Silver (game)

Silver
シルバー Silver
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Art from HeartGold and SoulSilver
Gender Male
Eye color Black*, Red*
Hair color Red
Hometown Unknown
Region Johto
Relatives Giovanni (father)
Trainer class Trainer, Rival
Generation II, IV
Games Gold, Silver, Crystal, Stadium 2, HeartGold, SoulSilver
Anime cameos A New Oath
Manga counterpart(s) Silver

Silver (Japanese: シルバー Silver) is the rival character of the Generation II games and their Generation IV remakes, playing opposite Ethan, Kris, or Lyra in Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.

He is the son of Team Rocket Boss Giovanni, and was long speculated as such due to the reference made toward Giovanni's red-haired child in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, as well as his Pokémon Adventures counterpart also being Giovanni's son. His connection to Giovanni was finally revealed via an event in HeartGold and SoulSilver activated by taking a fateful encounter Celebi to the Ilex Forest Shrine.

In the games

 
Artwork from Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

Silver first appears in the Generation II games, lurking outside of Professor Elm's lab. During the player's journey to Mr. Pokémon's house, Silver makes his move, stealing one of Elm's two remaining starter Pokémon (coincidentally always the one that is strong against the player's choice). He will meet with the player on the outskirts of Cherrygrove City, battling to get through.

Silver shows a strong dislike of Team Rocket. He considers them to be weak, and vows to take them, as well as any other weak Trainer, down. He steals a Sneasel from a Trainer in Cianwood City and, while Ethan/Kris/Lyra attempts to take down Team Rocket in Mahogany Town and Goldenrod City, interferes to prove himself. It is in the Mahogany hideout that he meets with Lance, Champion of the Elite Four at the Indigo Plateau. Silver challenges Lance and is easily defeated by the dragon trainer, who then proceeds to berate Silver for his callous ways towards training Pokémon. Though Silver is outraged for losing to someone with such an attitude, the loss and Lance's words ultimately set him on the path to becoming a better person. When Team Rocket takes over the Goldenrod Radio Tower, Silver follows the player as they battle Team Rocket, hoping that Lance will reappear and he can request a rematch.

By the time the player reaches the Indigo Plateau, Silver battles against the player not out of malice, but to prove that he is a good Trainer. He is defeated and departs to continue training. The player battles Silver on Mt. Moon, and though he loses he claims he can feel his Pokémon getting stronger, and resolves to train at Dragon's Den. When battled the seventh time at Indigo Plateau, Silver seems to have finally learned to care for his Pokémon properly, as his Golbat has evolved to Crobat, which only occurs when Golbat is very happy. This is further expressed in Generation IV when his starter Pokémon starts to follow him around, much like the player's Pokémon; Professor Elm even expressly states that Silver's Pokémon have come to trust him when Silver returns to the lab, presumably to return the starter he stole.

Following Silver's final encounter with the player and after the player has become Champion, Silver can be found training on Tuesday and Thursday in the Dragon's Den, and will appear at the Indigo Plateau on Monday and Wednesday to challenge the player, should he or she appear. He does not appear at all on the weekends, indicating that he may in fact take the day off, resting his Pokémon. In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Lance and Clair will sometimes appear in the Dragon's Den and challenge the player and Silver to a tag battle.

In terms of personality, Silver is the darkest of the rivals in the series. While most other rivals are generally good-natured, or at least zestful enough to crack a joke at the player, Silver is (at first) cruel, hateful, power-obsessed and even physically abusive, pushing the player character around several times. Even after he starts to become kinder, he remains a rather serious individual. He does, however, express genuine happiness when Elm allows him to keep the Pokémon he stole.

Giovanni and Silver's relationship is revealed in HeartGold and SoulSilver if the player brings a promotional Celebi to the shrine in Ilex Forest. Celebi takes the player back in time three years to witness Giovanni abandoning Silver to go into seclusion because of his defeat at the hands of Red/Leaf. Silver's hate for Team Rocket apparently stems from them failing his father.

Pokémon

The starter Pokémon that Silver has will depend on which Pokémon the player chose to bring on Professor Elm's errand at the beginning of the game. As with all rivals, it will be the Pokémon whose type weakens that of the player's starter.

Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

File:Silver Sprite GS.gif File:Silver Sprite C.gif File:SilverHGSS.gif    
Silver sprite from
Gold and Silver
(Johto)
Silver sprite from
Gold and Silver
(Kanto)
Silver sprite from
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Silver back sprite from
HeartGold and SoulSilver
Silver VS sprite from
HeartGold and SoulSilver

For Silver's Pokémon in Gold, Silver, and Crystal Versions, see Silver (game)/Gold, Silver, and Crystal.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

First battle

If the player chose Chikorita:



If the player chose Cyndaquil:



If the player chose Totodile:



Second battle

If the player chose Chikorita:



If the player chose Cyndaquil:



If the player chose Totodile:



Third battle

If the player chose Chikorita:



If the player chose Cyndaquil:



If the player chose Totodile:



Fourth battle

If the player chose Chikorita:



If the player chose Cyndaquil:



If the player chose Totodile:



Fifth battle

If the player chose Chikorita:



If the player chose Cyndaquil:



If the player chose Totodile:



Sixth battle

If the player chose Chikorita:



If the player chose Cyndaquil:



If the player chose Totodile:



Seventh battle

If the player chose Chikorita:



If the player chose Cyndaquil: Template:Party

If the Template:Player chose Template:P: Template:Party

Tag battle with Template:Player

File:Silver Dragons Den.png
Silver in the Dragon's Den

If the Template:Player chose Template:P: Template:Party

If the Template:Player chose Template:P: Template:Party

If the Template:Player chose Template:P: Template:Party

Template:G

Round 1

Template:Party

Round 2

Template:Party

In the anime

File:Silver in the Anime.png
Silver in the anime Notice the similarity to Paul (right)
File:ShinjiDP.png
Paul. Notice the similarity to Silver (left)

Like Template:Ga, he played no role in the anime, despite being a main character in the games. Similarly, his only appearance in the anime is a brief cameo, in the original Japanese opening of The Legend of Thunder! (A New Oath), where he was shown with his Template:P defeating Template:Jo.

Paul seems to be based on Silver, in appearance and personality. He also has most of the Pokémon as Template:Adv. It is unknown if Paul has ever met him. Template:Left clear

Pokémon

 
Template:P

Trivia

File:Silvergirl.jpg
Concept art depicting Silver.
  • Some fans call him "Kamon" to discern him from Template:Adv and Template:An. The name is taken from the optional names for the Template:Ga in Silver, much as some call Template:Ga "Gary", where the name is found as one of the options for the player in Template:Game3, and the rival in Template:Game3.
  • As a possible reference to Silver's training schedule, Template:Ga also can be battled again (on Saturdays and Sundays) after the player becomes champion. He can also be found training at Stark Mountain during the week in Template:Game.
  • In Generation II, If Silver's stolen starter is Template:P, he uses Template:P at level 16 in his second battle, despite Totodile only being able to evolve from level 18 onwards. This error is corrected in Generation IV, though he still uses Croconaw, due to his stolen starter being level 18 in Generation IV.
    • Additionally, if Silver's stolen starter is Template:P, he uses Template:P at level 32 in his fourth battle in Generation II (level 34 in Generation IV), while the other two are their final forms (which is normal).
  • In his anime cameo, his only known Pokémon is a Template:P. All other game rivals that have made anime appearances have been seen with the Template:Type2 starter from their home region, indicating another possible Pokémon for Silver to have (which would also fit in weakening Jimmy's Typhlosion).
  • Two of Silver's Pokémon in his final team received evolutions in Generation IV. The same two Pokémon are also the only members of his team that did not evolve twice.
    • Furthermore, Template:P is the only member of his final team that is not part of a Template:Cat as of Generation IV.
    • Perhaps coincidentally, neither of these Pokémon's new evolutions are available in HeartGold and SoulSilver until after the National Pokédex is obtained, as their evolution methods require certain forces external to the Pokémon (rather than knowing a move, as the five new Johto Pokédex additions do).
    • Additionally, Template:P is Silver's main partner aside from the Template:P he steals in the manga version.
  • Silver is the only rival to start with a starter Pokémon whose final team does not include the three starter types (Template:T, Template:T, and Template:T) or differ at all aside from the starter itself.
  • Silver's backsprite has the same pose as Template:Ga's backsprite.
  • Silver is the only rival so far to be battled before he can be named. As a temporarily unnamed character, he is known as ??? in Generation II and as Passerby Boy in Template:2v2.

Template:Rival characters Template:Johto NPCs
Template:Project CharacterDex notice