To celebrate Pokemon Day and its six-month anniversary, DeNA's mobile game Pokemon Masters has added Red, the protagonist of 1996's Pokemon Red and Green, alongside Charizard as a new sync pair with an increased summon chance. But fans noticed something surprising about the character– for the first time ever, Red talks.
After being a player surrogate in the original games, Red earned his cult status by re-appearing as a secret final boss battle in Pokemon Gold and Silver, where he stood silent at the peak of Mt. Silver. He has also shown up in the Pokemon World Tournament mode of Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, as well as an aged-up form in Pokemon Sun and Moon, before coming to Pokemon Masters.
The character's complete silence is likely a callback to his original role as a silent protagonist, but it has since become ingrained that all of his speech comes in the form of ellipses. However, when prompted by Sinnoh Elite Four member Flint in the Sync Pair Story that unlocks when Red is summoned, he says "words are unnecessary" for him to communicate with Charizard — which caught many off-guard.
Red's introduction to Masters alongside Pokemon Professor Oak is no coincidence. The two showed up in a teaser trailer called "Legends Only" on February 27 duking it out using the Legendary Pokemon Mew and a Mega Evolved Charizard X.
In the game's anniversary trailer released later that day, Red appears alongside his rival Blue and his female equivalent Leaf from Pokemon Firered and Leafgreen, the remakes of the original games. All three are using Mega Evolution-capable Kanto starters and wearing the mobile game's signature alternate costumes called Sygna Suits.
That anniversary trailer teases the introduction of eggs and other trainers coming to Pokemon Masters soon, including Lillie, Wally, and Dawn — someone who may offer hope for fans still clamoring for Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes. Masters has also added a new game mode called the Battle Villa and a new kind of story event featuring Unova Gym Leader Elesa in a Sygna Suit alongside Rotom.
With Red in the game, Kalos Champion Diantha is the only trainer featured on Pokemon Masters' title screen who has yet to appear. While waiting for her, fans can pop over to Pokemon Sword and Shield to take on Mewtwo and the Kanto starters in limited-time Max Raid Battles meant to celebrate Pokemon Day.
Pokemon Masters is available now for free on Android and iOS.