Ethan (game)
- Hibiki redirects here. For the character of the day in Beauty and the Breeder, see Zane.
| Ethan ヒビキ Hibiki | |
 Art from HeartGold and SoulSilver | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Hometown | New Bark Town |
| Region | Johto |
| Relatives | Mom (as player) Grandparents, unnamed father (as NPC) |
| Trainer class | Pokémon Trainer, Player character |
| Generation | II, IV |
| Games | Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, SoulSilver |
| Anime counterpart | Jimmy |
| Counterpart debut | The Legend of Thunder! |
| Manga counterpart(s) | Gold |
Ethan (Japanese: ヒビキ Hibiki) is the main playable character in Pokémon Gold and Silver and is the male choice in Pokémon Crystal, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. In Crystal, his female counterpart is Kris, while in HeartGold and SoulSilver his female counterpart is Lyra.
He is a caring young boy who lives with his mother in New Bark Town. He had no official name in Generation II, but was unofficially known by fans as Gold (ゴールド Gold).
Storyline in the games
When selected as the player character
Ethan's journey as a Trainer begins when Professor Elm asks him to run an errand for Mr. Pokémon, who lives north of Cherrygrove City on Route 30. Because he may encounter dangerous wild Pokémon along the way, Elm gives him a choice between three Pokémon to protect him: Cyndaquil, Totodile or Chikorita.
Ethan spots another boy his age watching Elm's Lab from outside. When Ethan tries to talk to him, the boy abruptly shoves him away. This boy, Silver, will become Ethan's rival, analogous to Blue in Generation I.
Ethan continues onward and finally meets Mr. Pokémon and completes his errand. While there he meets Professor Oak who, upon realizing Ethan's bond with his new Pokémon, gives him a Pokédex. On his way back home, Ethan again meets Silver, who has stolen one of Elm's remaining Pokémon. After defeating the boy in battle, Ethan learns his name from his dropped Trainer card, and relays it to the police in New Bark Town. Professor Elm allows Ethan to keep the Pokémon he chose earlier, and also encourages him to compete in the Johto League.
Ethan begins on a Pokémon journey in the Johto region, facing off against its eight Gym Leaders, defeating and disbanding the revived Team Rocket, and becoming Pokémon League Champion by defeating the Elite Four and its previous Champion, Lance at the Indigo Plateau. Along the way he also teaches Silver to respect Pokémon as living creatures and not just as tools for battle.
After being declared the Pokémon League Champion, Ethan then journeys by ship from Olivine City to Vermilion City in Kanto. Traveling around that region, he battles against another set of eight Gym Leaders. Upon getting permission from Professor Oak in Pallet Town, Ethan heads for Mt. Silver via Route 28. His journey comes to a close when, deep in Mt. Silver's cave, he faces the Champion from Pallet Town, Pokémon Trainer Red, who had been training there since shortly after he became Pokémon League Champion three years prior.
When not selected as the player character
In Pokémon Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver, there is a choice between two player characters. In Crystal, if the female player character is selected, then the male player character will not appear in the game at all (although his sprite will be used in a link battle with another game from Generation II). In the fourth generation games, Ethan will appear in a number of cameo roles as a non-player character when the player opts to use Lyra. In this capacity he will teach the player how to catch Pokémon; it is later revealed that his grandparents are the Day Care couple who live on Route 34. Naturally, when the roles are reversed and Ethan is the player character, this role is given to Lyra.
Pokémon
Ethan uses this party to show the player how to catch Pokémon when Lyra is selected as the player character in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
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Artwork
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File:GS Gold running.png | File:Gold3.png | File:Gold4.png |
| Artwork from Gold and Silver |
Artwork from Crystal |
Running | Checking his Pokégear | Approaching a Time Capsule |
Sprites
| File:GS Gold.png | File:Gold crystal.png | File:GS Gold Back.png | File:GoldGSCwalkdown.png | File:HGSS Ethan.png | 
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| Sprite from Gold and Silver |
Sprite from Crystal |
Backsprite from Generation II |
Overworld sprite from Generation II |
Ethan's sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
Ethan's Challenge sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
| File:HGSS Gold Back.png | File:GoldHGSSwalkdown.png | File:GoldTRHGSSwalkdown.png | File:HGSS Hibiki Pokéthlon Jersey.png | File:GoldAthHGSSwalkdown.png | |
| Ethan's backsprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
Overworld sprite from Generation IV |
Overworld Team Rocket disguise sprite from Generation IV |
Ethan's Pokéathlon sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver |
Overworld Pokéathlon sprite from Generation IV |
Optional names for Ethan
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Counterparts
Jimmy from the special episode The Legend of Thunder seems to be based on Ethan in the most basic sense, much more than Ash was based off his counterpart, Red. However, like Ash and Red are not interchangeable, neither are Jimmy and Ethan, nor Marina and Kris or anime Lyra and game Lyra.
Other counterparts of Ethan include Gold from the Pokémon Adventures manga, Gold from the Golden Boys manga and Kinnosuke from the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga.
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ヒビキ Hibiki | From 響き hibiki, "sound" or "echo". |
| English | Ethan | From Hebrew, means "strong, firm, long-lived". Derivation unclear. Biblically, Ethan/Eitan is believed to be the author of Psalm 89 and/or a harp or cymbal player in King David’s court. |
| French | Luth | From luth, lute. |
| German | Klarin | From Klarinette, clarinet. |
| Italian | Armonio | From armonia, harmony, or armonio, harmonium. |
| Spanish | Eco | From eco, echo. |
| Korean | 심향 Simhyang | From 響 (향) hyang. |
Trivia
- Ethan is the only male player character who does not wear long pants, instead opting for shorts in Gold and Silver and knickerbockers in HeartGold and SoulSilver.
- Ethan is the only male player character to have two different female counterparts.
- Ethan is the main protagonist in Pokémon Puzzle Challenge's Challenge Mode.
- The majority of his Japanese default names from HeartGold and SoulSilver are shared with Red and Lucas. The same holds true for their respective female counterparts.
- Ethan and Lyra are the only pseudo-rivals, along with the only rival characters in any game apart from Wally, to not appear to have a starter Pokémon from the professor in that region.
- A 1997 pamphlet describing Gold and Silver mentions that the protagonist has a brother three years his senior, and seems to imply the possibility of that brother being the first-generation protagonist. This aspect of his character was apparently discarded by the time of the final release, however, as Red's mother still lives in Pallet Town.
- Ethan is 4'11" (1.50 m) tall and weighs 88.2 lbs (40 kg).
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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. |
