Blue

Blue as seen in the FireRed and LeafGreen versions.
Blue
Species	Human
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Brown
Relatives	Professor Oak (grandfather) Daisy Oak (older sister) Samson Oak (cousin twice removed)
Voiced by	Billy Kametz (2019-2022) Harry Mason (2023)
Debut	Pokémon: Red/Green Versions

Blue is the Pokémon trainer who has appeared as a prominent recurring character throughout the Pokémon games, starting with his role as the original rival character of the series during the first generation games. He later appeared in the second generation games as a gym leader and has made several other guest appearances in later generations.

Background

Generation I

Blue was raised in Pallet Town. He and his neighbor Red were rivals since they were young. Later in their childhood, Professor Oak invited them to his laboratory in order to give them their first Pokémon. In Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, FireRed and LeafGreen, there were three starter Pokémon, and Red was allowed to choose first, after which Blue picked a Pokémon that had a type advantage against Red's. In Pokémon: Yellow Version the only starter was an Eevee, which Blue received after insisting upon receiving it it. Oak gave them each a Pokédex to record data on their Pokémon and achieve Oak's dream. Blue immediately engaged Red in battle with his new Pokémon, a battle which Red could either win or lose.

Blue traveled throughout Kanto, collecting various Pokémon and beating all eight gym leaders before Red. He also battled Red whenever they crossed paths in their respective adventures. The first battle between them was an optional one at Route 22. Afterwards, Blue battled Red by Route 24, aboard the S.S. Anne, in the Pokémon Tower, and in Silph Co. After both Red and Blue had collected eight badges, they battled at Route 22, before heading off to challenge the Pokémon League.

Blue in HeartGold/SoulSilver.

Blue beat Red to the Pokémon League headquarters and became the new champion after defeating the Elite Four. But his reign was short-lived, as Red was able to defeat him. Professor Oak told Blue that though his intentions were good, he had lost to Red because Red treated his Pokémon with love. In FireRed and LeafGreen, Oak proceeded to update the Pokédexes of Red and Blue so they could catch the newly-discovered Pokémon in the Sevii Islands. Blue eventually grew tired of this task and returned home to catch and train Pokémon at his own rate. He eventually became Pokémon League champion again, this time with some of the new Pokémon on his team, but he was again defeated by Red.

Generation II

Sometime within the following years, Blue became the new Gym Leader of the Viridian City gym (following the disappearance of Giovanni), although he left town so often that he rarely was present to accept challenges from other trainers. In Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal Versions (as well as HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions), Blue was the eighth and final gym leader Ethan/Lyra had to face in their Kanto journey. Blue first met with the trainer at Cinnabar Island, where he was examining the ruins of the island and lamenting the devastation that nature could cause. After returning to the gym, Blue was challenged and defeated by Ethan/Lyra. He was initially annoyed at his defeat, but then admitted that Ethan/Lyra was a genuinely good trainer and wanted to beat them someday. He proceeded to give them the Earthbadge (as well as TM 92: Trick Room in HeartGold and SoulSilver).

In HeartGold and SoulSilver, Ethan/Lyra can get his Pokégear number from Daisy and call him on Sunday nights (between the hours of 8PM and 4AM) to get him to come to Saffron City's Fighting Dojo for rematches. He also appeared on Cinnabar Island on Fridays after the player defeated Red, when he would be surprised that they were able to beat Red and offered to take a photograph with them.

Later Generations

Blue appeared again in Black and White 2 as one of the competitors in the Pokémon World Tournament held at Unova, competing as a champion in the Champions Tournament, while Giovanni acted as part of the gym leader-related divisions instead of him.

In Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Blue and Red were called to the Alola Islands together to act as bosses of the new Battle Tree once it was instated. When the new Alola champion Elio/Selene arrived at the Battle Tree for the first time, Blue introduced himself and Red to them. He congratulated the trainer for becoming a champion and offered to let the trainer choose which of the two of them to battle. Afterwards, the two of them began their roles as bosses of the Battle Tree. Blue specifically acted as a boss for Double Battles, and for Multi Battles, he and Red would fight Elio/Selene together.

Let's Go!

Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! acted as alternate versions of the first generation games. In this version, Red and Blue had already gone on a Pokémon journey in the past, but it was before the Pokédex was invented and also before Team Rocket had set their plans into motion. Instead of a Pokédex, Blue had to record information on the Pokémon that he encountered with a pencil on a map. He was said to have beaten the Elite Four and then was defeated by his rival, just as in the original games. He had been offered a position as a Gym Leader in the past, and he usually turned it down, because he felt that it would tie him down.

Within the events of the games, Blue had heard about new trainers who had received Pokémon from his grandfather, Chase/Elaine and Trace. He first encountered Chase/Elaine outside of the Pewter City gym. He introduced himself and was going to offer advice about defeating the gym leader, only to see that they had already defeated him. Blue gave them some Great Balls as a reward and told them to do a good job helping his grandfather. He later encountered both of the trainers on the S.S. Anne. He had been invited there to attend an exclusive party for trainers, but he had quickly grown bored of it. Instead, he talked to the young trainers about rumors that he heard about Team Rocket's activities. He decided to look into their plans and urged the other trainers to stay out of their way.

Blue met Chase/Elaine and Trace again at the Silph Co. building, which was under Team Rocket's control. They agreed that the two younger trainers would take on the Team Rocket members within the building, while Blue would travel around Kanto and defeat any other Team Rocket members that he came across. He planned to get information on Team Rocket's leader out of them, and he also considered reporting them to the Elite Four. Before he let, Blue asked each of the trainers to battle him in order to prove that they could take on Team Rocket. He was battled by Chase/Elaine and then Trace, using only two Pokémon for this battle. After being defeated, he acknowledged their worth and sent them along their way.

Chase/Elaine and Trace would find Blue again at Professor Oak's laboratory, after collecting seven badges and checking the Viridian Gym. Blue was proud of them for fending off Team Rocket and managing to defeat their leader. To congratulate them, Blue gave them Mega Stones. Blue was also puzzled to hear about the absence of Viridian's Gym Leader and decided to take a look. Regardless, the gym was soon opened. Blue met with Chase/Elaine outside of the gym after they defeated Giovanni, who promptly abandoned the gym. Blue was shocked that the leader of Team Rocket was Viridian's Gym Leader, and he realized that it was his time to step up to become a Gym Leader. So he quickly became Viridian's Gym Leader, and his first challenger was Trace, who defeated him to earn his final badge. After defeating the Elite Four and becoming the Pokémon League champion, Chase/Elaine could challenge Blue to battles at Viridian's gym on a daily basis. He also expressed his disapproval of the decor and considered redecorating.

Pokémon Roster

Blue's Pokémon team develops throughout the Red/Blue/Yellow/Firered/LeafGreen versions. In all games, he focuses on getting a team of diverse types that are hard to defeat, and his exact roster is a variable depending not only on the version of the game, but also on the choices made by Red and how well he fares in his battles with Blue.

Red/Blue

In Red, Green, Blue, FireRed and LeafGreen, Blue will pick whichever starter Pokémon has a type advantage over the Pokémon chosen by Red (such as picking Charmander if Red chooses Bulbasaur). The full list of Pokémon he uses during the original game is as follows:

• Bulbasaur/Ivysaur/Venusaur, Charmander/Charmeleon/Charizard or Squirtle/Wartortle/Blastoise - Blue's starter Pokémon that he uses in every battle. It will evolve into its second form before the Route 24 battle and into its third form by the Silph Co. battle.
• Pidgey/Pidgeotto/Pidgeot - The first Pokémon caught by Blue, and he uses it in every battle starting with the optional Route 22 battle. Evolves into Pidgeotto by the Route 24 battle and evolves into Pidgeot by the Silph Co. battle. Blue no longer uses Pidgeot in the second Indigo Plateau battle of FireRed and LeafGreen.
• Abra/Kadabra/Alakazam - Blue first uses an Abra in the Route 24 battle. It evolves into Kadabra by the S.S. Anne battle and into an Alakazam by the Silph Co. battle. Alakazam is also in Blue's Indigo Plateau line-up for all battles.
• Rattata/Raticate - First used in the Route 24 battle. It evolves into Raticate by the S.S. Anne battle and is not used afterwards.
• Growlithe/Arcanine - First used in the Pokémon Tower battle. It evolves into Arcanine by the Indigo Plateau battle. Arcanine is used in the Indigo Plateau battles, but only if Blue has a Venusaur or Blastoise.
• Exeggcute/Exeggutor - First used in the Pokémon Tower battle. It evolves into Exeggutor by the Indigo Plateau battle. Exeggutor is used in the first Indigo Plateau battle, but only if Blue has a Charizard or Blastoise.
• Rhyhorn/Rhydon - First used in the second Route 22 battle. It evolves into Rhydon by the Indigo Plateau battle. Rhydon is a part of Blue's Indigo Plateau line-up in the first match only.
• Gyarados - Blue uses it in the Indigo Plateau battles, but only if he also has a Venusaur or Charizard.
• Heracross - In FireRed and LeafGreen, he uses a Heracross in the second Indigo Plateau battle, in place of Pidgeot.
• Tyranitar - In FireRed and LeafGreen, he uses a Tyranitar in the second Indigo Plateau battle, in place of Rhydon.

Yellow Version

• 

  Blue with an Eevee, his starter in the Yellow Version
  Eevee/Vaporeon, Jolteon or Flareon - Eevee is Blue's starter Pokémon. He uses it in every battle. It evolves by the Silph Co. battle. Eevee becomes Vaporeon if Red loses his first battle with Blue, Jolteon if Red wins every battle with Blue (including the optional Route 22 battle) or Flareon if Red wins the first battle with Blue but loses the optional Route 22 battle or does not go there at all.
• Spearow/Fearow - Blue's first Pokémon that he uses in the optional Route 22 battle. It evolves into Fearow by the Pokémon Tower battle and is used by Blue in every battle until the Silph Co. battle, after which he no longer uses it.
• Sandshrew/Sandslash - First used in the Route 24 battle. Evolves into Sandslash by the second Route 22 battle. Blue uses it in every battle including the Indigo League battle.
• Rattata - Blue uses a Rattata in the Route 24 and S.S. Anne battles, but does not use it afterwards.
• Shellder/Cloyster - Blue first uses Shellder in the Pokémon Tower battle. It evolves into Cloyster by the Silph Co. battle. Blue uses Cloyster in his Indigo Plateau line-up, but only if Blue has either Jolteon or Flareon.
• Vulpix/Ninetales - First used by Blue in the Pokémon Tower battle. It evolves into Ninetales by the Silph Co. battle. Blue uses it in the Indigo Plateau battle only if he has either Vaporeon or Jolteon.
• Kadabra/Alakazam - Blue first uses Kadabra in the Silph Co. battle. It does not evolve until the Indigo Plateau battle.
• Exeggcute/Exeggutor - First used by Blue in the second Route 22 battle. It evolves into Exeggutor by the Indigo Plateau battle.
• Magneton - Blue uses a Magneton in the Indigo Plateau battle, but only if Blue has either a Vaporeon or Flareon.

Gym Leader Line-up

In Gold, Silver and Crystal (as well as HeartGold/SoulSilver) he has a stable line-up for a change, taken from his roster in the original Red/Green/Blue versions. Specifically, he uses Pidgeot, Alakazam, Rhydon, Exeggutor, Gyarados and Arcanine. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, he uses the following Pokémon in rematches:

• Exeggutor
• Machamp
• Rhyperior
• Arcanine
• Tyranitar
• Pidgeot

Later Appearances

In Black 2 and White 2, depending on the type of battle, Blue can use some number of Pokémon from a roster that consists of Aerodactyl, Exeggutor, Gyarados, Alakazam, Arcanine and Machamp. He uses all of those same Pokémon if Sun/Moon chooses to battle him at the Battle Tree in Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

For Battle Tree fights in Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, the Pokémon that he may use includes Pidgeot, Arcanine, Alakazam, Machamp, Exeggutor, Gyarados, Aerodactyl, Tyranitar and Rhyperior.

In Let's Go!, Blue uses an Exeggutor and Charizard during the first battle at Silph Co. When battling him at Viridian Gym, his roster consists of Tauros, Alakazam, Gyarados, Exeggutor, Aerodactyl and Charizard (which he Mega Evolves into Mega Charizard Y).

In Other Pokémon Games

Blue appeared as the final boss of the Gym Leader Castle in both modes of Pokémon Stadium. In this game, his team was once more a variable, depending on whether or not the player's team was transferred from one of the Game Boy games, and which game was used if so. If the player used Rental Pokémon, Blue's team consisted of Exeggutor, Slowbro, Ninetales, Clefable, Electabuzz and Pinsir. If Red or Blue versions were used, his team was similar the one used in the Indigo Plateau battle of those games, except that he used Magneton and Dodrio in place of Rhydon and Pidgeot. If Yellow Version was used, his Pokémon would the same as the ones he used in the Indigo Plateau battle of that game..

In Pokémon Stadium 2, Blue was the eighth and last of the Kanto gym leaders battled in the Gym Leader Castle. He had Pidgeot, Arcanine, Alakazam, Exeggutor, Rhydon and Gyarados in the first round. In the second round he instead used Gengar, Scyther, Piloswine, Houndoom, Kingdra and Miltank.

His anime counterpart, Gary Oak, made one video game appearance in Pokémon Puzzle League. He appeared as both the first and fifteenth opponent. Gary was the last boss of Hard Mode. In his first battle, he used Krabby, Growlithe and Nidoran♀. By the second battle, these Pokémon had evolved into Kingler, Arcanine and Nidoqueen.

Pokémon Masters EX

Blue was featured in Pokémon Masters EX. He was the first character seen in the game, as he hosted the game's introduction. Throughout the game's run, he has been made available as part of six potential Sync Pairs:

• His default form is based on his HeartGold/SoulSilver design and is paired with Pidgeot, which is capable of Mega Evolving. Available at random through the Sync Pair Scout since September 2019.
• Sygna Suit: Paired with Blastoise, which is capable of Mega Evolving, and available during limited time periods starting in August 2020. He is wearing a Sygna Suit designed to match Blastoie, including a blue-and-black jacket and black pants that have parts evocative of Blastoise's back cannons.
• Classic: Paired with Aerodactyl, which is capable of Mega Evolving, and available during limited time periods starting in September 2021. As implied by the title, this variant has Blue wearing his original outfit from the first generation games.
• Two alternate Pokémon are available for Blue in his default form through different means: Arcanine, which is unlocked through a Sync Pair-Up Event that originally ran in February 2022, and Exeggutor, which was unlocked by reaching Friendship Level 100 with Blue at the Trainer Lodge after he was added in August 2022.
• Noe Champion: Paired with Zapdos and available during limited time periods starting in September 2023. This depicts Blue in formalwear.

Blue has also been shown using his Alakazam in some events where he is battled as an opponent.

Storyline

Within the PML Arc of the Main Story, he was shown to be competing in the Pokémon Masters League tournament and appeared at the end of Chapter 26, where he and his Pidgeot had been drawn in by the Sync Pair Pinger that had been created by Clemont, Sophocles and Molayne. He ended up taking part in an (off-screen) training session with Scottie/Bettie's team before Red came to pick him up. In Chapter 30, the final match of the tournament pitted Scottie/Bettie's team against the team consisting of Blue, Red and Leaf, thus making them the final opponents of that story arc. Prior to the battle, Blue tried challenging Red to a battle, as he was growing frustrated at having to rely on Red in battle as a teammate and Red getting the spotlight. Blue ultimately agreed to put a rain check on the match, so that they could focus on the current battle. Ultimately, Scottie/Bettie's team defeated them to win the championship. Blue reappeared in the initial chapter of the Villain Arc, "Kanto: Team Rocket Returns", where he spearheaded the efforts to track down and battle Team Rocket once they became active against Pasio. He teamed up with Red in battle multiple times, including against Giovanni and Mewtwo. They were ultimately forced to let Giovanni go, as the Team Rocket leader kept on forcing Mega Mewtwo Y past its limits whenever they got the upper hand in battle, and they did not want the Pokémon to be hurt. Blue also kept an eye on Paulo after hearing that he had been approached by Team Rocket members, but he ultimately trusted him and would not act unless Paulo truly betrayed him. Paulo's drive to become stronger reminded Blue of how he used to be when he was younger.

Blue has also made appearances in a number of Events outside of the Main Story, from minor appearances to prominent ones. He was featured in the "Reach for the Top" event, where he tried to teach some lessons to Scottie/Bettie and introduced them to other trainers, only to find that the trainer had already recruited them to their team. For that event, Blue teamed up with Scottie/Bettie and Flannery. They tried to hold a series of elimination battles with the intention of fighting Misty, but it ended with a rematch against Bruno instead. He also made an appearance in the "Champion Time" Story Event, where he lost against Leon in an exhibition match. Blue was also featured in the Neo Champion Event "Three Trainers, Three Minds", in which Professor Oak assigned Blue, Red and Leaf to work with novice trainers as a Neo Champion Stadium challenge, and the three trainers decided to use Kanto's Legendary Birds for the challenge. Despite Blue's efforts in coaching his carges, he lost to Red's team in battle. It was believed that Blue had only taught them to win, so they had become afraid of losing. Regardless, Blue's team had done well both on the written and practical exam in Professor Oak's eyes, so Blue was awarded the title of Neo Champion alongside Red and Leaf.

He was also featured as the final opponent of the Kanto Challenge in Champion Stadium mode, as it featured the first generation's Elite Four line-up and thus Blue assumed his role as the champion.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon anime, the character of Gary was based on Blue (which in turn influenced the Yellow version of Blue). Like Blue, Gary was Professor Oak's grandson and the rival of Red's counterpart, Ash. Gary's starter Pokémon was not revealed until the end of the Johto arc, and it was a Squirtle, which had by then evolved into a Blastoise. Prior to that, he had used an Eevee which had been assumed to be his starter due to the Yellow Version; that Eevee later evolved into an Umbreon during a Johto episode. He was depicted as a braggart who was frequently accompanied by a squad of devoted cheerleaders. Unlike Red and Blue, Ash and Gary rarely battled, and their first few battles over the course of the Kanto and Johto episodes resulted in either a draw of Gary winning. Eventually, Ash defeated Gary in the Silver Conference at the end of the Johto series. Gary has since committed himself to becoming a Pokémon researcher like his grandfather, specializing in fossils, and has made occasional appearances in later series and specials.
• He appeared in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, which is based on the anime. Thus, he was named Gary and characterized similarly. During the Pokémon League tournament, he lost to Ritchie, and he was seen traveling with Ash in the end.
• Blue has appeared as a supporting character in the Pokémon Adventures manga, with a more sympathetic portrayal. In the Red/Green/Blue arc, he was shown as somewhat arrogant, but genuinely more skilled then Red in training Pokémon. His starter was a Charmander that ultimately evolved into Charizard (and much later on was able to Mega Evolve into Mega Charizard Y). He and Green gained supporting roles in aiding Red against Team Rocket, with Blue ultimately fighting and defeating Koga. After Team Rocket's fall, Blue made it to the finals of the Pokémon League tournament, where he lost to Red. In the Yellow arc, he helped to train Yellow, and during the arc's final battles on Crescent Island, he teamed up with Koga to defeat his grandfather's nemesis, Agatha. In the Gold/Silver/Crystal arc, he became Viridian City's gym leader after Red turned down the position, and Blue later aided in the final battles against the Mask of Ice. Red, Blue and Green were featured again in the FireRed/LeafGreen arcs, where they explored the Sevii Islands and battled the remnants of Team Rocket while teaching their starter Pokémon their ultimate moves. The Pokédex trainers were turned into statues at the end of the arc, but they were restored by Jirachi towards the end of the Emerald arc, at which point all of the Pokédex trainers aided in the final battle against Archie and his artificial Kyogre. He then appeared in the HeartGold/SoulSilver arc, where he helped Silver in an unsuccessful attempt to seek Giovanni. In the X/Y arc, he was revealed to have been a past disciple of Gurkinn and came to the Kalos region to seek out Zygarde, ultimately helping the arc's cast in the battles against Team Flare. His specialty among the Pokédex owners is shown to be Pokémon training.
• Blue was featured in the Pokémon Origins anime, where his characterization and storyline was based more directly on the first generation games. His starter Pokémon was a Squirtle in this version. After losing the championship, Blue was shown to make a failed attempt to capture Mewtwo, which resulted in the destruction of his Pokédex and Blue himself being badly injured.
• One episode of the Pokémon Generations anime was called "The Challenger" and depicted the story of Blue defeating the Elite Four to earn the championship.
• Green made a cameo appearance in the eighth episode of the Pokémon Evolutions anime, which was based on the Let's Go! games. During a montage at the end of the episode, he was seen sitting in the chair at the Viridian Gym while a challenger approached.

Trivia

• In the first generation games and its remakes, his name is chosen by the player, and he was simply called "Rival" in the Pokémon Stadium games. In his appearances outside of the first generation games, starting with his appearance in Gold/Silver, his official name was confirmed as Blue.
  • In Let's Go!, there is a meta joke about how his naming process from the original games. When first seeing Blue and Professor Oak together in the game, Oak would try to introduce them and jokingly ask what Blue's name is again. Blue retorts that the joke is never funny.
• Blue was named after the Blue Version, as Red and Blue were the names of the initial Pokémon versions to receive international release. In Japan, he is instead called Green, because the Green Version was the original version to be released alongside Red in Japan. Green would later be used as a default rival name in the American version of FireRed Version. Since then, Green has become the official name for the female trainer from Pallet Town who was introduced in the Let's Go! games.
• Blue is the only rival to appear in multiple generations (not counting remakes, and only if Wally is not counted as a rival) and is also unique in the number of positions he holds throughout the series: rival, champion, gym leader and later Battle Tree leader.
• He is also the only gym leader throughout the series who does not have a specific type theme.
• Outside of the first generation games in which he acts as a rival and their remakes, Blue does not use the evolved forms of any of Kanto's starter Pokémon in any of his line-ups within the mainline games. This is likely to prevent canonically establishing which Pokémon the characters chose in that game. The one exception is the Let's Go! games, where he has a Charizard, implying that he picked Charmander, although those games are separate from the continuity of other games.
• His role as the leader of the Viridian City gym doubles as a pun in the Japanese version, as in that version, Blue is known as Green, and the Earth Badge is known as the Green Badge.
• In the Let's Go! games, Trace takes Blue's original place in the first generation storyline and is battled at the same points in the games. However, his personality is different, as are his Pokémon roster (with the only Pokémon they share in common being the Pidgey/Pidgeotto/Pidgeot line - as well as Eevee in Let's Go, Pikachu! if counting Yellow).
• He is alluded to in Pokémon X and Y, where it is mentioned that he studied abroad at Kalos in the past. The NPC mentions that learned the word "Bonjour" fine but always said "smell ya later" when leaving. This references two of Blue's well-known phrases from the first generation games and the fact that one of those words is French, with Kalos being based on France itself.
• In the seventh generation games, Samson Oak mentions that he has been sending Z-Crystals to Blue to encourage him to visit Alola.