Cross-canon counterpart

Cross-canon counterparts are similar characters that appear in different parts of the Pokémon canon.

As a franchise with so many different forms of canon, Pokémon is famous for having multiple iterations of the same or similar characters, most of which have basis in the games' main and rival characters. The characters in each form of the Pokémon canon which are closely related in their design will most often be recognizable in any of their forms, and may have similar relations to other characters with or without counterparts.

For example, both Red and Ash are from Pallet Town, live with their mother, receive a starter Pokémon from Professor Oak, and begin their journey one step behind their rivals, Blue and Gary. However, Red and Ash do not coexist, nor do Blue and Gary, as they are restricted to their specific canons.

  Name
Game characters Red Blue Leaf Ethan Silver Kris Brendan May Lucas Barry Dawn Lyra Hilbert Hilda Nate Rosa Hugh
Anime characters Ash Gary N/A Jimmy/Cameo Cameo Marina Cameo May Cameo Barry Dawn Lyra N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Pokémon Adventures characters Red Blue Green Gold Silver Crystal Ruby Sapphire Diamond Pearl Platinum Crystal Black White N/A N/A Hugh

Various other characters have differences between their game and alternate versions, such as Brock and Misty in the anime, and Wally in the Pokémon Adventures manga. However, they are not truly different enough to be considered as separate individuals.

List of cross-canon counterparts

This list is based on the game characters, as they appear first.

Red's counterparts

Blue's counterparts

Leaf's counterparts

Ethan's counterparts

Silver's counterparts

Kris's counterparts

Brendan's counterparts

May's counterparts

Wally's counterparts

Lucas's counterparts

Dawn's counterparts

Barry's counterparts

Lyra's counterparts

Hilbert's counterparts

Hilda's counterparts

Cheren's counterparts

Bianca's counterparts