Mainline Pokemon games have always centered around young people setting out to learn about and grow close with Pokemon, all while becoming strong enough to conquer each region's Pokemon League. However, though each games' protagonist is silent so they can be a blank slate, it wasn't until Pokemon X and Y that an element of character customization was introduced.
Calem or Serena may be the "canonical" protagonist in Kalos (with the unchosen individual becoming its chief rival), but X and Y marked the first time players were able to buy new outfits in boutiques across the France-inspired region. Players could always name themselves, but from Generation 6 on there has also been an increasing effort to let fans look like themselves. Pokemon is also leaning harder into referencing previous titles via cosmetic options, but the next mainline game should really run with this to make a comprehensive, nostalgic catalog of outfits for players to use.
How Pokemon Customization Has Evolved
For the first five Generations of Pokemon games, the main way people could express themselves was through their team compositions. There was only one player character option until Pokemon Crystal introduced Kris as a female counterpart to Ethan in 2000. From that point on every game had the choice between a girl and boy character, spawning one of the fan community's more enduring jokes.
A sliver more customization is available in a few of these earlier titles, with players able to choose an NPC sprite to represent themselves during online battles or other activities. However, people were largely stuck with the binary choice between a boy and a girl through Nate and Rosa - protagonists for Pokemon Black 2 and White 2. Starting with X and Y, players could pick between one of three variants of the main character: the largely considered "canon" choice, a blonde-haired and blue-eyed option, and then another with slightly darker skin. A limited number of hair styles and outfit pieces could be applied from there.
Pokemon Sun and Moon, as well as Sword and Shield afterward, cranked up customization options with a growing range of skin tones, plenty more hair and outfit options, as well as choices for things like the style in which players could toss out a Poke Ball. However, for many these choices still don't go far enough. While the "boy or girl" dichotomy isn't heavily emphasized as an initial choice, outfits or hair styles can still be locked behind traditional gender roles. Having four choices for skin tone also only goes so far given Pokemon's worldwide appeal.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Continue Pokemon's Progress
It is still good to see Game Freak moving in the right direction as far as customization is concerned; slow steps are progress. One of the interesting things about this increase in customization is how the philosophy has begun to affect remakes too. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the first games released after X and Y, elected to just use updated designs for the original Ruby and Sapphire protagonists Brendan and May. Some were disappointed that the still-new customization feature took a backseat, but as the games were based on older titles it made sense.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the upcoming Generation 4 remakes, have eschewed any such pretense. Though developer ILCA (which cut its teeth making the Pokemon Home storage and trading app) is creating more traditional remakes than Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it's still introducing plenty of new flair. One of the biggest additions is the ability to change both the skin tone and outfit for protagonists Lucas and Dawn. In the most recent trailer, it was revealed one set of outfits early adopters can pick up are clothes based on Lucas and Dawn from Pokemon Platinum.
Pokemon Should Expand its Referential Fan Service
Given how unclear Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, and ILCA have been regarding how much content from Pokemon Platinum will appear in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the inclusion of Platinum outfits as a bonus is nice to see. It's also the next step in a pattern of referential outfits established by Sword and Shield. Most of the cosmetic options in those games were original styles befitting the United Kingdom-inspired Galar region and its focus on professional sports. However, The Crown Tundra DLC also introduced a monocle based on Ghetsis' eye piece from Black and White, as well as shutter shades based on Lysandre's tech from X and Y.
The kicker is these accessories were not only DLC content, they also had nothing to do with the main storyline of the expansion. Players have to talk with Peonia in the Crown Tundra's Max Raid Lair to randomly receive both of these items, so they're purely optional. The Platinum outfits in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are similar in that players have to choose to download them, though they'll only be available for a limited time. Taken together, alongside prior giveaways such as various Pikachu wearing Ash Ketchum's hats, this shows an increased willingness to pay homage to the Pokemon franchise's history.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus will also have player customization options when it releases in early 2022, but given the game is set far in the past it's unlikely to pull many style options from games set further ahead on the in-universe timeline. Whatever the next traditional, mainline Pokemon game is certainly can in its stead, as outfits based on all previous protagonists would give fans more ways to customize themselves and relive memories. The ongoing Pokemon Evolutions animated mini-series hints at a similar idea by showing Pikachu around the world wearing the hats of each Generation's protagonists.
Even if Game Freak wants to avoid too many referential outfits in its next mainline game to let a region's local flavor shine through, it could return to the idea in DLC. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild may even offer an interesting blueprint, as its The Master Trails DLC expansion scattered a handful of armor pieces around Hyrule referencing older games. Link could wear Majora's Mask, Wind Waker's Outset Island shirt, Midna's headpiece, and more. Perhaps Pokemon could make use of a similar scavenger hunt that lets players express themselves further through an ingrained sense of nostalgia.