Sapphire Birch (Japanese: オダマキ サファイアSapphire Odamaki) is the ninth main character of the manga series Pokémon Adventures. Her first two Pokémon are a Torchic and an Aron; she probably got them from her father, Professor Birch.
Sapphire loves to battle and is a tomboy; she has been seen swinging on vines through trees in an outfit made of leaves. However, she does have a feminine side, as she explains to Ruby in volume 19. She is in love with Ruby, yet, even after they both confess their feelings, she becomes annoyed at Ruby constantly avoiding the matter.
Sapphire in the Emerald arc of the manga (Volume 27)
Sapphire made a challenge with Ruby when they met - they would both travel through the Hoenn region and meet again in 80 days to see if she could defeat all the Gyms, and if he could win every Pokémon Contest within that time. However, their challenge was delayed when they teamed up to stop the rampaging Kyogre and Groudon, who had been awakened by Team Magma and Team Aqua's actions, and ended up with only a day to beat the final Gym and Contest. Both of them succeeded in winning their final frontiers.
Like her game counterpart, she is the only female rival in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
She is the only female Pokémon Adventures character named after a generation's second version (Green, Silver, and Pearl are all male). Like them, however, she is the designated rival of the character with the name of the respective primary version, and based off of the rival in the respective games.
Sapphire is the only rival whose starter's type is disadvantaged against that of her own rival (her Torchic vs Ruby's Mudkip). However, unlike other rivals in Adventures, which were all based off of in-game rivals, Sapphire's game basis is also a player character.
Sapphire is the only character to successfully earn every gym badge in her native region. Red and Platinum challenge or challenged Gyms as well; however, although Red defeated every Gym Leader in Kanto, he didn't earn every badge, and Platinum has yet to finish her journey. Silver simply stole every Gym Badge from Johto at one point, but he didn't earn them through challenges.
Sapphire's birthday is September 20th.
A sapphire is the birthstone for those born in September.
Sapphire's bloodtype is O.
All of Sapphire's Pokémon mirror her gender, with the exception of Toro & Minun. The same goes for Ruby (with the exception of having also owned a genderless Pokémon), with only his starter and electric rodent the same gender as him.
Even though in Sapphire there was no version-exclusive look for May, artwork of Sapphire shows a blue variation of her attire.
Sapphire is one of three Pokédex holders to have a known last name; the other two are Blue and Platinum.
