Pokemon Red and Green were first released, exclusively in Japan, back in February 1996, with a special version called Pokemon Blue releasing later that year. When the games came to North America a couple of years later, it was simply Pokemon Red and Blue (before the special Yellow edition). Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are remakes of these original games, and while some fans think LeafGreen may be an intentional reference to the original Japanese-only Green version, that’s not the case.
That does not mean Game Freak did not have an explicit reason for naming them Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, however. As fans prepare for the games’ release on Nintendo Switch consoles, many may find themselves curious about the titles once more. But the real reason comes from an official Game Freak blog post written by Junichi Masuda, a Game Freak co-creator who helped launch Pokemon alongside Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, back in 2004.
How Pokemon LeafGreen Came to Be
Masuda knew the transition to Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen would confuse some North American players, explaining that it was called Blue in North America “for a reason.” Masuda doesn’t expand on this, but it’s likely so the company could utilize the improvements from the Japanese Blue version. Understanding that continuing this with the remakes means the new games should be called “FireRed and WaterBlue,” Masuda explained every reason why LeafGreen was chosen instead:
- “A leaf is a symbol of peace.”
- “Fire and water are opposing concepts, so it seems like a conflict.”
- “On the jacket, we wanted to have a colorful drawing of Bulbasaur.”
- “A leaf may not be immediately familiar to Japanese kids, but for kids overseas, it is an easy concept to grasp.”
- “In this world of conflicts, we wanted to give a name that is suggestive of a peaceful world.”
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
As Masuda explained, it’s essential to avoid any perception of “conflict” with the more modern Pokemon Gen 1 remakes and instead put an emphasis on peace, with a leaf, in a real world filled with conflict. Masuda also added that the team was happy to come up with the title and how it would work in all countries across the world, explaining that aspect is very difficult. In fact, Masuda said the process for naming games is so difficult because of trademark issues, among other things, but that FireRed and LeafGreen focused on simplicity and therefore did not take as long as other games.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen Symbolize Peace
Ultimately, the name Pokemon LeafGreen was not a nostalgic callback to the original Japanese Green version, but rather a deliberate tonal choice. The pairing of FireRed and LeafGreen reflected Game Freak’s desire to present the remakes as welcoming and globally unified entries rather than oppositional counterparts. Of course, later Pokemon entries would tread down darker storylines, like Pokemon X and Y‘s Ultimate Weapon, but simplicity, serenity, and peace are all at the heart of the original Pokemon games.
It’ll be interesting to see if there are any changes with the Switch versions of these games, but given they are largely ports, that’s not to be expected. Still, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch are already selling like hotcakes, showing perhaps that gamers the world over need the momentary peace these two games symbolize.
- Released
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September 7, 2004
- ESRB
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e
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
