May (Japanese: ハルカ Haruka) serves as the rival in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, should the player choose to play as the male character. She is also the female choice in the games, but May is never among the default names for the character.
The Generation III games deviated from the tradition of naming characters as their respective game names, such as Red in the Generation I and Generation II games. As such, May's counterparts include May from the anime and Sapphire in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
In the games
Role
If May is selected as the player character she starts her journey moving from her home in Johto to her new home in the town of Littleroot in Hoenn. After saving Prof. Birch from a wild Pokémon, she is given one of the three starters of the Hoenn region. May develops a close bond with Brendan, and eventually Wally, who both act as her rivals. May goes on to gather the eight badges of Hoenn, stop the plans of Team AquaWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.Wrong template. See Template:Sup/doc./Team MagmaWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.Wrong template. See Template:Sup/doc. and conquer the Pokémon League all before going off to face the Battle Frontier.
If May is not selected as the player, she is helping her dad finish the Hoenn Pokédex and becoming a Pokémon professor. She is also the player's rival and friend. Unlike other rivals (except for Brendan when playing as May), she gives up being a Trainer, making them the only rivals unavailable for battle after defeating the Elite Four. Additionally, they both are the only ones to not evolve their starter Pokémon into its final form.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
First battle
If the player chose Treecko:
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Reward: $300
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If the player chose Torchic:
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Reward: $300
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If the player chose Mudkip:
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Reward: $300
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Second battle
If the player chose Treecko:
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Reward: $1200
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If the player chose Torchic:
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Reward: $1200
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If the player chose Mudkip:
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Reward: $1200
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Third battle
If the player chose Treecko:
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Reward: $1860
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If the player chose Torchic:
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Reward: $1860
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If the player chose Mudkip:
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Reward: $1860
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Fourth battle
If the player chose Treecko:
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Reward: $2040
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If the player chose Torchic:
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Reward: $2040
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If the player chose Mudkip:
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Reward: $2040
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Pokémon Emerald
First battle
If the player chose Treecko:
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Reward: $300
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If the player chose Torchic:
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Reward: $300
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If the player chose Mudkip:
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Reward: $300
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Second battle (optional)
If the player chose Treecko:
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Reward: $900
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If the player chose Torchic:
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Reward: $900
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If the player chose Mudkip:
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Reward: $900
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Third battle
If the player chose Treecko:
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Reward: $1350
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If the player chose Torchic:
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Reward: $1350
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If the player chose Mudkip:
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Reward: $1350
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Fourth battle
If the player chose Treecko:
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Reward: $2400
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If the player chose Torchic:
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Reward: $2400
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If the player chose Mudkip:
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Reward: $2400
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Fifth Battle
If the player chose Treecko:
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Reward: $2740
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If the player chose Torchic:
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Reward: $2740
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If the player chose Mudkip:
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Reward: $2740
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Quotes
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
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Littleroot Town
- "Pokémon fully restored! Items ready, and... Huh? Huh? Who... who are you?... Oh, you're <player>. So your move was today. Um... I'm May. Glad to meet you! I... I have this dream of becoming friends with Pokémon all over the world. I... I heard about you, <player>, from my dad, Prof. Birch. I was hoping you would be nice, <player>, and that we could be friends. Oh, this is silly, isn't it? I...I've just met you, <player>. Eheheh... Oh, no! I forgot! I was supposed to help Dad catch some wild Pokémon! <player>, I'll catch you later! "
Pokémon Emerald
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
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Littleroot Town
- "Huh? Who... Who are you?... Oh, you're <player>. So your move was today. Um... I'm May. Glad to meet you! I... I have this dream of becoming friends with Pokémon all over the world. I... I heard about you, <player>, from my Dad, Prof. Birch. I was hoping that you would be nice, <player>, and that we could be friends. Oh, this is silly, isn't it? I... I've just met you, <player>. Eheheh... Oh, no! I forgot! I was supposed to help Dad catch some wild Pokémon! <player>, I'll catch you later!"
Rad Neighbor MayWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.
- Strategy
- I'm not so good at battles.
- Trainer's Pokémon
- I'll use any Pokémon!
- Self-Introduction
- My Pokémon and I help my father's research.
Names
While the player can name this character as is the case with all player characters, there are several default names provided for her. In Ruby and Sapphire, she has four default names, including three shared between the two versions. The two variant names between games collaborates with the theme of the plot, referring to "land" and "sea" respectively.
In the English version, these names are Terra and Marina; in the Japanese version, ムツミ Mutsumi and ナミ Nami (陸 mutsu means land and 波 nami means a wave of water). This is also the case in other languages. Unlike Brendan's name list, none of the three shared names correspond to this theme.
In all translated versions of Emerald, May has the same default names as in Pokémon Ruby, as well as 16 additional names which don't seem to hold any significance, with the exception of the German version. In this case, Emerald has only 15 additional names, plus the corresponding Sapphire name, Martina. Consequently, in the rest of the translated versions, there is no default name that relates to "sea". Notably, as the player character, the name May (or its other language counterparts) is never offered as a default name in any version.
As a rival, May's name is static.
The full list of default names for May as the female playable character in the games are as follows:
Language |
Ruby and Emerald |
Sapphire |
Emerald only
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English
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- Allie
- Aubree
- Bella
- Camila
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- Lillie
- Lucy
- Monica
- Nadine
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- Ruthie
- Tanja
- Tiara
- Yasmin
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Japanese
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- ムツミ Mutsumi
- アイコ Aiko
- マキコ Makiko
- キョウコ Kyōko
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- ナミ Nami
- アイコ Aiko
- マキコ Makiko
- キョウコ Kyōko
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- アヤナ Ayana
- アン Ann
- エミィ Emy
- カオリ Kaori
- カレン Karen
- サエ Sae
- スイ Sui
- ジュリ Juri
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- チエミ Chiemi
- チヨコ Chiyoko
- テルコ Teruko
- ナナエ Nanae
- ヒナ Hina
- ミサコ Misako
- モニカ Monica
- ユウメ Yūme
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German
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- Martina
- Tanja
- Andrea
- Sara
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- Beate
- Carolin
- Claudia
- Denise
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- Katrin
- Kerstin
- Meike
- Mirjam
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Spanish
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- Teresa
- Raquel
- Mariau
- Sara
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- Marina
- Raquel
- Mariau
- Sara
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- Arancha
- Carlota
- Daniela
- Elena
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- Marcela
- Mona
- Noelia
- Nuria
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- Olimpia
- Palma
- Paola
- Roberta
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French
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- Solène
- Agnès
- Claire
- Sophie
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- Marine
- Agnès
- Claire
- Sophie
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- Cynthia
- Edith
- Fanny
- Janyce
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- Nadine
- Pauline
- Roxane
- Tania
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Italian
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Artwork
Sprites
Counterparts
In the anime
- Main article: May (anime)
In the anime, a character based on May was a Pokémon Coordinator and Ash's traveling companion throughout the Advanced Generation series.
In the manga
Her counterpart in the Pokémon Adventures manga is Sapphire who, unlike her other counterparts, takes up Gym challenges and is an all-around tomboy thanks to a traumatic incident with Ruby where a Salamence attacked them when they were children. She does have a feminine side however, as is shown in later volumes.
A counterpart to May, Sapphire, appears in the Pokémon Ruby-Sapphire manga. Just like May's anime counterpart, she is a Coordinator who chooses Torchic as her starter Pokémon.
Although they do not look alike, she has the same Japanese default name as Haruka from the Pokémon Chamo-Chamo ☆ Pretty ♪ manga series. Likewise, Haruka is a Coordinator who also chooses Torchic as her starter Pokémon, just like May's anime counterpart.
Trivia
- As the player character (along with Brendan), they are the only set of player characters that have both a mother and a father present in the games.
- May and Brendan are the only rivals whose starter Pokémon does not reach its final form.
- They are also the only rivals who can't be fought in rematches after the player defeats the Elite Four.
Language
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Name
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Origin
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Japanese
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ハルカ Haruka
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From 春花 haruka, spring flower. May also be taken as 遼 haruka, far away, in relation to her possible father, Senri (千里), 1000 li.
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English
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May
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Could be a reference to her Japanese name, as May is a month in spring.
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French
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Flora
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Similar to Fleur, which means "flower".
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German
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Maike
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From Mai, which means "May".
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Italian
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Vera
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From primavera, which means "spring".
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Spanish
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Aura
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From aura, a figure of speech that means "gentle breeze" and is commonly associated to spring, as in aura primaveral ("spring breeze").
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Korean
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봄이 Bom'i
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봄 means "spring"
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Chinese (all versions)
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小遥 Xiǎo Yáo
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From 遥 haruka, far away.
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