Blue
Blue Oak (also known as Gary Oak in the Pokémon anime) is the player’s rival and the Champion in the Generation I Pokémon games, such as Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow, as well as in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, their Generation III remakes.
Gender: | Male |
Region: | |
Position: | Rival, Gym leader, Champion |
Generation Appearance: | Generations I, II, III, IV, V and VII |
Debut Game | Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green Version |
During the three-year gap between the events of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and those of Pokémon HeartGold, SoulSilver, as well as during Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, Blue assumes the role of the Viridian City Gym Leader instead of Giovanni. This transition occurs after Giovanni’s disappearance following the disbandment of Team Rocket. Similar to Giovanni, Blue doesn’t specialize in a specific Pokémon type and awards the Earth Badge to Trainers who defeat him.
Furthermore, in the Generation VII games Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, Blue, alongside Red, assumes the role of a formidable leader at the of Alola’s Battle Tree.
Over the course of the game, Blue undergoes some character development, gradually showing more respect towards the player as they prove their skills as a Trainer. However, he remains a competitive rival until the end.
Core series appearence
In the original games Blue is depicted as a confident and ambitious Pokémon Trainer with brown hair and a cocky demeanor. He wears a black jacket with a white undershirt, blue pants, and black shoes.
Blue serves as the player’s primary rival throughout their journey. Once a close childhood friend of Red, Blue’s demeanor grew colder over time. As the player traverses the Kanto region, Blue periodically crosses paths with them, issuing challenges to assess their prowess.
He starts his Pokémon journey at the same time as the player, choosing the Pokémon that has a type advantage over the player’s starter Pokémon, from Professor Oak, his granddad . Blue is desrcbed as arrogant, confident, and ambitious. He is determined to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer and often belittles the player’s abilities. Despite his cockiness, Blue is a skilled Trainer with a strong bond with his Pokémon.
Once Red reaches Viridian City, Professor Oak entrusts both Red and Blue with a Pokédex, tasking them with documenting all Pokémon species in the Kanto region to realize Oak’s aspiration of compiling a comprehensive Pokémon guide. Embarking on their journey, Red and Blue traverse Kanto, capturing Pokémon to fortify their teams and challenging each Gym Leader sequentially. Despite Red’s efforts, Blue consistently maintains a lead, occasionally appearing to hinder Red’s advancement.
In the later stages of the game, Blue ascends to the position of Champion of the Pokémon League. He awaits the player’s challenge at the Indigo Plateau, serving as the final obstacle before becoming the Champion.
In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, as well as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, it is disclosed that after Red’s victory at the Indigo Plateau (with Leaf not mentioned or appearing in the remakes), Blue returned to Pallet Town. With Giovanni’s departure after his loss to Red, Blue assumed leadership of the Viridian Gym.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, players can rematch Blue at the Fighting Dojo. In Black 2 and White 2, they can challenge him in the Champions Tournament of Pokémon World Tournament. While absent in X and Y, Blue is referenced by a woman in the Magenta Plaza Pokémon Center in Lumiose City. In Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, he joins Red as a Battle Tree leader in Alola. In Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, Blue is first encountered in Pewter City post-Brock battle.
Once the player secures seven Badges, Blue emerges at Professor Oak’s Laboratory in Pallet Town. There, he commends the player and Trace for thwarting Team Rocket at Silph Co. He rewards them with a Key Stone each and bestows upon the player all the Mega Stones for the Kanto first partner Pokémon. Player can earn the finale badge after defeatin him as a Viridian Gym’s leader.
Pokémon Team
Blue’s initial Pokémon companion mirrors the player’s choice, with Blue selecting the one that holds a type advantage over the player’s selection. The rest of his team composition is subsequently tailored around this initial choice.
During the fourth through seventh battles, Blue carries one Potion per Pokémon, utilizing it 12.5% of the time when their HP drops below 20%. In the Champion battle, he opts for Full Restores under the same conditions.
Blue also appeares in:
The side series games
- Pokémon Stadium (as the final opponent in the Gym Leader Castle challenge)
- Pokémon Stadium 2 (as part of the Kanto Gym Leader Castle)
The spin-off games
- Pokémon Masters EX
Anime appearences
In the Pokémon anime, Blue, known as Gary Oak, is a recurring character and serves as a rival to the protagonist, Ash Ketchum. Like Blue, Gary is also portrayed as confident, ambitious, and sometimes arrogant.
Similar to Ash, Gary embarks on his own Pokémon journey, aiming to become a Pokémon Master. He travels through various regions, captures Pokémon, and competes in Pokémon battles. Throughout the series, Gary showcases a diverse team of Pokémon, including his starter Pokémon Squirtle, as well as other powerful Pokémon like Blastoise, Arcanine, and Eevee.
Unlike Blue, Gary has not been depicted as taking over the Viridian Gym. Instead, he has chosen to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and become a Pokémon researcher. Currently, Gary is involved in Project Mew, pursuing his passion for Pokémon research.
Blue also had a direct counterpart in Pokémon Origins mini-series and another in Pokémon Generations.
Manga appearances
Similar to many player characters, Blue is also depicted with multiple counterparts across various Pokémon manga series, each portraying his adventures and journey in unique ways.
How I Became a Pokémon Card – In the tenth chapter of this manga, in Viridian Forest, a Bug Catcher encounters Gary, who imparts a valuable lesson: Pokémon possess emotions as well.
Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō’s Big Adventure – Blue made his initial appearance as a silhouette in the fifth chapter of this manga, JBA5 before physically debuting in the sixth and the final chapter, JBA6, as the last Gym Leader in Kanto that Jō encountered
The Electric Tale of Pikachu – Gary Oak, the anime counterpart of Blue, makes appearances in this manga, in which he has an older sister, May,
Pokémon 4Koma – In this manga Blue has a counterpart known known as Rival.
Pokémon Pocket Monsters – In this manga Blue has a counterpart known known as Green, who is also Red’s rival and grandson of Professor Oak.
Pokémon Zensho – Blue’s counterpart in this manga is named Shigeru.
Summary
Overall, Blue is a memorable character in the Pokémon series, serving as a formidable rival and the final challenge before becoming the Pokémon Champion in the Generation I games. His journey alongside the player adds depth to the storyline and enhances the overall experience of the games.