Pokémon Red and Blue/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


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

Main Characters

Red and Leaf

The silent Player Character. An eleven-year old from Pallet Town who is eager to become a Pokemon trainer and set off on a journey across the world.

  • Badass: It comes with the territory when you take down the Pokemon universe's equivalent to the mafia/yakuza, become the local region's Pokemon champion, and (potentially) catch all 151 Pokemon currently known to man. And in Red's case, being the True Final Boss in the sequels helps a lot.
  • Brown Eyes: In the remakes only.
    • Black Eyes: In the original, though adaptations usually color them in as brown.
  • Coming of Age Story: At the end of the main game, Oak states that Red/Leaf's journey was one, remarking that "[he/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.
  • Cute Shotaro Boy: Red, especially in his original design.
  • 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: Leaf's skirt just barely covers her knees. It's even shorter 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 with Leaf.
  • 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.
    • 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 you actually speak to Red in G/S/C/HG/SS, his speech is quite seriously "..."
  • Hime Cut: Leaf in her original design.
  • Hot-Blooded: Red, 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, Leaf and Red both certainly count when a rather intimidated thief makes a remark about the way he/she is glaring at them.
  • Little Black Dress: Leaf in her original design, complete with white gloves and matching shoes.
  • Nice Hat
  • Perpetual Frowner: Red's redesign gives him a permanent, somewhat ugly scowl on his face.
  • 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: Leaf, as shown by her original artwork.
  • Remake Dye Job: In Generations I and II, Red has black hair, but this is made into light brown hair in Generations III and IV.
  • 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, Bishonen with combed hair and a poker face(Who bears a striking resemblance to Lelouch Vi Britannia). In the original games though (even post Time Skip) he is unruly looking, with his hair and bangs, with Hot-Blooded undertones. He fit Cute Shotaro Boy more than anything. 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.
  • Suddenly Voiced: Red/Leaf, unlike future heroes, actually makes the odd internal comment when examining objects (where future Player Characters merely get descriptions), such as mentioning his/her dad when you check out the televisions in the Celadon Department Store, and remarks that s/he "should get going" when you examine the TV in his/her house and notes that they "better not touch it" when examining various pieces of technology. He/She also talks to Copycat... maybe.
  • 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.
    • 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.
  • White Gloves: Leaf's original design.

Blue Oak (Green)

The Rival of the Player Character. 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 Pokemon League Champion.

  • Adaptational Attractiveness: In the remakes. in the original art he was a downright punchable brat, but the remakes art portrays him as a pretty boy with an only somewhat punchable face.
  • 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.
  • Anime Hair
  • 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 pokemon. This is evident when his Pigeot uses Return, a Normal attack that becomes stronger the more the Pokemon 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.
  • Dub Name Change: To follow with the games' localized titles.
  • Final Boss
  • Foe Yay: Some of his actions toward Red/Leaf can be seen as this, but in HGSS, he will call the player at oftentimes ungodly hours to tell them about Red and awkwardly stutter about how they look like Red. "Just... Just a little! Whatever... Click!"
  • 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.
  • 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: Good lord. He constantly talks down to you, brags all the time, does nothing to help the Silph Co. employees that have been taken hostage by Team Rocket when he's mroe than capable of doing so, swipes the Eevee that was meant for you in Yellow, and just acts like an all around prick. There's a reason why so many people name him Dicks, Asshole, and other such names in these games.
  • Leitmotif: A rather irritating little jingle plays whenever he swaggers onto the scene.
  • Late Arrival Spoiler: Good luck trying to beat the game without accidentally finding out from somewhere that Blue is the Champion.
  • Parental Abandonment: No mention is ever made of his parents, meaning that the Professor (and Daisy) are stuck raising him.
  • The Rival
  • 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.
  • Weapon of Choice: Quite obviously, it's whatever starter has the type of advantage over yours.
    • He also always has a consistent triumvirate of Gyarados, Arcanine, and Exeggutor in his appearances through the series.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: An almost literal example in his Raticate. He's first seen with it as a Ratatta, and it's still on his team in its fully evolved form on the S.S. Anne, but when you fight him in Pokemon Tower and beyond, it's nowhere to be seen. Some fans like to think that you killed it, but it's more than likely that he simply boxed it due to Raticate being painfully average.

Professor Oak (Dr. Okido)

  • Absent-Minded Professor: He doesn't even remember his own grandson's name and has to be reminded by the player at the beginning of the game.
  • Big Ol' Eyebrows
  • Cool Old Guy: He's very friendly to the player character, is one of the world's top Pokemon researchers, and was even a skilled trainer back in his day!
  • I Was Quite a Looker: In her own words, Agatha of the Elite Four describes him as once being tough and handsome in his younger years.
  • Mr. Exposition
  • Retired Badass: According to Agatha. While functional trainer data for him exists in Red, Blue, and Yellow (as well as data for a trainer class (but no team data) for him in FireRed and LeafGreen), it's impossible to fight him without utilization of cheating devices or glitches. Interestingly enough, his team is tied with Mewtwo in terms of level and, unlike every opponent save for Blue, has a decent array of types.
    • Badass Grandpa: If you manage to fight him, he proves himself a literal example of this. Plus his anime counterpart had a Dragonite!
  • Theme Naming: Oak kicks off the tradition of naming the regional professors after trees.
  • What Could Have Been: As mentioned above, there is leftover data in the game's coding for a trainer battle with him. Given how powerful his Pokémon were, it's more than likely he would have either been the Final Boss or a Bonus Boss.

Side characters

Bill (Masaki Sonezaki)

Daisy Oak (Nanami)

  • Cool Big Sis: Sister of Blue, and a lot nicer than him as well. She gives you a Town Map and even offers to massage your Pokemon later on!
  • Friend to All Living Things: She's very good with Pokemon, and can make them friendlier by massaging them.
  • Hidden Depths: It wasn't until the remakes, but examine the right bookshelf and you'll discover that Daisy's a former Contest champion. No wonder she's so good at grooming Pokémon.
  • Nice Girl: As noted above she's very kind, which is surprising seeing who her brother is.
  • Spot of Tea: She's very fond of drinking tea as revealed in HG/SS

Copycat

Mr. Fuji

  • The Atoner: It's suggested at a few points that he was involved in Mewtwo's creation.
  • Cool Old Guy: He takes care of abandoned Pokemon, and even hikes all the way to the top of a haunted tower where the spirits have been going nuts so he can lay the ghost of a particularly vengeful Marowak to rest.
  • Friend to All Living Things: He takes care of abandoned and orphaned Pokemon. Just look at this picture.
  • Mad Scientist: There's a picture of him on Cinnabar Island with the description "Dr. Fuji?!?!" He was also old friends with Blaine, and is suspected to have been involved with the creation of Mewtwo.
  • Nice Guy: He's very warm and friendly to people and Pokemon alike.
  • Wasteland Elder: Of the somber, somewhat lonely Lavender Town.

The Gym Leaders

  • Punny Name: In spades.
  • Red Baron: Each Gym Leader has a title associated with them that is labelled on their Gym Signs. The only exception to this is Giovanni, for obvious reasons.

Brock (Takeshi)

Pewter Gym Leader--The Rock-Solid Pokémon Trainer!

  • Dishing Out Dirt: Exclusively trains Rock types.
  • Early Bird Boss: In Red/Green/Blue, only Pikachu, Butterfree, Beedrill (the latter two requiring Level Grinding), and Com Mons are found before Brock. Tough luck if your starter is Charmander. Fixed in every game after. Yellow adds Mankey and the Nidoran lines before him (now with an early Double Kick!) while FireRed/LeafGreen add Mankey and give Charmander Metal Claw.
  • Eyes Always Shut
  • Improbable Power Discrepancy: One Gym Leader with Pokémon at level 12 and 14. Not so in the sequels and their remakes, however, suggesting that the Gym Leaders might use Gym-specific teams.
  • Meaningful Name: Brock.
  • Personality Powers: Lampshaded in the pre-battle quote, where he compares his determination with the Rock type's defensive nature.
  • Signature Move: Bide in the originals (Which wasn't actually a Rock type move oddly enough, just a Normal-type counter attack), and Rock Tomb in the remakes.
  • Rock Based Pokemon: Both his Geodude and his Onix.
  • Warmup Boss: He's the first gym leader, and as to be expected, he isn't hard in the slightest as his Pokemon are very weak to two of the starters, and even Charmander (who they have a type advantage over) can still run circles around them thanks to his high Special Attack and their low Special Defense. In the remakes where they're more imposing thanks to actually possessing Rock moves this time around, Charmander gets Iron Claw which still makes them pretty easy to beat.
  • Weaksauce Weakness: When the player doesn't choose Charmander, he is pretty easy to defeat in RBG and their remakes.
  • Weapon of Choice: Both Onix and the Geodude line share this status.


Misty (Kasumi)

Cerulean Gym Leader--The Tomboyish Mermaid!

  • Bare Your Midriff
  • Fan Girl: To Lorelei.
  • Fiery Redhead
  • Lightning Bruiser: Trains two of them, but Starmie especially. It's very fast and hits hard with Bubblebeam/Water Pulse. It also has Recover in the remake, so if the player doesn't hit it hard enough or doesn't have a priority move, Starmie will just heal off the damage immediately in the next turn.
  • Making a Splash
  • Meaningful Name: Misty.
  • Ms. Fanservice: She's a redhead who walks around in a bikini and sandals.
  • Improbable Power Discrepancy: Her training place is Seafoam Islands. The Pokémon in Seafoam Islands are higher-leveled than hers. Given that this line is even in the original games, it's probably the first hint that Gym Leaders use Pokemon teams specific to their Gyms, given that later games allow for Gym Leader rematches with all Gym Leaders being around the same levels.
  • Shorttank
  • Thinks Like a Romance Novel: Has high hopes for finding a boyfriend or at least getting a date at the Cerulean Cape.
  • Tomboy: It's in her nickname.
  • Walking Swimsuit Scene: All official artwork and sprites show her with a swimsuit, and just that unlike in the sequel games.
    • Averted with her Yellow sprite, which is the only sprite to not feature her in a swimsuit. This is because of the game itself being a Recursive Adaptation of the anime, so both Brock and Misty look closer to their anime counterparts.
  • "Wake-Up Call" Boss: Misty's Starmie will absolutely rip you to shreds, showing that she's more than a few cuts above Brock.
  • Weapon of Choice: Starmie, to the point to where she only uses the Starmie line during her gym battle in the Kanto games.


Lt. Surge (Mathis)

Vermilion Gym Leader--The Lightning American!

Erika

Celadon Gym Leader--The Nature-Loving Princess!

Koga (Kyou)

Fuchsia Gym Leader--The Poisonous Ninja Master!

  • Big Creepy-Crawlies: Venemoth.
  • Combat Medic: As a master of poison techniques, he also has a large amount of knowledge over medicine and apparently heals his Pokemon with concoctions of his own.
  • Evil Laugh: "Fwahahahahahaha!"
  • Jerkass: Or he at least has some kind of sadistic streak. Prefers poisons types specifically because he enjoys wrecking havoc on the player with status effects because he loves to put people in despair.
    • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Patrols the Safari Zone regularly to ensure that the game is safe for all of the entrants to play.
  • Large Ham
  • The Maze: Uses an invisible maze in his Gym to force the player into Pokemon battles while walking around. The maze itself isn't 100% invisible but can mess with players who don't look too closely.
  • Meaningful Name: Named after the Koga-ryu school of ninjutsu.
  • Mighty Glacier: His multiple Koffing and signature Weezing in RBG and their remakes. Yellow replaces them with the more squishy Venonat and Venomoth, respectively.
  • Ninja
  • Poisonous Person
  • Taking You with Me: He uses a Weezing, sometimes as his last pokémon. The AI is not averse to using Explosion if this is the case. This results in the player losing.
    • Though you could get some laughs out of the AI using Explosion against your Gastly. (Explosion: Normal type; Gastly: Ghost/Poison; Result: no damage at all)

Sabrina (Natsume)

Saffron Gym Leader--The Master of Psychic Pokémon!

Blaine (Katsura)

Cinnabar Gym Leader--The Hotheaded Quiz Master!

Giovanni (Sakaki)

Boss of Team Rocket and the Viridian Gym Leader (no subtitle)

Elite Four

Lorelei (Kanna)


Bruno (Shiba)


Agatha (Kikuko)

  • Never Mess with Granny, or she'll sic her frickin' Arbok on you.
  • Poisonous Person: Her official main type is Ghost, but due to the rarity of that type, a Golbat and Arbok were added to her team.
    • Due to the poison subtype of the Gengar family, her entire team is of the poison type. But not all of the ghost type, ironically enough.
  • The Rival: To Prof. Oak in their young times.
  • Soul Power


Lance (Wataru)

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