Brock, known as Takeshi (タケシ) in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. In the Pokémon video games, he is the Gym Leader of Pewter City in the Kanto region and mainly uses Rock-type Pokémon. In the anime series, Ash first battles him and then invites Brock to accompany him on his journey so that Brock can become a Pokémon Breeder. He exited the series at the start of Season Two, replaced by Tracey Sketchit, due to worries that people may find him to be a racial stereotype due to his thin eyes. However, when the company noticed that no one complained, they reintroduced him. He has generally been well-received, with fans of the anime happy whenever he is brought back into the series.