Characters: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire aka: Ptitlem5qiqwn 8
For the Pokémon introduced in these games, refer to this page.
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Main Characters
Brendan (Yuuki)/May (Haruka)
The hero. Whichever one you don't choose becomes your rival. Also, note that, unless examples for both are given, what applies for May does not apply for Brendan, and vice versa. As the protagonist
Badass Adorable: The protagonist has no problem standing face-to-face with a beast that can shift continents, raise the sea, or Hyper Beam them to death, depending on the version. Or all three of them in Emerald.
Took a Level in Badass: The protagonist saves the world from utter annihilation of the awakened pissed-off Legendary (depending on version of course) by either defeating or capturing them.
Averted in Emerald, as technically Rayquaza is the one to solve the crisis. You just go to awake him.
Free-Range Children: As with all of the games, no one seems to care that you're traveling around the country and fighting villains even though you're only 11.
Disappeared Dad: So far, the only aversion in the main series—the protagonist's father is Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader.
Plucky Girl: NPC May is clumsy and shy but never lets any losses get her down.
The Rival: Quite obviously, though to a lesser extent than the previous rivals.
Ship Tease: In Emerald, the rival states "I just saw a huge green Pokémon flying across the sky!....I wish you were there, <player's name>." Take of that what you will, but the way NPC Brendan acts toward you..
Tsundere: Brendan plays a Type B version of this as a NPC.
Totally Radical: In Emerald, their PokéNav nickname is "Rad Neighbor."
Meaningful Name: Their Japanese names. Haruka means "Spring flower" but also means "far away", which goes with Norman's name Senri which can also refer to "1000 li" (2440 miles, but also an idiomatic way to say far away). Yuki, also known as Brendan, just means "bravery".
Two of Brendan's default names are Landon and Sean; referring to the 2 legendary Pokémon.
Two of May's default names are Terra and Marina; also referring to Groudon and Kyogre.
In Emerald, one of Brendan's default names is "Rald."
Nice Hat: As is tradition, both protagonists have stylin’ hats - a ski cap/head band for Brendan and a bandanna for May.
One Steve Limit: Very nearly broken in Emerald, as Brendan's name is similar to Pyramid King Brandon.
To Be a Master: May as the protagonist, and Brendan as either role. (NPC Brendan states that he wants to take over a gym, while NPC May goes help Birch with the research)
Wally (Mitsuru)
A sickly boy that starts his journey when you help him catch his first Pokémon.
The Rival: He tries to be this to you and pretty much becomes it by the end.
Took a Level in Badass: You see him in Mauville, and he's hardly Rival material compared to the ones in the last two games or even to the non-chosen Player Character. Then you run into him on Victory Road, and HOLY SHIT HE'S GOTTEN AWESOME! Pokémon gave him hope to overcome his weaknesses, and in becoming stronger himself, he raised his Pokémon into total badasses. He's like Theodore Roosevelt, but with Pokémon.
At their highest levels, his Pokémon could actually pick a fight with Wallace.
Professor Who Actually Does Something: He's the first Regional Professor to actually go out into the field himself to study Pokémon in the wild, instead of just sending a kid to do it and leaving it at that. He kinda sucks at it, though.
Theme Naming: Once again, a regional professor named after a tree.
Selective Magnetism: Her Nosepass's magnetism traps Steel-types in battle with it. Not that you'd have Steel types by that point, but this can apply in rematches in Emerald version.
Wake Up Call Boss: If you chose Torchic - prepare to grind to either evolve the chicken or until you have a decent Water or Grass-type.
Blackout Basement: His gym does this; oddly enough, it's the one that unlocks Flash.
Crippling Overspecialization: All damaging moves his team uses in battle in Emerald are Fighting-type, which means that anything that resists said type has a very easy time against him.
Punny Name: His Japanese name refers to a type of herb. It's also a homonym for "fighting spirit".
Punny Name: Her Japanese name is an anagram for "sauna", since her Gym is in a town famous for its hot springs. Also, "Flan" = "flame".
Well Done Son Guy: Shades of this - much like Falkner back in Generation II, she's big on living up to the family legacy. When you beat her, she decides that attempting to emulate her grandfather just hampers her and resolves to be herself.
Norman (Senri)
Petalburg Gym Leader—A Man in Pursuit of Power!
Climax Boss: Pretty much the halfway-point boss - he's built up as an important future opponent (he's your father), defeating him gives you access to Surf and the other half of Hoenn, and he's roughly midway through the main story's plot
Good Parent: Unlike in the manga. This is also seen in the anime.
Meaningful Name/Punny Name: All Gym Leaders have a punny and meaningful name, but theirs is really clever. Reverse the order of their names, and you get Liza and Tate. Liza and Tate really fast sounds like "Levitate".
Helping Would Be Kill Stealing: Oh gee, thanks for sitting on the sidelines and not offering to help fight Groudon/Kyogre/summon Rayquaza!
It's slightly justified in Emerald - he goes to the Sky Pillar with you, but then starts to become worried about Sootopolis when he notices the storm spreading rapidly and states he has to go back.
Team Aqua's leader, he aspires to awaken Kyogre and expand the seas. Unlike Giovanni before him, his motives are very much selfless, but it doesn't change the fact that his activities are criminal in nature, and his underlings are all dicks. Therefore, you must stop him. Even though you're eleven.
Affably Evil: He's quite civil to the player at some points in the game (especially in Emerald).
Also, between the two different versions he's slightly more politely-spoken than Maxie is.
Anti-Villain: He wants to raise the seas since water is the source of life. He is willing to do low things to succeed, but in his mind, it's the right thing.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: He wants to expand the seas so that Water Pokémon have more places to live. And just to drive the point home that he is a nice (but stupid) guy, he has a Crobat.
Obliviously Evil: He does not seem to realize the bad parts of his plans or why people try to stop them, only when it is too late to stop does he realize the bad parts of releasing Kyogre and flooding the world. Realizing it causes him to make a very fast Heel Face Turn.
What Have I Done: After awakening Kyogre, he realizes that Kyogre will flood everything, including humanity.
Demoted to Extra: In Ruby especially, where he only appears with his leader twice - at Meteor Falls, and at the Seafloor Cavern. He only appears once in Emerald - at the Aqua Headquarters - but is more significant in that he battles you, providing a distraction while his boss escapes.
Team Magma's leader, he aspires to awaken Groudon and expand the landmass. Unlike Giovanni before him, his motives are very much selfless, but it doesn't change the fact that his activities are criminal in nature, and his underlings are all dicks. Therefore, you must stop him. Even though you're eleven.
Anti-Villain: Like Archie, he thinks he is doing justice to the world, since draining the sea would allow humans to travel more easily and would make more room to live. He also pulls a quicker Heel Face Turn than Archie in Emerald.
Bishounen: To a lesser extent than some, but still....
Dual Boss: In Emerald, you have to battle him three times. The third time, he faces you in a double-battle alongside Tabitha. You get to fight them both alongside Steven, and each person is allowed no more than three Pokémon to balance the odds.
Recurring Boss: In Emerald, he's fought three times in total (once in a Dual Boss situation on both sides). This sharply contrasts Archie, who is only fought once (after all three battles with Maxie).
Sympathetic Criminal: While he is leading what is essentially an eco-terrorist group, his cause to make the rather rare Fire-type more common and dry up the sea is considered to be rather sane compared to Archie's plot to make Water-types even more common when the Water-type is already is the most common Pokémon type in the whole series.
Especially given how Fire types are among the rarer and and less diverse elements - in fact, Gen. V is the first time since Gen. I that any new Pokémon which evolve via Fire Stone were introduced. Not to mention that Hoenn does have one of the smallest number of Fire type species introduced to the overall list (6, not including Castform).
Well-Intentioned Extremist: He wants to make more land so that land based Pokémon have more places to live, and like Archie, he has a Crobat to prove that he is not really an evil person.
Obliviously Evil: Like Archie, he doesn't seem to realize the bad parts of his plans until it is too late.
What Have I Done: After awakening Groudon and finding out that it will dry away all the water in the world, leaving humanity and Pokémon to die of thirst.
You Fail Geology Forever: Waitwaitwait - You want to expand the landmass by using a meteor to (somehow) trigger a volcanic eruption in THE MIDDLE OF THE CONTINENT? (Ruby and Emerald) And when that works, you want to JETTISON A LOAD OF ROCKET FUEL INTO SAID VOLCANO? (Emerald) To MAKE IT ERUPT?! How many science classes did you sleep through, Maxie?
There's some implication that in Emerald at least, the plan was actually to empty out the volcano's contents in order to search for Groudon inside it (hence why their base is later built at the Jagged Pass near Mt Chimney, and why Team Magma is absent for a while). The "jettison a load of rocket fuel" was likely the start of a Villainous Breakdown since Maxie's plans were failing, and he was clutching at straws before finally realising he was wrong.
The Dragon: To Maxie, but only in Ruby. In Emerald, she surrenders this role to Tabitha.
Demoted to Extra: Worse than Matt (from Team Aqua) in this regard. While both only cameo in the game opposite their team's role (in her case, Sapphire), she doesn't have any importance in Emerald and only appears at the Seafloor Cavern.
And given how the admins and grunts have the same overworld sprites in these games... It's relatively easy to miss the fact that it's supposed to be her in the Seafloor Cavern.
Gender Blender Name: "Homura" can go both ways or be a last name, but Tabitha is always female. The game translators may have gotten confused by the way the sprite looked, although 4Kids used the much more masculine "Harland" for his first appearance in the anime before lining up with the games.
Glass Cannon: His strategy says it all: "Offense over Defense". His team consists of: two actual Glass Cannons (Absol, and, depending on version, Sharpedo/Crawdaunt), two with a quadruple weakness (Cacturne, another Glass Cannon in fact, and Shiftry) and a Mightyena with a recoil-inducing move.
Phoebe (Fuyou)
Ambiguously Brown: Arguably the first in the game series; although some might think she's Hawaiian because of her rather stereotypical dress.
Mana Burn: Her first Pokémon in Emerald, Dusclops, has Protect, which, coupled with its Pressure ability, was specifically designed to wear down the Power Points (PP) of your Pokémon. The second one, Banette, is no slouch either, with Spite in its arsenal (in Emerald, Spite is replaced with Grudge).
Luck-Based Mission: Her Walrein knows Sheer Cold. Unless you outlevel her (meaning you have effectively already won), you have at least a 30% chance of losing.
Sidetracked By The Golden Saucer: Lampshaded in Emerald, where he tells you over the Pokénav that fighting the Elite Four is better than engaging in the Battle Frontier, regardless of fun value.
Infinity+1 Sword: Post-game, he leaves behind a Beldum in his house as a gift for the player.
MacGuffin Delivery Service: His father, the president of Devon Corp., asks the player to deliver a letter to him in the Granite Cave near Dewford Town.
Good Is Not Nice: Apparently, she tells losing trainers that they have no talent, and when she loses, she's fond of creepy laughter ("Fufufufufufu....")
