by PROTAGONISTS AND RIVAL
So you guys maybe wondering what a Protagonist is.. Okay see below
The main characters of the series. The games revolve around their personal growth, their exploits and their (and by extension, your) relationship with Pokémon in general.
The protagonists are the player's avatar in the world of Pokémon. Generally they aren't the most verbose of people. But you can use this opportunity to play as them and gather together a team of Pokémon to conquer the game.
The rivals are kids that are just like you and the protagonists have a history with them. Their personalities are varied, but they're all willing to challenge you to see how strong you've become over your journey.
Let me describe the Protagonist of the game FireRed and LeafGreen now.
Red
Leaf
Now coming to the Rival.
Blue
So you guys maybe wondering what a Protagonist is.. Okay see below
The main characters of the series. The games revolve around their personal growth, their exploits and their (and by extension, your) relationship with Pokémon in general.
The protagonists are the player's avatar in the world of Pokémon. Generally they aren't the most verbose of people. But you can use this opportunity to play as them and gather together a team of Pokémon to conquer the game.
The rivals are kids that are just like you and the protagonists have a history with them. Their personalities are varied, but they're all willing to challenge you to see how strong you've become over your journey.
Let me describe the Protagonist of the game FireRed and LeafGreen now.
Red
- Spoiler:
- This young man is perhaps the most iconic human character of the series. An 11-year old from Pallet Town who used to be the best of friends with a boy named Blue (or Green in the Japanese versions), until he became a bully. At the start of Pokémon Red and Blue, Red and Blue are given a task by Professor Oak, Blue's grandfather and the local expert on Pokémon: to travel around the Kanto region and capture all 150 known Pokémon to complete the Pokédex, a device that records data on Pokémon encountered and captured. To help with this, Oak gives Red and Blue one Pokémon each from Oak's remaining three. (In Pokémon Yellow version, Red's starter Pokémon is a Pikachu that Oak captured on Route 1). With this one Pokémon, Red ventures far from his home town, challenging the various gyms and thwarting the operations of the criminal enterprise Team Rocket in order to become a Pokémon Master.
In Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Yellow, he was the only player character, and is still the only protagonist to appear in later games in person. He's the strongest trainer in Pokémon Gold and Silver and can also be battled in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. Red also appears as a character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in which he commands Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard to battle for him.
Many characters based on Red have appeared in spin-off media, the most famous of which is Ash Ketchum, from the Pokémon anime. Ash and Red are confused with each other, and whether or not they can be considered, for all intents and purposes, two versions of the same basic character, is something still debated among fans.
Badass: Implied through potential events that can transpire in the game, as well as Red's Bonus Boss status in Pokémon Gold and Silver . As a Bonus Boss, Red's team is the highest leveled of any trainer in the entire series (Not counting battle facilities that automatically set levels to 100).
Badass Adorable: He's 11 years old. 14 in the sequels when he's canonically the strongest.
Bonus Boss
Coming of Age Story: At the end of the main game, Oak states that Red's journey was one, remarking that "he has come of age."
Continuity Nod: Red's team in Pokémon Gold and Silver reflects the events of Pokemon Red And Blue. He has a Pikachu and the final forms of the three starters from Generation I, the Snorlax that was once blocking a path, and Espeon in Pokémon Gold and Silver or Lapras in the Gold and Silver remakes from the ones you acquire as gifts.
Cutting Off the Branches: It's Red who appears in HeartGold and SoulSilver, rather than Leaf, though it may be due to them being remakes of GSC where he was the only one to appear. He was also the canon protagonist.
Curtains Match the Window
Disappeared Dad: He's mentioned once when you check out the televisions in Celadon Department Store, but he never appears.
Fan Nickname: Red's FRLG incarnation is occasionally called "Fire" in the English-speaking fandom to separate his new design from his old one. He's almost universally referred to as "Fire" or "FireRed" by Japanese-speaking fans.
The Hero: In Gen II and the Gen IV remakes, Red is often referred to as this.
Heroic Mime: When he's an Bonus Boss rather than a player-controlled character, he displays Visible Silence. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he shouts commands when the player switches his Pokémon or one of the 3 starters wins a match.
Holding Back the Phlebotinum: His team was comprised of level 80's during his training on Mt. Silver, and they conceivably hit the Cap afterwards. Even still, they are powered down to level 50 during the World Tournament, like any other trainer.
Hot Blooded: According to his counterparts, at least one in-game line, (possibly, due to its vagueness) the manual, and an old◊ comic◊ drawn◊ by◊ Sugimori.
Taking the extended storyline of FRLG into consideration, he certainly counts when a rather intimidated thief makes a remark about the way he is glaring at them.
Iconic Item: Both his original and remake Nice Hats.
Legendary in the Sequel: Red is mentioned several times throughout the game as the boy who singlehandedly stopped Giovanni and disbanded Team Rocket three years prior, and is held in high regard. His True Final Boss status has made him this as a meta-example among the fandom as well.
Game Freak doesn't discourage this, as he remains the most powerful trainer in the entire series. When Barry's levels in Platinum surpassed Red's, HG/SS corrected that. Red's Pikachu remains the highest level Pokémon to be challenged in a Trainer battle.
Nice Hat
Not So Stoic: His usual ellipses are accented with a "!" after losing.
Remake Dye Job: In Generations I and II, Red has black hair, but this is made into light brown hair in Generations III, IV, and V.
Perpetual Frowner
Previous Player Character Cameo
Schrödinger's Player Character: Pick one of them in FRLG, and the other won't appear. In the series as a whole, Red is the canonical protagonist.
Self Fanservice: The fandom draws Red's original design as being a slick, red eyed, Bishōnen with combed hair and a poker face(Who bears a striking resemblance to Lelouch Vi Britannia). In the original games though (even post Timeskip) he is unruly looking, with his hair and bangs, with Hot Blooded undertones. His FRLG design is usually drawn much, much cuter than he actually appears, as opposed to the scowling, determined-looking boy he's seen as in almost all of his canon appearances.
Signature Mon: Pikachu. High leveled in the original games, in the remakes it's even more powerful; it now has access to both Pikachu's signature item, doubling its offenses, and its signature move, giving it a powerful attack. It's also even more high leveled, being the highest leveled Pokémon you can battle in a trainer battle in the entire franchise.
Red has the Gen I starters, using them in every battle in the games and in his Super Smash Bros. appearance. Of the trio, he is most associated with the Bulbasaur line (appropriately enough that Pokémon #001 goes to the first main character), especially in promo art for Red and Green.
Silent Protagonist: All the protagonists are silent, of course, but Red takes it a step further by remaining silent every time he's seen, even when he's no longer the player character. Both in the Gen II games, and in the World Tournament, he says nothing but Visible Silence.
So Proud of You: His mother remarks that she's worried for Red, but proud of him for doing what he wants to do.
Suddenly Voiced: Red, unlike most other future heroes, actually makes the odd internal comment when examining objects (where future Player Characters merely get descriptions with the occasional exception), such as mentioning his dad when you check out the televisions in the Celadon Department Store, and remarks that he "should get going" when you examine the TV in his house and notes that they "better not touch it" when examining various pieces of technology. He also talks to Copycat, causing her to state his unseen dialogue.
Red's Super Smash Bros. Brawl incarnation also qualifies.
Third-Option Adaptation: He uses all four possible starters from the first game, avoiding giving him a 'canon' starter*. He also uses Pokémon that the player character in Red & Blue received as gifts, or was forced to encounter.
Took a Shortcut: Getting to Red in Heartgold and Soulsilver requires at least one of your Pokémon knowing the HM move Rock Climb in order to scale the walls of the cave, but none of his Pokémon know the move.
True Final Boss: In Gold and Silver.
Visible Silence
The Voiceless
Walking the Earth: In Gold and Silver, Red has retired as Champion and now focuses on training in Mt. Silver to get stronger.
What Could Have Been: The prototypical Red from "Capsule Monsters" still has a Nice Hat and black hair but he lacks Red's coat and his hair is not as messy.
Younger than They Look: A common complaint is his remake design is too mature for an eleven year old.
Leaf
- Spoiler:
- When Pokemon Red And Blue was remade for the GBA, the games went through some drastic changes. One important change that the GBA games brought about was the ability to choose between a male or female protagonist. Leaf, as she's most well known by is that female protagonist. Her backstory is roughly the same as Red's: A young girl from Pallet town who was given the task to catch them all for the Pokédex and To Be a Master. However, her origins are a bit older then the remakes suggest. She's based on a female trainer seen in early artwork for Red and Blue. This suggests that there were plans to have the ability to choose a male or female player from the very beginning, but was cut out at some point. The character "Green" (Or Blue in Japan) from Pokémon Special was based on this trainer.
Adapted Out: She's one of the few heroes to never appear in the anime.
Badass: See Red's entry
Badass Adorable: She's 11 years old.
Coming of Age Story: At the end of the main game, Oak states that Leaf's journey was one, remarking that "she has come of age."
Continuity Nod: Leaf herself. She was a prototype female protagonist, that few remember since the only evidence of her is early official artwork and her Pokémon Special counterpart.
Cutting Off the Branches: It's Red who appears in HeartGold and SoulSilver, rather than Leaf, though it may be due to them being remakes of GSC where he was the only one to appear. He was also the canon protagonist.
Curtains Match the Window
Dangerously Short Skirt: Her skirt just barely covers her. It's barely longer than Dawn's infamous skirt.
Development Gag: Leaf herself. She is a tweaked version of a first-generation female protagonist that never made it into the original games due to technological limitations (The original design was reused as Blue(JP)/Green(Eng) in the Special manga).
Disappeared Dad: He's mentioned once when you check out the televisions in Celadon Department Store, but he never appears.
Even the Girls Want Her: Due to the unchanged dialogue, this happens. It's also quite apparent in the fandom.
Fan Nickname: Leaf, actually. She has never been given an official name, although a beta double battle partner named Leaf was found in the data.
Leaf also sometimes gets called "Fuguri" (from Rīfugurīn) among the Japanese fans.
Heroic Mime
Little Black Dress: Her original design◊, complete with white gloves and matching shoes.
Mini Dress Of Power: In the remakes, though it's more of a mini-skirt.
Nice Hat
Pink Girl, Blue Boy: The Vs. Seekers, but only in the official artwork. In the game, you still get a blue one as Leaf.
Plucky Girl
Schrödinger's Player Character: Pick one of them in FRLG, and the other won't appear. In the series as a whole, Red is the canonical protagonist.
Signature Mon: Seen with the Squirtle line in early promo art for Red and Green.
Suddenly Voiced: Leaf, unlike future heroes, actually makes the odd internal comment when examining objects (where future Player Characters merely get descriptions), such as mentioning her dad when you check out the televisions in the Celadon Department Store, and remarks that she "should get going" when you examine the TV in her house and notes that they "better not touch it" when examining various pieces of technology. She also talks to Copycat... maybe.
The Voiceless
What Could Have Been: Game Freak wanted to program the option to play as a female way back in Red and Green, but wouldn't be able to until Crystal. Leaf had a different design with a Little Black Dress, White Gloves,and - unlike every protagonist in the main series - no Nice Hat.
White Gloves: Leaf's original design.
Now coming to the Rival.
Blue
- Spoiler:
- The Rival of the Player Character in Red/Blue. He was once the best friend of Red/Leaf, but as he grew up he changed into a huge Jerkass. Though abrasive and cocky, he has the skills to back up his boasts and has set his sights on nothing less than becoming the Pokémon League Champion. After being defeated, he takes up the position of Viridian City's Gym Leader.
Adaptational Attractiveness: In the remakes.
Always Someone Better: He always shows up ahead of you, even up to beating the Elite Four before you and being the Final Boss.
His remake artwork plays with this and portrays him holding an Ultra Ball rather than a Pokéball like the protagonists.
Blue is also unique amongst the various "rivals" in that, no matter how short lived it was; he was a legitimate Champion of the Kanto region. Though the stakes for the other games would escalate and others would be your final challenge as opposed to that age old rival, this made Red and Blue distinct as their grand finale was personal.
This gets reversed in Gold and Silver, where in the remakes he will often talk about Red and how Red defeated him.
Anime Hair
Authority Equals Asskicking: By HGSS, he's become the strongest Kanto Gym Leader.
Break the Haughty: When you beat him and end his short reign as Champion. Professor Oak telling him that he stands no chance of becoming the Champion again in his current state adds salt to the wound.
Catch Phrase: "Smell ya later!"
Arguably, "Whatever!" come HGSS.
Character Development: More so noticeable in FRLG. In the credits, he seems to be thinking about himself and his Pokémon after being told off by his grandfather and being beaten by you. In GSC/HGSS he is fairly less of a Jerkass.
He is also much more mature and seems to have learned how to take care of his Pokémon. This is evident when his Pigeot uses Return, a Normal attack that becomes stronger the more the Pokémon likes its user.
Continuity Nod: In the original games, his sprite as the Champion had him wearing a jacket, which isn't seen again in the second generation or the first generation remakes, but returns in his design for the second generation remakes.
Cutting Off the Branches: Averted, unlike with Red. He has none of the Kanto starters in any of his Gen II or Gen V teams. Likewise, he has no Pokémon in the Eevee line, which would confirm which outcome his first battle with Red had.
Demoted to Extra: In the second generation, he has settled into the role of Viridian City's Gym Leader.
Dub Name Change: To follow with the games' localized titles.
Final Boss: Of the first generation.
Informed Attribute: For his Champion battle, he claims to have built a team that can take down any Pokémon type. The team he uses for that battle is practically the same team that you've been trouncing in your previous battles.
Although in a surprising Meta example, in the original version, his team is between the three starters, Gyarados, Pidgeot, Arcanine, Exeggutor, Rhydon, and Alakazam, with Alakazam, Rhydon, Starter and Pidgeot as his team's mainstay. Setting movepool aside, his team has a good balance of each type, AND he used the strongest non legendary Pokémon of their respective type. The fact that he used Alakazam, Rhydon and Exeggutor shows his in canon Team Building sense.
In the Blood: His grandfather is a Pokémon researcher, and his sister was a superb coordinator (plus she's pretty good with making tea), so there's little surprise when it comes to his personality and achievements.
It's All About Me: His downfall is that he thinks so much about himself that he forgets to treat his Pokémon with love and respect. For the entire game he views Pokémon as nothing more than cool powerful creatures that can do whatever he wants for him and help him become Champion.
Jerkass
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Thankfully matures into this by Gold and Silver.
Late Arrival Spoiler: Good luck trying to beat the game without accidentally finding out from somewhere that Blue is the Champion.
Non-Elemental: As a Gym Leader and Champion, Blue has no type specialty and is the only leader in the entire series who doesn't. Technically, his Pokémon cover Fire, Water, Flying, Grass, Psychic, Fighting, Non-Elemental, and Dishing Out Dirt.
The Rival
Signature Mon: Averted. While one Pokémon will always inevitably be more powerful than the others, which Pokémon it is changes in every game. Given a nod in Black 2 and White 2, where he is one of the few trainers in the World Tournament who will lead with whatever Pokémon he feels like leading with, unlike almost everyone else who always lead with their signature Pokémon.
He is however associated with Eevee in the same way Red is associated with Pikachu, though its less prominent.
In early promo art for Red and Green. he was always seen with the Charmander line, in contrast to Red's Bulbasaur.
It should be noted that Alakazam is his most common Pokémon, being in all of his teams of all the games except the two HGSS teams.
Third-Option Adaptation: His Gym Leader team is based off of his Red & Blue team... omitting the starter*. This is to avoid giving a 'canon' choice of his (and therefore Red's) starter. Notably, he does NOT have an Eeveelution, or any other Pokémon exclusively from his team in Yellow.
Took a Level in Badass: After his stint as Champion, he took over Giovanni's Gym and is the toughest Gym Leader of the 8 Kanto leaders (and the toughest of the 16 in the Indigo League, and possibly toughest of all the Gym leaders in the entire series). He may be 2nd to Red, but that still makes him the 2nd toughest trainer in the game.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: The guidebook for Red and Blue explains that he was Red's best friend until shortly before the time of the game, where he started to become a bully. Despite this, there's still times where he talks to you like an old friend.
Took a Level in Jerkass
What Happened To The Raticate?: Blue uses a Rattata against the player during their battle in Cerulean City, which evolves into a Raticate in his next battle. After that, it disappears from his team without mention. There is evidence that suggests his Raticate died at some point between the two battles, though the theory is strictly fanon at this point.
