History Main / SignatureMon

*** May starts out with her Starter Pokémon, Torchic. However, it gets overshadowed by Beautifly who receives favoritism from May due to her being a Coordinator. However, once Torchic evolves into Combusken, it gets enough attention and screentime to become her Signature Mon again as well as her powerhouse. Its status is still retained as a Blaziken.

*** Sawyer's is his Treecko, which evolved all the way into a Sceptile that eventually Mega Evolved into Mega Sceptile, and is the uncontested Ace of his team.

*** Goh's Scorbunny is his starter and companion, though once it fully evolves, it stops being a walking Pokémon and is now kept in its [=PokéBall=]. Sobble then acts as his companion mon, while Cinderace is his powerhouse until Sobble also fully evolves into Inteleon. He was then joined by a Grookey, who is currently serving the companion role.
*** Jessie's Signature Mon started out to be Ekans, who later evolved into Arbok. After Arbok's release, Wobbuffet has become this.
*** James's Signature Mon started as Koffing, who later evolved into Weezing. Its place was taken later on by Cacnea and Carnivine, although from the Unova era onward he hasn't really had a Signature Pokémon due to multiple reasons.

** Tohsaka Rin's original Servant is Archer, but she loses her contract with him to Caster, thus she makes a new contract with Saber after Caster dies and all contracts with Casters are nullified. Archer still serves as her Signature Mon within the franchise, and likewise, Rin serves as Archer's Signature Master.

*** Pikachu is Ash's StarterMon and he has been in his party all the time except for one battle (his Silver Conference match against Gary where he was explicitly not in Ash's lineup, though this was implied to also be the case during Ash's battle with Conway, just never stated aloud). The bond between the two of them often gets a lot of focus and is frequently mentioned. Pikachu is usually the only Pokémon to stay in Ash's party and travels with him to other regions, while everyone else is PutOnABus.
*** Ash often has another Signature Mon who is acting as TheAce and is a SpotlightStealingSquad. In the original series, it's Charizard, which is especially seen during the battle against Gary in the Johto League, where Pikachu is absent from the battle. In ''Advanced Generation'', Sceptile becomes this more or less after his final evolution, but he doesn't get overexposed with this trope. In ''Diamond & Pearl'', Infernape is this, especially due to its relationship with its previous trainer Paul who is Ash's rival and therefore pushed him to the frontlines in helping Ash defeat his toughest opponent yet. In ''XY&Z'', Greninja became this after his final evolution and then when his bond with Ash gave him access to a unique and exclusive SuperMode called Ash-Greninja (a preview of "Battle Bond" from the games).

*** Ash often has another Signature Mon who is acting as TheAce and is a SpotlightStealingSquad. In the original series, it's Charizard, which is especially seen during the battle against Gary in the Johto League, where Pikachu is absent from the battle. In ''Advanced Generation'', Sceptile becomes this more or less after his final evolution, but he doesn't get overexposed with this trope. In ''Diamond & Pearl'', Infernape is this, especially due to its relationship with its previous trainer Paul who is Ash's rival and therefore pushed him to the frontlines in helping Ash defeat his toughest opponent yet. In ''XY&Z'', Greninja became this after his final evolution and then when his bond with Ash gave him access to a unique and exclusive SuperMode called Ash-Greninja (a preview of "Battle Bond" from the games). During ''Sun & Moon'', Incineroar and Lycanroc seem to split this role when Pikachu (who is Ash's undisputed true Ace in Alola) isn't in the spotlight. In ''Journeys'', this role is also shared between Dragonite and Lucario when Pikachu isn't in the spotlight.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' might be the TropeCodifier of this trope. Even though there are over ''800 Pokémon'', and there will be even more in the future, every trainer has one Pokémon that is most assosciated with them. It's usually the last mon they use when battling them.

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* A Signature Mon may have its own (back)story. If its teammates also have their own stories, the Signature Mon tends to have a much more developed story. Due to that, a Signature Mon also is more likely to have a the most developed CharacterDevelopment among its team, especially if it is owned by a main character.

* In ''Anime/CardfightVanguard'' and its spinoffs, a number of significant characters are associated with their favourite cards: Aichi has Blaster Blade, Kai has Draconic Overlord and Ren has Blaster Dark. Even of those, Aichi is the only one with a single copy of the card in question, due to its [[UniquenessValue rarity]]. Most other characters - even those in the main cast - subvert this by frequently changing their decks much like a RealLife player would to avoid the ComplacentGamingSyndrome.

** Red from ''Manga/PocketMonsters'' has two, his Clefairy and his Pikachu. They're his two Pokémon that stick with him throughout the regions. To a lesser extent he also has a Tyrogue.

*** Ash often has another Signature Mon who is acting as TheAce and is a SpotlightStealingSquad. In the original series, it's Charizard, which is especially seen during the battle against Gary in the Johto League, where Pikachu is absent from the battle. In ''Advanced Generation'', Sceptile becomes this more or less after his final evolution, but he doesn't get overexposed with this trope. In ''Diamond & Pearl'', Infernape is this, especially due to its relationship with its previous trainer Paul who is Ash's rival and therefore pushed him to the frontlines in helping Ash defeat his toughest opponent yet. In ''XY&Z'', Greninja became this after his final evolution and then when his bond with Ash gave him access to a unique and exclusive SuperMode called Ash-Greninja(a preview of "battle bond" from the games). During ''Sun & Moon'', Incineroar and Lycanroc seem to split this role when Pikachu (who is Ash's undisputed true Ace in Alola) isn't in the spotlight. In ''Journeys'', this role is also shared between Dragonite and Lucario when Pikachu isn't in the spotlight.

*** Paul's is Torterra, which was his starter and is arguably his strongest Pokémon implied to have been his main mon in his journeys throughout Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. During the Sinnoh journey the role goes to Electivire as it proves to be his strongest Pokémon barring Torterra itself who isn't used as often, and also as Ash's [[TheAce Infernape]]'s rival, who in turn used to also count as Paul's signature before it was released.

*** Clemont is first introduced with Bunnelby, but Chespin would eventually be his Signature Mon... until Luxray comes in. Prior to Bunnelby's capture, it was Heliolisk who is DemotedToExtra really hard.

*** Lana started out with a Popplio. As it evolves into Brionne and then Primarina it became her powerhouse, and the stray Eevee that she eventually caught fills the small companion role.

* Although ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' is not a {{Mons}} game per se, the Commander format is still based around something similar to this trope. The main gimmick of this format is that each deck has a "commander" card, that starts in a special "command zone" instead of the deck (so it can be cast immediately when the player has the {{mana}} for it, without needing to be drawn from the deck). If the commander would be destroyed or otherwise removed from play, the player can choose to place it back into the command zone to be replayed later (though every cast requires more mana). This makes a commander very difficult to remove permanently and most decks are built to revolve tightly around it. In the early days of the format, the commander was always a Legendary creature, later on, some planeswalkers that can be commanders were also introduced. With the release of ''Strixhaven'' double-sided cards, you can even have a '''sorcery''' as your commander, making it more of a SignatureMove than a SignatureMon.

So, you have collectible {{Mon}}s and might be able to [[CatchThemAll catch them all]]? But there is only one or maybe two that take all the spotlights from all the others or hang around with you the most? Is the bond between you and your signature mon stronger than with any of your other mons? Congratulations, you have a Signature Mon.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chaotic}}'': Maxxor and Chaor are Tom and Kaz's respective favorite creature cards that they each build their deck around. They each look up to and have developed friendships with the real Maxxor and Chaor in Perim. This is otherwise a rarity; few other players (and none of the other main characters) have specific creature cards that they attach themselves to in such a way.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chaotic}}'': Maxxor and Chaor are Tom and Kaz's respective favorite creature cards that they each build their deck around. They each look up to and have developed friendships with the real Maxxor and Chaor in Perim. This is otherwise a rarity; few other players (and none of the other main characters) have specific creature cards that they attach themselves to.

*** Red from ''Manga/PocketMonsters'' has two, his Clefairy and his Pikachu. They're his two Pokémon that stick with him throughout the regions. To a lesser extent he also has a Tyrogue.

[-[[caption-width-right:350:Inseparable through [[Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries Kanto]], [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl Sinnoh]], [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon Alola]], and [[Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries journeys beyond]].[[note]]clockwise from top left[[/note]]]]-]

*** Brock's Signature Mon was initially Onix, but after travelling through other regions and leaving most of his Pokémon in his home, his Croagunk is his Signature Mon for two series. In ''Sun & Moon'', Brock goes back to his original Signature Mon, Steelix (Onix evolved off-screen during ''Advanced Generation'').

*** Serena's is her Starter Pokémon, Fennekin. She still continues to be her trainer's Signature Mon as Braixen.

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%%Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[caption-width-right:350:Inseparable through [[Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries Kanto]], [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl Sinnoh]], [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon Alola]], and [[Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries journeys beyond]].[[note]]clockwise from top left[[/note]]]]

%%Caption selected per above thread. Please don't change or remove without approval from here:
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[[quoteright:308:[[Anime/PokemonIChooseYou https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ash_pikachu_m20.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:308:Be lucky if you're not Pikachu, but still in his party. If not, [[PutOnABus you're probably in the laboratory]].]]

*** Red from ''Manga/PocketMonsters'' has two, his Clefairy and his Pikachu. They're his two Pokémon that stick with him throughout the regions.

*** Kiriha's is Greymon who also forms the core of its [=DigiXros=] and evolves into [=MetalGreymon=] and [=ZekeGreymon=]. Mailbirdramon was as well at first, but as time goes on Mailbirdramon stops getting any focus or dialog, causing Deckerdramon to become Kiriha's other signature, as he reveals several levels of HiddenDepths about the seemingly {{flat|character}} Kiriha. Apart from this, the signature monsters of Kihriha's army, Blue Flare, are the Gaossmons.

*** Yuu's partner is [=AxeKnightmon=], but it ended after realizing he was just using him. His signature monster was and remains Tuwarmon, however, as it is more obvious to the viewer that he cares a lot more about Yuu's well being than [=AxeKnightmon=].

** In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'', a Pixie is the first demon the Demi-Fiend finds in the new world. While it's a partnership of convenience (she wants to get to Yoyogi Park), she'll stay with you if you ask. If you keep the Pixie that you started the game with all the way until the end (this includes Pixie being fused into another demon), you will be rewarded with an absurdly powerful "[[FanNickname Uber-Pixie]]" which has several valuable late-game skills. It's hard to interpret this as anything other than Pixie's original bond with the Demi-Fiend being rewarded. As a result, cameos in later games often include a powerful Pixie in his party, and fanartists tend to draw him with Pixie, as his one companion in the hostile Vortex World.

** If his various [[HorseOfAdifferentcolor mounts]](Hoot, Dorrie, Sushie, Lackilester, the blooper racers, the surfing rays, Plessie, etc.) can be considered Mario's Mons, then his signature mons are the Yoshis, as Mario is known for personally rescuing them from Bowser's minions, or raising them from eggs. The green Yoshi in particular is his signature among the signatures. Not only is it the one that Mario is most commonly seen riding, but also the only playable Yoshi in most of the spin-offs.

* Neo Saiba uses several monsters in ''Manga/DigimonVTamer01'', but the two most associated with him are Arcadimon, whom Demon brought him into the Digimon World to raise, and Gryphmon, who serves as Saiba's [[AHorseOfADifferentColor transportation]].

** If his various [[HorseOfAdifferentcolor mounts]] can be considered Mario's Mons, then his signature mons are the Yoshis, as Mario is known for personally rescuing them from Bowser's minions, or raising them from eggs. The green Yoshi in particular is his signature among the signatures. Not only is it the one that Mario is most commonly seen riding, but also the only playable Yoshi in most of the spin-offs.

** If Yoshis can be considered Mario's Mons, then his signature Mon is the green one, who is not only the one that Mario is most commonly seen riding, but also the only playable Yoshi in most of the spin-offs.

*** Taiki's is Shoutmon who forms the core of the [=DigiXros=] and evolves into [=OmegaShoutmon=].
*** Kiriha's is Greymon who also forms the core of its [=DigiXros=] and evolves into [=MetalGreymon=] and [=ZekeGreymon=].
*** Nene has [=AxeKnightmon=] at first, but after her HeelFaceTurn, it became Sparrowmon who truly cares about her and has the closest bond too. In season 2, it changed yet again to Mervamon, but Sparrowmon is still one of her closest friends and the one who usually fuses with Mervamon.
*** Yuu's partner is [=AxeKnightmon=], but it ended after realizing he was just using him.

*** Yuu's new partner became Damemon, the only digimon of Twilight whom genuinely cared about him.

*** Taiki and Kiriha still have the same partners they had in the anime.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has many examples across the franchise.
** The anime tend to have two types of signatures; tiny companions that do cute/comical things and are often seen with their trainers outside their Pokéballs, and badass powerhouses. Sometimes the tiny companions do participate in battles as well.
*** Pikachu is Ash's StarterMon and he has been in his party all the time except for one battle (his Silver Conference match against Gary where he was explicilty not in Ash's lineup, though this was implied to also be the case during Ash's battle with Conway, just never stated aloud). The bond between the two of them often gets a lot of focus and is frequently mentioned. Pikachu is usually the only Pokémon to stay in Ash's party and travels with him to other regions, while everyone else is PutOnABus.
*** Ash often has another Signature Mon who is acting as TheAce and is a SpotlightStealingSquad. In the original series, it's Charizard, which is especially seen during the battle against Gary in the Johto League, where Pikachu is absent from the battle. In ''Advanced Generation'', Sceptile becomes this more or less after his final evolution, but he doesn't get overexposed with this trope. In ''Diamond & Pearl'', Infernape is this, especially due to its relationship with its previous trainer Paul who is Ash's rival and therefore pushed him to the frontlines in helping Ash defeat his toughest opponent yet. In ''XY&Z'', Greninja became this after his final evolution and then when his bond with Ash gave him access to a unique and exclusive SuperMode called Ash-Greninja. During ''Sun & Moon'', Incineroar and Lycanroc seem to split this role when Pikachu (who is Ash's undisputed true Ace in Alola) isn't in the spotlight. In ''Journeys'', this role is also shared between Dragonite and Lucario when Pikachu isn't in the spotlight.
*** Misty started out with a Water-type team that was balanced in exposure, then got a SpotlightStealingSquad in Psyduck before Togepi finally settled in as her Signature Pokémon, although she rarely ever used it in battle. Togepi's introduction also marked a shift in Misty's characterization, [[{{Chickification}} in which she became less of a tomboy and more of a mother to Togepi]]. Because of this, Togepi has a [[BaseBreakingCharacter mixed reception]] from the fanbase. After Togetic's departure, Psyduck still sticks around when she returns in ''Sun & Moon'', and she gets a Gyarados as her powerhouse which she caught in ''Chronicles''.
*** Brock's Signature Mon was initially Onix, but after travelling through other regions and leaving most of his Pokémon in his home, his Croagunk is his Signature Mon for two series. In ''Sun & Moon'', Brock goes back to his original Signature Mon, Steelix (Onix evolved off-screen during ''Advanced Generation'').
*** May starts out with her Starter Pokémon, Torchic. However, it gets overshadowed by Beautifly who receives favoritism from May due to her being a Coordinator. However, once Torchic evolves into Combusken, it gets enough attention and screentime to become her Signature Mon again as well as her powerhouse. Its status is still retained as a Blaziken.
*** Dawn's is Piplup, who is basically acting as a second Pikachu. Her Mamoswine is her signature powerhouse.
*** Paul's is Torterra, which was his starter and is arguably his strongest Pokémon implied to have been his main mon in his journeys throughout Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. During the Sinnoh journey the role goes to Electivire as it proves to be his strongest Pokémon barring Torterra itself who isn't used as often, and also as Ash's [[TheAce Infernape]]'s rival, who in turn used to also count as Paul's signature before it was released.
*** Iris's Axew is basically her Pikachu/Togepi/Piplup. Her initial signature powerhouse is Excadrill, who is then overshadowed by Dragonite. When Iris returns in ''Pokémon Journeys'', Axew has already fully evolved into Haxorus and became Iris's new ace, just like in the games (but male in the anime).
*** Cilan's is Pansage, just like in the games, but in later episodes of the Black and White series he's often [[OutOfFocus overshadowed]] by Crustle and Stunfisk.
*** Serena's is her Starter Pokémon, Fennekin. She still continues to be her trainer's Signature Mon as Braixen.
*** Clemont is first introduced with Bunnelby, but Chespin would eventually be his Signature Mon... until Luxray comes in. Prior to Bunnelby's capture, it was Heliolisk who is DemotedToExtra really hard.
*** While still technically Clemont's Pokémon, Bonnie is allowed to take care of his Dedenne who is always treated as her Signature Mon. Then a Zygarde Core becomes this to her, even though it is just travelling with her.
*** Alain's is his Charizard which can Mega Evolve into Mega Charizard X, it was his only Pokémon at first and it is very much the only one with focus outside of the Kalos League. It also is his most powerful and proves capable of overcoming foes such as Elite Four's Malva's Mega Houndoom and even Ash-Greninja (three times in fact).
*** Sawyer's is his Treecko, which evolved all the way into a Sceptile that eventually Mega Evolved into Mega Sceptile, and is the uncontested Ace of his team.
*** Lana started out with a Popplio. As it evolves into Brionne and then Primarina it became her powerhouse, and the stray Eevee that she eventually caught fills the small companion role.
*** Kiawe's uncontested signature is his Turtonator, who is his Ace and main user of Z-Moves.
*** Sophocles has his Togedemaru and Vikavolt competing for this spot.
*** Mallow has her Bounsweet which evolved into a Steenee and then a Tsareena. Partly due to being one of her few Pokémon at hand.
*** Goh's Scorbunny is his starter and companion, though once it fully evolves, it stops being a walking Pokémon and is now kept in its [=PokéBall=]. Sobble then acts as his companion mon, while Cinderace is his powerhouse until Sobble also fully evolves into Inteleon. He was then joined by a Grookey, who is currently serving the companion role.
*** Jessie's Signature Mon started out to be Ekans, who later evolved into Arbok. After Arbok's release, Wobbuffet has become this.
*** James's Signature Mon started as Koffing, who later evolved into Weezing. Its place was taken later on by Cacnea and Carnivine, although from the Unova era onward he hasn't really had a Signature Pokémon due to multiple reasons.
*** Gary has two. His Eevee (later Umbreon) whom he's seen the most with, and his Starter and powerhouse Blastoise.
*** Paul also has two. Elekid (which evolves all the way to Electivire) and his Starter Torterra. Paul is originally introduced with Elekid who also represents most of Paul's character and philosophy and it would eventually form a rivalry with Ash's Chimchar, mirroring the rivalry of their trainers. Torterra, on the other hand, represents Paul's long journey as a trainer and the experiences he has culmulated over the years, and Torterra's personality is a reminder that Paul didn't start out as a complete {{Jerkass}}.
*** Most Gym Leaders keep their Signature Pokémon from their game counterparts. But there are many others who don't and have a different one.
** The story of ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' focuses on Red's journey with his Starter Pokémon Charmander, which evolves all the way to Mega Charizard X. Red's other Pokémon are relegated to having cameo appearances.
** The manga is more or less the same as the anime:
*** ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' protagonists usually have their starters in this role. They also often have a second major Pokémon, such as Ruby and his Feebas or Red and his Pikachu.
*** Hareta from ''Manga/PokemonDiamondAndPearlAdventure'' has his starter, Piplup, who eventually goes on to evolve into Empoleon.
*** Red from ''Manga/PocketMonsters'' has two, his Clefairy and his Pikachu. They're his two Pokémon that stick with him throughout the regions.

*** Goh's Scorbunny is his starter and companion, though once it fully evolves, it stops being a walking Pokémon and is now kept in its Poke Ball. Sobble then acts as his companion mon, while Cinderace is his powerhouse until it also fully evolves into Inteleon. He was then joined by a Grookey, who is currently serving the companion role.

*** James's Signature Mon started as Koffing, who later evolved into Weezing. Its place was taken later on by Cacnea and Carnivine, although from Unova onward he hasn't really had a Signature Pokémon.

*** The story of ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' focuses on Red's journey with his Starter Pokémon Charmander, which evolves all the way to Mega Charizard X. Red's other Pokémon are relegated to having cameo appearances.

** Kotomine Kirei still works with his previous partner Gilgamesh as a pseudo-pair of Master and Servant, but due to Gilgamesh's incarnation and Independent Action, he doesn't act like a real Servant towards Kotomine. Kotomine steals Lancer's contract from Bazett Fraga [McRemitz] and serves as Lancer's Signature Master within the franchise, but it's Gilgamesh who acts as Kotomine's Signature Mon. Gilgamesh, who has six different Masters within the franchise, has two Signatur Masters: Kotomine Kirei and Kishinami Hakuno (particularly the female version).

** Bazett herself later obtains another Servant in ''VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia'' after losing her contract with Lancer. Her new Servant is Avenger. She's closely associated with either of them, but Avenger fits this trope more, due to the fact that Bazett's relationship with Lancer has become closer to rivals than Master and Servant.

* ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'': Within the Nasuverse, most Masters only can summon one Servant, but are able to make contracts with another Servant that has already been summoned. Shirou Kotomine manages to gain the contracts of five additional Servants from the Red Faction, and thus has six Servants under his command. The one he himself summoned, Assassin of Red, serves as his Signature Mon and LoveInterest.
* ''Anime/FateGrandCarnival:'' As mentioned below in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', Fujimaru Ritsuka is contracted with multiple Servants, and throughout the anime, it is shown that she commands hundreds of them, likely over 300. While Mash serves as her sidekick like in the games, the one Servant Fujimaru has devoted her love and investment is none other than the 3* Rider Red Hare, whom she has raised to Lv. 100, and she refuses to have him purged like all her other low-rarity Servants.
* ''LightNovel/FateZero'': As mentioned above in ''Apocrypha'', it's possible for Masters to gain the contracts of other Servants, with only Kotomine Kirei having managed to do so during the Fourth Holy Grail War. Interestingly, the second Servant he obtains during the war, Archer (Gilgamesh) would serve as his Signature Mon for this war and the next one.

* ''Anime/FateGrandCarnival:'' As mentioned below in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', Fujimaru Ritsuka is contracted with multiple Servants, and throughout the anime, it is shown that she comments hundreds of them, likely over 300. While Mash serves as her sidekick like in the games, the one Servant Fujimaru has devoted her love and investment is none other than the 3* Rider Red Hare, whom she has raised to Lv. 100, and she refuses to have him purged like all her other low-rarity Servants.