Non-player character

A non-player character (commonly abbreviated as NPC) is a character in a Pokémon game whose actions cannot be controlled by the person operating the console. Their direct opposite is the player character.

The first NPC introduced in the Pokémon series, Pallet Town's Professor Oak.

Functions of non-player characters

Non-player characters are typically present in the game to further the progress of the player. Their duties vary. Early in the games they tend to offer advice for new players, similar to the trainer tips signage. Later in the game, as the player is more experienced, this function is less prominent, however at this point there still remain characters who encourage, or hint at, a visit at a certain area to fulfill a given task.

NPCs also supply the player with items and Pokémon, often free of charge. Generally, these cannot be received in another manner (except through utilizing a cloning glitch or through breeding). However, some NPCs hand out common or uncommon items on a daily basis, such as the Berry Masters of Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh.

The final variety of non-player characters are those who interact with the player, including Pokémon Professors, villainous teams, and the player's rival. This interaction may occur in Contests, in battles on routes between cities, or in Pokémon Gyms. The latter belong to a category known as Gym Leaders: defeating all eight of these in a region enables access to the Pokémon League, another group consisting of five NPCs. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl introduced five more NPCs who, at various stages of the game, battle with the player as a partner in a double battle. In Platinum, these NPCs, and also the Gym Leaders of Sinnoh, can be fought again at the Battleground in the Battle Frontier, once the Pokémon League has been defeated. Often, NPCs will offer a trade with the player. Sometimes, this Pokémon is unobtainable otherwise; for example, a girl in Vermilion City will trade her Farfetch'd for a Spearow.

Important non-player characters

Kanto

• Professor Oak - Professor Oak works in his Laboratory in Pallet Town, giving away Starter Pokémon to first time trainers. He gave Red, Blue and Leaf their first Starter Pokémon in Pokémon Green, Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, Pokémon Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen. He is an idol to many Trainers and researchers, including Professor Elm, and always plays an important supporting role in the many games that he appears in.

• Blue - Blue is the grandson of Professor Oak and is the main character's rival in the Generation I games. Blue becomes the Pokémon Champion but is quickly defeated by Red/Leaf, the player's character. He is notable for being cocky and arrogant whenever the player's character encounters him; after losing, his typical way to bid goodbye is "Smell ya later!"

• Bill - Bill is the talented and famous inventor. He invented the original Pokémon storage system and Time Capsule. In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, Bill can be found at the Cerulean Cape, initially performing an experiment on Pokémon teleportation. He will also give away an S.S. Ticket so that the player can board the S.S. Anne.

Johto

• Professor Elm - Professor Elm is the resident Pokémon Professor of New Bark Town in Johto. Saying so himself, Professor Elm studies unusual Pokémon abilities. He also specializes in Pokémon breeding, and is credited with the discovery of Pokémon eggs. Elm gives one of the three starter Pokémon of Johto—Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile—to the player so that he or she will have an easier time of getting to Mr. Pokémon's house.

• Silver - Silver's first appearance was when he was seen lurking near a window to the Elm Pokémon Laboratory; he later broke in, stealing a Pokémon. He later used this Pokémon to battle Ethan/Kris/Lyra, doing this many times as they journeyed through Johto. This is not the only Pokémon he has stolen, as he also stole a Sneasel from a man in Cianwood City, and uses it in battle for the rest of the game.

• Eusine - Eusine appears in Pokémon Crystal. He is first seen researching the Burned Tower, together with Morty. Later, he battles the player in Cianwood City after seeing Suicune escaping from the town, hoping that by battling the player he will earn Suicune's respect as a trainer. After Suicune has been captured, he returns to his hometown, Celadon City, and can be found in Celadon Pokémon Center waiting for the player to catch all three legendary beasts.

• Ethan/Lyra - Ethan/Lyra appear as the player's neighbor. They teach the player how to catch Pokémon.

Hoenn

• Professor Birch - Professor Birch distributes Pokédexes and one of the three starter Pokémon of Hoenn: Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip, to aspiring Hoenn trainers in the Generation III games. In addition, after trainers complete the Hoenn Pokédex in Pokémon Emerald, he will give them one of the three starter Pokémon of Johto: Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. He is known to be more outgoing than the other Pokémon Professors, and oftentimes his research takes him outdoors. His field of study is primarily how Pokémon behave in the wild.

• Brendan/May- Brendan/May are the original rivals in the Hoenn games.

• Wally - Wally was a sick young boy who asked Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader, to help him catch a Pokémon before he moves to Verdanturf Town to live with his aunt and uncle. Norman allowed his child, the player of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald to assist Wally, and loaned Wally a Zigzagoon. Using this, Wally was able to capture a Ralts. Wally eventually runs away from home and challenges the player at the end of Victory Road in Ever Grande City, seemingly totally recovered from his illness. He remains there, and it is possible to fight him several times per day.

• Scott - Scott appears throughout Pokémon Emerald in various locations in Hoenn, where he can be talked to by the player. He appears in Petalburg City after Wally catches his first Pokémon, Pokémon Trainer's School, before beating Roxanne, Slateport City near the Battle Tent, and several other locations. When the player first arrives at the Battle Frontier, Scott will award him or her with 1BP for each time they spoke.

• Mr. Briney - Mr. Briney is first seen near the Rusturf Tunnel, asking the player to recover his Wingull, Peeko, from a Team Aqua or Team Magma Grunt. Once Peeko is rescued and returned to Mr. Briney, he will offer to give the protagonist rides in his boat to Dewford Town and Slateport City until he/she gains the badge from his/her father. He later becomes the captain of the S.S. Tidal. His house is located on Route 104.

• Mr. Stone - Mr. Stone is the president of the Devon Corporation. After recovering the Devon Goods from either a member of Team Aqua or Team Magma, he'll give the main character a PokéNav and ask them to deliver a letter to Steven in Dewford Town. Once the letter is delivered, he will give the player an Exp. Share.

Sinnoh

• Professor Rowan - Professor Rowan works in Sandgem Town with Dawn/Lucas and their family. This makes him the only Professor from the handheld games that does not live in the player's hometown. He left to go to Kanto to study Pokémon with Professor Oak for four years, until coming back reaching a conclusion: that Sinnoh holds greater secrets. He has a stern personality that makes him seem intimidating and mean, but he is actually very kind and patient.

• Barry - Barry is always in a hurry and extremely impatient, and because of this, often crashes into other people or misses important details. He is incredibly determined and it is very difficult to discourage him; the only thing that has done this so far was his crushing loss to the Team Galactic Commander, Jupiter at Lake Acuity. Barry is also one to take risks and quickly jump into action; it was this behavior that caused the player and himself to be attacked by wild Starly, setting off the chain reaction that would result in the player receiving his/her first Pokémon.

• Looker - Looker is the codename for a character introduced in Pokémon Platinum. In Pokémon Platinum, Looker is an important character, encountering the player multiple times over their journey across Sinnoh. He speaks with odd grammatical constructs, implying that he is not a native speaker of the national language. He first meets the player in Jubilife City, giving them the Vs. Recorder, and appears often when Team Galactic is near. His motives are clear: his mission is to stop Team Galactic from causing havoc in the Sinnoh region.

• Lucas/Dawn - Lucas/Dawn serve as Professor Rowan's assistant. They will teach the player how to catch Pokémon and help in some parts of the game, such as teaming up with the player against Team Galactic for double battles.

This game character article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.