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2nd Gen Most forgotten characters?

895
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    • Seen Apr 22, 2018
    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.

    Why do you hate Leaf? :(

    Well, to be honest, the female PCs, in general, are kind of pushed aside, at least, in the games' marketing. May is undoubtedly the most well-known and popular of the lot, and yet, the ORAS animated trailer is still centered around (the considerably less popular and iconic) Brendan. And, Adventures (the most popular manga adaptation) always treats the male PCs as the primary protagonists (despite, ironically, being the one place where Kris and Leaf exist as characters, albeit with different names).

    The only place that has consistently marketed the girls over the guys is, of course, the anime, but even that isn't 100% positive--The girls are considered easier to shove into secondary coordinator roles, while the presumed male hero role is already filled by Ash.
     
    895
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    • Seen Apr 22, 2018
    I quickly culled some statistics on the characters I named in my original post, and the results are rather... depressing.

    What's a good measure of a character's popularity? Why, fanfiction and fanart, of course! And, what are the two biggest and most widely accessible resources for each? DeviantArt and FF.net.

    I went and searched all four of the characters--Kris, Leaf, Lorelei, and Daisy--on both sites, as well as a fifth for comparison purposes: Youngster Joey. Why Joey? Because, he's the very definition of a generic, faceless NPC, lacking any kind of personality, backstory, or even, unique sprite. These four characters, theoretically, should be much more popular than him.

    Here are my results. Prepare to weep (or rage):


    DeviantArt Stats:
    - "Pokemon Joey": 2,761 results

    - "Pokemon Kris": 2,629 results

    - "Pokemon Leaf" 33,434 results (about 50% are of things like Leaf Stones and moves like Razor Leaf)

    - "Pokemon Lorelei": 983 results

    - "Pokemon Daisy": 3,776 results (about 2 of which have anything to do with Blue's sister; most are of Misty's sister and a character from Mario, for whatever reason)

    FF.Net Stats:
    - Joey: 23 stories (most recent updated 10/25/2014)

    - Kris: 117 stories (most recent updated 12/25/2014)

    - Leaf: 774 stories (most recent updated 12/28/2014)

    - Lorelei: 21 stories (most recent updated 11/29/2014)

    - Daisy: 23 stories (most recent updated 12/13/2014)

    Poor, poor Lorelei. You're one of the strongest trainers in the games, the very first Elite Four member an entire Generation of fans battled (and lost) against, as well as one of the most developed Elite Four members in any of the games (which says a lot, seeing as most of them never appear outside of their rooms), and yet, you have less fanart AND fanfiction than... a stupid little kid who has no personality or character development beyond "My Rattata is cool!" At that point, you might as well just give up on life. -_-

    Daisy, I expected to have very low numbers (all she has over Joey is a unique sprite and known relatives, after all), and Kris actually has more fanfics than I expected. Leaf, however, surprised me the most--even when you account for the Leaf Stone/Razor Leaf/etc. fanart, she still has, at least, 10,000 pieces, and she also has well over 700 stories. Even if GF has forgotten her, the fandom certainly hasn't!

    Much of this just begs for analysis. Why has Leaf retained her popularity far more than Kris? Why is Lorelei less popular than even generic NPCs? What causes some characters to be forgotten in the first place?
     

    OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire

    10000 year Emperor of Hoenn
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  • I couldn't help but laugh at those stats...not of joy of course but a weeping laughter.

    I would say Karen and what's his face are the forgettable E4 members of all games (Let me try to name all I know by name Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, Lance, Karen, Sindey, Phoebe, Glacia, Drake, Aaron, Bertha, Flint, Lucian, Shauntel, Grimsey, Caitlin, Marshall, Malva...and that's it)
    They should've had Green/Leaf appear in HgSs if you picked the male character and the Red appear if you pick the female character (same teams except maybe replace Espeon for Umbreon on Leaf's team).

    Well Leaf who appeared in Gen III is a recent character compared to Kris who appeared in Gen II.
    As for Lorelei...well she isn't as recent as Joey is either...plus she's likely overshadowed by the likes of Agatha and Lance.

    I do find it sad how Lorelei and Agatha were shoved aside the way they were...at the very least GF referenced them in the layout of the 1st E4 and Karen's rooms (more so in the originals, but there are some bits in HgSs just as Lorelei's former room which seems to have ice cubes floating mixing both ice with psychic).
     
    895
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    • Seen Apr 22, 2018
    I couldn't help but laugh at those stats...not of joy of course but a weeping laughter.

    I know. How can an E4 member be less popular than a stupid Youngster? What is so deep and interesting about a kid who has NO characterization beyond "My Rattata is cool"? :rolleyes2:

    I would say Karen and what's his face are the forgettable E4 members of all games (Let me try to name all I know by name Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, Lance, Karen, Sindey, Phoebe, Glacia, Drake, Aaron, Bertha, Flint, Lucian, Shauntel, Grimsey, Caitlin, Marshall, Malva...and that's it)

    Karen, I think, is still remembered for her famous quote. "What's His Face" is Will, and yes, he's very forgettable (and rightly so, IMO).

    On your list, the ones you missed are: Will, Koga, Siebold, Wilkstrom, and Drasna. Seeing as the last three are from the most RECENT Generation, that's pretty bad for their memorability.

    They should've had Green/Leaf appear in HgSs if you picked the male character and the Red appear if you pick the female character (same teams except maybe replace Espeon for Umbreon on Leaf's team).

    I agree. That would've made the most sense.

    Well Leaf who appeared in Gen III is a recent character compared to Kris who appeared in Gen II.

    Neither are recent, although Leaf, at least, wasn't retconned out by being replaced with another character. It's obvious that Kris has to compete for attention with somebody else, and she's losing badly:

    "Pokémon Lyra": 7,124 results on DeviantArt
    Lyra Tag: 1,000 stories on FF.net
    As for Lorelei...well she isn't as recent as Joey is either...plus she's likely overshadowed by the likes of Agatha and Lance.

    If you ask me, I think it's a certain other character that's mostly overshadowing her:

    "Pokémon Cynthia": 4,709 results on DeviantArt
    Cynthia Tag: 386 stories on FF.net

    See, kids, that's what happens when A) you're a Champion, B) you're aggressively marketed as the ultimate Strong Female Role Model (often at the expense of other female characters), C) you appear in every single main series DS game, and D) you happen to be a conventionally-attractive blonde.

    Just about every single female NPC has to compete with that, because neither GF or the fandom can give equal attention to more than one at a time (unless it's for degrading fanservice, of course). And, if you're stuck way back in the GBA era like poor Lorelei, you might as well not exist.

    (Alas, it's probably not a coincidence that my original list is 100% female. -_-)
    I do find it sad how Lorelei and Agatha were shoved aside the way they were...

    Same here. I don't know why they did it (although, I have my suspicions with Lorelei), but it's one of the few things I hate about the Gen 2 games. They were good characters with a lot of potential, and GF has really screwed them over (especially Lorelei).

    The really sad part about all of this is that we're unlikely to ever see either of them in the games ever again unless Gen 1 gets another remake. If GF was going to put them in other games, it would've already happened a long time ago.
     

    CoffeeDrink

    GET WHILE THE GETTIN'S GOOD
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  • Hm. Here's a thought: does anyone remember the police? I do, but I want to see if you remember. It was one of those things that was an idea and *poof* just like that, they were no more.

    If not the police, I think Bill had been shafted. In the games, I often avoid talking to the person that 'made the PC' because in my heart, it will always be Someone's or Bill's PC. Every time there is a new game, the delegate newer enhancements to other professors and scientists. Bull honky says I. Since the First two games, we haven't seen anymore development into the PC other than to store things. The removal of being able to store basic items hurt me because I hate junk and clutter. So Bill's PC was technically superior. And let's not forget: Bill turned himself into a Pokemon. Think about that.

    All the other scientists are concerned on how Pokemon dream, or how they feel, or how their health and happiness is. Do you care about dreams? I don't care about dreams, I care about being a Pokemon. I think it would be great to finally be able to actually communicate with your Pokemon, genuine communication, without having to play the mystery dungeon games. Wouldn't it be cool to go into contests your self? See through the eyes of a Pokemon and battle wild Pokemon for berries instead of beating poor youngsters and taking their cash (you could still do this in game, so. . . )? Being a Pokemon, if just to walk around and talk to other Pokemon would be too cool for Pokemon school.

    Bill is probably the smartest person in the entire game series. He developed the PC to store Pokemon, he invented a time machine, and he invented a machine that turns people into Pokemon. In return for his efforts, his inventions are lost, and his character build received stagnation. That's Someone's PC.
     

    OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire

    10000 year Emperor of Hoenn
    17,521
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  • I know. How can an E4 member be less popular than a stupid Youngster? What is so deep and interesting about a kid who has NO characterization beyond "My Rattata is cool"? :rolleyes2:



    Karen, I think, is still remembered for her famous quote. "What's His Face" is Will, and yes, he's very forgettable (and rightly so, IMO).

    On your list, the ones you missed are: Will, Koga, Siebold, Wilkstrom, and Drasna. Seeing as the last three are from the most RECENT Generation, that's pretty bad for their memorability.



    I agree. That would've made the most sense.



    Neither are recent, although Leaf, at least, wasn't retconned out by being replaced with another character. It's obvious that Kris has to compete for attention with somebody else, and she's losing badly:
    "Pokémon Lyra": 7,124 results on DeviantArt
    Lyra Tag: 1,000 stories on FF.net
    If you ask me, I think it's a certain other character that's mostly overshadowing her:
    "Pokémon Cynthia": 4,709 results on DeviantArt
    Cynthia Tag: 386 stories on FF.net

    See, kids, that's what happens when A) you're a Champion, B) you're aggressively marketed as the ultimate Strong Female Role Model (often at the expense of other female characters), C) you appear in every single main series DS game, and D) you happen to be a conventionally-attractive blonde.

    Just about every single female NPC has to compete with that, because neither GF or the fandom can give equal attention to more than one at a time (unless it's for degrading fanservice, of course). And, if you're stuck way back in the GBA era like poor Lorelei, you might as well not exist.

    (Alas, it's probably not a coincidence that my original list is 100% female. -_-)
    Same here. I don't know why they did it (although, I have my suspicions with Lorelei), but it's one of the few things I hate about the Gen 2 games. They were good characters with a lot of potential, and GF has really screwed them over (especially Lorelei).

    The really sad part about all of this is that we're unlikely to ever see either of them in the games ever again unless Gen 1 gets another remake. If GF was going to put them in other games, it would've already happened a long time ago.



    In my defense the Kalos E4 are forgettable (and unlike the others I only battled them like 4 times compared to like 10 and 15)...well Drasna was on my mind but I wasn't all that sure


    As for Joey...well we live in an era of Memes...btw what was Karen's popular line? I don't think she had the same one in the remakes.


    If they wanted to replace somebody they should've replaced Bruno, as out of the original E4 has the least personality imo. Also Agatha seems like the type that would rather die than retire...Gen III sort of explained Lorelei's retirement...sort of... (I wouldn't mind a return to the Sevii islands in a possible Kanto re-remake where Lorelei founded a 4 member league of her own in her home islands modeled after Kanto's with her as a champion, then she'll be an attractive female Ice/Water type champion).
     
    895
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    • Seen Apr 22, 2018
    In my defense the Kalos E4 are forgettable (and unlike the others I only battled them like 4 times compared to like 10 and 15)...well Drasna was on my mind but I wasn't all that sure

    That seems to be the story with a lot of characters from XY, sadly. The writing for the games wasn't that great, IMO (especially compared to the previous Gen's story).

    btw what was Karen's popular line? I don't think she had the same one in the remakes.

    I thought I linked to an image of it, but here's the line from GSC (which was displayed in the image):

    "Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites. I like your style. You understand what's important. Go on — — the Champion is waiting."

    Here it is in HGSS (which replaces "their favorites" with "the Pokémon they love best"):

    "Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of people. Truly skilled Trainers should try to win with the Pokémon they love best. I like your style. You understand what's important. Go on — — the Champion is waiting."

    This quote is often brought out to argue against sites like Smogon, which advocate for using the strongest Pokémon, regardless of whether or not they're your favorites.

    If they wanted to replace somebody they should've replaced Bruno, as out of the original E4 has the least personality imo.

    He was also the weakest of the bunch. Any Psychic type laughs at him, and he carries not one, but two rock worms with a glorious Base Attack of 45 (tied with the powerhouse known as Butterfree). He should've never been an E4 member to begin with.

    Also Agatha seems like the type that would rather die than retire...Gen III sort of explained Lorelei's retirement...sort of... (I wouldn't mind a return to the Sevii islands in a possible Kanto re-remake where Lorelei founded a 4 member league of her own in her home islands modeled after Kanto's with her as a champion, then she'll be an attractive female Ice/Water type champion).

    Yeah, they just sent her off to some tiny island to spend (presumably) the rest of her life fighting worthless Rocket Grunts, nothing about her future goals or what she wanted out of life. Laaaame.

    (Warning: Wall of text incoming.)

    I want the games to establish her as a marine researcher, maybe out investigating Navel Rock (retconned into a place more like Seafoam/Whirl) with her close friend and Sevii's local professor, Philena Ivy (or someone heavily based on her) and her other close friend and fellow E4 member, Lance (who's always been fascinated by Lugia, a dragon-like Pokémon he heard stories about growing up in Blackthorn).

    While there, they run into Archer, Ariana, Petrel, and Proton. They have stolen the Blue, Yellow, and Red Orbs in hopes of awakening Lugia (after placing them together on an altar at the very top of Navel Rock) and sending the ultimate message out to Giovanni (who vanished after disbanding Team Rocket).

    The first Orb, the Red One, is at Mt. Ember (retconned into a dark, creepy volcano; Red Orb is roughly where the Ruby was in FRLG). At the end of the tunnel (and several Rocket Grunts) is Proton, who runs off and drops the Red Orb after you defeat him.

    Just as you exit Mt. Ember, you run into Ivy, who has just received a Pokégear call from Lance; he's at the Rocket Warehouse on Chrono Island and ran into some trouble getting the Yellow Orb. You head there, beat some more Grunts (including Jessie and James, in their final appearance. More on that later...), and enter a back room to find Lance being cornered by Ariana and Petrel. Ariana mocks him, telling him "However strong you may be, you can't take both of us at the same time. Sorry, baby. Now get ready to be thrashed," and when she sees you barge in, she tells him something along the lines of "What? You had an accomplice? Where is your sense of honor?"

    You and Lance fight Ariana and Proton in a tag battle, and after beating them, they run off to Navel Rock (where Lorelei and Archer are), but not before Petrel drops the Yellow Orb. Afterwards, Lance tells you that he had been snooping around and discovered Archer's plans to rebuild Team Rocket in Johto and create an evolution-inducing device; he snapped photos and made copies, planning to investigate this at a later date. He then, expresses concern for Lorelei and takes you back to Navel Rock (via flying on his Dragonite), where she, Archer, and the Blue Orb are located.

    When you get there, Lorelei is arguing with Archer (who is implied to be her ex-boyfriend), who mocks her for being a "silly woman who doesn't know better," and she calls him a "selfish pig." In response, Archer slaps her, making her glasses fall to the ground, and Lance runs forward, threatening to unleash wrath on him if he sees him hit her again. Archer evilly laughs, accusing Lorelei of always needing her "boyfriend" to rescue her, and she calmly gets up, puts her glasses back on, and hits him right back. Lorelei tells him that she can rescue herself just fine, and she challenges him to a battle.

    Archer dusts himself off and calls Proton over, telling Lorelei that she's going to have to fight the two of them at the same time. Lorelei grabs you and says "No problem." You and Lorelei get into a tag battle against Archer and Proton, after defeated, Archer hands over the Blue Orb and vows that this won't be the end of him or Team Rocket.

    Once the Rockets leave, Lorelei tells you about the legend behind the Orbs, and their connection to Articuno/Zapdos/Moltres and Lugia. She says that the birds have been seen roaming Kanto ever since the Orbs went missing, explaining why they were at Seafoam/Power Plant/Victory Road instead of the smaller islands surrounding Navel Rock. She, then, points you in the direction of the altar, and you climb up there, placing the three Orbs together. One amazing cutscene later, you get into a battle with a L70 Lugia, and after you either capture or defeat it, Lorelei and Lance run up to you and express amazement at what they witnessed. They thank you for helping them save the day and return to the Indigo Plateau, unlocking the rematch Elite Four. (They will both have completely different dialog if you return to rebattle them.)

    On certain days of the week (after completing the Lugia event), you can find Lorelei and Lance on certain days of the week training together in Navel Rock. They will challenge you to a double battle and after defeating them, Lorelei tells you that she is considering leaving the Elite Four sometime in the future. She feels that being there is limiting her potential as a trainer (which Lance agrees with, as she is seen defeating him as we arrive) and keeping her from her passion for research. We also learn that a new League is being established in the Sevii Islands, and they want Lorelei to head it as its Champion... Which is where she'll be when we revist her story three years later.

    What do you think?
     

    Captain Gizmo

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  • Tbh, my favorite was Kris. Her part in Pokemon Adventures was amazing. And her method of catching Pokemon was sweet. Kicking Pokeballs and stuffs :D

    Also, she's freakin' pretty.
     

    Cerberus87

    Mega Houndoom, baby!
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  • I had a crush on Lorelei when I was a kid. :P

    They didn't need to give her Jynx at all. Her main was Lapras. But the fact Jynx is her canon Pokémon (including in the anime, which dubbed her "Prima") makes you realize that GF wants to avoid using Jynx in any way or form. I never thought Jynx was a racist stereotype, but then I didn't know about the stereotype in the first place. It was probably only relevant to North America.

    Speaking of controversial Pokémon, I'm actually surprised Nintendo won against Uri Geller in the court. I mean, Kadabra is TOTALLY his avatar. :P Uri became famous by allegedly bending spoons with his mind, and well, that's what Kadabra does.

    I like Lyra (the design, not the character!) better than Kris but they should've acknowledged Kris in the remakes. There's a HGSS hack that allows you to play as Kris.
     
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    • Seen Oct 11, 2015
    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.

    Well, I don't think that there is really a place for Leaf/Green since the character you don't pick is usually just an NPC, and in FR/LG this didn't happen is all so... they didn't forget her there is just no need for her really.

    And Lorelei, I think her appearance in FR/LG wasn't that half-hearted, so to me it counts.

    As for Daisy, yes, she was not really that important anyway...
     

    DyingWillFlareon

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  • The Pokémaniac in Rock Tunnel who tells you what costume playing (cosplaying) is really stuck out to me ever since I restarted Blue. I don't know why.
    I can not agree with this enough. I happened to run into him/her/it in Yellow and almost cried/laughed/died. Scary stuff man.

    Tbh, my favorite was Kris. Her part in Pokemon Adventures was amazing. And her method of catching Pokemon was sweet. Kicking Pokeballs and stuffs :D

    Also, she's freakin' pretty.
    Amen.

    "Hey Kris your outfit is so- OW!"

    I love it when I step out of the Pokemon Adventures fandom into the game fandom you're all so cute with your forgettable characters while we're over here enjoying Kris dressed like Lyra and Blue(Leaf's counterpart) being a legit Dexholder and Yellow and Emerald and 'showcase everything' rules and such.~
    On one in you could forget Daisy in the games or anime(?) but in the manga she's pretty much with Bill last I heard(YISS), those two both being unforgettable. Lorelei had a big part in the Yellow Arc as well as the FRLG Arc(well the beginning at least), Giovanni comes back in four different Arcs acting like four different people(4 or 5 ish) even though we wouldn't forget him anyway. If this upsets you come to the Special side~ Where all we do is kick stuff, play poker/pool, fight over contests/battles, have Wally AND Emerald, and hit Gold all day long
    Amen~
     

    kyuubi93

    What a bother
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    The really annoying girl in Pallet Town who tells you how the Start screen works.
     

    sonic65101

    Johto Champion
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  • I just want to say, personally, I totally disagree with GameFreak replacing Kris with Lyra. In fact, one of my friends gave me Pokemon HeartGold Version for my birthday (which is pretty useless because all I have is a Game Boy Color and my parents won't let me get a DS), so I use Desmume or whatever it's called to play a hacked version of Pokemon HeartGold Version that replaces Lyra with Kris. I still play as Gold, or Ethan, because I'm a boy, but it's the principle that counts. In fact, I got the patch that replaces Lyra with Kris here on PokeCommunity itself.
     
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