universe. Having a solid leadership can mean the difference between success and failure in achieving a team’s goals, be it in the games, manga, or anime. In the games, especially, knowing the leaders of each team well is important to build strategy and increase your chances of winning.

Whether you’re looking to figure out and exploit a team’s weakness, build up your social circle, or simply reading more for fun, here’s an overview of Archie, the Leader of Team Aqua.

Archie’s Appearance

You can tell he’s on Team Aqua at first glance with the striking blue bandana he wears that has the logo plastered on it. His artwork portrays his physique as one that’s rather tall and bulky, with tan skin and a black beard. A lot of the concept art about Archie says that he is 5’7”, but his official height in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is 5’9”.

Apart from the bandana, beard, and mischievous glint in his eye, however, the rest of his outfit doesn’t reference much to his pirate background. He wears a dark full-body suit, complete with armor and a helmet in some versions. He also appears in a striped, black half-body cape that is attached to gold chains that sit on his waist. Making him even more recognizable is the small sword that he carries around with him as a weapon, and of course, his iconic anchor necklace that’s always hanging around his neck.

Archie’s Personality

As a leader, Archie is mostly strict and holds his team to a high standard. This is evident as he doesn’t deal well with the failure of his team members, even attacking them in some instances. Whether this approach works or not is debatable but taking a closer look, he does come off as brutal and vicious. He literally goes red in the face with rage, so it’s easy to tell when he’s angry.

That said, he does have moments where he displays big-heartedness and humility. As far as loyalty goes, Archie’s trust is hard to earn, yet in some instances he has shown that he is capable of betraying his subordinates to attain a personal goal. In spite of that, his level of success and sheer ability to lead solidifies his position in Team Aqua and makes him a valuable team member indeed.

Archie’s Goals

His goals differ from arc to arc, but what is consistent is his love of the ocean and his desire to gain control of the world. As a pirate, Archie seeks to do so by using the powers of the ocean Kyogre, the entity of the sea.

In Pokemon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, he does this by infiltrating Team Magma’s ship to free Kyogre. He gets Shelly to do this for him and she succeeds, allowing him to use the Red Orb to control Kyogre and destroy Team Magma’s ship. However, while he does control Kyogre for a while, Team Magma’s Groudon eventually defeats Kyogre with a solar beam. Archie loses control of the Red Orb and Kyogre, which returns to the sea.

In Pokemon Adventures, Archie calls a temporary truce with Team Magma to head to the Seafloor Cavern to find their desired Pokemon. In doing so, he manages to find Kyogre and after several events, manages to obtain the Red Orb to control it. In this arc, he becomes possessed with it, while Maxie, the leader of Team Magma, becomes possessed by the Blue Orb. After an intense series of battles, the chapter ends with both leaders presumed dead.

However, both Maxie and Archie make a comeback in the Emerald chapter, where it is revealed that they were rescued by Sird, one of the Three Beasts of Team Rocket, and did not die. This chapter revolves around the fallout between Maxie and Archie as they fight for armor that will slow the decay of being possessed. Archie fights to get the armour and wins, becoming known as Guile Hideout.

Archie’s Skills

Archie makes for a formidable opponent. In fact, he is the only character in the Pokemon games to have both Aqua Leader and Team Aqua trainer classes.

In the game Ruby, Archie helps the player to fight Team Magma. Besides that, he can’t be battled and doesn’t have any significant role in the overall storyline. On the other hand, in the game Sapphire, he is the villain that you have to defeat at the Oceanic Museum and at Mt. Pyre. In the game Emerald, he only challenges the player once at the Seafloor Cavern, after the Magma Hideout level.

Archie’s Pokemon

Catching and training Pokemon gives Archie quite a lot of power as well. He has three main Pokemon in his arsenal:

First, he often uses Mightyena, a bite Pokemon with an Intimidate ability. In terms of appearance, it has grey and shaggy fur, red and yellow eyes, as well as gray paw pads. It is very obedient and loyal to Archie, often playing key roles in coordinated attacks. It can tackle, howl, bite, and use sand-attack. The highest level recorded is 64.

Secondly, Archie’s high friendship with poison/flying Pokemon Globat make them a great team. Globat (later, Crobat) is roughly 5” in height, with purple wing membranes and massive fangs. It mainly feeds on blood. In battles, its basics are supersonic, astonish, bite and wing attack capabilities. The highest level recorded is 64.

Third, Sharpedo, a brutal water Pokemon with rough skin. It looks like a shark, just with a yellow-star marking, tall dorsal fins, and red eyes. It fights with assurance, screech, swagger, and ice fang abilities, though later on it develops poison fang, night slash, and liquidation too. The highest level recorded for this Pokemon is 64.

Aside from these, Archie has had control over other Pokemon, most notably the water Kyogre. Reaching a record level of 66 in Archie’s hands, this massive Pokemon is 14’09” in height. It’s a powerful Pokemon with control over water rain and is even capable of expanding the seas and impacting the climate. Archie himself has trouble controlling this power, which flares up when it encounters its rival Groudon.

Archie’s Temperament & Key Skills

All in all, Archie is a key player in the Pokemon universe who is not to be underestimated. His temperament and skills combined make him a leader who is feared across all gangs. As for legacy, Archie is tied to his obsession with the Red Orb that controls Kyogre and experiences most of his triumphs and defeats in relation to that.