Silver

Silver in Pokémon: HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions.
Silver
Species	Human
Hair color	Red
Eye color	Red
Relatives	Giovanni (father)
Voiced by	Joe Zieja (2020)
Debut	Pokémon: Gold/Silver Versions

Silver is a Pokémon trainer who was featured as the rival character of the second generation games of the Pokémon series, acting as a recurring opponent in Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal Versions, as well as the HeartGold and SoulSilver remakes. The second rival character of the series, he was depicted in a more antagonistic nature than Blue, as he was shown to be willing to steal Pokémon for himself, but his character arc ultimately leads to becoming a better person. Silver is also known as the son of Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket who was featured as the villain of the first generation games, although this fact was not confirmed until HeartGold/SoulSilver. He is shown to oppose his father and despises Team Rocket.

Background

Silver was the son of Giovanni, the criminal mastermind who led Team Rocket. He was around the same age as Ethan/Lyra, but his upbringing led to him becoming a more cold-hearted trainer. As seen in a flashback within HeartGold/SoulSilver, after Giovanni's loss to Red, Silver was left feeling surprised and frustrated that his father, with his entire organization, had lost to a child. Giovanni left to train alone, but Silver refused to be like him and did not want to depend on "weaklings". So he left to begin achieving his dreams of being the best Pokémon trainer while treating his Pokémon as weapons of war (briefly bumping into a time-traveling Ethan/Lyra, technically making that their first meeting). Silver despised those whom he considered to be the weak, Pokémon and trainers alike, and sought strength above all so that he could wipe out the weak.

As shown in Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver, Silver got his first Pokémon (one with a type advantage over Ethan/Lyra's) when he broke into the lab of Professor Elm and stole it. As he passed through Cherrygrove City, he met with Ethan/Lyra and battled them. Whether or not he lost, Silver then told the trainer his name and ambition before passing along. Ethan/Lyra next encountered him at the Sprout Tower, where he had brutally defeated the Pokémon of the elder Li in order to receive HM 01: Flash. Li complied with the deal, but also warned him against dealing harshly with his Pokémon. Silver ignored his advice, called him weak and left.

Silver then confronted Ethan/Lyra by the gate to the Ilex Forest after hearing that Team Rocket had returned. Silver harbored his own hatred for Team Rocket and said that their members were all weak individually, so he was eager to defeat them. After Ethan/Lyra claimed to have beaten the local Team Rocket members, Silver battled them to test his strength. He lost and blamed this defeat on his Pokémon being weak. Silver wanted Ethan/Lyra to stay out of his way so he could take down Team Rocket. They then met at the Burned Tower in Ecruteak City, where Silver was hoping to find a legendary Pokémon. Finding Ethan/Lyra there, he assumed that they were also after the legendary Pokémon and battled them again to see who was more worthy. After being beaten again, he claimed that Ethan/Lyra would never be able to catch a legendary Pokémon anyway and left.

Silver's original Gold/Silver art.

Ethan/Lyra ran into Silver as he left the Olivine Gym, finding it empty due to the gym leader Jasmine taking care of a sick Ampharos. Silver expressed frustration at this, as from his point of view a Pokémon that could not battle was worthless, and weak Pokémon should just be let go. He also suggested Ethan/Lyra train at the lighthouse to become less weak, which coincidentally turned out to be where Jasmine was. Silver then sought to fulfill his vendetta against Team Rocket and fought his way through their base in Mahogany Town. However, he was easily defeated by Lance this time and met with Ethan/Lyra on his way out. He was haunted by Lance's words that he didn't love and trust his Pokémon enough.

Silver later followed Ethan/Lyra into the Team Rocket base at Goldenrod City and then prepared to defeat the trainer so that they would not get in the way during his battle with Team Rocket. In HeartGold/SoulSilver, he was actually following Ethan/Lyra to find Lance in an attempt to get a rematch with him, and when he saw the trainer trying to disguise their self as a Team Rocket member, he forced them to take off the uniform, exposing the trainer to Team Rocket. When Silver confronted Ethan/Lyra again in the underground warehouse, he challenged them to another battle. Chalking his previous losses up to being flukes, he wanted to repay his debts. Silver lost again to Ethan/Lyra and began to wonder if Lance was right, but he stil remained committed to his dreams of becoming the greatest Pokémon trainer.

In HeartGold and SoulSilver, he was also seen leaving the Kimono Girls' home after being defeated by them. Silver did not meet Ethan/Lyra again until he approached the Indigo Plateau to take on the Pokémon League challenge. Silver said it was impossible due to Ethan/Lyra being so much weaker than him and claimed that his Pokémon had become invincible since their last battle. The following defeat caused Silver to have a full epiphany, and he left to find out what he lacked. Silver swore to still become the strongest trainer and then defeat Ethan/Lyra.

Silver next battled Ethan/Lyra at the entrance to Mt. Moon after making his way to Kanto. Despite another loss, Silver this time admitted defeat and demonstrated humility before he departed for further training. However, his dialogue is altered in HeartGold/SoulSilver to undo his having a full epiphany yet; he still blamed his loss on his Pokémon being weak, although he also admitted that they were getting stronger after each battle, and he decided to train them at the Dragon's Den.

He then traveled to the Dragon's Den and began training there, but he was disappointed that the Master of the dragon clan refused to teach him anything. The first time that Ethan/Lyra visited him there in HeartGold/SoulSilver, Lance and Clair showed up, and Silver immediately challenged Lance to a battle. Lance proposed a double battle with him and Ethan/Lyra against Silver and Clair, but Silver refused to work with Clair because of her embarrassing costume. Thus it became a double battle with Ethan/Lyra and Silver working together against Lance and Clair. After they won, Silver felt that it was not supposed to go that way and promised that he would defeat Ethan/Lyra by training both his Pokémon and his heart.

In all versions, Silver was ultimately found training in the Dragon's Den every Tuesday and Thursday, but he made sure not to push his Pokémon too hard. Every Monday and Wednesday, Silver would appear at the Indigo Plateau to challenge Ethan/Lyra again, showing humility each time he was defeated.

Pokémon Roster

Throughout the seven battles with Silver in the game, he uses the following Pokémon:

• Chikorita/Bayleef/Meganium, Cyndaquil/Quilava/Typhlosion, or Totodile/Croconaw/Feraligatr - Silver's stolen starter Pokémon. He picks whichever Pokémon has a type advantage against the one chosen by the player. This starter Pokémon first evolves prior to the Ilex Forest battle and then again before the Goldenrod battle (although Quilava instead evolves before the Victory Road battle).
• Gastly/Haunter/Gengar - Blue first uses Gastly during the Ilex Forest battle. It evolves into Haunter by the Burned Tower battle and Gengar by the Mt. Moon battle.
• Zubat/Golbat/Crobat - Silver first uses this Pokémon during the Ilex Forest battle. It evolves into Golbat by the Goldenrod City battle and into Crobat only before the Indigo Plateau rematches. This seems to be a subtle acknowledgment of Silver treating his Pokémon better, as Golbat evolves through happiness.
• Magnemite/Magneton - First used during the Burned Tower battle. It becomes a Magneton by the Victory Road battle.
• Sneasel - First used during the Goldenrod City battle.
• Kadabra/Alakazam - First used during the Victory Road battle. It evolves by the Mt. Moon battle.

In Other Pokémon Games

Silver appears in Pokémon Stadium 2 as the final boss of the Gym Leader's Castle in all modes. Referred to as simply the Rival, his Pokémon roster in this game consists only of the legendary Pokémon Mewtwo, Ho-Oh and Lugia.

Pokémon Masters EX

In Pokémon Masters EX, Silver was introduced and featured in the Legendary Event "Pure Hearts and Rainbow Wings" starting at the end of April 2020, through which he and Ho-oh could be recruited as a playable sync pair. His Feraligatr could also be unlocked as an alternate sync partner by reaching Friendhip Level 100 with Silver at the Trainer Lodge starting in August 2022. A Sygna Suit variant with his Sneasel (which was previously shown as his initial sync partner prior to syncing with Ho-oh) was later made available through the Sync Pair Scout during limited time periods, starting in June 2023. His character arc from the second generation games was referenced, and it was shown that he was still standoffish and refused to recognize Ethan and others as friends rather than rivals. A flashback in the Villain Arc also showed Silver's team from the second generation games, indicating that his starter Pokémon was a Totodile that evolved into his Feraligatr.

During the "Pure Hearts and Rainbow Wings" event, Silver attempted to search for Ho-oh with Ethan, Scottie/Bettie and Valerie. After learning that Ho-oh would only appear before pure-hearted trainers, Silver became reluctant about taking part, because he did not consider himself to be good enough, as much as Lance attempted to convince him otherwise. Silver eventually confronted Ho-oh, but he abandoned the chance to battle it in favor of helping Ethan and Valerie to fend off a Team Break ambush. This was enough to prove Silver as pure-hearted in Ho-oh's eyes, and the Pokémon chose to partner with him. Prior to that, Silver was shown being accompanied by his Sneasel as his partner. Silver later played a supporting role in the "Father or Foe" Story Event, in which helped N to deal with Ghetsis and Team Break, as well as ultimately Giovanni. Silver related with N about his father issues and ultimately told N that he could live on without one. During the ultimate confrontation of the event, Silver convinced Giovanni to stand down. Silver also appeared in the Story Event "A Golden Future", in which he investigated alleged Ho-Oh feathers going around Pasio that did not come from his own Pokémon, ultimately discovering a scheme in which Team Rocket members were distributing fake feathers. He helped Morty to shut them down and let him know that he did not need a feather when he met his Ho-Oh. Silver (in his Sygna Suit) was later featured in the "Chase the Northern Wind" Story Event, in which he competed with Eusine in trying to forge a bond with a Shiny Suicune that had appeared on Pasio. It ultimately chose Eusine, which Silver accepted, and Silver was shown reflecting on his dreams to surpass others and become the world's strongest trainer. Eusine gave Silver a Pokémon Egg that he hoped would help him with his dream.

Silver was also featured during the Johto Chapter of the Villain Arc, in which he took on members of Team Rocket in order to foil their attempts to take on Pasio. Throughout the chapter, Silver was stubbornly insistent on working alone against Team Rocket, as he felt that working with others and relying on their strength made one weak. He believed that because of the way Team Rocket itself operates, and the only exception he made was training with Pryce. He was particularly set on defeating Giovanni on his own, but during the final battle of the arc, he found himself outmatched by Giovanni when they battle. Ethan ultimately had to intervene, breaking a promise he had made to Silver not to do so in the process. Regardless, Silver accepted his help as he recognized that he had hit his limits and that saving Pasio from Giovanni was more important at the moment. Team Rocket was driven back, and Silver swore to take down Giovanni on his own next time. He was also set on defeating Ethan as his rival, and Lyra and Kris both assured Ethan that this was Silver's way of showing that they had become closer.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• Within the Pokémon anime, Silver has only made a cameo appearance in the Japanese opening for the Pokémon Chronicles episode "Legend of Thunder", where Jimmy (the anime version of Gold) was seen looking up angrily at Silver after Silver had defeated his Cyndaquil with a Nidoking. It has also been speculated that Paul, a rival character for Ash in the Diamond and Pearl series, was loosely based on Silver, due to their similar battling attitudes and some similarities in their physical appearances.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Silver was originally featured in the Gold/Silver/Crystal arc after making a foreshadowing cameo in the last chapter of the Yellow arc. It was later revealed that as a child, he had been captured by the Mask of Ice using Lugia, who raised with other children to serve as his heartless servants. He was paired with Green, but the two were able to escape him. Afterwards they remained in contact as they sought the truths about their parents as well as seeking to bring down the Mask of Ice. Silver stole Professor Elm's Totodile as part of this effort and masw his way across Johto, while being pursued by Gold, although eventually they begin to befriend each other until they were attacked by the Mask of Ice and nearly killed. However, Entei was able to bring them to safety until Crystal saved them, and the three united for the final battles against the Mask of Ice and Team Rocket, with Silver taking down Will, another of children raised by the Mask of Ice. Silver reappeared in the FireRed/LeafGreen arc, where Yellow brought Silver to Viridian City to find his parents, knowing that he must have come from there by scanning the memory of the Sneasel Silver had since childhood. Giovanni was ultimately revealed as Silver's father, and although Silver was initially disgusted by this, Giovanni ultimately risked his life by holding Silver above burning wreckage. This caused Silver to begin respecting his father. He was turned into stone with the other Pokédex-bearing trainers at the end of the arc, until they were all revived by a wish on Jirachi at the end of the Emerald arc, at which point all the Pokédex trainers teamed up against Archie and the fake Kyogre. He later played a large role in the HeartGold/SoulSilver arc. Out of the ten Pokédex trainers, Silver is shown to specialize in Pokémon training.
• In the Pokémon Generations anime, Silver was featured in one episode where Looker questioned him about Giovanni's whereabouts. This appearance included a flashback to Silver and Giovanni's conversation from HeartGold/SoulSilver.

Trivia

• Like the previous rival, his name is chosen by the player. The name of Silver was taken from his default names in Gold and Crystal, based on the naming pattern used for Red and Blue for the first generation games. Although the canon name for the male second generation protagonist ultimately turned out to be Ethan rather than Gold, the name of Silver was retained and confirmed as this character's canon name when he was added to Pokémon Masters EX in 2020.
• Another popular fan name for him was Kamon, which was taken from the possible names for the male player character in HeartGold/SoulSilver.
• Silver was first implied to be Giovanni's son in FireRed and LeafGreen Versions, where a scientist mentions that Giovanni's son has red hair, which was accompanied by the Adventures adaptation of those games directly showing Silver being Giovanni's son. This was finally confirmed for game canon in HeartGold/SoulSilver.