The Pokemon trainer Red is perhaps the most famous protagonist in the series, second only to the anime’s Ash Ketcham. Red was the main protagonist of the original Pokemon Red and Blue games, along with the original Pokemon Adventures Manga. Red later appeared in the Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green remakes and as an enemy trainer in titles such as Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver .
The famed Pokemon trainer has long been considered the most powerful Pokemon trainer of all time, though with multiple versions of this iconic Pokemon master appearing throughout the franchise, it begs the question: which one is the very best?
5 Red In Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon
Battle Tree Boss With A Powerful Team
Trainer Red appears in the Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon battle tree. Spearheaded by Red and his counterpart, Blue, the battle tree is only accessible after players defeat the game’s elite four. After defeating numerous consecutive trainers in the battle facility, Red and Blue can be challenged.
Red has Pokemon in the low 70s to high 60s in battle, keeping a similar team to other games. While this version of Red is notably weaker than other variations, he is still one of the strongest and toughest trainers to defeat in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon. His lineup includes Pikachu, fully evolved Kanto starters like Charizard, and a Snorlax.
4 Red In Pokemon Adventures
The Strongest Red In Manga
- Release: March 1997
- Writer: Hidenori Kusaka
- Illustrator(s): Mato (Vol 1-9), Satoshi Yamamoto (Vol 10+)
- Issues: 64
- Status: Ongoing
While Red is notably weaker than his counterparts in the main series of games, in the manga – Pokemon Adventures, Red is a very powerful Pokemon trainer, with the comic following the events of the original Red and Blue games. The manga loosely follows the game’s events as Red strives to become Pokemon champion, defeating rival Blue and becoming the greatest trainer in the Kanto region.
This version of Red captures the legendary Pokemon, Mewtwo, for gym leader Blaine and even fights an amalgamation of the legendary birds Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos.
Red later appears in other manga arcs in the series, teaming up with characters such as Gold and legendary Pokemon across numerous regions to fight the evil Team Rocket.
A powerful variant of Red, this version is the strongest in Pokemon manga and a tougher variation than in Ultra Sun and Moon due to capturing and facing legendary Pokemon easily at level 70s (surpassing Ultra Sun and Moon levels). It is second only to the other games on this list, where he received a considerable power boost after completing all of his objectives as champion.
3 Red In Pokemon Gold, Silver, And Crystal
The Best Pokemon Trainer In Kanto And Johto
Red appeared in the second generation of Pokemon games — Gold, Silver, and Crystal — after players beat its main story. Red is located at the peak of Mount Silver, a difficult post-game area that Professor Oak tasks players with visiting.
Since the generation 2 games directly follow the first generation of games, Red is canonically powerful, with the famed trainer isolating himself from the rest of the world (after the events of the gen 1 games) to train his Pocket Monsters to perfection. While in the first generation, you play as Red, in the second, you must face him in what is still one of the most challenging Pokemon battles in the series.
Trainer Red has a challenging team with a level 81 Pikachu, all three fully evolved gen 1 starter Pokemon in the high 70s, and other Pocket Monsters, such as Espeon, in the same level range. Red in Gold, Silver, and Crystal is the trainer’s third most powerful version, significantly expanding his power from generation 1.
2 Red In Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! And Let’s Go, Eevee!
Powerhouse In An Easy Game
Let’s Go, Pikachu, and Let’s Go, Eevee are authentic Pokemon games released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. Utilizing the Nintendo Switch’s motion control features, the game removed the other titles’ traditional catching and battle mechanics, with players using the Switch joycons to catch Pokemon through motion. Players cannot battle wild Pokemon in these games but can battle classic trainers such as the Kanto Gym Leaders and Elite Four.
Red is also battle-able, with players able to fight the legendary trainer outside the Indigo Plateau after beating numerous master trainers in the post-game. Although much of Let’s Go is considered easy compared to other titles in the series, trainer Red is no pushover, with one of his strongest teams (all Pokemon at level 85) in the series. By sheer levels, this version of Red is the second strongest, though he isn’t quite able to match the number one entry.
1 Red In Pokemon HeartGold And SoulSilver
The Most Powerful Pokemon Trainer
The most powerful version of Red is his variant in Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver. These titles were remakes of the original Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal — expanding on the generation 2 games with new features such as new catchable Pokemon, original plot points added to the main story, and even the ability to obtain legendary Pokemon from other regions such as Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza.
Trainer Red also gets a notable upgrade, with even stronger Pokemon than in Gold, Silver, and Crystal.
Red’s lineup includes many of the same Pokemon as in the original games, except for a Lapras as a replacement for Espeon — and all with much higher levels. Red’s Pikachu hits a staggering level 88, while all his other Pokemon settle in the low to mid-80s. Consequently, Red’s team in Heart Gold and Soul Silver dwarfs all other known variants, Pokemon champions, and most trainers in the Pokemon world. As a result, this version of Red is easily the most powerful in the series.
