• English / United States: Drayden
• Japanese / Japan: シャガ
• Japanese (Romanized) / Japan: Shaga
• Japanese (TL) / Japan: Shaga

Drayden is the gym leader of the Opelucid Gym in Pokemon Black version, as well as Black 2 and White 2, specializing in the Dragon type. He is the grandfather of Drayton.

Pokémon the Series

Iris challenged Drayden to a battle on the day of the battle tournament in the Dragon Village. Drayden questioned Iris as he wondered if she had ever earnestly studied Pokémon battles in depth or if she had been teaching yourself until that point. He found her answer of her Pokémon in the forest as her teachers amusing and accepted her invitation to battle.

As a Dragon Master, Drayden specializes in Dragon Pokémon. His battle with Iris didn't last too long Drayden's Haxorus was easily able to defeat Iris' Excadrill because Iris' Excadrill didn't know any ranged attacks and Drayden's Haxorus had strong counter defenses against close range attacks.

Principal of the Soryu Academy

Drayden is also the principal of the Soryu Academy which is located next to the Soryu Gym. He gathers students from everywhere to attend the school to learn about Pokémon. Iris climbing up the Soryu Tower was the first incident the academy had since it was founded and Drayden and everyone else were very surprised. Realizing that the academy just wasn't what was right for Iris and that unfortunately her talents could not be fostered at the academy, Drayden suggested to Elder that Iris start her own journey to let her feel free and more at ease in a broader world. Drayden thought that by traveling and having various experiences, Iris would be able to get closer to being a Dragon Master. Drayden, Elder and Martha all have high hopes for Iris and they hope that she will one day return to Soryu City to become the successor Gym Leader of the Soryu Gym.

Rematch Battle against Iris at the Soryu Gym

Having accepted the challenge to battle at the Dragon Village, Iris met up with Drayden to have a rematch battle. He heard about Iris getting into trouble again by climbing the Soryu Tower but told here to eat something and have a rest while he had a school meeting and then they would have their battle.

During the battle, Drayden was evaluating how much Iris had grown and he noticed that Iris' Excadrill power certainly seemed to have improved. The matchup between Iris' Excadrill and Drayden's Haxorus ended up in a draw as the two of them knocked each other out. In the matchup between, Drayden's Druddigon and Iris' Dragonite, Drayden noted that Iris' Dragonite had had an interesting life during its past. Iris' Dragonite wanted to fight under the same conditions as Drayden's Druddigon, who cannot fly. Everyone thought that Iris was doing well in the battle but Drayden's Druddigon proved to be more powerful than they had anticipated. Drayden's Druddigon knocked out Iris' Dragonite with a powerful Dragon Tail attack to give Drayden the victory in the rematch battle. Cilan thought Iris had cornered him, but Drayden was still a few steps ahead. Drayden was trying to get a clear picture of Iris by drawing out their power.

Drayden complemented Iris on making good friends and he realized that sending her off on a journey was the right thing to do. He could tell that she had grown up but standing still wasn't good for her. He told her to strengthen herself even further, become stronger and grow and then visit him again.