After trying for a while, I was finally able to get my hands on one of those pretty box sets for the FR&LG chapter of Pokemon Adventures. It's one I've been curious to read for a long time, but I've also heard a lot of shit about it. How it's the "worst arc" and it "ruins Red’s character". With anything I try not to get my expectations too high or low, but honestly, I didn't buy into that shit. I went in cautious, but I've read enough PA to know that such a terrible turn was gonna be unlikely. If it was so bad, I'd hear about it more, right?
Another thing I hear about PA is that it isn't deep. Which in a way is fair, to a point, since this isn’t the most complex story ever written. To be honest, I feel like most people who say that haven't read past the original R/B/G/Y arcs. Thus, they meet this story where it was at during that time period. Starting with GSC there's subtle changes in how the story flows. (Less episodic plots, more character focused, more action- to be quick on the explanation.) I'll agree the characters aren’t the deepest people to ever grace media, but there is depth here. I'd argue there's more going on with our main characters than several other stories of its ilk. Green and Silvers childhood, Crystal and her weird ass mom, Emerald's bullying, Ruby and his dad, even Blue’s backstory from his time training with Chuck. All of these stories focus on darker themes from child neglect, to ostracization, and so on. I think what keeps them from being seen in a darker light is that they're never presented with such brutality (like Arbok getting chopped) as to make people feel how fucked shit is.
This does have a small contributing factor to why Red's supposed first ever time getting his own “character arc” didn't get the warmest reception, but I think other factors come into play more. I bring the other characters up to present that PA has the capacity to walk alongside darker topics in a subtle matter. It's not always this lighthearted series and OH SHIT ARBOK OH NOOO. The way these elements weave in with the truly wonderful happy times is brilliant. The second reason I've brought up the other characters is this must have been how the writer of the Manga felt at the time. He's written backstories for everyone else up to this point and Red is just... a cool guy. An extraordinary guy. Red rules, but compared to his contemporaries, we just don't know a lot about him. For my money, that's actually ok. Not everyone needs a tragic backstory and trauma to be a complete character. If this didn't play out the way it did, I would not look at Red differently, because he's enjoyable to read. This is also why I'm happy with how this arc handled Red. Spoilers ahead from here on out.
For some reason I'm not too sure they explain, Red has no parents. He wasn't kidnaped like Green, they're just not around. No other family either. This arc starts out with Green going to reunite with her parents, later on Blue is trying to rescue his grandpa, and meanwhile Silver is trying to find his family. It coulda been easy to ignore Red, or just have him relate to Silver and be like "Yeah, Idk who my rents are :(". He coulda been sad about it, maybe we coulda got some depressing backstory. Silver's story here ends with him finding his father and having his dreams of a happy home (like Gold has) crushed. Red doesn't find anyone from his past. It woulda just been him sad and nothing else. If they had decided to bring someone from his past back it probably would have felt smooshed in-between Green, whose parents had been a major plot point for years now, and Silver whose dad is motherfucking Giovanni. I think Red wouldn't have been able to compare.
That's why by going in their chosen direction, the first twist of the story not only sets him apart while keeping to the theme of family, but expands his character. After losing to a tough fight with Deoxys and giving his pokedex back to Oak, Red begins to lose his confidence. He doesn't think he has something to fight for like Blue and Green do. Because he doesn't have family, he has no will to move on when shit gets tough like those two. Obviously Red’s wrong, he has so many friends (human and Pokemon) that he cares about, but he's seeing the forest for the trees. Or really, not thinking clearly thanks to the second twist. Deoxys challenges Red to something he's never had to deal with before. Not only such a loss that stirs thoughts that this opponent is unbeatable, but a feeling of uncontrollable fear swells inside him. Strong negative emotion consumes Red, and he can't handle it. The once brave guy we've known turns into a depressed wreck, scared there’s nothing anyone can do to stop their enemy. This new controlling anxiety takes his personality away. He's not only fighting the strongest opponent he's faced so far, he's fighting himself with something you can't battle away.
Red's sudden fear is why most people hate this arc, but I love it. For me, this one resonated. First off, what a big dick energy move to do this at all. They could have gone in several other directions with this idea, yet the fact they decided to make him deal with these emotions is interesting. It’s outta left field, but how they build upon each part makes it work. I don't talk about myself much on here, and I'm gonna continue. Still, that's not to say I might be biased, having experienced similar emotions that make this relatable. It’d be unfair to pretend that isn’t part of my POV not only for what I'm trying to get at, but to those who might not feel the same way.
The way I see it, it’s good they didn’t give Red a backstory like: "My parents died in a car wreck when I was three and no one gave a shit to raise me except the Pokemon. I'm scared of losing all my friends now btw." Readers have seen how he handles tough situations. If this was a problem the whole time it woulda been weird he's suddenly like "actually...". Not to say that couldn't work, but I think we got a better deal with this angle. These emotions are a new thing. A blank slate to add to his character, not change it. The fact that it also adds to the themes and plot is terrific writing. Red has always been the upbeat (very well written, but kind of ordinary) shonen protag. Having him fight brain chemistry from new trauma slides this character development in nicely without conflicting with the past. Some might not understand what I mean. Plainly: Once happy people can suddenly change after experiencing feelings like the ones Red goes through. (Especially if the catalyst is a traumatic experience.) No one is completely immune to having this happen to them. To spring a new thing on him was the right choice, for it to come from his mental health was a bold one.
I'm not gonna take the time to explain in depth what feelings like this well, feel like. Because it's a hard, personal, thing to explain in the first place. Feelings outside of stuff like "I'm happy" "I'm angry" "I'm sad" are hard to communicate efficiently. I expect If I was trying to win people over to my side it'd be hard to get them to understand this point, as it's an experience. What I'd like to communicate the most is how helpless this feels. How out of control you are to stop it. Like something is crushing you from the inside of your body. You can't run from it because where do you run to? It’s exhausting, makes thinking reasonably difficult, trying to function “normally” in this state is basically fruitless. It's terrible, crippling, and how the fuck is Red supposed to take it on his first experience? The new negative emotions mix in with the other two thought patterns heightening his anxiety, leading to the mess he becomes throughout the arc. It's believable, even for Red. He is just a guy. He's just a human. If even Blue isn't a cold robot, then how the fuck can Red be?
I feel like people are gonna freak a bit when I say this, but I truly mean it in 100% good faith. Red reminds me of the reception Shinji Ikari gets from people who like anime only for escapism. (Though for Red, it's a different version.) Whereas Shinji from the moment EVA started up was always presented as nothing like a Shonen protag. (Your Gokus, Yusuke Urameshis, so on.) The chad that fights, gets shit done, (and most of them) with a love of battle in their veins. Even when Shinji’s being badass, something happens and he has to deal with who he actually is and cope with his trauma. People, especially back in the day didn't seem to want to try to understand him. "Get into the mech Shinji" isn't just about what's said in the show, it's about the reception of the anime. People heard about how awesome Eva's robot action is (and yes, it rules) but didn't want anything else the show is about. Shinji wasn't their escapist fantasy cool based hero guy they were used to watching. This isn't their fault, Eva was made for people like me. Looks are deceiving.
Red is the other side of the coin to Shinji. He started and gained a reputation for being the Shonen guy and then had the emotional turmoil. When talking about this arc people will say "that's not Red." No, this IS Red. He's not the Red we're used to because he's confronting something we've never seen him deal with before. Of course he isn't himself right now, that's the point. We’re seeing a new side of him. This time he’s not just fighting some evil org, Red’s learning how to emotionally and mentally cope and move past emotional barriers. It would be less believable if he felt this way but was like "I'm fine, let me help guys. :D!" It's supposed to be sad and frustrating. Not only does it suck to see Red like this, but it hurts the ones he cares for most. Green is able to understand, but Blue seems pretty upset even if he shrugs it off. He's shocked when Red says they can't defeat Deoxys, even as a team. It's bad timing, but it's realistic to what he's going through. It makes sense, when you're under that type of mental stress and emotional pressure, you can't be the cool tough guy.
It's also just interesting to see this happen, though I'll take that as imo. Since I'm able to accept characters like Shinji, it was easier for me to ride it out with Red. I’m not here to poke at anyone who doesn’t want to see shit like this. Different strokes, but it's sad people treat this as the story is throwing Red out to burn. Like what transpires doesn't make any sense when there was thought put into his character. Once again, might be my bias, nor is this post trying to win people over. I just think it's a shame I've personally never seen anyone talk about this arc in the way I’m doing here.
To clarify, I'm also not one to just be content with "oh they did a darker thing" and go about my day. If this is where Red's arc ended I'd still defend them going in this direction, but not so much the story. There's a difference between liking a concept and it's execution. Red dealing with this (specifically with how they go about it) is a great concept. The way Red ends up working through everything makes the story great. It’s not just about Red learning to work through this, it’s how others work with him. It’s not an outlier to the rest of the group, his troubles fit right in. If it wasn’t for the strong bonds he created before this time, there’d be no way to tie everything back to his character. No reason to attempt something like this in the first place.
Green coming to comfort (and confront) him is wonderful. It makes perfect sense for her to step forward. Unlike Blue, she's been through shit like this. (And overcame it.) She understands what he's going through and knows only he can make himself fight. Her explaining why she's going to keep fighting is great for her character, but also is the perfect way (writing wise) to get Red back on track. It's obviously a good display for her as an individual, taking from her development in previous arcs. I haven't had much of a chance to talk about her this round, but make no mistake, she rules.
The second part that ties this together is the fact he confides in someone. After him and Green's conversation, Red confides in Pika about everything he's been feeling. Not only does he finally express these feelings, he begins to work everything out. It's a great demonstration of him and Pika's bond, as he admits Pika's the only one that he can tell about this. That's not him shitting on his other friends, but showcasing this specific bond from his point of view. It's great that a Pokemon was considered for this role, as I believe some forget they’re are as important as family to humans as other people. But also, what this means for Red. Pika is one of his longest partners, he's shared so much with this guy and they practically live together. They are family. Pika should be someone Red can come to in times of need. The scene fits with this arc well, it fits both of their characters, and it shows Red being badass in a whole new way. Trying to work out how he's feeling to step up for those he loves. If there's anything he takes away from this arc, it's that he has more than he realized. That he can persevere, even through enemies such as his own mental state. It's a great moment, that’s underrated on its own. Of course, it wouldn’t work as well without Green's scene. If one of these were cut it would have damaged the arc. Green gives him inspiration to take the first step: being honest about his feelings. In Pika’s scene he takes that step.
The Pika scene also fits in with something else shown throughout this arc: Red's bond with Pokemon. With Pika of course, but this rings true with Mewtwo and eventually Deoxys. It brings home a big theme of the FR&LG Chapter: Family and what we do for those bonds. Silver, Green, and Blue are technically the main stars (in relation to this theme) since their family is in the story. “Family” here means coming from what society views what one is: biological ties. Red's story is about found family. That's something a lot of us, including myself, experience throughout our lives. In a way everyone does. Someone marries into your family, they're not blood, but they're a part of it. Maybe you have someone who is like an uncle/aunt. Even a best friend that's more of a sibling. Think of adopted children. My point is that these types of familial relations exist and can be just as important as “blood relatives”.
The angle of found family has always been softly intertwine with Red's character. From his companionship with Blue, many of his pokemon (Poliwhirl, Pika, Eevee), to even inviting Yellow to live with him. (Even his relationship with Gold suggests this as well.) He's friendly, always willing to lend a helping hand. Throughout his Adventures many come to care for him because of those attributes, who he is. The relationships he creates, no matter their pedigree is important to his character. It's not just because of the anime archetypal role he plays, but because he's him.
Found family is all over this comic. (The biggest example being Silver and Green’s relationship.) With those two finding their parents, it’s actually pretty cool Red gets a similar story that goes in another direction. Hell, all of these stories massively differ. Green has parents that are “normal” and love her. Silver's dad is an evil man that does love his son but isn’t fit to raise him. Red doesn't find his parents or a sibling at the end of this. He finds new family. On biological technicality he has a family member now. That wouldn’t matter much if the personalities of the two were different. Blood was just how they met.
During one of their previous battles (in another arc) Giovanni collected samples of Red's blood. A specific Deoxys absorbed some of it, becoming connected to Red in a biological sense. With understanding this, Deox went to find Red- a part of themselves. This is also the explanation to why Red had those strong feelings all of a sudden. Or really, how the feelings appeared. No lie, it's kind of a goofy plot point, but nothing that breaks anything for me. It’s just the foundation, the added layers I've been speaking about make this story good. Red going through something like that is interesting, but it’s how it’s resolved (with the help of friends and his own inner strength) that makes it all worthwhile.
Deoxys as a character doesn’t seem to get much attention. Once given the chance to communicate (thanks to Yellow) we find out they only wanted to meet the person they share blood with. Now knowing this, Red welcomes them with open arms. (And of course, together they take down Giovanni.) Deoxys' story doesn't stop here. They know there's another Deox out there and decides to also seek them out. This isn’t a legendary pokemon leaving after their big battle is done, it's them trying to find another loved one. These two don't work just because Deox got slapped with Red's blood, it’s them as individuals who grow that bond. They now have a family member in both meanings of the word. That extra dedication to not have the two say "oh I guess we're linked now" but create a bond is a beautiful way to show found family. Reading their interactions was pretty touching. (Despite how short of a time they share.)
I didn't mention Mewtwo much. Not only for what he does in this arc, but his relationship with Blane could be another example of found family. I’m gonna get off track, even if I’m tempted to talk a bit more about how he only trusts Red in this arc. Tbh I might create another post on this chapter, since there’s a lot I wanna say. For now, I’m ending it here. Haven’t read ORAS yet but I wonder if Deox or what Red learned here will appear. Even if they never let him have anything like this ever again, I’m happy we got this at all. Anyway, I hope you got something out of this kinda thought dump.
-Neon