Red, the first and most recurring player throughout the Pokémon franchise
The player is a human who has the role of being a main protagonist in a Pokémon game. To differentiate them from the person playing the game, they can sometimes be referred to as the player character.
In some spinoff games, notably the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, the player character is a Pokémon instead, aptly referred to as a Pokémon player character.
Description[]
Creation[]
When starting a game in the core series, the Pokémon Professor of that game asks the player to name their character or alternatively choose from a sample list of names. The player also has a rival, whom they can similarly choose the name of. For consistency, the player characters are officially named through sources such as merchandising, trailers, having a role as a non-playable character. In several cases, this also extends to their counterparts in the anime, Pokémon the Series, and the manga, Pokémon Adventures.
In Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version, Pokémon Yellow Special Pikachu Edition, and Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version, the player has the option of a male character. From Pokémon Crystal Version onward, the player choose their gender to be either male or female. From Pokémon X and Pokémon Y onward, the player can choose from more skin tones other than just fair skin, allowing for more customization options. Certain spinoff games released after Pokémon Crystal Version still restrict the player to being only a male, specifically Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, although Pokémon Trozei! has only a female player.
Generally, the player character has the same Pokémon journey as either a male or female. In many games of the core series, there is often a non-playable character who takes the role of the gender that the player has not chosen. In Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version, Pokémon Emerald Version, and the remakes Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, the character of the opposite gender is the player's rival. In Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2, the owner of the Dropped Item depends on the character's gender, being Curtis if the player character is a female or Yancy if the player character is a male.
Personality[]
A player character is typically a silent protagonist, which is often the case for characters in role-playing games in general. The player character generally lacks independent thought, but it can sometimes be implied if they are looking at a television or a game console. The player character's actions and objectives are both determined by the game plot. In the core series, the player character is a Pokémon Trainer who embarks on a Pokémon through the region where the game takes place with the goal of assembling a party of Pokémon to overcome challenges such as Gyms (replaced by island challenges in the Alola region) and ultimately become the Pokémon Champion.
Although the player character lacks dialogue (unless they take the role of a non-playable character, but not in the case of Red), there are instances when the game provides a list of responses for their character to give to a non-playable character, typically only "Yes" or "No." In most cases, the player character can only progress by selecting a certain answer, otherwise the non-playable character either repeats the same dialogue.
There have been rare exceptions of the player character having dialogue, such as while filing in Pokéstar Studios in Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 or in the spinoff game Pokémon Ranger while looking at an injured Kyogre during the Ranger Mission "Search the Safra Sea!".
List[]
Core series[]
Generation I[]
Generation II[]
| Image | Default name | Region | Games | Remakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ethan | Johto | Pokémon Gold Version Pokémon Silver Version Pokémon Crystal Version |
Pokémon HeartGold Version Pokémon SoulSilver Version |
|
Kris | Johto | Pokémon Crystal Version | N/A |
Generation III[]
| Image | Default name | Region | Games | Remakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Brendan | Hoenn | Pokémon Ruby Version Pokémon Sapphire Version Pokémon Emerald Version |
Pokémon Omega Ruby Pokémon Alpha Sapphire |
|
May | Hoenn | Pokémon Ruby Version Pokémon Sapphire Version Pokémon Emerald Version |
Pokémon Omega Ruby Pokémon Alpha Sapphire |
Generation IV[]
| Image | Default name | Region | Games | Remakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lucas | Sinnoh | Pokémon Diamond Version Pokémon Pearl Version Pokémon Platinum Version |
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond Pokémon Shining Pearl |
|
Dawn | Sinnoh | Pokémon Diamond Version Pokémon Pearl Version Pokémon Platinum Version |
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond Pokémon Shining Pearl |
|
Lyra | Johto | N/A | Pokémon HeartGold Version Pokémon SoulSilver Version |
Generation V[]
| Image | Default name | Region | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hilbert | Unova | Pokémon Black Version Pokémon White Version |
|
Hilda | Unova | Pokémon Black Version Pokémon White Version |
|
Nate | Unova | Pokémon Black Version 2 'Pokémon White Version 2 |
|
Rosa | Unova | Pokémon Black Version 2 Pokémon White Version 2 |
Generation VI[]
| Image | Default name | Region | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Calem | Kalos | Pokémon X Pokémon Y |
|
Serena | Kalos | Pokémon X Pokémon Y |
Generation VII[]
| Image | Default name | Region | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Elio | Alola | Pokémon Sun Pokémon Moon Pokémon Ultra Sun Pokémon Ultra Moon |
|
Selene | Alola | Pokémon Sun Pokémon Moon Pokémon Ultra Sun Pokémon Ultra Moon |
|
Chase | Kanto | Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! |
|
Elaine | Kanto | Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! |
Generation VIII[]
| Image | Default name | Region | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Victor | Galar | Pokémon Sword Pokémon Shield |
|
Gloria | Galar | Pokémon Sword Pokémon Shield |
|
Rei | Hisui | Pokémon Legends: Arceus |
|
Akari | Hisui | Pokémon Legends: Arceus |
Generation IX[]
| Image | Default name | Region | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Florian | Paldea | Pokémon Scarlet Pokémon Violet |
|
Juliana | Paldea | Pokémon Scarlet Pokémon Violet |
Spinoffs[]
Pokémon Trading Card Game series[]
Pokémon Stadium series[]
Pokémon Snap series[]
Pokémon Ranger series[]
Pokémon Conquest[]
Pokémon Trozei![]
| Kanto | |
|---|---|
| Johto | |
| Hoenn | |
| Sinnoh | |
| Unova | |
| Kalos | |
| Alola | |
| Galar | |
| Hisui | |
| Paldea | |