Pokémon Gold and Silver/Characters

For the Pokémon introduced in these games, refer to this page.

Ethan (Hibiki)/Gold

 * Awesome Backpack: In HGSS, it has no limit on the number of items it can carry.
 * Badass Adorable
 * Blue Eyes
 * Canon Name: The manual for Gold Version refers to the player as "a boy named Gold", and the manual for Silver refers to the player as "a boy named Silver". His anime counterpart was named Jimmy (Kenta in Japan). In Generation IV, he was finally given a canon name: "Ethan".
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Dressing as the Enemy: While liberating the Radio Tower in HGSS.
 * Expy: Of Red.
 * He Is Not My Boyfriend: If you chose Ethan, Lyra says this to her grandma when you're with her in the daycare.
 * Heroic Mime: Copycat still somehow manages to mimic his speech, suggesting that he does speak but is not heard by the player.
 * Kid Hero
 * Nice Hat
 * One Steve Limit: In the original Gold & Silver, a Pokémaniac on the S.S. Aqua had the name 'Ethan'. In the remakes, said trainer is renamed 'Morgan' to adhere to this trope.
 * Schrodinger's Player Character: Played straight in Crystal, averted in HGSS.

Kris

 * All There in the Manual: The back of the box for Crystal gives her Canon Name (in the west) as Kris. This is often overlooked because Ethan's Canon Name wasn't given until two generations later.
 * Badass Adorable
 * Blue Eyes
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Heroic Mime
 * Meaningful Name: Kris in Crystal.
 * Kid Hero
 * Little Miss Badass
 * Schrodinger's Player Character
 * What Could Have Been: She had a different design originally, was supposed to appear in GS, and lacked a Nice Hat of any sort.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Lyra (Kotone)

 * Awesome Backpack: Same as Ethan, although for her it's more of a purse.
 * Badass Adorable
 * Brown Eyes
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Dressing as the Enemy: She does this when she tries to halt Team Rocket's Radio Tower takeover.
 * Expy: She shares quite the resemblance to both Leaf and Red in terms of looks.
 * Not to mention her clothes make her look like a teenager who's gone through Rule 63 using Mario.
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Heroic Mime: Also subject to the same Copycat oddity.
 * Iconic Item: Her Nice Hat.
 * Kid Hero
 * Little Miss Badass
 * Nice Hat
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: If you chose Lyra, Ethan says this to his grandma when you're with him in the daycare.
 * Tomboy
 * Zettai Ryouiki

Silver

 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Fits this trope perfectly.
 * Badass
 * Bishonen: His remake design, slightly.
 * Character Development: At first, he's by far the nastiest rival in the whole series, but by the end he's completely reformed.
 * More is added in the remakes, featuring a new double battle against Clair and Lance after his turn. Also Not to mention
 * Children Are Cruel: He's arguably either abusive or borderline-abusive.
 * And being fair, he's no where near as bad as some of the other examples on that page.
 * Continuity Cameo: His anime counterpart appeared in the Japanese The Legend of Thunder special's intro.
 * Crash Into Hello: In HeartGold/SoulSilver, as a reference to Barry's usual way of meeting you.
 * Evil Redheads
 * Freudian Excuse:
 * Gray Eyes: Arguably silver colored.
 * Curtains Match the Window/Red Eyes, Take Warning: The intro for the remakes and his original concept art show him with red.
 * Hate Sink: Before his Character Development, he's actually more the antagonist than Team Rocket!
 * Idiot Hair
 * Inferiority Superiority Complex: In hindsight, all his obsession with being strong really amounts to this.
 * Jerkass: Until later in the game, when he loosens up.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Becomes one later on.
 * Like Father, Like Son
 * Meaningful Name: While his original design had him with red eyes, as his concept art showed, his remake design makes his name meaningful. His name is "Silver" and he has gray, or silver, eyes.
 * My Name Is ???: Trope Namer.
 * No Name Given: The closest he has been given to a canon name is Silver, which was his default in Gold and Crystal as well as the name of his Pokémon Special counterpart. In the remakes, "Silver" is never used- "Soul" is in HeartGold and "Heart" in SoulSilver.
 * The Rival
 * The Sociopath: Shades of this, even more of them in the remakes, initially.
 * Tsundere: Comes across as a nasty Type A in the remakes.
 * Would Hit a Girl: If you play as a girl. He also shoves Clair away when she offers to team with him against Lance and the player.
 * Younger Than They Look: His remake art makes him look more like a teenager, but he is stated to be Ethan and Lyra's age.
 * Tsundere: Comes across as a nasty Type A in the remakes.
 * Would Hit a Girl: If you play as a girl. He also shoves Clair away when she offers to team with him against Lance and the player.
 * Younger Than They Look: His remake art makes him look more like a teenager, but he is stated to be Ethan and Lyra's age.

Professor Elm (Dr. Utsugi)

 * Forgets to Eat
 * Genius Ditz: His official artwork for HGSS seems to portray him this way.
 * Happily Married: He has a wife and son.
 * Overshadowed by Awesome: Poor Elm has to share the spotlight with Oak. As such, he's the only Pokémon Professor in the main games to not introduce you to the world of Pokémon or give the player their Pokédex.
 * Theme Naming: As usual, he is named after a tree like other regional professors.

Eusine (Minaki)
A mysterious man who is obsessed with Suicune.
 * Badass Cape
 * Mr. Fanservice: Both in-game and in-fandom!
 * Fan Boy: Of Suicune, oh so very much. Has undertones of Stalker with a Crush at times.
 * Flanderization: In Crystal, Eusine demonstrates his knowledge of Johto's history in general and helps you get Ho-Oh. Since these plot elements are given to other characters in HeartGold and SoulSilver, all that's really left for him is his obsession with Suicune.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Morty.
 * Punny Name: Eusine, pronounced "you-seen", as in "Have you seen Suicune?"
 * Red Oni: to Morty's Blue Oni.
 * White Gloves

The Kimono Girls (The Maiko)
A group of five kimono-wearing young women who live in Ecruteak City. In the original games, defeating them all would grant the player the HM for Surf, but they have a much more prominent role in the remakes.
 * Ascended Extra: They were mostly there so you could get the HM for Surf in the original versions and not a whole lot else. In the remakes, they're pretty much relevant throughout the Johto section of the game, even being the ones who summon the mascot of the version you're playing.
 * Boss Rush: In the remakes, you fight all five in a row.
 * Chekhov's Gunmen: In HeartGold and SoulSilver, they pop up once each throughout the game. It turns out that they are the ones who summon the box legendary.
 * The Chessmaster
 * Climax Boss: Their role in the remakes is something similar to this. They're fought after the eight Gyms are conquered, but before the Elite Four challenge, and right before the summoning of the version mascot.
 * Help, I'm Stuck!: A variation happens in the remakes : When you encounter Sayo in the Ice Path, she'll tell you that her sandals got stuck to the ice, and request your help to get her out.
 * Name's the Same: See One Steve Limit below.
 * One Steve Limit: In the Japanese version of GSC, one of them had the same Japanese name as Maylene. It was changed in the remakes, as Maylene makes a Cameo there.
 * Took a Level In Badass: Because you encounter them much later on in the remakes, their Pokémon are also obviously much stronger, not to mention you fight all five of them in a row.

Kurt (Gantetsu)
An old man from Azalea Town. He is a Poké Ball expert, who can make you special ones from Apricorns.
 * Badass Grandpa: He charges after Team Rocket at Slowpoke's Well alone, only stopped by hurting his back. He seems to have quite a reputation in Azalea, too.
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Item Crafting: The go-to guy for making Poké Balls.

Bill (Masaki Sonezaki)
A returning character from the first games. He is a computer genius who developed the Pokémon Storage System used in Kanto and Johto. You find him in Goldenrod City, where he gives you an Eevee, and his younger sister gives you his phone number.
 * Demoted to Extra: He isn't as relevant to the plot as in Red and Blue and their remakes, to the point where the original Gold, Silver, and Crystal told you right off the bat whose PC you were using to store your extra Pokémon instead of labeling it "Someone's PC" like the previous games as well as the PCs run by Lanette and Bebe in later installments.
 * It Was a Gift: He gives you an Eevee.

Red
The hero and player character from the previous games. He is found at Mt. Silver, and serves as either the Final Boss, the True Final Boss, or a Bonus Boss depending on your interpretation. He has the distinction of owning the highest-leveled Pokémon encountered in the series.
 * Badass: His team is the highest-leveled in the entire series, not to mention his achievements in the past.
 * Bonus Boss/Final Boss/True Final Boss
 * Continuity Nod: He has the three starters, the series' mascot, and two in-game event Pokémon.
 * In Red and Blue, there were two Snorlax lying in the middle of the road (One east of Celadon City, another west of Vermillion.) In these games, there is only one Snorlax; as that was the only way to catch a Snorlax in those games, we can only assume that Red caught the other.
 * The Lapras Red has in HG/SS can also be explained. There is only one Lapras to be caught in the original Red and Blue versions : when the Silph Co. building was taken over by Team Rocket, an employee gave you a Lapras as thanks after you beat Blue.
 * Curtains Match the Window: He has the same design as before, so in the remakes he has Brown Eyes (though you never see it due to his hat being in the way and due to lack of a banner).
 * Heroic Mime: Despite not being the main character anymore, he's still this.
 * Iconic Item: Both his original and remake NiceHats.
 * 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.
 * Mythology Gag: His lack of speech is a nod to his status as a Heroic Mime in the original games, and him disappearing right after you beat him is a reference to the player blacking/whiting out and rushing to a Pokémon Center once all usable Pokémon have fainted. His frequently-referenced absence from home is also a nod to how the player seldom ever returns home after leaving on their journey.
 * Nice Hat
 * Took a Shortcut: Getting to him in the remake 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.
 * Previous Player Character Cameo
 * Self Fanservice: Fans always seem to think of him as a lean, red eyed, stoic bishie with sleek, combed hair and tight pants when he has never been that. He did have black hair once, and wears either of the outfits people have him in, but that's where the resemblance ends. For some reason, fanartists apparently think he's Lelouch.
 * So Proud of You: His mother remarks that she's worried for Red, but proud of him for doing what he wants to do.
 * 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.
 * Visible Silence
 * The Voiceless
 * Younger Than He Looks: He's fourteen years old however he doesn't look that age. He didn't look eleven in the Kanto remakes either - in fact he looked about fourteen then - so it makes sense.

Falkner (Hayato)
Violet Gym Leader--The Elegant Master of Flying Pokémon


 * Adaptational Badass: Despite his status as arguably the weakest Gym Leader to ever grace the series, he's routinely portrayed as a very powerful trainer in other media (most egregiously in one of the manga series' where he uses Articuno). The remakes themselves made his team just a bit stronger by levelling them up...
 * Bishounen: Especially in the remakes.
 * Blow You Away
 * Curtains Match the Window: In fact, every Johto Gym Leader except Morty and Pryce, for some reason.
 * Disappeared Dad: His father was the previous Gym Leader, and the one who gave Falkner his Pokémon. He's supposedly traveling, and while not necessarily missing, the player never meets him.
 * Hypocritical Humor: He'll sometimes call you just to complain that Janine doesn't talk about anything other than her father.
 * My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad: His argument with Janine revolves around this.
 * Peek-a-Bangs
 * Punny Name: Falkner = Falconer.
 * Warmup Boss: His team in Gold and Silver is the lowest-leveled of any Gym Leader. He's a bit tougher in the remakes, though. Well, he is the first gym leader...
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: We don't know what his dad thinks of him, but just about everything Falkner says and does seems to relate to him somehow. Whether he's trying to impress him or just really looks up to him is unknown.
 * Wind from Beneath My Wings
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Bugsy (Tsukushi)
Azalea Gym Leader--The Walking Bug Pokémon Encyclopedia


 * Big Creepy-Crawlies
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Cute Bruiser
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: Yes, he's a boy.
 * Punny Name: Bugsy.
 * The Smart Guy: Possibly, at least when it comes to Bug Pokémon anyway; the sign outside his gym and the advice-giving NPC inside the gym both comment on his knowledge.
 * Wake Up Call Boss: In the original and remakes, for separate reasons.
 * Unless you chose Cyndaquil, in which case you can just spam Ember until all of his Pokémon faint.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Whitney (Akane)
Goldenrod Gym Leader--The Incredibly Pretty Girl


 * Big Eater: She may call you on the phone and make small talk before mentioning this... and then defending herself by claiming it's normal for her age.
 * Break the Cutie: When you defeat her.
 * Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Cute Bruiser
 * The Ditz
 * Genki Girl
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * The Idiot From Osaka: She sports an Osaka accent in the Japanese version and her Genki Girl personality makes her fit.
 * Non-Elemental
 * Punny Name: It's a play on white (plain).
 * Rose-Haired Girl
 * Wake Up Call Boss: Her Miltank is infamous among the fans due to this trope. In the remakes, it gains an ability that allows it to affect Ghost-types, too.
 * You Gotta Have Pink Hair
 * Zettai Ryouiki: Sports a Grade C in the remakes.

Morty (Matsuba)
Ecruteak Gym Leader--The Mystic Seer of the Future


 * Adaptation Dye Job: HGSS gives him a completely new outfit and a tall, skinny, lanky build rather than his slightly buff body shape of the original game and the Anime.
 * Bishounen: More so in the remakes than the original games, where he is given the makeover mentioned above.
 * Blackout Basement
 * Blue Oni: to Eusine's Red Oni.
 * Four Is Death: He's the fourth Johto Gym Leader you face.
 * Hair of Gold
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Eusine.
 * Mr. Exposition: Gives the most details of any Johto Gym Leader on Johto's myths regarding it's legendary Pokemon. Makes sense since his city is the center of these tales and a critical place for the player to visit in the original games and especially their remakes, where the player is required to visit the Dance Studio after beating Clair.
 * Punny Name: Morty = Mortal.
 * Mort means "death".
 * Morty comes from "Mortimer", which means "beside the river"—the River Styx, that is.
 * "Morty" also sounds a bit like "Morgue".
 * Refused by the Call: He trained to become a Gym Leader hoping it would make him worthy of being The Chosen One to bring back Ho-Oh. Then you came along.
 * Scarf of Asskicking
 * Soul Power

Chuck (Shijima)
Cianwood Gym Leader--His Roaring Fists Do the Talking


 * Badass Mustache
 * Block Puzzle: Only in Gold, Silver and Crystal.
 * Happily Married
 * Meditating Under a Waterfall: In HGSS.
 * Offscreen Teleportation: Well, he really is in his gym 24/7. Even when he's waiting at the Fighting Dojo or on Route 47.
 * Porn Stache
 * Punny Name: A British synonym for throw.
 * Stout Strength
 * Sweet Tooth: Though he's supposed to be on a diet. Don't tell his wife.
 * Training From Hell: Self inflicted. He apparently trains 24/7, and spars with his own Pokémon.
 * Walking Shirtless Scene

Jasmine (Mikan)
Olivine Gym Leader--The Steel-Clad Defense Girl

"Jasmine: These empty dishes in front of me are not all mine... Er... Actually, the person who sat here ahead of me ate a lot..."
 * Badass Adorable: Her Pokémon are pretty tough, especially during rematches against her in the remakes.
 * Big Eater: There are a lot of empty plates in front of her whenever you run into her at the diner...
 * Overlaps with Suspiciously Specific Denial.


 * The Cameo: In Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
 * Curtains Match the Window: Only in HGSS; she had blue eyes in the originals.
 * Extra Ore Dinary
 * MacGuffin Delivery Service: In order for her to accept your challenge, you must get the Secret Potion from Cianwood to treat the Pokémon in the lighthouse.
 * Pettanko
 * Punny Name: Jasmine.
 * The Quiet One
 * Shrinking Violet

Pryce (Yanagi)
Mahogany Gym Leader--The Teacher of Winter's Harshness


 * Badass Grandpa: He looks geriatric and frail in the original, but in the remakes he gets a revamp. His back straightens, his old man sweater is replaced with a classy blue overcoat and white scarf combo, and in his pre-battle sprite he's simply holding out his hand invitingly.
 * Badass Longcoat: In HGSS.
 * Embarrassing Middle Name: Inverted, Pryce is quite proud of his middle name (Willow), which he states because it's a tree that bends under great forces but never breaks.
 * Frictionless Ice
 * An Ice Person: He's also a Cool Old Guy.
 * Punny Name: Pryce
 * Scarf of Asskicking

Clair (Ibuki)
Blackthorn Gym Leader--The Blessed User of Dragon Pokémon


 * Always Someone Better: How she thinks of her cousin, Lance.
 * Badass Cape: However, her outfit in general is the source of mockery from some characters in-game.
 * Convection, Schmonvection
 * Curtains Match the Window
 * Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons
 * Jerkass: After you beat her, Clair pisses and moans and won't give you your badge until you go take a test in the Dragon's Den. In "Crystal" and the remakes, even after you beat the test, she refuses until the elder makes her give the badge up.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She does apologize, though, and is a bit kinder to you afterwards (see Tsundere bellow). It's more of a Hidden Heart of Gold.
 * Only the Worthy May Pass: After beating her, she won't give you your badge until you've passed the test in the Dragon's Den. When you do, she is shocked, as she herself did not pass the test in her first try.
 * Punny Name: A play in a Dragon's Lair.
 * Running Gag: Characters in-game make fun of her choice of clothing.
 * Tsundere: Oh, boy. Just listen to her phone calls.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Brock (Takeshi)
Pewter Gym Leader--The Rock-Solid Pokémon Trainer!


 * Adaptational Attractiveness: He became quite Bishonen, grew out his hair, and his build changed a bit.
 * Bishonen
 * The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: The Rhyhorn in his first team has Sturdy, an ability Rhyhorn cannot possess.
 * Dishing Out Dirt
 * Eyes Always Shut
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Until HGSS, all his Pokémon had a double weakness to Grass. The only Pokémon he gained in HGSS that doesn't is Rampardos, which only shows up in the rematch and is a Glass Cannon, so it will still faint to a moderately powered Grass-type attack.

Misty (Kasumi)
Cerulean Gym Leader--The Tomboyish Mermaid!


 * Adaptational Attractiveness: She wasn't bad-looking originally, but her HeartGold and SoulSilver design is... wow.
 * Continuity Nod: A girl in the Kanto games (even noted in the Fame Checker in FRLG) said that Misty had high hopes for the Cerulean Cape as a dating spot and as a place to find a potential boyfriend. The first place the player is able to catch her in the games and their remakes is at the cape, which scares off her date and reaffirms her apparent bad luck in love.
 * Date Peepers: When you meet her you catch her on a date. She doesn't react well, to put it simple.
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Making a Splash
 * Shorttank: Not as much as in the Kanto games, but several elements of her personality are still in there.
 * Tomboy: According to her title.
 * Girliness Upgrade: It seems that her efforts to keep up a feminine appearance and get a boyfriend are to dispel that title somewhat. One of her Gym Trainers thinks that she embodies both beauty and strength though.
 * Tsundere: Though she does react poorly to you at first, she eventually warms up, and will even call you out of the blue (once you get her number) to thank you for kicking an intruder out of her Gym.
 * The Tsundere side of her wasn't present in the first generation games, but was probably added to match up with her anime incarnation's personality.
 * Walking Swimsuit Scene

Lt. Surge (Matis)
Vermilion Gym Leader--The Lightning American!


 * Eagle Land: Take a look at his title. Type 1, by the way.
 * Mr. Fanservice: Muscular, military uniform, blonde...
 * Drill Sergeant Nasty
 * Gratuitous English: This is how he speaks in the Japanese versions of the games.
 * He does it in the French versions too, but only of the remakes, for some odd reason.
 * Opaque Lenses: He has opaque-looking sunglasses in Generation II and HGSS, though unlike Blaine he is seen with them off in HGSS (he simply holds them in his hand before and after battles with him), and of course in Generations I and III he never wore sunglasses at all.
 * Real Men Wear Pink: For such a manly guy, he seems to like cute Pokémon. His favorite Pokémon are the Pikachu line. In HGSS, you can show him a Pikachu to get his phone number, and he practically gushes over the sight of it like a fangirl.
 * He adds a Pachirisu to his team for the rematch.
 * Shock and Awe

Erika
Celadon Gym Leader--The Nature-Loving Princess!


 * Ambiguously Gay: For the same reasons as in the previous games, but she does have questionable interactions with female characters (mostly Jasmine) in the remakes.
 * Gossipy Hens: Normally she isn't this, but catching her chatting with Jasmine in Celadon on her days off will yield surprisingly harsh gossip.
 * Green Thumb
 * The Ojou
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Janine (Anzu)
Fuchsia Gym Leader--The Poisonous Ninja Master


 * Bratty Teenage Daughter: Of Koga.
 * Doppelganger Spin: Her entire Gym is pretty much one.
 * Early-Bird Cameo: the source of one of Koga's Fame Checker entries in FireRed/LeafGreen, although she was given a different name and her sprite was generic.
 * Hypocritical Humor: Similar to what Falkner thinks of her, she thinks Falkner is a "daddy's boy who needs to grow up and become his own person". Apparently your character points out this hypocrisy, which prompts her to tell you to mind your own business.
 * Inconsistent Dub: Apparently not realizing who she was, the translators of FireRed/LeafGreen named her Charine.
 * Like Father Like Daughter: She's the daughter of Koga, and it shows.
 * My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad: This is what she keeps trying to tell Falkner.
 * Ninja
 * Poisonous Person
 * Shell Game: In her Gym, all of her trainers impersonate her, even the one guy.
 * Theme Naming: Her Japanese name, Anzu comes from one reading of the character "杏", (meaning "Apricot"). This links her with her father, whose Japanese name is an alternate reading of the same character.
 * Took a Level In Badass: Though she's still the weakest Gym Leader of the Kanto ones in HGSS, she got a larger level boost to her team from the originals compared to the other seven.
 * Trickster Gym Master: See Shell Game above.
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Sabrina (Natsume)
Saffron Gym Leader--The Master of Psychic Pokémon!


 * Adaptational Attractiveness: Her HGSS redesign is a far higher tier than before.
 * Bare Your Midriff: In the remakes.
 * Psychic Powers
 * The Stoic
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Her Alakazam in the originals has no non-Psychic attacks, so you can beat it with ANY Dark-type regardless of level. Just be careful not run out of PP for your attacks before it runs out of PP for its Recover.

Blaine (Katsura)
Seafoam Gym Leader--The Hotheaded Quiz Master!


 * Badass Grandpa
 * Badass Mustache
 * Bald of Awesome: His head's shininess even lights up the whole screen when he briefly takes his hat off.
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Nice Hat: He wears this in the remakes.
 * Opaque Lenses: Though since they're sunglasses it makes a little more sense that they'd be harder to see through.
 * Playing with Fire

Blue (Green)
Virdian Gym Leader (no subtitle)


 * Always Someone Better: Red, though his animosity has decreased over the years. Still, he'll praise you and take a picture with you if you defeat Red.
 * Dub Name Change: His name is "Green" in Japan but "Blue" outside of it, even following the release of FireRed and LeafGreen, the former of which had Green as a default name and the latter of which didn't get a Market-Based Title like the game it's a remake of. (This is probably justified for the sake of consistency with the original Gold and Silver and possibly nostalgia value for people who played said originals.)
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a bit more mellow than in earlier appearances, though he's still brusque.
 * In HGSS, he is genuinely happy for you when you beat Red if you talk to him to get a photograph.
 * Non-Elemental: At least in comparison to other leaders- Blue has no type specialty and is the only leader in the entire series who doesn't. Technically, his Pokemon cover Playing with Fire, Making a Splash, Blow You Away, Green Thumb, Psychic Powers, Non-Elemental, Dishing Out Dirt and Wrestler in All of Us.
 * The Rival: Former rival. He's the player's rival from the original games.
 * Third Option Adaptation: His 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: 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 the 47 Gym leaders in the entire series). He may be 2nd to Red, but that still makes him the 2nd toughest trainer in the game.

Will (Itsuki)

 * Cool Mask
 * Domino Mask
 * Hartman Hips: In the remake. Despite being a guy.
 * All his Pokemon are female. Lampshade Hanging?
 * Hidden Eyes
 * Psychic Powers
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Koga (Kyou)

 * Large Ham
 * Ninja
 * Poisonous Person
 * Theme Naming: With his daughter in the Japanese version.
 * Took a Level In Badass: From Gym Leader to Elite Four.

Bruno (Shiba)

 * The Big Guy
 * Convection, Schmonvection: Apparently being in a room full of lava is part of his training.
 * Does Not Like Shoes
 * Walking Shirtless Scene

Karen/Karin

 * Adaptation Dye Job: She's easily the most revamped character in terms of appearance in the remakes. She goes from a White-Haired Pretty Girl with a Little Black Dress to a blue-haired woman with a tanktop and pants.
 * Bare Your Midriff: In the remakes.
 * Casting a Shadow
 * Dark Is Not Evil
 * Little Black Dress: In the originals.
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl: In GSC.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: In HGSS, though it's still a fairly light shade of blue...

Lance (Wataru)

 * Awesome but Impractical: In Generation II, and in fact every game he has been in before Generation IV, barring Pokémon Stadium, every Pokémon he uses knows Hyper Beam.
 * Badass Cape: He apparently buys them at the Department Store in Celadon, according to Fire Red & Leaf Green.
 * Blow You Away: All of his Pokémon are Flying-type, except for Garchomp.
 * Disc One Final Boss
 * Fire, Ice, Lightning: His three Dragonite know Thunder, Blizzard and Fire Blast respectively. In Generation IV, his Gyarados, Aerodactyl and Charizard also know Ice Fang, Thunder Fang and Fire Fang respectively.
 * Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons
 * Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: He's perfectly willing to rough up Rocket Grunts; this includes having Dragonite use Hyper Beam on them.
 * Lance is a Cheating Bastard: Three Dragonite that are below the level they can be obtained and an Aerodactyl with the move Rock Slide. The latter would be made legal in the remakes, and some of the Dragonite would be as well, since an event gave out Dragonite at level fifty, but two or three of his are still below that. Notably, in the remakes, he's shown with a level 40 Dragonite in Team Rocket's Mahogany Town hideout.
 * Large Ham: His outfit, especially in Generation II.
 * Nice Guy: Despite his intimidating appearance and status, he's actually a fairly nice person; he's helpful to the protagonist, and has passed the Dragon's Den test, which requires knowledge of proper Pokémon care.
 * Rule of Three: Guess how many Dragonite he has.
 * Weaksauce Weakness: To Ice, and also Rock.

Team Rocket

 * Ascended Extra: In the original games the Rocket Executives looked alike and weren't even named, not unlike the Grunts. It wasn't uncommon to believe that there were only two of them, one male and one female. The remakes made them into their own characters with individual looks and personalities.
 * Theme Naming: All four Executives are named after real-life spacecraft, both in the Japanese and North American versions.
 * Alphabetical Theme Naming: The lower-ranked execs (dressed in the grunts' black uniform) begin with a P, while the higher-ranked execs (in customized white attire) have their initial be an A. Even with their Japanese names, the higher-ranked ones still start with A, while the lower-ranked ones start with a later letter (L).
 * Dub Name Change: All executives were given a new name in the English localization, even though Proton's Japanese name was the only one with an obvious reason as to why it was changed (that being that there was already a character named Lance in the English versions).

Proton (Lance)

 * The Brute
 * Card-Carrying Villain
 * Composite Character: To a very slight degree; his team is a combination of the last Rocket grunt in Slowpoke Well and one of the admins in the Radio Tower.
 * Dub Name Change: From Lance to Proton, for obvious reasons.
 * Elite Mook
 * Mr. Fanservice: In-game, a female Rocket Grunt in the Radio Tower admires him. He's one of the most shipped characters with Lyra, and is the most popular TR member in HGSS. Even the Guys Want Him, that damn, sexy Proton.
 * Minion Shipping: One of the female Team Rocket grunts is seen checking him out through a window. And honestly, who can blame her?
 * Name's the Same: In the Japanese version he shares the same name with the English name of Johto and Kanto's Champion in Generation II, Lance. Ironic since the English Lance hates Team Rocket and helps you defeat them.
 * One Lance Limit
 * Nice Hat
 * Psycho for Hire: He's apparently known as the "scariest and cruelest guy in Team Rocket". Oh yeah, and he tells you this while he's chopping off Slowpoke tails.
 * You Gotta Have Bluish-Greenish Hair: Is it cyan? Turquoise? Aqua?

Petrel (Lambda)

 * Affably Evil: He's a Master of Disguise whose disguises never work, he compliments your battle prowess, and gives you the key you need to advance while telling you what a nice guy he is.
 * Anti-Villain: (Type I): See "Affably Evil" above.
 * Badass Beard
 * Beard of Evil: A fashionable purple goatee.
 * Elite Mook
 * Evil Genius
 * Master of Disguise: Well, apparently. His disguises seem genuine, but never work.
 * Nice Guy: Self-proclaimed: "I am a nice guy. I will give you the Basement Key to get to the underground warehouse. Take it with gratitude!"
 * Noble Demon
 * You Gotta Have Purple Hair: Complete with unusually colored facial hair.

Ariana (Athena)

 * The Baroness
 * The Cameo: The female Rocket Admin in the Sevii Island Branch in FireRed and LeafGreen appears to be her, due to team similarities and the branch's research on radio waves to evolve Pokémon.
 * The Dragon: To Archer, although when you first meet her, she claims to be the group's leader. Alternatively, she's Co-Dragons with Archer in regards to Giovanni.
 * Dark Chick
 * Duel Boss: You and Lance team up to fend off her and a lowly Grunt at the Team Rocket HQ.
 * Elite Mook
 * Evil Redhead: Well, it's a bit on the chestnut side, though.
 * No Name Given: In the original Gold/Silver.
 * Noble Demon
 * Worthy Opponent: Upon defeating her at the Goldenrod Radio Tower, Ariana chastises you for not being able to understand Team Rocket's goals, all the while lamenting that you weren't on their side, as she's come to respect your strength.

Archer (Apollo)

 * Bishonen: Don't even try to deny it.
 * The Cameo: Likewise, the male Admin in FireRed and LeafGreen seems to be him, due to team similarities and his desire to bring back Team Rocket.
 * The Dragon/Dragon Ascendant: Could be seen as this to Giovanni, as he's the interim head of Team Rocket during Giovanni's absence. Alternatively, he could be Co-Dragons with Ariana.
 * Big Bad: His placement within the organization may be subservient to Giovanni, but he's still the main antagonist of the Johto games.
 * Elite Mook
 * Expy: His design is based off the male Executive from Gold and Silver; he originally shared this design with the Executives that became Proton and Petrel in the remake.
 * Graceful Loser: Defeated by the player, Archer curses his lack of strength to reunite Team Rocket and restore it to its former glory, but he immediately disbands Team Rocket and never gives the player any trouble thereafter.
 * Noble Demon
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Giovanni

 * Aesop Amnesia/Ignored Epiphany: Remember how Red beat him and he decided to disband Team Rocket and dedicate his life to studying Pokemon? Well, apparently he got over that, because when you battle him he's preparing to head out to the Radio Tower to take the reigns of Team Rocket again.
 * Note that the remakes of Gen I retcon the line to say that he will now dedicate his life to becoming stronger, keeping in line with this (now nonexistent) epiphany.
 * Badass Longcoat
 * Black Cloak
 * Bigger Bad: Every crime Archer, Ariana, and the rest of Team Rocket commit is done in his name and to facilitate his return—but he remains unseen in the main story, and is only available to battle long after the main conflict has ended. As an optional event battle, at that.
 * Bonus Boss: Became the first event trainer when the remakes added an optional battle with him with an event Celebi to access him.
 * Dishing Out Dirt: His Pokémon are oriented towards the Ground-type in general.
 * The Don
 * Nice Hat: A fedora.
 * Nice Hat: A fedora.