Red (Adventures)

Red (Japanese: レッド Red) is the first main character of the manga series Pokémon Special. His first Pokémon was a Poliwag, which evolved into a Poliwhirl when saving him from drowning.

Red is eleven years old at the beginning of Generation I. He is first seen in Glimpse of the Glow, when he shows a group of children the proper way to catch a Pokémon. He demonstrates by using his Poliwhirl to battle a wild Nidorino. Red is very sentimental, as shown in the battle versus Green in the ninth annual Pokémon League tournament. He believes that defeating an opponent is no fun if they are at a disadvantage, as seen in both The Secret of Kangaskhan and Make Way for Magmar!. At the beginning of the series, he is quite cocky, as shown in Suddenly Starmie. However, this cockiness has subsided by the end of the RGB Saga.

Red's special skill, as described by Professor Oak, is Pokémon battling. As such, he is called "the Battler" (戦う者).

In later adventures, Red has been viewed as a leader amongst the Pokédex holders, second only to Professor Oak.

Red, Green & Blue chapter

In this saga, Red is the main protagonist. His main rival is Green. Red set off across Kanto to collect the Gym Badges to enter the Pokémon League tournament. Along the way, he learns of Team Rocket by befriending the Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty in Gyarados Splashes In! and training with her in Suddenly Starmie.

Later, Red has his Badges stolen by a mischievous trainer called Blue. Eventually, Red, Green, and Blue team up to defeat Team Rocket's admins—Lt. Surge, Koga, and Sabrina, who were using the Legendary Birds to take over Saffron City. Red also meets Blaine, and helps him capture the escaped experimental Pokémon Mewtwo, so that Blaine can cure them of the empathic connection they share.

Red later encounters Yellow in Viridian Forest and finds that Team Rocket has been releasing abused Pokémon into the Forest to make them stronger. Red meets Giovanni and defeats him in an intense battle.

With the badges he gained, Red is able to enter the Pokémon League and emerge as a Champion of the 9th Pokémon League competition. This makes him interesting to the Elite Four.

Yellow chapter

Red was challenged by the Elite Four, who wanted him to join them in their quest to wipe out humanity. When he refused, Lorelei froze him in a block of ice. Only Pika escaped and made it to Yellow. Giovanni rescued him and he sought out his friends who are fighting the Elite Four.

Gold, Silver & Crystal chapter

Red is offered the newly open position of Viridian City Gym Leader, but has to turn it down due to injuries from being frozen. He leaves to recuperate at the springs in Mt. Silver. Later, he and the other main characters team up with several legendary Pokémon to help fight the Mask of Ice. At the end of the story, Gold becomes impressed with Red and goes to train under him at Mt. Silver.

FireRed & LeafGreen chapter

Red, Green, and Blue return to visit Professor Oak, who was kidnapped to make Pokédexes for Team Rocket and taken to the Sevii Islands. There at the islands, Red, Blue, and Green fight the new Team Rocket Admins, the Beast Warrior Trio, as well as Deoxys, who is under control of Giovanni. Red undergoes special training on the second Sevii Island where his Venusaur learns the legendary Template:Type2 move Frenzy Plant. However, he is still defeated by Deoxys, who he shares a strange connection with.

Mewtwo shows up and offers to battle under Red's command to get revenge on Deoxys. Mewtwo manages to defeat Deoxys on the Team Rocket helicopter. However, one of the Beast Warrior Trio has placed his Forretress all over the helicopter and ordered them to use Explosion, and while Deoxys transports everyone else aboard to safety, Red stays behind to defeat the Forretress and stop the aircraft from blowing up over Vermilion City.

He later discovers that Deoxys absorbed Red's blood when it broke free from Team Rocket's lab.

At the end of the saga, Red is turned to stone along with the other main characters by Sird's beam intended for Deoxys. In the Emerald chapter, Red along with Blue, Green, Silver, and Yellow are on the S.S. Tidal in boxes (still statues) for the wedding ceremony at the Battle Frontier for their salvation.

Emerald chapter

For most of this chapter, Red, along with five other Pokédex holders, remain frozen in stones. It was only at nearly the end of the chapter that he and the others were liberated by Emerald with the help of the wish-granting legendary Pokémon Jirachi.

Pokémon

Red's Pokémon nicknames are taken from two syllables from their Japanese language-version names.

On hand

→→ Bulbasaur → Ivysaur → Venusaur Saur (Lv.82)		→→ Poliwag → Poliwhirl → Poliwrath Poli (Lv.80)
Pikachu Pika (Lv.88)	Snorlax Lax (Lv.89)	Gyarados Gyara (Lv.84)	Aerodactyl Aero (Lv.85)

• Bulbasaur → Ivysaur → Venusaur♂ (Saur; フッシー Fusshii)

Saur was the Pokémon Red received from Professor Oak. It is one of his most powerful team members and has defeated Green's Charizard in battle. Professor Oak gave it to him because Red figured out how to let it use its powerful SolarBeam attack to a Machoke they encountered in the Viridian City Gym. In the Sevii Islands, Saur learned Frenzy Plant, an extremely powerful attack only Template:Type2 starters can learn. Debuted and captured as Bulbasaur in Bulbasaur, Come Home!.

• Poliwag → Poliwhirl → Poliwrath♂ (Poli; ニョロ Nyoro)

Poli is Red's first Pokémon, and has been with him since early childhood. Poli is very loyal and evolved to save Red from drowning twice. He excels at physical attacks, as well as Ice Beam. It debuted as Poliwhirl in A Glimpse of the Glow. Captured as Poliwag before A Glimpse of the Glow.

• Pikachu♂ (Pika; ピカ Pika)

Pika was once a mischievous Pokémon that terrorized Pewter City stealing food, causing trouble, and shocking people. Pika befriended Yellow, and mated with Yellow's Pikachu, Chuchu to produce Gold's Pichu. When Pika was accidentally traded to Green, it was taught a variety of different moves, such as Substitute and Toxic. Under Yellow's care, it later learned how to Surf. Debuted and captured in Wanted: Pikachu!.

• Gyarados♂ (Gyara; ギャラ Gyara)

Gyara once belonged to Misty, but it was captured and experimented on by Team Rocket to make it more fierce. Red recaught it when it was out of control and gave it back to Misty. Later, when Red was unable to get the Surf HM, Misty traded Gyara for Red's Krabby so that Red could reach Cinnabar Island. Debuted in Gyarados Splashes In!.

• Snorlax♂ (Lax; ゴン Gon)

Red caught Lax because he was blocking the road during a bicycle race. Lax is very gluttonous and is driven into a frenzy by the smell of honey. Later, after extensive training, Lax becomes one of the most physically powerful members of Red's team.

• Aerodactyl♂ (Aero; プテ Pte)

Red acquired Aero when Blaine resurrected him from a piece of Old Amber on Cinnabar Island to help Blaine fight off a Moltres that Team Rocket had captured. Red uses Aero whenever he needs to get somewhere by flying.

In box

File:Rocket's Eevee.png → Eevee → Espeon Vui♂ (ブイ Vui) (Level 65)

Diglett♂ (Level 23)

Sandshrew♂ (Level 21)

Nidorino♂ (Level 42)

• Vui - A Pokémon experimented on by Team Rocket that Red captured under Erika's direction. It was genetically modified to have unstable DNA, allowing it to evolve and devolve from Eevee, to Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon when exposed to new stones. Later, Red was able to heal its emotional trauma and it permanently evolved into Espeon. Red adds Vui to his team whenever Pika is with Yellow or needs a rest. Captured in Blame it on Eevee.
• Diglett - A minor Pokémon that Red caught after he and Green accidentally switched Pokémon. So far, he has only used it while battling Eevee. Captured in A Tale of Ninetales.
• Sandshrew - Red occasionally uses this Pokémon to fight Fire-types.
• Nidorino - Red caught this Pokémon to demonstrate his capture abilities in Pallet Town to some children, but never used it since then. Debuted and captured in A Glimpse of the Glow.

Status unknown

This is a listing of Pokémon, which Red caught but they were not listed in the all character Pokémon listings in the end of Volume 15. Since then, it's possible that Red released them.

Fearow	Nidoqueen	Nidoking (multiple)	Victreebel (multiple)
Weepinbell (multiple)	Bellsprout (multiple)	Exeggcute (multiple)	Parasect (multiple)
→→ Caterpie → Metapod → Butterfree

• Fearow - Red caught this angry Pokémon to keep it from attacking Bill. Bill occasionally borrows it to fly around. Debuted and captured in ...But Fearow Itself!.
• Red caught all of the other Pokémon when he was lost in the Safari Zone one night and was almost killed by rampaging Victreebel. He has more than one of each (except Nidoqueen), but they have not been seen since.
• Butterfree was shown in the end of the first and second volumes' Pokédex. It is assumed that it came from a Caterpie.

Formerly owned

Krabby	→ Charmeleon → Charizard		Golduck	Scyther	Pidgeot
Porygon	→ Machoke → Machamp		Blasty	Articuno

• Krabby - Traded to Misty for Gyarados. Captured in A Tale of Ninetales.
• Charizard - Accidentally switched and returned to Green during RGB arc; was temporarily traded to Green for Gyara during the GSC arc; was temporarily traded to Green for Fusshii during the FRLG arc.
• Golduck, Scyther, Pidgeot, Porygon and Machamp - Accidentally switched and returned to Green.
• Blastoise and Articuno - Borrowed and returned to Blue.

Badges obtained

Indigo League

• Boulderbadge in Onix is On!.
• Cascadebadge
• Thunderbadge
• Marshbadge
• Rainbowbadge
• Soulbadge
• Volcanobadge

Trivia

• Red's Pokémon were not nicknamed in Viz's translations of Pokémon Adventures (except Pika). Their English nicknames were first officially used in Chuang Yi's translations of Sevii Island Arc. Coincidentally, they are exactly the same as Coronis's nicknames coined long before Chuang Yi.
• Red is the only male protagonist of Pokémon Special to challenge Gyms. Ruby challenges Contests while neither Gold nor Diamond does either Contests or Gyms.
• Red's birthday is August 8.
• Red's blood type is O.

In other languages

External links

• Netkun on Red (Japanese)
• Netkun on FR/LG Red (Japanese)

Red's Pokémon
On hand:	Poli	Saur	Pika	Snor	Gyara	Aero
In storage: Nidorino  Diglett  Vee  Sandshrew  Traded away: Scyther  Charizard  Golduck  Machamp  Pidgeot  Porygon  Krabby  Given away: Mewtwo  Status unknown: Bellsprout  Fearow  Nidoqueen  Nidoking (multiple)  Victreebel (multiple)  Weepinbell (multiple)  Bellsprout (multiple)  Exeggcute (multiple)  Parasect (multiple)  Butterfree  Temporary: Blasty  Articuno  Organism No. 2  Chuchu

This article is part of Project Manga, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each series of Pokémon manga.