Red (game)

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Red
レッド Red
FireRed LeafGreen Red.png
Art from FireRed and LeafGreen
Age 11RBYFRLG
14GSCHGSS
16+B2W2
Gender Male
Eye color Black*, Gray*, Brown*
Hair color Black*, Gray*, Brown*
Hometown Pallet Town
Region Kanto
Relatives Mother
Trainer class Pokémon Trainer, player characterRBYFRLG, ChampionGSCHGSS
Generation I, II, III, IV, V
Games Red, Green, Blue, Yellow
Gold, Silver, Crystal
FireRed, LeafGreen
HeartGold, SoulSilver
Black 2, White 2
Stadium (JP), Stadium 2
Champion of Indigo Plateau
Game animation debut Pokémon Origins
English voice actor Bryce Papenbrook
Japanese voice actor Junko Takeuchi
Anime counterpart Ash Ketchum, Red
Counterpart debut Pokémon - I Choose You!
Manga counterpart(s) Red, Red, Red, Red, Ash Ketchum, Satoshi, Shu

Red (Japanese: レッド Red) is the canon name of the player character in the Generation I games Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow and the male choice in their Generation III remakes Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, where his female counterpart is Leaf.

Red is known throughout as the Champion from Pallet Town, as well as the living legend for his defeat of Team Rocket in Kanto during his quest. He is the final opponent in the Generation II games Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, their Generation IV remakes Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and Pokémon Stadium 2. He is also a participant in the Pokémon World Tournament's Champions Tournament in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.

In the games

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

Red is introduced as a curious 11-year-old boy from Pallet Town. In the instruction manuals of Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue Versions, it is revealed that Red gained an interest in Pokémon after his best friend, Blue, stopped playing with him and became a bully. His adventure begins one day when Professor Oak calls the two to his lab for a starter Pokémon. Red has a choice of a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or SquirtleGRBFRLG. Depending on the Pokemon that Red chooses, Blue will choose the Pokémon that has a type advantage over itGRBFRLG. In Pokémon Yellow, Red was originally intended to get an Eevee, which was swiped by Blue. As a result, Blue keeps the Eevee and Red receives a Pikachu that Professor Oak caught earlierY. Blue challenges Red to a battle immediately to test out his new Pokémon, thinking he will easily beat Red.

After Red has made his way to Viridian City to the north and taken a package back to Oak in Pallet Town, Oak gives Red and Blue each a Pokédex with which to record data on all known Pokémon in the Kanto region to fulfill Oak's dream of creating a full guide on all Pokémon in Kanto. From here, Red and Blue journey across Kanto, collecting Pokémon to build up their teams, and defeating each of the Gym Leaders in turn, with Blue always one step ahead, showing up from time to time to impede Red's progress.

Red also comes across a gang of Pokémon thieves, Team Rocket, several times through his journey. He first encounters them trying to steal fossils within Mount Moon. A member who is running the Nugget Bridge challenge to recruit for the organization on Route 24; and another lone member who has stolen a TM from a family in Cerulean City. Eventually, Red uncovers a plot by Team Rocket, infiltrating their hideout beneath the Celadon Game Corner and encountering their boss, Giovanni. Defeating him and ousting Team Rocket from Celadon, Red uses the Silph Scope that Giovanni leaves behind to battle Ghost-type Pokémon and save Mr. Fuji in the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, who is being held hostage by Team Rocket. Red soon journeys into Saffron City in the heart of Kanto to find it overrun by Team Rocket, who is attempting to take the recently-invented Master Ball from the Silph Co. President, and defeats Giovanni again, ending the group's plots for the time being.

With seven Badges in hand, Red encounters Giovanni for the final time—this time as the Leader of the Viridian Gym, his final obstacle before the Elite Four of Indigo Plateau. Red defeats him in battle, earning his eighth and final Badge—the Earth Badge—and causing Giovanni to realize that Pokémon battles are about having fun, not business. He disbands Team Rocket, promising to go into solo training to become a better Trainer.

Making it through Victory Road and finally to Indigo Plateau, Red challenges the Indigo League. First, he defeats the Elite Four and discovers, to his surprise, that Blue has defeated them before him and is therefore the Champion of Kanto. Red defeats Blue in the final battle, becoming the Champion himself, but then continues his training, rather than staying at Indigo Plateau. Encountering an offshoot of Team Rocket in the southern Sevii Islands, lead by Executive Archer, Red reveals with his Earth Badge that Giovanni has disbanded the organization, and, though defeated, the group there intends to revive Team Rocket and bring Giovanni back, having already made plans to force Pokémon to evolve with radio waves.

After returning to Kanto from the Sevii Islands, Red catches the Legendary birds: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. He learns of Mewtwo, the only Kanto Pokémon he has not caught. Red makes his way to Cerulean Cave, where he finds and catches Mewtwo. With that, Red has completed the Kanto Pokédex.

Red continues as a wandering Trainer, eventually making his way to the caves of Mt. Silver, where he trains his Pokémon alone. In the process, he becomes so distant from the people close to him that he does not even talk to his mom via phone anymore.

Eventually, Ethan, Kris, or Lyra arrives at Mt. Silver and challenges Red, identified only as a Pokémon Trainer. If defeated, Red vanishes from Mt. Silver, and returns every time the Elite Four is defeated again by the player of Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, or SoulSilver.

Some time later, Red has been shown to finally come back into public life, as he enters the Champions Tournament of the Pokémon World Tournament in the Unova region.

Pokémon

As the player character, Red can have on his team any of the 151 Pokémon available during Generation I. In Generation III, he can have any of the 386 Pokémon available at that time, though only after the player has obtained the National Pokédex.

When he is encountered as an opponent in Generation II and Generation IV, Red has a set team, based on Generation I in-game event Pokémon, and has the highest leveled trained Pokémon yet encountered in the series, with his Pikachu at level 81 in Generation II and at level 88 in Generation IV. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, when defeated, all Pokémon in the player's party receive a ribbon.

In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, he can be fought in the Pokémon World Tournament's Champions Tournament, using the same team he did in Generation IV, albeit with different movesets.

Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal



Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver



Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

Red uses three of these Pokémon in Single Battles, four in Double and Rotation Battles, and all six in Triple Battles.



Pokémon Stadium 2

Round 1



Round 2



Quotes

Red is portrayed as a silent character, and apart from exclamation points and question marks, his NPC speech consists entirely of ellipses.

Pokémon Gold and Silver

  • Before battle
"… …"
  • Being defeated
"…"
  • After being defeated
"… …"

Pokémon Crystal

  • Before battle
"…… ……"
  • Being defeated
"…"
  • After being defeated
"…… ……"

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

  • Before battle
"……………… ………………"
  • Being defeated
"…!"
  • After being defeated
"……………… ………………"

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

  • Before battle (all rounds)
"…"
  • Being defeated
"…!"
  • If the player is defeated
"…?"
  • After being defeated
"…!!"
  • After winning
"…?!"
  • In the lobby, after the tournament
"…!"

Pokémon Stadium 2

"………"

Artwork

Red Green Red.png Red on bike.png Red on computer.png Game Freak Red.jpg
Official art of Red from
Generation I
Riding his Bike Checking the
PC
In warm clothing,
holding a shovel
Capsule Monsters Red.png RGB guidebook.jpg Sugimori1996.png File:Rival artwork.png
Early artwork Starter artwork with
Blue and
Leaf
Early artwork with
Blue, Charizard, and Pikachu
Early artwork battling Blue

Sprites

Spr RG Red 1.png Spr RB Red 2.png Spr RG Red 2.png Spr Y Red.png Spr GS Red.png Spr FRLG Red.png
Sprite from
Red, Green, and Blue
Title screen sprite from
Red, Blue, and JP Blue
Title screen sprite from
Red and Green
Sprite from
Yellow
Sprite from
Generation II
Sprite from
FireRed and LeafGreen
FRLG Red Intro.png Spr HGSS Red.png Spr B2W2 Red.png RGB Red Back.png Y Red Back.png FRLG Red Back.png
Intro sprite from
FireRed and LeafGreen
Sprite from
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Sprite from
Black 2 and White 2
Backsprite from
Red, Green, and Blue
Backsprite from
Yellow
Backsprite from
FireRed and LeafGreen
RedRGBwalkdown.png Red II OD.png File:RedFRLGwalkdown.png Red E OD.png Redwalkdown.png Red OD.png
Overworld sprite from
Generation I
Overworld sprite from
Generation II
Overworld sprite from
FireRed and LeafGreen
Overworld sprite from
Emerald
Overworld sprite from
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Overworld sprite from
Black 2 and White 2
Red FRLG Credits.png S2 Pokémon Trainer Red.png Colo Red.png XD Red.png
Credits sprite from
FireRed and LeafGreen
Portrait from
Stadium 2
Model from
Colosseum
Headshot from
Gale of Darkness


Optional names

Game Japanese English French German Italian Spanish
Red レッド Red
サトシ Satoshi
ジャック Jack
Red
Ash
Jack
Red
Sacha
Paul
Rot
Ash
Jack
Rosso
Ash
Gigi
Rojo
Ash
Jaime
Green グリーン Green
シゲル Shigeru
ジョン John
Blue ブルー Blue
ツネカズ Tsunekaz
ジャン Jean
Blue
Gary
John
Bleu
Régis
Jean
Blau
Gary
John
Blu
Gary
Pippo
Azul
Gary
Juan
Yellow イエロー Yellow
サトシ Satoshi
ジャック Jack
Yellow
Ash
Jack
Yellow
Sacha
Paul
Gelb
Ash
Jack
Giallo
Ash
Gigi
Gualdo
Ash
Jaime
FireRed
LeafGreen
ファイア Fire
レッド Red
リーフ Leaf
グリーン Green
カモン Kamon
ケイ Kei
ケン Ken
サトシ Satoshi
サトル Satoru
シゲキ Shigeki
シゲル Shigeru
ジャック Jack
ジャン Jean
ジョン John
タカオ Takao
タカシ Takashi
タケヒロ Takehiro
ツネカズ Tsunekaz
テツオ Tetsuo
トオル Tōru
ヒトシ Hitoshi
ヒロアキ Hiroaki
ヒロキ Hiroki
マサオ Masao
Red
Fire
Green
Leaf
Ash
Gary
Geki
Hiro
Jak
Janne
Jon
Jonn
Kamon
Karl
Kay
Kaz
Kene
Max
Oscar
Ralph
Roak
Toru
Taylor
Tosh
Red
Fire
Green
Leaf
Ayrton
Damien
Davy
Franck
Greg
Kamel
Loris
Mael
Mario
Max
Polo
Ralph
Tom
Tosh
Vince
Yan
Zack
Rot
Feuer
Grün
Blatt
Bert
Chris
Daniel
Gerd
Hans
Helge
Jack
Jan
John
Jon
Ralf
Rolf
Sven
Tobi
Udo
Uli
Uwe
Rojo
Fuego
Verde
Jaho
Álvaro
Bosco
Candel
Floren
Furio
Juan
Juanma
Juno
Lerio
Llamín
Marino
Max
Morel
Ner
Rafa
Ral
Rodi
Silvio
Toilo
Ver


In the Super Smash Bros. series

Red in Super Smash Bros. Brawl with his Pokémon.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Red's hat appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as an alternate outfit worn by Pikachu, possibly in reference to the anime or Pokémon Adventures.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Main article: Pokémon Trainer (Super Smash Bros.)

Red himself appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, named only as "Pokémon Trainer", with a team consisting of Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard. Rather than fighting himself, like the other human characters, Red sends his three Pokémon into battle, switching between them in order. He is voiced by Michele Knotz in the English version and 半場友恵 Tomoe Hanba in the Japanese version.

In other games

Red makes an appearance in both Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. While he does not appear in the games' Story Mode, he is playable in the Battle Mode when a FireRed or LeafGreen cartridge is used, with a male player character chosen. He can take on the Mt. Battle's 100-battle challenge, as well as compete in Colosseum battles. Red also made a brief appearance in the debut trailer of Pokémon Battle Revolution, having a Double Battle against Leaf, using a Deoxys in its Attack Forme and a Wailord. Despite this, he didn't appear in the final cut of the game.

In the TFG

Red appears as a common Trainer figure in the launch set, Next Quest, of the Pokémon Trading Figure Game. A recolor of the original figure named Green, aptly colored with green clothes, appears as a Trainer figure in the Groundbreakers expansion.

Counterparts

In the anime

Main article: Ash Ketchum
Main article: Red (Origins)
Red from Pokemon Origins
Ash Ketchum, Red's anime counterpart

Red's anime counterpart, introduced in the first episode, is the anime's main character, Ash Ketchum. Like Red, Ash is from Pallet Town, on a journey to become a Pokémon Master. Unlike Red, Ash's journey did not end with Kanto, and Ash has continued through every other region introduced in the core series games, as well as the Orange Archipelago south of Kanto, taking the place of the player characters of Generation II during Johto and Generation V during Unova, and being joined by the anime counterparts of May, Dawn, and Serena during the Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Kalos sagas. Instead of starting with one of the standard three Kanto starters, however, Ash began his journey with a Pikachu, inspiring Pokémon Yellow's creation, as well as causing some to consider Red and Ash to be exactly the same person, most especially due to Red owning one as well.

Red also had a direct counterpart that appeared as the main character of the Pokémon Origins mini-series, which takes place in a separate continuity. This counterpart shared Red's name, in-game role, and design from FireRed and LeafGreen.

In the manga

In the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jou's Big Adventure manga

Red in Pocket Monsters HGSS Jou's Big Adventure

Another counterpart of Red makes an appearance in Pocket Monsters HGSS Jou's Big Adventure. He was first mentioned by Blue while Jou battled the Gym Leader. Jou then officially encountered Red while on Mt. Silver.

Pokémon

Red Pikachu JBA.png
Pikachu


In other manga

Red, like most player characters, also has several counterparts in the various Pokémon manga series.

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

Main article: Ash Ketchum (EToP)

Red's anime counterpart, Ash Ketchum, appears in The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Main article: Red (Adventures)

Red is Red's direct counterpart in Pokémon Adventures.

In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga

Main article: Shu

Shu from Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All is based on Red.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

Main article: Red (Pocket Monsters)

Red shares his game counterpart's name and appearance in Pokémon Pocket Monsters.

There is also a character in Pokémon Ruby-Sapphire named Red who is a rival of Red and is much stronger than him. This character is based on Red's appearance in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

In the Pokémon Zensho manga

Main article: Satoshi (Zensho)

Satoshi from Pokémon Zensho is based on Red.

Trivia

Red was once called "Satoshi" by Game Freak
Concept art of original series Ash's hat
  • In the Official Fan Book of Pocket Monsters (Japanese: ポケットモンスター公式ファンブック) from 1997, Game Freak teased the supposed appearances of Red, Professor Oak, and Giovanni in the upcoming Pokémon Gold and Silver games.[1] They called Red Satoshi (Japanese: サトシ), the Japanese name of his anime counterpart Ash, which is also the namesake of the creator of the franchise and one of his default names, indicating that this is what they originally intended to call him before settling on the name "Red", one of the two original color versions of the games.
  • Red's title screen and profile front sprites from Pokémon Red and Green correspond to his earlier Capsule Monsters artwork instead of his final Generation I artwork, suggesting that the sprites were created very early in the games' development or that Game Freak forgot to update their aesthetics to match the changes. His title screen sprite was updated in Pokémon Blue but the profile front sprite remained unchanged.
    • In Pokémon Yellow, due to the completely distinct title screen, Red no longer has a title screen sprite. Although part of the changes made in Pokémon Yellow are directly inspired by the anime, the updates to Red's front sprite seem to be a mix of both matching his then official artwork more accurately and matching Ash Ketchum, his anime counterpart, as the frontal section of his hat has the same division in the middle as Ash's hat from the original series. This updated front sprite was then recycled for the Generation II games. Another possibility is that Pokémon Yellow actually uses the sprite from Pokémon Gold and Silver as these games were originally scheduled for a March 1998 release according to the Official Guidebook of Nintendo Spaceworld '97 (Japanese: NINTENDOスペースワールド'97オフィシャルガイドブック) and the Nintendo Spaceworld 1997 website,[2] while Pokémon Yellow only came out months after Game Freak decided to delay them, on September 1998. A similar situation occurs with Blue.
  • Red's party in the Generation II games and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver is based heavily on in-game events from the Generation I games and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen:
  • Until the release of Pokémon Platinum, Red's party in Generation II featured the highest-leveled opponent Pokémon a player could face outside of battle arenas such as the Pokémon Stadium series and the Battle Frontier, with his Pikachu at level 81, beating the wild Arceus found at the Hall of Origin by one level. In Pokémon Platinum, Barry's party received a boost in level, putting his starter Pokémon at level 85, while wild Magikarp can be found in the Resort Area at levels as high as 100, the maximum possible. Due to Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver giving Red's party a level boost as well, with his Pikachu topping at level 88, Red recovered his status as the highest-leveled Trainer opponent. Benga on Challenge Mode, however, is a close second with a Level 85 on all 3 of his Pokemon. His levels are tied with Barry's on the weekend battles after beating the Champion 30 times.
  • When Red is encountered at the summit of Mt. Silver during Generation II and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, he has no speech, merely repeating sets of ellipses before beginning the battle. This is a reference to his silent role in Generation I, as he only answered choice questions like Yes or No. This unique characteristic remains in later generations, especially in the remakes.
    • In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Blue sarcastically calls him a "chatty gossip".
    • Despite the ellipses before the battle, when talking to Copycat in Generation I and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, the dialogue is the following:

<Player>: Hi!
Do you like POKéMON?

<Player>: Uh, no, I just asked you.

<Player>: Huh?
You’re strange!

COPYCAT: Hmm? Quit mimicking?
But, that’s my favorite hobby!

Similarly, after giving Copycat a Poké Doll and receiving TM31RGBY or having her teach Mimic to a compatible PokémonFRLG in return, another brief chatter ensues if the player talks to her again:

<Player>: Hi!
Thanks for earlier!

<Player>: Pardon?

<Player>: Is it that fun to mimic my
every move?

COPYCAT: You bet!
It’s a scream!

This implies that Red is speaking, although it could be that Copycat has nothing to mimic, so she is making up words.

In other languages

Language Title
France Flag.png French Red
Germany Flag.png German Rot
Italy Flag.png Italian Rosso
South Korea Flag.png Korean 레드 Redeu
Spain Flag.png European Spanish Rojo

References


Non-player characters in the core series games
Johto Professor ElmProfessor OakMomEthanLyraSilverMr. PokémonEusineLanceRedKiyoBaobaMagnusEarlKurtCarrieDude
MaryBuenaRadio DirectorHaircut brothersWebsterMasterLiWilmaPrimoMaximoJetCaitlinCynthiaCameronMr. GameFelicityTeala
Team RocketGym guideGym LeadersFrontier BrainsKimono GirlsWeek SiblingsName RaterPoké SeerDay-Care CoupleProfessor's aides


Player characters
Core series RedLeafEthanKrisLyraBrendanMayLucasDawn
HilbertHildaNateRosaCalemSerenaElioSelene
ChaseElaineVictorGloriaReiAkariFlorianJuliana
Side series WesMichaelNateCyndy
Spin-off games MarkMintTodd SnapLucy Fleetfoot
LunickSolanaKellynKateBenSummer
HeroHeroineTim GoodmanScottieBettie


Pokémon Champions
Core series BlueLanceRedStevenWallaceCynthiaAlderIrisDianthaTraceLeonMustardPeonyNemonaGeetaKieranDraytonMost player characters
Masters EX BlueLanceRedStevenCynthiaAlderIrisDianthaLeonScottieBettieAshNemonaGeetaCalemSerenaHopMarnieBedeLeafNateRosaSilverCherenBianca
Other
spin-offs
Ronald (TCG GB)Mark (TCG GB)Mint (TCG GB)Glenn (Pokkén)Master Rosé (Duel)
Animated series LanceCynthiaWallaceAlderDianthaStevenAsh KetchumLeonIrisNemonaGeeta
Other animation Blue (Origins)Red (Origins)Calem (Generations)Celestine (PttP)Edgar Troy (PttP)Ava (PttP)
Adventures Professor OakRedSidneyPhoebeGlaciaDrakeStevenWallaceCynthiaAlderIrisDianthaLeonMustardPeonyNemona
Other manga Shigeru (Zensho)Satoshi (Zensho)Rald (Battle Frontier)


Games: Super Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii USuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
Characters: PikachuJigglypuffMewtwoPichu
Pokémon Trainer (SquirtleIvysaurCharizard) • LucarioGreninjaIncineroar
Stages: Saffron CityPokémon StadiumPoké FloatsPokémon Stadium 2Spear Pillar
Prism TowerUnova Pokémon LeagueKalos Pokémon League
Poké Ball and Master Ball: AbomasnowAbraAlolan ExeggutorAlolan RaichuAlolan VulpixArceusArticunoBeedrill
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Ho-OhInkayJirachiKeldeoKoffingKyogreKyuremLatias and Latios
LugiaLunalaManaphyMarillMarshadowMeloettaMeowthMewMetagrossMimikyu
MoltresMunchlaxOnixOshawottPalkiaPiplupPorygon2PyukumukuRaikouScizorSnivy
SnorlaxSolgaleoSpewpaStaryuStarmieSuicuneSwirlixTapu KokoTogedemaruTogepi
TorchicUnownVenusaurVictiniVulpixWeavileWeezingWobbuffetXerneasZapdosZoroark
Collectables: Trophies (MeleeBrawlfor Nintendo 3DS/Wii U)
Stickers
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Misc: The Subspace EmissaryMy MusicFinal SmashPokémon ChangeBrawl cameos


Project CharacterDex logo.png This game character article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.