Pokémon Trainer

For fighter info, see Pokémon Trainer (SSBB) and Pokémon Trainer (SSBU).

Leaf redirects here. For the Mexican player, see Smasher:Leaf.

Pokémon Trainer
{{{content1}}} {{{content2}}} Official artwork of Red and Leaf, the Pokémon Trainers from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions.
Universe	Pokémon
Debut	Pokémon Red and Green Versions (1996, general concept and Red) Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions (2004, Leaf)
Smash Bros. appearances	Brawl (male only) SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (2021, general concept) Pokémon Masters EX (2019, Red and Leaf)
Console/platform of origin	Game Boy (general concept and Red) Game Boy Advance (Leaf)
Species	Human
Gender	Varies Male (Red) Female (Leaf)
Place of origin	Pokémon world (general concept) Kanto (Red and Leaf)
English voice actor	♂: Michele Knotz (Brawl) Billy Bob Thompson (Ultimate) ♀: Kate Bristol
Japanese voice actor	♂: Tomoe Hanba ♀: Wakana Minami
French voice actor	♂: Virginie Demians (Brawl) Emilie Guillaume (Ultimate) ♀: Elisabeth Guinand
German voice actor	♂: Dina Kuerten (Brawl) Maximilian Belle (Ultimate) ♀: Lea Kalbhenn
Spanish voice actor	♂: Isabel Navarro (Brawl) Rodri Martín (Ultimate) ♀: Tania Ugía
Italian voice actor	♂: Francesca Giudice (Brawl) Tania De Domenico (Ultimate) ♀: Giada Bonanomi
Korean voice actor	Lee Sun
Articles on Bulbapedia	Pokémon Trainer Player character

A Pokémon Trainer (ポケモントレーナー, Pokémon Trainer) is a human from the Pokémon series. The player characters in the series belong to the Pokémon Trainer "occupation", as do most of the other human characters. Pokémon Trainers debuted in the series' first generation. In the Super Smash Bros. series, the player character in the Pokémon series is represented as the fighter known simply as "Pokémon Trainer", who is represented by Red in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and both Red and Leaf in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Origin

From the very outset of the Pokémon franchise, the world of Pokémon had been established as an Earth-like world populated by humans and a diverse set of creatures called Pokémon. In this world, humans are referred to as Pokémon Trainers if they collect, take care of, and train Pokémon for use in competitive matches with those of other Trainers called Pokémon battles. All main Pokémon games cast the player as a young Pokémon Trainer ready to set out on a Pokémon journey across that game's region of the Pokémon world, on a quest to capture many species of Pokémon and, from there, train a team of Pokémon proficient in the sport of Pokémon battling that they may carry the Trainer to victory against that region's Pokémon League.

The Trainer's traditional tool for capturing Pokémon is the Poké Ball, which is typically purchasable at Poké Marts and comes in many distinctive varieties. New Trainers also receive a piece of high-tech equipment called the Pokédex, which functions as an encyclopedia for the Pokémon in that respective region which the Trainer will fill up via new captures, among other adventuring gear.

Throughout each journey, the Trainer will battle hundreds of other Trainers, encounter countless Pokémon in the wild, and be involved in subplots involving thwarting the schemes of criminal organizations that consist of trainers. While the playable Pokémon Trainers were initially depicted as exclusively male, the option to choose the gender of the playable Trainer has been available as of Pokémon Crystal Version. Each game's protagonist options are similar, but they are all distinct characters in-universe. Playable Trainers also have one or more rivals, whose motivations and characterizations vary significantly. Pokémon Black and White Versions introduced player characters slightly older than the previously established norm of 10-12 years old, while Pokémon X and Y introduced Trainer customization, allowing the player to choose from a variety of skin, hair, clothing and cosmetic options. While Pokémon Trainers have always been an integral part of the Pokémon experience, the mobile game Pokémon Masters makes them a primary focus of the game alongside the Pokémon themselves, allowing the player to recruit Trainers and their partner Pokémon to battle in teams.

In Pokémon Red and Blue, the sole player character is a male, 11-year-old Pokémon Trainer who is gifted his starter Pokémon - Squirtle, Bulbasaur or Charmander - by Professor Oak, whose grandson serves as the Trainer's rival. The hero then travels through the Kanto region to collect the eight Gym Badges and defeat the nefarious Team Rocket, eventually becoming the Indigo League Champion after defeating his rival in one final battle. This carries through to the remakes, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions, but with the added option of choosing a female playable character instead, as per games from Crystal onwards.

All Pokémon Trainer protagonists can be named by the player, but the male Red and Blue protagonist would go on to become a recurring character known as Red. Since his debut, Red has gone on to appear as the final opponent of the Johto games atop Mt. Silver; an opponent in the Pokémon World Tournament in Pokémon Black and White Versions 2; and the co-leader of the Battle Tree in Pokémon Sun and Moon alongside his rival Blue. In all cases, Red's team consists of Pokémon that were caught during major events of his original quest, with his Pikachu serving as his signature Pokémon; however, later appearances (including the Super Smash Bros. series) establish Charizard as another signature Pokémon for him depending on the canon. His female counterpart, likewise, would later be codified as the character Leaf in the games' internal data and her later appearances. Another female character exists known as Green who is very similar to Leaf, but it is unknown whether they are different versions of the same character, although both are conflated into a single character in the Pokémon Adventures manga.

Red, Leaf, and their cross-canon counterparts have been canonically shown with various iterations of Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander and their evolutionary lines, along with Pikachu and Eevee on occasion. In the Super Smash Bros. series, the Pokémon Trainer "fights" by sending these starter Pokémon out to battle, with the Bulbasaur line represented by Ivysaur, and the Charmander line represented by Charizard. Befitting their status as iconic Trainers, both Red and Leaf appear as Sync Pairs in Pokémon Masters. While Red has no spoken dialogue (a character quirk based on his appearance as a boss in the Johto games), Charizard is his partner Pokémon, affirming it as one of his signature Pokémon. However, Leaf has fully voiced dialogue, similar to her appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and is shown with Venusaur as a possible partner Pokémon.

While most games focus on the battling aspect, other Pokémon-related hobbies and professions exist in the world, such as Pokémon Breeders, who focus on raising Pokémon; Pokémon Coordinators, who train Pokémon for contests; and Pokémon Professors, who focus on studying various aspects of the Pokémon themselves. Regardless, raising and training a team of Pokémon is the main activity/quest that the main Pokémon RPGs feature, so a player of a Pokémon RPG is considered a Pokémon Trainer themselves - which is reinforced in later games that allow character customization, where the playable Trainer can quite literally be turned into the player's avatar.

In Super Smash Bros.

A human appearing behind Pikachu.

In Super Smash Bros., a human, potentially a Pokémon Trainer, can be seen walking in the background during Pikachu's portion of the opening movie. Only the human's legs are fully modeled in-game.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a playable character

Pokémon Trainer and his team, as they appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

A Pokémon Trainer makes an official appearance as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Trainer in Brawl is Red, the protagonist of Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Yellow Versions, and the male protagonist of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions. However, he is simply referred to as "Pokémon Trainer" to reflect how players can name the playable Trainers within each of the Pokémon games. Instead of using his original design from Generation I, he uses his redesign from Generation III.

It should be noted that it would be rather inaccurate to call the Trainer himself a playable fighter, as selecting him is akin to selecting a Zelda/Sheik-style character with three interchangeable forms; in the Trainer's case, these are the three Pokémon he has in his collection: Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard. The Trainer instead is purely aesthetic and exists as a background character, with his exact location being stage-dependant. He is either standing on the ground, atop a landmark, or on a special platform if the stage design is too awkward. The trainer has unique animations corresponding with the actions input by the player to the current Pokémon as the real fighter. One can say that the player controls the Trainer, who in turn commands the Pokémon. These animations include pointing during a special move, actually performing Pokémon Change by swapping Poké balls, celebrating when the player takes a stock, looking disappointed when the player loses a stock and then throwing a Poké ball as the next Revival platform appears, and unique taunts. The trainer always looks at his Pokémon, shifting positions as they move around the stage, and even moving around himself to an extant on certain stages to follow the action.

Pokémon Trainer is ranked 29th out of 38 on the tier list, placing him in the E tier. Pokémon Trainer's team possesses an overall strong grab game, although Squirtle in particular is widely agreed upon as being his most effective Pokémon, thanks to its respectable damage racking potential and potent air game.

However, the Trainer's team is heavily burdened by unique mechanics: Pokémon Change is laggy to the point of being very punishable, while his team's defensive and especially offensive potentials are very inconsistent because of stamina and type effectiveness. Outside of these issues, Ivysaur's abysmal air game, poor recovery, unimpressive range, and heightened susceptibility to the very common flame effect collectively render it among players as not only the Trainer's least effective Pokémon, but also one of the worst characters in the entire game.

Due to his team's weaknesses noticeably outweighing their strengths, Pokémon Trainer's representation has been almost nonexistent throughout Brawl's lifespan. Although TheReflexWonder achieved success with Pokémon Trainer at the national level on several occasions, he has been Pokémon Trainer's only representative to find any sort of success past the local level.

Trophy

Pokémon Trainer's trophy in Brawl.

Pokémon Trainer

A person who raises Pokémon and trains them as partners in battle. In battle, a Trainer gives orders to the Pokémon and uses items. It's not an exaggeration to say battles can be won or lost on a Trainer's single strategic move. Trainers pour their hearts into their Pokémon and share anger, sadness, and joy as they adventure in hopes of becoming Pokémon Masters.

: Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

Sticker

Name	Game	Effect	Character(s)
Pokémon Trainer	Pokémon series	Attack +13

Pokémon Trainer (Pokémon series)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Due to the limitations of the Nintendo 3DS' processing power, transformation-type characters were split apart and became standalone characters for Super Smash Bros. 4. In Pokémon Trainer's case, only Charizard returned as a playable character, while Squirtle and Ivysaur were fully cut. Charizard's previous side special move, Rock Smash, was changed to his down special move to compensate for Pokémon Change becoming completely irrelevant. Charizard also received a new side special move, Flare Blitz, to fill out the moveset. However, Red (under the name "Pokémon Trainer"), Squirtle, and Ivysaur make cameos as collectible trophies. On a related note, Calem and Serena, the playable Trainers from Pokémon X and Y, also appear together as a singular trophy under the name "Pokémon Trainer (Pokémon X & Y)".

Trophies

Pokémon Trainer's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Pokémon Trainer's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

Pokémon Trainer

: Pop quiz! What do Misty, Brock, Cynthia, Iris, and Ash all have in common? That's right-- they're all Pokémon Trainers! This Pokémon Master in the making is the same. Back in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he fought to be the very best-- like no one ever was. To smash them was his real test-- to launch them was his cause!

: Quiz time! What do Misty, Brock, Cynthia, Iris and Ash all have in common? That's right - they're all Pokémon Trainers! This Pokémon Master in the making is just the same. He fought to be the very best - like no one ever was - back in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. To smash them was his real test - to launch them was his cause.

: Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue (09/1998)

: Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen (09/2004)

Pokémon Trainer's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Pokémon Trainer (Pokémon X & Y) / Trainers (Pokémon X and Y)

: We suppose it's possible you've missed out up till now, so let us explain: in Pokémon, you set out from your hometown on a Pokémon journey, catching Pokémon and fighting battles with them. In Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, you reach the next town and find yourself embroiled in a tale of... No, wait—no spoilers!

: If you've been living under a rock for some years now, let us explain. In Pokémon, you start from your home town on your own Pokémon journey, catching Pokémon and fighting battles with them. In Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, you reach the next town and find yourself embroiled in a tale of... Well, we won't spoil it for you.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As a playable character

Pokémon Trainer (male), as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Pokémon Trainer returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, albeit as an unlockable character instead of a starter character. As a result, Squirtle and Ivysaur also returned by default, while Charizard was reintegrated into the team. This means that Rock Smash was replaced by Pokémon Change. In addition to Red reappearing as the default Pokémon Trainer, his female counterpart, Leaf, makes her Super Smash Bros. series debut as an alternate character.

Pokémon Trainer has been noticeably reworked in order to streamline the character's unique playstyle. The removal of both stamina and type effectiveness significantly improves the team's overall consistency. In addition, Pokémon Change's drastically faster speed and newfound usability in the air collectively make it much less committal, as well as allow the Trainer to rotate between Pokémon to the point of using their unique attributes to adapt to different situations at a much better pace.

Spirits

• 

  412. Pokémon Trainer (Male)

• 

  413. Pokémon Trainer (Female)

Gallery

• 

  Pokémon Trainer (female), as she appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ポケモントレーナー, Pokémon Trainer	Pokémon Trainer
English	Pokémon Trainer	—
French	Dresseur de Pokémon ♂ Dresseuse de Pokémon ♀	Pokémon Trainer -e is a feminine suffix used for occupations
German	Pokémon Trainer ♂ Pokémon Trainerin ♀	-in is a feminine suffix used for occupations
Spanish	Entrenador Pokémon ♂ Entrenadora Pokémon ♀	Pokémon Trainer -a is a feminine suffix used for occupations
Italian	Allenatore di Pokémon ♂ Allenatrice di Pokémon ♀	Pokémon Trainer -ice is a feminine suffix used for occupations
Chinese (Simplified)	宝可梦训练家, Pokémon Trainer	Pokémon Trainer
Chinese (Traditional)	寶可夢訓練家, Pokémon Trainer	Pokémon Trainer
Korean	포켓몬 트레이너, Pokémon Trainer	Pokémon Trainer
Dutch	Pokémon Trainer	—
Russian	Тренер покемонов	Pokémon Trainer
Portuguese	Treinador Pokémon	Pokémon Trainer

Trivia

• The male and female Pokémon Trainers are the only playable Pokémon characters that are human. However, they do have three playable Pokémon fight on their behalf.
• The female Pokémon Trainer and Zero Suit Samus are the only characters to debut in a remake.
• Pokémon Trainer is one of the few human Pokémon characters to appear as a trophy, and the only one to do so in Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Other human characters include Professor Oak and Misty in Melee, and Professor Sycamore in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. Calem and Serena appear as a trophy in the latter, but as an extension of the Pokémon Trainer player character concept.
  • The male and female Pokémon Trainers are also the only human characters from the Pokémon series to appear as a spirit.
• Pokémon Trainer and Pikachu are the only characters who received opposite gender alternate costumes after their respective debuts.
  • The female Pokémon Trainer is the second alternate costume character to become playable in Super Smash Bros. after her base character. The first was Alph.
  • As with the other fighters with male and female variants, the male and female Pokémon Trainers have been established as separate characters; Pokémon Masters features both Red (male) and Leaf (female) as separate trainers.
• The male Pokémon Trainer is commonly mistaken for, and referred to as, Ash Ketchum from the Pokémon anime. Both characters are actually based on Red, the male protagonist from Pokémon Red and Green and their subsequent remakes.
  • Similarly, the female Pokémon Trainer was commonly referred to as both "Leaf" and “Green” (“Blue” in Asian countries) before the name Leaf was officially used in Pokémon Masters.
• Pokémon Trainer, Roy, and Lucas are the only cut veterans with a trophy in any game that acknowledges them as being a playable character in previous installments. However, only Roy and Lucas' DLC fighter trophies do so.
  • Additionally, Pokémon Trainer, the Ice Climbers, and Lucas' non-fighter trophy are the only cut veterans whose trophies use their models from the previous Super Smash Bros. game they were in.
• The Pokémon Trainer's trophy description in SSB4 and Boxing Ring title in Ultimate both reference the first English theme song for the Pokémon anime.
  • The former also has a reference to Ash Ketchum, Red's counterpart in the anime.
• Pokémon Trainer, the Ice Climbers, and Lucas are the only starter characters to have ever been cut.
  • However, Lucas would return in SSB4 as downloadable content.
• The Pokémon Trainer and Villager are the only characters who returned in Ultimate to receive an alternate costume with a darker skin tone.
• In some languages, Pokémon Trainer has two different names to refer to the male and female versions. Villager, Wii Fit Trainer, Inkling, Byleth and the Mii Fighters also share this trait.