Which design of Red do you prefer?

[fenyx4]

This may be due to me being more partial to Pokemon FireRed Version (my first journey in Kanto, which involved me staring at the new artwork for Red and Leaf for quite a while XD), but I think the Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen Versions artwork is more fitting for Red compared to the Pokemon Red/Blue/Green/Yellow Versions artwork. The FR/LG version looks more confident, slightly-but-not-too-much mature, collected (he just lets his backpack hang by both straps rather than grabbing one of them, while one of his hands just idles in one of his pockets, and he seems prepared with that nifty little gadget by his side (the VS Seeker)), with a no-nonsense-yet-possibly-uncertain-about-some-things look about him (as if to say "Just try to send out a Pokemon...it's futile") plus baggy pants (jeans?) FTW!

Red's older RBGY design is decent (I essentially envision the older RBGY design as "10-year-old" Red, and the newer FR/LG design as "13-year-old/teenage Red", canon be darned), although I really get irritated about how most of the fanmade artwork I've seen for RBGY Red makes him look like a 16/18-year-old pretty boy. Like seriously, he's ten eleven. >_> Even while Pokemon Black/White Versions 2 make Red plausibly attain the age of 16, fanart still makes him look implausibly handsome, in my opinion... FR/LG Red, on the other hand, looks like a rugged-yet-experienced look that I can support. The one mark I would give against FR/LG Red is that his Generation 3 jeans look way too skinny in the sprite form, although I guess that properly helps him seem even more inexperienced, somewhat. I have to agree that the RBGY sprites for Red feel iconic, in a way.

 

[Hikamaru]

The FR/LG design suits him better. It fits in more with his silent talking nature, which is heavily shown with his appearance in the Johto games. His original design wasn't really that great at all.

 

[LusoTrainer]

I'm one of those who played Red/Blue back in the '90s so the original artwork is a bit nostalgic, but I have to say that I prefer FRLG, both in terms of artwork and sprites.

I wouldn't say the same for Gold though. His original artwork is much better than the new one.

 

[Mark Kamill]

Origins' Red design is the right answer when going for the FRLG asthetic. The saturation isn't all over the place, and the black on the jacket makes more sense. Oh and cargo pants always are cooler.

 

[AquaMarine8]

I prefer his FR/LG design, although I kinda wished his hair was black like in the originals...

 

[sirboulevard]

I prefer FRLG Red personally. I know alot of people like RBY's for nostalgia value, but I'm very happy they changed his design away from its original appearance specifically because of the similarities to Ash. Worth noting that at one point GameFreak themselves were going to have Red actually be named Satoshi in GSC and then changed their minds to go with an original character (hence why Red's iconic team is so similar to Ash's of that time frame).

Personally, the new design hits all the points needed to identify him as a separate character (Which was desperately needed), as well as keeping enough of the old aesthetics to make him recognizable. I've also become disgruntled with Red's RBY appearance as I've gotten older thanks to the fan art versions of him. That's not the character, guys. I can appreciate the occasional stylized version of a character. But when that stylized version become alot people's personal fanon, something's gone horribly wrong.

 

[BettyNewbie]

I prefer FRLG Red personally. I know alot of people like RBY's for nostalgia value, but I'm very happy they changed his design away from its original appearance specifically because of the similarities to Ash.

Well, that's pretty much the exact reason they redesigned Red. They wanted to separate Red (and by extension, the games themselves) from Ash and the (increasingly childish) anime. (Notice that Ash also got a pretty radical and very un-Red like redesign around this time, too.)

Worth noting that at one point GameFreak themselves were going to have Red actually be named Satoshi in GSC and then changed their minds to go with an original character (hence why Red's iconic team is so similar to Ash's of that time frame).

I can see that. One pre-GSC adaptation of the Gen 1 games, Pokémon Zensho, actually called Red "Satoshi" (and Blue, "Shigeru"), and Satoshi/Ash and Shigeru/Gary were always preset names from Day One. (Hence, the reason why the anime characters got those names.) Red/Ash and Blue/Gary were largely seen as interchangeable before GSC established them as separate characters.

I've also become disgruntled with Red's RBY appearance as I've gotten older thanks to the fan art versions of him. That's not the character, guys. I can appreciate the occasional stylized version of a character. But when that stylized version become alot people's personal fanon, something's gone horribly wrong.

Yeah, I know which fanart you're talking about. I still love original Red, but I can't stand those depictions of him as some lanky, brooding "badass" with red eyes who never smiles or talks. (Red's lack of dialog in GSC was meant to be a joke about him being a silent protagonist in RBY, not an interpretation of him as some dark, brooding troubled soul.)

 

[LusoTrainer]

Worth noting that at one point GameFreak themselves were going to have Red actually be named Satoshi in GSC and then changed their minds to go with an original character (hence why Red's iconic team is so similar to Ash's of that time frame).

It had nothing to do with the anime. Red's team are the starters and in-game event Pokémon because it's tied to and better represents his storyline.

 

[sirboulevard]

It had nothing to do with the anime. Red's team are the starters and in-game event Pokémon because it's tied to and better represents his storyline.

Pre-release information for GSC written by the dev staff at GameFreak called Red "Satoshi" in 1997. His name was changed to Red (Aki) at the last minute.

 

[LusoTrainer]

Pre-release information for GSC written by the dev staff at GameFreak called Red "Satoshi" in 1997. His name was changed to Red (Aki) at the last minute.

I'm not talking about the name (which is a reference to Taijiri-san, not the anime), but the team.

 

[BettyNewbie]

I'm not talking about the name (which is a reference to Taijiri-san, not the anime), but the team.

The team was based on Yellow, which was inspired by the anime. (Which is one of many reasons why it should've been changed in HGSS. FRLG didn't acknowledge Yellow, so HGSS shouldn't have either.)

 

[LusoTrainer]

The team was based on Yellow

No, it wasn't. The team was based on the starters of each Gen 1 game and event-Pokémon of Kanto so that it represents everyone.

 

[Aether★]

I prefer the FR/LG Red. Looks more badass, his eyes are more determined, those clothes fit him more as well.

 

[BettyNewbie]

No, it wasn't. The team was based on the starters of each Gen 1 game and event-Pokémon of Kanto so that it represents everyone.

And, what is the only Gen 1 game where you can get all through in-game events without trading? :rolleyes2:

 

[LusoTrainer]

And, what is the only Gen 1 game where you can get all through in-game events without trading? :rolleyes2:

The team has nothing to with how you get them, but it's meant to represent everyone who played any of the Gen 1 games. That's why all three starters + Pikachu are part of the team, so that everyone can relate to the character (everyone had to pick one of the 3 starters or Pikachu if they've played Yellow). Same thing with the event-Pokémon which are part of the storyline of all 4 versions (Red, Green, Blue and Yellow).

 

[BettyNewbie]

The team has nothing to with how you get them, but it's meant to represent everyone who played any of the Gen 1 games. That's why all three starters + Pikachu are part of the team, so that everyone can relate to the character (everyone had to pick one of the 3 starters or Pikachu if they've played Yellow). Same thing with the event-Pokémon which are part of the storyline of all 4 versions (Red, Green, Blue and Yellow).

The team had to be both neutral and make sense in the context of the games. A team cannot be "neutral" if it requires trading to put together and favors one choice over another, which is why it can't be based on RB. (You can only pick one starter, and you have to trade for the others.)

This is, of course, also why Red had an Espeon instead of one of the original three Eeveelutions you could obtain in RBY; they didn't want to favor one choice over another.

And, then, there's context. Pikachu is just a random wild Pokémon in RB, so why would Red even have one, let alone have an unevolved one at L81? And, again, you can't own all three starters in RB without trading, and those games are pretty much built on the assumption that you can only pick one.

Everything points right back to Yellow. Aside from Espeon, you can put Red's team together in Yellow without doing any trading or even catching anything. It's plainly obvious what game he's based on... It just happens to be your least favorite game ever. :P

 

[LusoTrainer]

The team had to be both neutral and make sense in the context of the games. A team cannot be "neutral" if it requires trading to put together and favors one choice over another, which is why it can't be based on RB. (You can only pick one starter, and you have to trade for the others.)

It didn't favor one choice over another. Hence all the starters of all Gen 1 games (including Yellow). Red's team represents the games and the adventure he was in.

This is, of course, also why Red had an Espeon instead of one of the original three Eeveelutions you could obtain in RBY; they didn't want to favor one choice over another.

Espeon is Eevee's natural evolution during daytime. Either way, it was replaced by Lapras, which only corroborates my point.

And, then, there's context. Pikachu is just a random wild Pokémon in RB, so why would Red even have one, let alone have an unevolved one at L81?

Because it was the starter of a Gen 1 game (Yellow).

And, again, you can't own all three starters in RB without trading, and those games are pretty much built on the assumption that you can only pick one.

Trading is a gameplay limitation to encourage interaction between players. Red having all 3 starters doesn't mean he caught them in the wild or that he traded them. It's just meant to represent every player, regardless of who which Pokémon they chose to start their adventure (be it Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle or Pikachu for those that started with Yellow).

Everything points right back to Yellow.

No, it points to all four games (Red, Green, Blue and Yellow).

It's plainly obvious what game he's based on... It just happens to be your least favorite game ever. :P

I'm not sure what you're getting at, nor do I see the relevance of my opinion about Yellow on this argument. If you want to get technical about it, not only is Yellow an adaptation, but Red doesn't have Pikachu behind him in Gold/Silver/Crystal (thus disproving your argument that his team is based on Yellow). Red's team represents everyone who played the Kanto storyline, not which version you can get all of them.

 

[BettyNewbie]

I'd rather not get into this with you. :rolleyes2: Why is the idea of Red's team being based on Yellow such a big deal to you anyways? (Answer: You think Yellow is the Worst Game Ever and should never be acknowledged or recognized as anything but complete crap. Go on, admit it. :P)