#dexholder red

[oakgreenoak]

Something I've always found kinda interesting about Red and Green in gameverse is how they turn some of the Stock Shōnen Protagonist/Rival tropes on their heads.

This is really long character analysis of these two and various media counterparts of theirs, so I'm gonna stick it under a cut.

In some ways they fit their roles quite well - aside from the obvious colour associations, you have Red as the hero whose sense of justice is stronger than his sense of self-preservation, and you have Green as the privileged rival who cares about beating Red above all else.

But, if you look at it another way - Green's got the light spiky hair, the hot-headed and boisterous personality, the drive to Get Better And Win. He's designed to read as really open and chipper, yet snarky. Sure, he isn't dumb, but he's arrogant, and he's got something of a one-track mind; the guy finds himself in the middle of a hostage situation because he's just that hellbent on fighting his rival, and does not seem to be thinking about anything else. He's also got a motivation - given how the Professor talks to him in the championship room and supplementary material like his Generations appearance, it's not a stretch to think the reason he's so driven to Get Better And Win is to prove himself to his grandfather. It's shown in later games and supplementary works that he's become somewhat of a mentor as he got older and wiser.

Red, on the other hand, is a quiet loner whose only motivation seems to be to get stronger for the sake of getting stronger. He's level-headed and dark haired, his cap rounding off his edges and obscuring his face. He's heroic, but not really sociable, as evidenced by the fact he spends the Johto games alone on a mountain without having told anyone where he went. He seems isolated in a way that later games' protagonists really don't. He may have always been a step behind Green, but he's always better.

Equally fascinating to me is how other adaptations have changed the base designs around and rewritten personalities to suit different purposes, while still being visually recognisable as counterparts to their game-selves.

For example: Red and Green's counterparts in Special slot WAY more neatly into their stock shōnen roles, with Red as the boisterous hero and Green as the broody rival, and it's reflected in their new designs.

Red's hair becomes spiky to reflect his more excitable nature. His hat, in turn, never obscures his face; it's always either tilted back to accommodate his fringe or turned backwards. Green's hair, on the other hand, is not quite as spiked upwards and instead falls into his face, frequently obscuring his far eye in the same way game!Red's hat does.

And then, of course, the anime balanced them in a totally different direction.

Instead of scrapping Green's personality wholecloth, it's become exaggerated in Gary. He's not the broody antihero rival, he's the arrogant, privileged, better-than-you rival. He's always ten steps ahead of Ash, always pisses him off, and is ALWAYS better until the end of his run. The anime also emphasises his intelligence far more, with him doing things like rattling off dex info and the speed of light in mph off the top of his head, to further contrast him with Ash.

Ash, who is of course THE shōnen protagonist. He's dumb, but determined, and always ready to help people in need. Unlike game!Red, the power of friendship (with more than just pokémon) is central to him; any given season of the show is defined as much if not moreso by his travelling companions and interpersonal relationships as it is by whatever he's actually doing.

It's funny to me, though, how most adaptations seem to find the fact that gameverse Red and Green have swapped some stock roles as something to fix. Even Origins, which is probably the closest a high-profile adaption has come to game-accurate, made its version of Red louder and more standard-hero-esque.

I'm not knocking any of these things, of course, just observing. I adore both Special and anipoke. I just think that the way the game characters are written could lead to some interesting dynamics were it to be explored more.

#pokemon #reguri #pokespe #pokeani #anipoke #trainer red #rival green #blue oak #dexholder red #dexholder green #ash ketchum #gary oak #character analysis #sorry not sorry for writing an essay on a whim. it will happen again #namelessshipping #originalshipping #palletshipping #kindanotreally #but i think yall will appreciate my char analysis of them as a dynamic yknow. i am one of youse

[dentarthurdent]

bonding over a shared affinity for rats

#my art #pokemon #pokespe #trainer red #dexholder red #two of them (two of them) #yesterday was spe reds bday... i still cant draw his dumb pizza hair

[nottsukkomia]

red.. just red. Possibly a remake and trying to remember how to draw

#pokespe #pokemon #pokemon special #pokemon adventures #trainer red #pokespe red #pikachu #dexholder red

[acetrainermags]

Actually the more I re-read Pokémon Adventures the more I'm convinced that this series is the one of the only ones that really gets rivalry.

It's not just about being at odds with each other (or hating each other), it's about spurring each other on to be better. Both Red and Blue have grown not just as Pokémon trainers, but as people too. Even in just three short volumes, they've matured so much and pushed each other (intentionally or not) into becoming better versions of themselves.

(Pokémon Adventures Vol. 3, Chapter 40)

#all I want in life is a rival pokemon trainer tbh #pokemon adventures #pokemon special #pokespe #pokemon manga #pokespe red #pokespe blue #blue oak #trainer red #trainer blue #Pokemon League #dexholder red #dexholder blue

[jetglider]

gen 2 adventures

#pichu #pokemon #dexholder red #dexholder blue #trainer red #trainer blue #.to me this counts as -> #namelessshipping #redblue #reguri

[atomicnumber47]

goofballs

#dexholder blue #dexholder green #dexholder yellow #dexholder red #pokespe blue #pokespe green #pokespe yellow #pokespe red #pokespe #pokemon adventures #uhh yeah formal apology to red 4 not drawign him often #i like him !!!!!!! i think he's neat. frlg really put him through the wringer #pokemon #WAIT #pokespe gold #dexholder gold #sorry man i forgot u

[ritzcreation]

Adult Kanto Dexholders :]

#my designs for them <3 #ik Blue (m) already has a design but it’s okay guys #ritz’s art #pokespe #pokemon special #pokemon adventures #dexholder red #dexholder blue #dexholder green #dexholder yellow #pokespe red #pokespe blue #pokespe green #pokespe yellow #gender fluid #lesbian #jadeshipping #pokemon #btw I quit Inktober 😝😝

[swankytown04]

Them 💖💕❤️💞♥️

#pokespe #pokemon special #dexholder red #dexholder green #dexholder blue #pokémon adventures

[absolllite]

pokespe redraws!!

og ss under the cut

#pokemon #pokemon fanart #pkmn #pkmn fanart #pokespe #pokespe fanart #pokemon adventures #pokemon adventures fanart #dexholder red #dexholder blue #originalshipping #namelessshipping #dexholder silver #dexholder gold #dexholder yellow #elite four lance #champion lance #pokemon red and blue #pokemon gold and silver #pokemon yellow #tagging for this fucking fandom is a nightmare #preciousmetalshipping

[thatcryptidinthewoods]

Pokéspe playlists for the Kanto Dexholders:

Red | Green (m) | Blue (f) | Yellow –> Originalshipping –> Oldrivalshipping –> Luckyshipping –> Specialshipping –> Jadeshipping –> Feelingshipping –> Colourfulshipping

#it's turtle time #pokemon #pokespe #colourfulshipping #i'll be adding more songs to these in the future. just wanted to get them out into the wild. #i have lost way too much sleep making these #“tell me you're insane without telling me you're insane” /j #pokemon special #pokemon adventures #originalshipping #oldrivalshipping #luckyshipping #specialshipping #jadeshipping #feelingshipping #colorfulshipping #dexholder red #dexholder green #dexholder blue #dexholder yellow #red pokespe #green pokespe #blue pokespe #yellow pokespe

[fndangoes]

so um anyway

#pokespe #pksp #pokemon adventures #originalshipping #preciousmetalshipping #reguri #goshiru #dexholder blue #dexholder green #dexholder red #dexholder gold

[chronophobica]

i suddenly understand why blue can never shut up about this guy

#trainer red #pokemon red #dexholder red #pokemon #doodle

[rivalkieran]

au where nothing changes except blue steals lacktwo from interpol. now she has two (2) little brothers

#solis art #dexholder lacktwo #dexholder blue #dexholder red #dexholder silver #rescue lacktwo au #I have soooo many thoughts. and I will elaborate on none of them #if youre in the server. you know #spe

[captaindeinony]

It’s my friend’s birthday where he lives and this is my gift to him, but imma show it to them tomorrow (maybe. I can’t wait to show em) HAPPY BIRTHDAY BP IF YOU MANAGE TO FIND THIS!!

Click for quality

#pokemon special #pokespe #pokemon #Kanto #dexholder red #i don’t know enough about spe to know if blue was one as well #dexholder gold #rival blue #dexholder blue #dexholder green #blue oak #green oak #diino edit

[acetrainermags]

Foreshadowing all the way back in 1998.

(Pokémon Adventures Vol. 4, Chapter 41)

#i know this joke has been made before and idc #pokespe #pokemon adventures #pokemon manga #pokemon special #pokespe red #dexholder red #pokemon scarlet #pokemon scarlet and violet

[jetglider]

djont look at him while hes eating

#trainer red #dexholder red #whatever.jerma eating burger