Game mascot

A version mascot is a Pokémon that appears on the boxart - and often label - of one of the Pokémon games in the main series.

Usually, the first two version mascots in a generation will have more of a relation to each other than the third, however, in the Hoenn trilogy, all three had a significant relationship shared among them.

G	First/Second versions		Third version	Fourth version
I (JP)	Red Charizard	Green Venusaur	Blue Blastoise	Yellow Pikachu
	Final form of a starter Pokémon			Only starter Pokémon
I (US)	Red Charizard	Blue Blastoise	Yellow Pikachu
	Final form of a starter Pokémon		Only starter Pokémon
II	Gold Ho-Oh	Silver Lugia	Crystal Suicune
	Masters of a legendary trio		Part of a legendary trio
III	Ruby Groudon	Sapphire Kyogre	Emerald Rayquaza
	Weather trio
	FireRed Charizard	LeafGreen Venusaur
	Final form of a starter Pokémon
	Colosseum (top of box) Groudon	Colosseum (top of box) Kyogre
	Version mascots of Generation III
	Colosseum (bottom of box) Raikou	Colosseum (bottom of box) Entei	Colosseum (bottom of box) Suicune
	Parts of the legendary trio of the game
	XD Shadow Lugia
	Main Shadow Pokémon opponent in the game
IV	Diamond Dialga	Pearl Palkia
	Masters of time and space