Ethan (game)
- Hibiki redirects here. For the character of the day in Beauty and the Breeder, see Zane.
- Gold (game) redirects here. For the game titled "Pokémon Gold Version", see Pokémon Gold and Silver Versions.
- This article is about the male protagonist whose default name is クリス in the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal. For the female player character in Pokémon Crystal with the same Japanese name, see Kris (game).
| Ethan ヒビキ Hibiki | |
 Art from HeartGold and SoulSilver | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Eye color | Gray |
| Hair color | Black |
| Hometown | New Bark Town |
| Region | Johto |
| Relatives | Mom (as player) Grandparents, unnamed father (as NPC) |
| Trainer class | Pokémon Trainer, Player character |
| Generation | II, IV |
| Games | Gold, Silver, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, Crystal, HeartGold, SoulSilver, Masters |
| Anime counterpart | Jimmy, Ethan (M13) |
| Counterpart debut | The Legend of Thunder! |
| Manga counterpart(s) | Gold, Gold, Gold, Jō, Takashi, Soul |
Ethan (Japanese: ヒビキ Hibiki) is the main playable character in Pokémon Gold and Silver and is the male choice in Pokémon Crystal, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. In Crystal, his female counterpart is Kris, while in HeartGold and SoulSilver, his female counterpart is Lyra.
In the core series
As the protagonist
Ethan's journey as a Trainer begins when Professor Elm asks him to run an errand for Mr. Pokémon, who lives north of Cherrygrove City on Route 30. Because he may encounter dangerous wild Pokémon along the way, Elm gives him a choice between three Pokémon to protect him: Cyndaquil, Totodile or Chikorita.
Ethan spots another boy his age watching Elm's Lab from outside. When Ethan tries to talk to him, the boy abruptly shoves him away. This boy, Silver, will become Ethan's rival.
Ethan continues onward and finally meets Mr. Pokémon and completes his errand. While there he meets Professor Oak who, upon realizing Ethan's bond with his new Pokémon, gives him a Pokédex. On his way back home, Ethan again meets Silver, who has stolen one of Elm's remaining Pokémon. After defeating the boy in battle, the boy tells Ethan his nameGSC/Ethan learns the boy's name from his dropped Trainer CardHGSS, and Ethan relays it to the police in New Bark Town. Professor Elm allows Ethan to keep the Pokémon he chose earlier, and also encourages him to compete in the Johto League.
Ethan begins on a Pokémon journey in the Johto region, facing off against its eight Gym Leaders, defeating and disbanding the revived Team Rocket, and becoming Pokémon League Champion by defeating the Elite Four and its previous Champion, Lance at Indigo Plateau. Along the way he also teaches Silver to respect Pokémon as living creatures and not just as tools for battle.
After being declared the Pokémon League Champion, Ethan then journeys by ship from Olivine City to Vermilion City in Kanto. Traveling around that region, he battles against another set of eight Gym Leaders. Upon getting permission from Professor Oak in Pallet Town, Ethan heads for Mt. Silver via Route 28. His journey comes to a close when, deep in Mt. Silver's cave, he faces the Champion from Pallet Town, Pokémon Trainer Red, who had been training there since shortly after he became Pokémon League Champion three years prior.
As a non-playable character
In Pokémon Crystal, if Kris is selected, then the male player character will not appear in the game at all (although his sprite will be used in a link battle with another game from Generation II as well as opponents in Viridian City's Trainer House).
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, if Lyra is selected to be the player character, Ethan meets her in New Bark Town at the start of the game. In this particular scene, he is seen with a Marill. He will always have Marill even if another starter Pokémon is selected. In addition, he doesn't appear to take the remaining starter Pokémon. His role in the storyline of HeartGold and SoulSilver is similar to that of Lucas/Dawn in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum if they are not chosen as the player character, while Lyra takes this place if he is selected as the player. He teaches the player how to catch Pokémon on Route 29 (replacing the Dude from Gold, Silver, and Crystal).
While playing as Lyra, his grandparents run the Pokémon Day Care on Route 34. He also gives the player the Fashion Case in Goldenrod Tunnel and the Vs. Recorder on Route 31. Naturally, this role is given to Lyra if he is the player character.
Pokémon
Ethan uses this party to show the player how to catch Pokémon when Lyra is selected as the player character in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
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Caught in tutorial
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Mentioned
When called with the Pokégear at different locations, Ethan will mention he owns certain Pokémon.
 Tauros♂* |
 Bulbasaur* |
 Porygon* |
 Tangela* |
In spin-off games
Pokémon Puzzle Challenge
Ethan is the player character in the Challenge mode of Pokémon Puzzle Challenge. In this mode, he challenges the Gym Leaders and Elite Four of Johto in puzzle games.
Pokémon Masters EX
- Main article: Ethan (Masters)
Ethan pairs alongside Cyndaquil and its evolved forms Quilava and Typhlosion in Pokémon Masters EX.
Artwork
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| Official artwork from Gold and Silver |
Official artwork from Crystal |
Running | Checking his Pokégear | Approaching a Time Capsule |
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| Artwork from the Game Freak website | In front of the Ruins of Alph | Encountering a Shiny Pokémon | In the Sinjoh Ruins | Walking with Pokémon |
| File:Ethan and Cyndaquil artwork.png | ||||
| Ethan and Cyndaquil concept artwork for Kotobukiya ArtFx J figurines |
Sprites
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| Sprite from Gold and Silver |
Sprite from Crystal |
Sprite from Generation IV |
Intro sprite from Generation IV |
Pokéathlon sprite from Generation IV |
Backsprite from Generation II |
Backsprite from Generation IV | |
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| Overworld sprite from Generation II |
Overworld sprite from Generation IV |
Overworld sprite, when disguised as a Team Rocket Grunt from Generation IV |
Overworld Pokéathlon sprite from Generation IV |
VS sprite from Generation IV |
Sprite from the opening of HeartGold and SoulSilver |
VS sprite from the opening of HeartGold and SoulSilver |
Sprite from Pokémon Puzzle Challenge |
Quotes
- Main article: Ethan (game)/Quotes
Optional names
| Game | Japanese | English | French | German | Italian | Spanish | Korean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | ゴールド Gold ヒロキ Hiroki テツオ Tetsuo タカシ Takashi |
Gold Hiro Taylor Karl |
Gold Julien Jean Jacques |
Gold Daniel Fritz Karl |
Oro Paolo Diego Carlo |
Oro Hiro Tomás Carlos |
골드 Gold 수호 Suho 인철 Incheol 강산 Gangsan |
| Silver | シルバー Silver カモン Kamon トオル Tōru マサオ Masao |
Silver Kamon Oscar Max |
Silver Daniel Pierre Paul |
Silber Thomas Oscar Hans |
Argento Luca Paolo Max |
Plata Kamon Óscar Max |
실버 Silver 청운 Cheong'un 지겸 Jigyeom 찬호 Chanho |
| Crystal | クリス Chris ヨウスケ Yōsuke タケヒロ Takehiro タカオ Takao |
Kris Mat Allan Jon |
Chris Benji Nicolas Jean |
Chris Arnold Gert Jon |
Chris Sergio Giacomo Manuele |
Chris Antonio Álex Emilio |
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| HeartGold SoulSilver |
ハート HeartHG ソウル SoulSS サトシ Satoshi ケン Ken カケル Kakeru ジャック Jack ジャン Jean ジョン John カモン Kamon タカシ Takashi テツオ Tetsuo トオル Tōru ヒロキ Hiroki マサオ Masao タカオ Takao タケヒロ Takehiro トウゴ Tōgo ヒトシ Hitoshi ヨシナオ Yoshinao |
HeartHG SoulSS Ash Nic Dion Duncan Jude Ross ShaeHG / SheaSS Darrell Terell Kris Brad Dwight Talon Lonny Jess Eric Chase |
Heart Soul Dilan Gurvan Gabriel Allane Zack Marc Loris Max Damien Tom Greg Kamel Franck Ralph Seb Daniel Thomas |
HeartHG SoulSS Karsten Gerd Hans Jack Jan John Daniel Helge Uhland Tobit Ugo Berno Jon Rafik Boris Thomas Silvio |
HeartHG SoulSS Ash Nico Elmo Mattia Silvano Rossano Kamon Karl Gabry Oscar Dino Daniel Manuele Ralph Lucio Paolo Marco |
HeartHG SoulSS Ash Llamin Casio Job Chechu Juande Javi Ral Marino Toilo Nahum Max Morel Ralph Russ Erminio Quinn |
하트 HeartHG 소울 SoulSS 지우 Jiu 캔 Ken 호진 Hojin 상우 Sang'u 쟝 Jyang 재범 Jaebeom 청운 Cheong'un 강산 Gangsan 인철 Incheol 지겸 Jigyeom 숙호 Sukho 찬호 Chanho 지훈 Jihun 윤호 Yunho 케이 Kay 다인 Dain 상현 Sanghyeon |
Counterparts
In the anime
In the main series
- Main article: Jimmy (Johto)
Jimmy, the main protagonist of The Legend of Thunder!, is the first anime counterpart of Ethan, and seems to be based on him in the most basic sense, much more than Ash was based on his game counterpart, Red. Jimmy follows Ethan's design from Pokémon Gold and Silver. Much like Ethan, Jimmy is from New Bark Town and receives a starter from Professor Elm. He also encounters the counterparts of Silver and Kris on his journey.
Ethan's second counterpart has a cameo appearance at the beginning of Zoroark: Master of Illusions, where he had a battle against Ash. This counterpart follows Ethan's updated design from Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. It has been argued that this is Jimmy in an updated look, rather than a different counterpart, but this counterpart is identified as "Hibiki" (Ethan's Japanese name) in the Japanese DVD of the movie.
Pokémon
This is a listing of Ethan's known Pokémon in the anime:
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| Ethan used Donphan in a battle against Ash at the beginning of the thirteenth movie. During the battle, it fought Pikachu. It was not shown who won the battle.
Donphan's only known move is Rollout. | ||
| Debut | Zoroark: Master of Illusions | |
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In Pokémon Generations
Ethan made two brief appearances in The Lake of Rage. First, he and Lance infiltrated the Team Rocket HQ separately. He then communicated with Lance through his Pokégear about updates on their mission, and acted as a decoy for Lance's attacks.
Much like the other player characters depicted in Pokémon Generations, Ethan doesn't have any lines of dialogue.
In the manga
Ethan, like most player characters, also has several counterparts in the various Pokémon manga series.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
- Main article: Gold (Adventures)
Gold from Pokémon Adventures is based on Ethan.
In the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga
- Main article: Gold (Golden Boys)
Gold from Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys is based on Ethan.
In the Pokémon HeartGold SoulSilver: Pokédex Completion Comic manga
- Main article: Soul (PCC)
Soul from Pokémon HeartGold SoulSilver: Pokédex Completion Comic is based on Ethan.
In the Pocket Monsters HeartGold & SoulSilver Go! Go! Pokéathlon manga
- Main article: Takashi
Takashi from Pocket Monsters HeartGold & SoulSilver Go! Go! Pokéathlon is based on Ethan.
In the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga
- Main article: Jō
Jō from Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure is based on Ethan.
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
- Main article: Gold (Pocket Monsters)
Gold from Pokémon Pocket Monsters is based on Ethan.
Trivia
- The Gold and Silver artwork was originally presented in the Official Guidebook of Nintendo Space World '97 (Japanese: NINTENDOスペースワールド'97オフィシャルガイドブック), along with Silver, Oak, Schoolboy, Lass, Firebreather, Kimono Girl, Fisher, Ho-Oh, Slowking, Ampharos, Donphan, and the new Pokédex.
- Ethan is 4'11" (1.50 m) tall and weighs 88.2 lbs (40 kg) in HeartGold and SoulSilver. This was confirmed by checking the heights and weights of certain Pokémon in the Pokédex. As such, Clefable and Latias are both the same weight as Ethan.
- The Trainer's Guide released with each Generation II core series game tells a short story about the start of Ethan (or Kris in Pokémon Crystal)'s adventure as seen in the games. However, he has a different name in each game:
- His name is Gold (Japanese: ゴールド Gold) in the manual of Pokémon Gold.
- His name is Silver (Japanese: シルバー Silver) in the manual of Pokémon Silver.
- The name Kris (Japanese: クリス Kris) is equally used for both the male and the female player characters in the Japanese manual of Pokémon Crystal. However, this name is not mentioned in the English version of that manual.
- Before he received an official name in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, most fans called him Gold (Japanese: ゴールド Gold).
- Ethan is the only male player character to have two female counterparts; Kris and Lyra.
- The majority of his Japanese default names from HeartGold and SoulSilver are shared with Red and Lucas. The same holds true for their respective female counterparts.
- A 1997 pamphlet describing Gold and Silver mentions that the protagonist has a brother three years his senior. However, this aspect of his character was discarded by the time of the final release.
- On the "Area" map on the Pokédex in HeartGold and SoulSilver, Ethan's headshot sprite shows his hat from Gold and Silver. An earlier, unused version of this sprite is also found within other scrapped Pokégear graphics data, in which Kris appears instead of Lyra.
- One of Pokémon Trainer's palette swaps in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has a color scheme based on Ethan's appearance in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.
- The Japanese optional name カケル Kakeru, along with the English optional name Chase, were eventually given to the male protagonist of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
- Ethan's first anime counterpart having a different name, Jimmy, likely stems from the fact that Ethan did not become his canon name until HeartGold and SoulSilver.
- Ethan is the only game protagonist to have two anime counterparts.
The player's story (named "Gold") in the manual of Pokémon Gold
The player's story (named "Silver") in the manual of Pokémon Silver
The player's story in the manual of Pokémon Crystal
Names
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ヒビキ Hibiki | From 響き hibiki (echo; sound) |
| English | Ethan | Biblically, Ethan/Eitan is believed to be the author of Psalm 89 and/or a harp or cymbal player in King David's court. |
| German | Klarin | From Klarinette (clarinet) |
| Spanish | Eco | From eco (echo) |
| French | Luth | From luth (lute) |
| Italian | Armonio | From armonia (harmony) or armonio (harmonium) |
| Korean | 심향 Simhyang | From 심 (心) sim (heart) and 향 (響) hyang (echo) |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 阿響 Ā Xiǎng | From 響 xiǎng / héung (echo; sound) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 阿響 A Héung |
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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. |