your favorite Pokémon main character

[Viridian Beedrill]

I voted for Wes, Michael, Rei and Akari, and Florian.

Wes and Michael because they...feel like they actually are characters? When you consider just the games (no anime or manga counterparts), most Pokémon main characters have the bare minimum of backstory to explain how they showed up in the region, and few if any pre-existing connections beyond their mom. They're just a way for the player to experience the story. And there's nothing wrong with that! Pokémon is super-personalized, so blank-slate avatars make sense. It just makes it hard for me to vote for them on a poll about favorite characters. Wes and Michael come pre-loaded with more connections than usual (Team Snagem for Wes, the Pokémon HQ Lab staff for Michael), so they feel a bit more like playing a story through a character than playing a story using your avatar. In some ways, it would have felt more natural for them to be non-silent protagonists (especially Wes. I would love to know what made him join Team Snagem, then turn against them so hard he blew up their base on the way out).

Rei and Akari because they managed to make a blank-slate silent avatar feel like they were characters anyway. I'm not sure what specifically it is about them. I just know that the part where they get kicked out of the village was a genuine gut-punch to me, and I almost never have that reaction with avatars. Usually I feel for the story or the characters around the avatar, not the avatar themselves.

And, finally, I voted for Florian because he is (as far as I know) the only main character whose primary artwork doesn't have him look cheerful, confident, and/or determined. He looks unsure of himself and even somewhat scared. I am deeply intrigued by that.

(...I hope this was a valid way to rank characters, and the poll wasn't supposed to be just about which designs are best...)

 

[Herbizarre]

Can I just say how good it feels to see both Mark and Mint, the protagonists of the Pokémon TCG games on Game Boy Color, in this poll ? I'm glad they were not forgotten.

Anyway, Leaf is my favorite overall, though Wes does come close.

 

[Dubious Disc]

My favorites are Elio and Selene, but I'm also a fan of Ethan, Lucas, and Nate (Unova). and Michael reminds me of a certain Mega Man character I like the Magikarp Jump kid too, they seem pretty chill

And, finally, I voted for Florian because he is (as far as I know) the only main character whose primary artwork doesn't have him look cheerful, confident, and/or determined. He looks unsure of himself and even somewhat scared. I am deeply intrigued by that.

I think Victor's official artwork looks a bit uneasy as well.

 

[Mew2]

Mine are Red, Leaf, Dawn, Hilda, Calem, Serena, and Selene. While I like Dawn mainly because of her animé personality and story, the others I like mainly because of the games, with Dawn partially being part of the games as well since I headcanon her as being the female player character in Legends: Arceus. As for Serena, really like her Pokémon Special/Adventures manga counterpart Y/Yvonne.

 

[Viridian Beedrill]

My favorites are Elio and Selene, but I'm also a fan of Ethan, Lucas, and Nate (Unova). and Michael reminds me of a certain Mega Man character I like the Magikarp Jump kid too, they seem pretty chill


I think Victor's official artwork looks a bit uneasy as well.

I can see that, now that you mention it. Sort of a "Me? Go on an adventure? Uh, ok, sure," kind of look.

 

[Juliyet]

Hilda, Serena and Selene for the girls. Brendon, Hilbert and Calem for the guys.

Hilbert and Hilda have great designs and are probably the closest we've gotten to true older and mature protagonists. Their urban american aesthetic hits different too. Also Hilda's canon starter is heavily implied to be Tepig, which is my go-to for gen 5 so that's neat.

Calem and Serena I may hold in high regard to my weird obsession with gen 6 in general. They're like a perfect representation of Kalos' aesthetic. They're also shown using my single favorite Pokemon quite a bit, so automatically based.

And with Brendon and Selene, I just always liked their designs. Their respective beanie and rooster hat are iconic

 

[KatrinaSForest]

I think I'm the only one who voted for Juliana. ^_^;; She's the first one I put a personality to as herself rather than "how much can you resemble this OC I've already made"?

I developed a soft spot for Nate and Hilbert after reading the manga and playing Pokemon Masters.

 

[mastermind lissi]

It took every bit of self control not to vote for them all…. I love my protags they’re my beautiful children that I give problems to

I had to vote for Serena of course

Dawns just silly in my verse and I played Bdsp so she also gets a vote

The two hoenn protags deserve votes (pant pants and short shorts)

Ethan Kris and red are too good not to vote for

 

[Die-Hard Dragon Devotee]

Wes/Rui. Also Brendan/May (I'm a liiitle biased towards Gen 3,) and Calem/Serena.

 

[Pasio]

Selene and... Hero

I'll just call him Nagamasa. That's who he was based on.

Close contenders would be Elio, Ethan, Akari, and Hilda.

I picked up Masters two months ago and all the sudden it changed to Serena.

 

[carpology]

definitely akari and kris for me! i love both of their designs a lot, i felt very intrigued by their stories in the games and the way they interacted with others (even if, of course, they're still limited to main character-esque interactions...if that makes sense), and i liked playing them through their respective regions. admittedly a large amount of my fondness for them comes from au versions i have of them, but regardless i do adore them a lot.

 

[soulsilvers]

If I'm talking merely design-wise I'll say Kris and Ethan's OG design. I just miss when protags were designed like a little kid's idea of Cool™, with all their gadgets, literal magnets in their clothes and big futuristic chunky shoes. Let these protags dress like Splatoon characters again.

...but then again, Red is really endearing in his certain "uncool"-ness. He literally just looks like some guy on a vacation as an adult, and yet he's a terrifyingly strong legend. With Leaf, I think her sygna suit with Venusaur would make a better "default" look.

 

[mastermind lissi]

I’m gonna make another post here. I am not mentally capable of choosing some protags over the others, but if I had to, Serena.

 

[ComicMimic]

Hilbert !! He’s so cool and has been my favorite for at least since April 2023

 

[Daenerys]

As far as the males are concerned, FR/LG Red, Platinum Lucas and Kellyn are my favorite main characters in terms of designs. Lyra, Rosa and Hilda are my favorite female main characters.