Pokémon Adventures

The main characters are Red and Blue (Green in the Japanese version). A third female character, named Green (Blue in the Japanese version), is also in the manga. The manga generally sticks close to the video game plotline. The manga was published in English in North America by Viz Communications, but publication stopped midway as the volumes were being produced. In Southeast Asia, the company Chuang Yi translates Pokémon Special into English and also Chinese, even after the section in which Viz had stopped. The English manga is flipped to the Western left to right format. It is also released in Hong Kong and Taiwan where Ching Win, a reliable publisher around those parts publish it.

Main characters

Red is the protaganist of the first three volumes of Pokémon Special. Red specializes in Pokémon battling and becomes the champion of the 9th Pokémon League. The nicknames Red gives to his Pokemon are shortened versions of their full names. During volumes 4-7, Red has disappeared after a mysterious battle challenge on Mt. Moon. He returns right at the end of the 6th volume. Red is quite more mature than other versions of him that appear in other Pokémon franchises. He gains a black bandanna strapper across his leg starting from Volume 4 and changes the color of his T-shirt in Volume 9.

Green, or Blue in the English version, is the grandson of Professor Oak and has trained long under the instruction of Gym Leader Chuck from Johto. Green is Red's rival, but unlike how the rivalry is in the anime, Green and Red do have respect for one another. Green is the 1st runner up of the 9th Pokémon League, and also becomes the Viridian Gym Leader when Red has become unable to take its place due to poor health. Green does not nickname his Pokémon, and harshly trains them so that they can even train on their own. In volumes 1-3, Green wears the normal violet sweatshirt worn in the original games. In volumes 4-7, a blue cloak is worn over the previous costume. In volumes 8-15, Green sports a green jacket and brown pants, and in the FireRed/LeafGreen series, Green wears his outfit from FireRed and LeafGreen, a black t-shirt and purple pants.

Blue (Green in the English version) is a shrewd girl who was kidnapped by a giant bird under control of the antagonist of the Gold/Silver/Crystal portion of the manga. At first, she seems to only wants to unfairly steal people's posessions by tricking them with several flirtarious acts, but then she joins the hero's side in order to learn more of her unknown past. Contrary to popular belief, Blue's first appearance was not in Pokémon Special. While she did not really appear in any of the games, she is featured on a picture on a certain advertisement included in the boxes of the Gameboy games Pokémon Red and Blue. This explains why she is also featured in FireRed and LeafGreen as the female protaganist. Blue seems to change her shoes very often.

Yellow, a girl born of the Viridian Forest, first appears in Volume 3 when she is rescued by Red from an destructive event hatched by Team Rocket. It is said that every few years, a child is born with the ability to heal Pokémon and read their minds. Happy-go-lucky Yellow is one of these blessed children, and is two years younger than Red, Green, and Blue. Despising the sight of Pokémon and people getting hurt, Yellow dislikes Pokémon battles, and because she is unwilling to deal damage to the opposition, the young girl relies more on luck than skill to succeed. In Volume 4, Blue sends Yellow on a mission to find Red while disguised as a boy with a large straw hat featuring several special functions that are accesable by Blue. Contrary to the fact that she hates battles, Yellow's Pokémon are in fact not low-leveled, and leveled almost as high as the other three's Pokemon.

Gold, is a gambling, pool-playing boy from New Bark Town, living in what his neighbours call "the Pokémon House" because he has dozens of Pokémon. He first appears in volume 8 (the translations by VIZ were discontinued after volume 7) and at first, his only main goal is to retrieve his missing backpack full of Pokémon, which he believes was stolen by Silver. Later, his goal becomes to stop the evil Mask of Ice, who revived Team Rocket after it was disbanded by Giovanni. Gold has a crush on Mary, a radio DJ from Goldenrod City, and tends to hit on most of the girls he meets, much like Brock in the Pokémon anime series.

Silver, like Blue, was kidnapped as a very young child and raised by Mask of Ice, the main villain of the Gold/Silver/Crystal storyline of the manga. He tends to be quiet and doesn't show his emotions very often. His first Pokémon was a Sneasel, and he is first seen in volume 8 stealing a Totodile from Professor Elm. His goal is to stop Mask of Ice's evil ways.

Crystal first appears in volume 10. She's a specialist at capturing Pokémon, hired by Professor Oak. As a child, she took a bad fall and broke both of her arms. Thusly, she learned to catch Pokémon by kicking Poké Balls, a habit she kept long after her arms healed. She had many Pokémon before first appearing, but her "starter" Pokémon was a Chikorita which escaped from Professor Elm's laboratory, desperate to go on a journey.

Ruby first appears in volume 15. Originally from the Johto region, he moves with his mother to Hoenn to live closer to his father Norman, the Gym Leader of Petalburg City. Despite being a Gym Leader's son, Ruby hates battling and prefers Pokémon Contests. His first three Pokémon were a Poochyena, Skitty, and Ralts, but he lent Ralts to Wally and due to an earthquake which sent Ruby into a raging river, he never got her back. The day he arrived in Hoenn was his eleventh birthday, and he ran away from his new home on that day, since he thought Norman wouldn't endorse his choice to be a Coordinator (Contest trainer). (This was true at first, but Norman had decided to let Ruby become a Coordinator upon turning eleven. Sadly, Ruby didn't stick around to find this out.) After running away, he met Sapphire, and they made a bet with each other -- they would both travel around Hoenn, each trying to achieve their goals (he would try to win every Contest and she would try to win all eight Badges). Ruby, along with Sapphire got an outfit change after the introduction of the Emerald Version.

Sapphire first appears in volume 15. The daughter of Professor Birch, she is a wild tomboy who usually wears clothing made out of leaves! However, after she and Ruby make their bet, she wears an outfit he made for her. There are many hints scattered through the story that Sapphire has a crush on Ruby. However, Sapphire gets her 3rd outfit change not long after the Emerald Version is introduced.

Wally (called Mitsuru in Japanese) first appears in volume 15, and is the first (and so far only) hero character to not be named after one of the Game Boy/Game Boy Advance games. He's a sickly young boy whose parents didn't want him training Pokémon. However, Ruby lends Wally his Ralts, and with Ralts he captures a Kecleon. He later obtains other green Pokémon -- Cacturne, Roselia, Treecko (from Professor Birch), and Flygon (from Norman). Norman enlists Wally to help him awaken the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza, because it is needed to stop Kyogre and Groudon from fighting and destroying the world. Wally sports an extra green vest unlike the games.

Emerald is the newest main character, and he seems to not own any Pokémon. In his introductory chapter (in the Shogakukan Grade School Second Grader magazine; not yet in any published volumes), he states, "I hate Pokémon! It's Pokémon battles I like!" He carries a gun, and seems to have a connection to the legendary Pokémon Latios and Latias.

Antagonists

Team Rocket is an organization which plots to gain material things and money, and uses rare, exquisite Pokemon in their plans to do so. "Rocket" is an acronym meaning "Raid On the City, Knock-out Evil Tusks." It is headed by the former Viridian gym leader, Giovanni. After Yellow's battle with Lance of the Elite Four in Volume 7, Team Rocket is officially disbanded by its leader. However, in the Gold/Silver/Crystal story arc, it has been revived by a man with ice powers, Mask of Ice, who seeks to capture Celebi, a Pokémon that can travel through time.

The Elite Four, Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Lance, plot to annihilate all humans in an attempt to improve the lives of Pokémon in volumes 4-7. Lorelei and Agatha were defeated on Cerise Island, but Bruno, being innocent and not having the same beliefs as the rest while being manipulated by Agatha, departed from the Elite Four. Lance is still alive, though he does no longer intends to destroy the human race.

See also