Ask any Pokémon fan to off the top of their head to “list a few of your favourite experiences you’ve had whilst playing Pokémon”. Sure, it’s kind of a weird request to ask of someone, but try it. I’m willing to bet almost all of them mention battling ‘Red’, providing they played Pokémon ‘s Gold and/or Silver, of course.
Ask the common pleb on the street about Pokémon and they’ll say: “Pikachu!”, “Ash Ketchum!”, which is fair enough, as that’s all they’ve likely been exposed to – supposing they grew up in a western culture. Little known to most people, and even to plenty of fans of the games and/or anime, is the existence of a Pokémon manga. For those who don’t know, a manga is essentially a Japanese comic. Manga have a distinct artstyle which has influences dating back hundreds of years of Japanese history and in Japan are read by people of all ages.
The Pokémon manga has multiple different series, however, the main and longest running of the series is Pokémon Adventures. Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri referred to Pokémon Adventures as the purest incarnation of Pokémon available: “This is the comic that most resembles the world I was trying to convey”. The character Red is pivotal to this series of manga, serving as the main character in the majority of its editions.
Red is loosely based upon the silent protagonist of the original Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Blue. In the following generation of games (Gold, Silver and later Crystal), Red appears as a post-Elite-Four challenge. For those who are unlearned in the structure of a Pokémon game, this is how it goes: in the beginning you’re given a choice between three Pokémon of differing types (always fire, water or grass to begin with), and you’re challenged with the task of capturing all the Pokémon in the respective region. Along the way you will challenge eight gyms (or sixteen if you’re playing Gold or Silver), upon defeating the eight gyms you’ll be permitted to test your strength at the Elite Four: the ultimate challenge for Pokémon trainers. Defeat the Elite Four and you can face the champion – the best of the best, presumedly. By that point you’re feeling pretty good about yourself. Boy do you have a surprise coming.
Upon gaining champion status in either Gold or Silver and defeating all 16 gyms, Professor Oak grants you access to the dreaded ‘Mount Silver’, a place where the strongest Pokémon in the entire game reside – though the wild Pokémon found there are not the real challenge. Professor Oak is a famous Pokémon professor who features heavily in the games, manga and anime.
Climb to the utmost peak of Mount Silver and you’ll see him. Red. This is a gaming memory that I will never forget. There at the end of the world stands a vaguely familiar trainer. He’s sporting similar clothes to you… There’s something about him that you just can’t put your finger on.
Naturally you approach him and talk to him. What he says is perhaps one of the most commonly referred to lines of dialogue in all of Pokémon fiction:
“…”
There you have it, there’s your explanation: “…”. That’s all this trainer has to say, not a “hello”, nothing. Of course, being a Pokémon game wherein protagonists never actually speak, you also say nothing. I couldn’t think of a more awkward scenario.
Regardless, after the awkwardness subsides, battle between you and Red ensues. Unsure of what to expect, you start to realise who this guy is. How he wears his hat, his vest, his nonchalant pose. This guy is you! Or rather, he was the character you played a few years ago in Pokémon Red and Blue. It’s a feeling that’s incredibly hard to describe, but instantly relatable to those who have also experienced it.
Red immediately proves his strength. His Pokémon are at higher levels than any other trainer you’d previously come up against, and his strategies and team synergy is more finely tuned than the often mono-type teams you’d defeated in the past. Also notable is the fact that Red possesses many Pokémon that Ash Ketchum (Red’s anime counterpart) also obtained, notably a Pikachu – a Pokémon capable of evolution, and yet in both the anime and manga the respective Pikachu’s never do so. Because of the similarities between Red’s and Ash’s Pokémon, many people (admittedly myself included) without prior knowledge of the manga actually mistook Red for Ash Ketchum. Call these people uncultured if you want, but keep in mind a lot of us still wet the bed the first time we faced Red.
No matter your age though, the battle is sure to leave an impression on you as large as it did on me.
Win or lose, Red’s remark is the same: “…”. Mmm, spine tingling.
A full list of Red’s Pokémon is available here.
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