2nd Gen Most forgotten characters?

[BettyNewbie]

Everybody knows who Red, Blue, and Prof. Oak are, as well as Brock and Misty. They are all some of the most widely-recognized and iconic characters from the franchise. Even people who haven't touched Pokémon since 1999 know who they are.

But, what about those characters who didn't *quite* get that far? The ones that even the fandom barely remembers, let alone the mainstream? While the first two Generations don't have as many of these characters as later Gens (for better or worse), they still have their fair share:

1. Kris. She was the game's first female player character ever, and yet, she's been completely forgotten, long since overshadowed by newer, more heavily promoted female PCs like May, Dawn, and Hilda. I guess that's what getting cut from the remakes will do to you, alas. (Remember that Crystal came out before many younger fans were even born.) It's a shame, too, since she has one of the coolest designs of any player character, male or female.

2. Leaf/Green. Talk about a shat-upon character. Not only was she cut from the original games due to space issues, but she has also received little to no acknowledgment outside of her debut games, FireRed and LeafGreen, never appearing in the anime in any way, shape, or form, never appearing in any promotional material (outside of an early PBR commercial), and so forth. The ultimate F*** You came when she failed to return in the very sequels to FRLG, HeartGold and SoulSilver, written completely out of the games' canon. While her male counterpart is one of the most iconic characters ever, she doesn't even have an official name. (No official materials have ever referred to her as "Leaf." That name was only mined from FRLG's data.) What a crappy way to go.

3. Lorelei. Elite Four Members, in general, tend to get the shaft, but compared to the other Indigo Elites (usually the most developed and memorable of the bunch), Lorelei has probably gotten it the worst. The original games failed to even give her the slightest bit of characterization and made her vanish without a trace in GSC. FRLG tried to amend that, but it was half-hearted (like everything else in those games), and she, yet again, failed to return in HGSS. In fact, she has failed to be seen or even, heard from in any game since then (something even Agatha's gotten, being referenced by Shauntal in B2W2), making her one of the only NPCs to have never appeared on the DS or 3DS. It seems like Game Freak really wants to forget about her (Gee, I wonder why? *cough*Jynx*cough*), which is a huge shame. I've always found her to be one of the coolest and most interesting Pokémon characters.

4. Daisy Oak. I guess when you're nestled in-between a super-famous and iconic grandfather[/a] and younger brother, it's easy to fade into the background. It's not hard to see why Daisy has been forgotten--She doesn't even have a battle sprite, let alone any kind of official art, and she has zero characterization beyond "cool older sister." The Fame Checker hinted at her being a skilled coordinator of some sort ("The Spring Pokémon Contest's Grand Champion is Daisy Oak of Pallet Town!"), but that was never expanded upon in any other games. You could wipe her out of existence, and not a single thing would change about the games. That's how non-relevant she is.
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[Arylett Charnoa]

I kind of disagree about Kris and Leaf, because the fandom tends to bring up these two a lot from what I've seen. People were complaining about how Lyra wasn't Kris in HGSS, and I saw a few complaining about Leaf's lack in HGSS too.

However, I can agree about Lorelei and Daisy Oak though. Lorelei is my favorite Pokemon human design of all. (Probably because of non-cartoony, generally realistic, and librarianlike she looks. I have a thing for bookish girls) And I really would love to see more of her. And Daisy Oak is so forgettable that the coffee in guy in Viridian is remembered more than she is, because he bars your path.

Also, I think Copycat is kind of forgettable. She's just this weird thing that only appears in the first two generations and nowhere else. They don't even make similar characters based on her later on.

 

[BettyNewbie]

I kind of disagree about Kris and Leaf, because the fandom tends to bring up these two a lot from what I've seen. People were complaining about how Lyra wasn't Kris in HGSS, and I saw a few complaining about Leaf's lack in HGSS too.

That was 5 years ago, though, and either way, the male PCs are almost always more popular than the female ones (with the possible exceptions of May and Dawn). Plus, Crystal and FRLG are both 10-15 years old now (older than many younger fans), and there's a lot of fans who started with Gen 4 or later and thus, might not even know who Kris or Leaf are. And, it's hard to deny that Game Freak has forgotten them...

However, I can agree about Lorelei and Daisy Oak though. Lorelei is my favorite Pokemon human design of all. (Probably because of non-cartoony, generally realistic, and librarianlike she looks. I have a thing for bookish girls) And I really would love to see more of her.

*High five* She's my favorite Elite Four Member (well, tied with Lance and Karen), too. Like Misty, I looked up to her as an idol, being a bookish type in glasses who liked Water and Psychic types (she's probably the only reason I ever raised up Lola the Jynx to L100 in Blue), and it upsets me that both the games and fandom have forgotten her so much.

Believe it or not, you're more likely to find fanfic/art for Youngster Joey than Lorelei, and what you do find is 90% degrading, sexist fetish crap. (Because, people are incapable of finding depth in female NPCs that aren't Cynthia, apparently...) It's criminal, I tell you!

How would you like to see her reappear in the games? (Besides a Gen 1 remake.) I wouldn't mind seeing a Sevii Islands-based game (set during Gen 2) that fleshes the islands out into a full region and has her return as Champion of the Sevii League.

And Daisy Oak is so forgettable that the coffee in guy in Viridian is remembered more than she is, because he bars your path.

LOL, tell me about it. You can still progress through the entire game without ever having spoken to Daisy once, which is just sad. The fact that her name is more associated with Misty's sister from the anime (which is what a Google search of "Pokemon Daisy" mostly gets you) only makes it worse.

Also, I think Copycat is kind of forgettable. She's just this weird thing that only appears in the first two generations and nowhere else. They don't even make similar characters based on her later on.

I agree. Only in Gen 2 is she really necessary for completing the game (where she gives you the Rail Pass), and even then, she's easy to miss. The TM associated with her, Mimic, wasn't terribly good or useful, either.

 

[Arylett Charnoa]

That was 5 years ago, though, and either way, the male PCs are almost always more popular than the female ones (with the possible exceptions of May and Dawn). Plus, Crystal and FRLG are both 10-15 years old now (older than many younger fans), and there's a lot of fans who started with Gen 4 or later and thus, might not even know who Kris or Leaf are. And, it's hard to deny that Game Freak has forgotten them...

I suppose that's true. But it always seems like there's loads of artwork of them. I can agree definitely though that Gamefreak probably won't be doing anything with these two themselves. ;~;

*High five* She's my favorite Elite Four Member (well, tied with Lance and Karen), too. Like Misty, I looked up to her as an idol, being a bookish type in glasses who liked Water and Psychic types (she's probably the only reason I ever raised up Lola the Jynx to L100 in Blue), and it upsets me that both the games and fandom have forgotten her so much.

Believe it or not, you're more likely to find fanfic/art for Youngster Joey than Lorelei, and what you do find is 90% degrading, sexist fetish crap. (Because, people are incapable of finding depth in female NPCs that aren't Cynthia, apparently...) It's criminal, I tell you!

How would you like to see her reappear in the games? (Besides a Gen 1 remake.) I wouldn't mind seeing a Sevii Islands-based game (set during Gen 2) that fleshes the islands out into a full region and has her return as Champion of the Sevii League.

Youngster Joey? Really? Well, he IS a meme. Comedic things do receive more artwork, but it's sad when a random NPC is more remembered then you are.

Sevii Islands would be a nice way for her to reappear. And as champion to boot! But I guess I'd just like to see her appear in the latest installment as a semi-important character who is recurring. Maybe she moves to a different region entirely and that's why we don't see her so often. And you get to have a double battle with her because she accompanies you for a bit there. Just kind of having her do something important in another region. She could also be a researcher of whatever the latest Legendary box arts are.

I agree. Only in Gen 2 is she really necessary for completing the game (where she gives you the Rail Pass), and even then, she's easy to miss. The TM associated with her, Mimic, wasn't terribly good or useful, either.

But I liked Mimic. D: It's fun to imitate the attacks of others. It is a nice gimmick, at least. I'm just kind of sad they forgot about something that could've been used in an interesting way. I could see her being a contest coordinator in the future, who likes to mimic her own Pokemon, maybe.

 

[Free Roamer]

I was about to say Kris, but it's because she's forgotten that fans (particularly older ones) care about her so much and push for a return in some shape or form.

Paradoxical much?

 

[BettyNewbie]

Sevii Islands would be a nice way for her to reappear. And as champion to boot! But I guess I'd just like to see her appear in the latest installment as a semi-important character who is recurring. Maybe she moves to a different region entirely and that's why we don't see her so often. And you get to have a double battle with her because she accompanies you for a bit there. Just kind of having her do something important in another region. She could also be a researcher of whatever the latest Legendary box arts are.

She could be both of those things--a Researcher of whatever Box Legendary (preferably a Water/Ice, Water/Psychic, or Ice/Psychic type) who helps the protagonist along the way, helps them beat the evil team, and returns at the end of the League as the Champion. Yeah, it's a little reminiscent of Steven/Cynthia, but at least, it's being done with a previously existing character and not a brand new one.

(Slightly OT, but am I the only one who wants to see more games that directly tie in with previous ones, whether through returning characters or even, returning regions, instead of everything taking place in an isolated region with a completely brand new cast of characters? That's a big reason why I love Gen 2 so much.)

But I liked Mimic. D: It's fun to imitate the attacks of others. It is a nice gimmick, at least. I'm just kind of sad they forgot about something that could've been used in an interesting way. I could see her being a contest coordinator in the future, who likes to mimic her own Pokemon, maybe.

That, along with Daisy, might be a casualty of FRLG not including contests. These characters could've easily been used to promote and introduce contests into Kanto/Sevii, but because they decided to make FRLG resemble to original games as much as possible and exclude features that had been introduced in GSC and RS, none of that happened. All we got was a Fame Checker tidbit about Daisy being a skilled coordinator that was never brought up again in any other game. I'm not a fan of contests, myself, but talk about a missed opportunity.

I was about to say Kris, but it's because she's forgotten that fans (particularly older ones) care about her so much and push for a return in some shape or form.

Paradoxical much?

Emphasis on older fans. You don't really see people who started with Gen 3 or later pushing for her to return. Otherwise, I agree.

 

[Free Roamer]

Emphasis on older fans. You don't really see people who started with Gen 3 or later pushing for her to return. Otherwise, I agree.

Gens I and II are kinda what I meant.

 

[BettyNewbie]

Gens I and II are kinda what I meant.

Which, is kind of the definition of "forgotten," if only people who played the first two Gens remember her. Nowadays, there's a lot of fans who literally haven't touched anything that came out before the DS; they associate Johto with Lyra, not Kris.

Trying to think up of some other forgotten characters...

 

[Astraea]

Daisy oak didnt really had a major role in the game as we all know, i dont agree with lorelei being forgotten, cause she was one of the best e4s in kanto. and ris i would say was one of the underrated characters.

 

[BettyNewbie]

Daisy oak didnt really had a major role in the game as we all know

She was the granddaughter of the region's Professor and the older sister of your rival. She was obviously important enough to have a unique name and overworld sprite. And, it's not like fandom hasn't embraced NPCs who played even less important roles in the games. (*cough*Youngster Joey*cough*)

i dont agree with lorelei being forgotten, cause she was one of the best e4s in kanto.

She hasn't been seen or heard from in *any* game in a full 10 years, and is one out of 5 remaining major NPCs (along with Jessie, James, Agatha, and Celio) who has never appeared on the modern handhelds. (Thus, the many people who started with Gen 4 or later probably don't even know who she is.) You're more likely to find fanfic and fanart for the aforementioned Youngster Joey than for her. How is that not "forgotten"?

and Kris i would say was one of the underrated characters.

That, I do agree with. It's a shame she wasn't brought back in HGSS.

 

[Judge Mandolore Shepard]

When it comes to Daisy Oak was the back in RBY, she was the one that gave you the Town Map. As for in GSC, she was useful if you felt like getting your Pokemon a massage, but it was only at a certain time of day. As for Kris, I don't think I recall using her since I don't think I played Crystal. Now when it comes to Lorelei, she is certainly the bookish sort and a great Elite Four member. Plus I have seen fan art of her.

 

[BettyNewbie]

When it comes to Daisy Oak was the back in RBY, she was the one that gave you the Town Map. As for in GSC, she was useful if you felt like getting your Pokemon a massage, but it was only at a certain time of day.

She only gave massages in HGSS. She was completely useless in the original Gen 2. Where is this star coordinator the Fame Checker spoke of? :|

Now when it comes to Lorelei, she is certainly the bookish sort and a great Elite Four member. Plus I have seen fan art of her.

And, most fanart you see is either 10 years old or is sexist, degrading fetish crap. A strong, powerful trainer like her deserves more respect. -_-

 

[Bellsprout]

I'm going with Karen. I wouldn't say she's really forgotten because I believe she is liked and everyone always quotes her line, but in the games there is so little on her and she was undoubtedly so cool. Pretty sure she wasn't in the anime either :(

 

[BettyNewbie]

I'm going with Karen. I wouldn't say she's really forgotten because I believe she is liked and everyone always quotes her line, but in the games there is so little on her and she was undoubtedly so cool. Pretty sure she wasn't in the anime either :(

Elite Four members, in general, tend to get pushed aside. They rarely get any meaningful development in the games (only Lorelei, Lance, Koga, Flint, Caitlin, and Malva have even been seen outside of their rooms), and they almost never appear in the anime.

Even to this day, only 12 of the 31 total Elite Four members have even appeared in the anime--Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, Lance, Koga (who appeared as a Gym Leader), Drake, Aaron, Bertha, Flint, Lucian, Caitlin, and Siebold. (In other words, the entirety of Gens 1 and 4, and one from each of the other Gens.) The fact that the anime seems to deliberately minimize the Elite Four's role by ending every arc with a tournament (complete with random plot device to make Ash lose) doesn't help matters.

I like Karen, myself (in fact, she's one of my favorites), and it's a shame that she never got more development. She was the games' first ever Dark specialist and a strong woman, to boot. That being said, I don't think she's as forgotten as Lorelei; even though the latter got far more development in the games (hard as it is to believe), the former last appeared far more recently (5 years ago as opposed to 10), and her "Strong Pokémon, weak Pokémon" quote is too memorable.

 

[Mega_Kris]

My absolute favorite character is probably Liz picnicker. She always had the greatest phone calls. even though she was useless, i always avoided removing her from my contacts, especially when she confuses you for Tania.

 

[BettyNewbie]

My absolute favorite character is probably Liz picnicker. She always had the greatest phone calls. even though she was useless, i always avoided removing her from my contacts, especially when she confuses you for Tania.

I remember her, too. Strange how she has been forgotten, while the (annoying) Joey has become a fandom icon.

I always liked the three Cooltrainers you could get the numbers of on Routes 26-27: Reena, Gaven, and Beth (Jamie in HGSS). Being Cooltrainers, they were a good source of money and EXP, and they had some great phone calls, too. I loved how snotty and overconfident Reena was. (And, like most male Cooltrainers, Gaven was pretty easy on the eyes. :3c)

Those Twins in the Dragon's Den (Lea & Pia in Crystal; Clea & Gil in HGSS) have always intrigued me, too. Not only are they the only trainers there who aren't Cooltrainers, but one of them tells you this after beating them: "It was like having to battle Lance." This suggests that they're close relatives of his, such as nieces, younger cousins, or possibly even younger sisters. (It also suggests that he might babysit them often.) It wouldn't have minded seeing this explored more. (Lance being a cool babysitter/older brother figure sounds soooo adorable! ^_^)

 

[Mega_Kris]

some of them are decent, but LIz is my alltime favorite....the way she responds with "listen! listen!"

 

[curiousnathan]

I definitely agree with Kris. She was practically forgotten in HGSS which is a shame because I found her way more badass than Lyra who took a more cute girl demeanour.

 

[BettyNewbie]

I definitely agree with Kris. She was practically forgotten in HGSS which is a shame because I found her way more badass than Lyra who took a more cute girl demeanour.

As good of remakes as HGSS were, they were lousy games for female PCs--Kris was replaced, Leaf was erased from canon, and Lyra was a horrible stereotype. I'd like to see future remakes right these wrongs.

 

[Mega_Kris]

Kris is still remembered even to newer fans. Especially those who skipped the remakes and went to the originals.

But even so, keep in mind that these games although intended to have female PCs, we didnt see them fluorish until Ruby/Sapphire. For example, I hate Leaf. Kris still holds a torch in my eyes but she was never made fully canon which angers me.