Which Protagonists Are Canon?

[Jukain]

Despite what Gamefreak says, I don't think we're looking at one timeline, and at any rate, making sense of it is impossible. The problem at the center of all of this is the matter that they kept just Red as the secret boss of HG/SS, when that matter was retconned by FR/LG. The answer is obvious if you seek the real answer. Everyone remembers that boss, and to not have it that way in HG/SS would've been bad. Considering all that they changed in HG/SS, though, one wonders why they failed to acknowledge that there was a female option, save for the matter that unlike the rest of the female protagonists, she could not exist on her own. She could only be the protagonist, and not another rival or something. (though the other protag doesn't have a role in B/W either, save for in the Battle facilities, and debate is ongoing on the nature of that) Thus, Red remains glorified as the trainer with the highest leveled pokemon in the entire series. This was originally just a cool idea they had, to actually defeat the previous protag. It has not been done since then. There is also the implication that Red has taken on a much greater significance, as the beginning, and thus they HAVE to glorify him. If Origins is any indication, he will surely have a Mega Char X if he appears again. His team is even ENTIRELY first gen pokemon to show his status. I don't like that this is true, either, but they seem adamant on keeping it that way.

tl;dr: No protagonists matter except for Red.

 

[Osprey]

Red is canon only because at the time of Gen I, there was no alternative character who could've been the one who beat the Kanto E4. The rest are completely ambiguous game-wise.

In both Black and White, N initially wants to separate humans and Pokémon because he believes that Pokémon reach perfection when they're not caught in Poké Balls. In White, N believes this is the truest way for Pokémon to reach perfection, but after his battle with the protagonist he goes on a search with Reshiram to find what a true environment for Pokémon to reach perfection really looks like. In Black, N believes this is the ideal way for Pokémon to reach perfection, but after his battle with the protagonist he goes on a search with Zekrom to find what an ideal environment for Pokémon to reach perfection really looks like. Even with the few switched words the story works in both games without any hiccups. Game Freak left "truth" and "ideals" ambiguous in these games for a reason (which is why I find XY, particularly X, so funny story-wise).

But you have to admit that N looks better with Reshiram than he does with Zekrom. Zekrom's appearance is fierce and dynamic, while Reshiram's is more gentle and elegant. Therefore, Reshiram makes a better fit for N since he doesn't like seeing Pokémon get hurt, and is generally a gentle person. I know it's not as convincing an argument as looking at the story elements, but it's still one of the main reasons why I think White and White 2 are canon.

Oh, this. When I first played Black, I figured Zekrom was a better match for your adversary; N was a big-time idealist, and it makes more sense for the dragon of ideals to help him create his ideal kind of world. I never saw White, so I guess there's a reason why I never thought about the flip side... Plus, I know this is kind of childish-sounding, but I figured the big, scary black dragon with red eyes made a better match for the primary antagonist of the game. Silly, I know.

 

[Pokémon Spectrum]

Red is canon only because at the time of Gen I, there was no alternative character who could've been the one who beat the Kanto E4. The rest are completely ambiguous game-wise.

In both Black and White, N initially wants to separate humans and Pokémon because he believes that Pokémon reach perfection when they're not caught in Poké Balls. In White, N believes this is the truest way for Pokémon to reach perfection, but after his battle with the protagonist he goes on a search with Reshiram to find what a true environment for Pokémon to reach perfection really looks like. In Black, N believes this is the ideal way for Pokémon to reach perfection, but after his battle with the protagonist he goes on a search with Zekrom to find what an ideal environment for Pokémon to reach perfection really looks like. Even with the few switched words the story works in both games without any hiccups. Game Freak left "truth" and "ideals" ambiguous in these games for a reason (which is why I find XY, particularly X, so funny story-wise).

But you have to admit that N looks better with Reshiram than he does with Zekrom. Zekrom's appearance is fierce and dynamic, while Reshiram's is more gentle and elegant. Therefore, Reshiram makes a better fit for N since he doesn't like seeing Pokémon get hurt, and is generally a gentle person. I know it's not as convincing an argument as looking at the story elements, but it's still one of the main reasons why I think White and White 2 are canon.

Oh, this. When I first played Black, I figured Zekrom was a better match for your adversary; N was a big-time idealist, and it makes more sense for the dragon of ideals to help him create his ideal kind of world. I never saw White, so I guess there's a reason why I never thought about the flip side... Plus, I know this is kind of childish-sounding, but I figured the big, scary black dragon with red eyes made a better match for the primary antagonist of the game. Silly, I know.

Well, when you really look at it, N isn't really the primary antagonist, is he? He's just someone that Ghetsis was using to further his own goals. Even going into the game for the first time, I couldn't really see N as a genuinely bad person. He was just too... pleasant. Seriously, look up his dialogue on Bulbapedia (it's on his page), you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[Osprey]

Red is canon only because at the time of Gen I, there was no alternative character who could've been the one who beat the Kanto E4. The rest are completely ambiguous game-wise.

In both Black and White, N initially wants to separate humans and Pokémon because he believes that Pokémon reach perfection when they're not caught in Poké Balls. In White, N believes this is the truest way for Pokémon to reach perfection, but after his battle with the protagonist he goes on a search with Reshiram to find what a true environment for Pokémon to reach perfection really looks like. In Black, N believes this is the ideal way for Pokémon to reach perfection, but after his battle with the protagonist he goes on a search with Zekrom to find what an ideal environment for Pokémon to reach perfection really looks like. Even with the few switched words the story works in both games without any hiccups. Game Freak left "truth" and "ideals" ambiguous in these games for a reason (which is why I find XY, particularly X, so funny story-wise).

But you have to admit that N looks better with Reshiram than he does with Zekrom. Zekrom's appearance is fierce and dynamic, while Reshiram's is more gentle and elegant. Therefore, Reshiram makes a better fit for N since he doesn't like seeing Pokémon get hurt, and is generally a gentle person. I know it's not as convincing an argument as looking at the story elements, but it's still one of the main reasons why I think White and White 2 are canon.

Oh, this. When I first played Black, I figured Zekrom was a better match for your adversary; N was a big-time idealist, and it makes more sense for the dragon of ideals to help him create his ideal kind of world. I never saw White, so I guess there's a reason why I never thought about the flip side... Plus, I know this is kind of childish-sounding, but I figured the big, scary black dragon with red eyes made a better match for the primary antagonist of the game. Silly, I know.

Well, when you really look at it, N isn't really the primary antagonist, is he? He's just someone that Ghetsis was using to further his own goals. Even going into the game for the first time, I couldn't really see N as a genuinely bad person. He was just too... pleasant. Seriously, look up his dialogue on Bulbapedia (it's on his page), you'll see what I'm talking about.

I didn't say that N is the main villain. I've played through Black a ridiculous number of times, and I've liked his character since the first time I played. He never struck me as villainous and I wasn't trying to suggest it. That said, right up until the reveal that Ghetsis was the creep behind everything, N is the story's main adversary. He's fought many times, seen many times, and you're told he's Team Plasma's king, so it kind of gives you the idea that he's your primary rival/foe, and Team Plasma's lead representation. Antagonist doesn't always mean villain; look at Gary Oak, the rival of Gen I. He's a jerk, yes. He's fought many times. He's your primary rival and the final fight of the game. In short, he's an antagonist. But does anyone label him as a villian? No.

Again, I said my association with Zekrom's stereotypically malevolent appearance was kind of childish. It was a subconscious feeling that my 12-year-old self got when looking at the thing. I still believe the black dragon's association with ideals makes it more applicable to N rather than simple appearances, but I can see your argument for Reshiram is valid too. It does help that the "truth and ideals" that the dragons supposedly represent are left totally ambiguous.

 

[BlackButterfree]

I love that this has really turned into a productive discussion. And I never realized how muddy the Unova generation is... But yeah, I'm thinking White and White2 are canon.

 

[Elso]

Let's think about this for a second. Obviously Gamefreak isn't going to make anything cannon regarding which character is actually cannon. But we can have some fun with it. Let's start with some ground rule though:
Anime has no place in this discussion and for that matter neither does the Manga. I am just using evidence from the games here.
It really does not matter at the end of the day as the character that you choose to play as is cannon in your eyes.
I could go on about alternate time lines that make all scenarios correct but that's too easy.

Red is obvious, he appears in GSC HGSS B2W2 and since his team is made up of pokemon that are obtained through some in game event we can assume that yellow is cannon. Although blue does not use pokemon like magneton (Like in yellow) he also doesn't have a starter in GSC HGSS so our best bet is that yellow is cannon.

Ethan is a bit more up in the air but not by much. The fact that crys is not in GS to me gives more evidence towards Ethan being cannon then Crys or Lyra. In regards to what game is cannon since elements of the Plot of Crystal are used in HG SS then I would go with crystal being cannon.

Now for Brenden and May which one is the Gym Leaders kid and which one is the scientist. In the original RSE Brendan's hair is Black like Norman's and May's is brown like Birch's However in ORAS Both of their hair is brown. But for right now that is the only evidence in ORAS so we can only really go off evidence in the originals until the remakes are released. So for right now let's say Brendan is Cannon. As far as the actual game goes Emerald is a good consolidation of the plots of RS so I'd go with Emerald being cannon. Now Brendan is a bit more developed as the assistant then May being openly sexist and also making statements about opening a gym in slateport; if that is showcased in ORAS I will change my mind but right now Brendan is cannon.

Now for Gen IV. Well both protagonists have the same hair color as Joanna so we can't go off that. However their was a small hint in FRLG on the SS Anne I noticed that their was a lass named Dawn on the ship in the same room as a gentleman. The gentlemen class in FRLG bears a slight resemblance to Rowan. This eludes that Dawn being rowan's assistant is Cannon and Lucas being the Hero is also Cannon. Cynthia also clearly states that the protagonist fought giratina so Platinum is the Cannon Game.

At this point I want to point out that I'm not disregarding any evidence to make an all male line up here it's just how it is happening.

So Gen V is a bit more foggy since their is no third version or any real evidence in gen VI. All I have to go on as for what game is cannon is that N seems more like he is pursuing Truth not Ideals so White and White 2 are cannon. As for the character it could be either so for the sake of putting in some much needed ladies into the mix we will say Hilda and Rosa are cannon as their is little evidence to support a definitive answer.

VI Gen is a bit easier as Serena's default hair looks closer to her mother's then Calem's but difficult to say which game is cannon yet

 

[BlackButterfree]

Let's think about this for a second. Obviously Gamefreak isn't going to make anything cannon regarding which character is actually cannon. But we can have some fun with it. Let's start with some ground rule though:
Anime has no place in this discussion and for that matter neither does the Manga. I am just using evidence from the games here.
It really does not matter at the end of the day as the character that you choose to play as is cannon in your eyes.
I could go on about alternate time lines that make all scenarios correct but that's too easy.

Red is obvious, he appears in GSC HGSS B2W2 and since his team is made up of pokemon that are obtained through some in game event we can assume that yellow is cannon. Although blue does not use pokemon like magneton (Like in yellow) he also doesn't have a starter in GSC HGSS so our best bet is that yellow is cannon.

Ethan is a bit more up in the air but not by much. The fact that crys is not in GS to me gives more evidence towards Ethan being cannon then Crys or Lyra. In regards to what game is cannon since elements of the Plot of Crystal are used in HG SS then I would go with crystal being cannon.

Now for Brenden and May which one is the Gym Leaders kid and which one is the scientist. In the original RSE Brendan's hair is Black like Norman's and May's is brown like Birch's However in ORAS Both of their hair is brown. But for right now that is the only evidence in ORAS so we can only really go off evidence in the originals until the remakes are released. So for right now let's say Brendan is Cannon. As far as the actual game goes Emerald is a good consolidation of the plots of RS so I'd go with Emerald being cannon. Now Brendan is a bit more developed as the assistant then May being openly sexist and also making statements about opening a gym in slateport; if that is showcased in ORAS I will change my mind but right now Brendan is cannon.

Now for Gen IV. Well both protagonists have the same hair color as Joanna so we can't go off that. However their was a small hint in FRLG on the SS Anne I noticed that their was a lass named Dawn on the ship in the same room as a gentleman. The gentlemen class in FRLG bears a slight resemblance to Rowan. This eludes that Dawn being rowan's assistant is Cannon and Lucas being the Hero is also Cannon. Cynthia also clearly states that the protagonist fought giratina so Platinum is the Cannon Game.

At this point I want to point out that I'm not disregarding any evidence to make an all male line up here it's just how it is happening.

So Gen V is a bit more foggy since their is no third version or any real evidence in gen VI. All I have to go on as for what game is cannon is that N seems more like he is pursuing Truth not Ideals so White and White 2 are cannon. As for the character it could be either so for the sake of putting in some much needed ladies into the mix we will say Hilda and Rosa are cannon as their is little evidence to support a definitive answer.

VI Gen is a bit easier as Serena's default hair looks closer to her mother's then Calem's but difficult to say which game is cannon yet

Gen. 6 could go either way until we get a third version (since we can all agree that 4/4 times, the third version has been canon). But I think X is canon for now because Xerneas shares eternal life and both AZ and Floette are immortal. Also, the Ultimate Weapon was supposed to have wiped out Kalos almost completely, yet in the modern day it's full of beauty and LIFE.

 

[Pokeplayer150]

Because I like to see it kept even in terms of protagonists with such a gender neutral game such as Pokemon, here's what I think based on their popularity, appearance, and roles in other Pokemon media:

Kanto: Red

Johto: Ethan

Hoenn: May

Sinnoh: Dawn

Unova: Hilbert/Nate

Kalos: Serena

But then there's another method I've been using to figure out which protagonists I believe to be canon: basing it off which starter they use. Something interesting I noticed is that a lot of main protagonists in Pokemon media, namely the manga, seem to start out with a fire type. With this in mind, I did a little experiment on Powerpoint by arranging pictures of both player characters and starters together to see which ones were the easiest to imagine. And after the first set (Kanto), I quickly saw a pattern concerning the type of character and what starter they look best with: heroes seem to pair well with fire types, rivals with water types, and friends (or secondary rivals) with grass types. When you think about it, this actually makes a lot of sense. In all regional pokedexes, the fire starter and its evolutions always sits between the grass and water starters. And usually in promotional material or covers for various media, the main protagonist is likely to stand in the middle of a group of main characters because that's where the most focus is. And thus, it creates a psychological reaction that makes the viewer believe they're the main character. Having the fire types sit in the middle of the starters in every regional Pokedex would likely trigger the same reaction. I would say it's a pretty sound theory, don't you think?

 

[ocelotlrama jaguar]

Despite what Gamefreak says, I don't think we're looking at one timeline, and at any rate, making sense of it is impossible.

That's one of my biggest problems with the main games and many other game series that have a timeline involved (Mega Man being another series that is guilty of this). Things get so convoluted with huge plot holes and retcons that it doesn't really matter anymore. I end up considering every game released its own game without any timeline or backstory involved. It's not what the creators intended, but if they didn't intend it, then they should not have changed things so much that it becomes impossible to follow.

With that said, I guess it really is up to the eye of the beholder. In my eyes, if I dislike their retcon or update, I just pretend it doesn't exist and go with their earlier variation. While I do not hate the female protagonist in HG/SS, I am not exactly her biggest fan as I much preferred Crystal's protagonist. As far as I am concerned, Kris is canon while Lyra is not. Gold, Silver, and Crystal are canon but Heart Gold and Soul Silver are not. That's just me. I also consider the protagonists of the Gamecube games to be canon, some people do not.

But as Dragon Char has said, when it really comes down to it, Red is the only one who could probably be considered the most canon. I am not saying this as a Red fan, either (because I am not).

 

[BlackButterfree]

Because I like to see it kept even in terms of protagonists with such a gender neutral game such as Pokemon, here's what I think based on their popularity, appearance, and roles in other Pokemon media:

Kanto: Red

Johto: Ethan

Hoenn: May

Sinnoh: Dawn

Unova: Hilbert/Nate

Kalos: Serena

But then there's another method I've been using to figure out which protagonists I believe to be canon: basing it off which starter they use. Something interesting I noticed is that a lot of main protagonists in Pokemon media, namely the manga, seem to start out with a fire type. With this in mind, I did a little experiment on Powerpoint by arranging pictures of both player characters and starters together to see which ones were the easiest to imagine. And after the first set (Kanto), I quickly saw a pattern concerning the type of character and what starter they look best with: heroes seem to pair well with fire types, rivals with water types, and friends (or secondary rivals) with grass types. When you think about it, this actually makes a lot of sense. In all regional pokedexes, the fire starter and its evolutions always sits between the grass and water starters. And usually in promotional material or covers for various media, the main protagonist is likely to stand in the middle of a group of main characters because that's where the most focus is. And thus, it creates a psychological reaction that makes the viewer believe they're the main character. Having the fire types sit in the middle of the starters in every regional Pokedex would likely trigger the same reaction. I would say it's a pretty sound theory, don't you think?

So is this how you came to this line-up? Whoever looked best with the fire starter? Because Dawn definitely looks best with Piplup. LOL But I agree with your choices, except for Nate. I personally think it's Hilbert and Rosa now.

 

[Pokeplayer150]

Because I like to see it kept even in terms of protagonists with such a gender neutral game such as Pokemon, here's what I think based on their popularity, appearance, and roles in other Pokemon media:

Kanto: Red

Johto: Ethan

Hoenn: May

Sinnoh: Dawn

Unova: Hilbert/Nate

Kalos: Serena

But then there's another method I've been using to figure out which protagonists I believe to be canon: basing it off which starter they use. Something interesting I noticed is that a lot of main protagonists in Pokemon media, namely the manga, seem to start out with a fire type. With this in mind, I did a little experiment on Powerpoint by arranging pictures of both player characters and starters together to see which ones were the easiest to imagine. And after the first set (Kanto), I quickly saw a pattern concerning the type of character and what starter they look best with: heroes seem to pair well with fire types, rivals with water types, and friends (or secondary rivals) with grass types. When you think about it, this actually makes a lot of sense. In all regional pokedexes, the fire starter and its evolutions always sits between the grass and water starters. And usually in promotional material or covers for various media, the main protagonist is likely to stand in the middle of a group of main characters because that's where the most focus is. And thus, it creates a psychological reaction that makes the viewer believe they're the main character. Having the fire types sit in the middle of the starters in every regional Pokedex would likely trigger the same reaction. I would say it's a pretty sound theory, don't you think?

So is this how you came to this line-up? Whoever looked best with the fire starter? Because Dawn definitely looks best with Piplup. LOL But I agree with your choices, except for Nate. I personally think it's Hilbert and Rosa now.

Well, to each their own I guess.

 

[Baby Seals]

The only one I assume to be definitely canon is Red.

I'll try to look at my fanfic universe (NOTE: NOT CANON):
Calem and Serena are co-protagonists, but ultimately Serena is the one to defeat the Champion.
Rosa and Nate are co-protagonists.
Hilda is the protagonist of BW.
Lucas is the protagonist of DPPt.
Brendan is the protagonist of RSE.
I'm still on the fence whether to have Ethan or Lyra as the protagonist of HGSS.

 

[zakisrage]

In my opinion, Red is the only one who is definitely canon. As for the others...I think it's up to the players to decide that.

 

[BettyN]

In my opinion, Red is the only one who is definitely canon. As for the others...I think it's up to the players to decide that.

This is how I feel, too.

Some of the responses in this thread are the reason why I don't these "Which protagonist is canon?" discussions, because, guess which of the two protagonists do most people invariably pick? :disgust:

Red is the only one who has been stated as canon and given a canon team (which is based on Yellow Version, with the unevolved Pikachu and all of the starters), which I'm fine with. (I grew up with the originals instead of FRLG, so I'm not *too* sad about Leaf getting erased out, although I think HGSS still should've incorporated her, somehow.)

As for the others, to me, it's whoever you play as. For Gen 2 I played as both Gold (GS) and Kris (C), but since I'm female and I like Kris' design better, I consider her canon for that generation. The same also goes for the later games.

 

[Kynn Master]

First, I know that the anime can't be used as source. But, they tend to show things that the game would reveal later (event legendaries) so I'll use some of the "clues" it gives. The first part of pokemon anime and Best Wishes there are no female PC walking with Ash, my guess is that if a female character if following Ash, then she is the canon character, if not, the boy is the canon character.

Gen I = This is certain, the canon protagonist is red. Leaf is probrably based on that black dress-girl, sadly, they didn't used her as NPC (maybe 'cuz Red would have to talk and this would make some fans go apeshit).
Gen II = Following my reasoning, the canon character is Ethan, plus, in pokemon gold and silver there was no female characters. Considering that the idea of female trainer appeared since gen I, the fact that they only made Ethan playable makes me think that they thought Ethan was the protagonist, and since crystal was a third version they had to innovate something, and this was adding a female character.
Gen III = To me, May is the protagonist. Not because I believe deep in my heart that Brendan is Prof. Birch's son, but because NPC Brendan seems to be more well developed as NPC May (admit it, Brendan does act more like a rival than May), as if they had tought of May as the protagonist and Brendan the supporting character.
Gen IV = Dawn, because of two things: she apeared in the anime, and I feel like Lucas fits better as Prof. Rowan's apprentice there's this theory that Lucas and Sycamore are the same person though
Gen V = Blair.
Gen V 2.0 = I'm not sure who's the canon character, when I finish playing it I can tell.
Gen VI = Never played nor saw the gameplay, so I can't tell.

 

[Pokeplayer150]

You know, after checking out the new footage for ORAS, there's something interesting I noticed. It's a bit hard to see at first, but when the two are side by side, Brendan bears a very striking resemblance to Prof. Birch. It's almost as if Pokemon is trying to confirm that Birch is Brendan's canonical father, thus branding him the rival and May the player. Now this is certainly debatable and we should wait until the actual game comes out before making a case, but I really wanted to point it out to those who haven't noticed it. However, there's one question that I think should be asked concerning this: Why did they redesign Brendan this way?

Here's my theory: In this generation, Pikachu's cry was changed to be similar to that in the anime and manga. Well, what if Pokemon made Brendan look so similar to Professor Birch to promote May as canon just as the anime and manga did? It's possible that Pokemon is following this pattern, perhaps what they could do next is switch the rivals in Sinnoh in order to corroborate Dawn with her other incarnations for the gen IV remake. The only thing I feel would better affirm this is whether May resembles the player's mother.

 

[Champion Red]

My opinions:

Kanto: Red - Charmander

Johto: Ethan - Cyndaquil

Hoenn: May - Torchic

Sinnoh: Dawn - Piplup

Unova: Hilbert - Snivy and Nate - Tepig

Kalos: Serena - Fennekin

 

[vivian20]

I think besides red, all of them may be cannon. But generally , third versions are cannon. For XY, i think its more likely there will be a third version and not sequels. In gen V, if they made third games, they would have to choose between an old and a modern opelucid. Also, if there was a third version, N would catch kyurem, maybe, wich wouldnt stand for him, because its a hollow dragon, it doesnt seek strongly anything. Or N would catch both dragons. Or you would catch both dragons. A third game for these versions wouldnt be good for these games. But XY NEEDS a third version. On Z version, flare would catch both legendaries, Xerneas and Yveltal. With xerneas, they will hope to get eternal lives, while destroing everything else with yveltal. Then, like in platinum, third version mascot apears and stop them, AZ would have used xerneas energy to make him and floette imortals, and yveltal to turn the machine in the ultimate weapon.This match with the legend that says that yveltal destroied everyone and ended the war, and that xerneas saved pokemon, as at least floette would be saved by xerneas.

 

[Bladeheart111x]

In Sinnoh, instead of a protagonist, we get a version canonified; Platinum. When meeting Cynthia in Caitlin's Villa in Undella Town, she mentions the Black/White Player bears a similarity to "that Trainer who faced Giratina" confirming Platinum is canon, suggesting Emerald, Crystal and Blue (not Yellow) are all canon as well, being third versions themselves. But considering how popular Dawn is, it could be argued that she's the canon protagonist and not Lucas.

The argument here is that there was a Gentlemen in FireRed/LeafGreen who was traveling with a Lass named Dawn, similar to how she studies with Rowan (a gentleman if you ask me) if you choose Lucas as the PC. However, her mother in the anime resembles the PC's mother in Gen IV, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

In regards to Kalos, all we can go on is the anime's logic, where Serena would be the canon protagonist (her mother is a Rhyhorn racer).

Wait, there was a Gentleman traveling with a Lass named Dawn in FR/LG? I completely missed that. And Johanna from the anime doesn't resemble Johanna from the games. She is her. But yeah, if going by anime logic, Serena and Dawn would be the canon ones. But then again, going by the manga, it seems that Diamond (Lucas) and X (Calem) are the "main" protagonists. So yeah, there's definitely no clear indicator. We need to tweet the guy who confirmed the timeline.

while X may be more canon in the manga, there is little, if any, mention of his mother being a Rhyhorn racer. Oddly enough, Y's (Serena's)(Manga) mother isn't/wasn't a Rhyhorn racer, Y HERSELF was, but she quit to become a Sky Trainer...

 

[BlackButterfree]

In Sinnoh, instead of a protagonist, we get a version canonified; Platinum. When meeting Cynthia in Caitlin's Villa in Undella Town, she mentions the Black/White Player bears a similarity to "that Trainer who faced Giratina" confirming Platinum is canon, suggesting Emerald, Crystal and Blue (not Yellow) are all canon as well, being third versions themselves. But considering how popular Dawn is, it could be argued that she's the canon protagonist and not Lucas.

The argument here is that there was a Gentlemen in FireRed/LeafGreen who was traveling with a Lass named Dawn, similar to how she studies with Rowan (a gentleman if you ask me) if you choose Lucas as the PC. However, her mother in the anime resembles the PC's mother in Gen IV, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

In regards to Kalos, all we can go on is the anime's logic, where Serena would be the canon protagonist (her mother is a Rhyhorn racer).

Wait, there was a Gentleman traveling with a Lass named Dawn in FR/LG? I completely missed that. And Johanna from the anime doesn't resemble Johanna from the games. She is her. But yeah, if going by anime logic, Serena and Dawn would be the canon ones. But then again, going by the manga, it seems that Diamond (Lucas) and X (Calem) are the "main" protagonists. So yeah, there's definitely no clear indicator. We need to tweet the guy who confirmed the timeline.

while X may be more canon in the manga, there is little, if any, mention of his mother being a Rhyhorn racer. Oddly enough, Y's (Serena's)(Manga) mother isn't/wasn't a Rhyhorn racer, Y HERSELF was, but she quit to become a Sky Trainer...

Actually, I take back what I said. It's since been revealed that Grace is Y's mother. So that makes Y (AKA Serena) the "protagonist" of the manga, despite the focus being on X and his Mega Kangaskhan.

At this point, I think:

Kanto: Red
Johto: Ethan
Hoenn: May
Sinnoh: Dawn
Unova: All four games are presumably canon, so I'll just say each protagonist is canon in a certain game (Hilbert in Black, Hilda in White, Rosa in Black 2, Nate in White 2).
Kalos: Serena