Until now we have seen so many editions of Pokemon being released, although these latest editions captivated us with their tons of visual changes and storylines we never got a chance to see some new human characters added to the game.
However, there were a few new trainers in the latest releases. Since they are not considered to be part of the main storyline, we didn’t get many details on them.
So, in this guide, we are covering some top human characters that we have met throughout the journey coming right from the 1st Generation all the way to the latest release of Pokemon.
Top Pokemon Human Characters
The top Pokemon human characters are mostly either from the gym or the elite team, the rest of the Pokemon human characters & trainers that you interact with during the gameplay are just random ones since they don’t play any major role.
So, we have only focused on listing the characters from the top tiers. What you will find below is their background, their specialization in Pokemon, and the place where you will meet them.
Red
Red is the original main character of the Pokemon series. He is simply the first-ever player character that we have seen. Red was actually introduced as the Ash of the Pokemon series.
We as players got a chance to meet this alternate of Ash in the early editions of the Pokemon game. Starting off your game as Red reminds you of the classic Ash in the Pokemon anime, he sets on a journey to catch and raise Pokemon from the wild and take down the enemy teams on his way out.
Ultimately, reaching the Gym leaders and knocking them out to obtain the Gym Badges. We are so lucky to get Red as a player-human character. This in some ways reminds us of Ash since you are playing as the main character and so is Ash Ketchum.
Considering his physical appearance, Ash has somewhat a bit different outfit compared to the classic Ash in anime. Red appeared rocking out a Red Hat, Red Jacket, Red Shoes, and Blue Pants.
The surprising fact about Red is that you get to meet him again in the newer generations as the rival trainer instead of the player character. The one who used to be the main character appears as the challenger for players.
Professor Oak
Professor Oak is introduced as one of the most important human characters in Pokemon. Also, he can be counted as the oldest human character. He is important because you interact with him right at the beginning of your journey where he tells you about the Pokemon world.
He also gives you various tools throughout the game that help you in the wild. Like at some point, you will be able to obtain a Pokedex that tells you details about the Pokemon. Moreover, he gives you one of the most helpful HM which is HM 01 Cut. This way player character gets a chance to meet him several times throughout the entire journey.
Professor Oak’s physical appearance is pretty much the same as we have seen in the anime. He wears a white scientist cloak a purple shirt and brown pants.
While he was introduced in the first generation of Pokemon games, we actually see him in the newer generations as well. In addition to that, some more human characters are introduced in those newer generations who are actually professors quite similar to Professor Oak.
Like Samson Oak who is in reality Professor Oak’s cousin, he appears in Generation VII. Moreover, there is another character, Professor Elm who is been appeared in Generation II.
Brock
In-Game Position: Pewter City Gym Leader
Pokemon Specialization Type: Ground
Brock is the first-ever gym leader introduced in the Pokemon game series. In the anime, Brock appears as Ash’s close friend but in the game player character has to defeat him in Pewter City’s gym to obtain a badge.
Brock has specialization in Ground-type Pokemon, so you must gather some of the strongest Pokemon that can stand against ground-type moves. In Pokemon Fire Red & Leaf Green edition, Brock has only 2 Pokemon. These are Geodude and Onix.
Onix seems to be the main Pokemon in his team, though you can beat him easily if you have the right Pokemon with you. Brock might appear to be the extreme threat at first but as you start off the battle, things will be in your favor.
Brock also has pretty much the same appearance as we have seen in the classic Pokemon anime. He has that spiky hair. Rocking a no-sleeve shirt on a t-shirt with a pair of pants.
In-game Brock’s character compared to the anime is a whole lot different. So, you see in the game Brock only focuses on using Onix as the leading Pokemon on his team. While in the anime, he appears to be more of a different character who sets off on a journey along with Ash and Misty. And he also collects data on hundreds of Pokemon which helps Ash and his team.
Misty
In-Game Position: Cerulean City Gym Leader
Pokemon Specialization Type: Water
Beating Brock as the first gym leader takes you to the next city where the gym leader is Misty. She is in the gym of Cerulean City where you will also stand against various other trainers. Misty is also Ash’s close friend in the anime. The group of three friends, Ash, Misty, and Brock that we all admired back in the days. But, now Misty is a gym leader where payer must defeat her to obtain a badge and get access to new spots and also the next destination.
Misty has a specialization in Water-type Pokemon. So, don’t forget to add Pokemon in your collection who can be super effective against Water moves.
Misty has 2 Pokemon in her collection, the first one is Staryu and the second appears to be more powerful and that is Starmie. Both of her Pokemon have a powerful water-type move called Water Pulse.
If you have a Pokemon that is weak against Water Type then you will be knocked out in just a single hit with this special move.
Misty’s Gym in Cerulean City is themed around a huge pool since she is a swimmer and loves to do swimming. The trainers in the gym even have the same background for water and pools. The overall look of this gym is no doubt really cool.
Unlike Brock, Misty is not an easy opponent she knows what she is doing when battling with a trainer. She has excellent command over her Pokemon so make sure you are prepared for a challenging battle.
Lt. Surge
In-Game Position: Vermilion City Gym Leader
Pokemon Specialization Type: Electric
The third gym leader waiting for you is Lt. Surge, he is a military retired person. He is one of the most powerful trainers in the Kanto region, Lt. Surge’s background tells us that he has been an exceptional soldier, just like that he has trained his Pokemon in the most superficial manner.
Lt. Surge is the gym leader of Vermilion City who specializes in Electric Pokemon. His background isn’t the only thing that blows us away but his entire Pokemon team is also strong enough to leave us knocked out.
Surge’s Pokemon team has 3 Pokemon in total. These include Raichu, Pikachu, and Voltorb. Raichu is the leading Pokemon on this team. The second best Pokemon is Pikachu.
All of Lt. Surge’s Pokemon are electric type and they can cause some serious damage to weak Pokemon in no time. But this all comes when you have made it through the huge puzzle which is the main theme of Vermilion City Gym. And most importantly, you have taken down all the trainers of the gym as well.
Lt. Surge is gonna be a tough competition for most of the players since Misty and Brock were just having 2 Pokemon and they were not even half of these Pokemon. Lt. Surge has 3 of the most powerful electric Pokemon.
So, there is no way you can beat him if your team does not consist of strong Pokemon which are at least standing at level 18. Another thing that you should consider is the type of your Pokemon.
Using Pokemon that is super effective against electric type will give you tons of advantages. It will ensure that this challenging gym leader can be defeated.
Erika
In-Game Position: Celadon City Gym Leader
Pokemon Specialization Type: Grass
Erika has the most calm personality in the entire game and is the cutest human character in the entire game. She is the gym leader of Celadon City and specializes in Grass Type Pokemon.
Erika looks like a human with a peaceful personality and she is actually from Japan. You can see her wearing the traditional Japanese. Since her gym is based on the grass type, you will find all sorts of grass Pokemon in the trainer’s collection.
All of the trainers in Erika’s gym are female who have a collection of powerful grass-type Pokemon. The Pokemon with Fire move set can easily get the victory here.
Erika’s team is based on 3 Pokemon, they are Victreebel, Tangela, and Vileplume. They are great Pokemon who specialize in grass and poison-type moves. So, you will be experiencing active and passive damage as well.
Victreebel is Erika’s leading Pokemon which leaves Vileplum in second place. All three of these Pokemon have the ability to add a negative effect on your Pokemon.
Erika’s Pokemon might seem easy to battle with, but they can definitely be super dangerous. Their poisonous moves can leave your Pokemon with negative effects. Don’t forget to bring in some antidotes, otherwise your Pokemon will suffer health loss passively throughout the battle.
Koga
In-Game Position: Fuschia City Gym Leader
Pokemon Specialization Type: Poison
One of the toughest gym leaders in the Kanto region is Koga, he is the gym leader of Fuschia City. His Pokemon are Poison Type which is why they are hard to beat. All of his Pokemon has the ability to damage the opponent as well as leave a negative effect as well.
Koga has actually a background of a ninja in the classic Pokemon anime series. He is a smart and quick guy in his real life since the ninjas are quick at speed, Koga is also perfect at this thing and so is his Pokemon.
His Pokemon team is based on 4 Pokemon and all of them are specialized in Poison Type. They are not so easy to knock out. Koga’s Pokemon are 2x Koffing, Muko, and Weezing.
Weezing is the leading Pokemon of his team then comes the Muko, and lastly Koffing. All of his Pokemon puts a poison effect on the opponent which slowly takes away the HP.
The only way to deal with these Pokemon is to bring in a team that is super effective against Poison Type. Koga is one of the unique human characters in Pokemon. That’s because there is no competition to him in the anime series based on his personality.
Koga’s physical appearance tells everything about his ninja background. You will see him wearing a purple ninja suit with a red scarf covering half of his face. This makes him a superior ninja.
You won’t find any other human character in Pokemon similar to Koga. His gym is also a unique place. As we know Koga is a ninja that’s why his gym is based on the theme of a ninja’s home. This place has invisible walls which become disappear once you have defeated Koga in his gym.
Sabrina
In-Game Position: Saffrom City Gym Leader
Pokemon Specialization Type: Psychic
Sabrina is another human character in Pokemon that goes in the gym leaders category. Saffron City’s gym is the place where you will meet her as the gym leader. She specializes in the Psychic type Pokemon.
These Pokemon are a bit more challenging to deal with since their attacks can also leave opponents confused which results in either staying stunned or hitting themselves.
Sabrina’s Pokemon collection is based on 4 Pokemon. These are Kadabra, Mr. Mime, Venomoth, and Alakazam. All 4 Pokemon of Sabrina make a stronger team, this can give you a hard time if your Pokemon are weak against Psychic moves.
Sabrina’s physical appearance makes her stand out from most of the gym leaders in the Kanto region and even among the trainers. She is wearing a suit that is Pink and Black in color. That’s just in the earlier generation though, in newer generations her outfit and appearance get a full change. The best thing is that she got a much cooler outfit in the newer generations of Pokemon. That’s why Sabrina is one of the best and coolest human characters in Pokemon.
Sabrina’s gym in Saffron City is a more typical and challenging arena full of trainers, containing several rooms, it’s actually a huge maze, and each tile on the maze is a warp tile. They basically work as the teleporters. Stepping on the tile will teleport you to the next tile. You have to make your way through these warp tiles and reach Sabrina by defeating the trainers that come your way.
Blaine
In-Game Position: Cinnabar Island Gym Leader
Pokemon Specialization Type: Fire
Blaine is an old guy in Pokemon plus he is the seventh gym leader in the Kanto region. Bliane’s outfit tells much about his background, in the earlier generations, especially in the Kanto region Blaine puts on a white lab coat that for sure points towards his scientific background.
Blaine has a gym in Cinnabar Island and he specializes in Fire Type Pokemon. As you move towards the last gym members, things start to get challenging. Blaine keeps 4 Pokemon in his collection and these are going crush you if your Pokemon aren’t strong against fire-type.
The 4 Pokemon of Blaine include Growlithe, Ponyta, Rapidash, and Arcanine. Arcanine is the leading Pokemon of his collection and all of his Pokemon have gripped fire-type moves.
So, if you still do not have any Pokemon that can prove to be super effective against the fire type then the first thing you should do is train some water-type Pokemon.
The Pokemon anime series have shown Blaine as a typical old guy with a bald head and mustache but there is a transition in his appearance as we move towards newer generations in the Pokemon game.
The Kanto region shows him as a scientist and his whole team in the gym seems to be a team of scientists from some sort of laboratory. Now, as you go into other regions or more specifically in other games, you will notice a huge change in his appearance.
This definitely suggests that his background is quite dynamic which is why Blaine is just another unique human character that we have witnessed in Pokemon.
Giovanni
In-Game Position: Viridian City Gym Leader
Pokemon Specialization Type: Ground
Giovanni has quite a negative role in the Pokemon series, especially in the earlier generation of the series. While you are in the Kanto region, specifically in the Fire Red or Leaf Green version Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket.
If you make it to the Viridian City and visit the gym in there, you will notice that the gym has no leader. That’s because he is actually operating the Team Rocket. Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket.
You will meet him at the end when the Team Rocket is defeated during the storyline. After all the things are sorted out and you have successfully cleared the Team Rocket from the entire Kanto Region, Giovanni will become available in his gym of Viridian City.
Giovanni has the strongest collection of Pokemon among all the gym leaders. He has a total of 5 Pokemon and all of them are Ground Type. The leading Pokemon is a Level 50 Rhyhorn followed by Nidoking. Then he has another Rhyorn, Nidoqueen, and Dugtrio.
All of these Pokemon are specialized in Ground moves which are the ultimate source of making the target lose of HP. The other trainers in the gym are also dominant in ground-type Pokemon. So, it is recommended that you go with something that can become a threat to ground and rock-type Pokemon.
Giovanni has a such unique character in the game and in the anime series as well. Kanto region is the place where he rules the gym and leads the Team Rocket but in other games, he have got some changes in his roles.
When playing the newer generations of Pokemon, he will become a bonus boss. The ones that came after these generations has shown Giovanni as the mega boss since he gathers all the bosses and also leads Team Rainbow Rocket. Giovanni is no doubt the most devilish character in the game.
His outfit makes him a decent businessman but he is not. Giovanni is the real deal when it comes to the most evil act in the Pokemon series. You will find that Team Rocket is involved in most of the messes that are being created around the Kanto region.
Lorelei
In-Game Position: Indigo League Elite Four Member
Pokemon Specialization Type: Ice
Gym leaders aren’t the only noticeable human characters in Pokemon, there is a whole different and much more powerful group of trainers known as the Elite Four. In the Kanto region, we have that group under the name of Indigo League Elite Four.
Lorelei is the first of the Elite Four League members. She is the trainer of Ice Type Pokemon, previously you have defeated the gym leaders, compared to those gym leaders, the Elite Four members are extremely powerful.
Lorelei has 5 Pokemon in total and they all are Ice Type. Lapras, Jynx, Slowbro, Cloyster, and Dewgong are the Pokemon in her collection.
Elite Four members do not have much of a background in the anime and in the game as well. You just meet them at the Indigo Plateau for the first time. What’s interesting about them is they are just the high-end bosses waiting for you at the championship. Facing them back to back is a really difficult phase.
Bruno
In-Game Position: Indigo League Elite Four Member
Pokemon Specialization Type: Fighting
This strong-looking guy is actually a martial arts expert coming from a strong fighting league. Just like himself, he has trained his Pokemon to be strong fighters, since he has Fighting Type Pokemon in his team.
Bruno has 5 Pokemon, 3 of them are Fighting Type, and 2 are Ground and Rock Type. The leading Pokemon is a Level 58 Machamp, the others are Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, and 2x Onix.
This team is basically a great combination of Fighting and Rock Pokemon. He has the best ones from both of these types. Onix is definitely a monster Pokemon with some strong moves such as Rock Throw and Slam.
On the other hand, there is Machamp which is an ultimate fighting Pokemon. He has a strong fighting move called Submission and a ground move called Fissure.
Agatha
In-Game Position: Indigo League Elite Four Member
Pokemon Specialization Type: Ghost
Agatha is an old lady with an interesting character, she would mention that she is not really onto Professor Oak’s idea about the Pokemon, since the Pokemon are meant to be the fighters for trainers.
Agatha has a preference on Ghost-Type Pokemon and she has lined up some of the greatest Ghost and Poison-Type Pokemon. She has Pokemon such as Gengar, Arbok, Haunter, and Golbat.
Poison-type Pokemon can be really annoying since they have the ability to add a poison effect on the target, with this the target loses HP over time. Dealing with such Pokemon requires using antidotes which actually removes the effect.
Agatha’s Pokemon are Level 50+ so make sure that your Pokemon are of higher level then this. Also, don’t forget to fill up your backpack with lots of recovery items.
Lance
In-Game Position: Indigo League Elite Four Member
Pokemon Specialization Type: Dragon
Lance is the last member of Elite Four, he has command over the Dragon-type Pokemon which are the mightiest Pokemon breed. Lance look a cool guy mainly because of his getup and overall personality including the Pokemon collection.
He wears a jacket under a huge cape which is definitely some cool looking outfit, making him stand out from others and as a last and final member of Elite Four. Though, Lance is a dragon-type Pokemon trainer not all of his Pokemon are dragons and that’s a surprising fact.
He has mainly 3 dragon-type Pokemon and 2 are flying-type Pokemon. The dragon ones are Dragonair and Dragonite. While the other 2 are Gyarados and Aerodactyl. His main Pokemon is Dragontite which has learned Psychic moves, these are super effective against most of the Pokemon types.
So, these are the prominent Pokemon Human Characters from the Kanto region. Apart from these, the region has many more characters that you meet along the way. Most of them are trainers or people from the Pokemon Center and other buildings.
Since they are just random and have no proper background, they never seem like they have enough value to be added to this guide.
Don’t forget to check out the Coin Case Guide for Pokemon Fire Red & Leaf Green if you are just at the beginning of your journey. Also, we have dropped a detailed guide on Mareep the Lamb Pokemon.
