Red (Pokémon Origins)

Red, a teenager from Pallet Town, was invited to Professor Oak's lab, where he received a starter Pokémon and a Pokédex to document every species in Kanto. Throughout his journey, he challenged and defeated the region's Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, and ultimately the Champion—his longtime rival, Blue. Along the way, he nearly completed the Pokédex by capturing most of the Pokémon in the region.

Names	Red
Gender	Male ♂
Race	Human
Occupation	Realm Scavenger
Origin	Pokémon Origins File 1: Red (Japanese: レポート1 レッド Report 1: Red) (November 15, 2013)
Alignment	Heroic
Age	Teens
Created By	Mitsutaka Hirota 広田光穀
Personality Type	ISTP, 9w8 (Enneagram)
Seiyū	Junko Takeuchi 竹内順子
Voice Actors	English Bryce Papenbrook European French Pierre LeBec German Christian Zeiger Italian Massimo Di Benedetto European Spanish Álvaro de Juan

Appearance

Red is a teenage boy with a lean yet athletic build, developed through his extensive travels and battles. He has brown, slightly messy hair that peeks out from under his signature red and white cap, which he often wears backward or tilted slightly to the side. His sharp, determined eyes reflect his unwavering resolve and passion for Pokémon training.

He typically wears a red and white short-sleeved jacket over a black or white T-shirt, along with blue jeans or dark cargo pants for practicality. His outfit is completed with fingerless gloves and red and white sneakers designed for long journeys. He carries a backpack filled with essential items such as Poké Balls, Potions, and his Pokédex, always ready for the next challenge.

Over time, his appearance matures slightly, with a more serious expression and a stronger physique, reflecting his growth as a Trainer. However, his iconic red cap remains a constant symbol of his adventurous spirit.

Personality

Red begins his adventure as a kind-hearted but clumsy rookie with a strong sense of adventure, a trait reflected in the fiery meaning behind his name, chosen by his father. However, he has his flaws, including a tendency to forget type matchups and initially viewing Pokémon as mere tools for battle rather than true partners. Despite these shortcomings, he is a quick learner who grows through experience, eventually developing the courage to stand up for what he believes in, even when faced with opposition.

Much like in the games, Red is hinted to be a prodigy, managing to defeat Brock with minimal experience and later achieving extraordinary feats, such as capturing Mewtwo and becoming the Champion of Kanto.

Biography

Red made his debut in the first episode of the series when Professor Oak summoned him to his lab. Along the way, he reunited with his childhood friend and rival, Blue, Professor Oak’s grandson, who had also been invited. The two raced to the lab, where Professor Oak introduced them to his latest invention, the Pokédex. He explained that his lifelong dream was to compile a complete encyclopedia of all Pokémon in Kanto but was too old to travel and collect data himself. He tasked Red and Blue with catching all 149 known Pokémon, assuring them that any Pokémon they captured would automatically have its data recorded.

As a token of appreciation, Red was offered a choice between Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur as his first partner Pokémon. He chose Charmander, while Blue selected Squirtle. With their new partners, both Trainers set off on their journeys.

On Route 1, Red attempted to catch a Pidgey but failed. However, he successfully captured a Rattata, adding it to his Pokédex. His first Trainer battle was against a Youngster, but when Red mistakenly tried to catch his opponent’s Nidoran♀ mid-battle, the Youngster withdrew and ended the match, suspicious of Red’s inexperience. The Youngster mentioned that he had caught Nidoran♀ in Viridian City, prompting Red to head there. On the way, he encountered Blue and agreed to a battle. They sent out their starter Pokémon, but after Squirtle’s relentless Bite attack overwhelmed Charmander, Red forfeited.

Disheartened, Red was approached by Brock, who offered encouragement. Later, Red arrived in Pewter City, where he used the Pokémon Center’s video-chat service to speak with Professor Oak before visiting the Pewter Museum of Science. At the Pewter Gym, a Lass and her friend scoffed at Red, saying he was far from ready to face the Gym Leader. However, when Brock himself appeared, Red recognized him as the Trainer who had encouraged him earlier. They battled, and after a tough match that nearly wiped out Red’s team, he emerged victorious.

As his journey continued, Red defeated Misty and Lt. Surge in Gym battles and encountered Team Rocket, who had stolen the TM for Dig. He later arrived in Lavender Town, where he learned of ghost sightings in Pokémon Tower, a cemetery for Pokémon. At the Lavender Volunteer Pokémon House, Red met Reina, a volunteer who told him that Team Rocket was poaching Pokémon nearby. A newborn Cubone had recently lost its mother to the criminals, who had since taken over the Pokémon Tower and kidnapped Mr. Fuji, the house’s owner. Determined to help, Red entered the tower, where he ran into Blue. A ghost appeared, and Red sent out Charmeleon to fight it. Blue tossed him the Silph Scope, which he had taken from a Team Rocket Grunt, allowing Red to identify the ghost as Cubone’s deceased mother, Marowak. Reina arrived with Cubone, who had an emotional reunion with its mother before Team Rocket attacked. With the help of Cubone and Red’s Jolteon, the villains were defeated and retreated. Red then reached the tower’s top floor, where he found Mr. Fuji tied up. After rescuing him, Red returned to the Pokémon House, where Mr. Fuji gifted him a Poké Flute and two mysterious stones.

Red pressed on, defeating Erika and Koga in Gym battles. At the Rocket Game Corner, he uncovered Team Rocket’s hideout and confronted their leader, Giovanni. He later infiltrated Silph Co., where Team Rocket was attempting to seize the Master Ball. After freeing the Pokémon they had stolen, he was rewarded with a Lapras by a grateful Silph scientist. On the building’s top floor, Red found Giovanni holding the Silph Co. president hostage. He battled the crime boss using Charizard but suffered a crushing defeat.

Regrouping, Red challenged and defeated Sabrina in a Gym battle. He also bested Kiyo at the Fighting Dojo before riding Lapras to Cinnabar Island, where he explored the Pokémon Mansion and uncovered journal entries detailing the creation of a mysterious Pokémon. Afterward, he faced Blaine in a Gym battle and emerged victorious.

Returning to Viridian City, Red prepared for his final Gym challenge—only to discover that Giovanni was the Gym Leader. In their rematch, Giovanni initially held the upper hand, but Red ultimately triumphed when Charizard defeated Rhydon in a hard-fought battle. This loss convinced Giovanni to disband Team Rocket, resign as the Viridian Gym Leader, and dedicate himself to becoming a better person and Trainer.

With all eight badges in hand, Red headed to Indigo Plateau, where he battled through the Elite Four. Upon reaching the Champion’s chamber, he found that Blue had already claimed the title. The two rivals faced off in a climactic battle, with Charizard ultimately overcoming Blue’s Blastoise despite the type disadvantage. As the new Champion, Red was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Professor Oak, who praised both him and Blue for their achievements.

Determined to complete his Pokédex, Red set out to capture the remaining Pokémon, including the legendary birds. Returning to Professor Oak’s lab, he learned that Blue had been injured in Cerulean Cave by an extraordinarily powerful Pokémon. When Red checked his Pokédex, Blue identified the attacker. At the same time, Professor Oak realized that Red had caught all 149 Pokémon in Kanto. Oak inquired about the stones Red had received from Mr. Fuji, though Red was unsure of their purpose. Recalling his visit to the Cinnabar Mansion, Red suspected that the Pokémon that attacked Blue was the product of a cloning experiment involving Mew. Professor Oak confirmed that this was likely the work of Dr. Fuji, leading Red to realize that Dr. Fuji and Mr. Fuji were the same person. Oak recognized the stones as Mega Evolution items and instructed Red to hold onto the smaller one while giving the other to Charizard.

Determined to confront the mysterious Pokémon, Red ventured into Cerulean Cave and encountered Mewtwo. A fierce battle ensued, and Mewtwo’s immense power overwhelmed Red’s entire team—except for Charizard. Just as Red and Charizard were about to be swept away by the surrounding waters, Red’s Key Stone reacted with Charizard’s Charizardite X, triggering Mega Evolution. Now Mega Charizard X, Charizard gained the strength to weaken Mewtwo enough for Red to attempt a capture. After one failed attempt, he successfully caught Mewtwo using an Ultra Ball.

Returning home, Red shared a meal with his mother, Blue, and Professor Oak. However, he knew his journey wasn’t over yet. With his Pokédex nearly complete, he set out once more to find the most elusive Pokémon of all—Mew.

Powers and Statistics

Tier: 9-B | At least Low 7-B | 6-C | 5-B

Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Sealing (Via Pokéballs), Can give to his Pokémon: Healing and Purification (Type 3. Via Recovery Items), Statistics Amplification (Via Battle Effect Items and Hold Items), Transformation (Via Evolutionary Items) | Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Flight, Statistics Reduction, Martial Arts, Energy Projection, Electricity Manipulation, Fire Manipulation, Water Manipulation, Ice Manipulation, Intangibility, etc.

Attack Potency: Wall level+ (Should scale from his own durability and is physically comparable to regular Trainers as Jessie, James or Ash) | At least Small City level (Defeated Brock and became stronger since then) | Island level (Defeated Lance and matched Green) | Planet level (Commands the three legendary birds. His Mega Charizard X matched and defeated Mewtwo, who he has caught as well)

Speed: Peak Human (Moved at these speeds during his first encounter with Green) with FTL reactions (Should be comparable to his Adventures counterpart who can dodge and react to attacks from fully evolved Pokémon) | Sub-Relativistic (Fought Brock's Onix) | FTL (Kept pace with Lance and Green) | Massively FTL+ (Commands the three legendary birds, Mega Charizard X kept pace with Mewtwo)

Lifting Strength: At least Class 10 | Class 50 | At least Class T (Defeated Bruno’s Machamp) | At least Class Z, likely higher (Mega Charizard X could overpower Mewtwo)

Striking Strength: Wall level+ | At least Small City level | Island level | Planet level

Durability: Island level (Survived his Charizard slamming into him. Tanked an explosion this strong) | At least Small City level | Island level | Planet level

Stamina: High | Very high for his team.

Range: Standard Melee Range | Standard Melee Range, Hundreds of Meters on the Pokémon and move | Standard Melee Range, Tens of Kilometers on the Pokémon and move | Standard Melee Range to Extended Melee Range, Up to Planetary with Mewtwo.

Standard Equipment: Poké Balls | Mega Bracelet and Charizardite X

Intelligence: Gifted (Incredibly skilled Pokemon battler)

Weaknesses: Normal human weaknesses, clumsy and forgetful to some degree | Varies depending on the Pokemon.