Trainers and Their Pokemon

[Crazy Linoone]

Perhaps you have noticed, but each of the player characters and rivals in the main Pokemon games are pared up with one starter, who often matches the character in some way, either personality or looks, which is then considered "canon" to an extent (most fanart shows the pair, as do most official art, and it seems weird when another pair is used). This is very obvious if you look at Gen II, III, and IV:

Gen II:
- Gold and Typhlosion
- Silver and Feraligatr
- Kris and Meganium

Gen III:
- Ruby and Mudkip
- Sapphire and Torchic
- Arguably, Wally and Treecko, since Wally already has a green themed team

Gen IV:
- Diamond (player male) and Turtwig
- Pearl (NPC Rival) and Chimchar
- Platina (player female) and Piplup

Generation I is a bit trickier, since it seems like the starters could swing either way. However, if this picture is a indication of anything, we have:

Gen I:
- Red and Bulbasaur
- Blue (player female) and Squirtle
- Green (rival) and Charmander

And now the problem arises: Black and White has four people to go with three starters. This is definitely not going to work out, since someone is going to end up starterless.

(It's interesting to note that the rest of the Pokemon fandom is confused as well; unlike pictures of a previous Generation, you're likely to see the BW player characters paired up with any starter, while a picture where Ruby (Brendan) has anything but a Mudkip is extremely rare.)

Canonically, it seems like Bianca gets Oshawott and Cheren gets SnivyThe reason is be because of their character designs. You may have noticed, but trainers tend to look like their Pokemon. And now, if you turn your attention to the character designs of the trainers...

Let's first examine Cheren. Notice the cowlick/ahoge/stupidhair on the top of his head. And now turn your attention to the top of Servine's head... There's a similar pointy thing sticking out of the top of its head. Personality wise, this pair works. Cheren is a bit of a smug know-it-all sort of person, and the Snivy line is known for looking smug.

On the other hand, we have Bianca. Once again, pay attention to the shape of her hair; this time, to the two random strands sticking out of the sides (her arm is blocking one). Interestingly, they resemble Samurott's mustache. The design are too similar for it to be a coincidence.

And now we're left with Tepig and the two player characters. Based on character designs, it seems like White (Touko, Hilda, player female) would get Tepig, once again due to the hair: the two strands sticking out of the top of White's hair above her baseball cap resembles Tepig's ears. (I once read a comic on Halolz that illustrated this better, but I can't find it anymore... Help would be appreciated).

However, there are several problems with this setup. For one, Black (Touya, Hilbert, male trainer) wouldn't have a Pokemon. Two, this will never happen in-game; since Cheren always chooses a Pokemon with a type advantage to the player character, there's no way he could own a grass type Snivy if the player picks the fire type Tepig.

(Of relevant note is that the Pokemon Special (Pokemon Adventures) manga solves this problem by giving both Black and White Tepigs, so there are technically four "starters". And since it doesn't follow the videogame canon strictly anyway, it gets away with giving Cheren a Snivy and Bianca an Oshawott.)

Discuss.

 

[DarkAura]

.....wow.......i...have nothing bad to say about this.....just...wow....two tepigs.....

 

[hopeandjoy]

Most fan art I see has Touya with a Samurott and a Zerkom.

Personally, I just go with fan art most of the time and sometimes my own team.

 

[Sesquipedalian!]

And now we're left with Tepig and the two player characters. Based on character designs, it seems like White (Touko, Hilda, player female) would get Tepig, once again due to the hair: the two strands sticking out of the top of White's hair above her baseball cap resembles Tepig's ears. (I once read a comic on Halolz that illustrated this better, but I can't find it anymore... Help would be appreciated).

However, there are several problems with this setup. For one, Black (Touya, Hilbert, male trainer) wouldn't have a Pokemon. Two, this will never happen in-game; since Cheren always chooses a Pokemon with a type advantage to the player character, there's no way he could own a grass type Snivy if the player picks the fire type Tepig.

(Of relevant note is that the Pokemon Special (Pokemon Adventures) manga solves this problem by giving both Black and White Tepigs, so there are technically four "starters". And since it doesn't follow the videogame canon strictly anyway, it gets away with giving Cheren a Snivy and Bianca an Oshawott.)

Discuss.

One may suppose in such a case that Tepig may be representative of both the male and female trainer - as they are, in essence, simple characterizations of the player him or herself - and as such, hold no distinctive personalities to differentiate them. I suppose the greatest one may achieve in relation, besides the notice of the baseball cap similarity, is the fact that Tepig itself appears to appear aesthetically "determined with a playful streak", qualities that one may associate with the personalities the player may invoke onto Hilda/Hilbert with being "determined to play the game", along with the aforementioned being stereotypical of some protagonist qualities, I would presume.

 

[Blastoise Fortooate]

Hilda and Hilbert exist in slightly different realities; Hilda has White Forest, caught Zekrom, etc., whereas Hilbert gets Reshiram and Black City. They both get a tepig.

 

[LadyJirachu]

Korrina and Lucario for non-starter partnering. Though he was technecly her starter in terms of the anime.