is a Japanese manga series based on the Pokémon media franchise. The series is written by Hidenori Kusaka. was the illustrator for the first nine volumes. When Mato became ill and was unable to continue illustrating the series, Satoshi Yamamoto took over as the illustrator and still continues as the series' artist.
Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of Pokémon media franchise, once stated that the series is closest to how he imagined the universe of Pokémon to be.
Pokémon Adventures is translated into English in North America by Viz Media. As of May 2024, 63 volumes have been released, along with mini-volumes collecting arcs from "Black and White" onwards. In Southeast Asia, Singapore publisher Chuang Yi was translating Pokémon Adventures into English, and continued to translate new volumes up to volume 41. The company, however, entered voluntary liquidation in early 2014 and translation stopped. Shogakukan Asia now handles the series in Singapore."Products." Shogakukan Asia. Retrieved on June 2, 2015.
Plot
Pokémon Adventures is divided into several story arcs known as chapters, representing each mainline generation as well as their remakes and enhanced editions. 16 chapters have been released as of August 2023.
Due to the serialization of the Black 2 & White 2 chapter going on hold and taking many years before being collected into a volume, the X & Y and subsequent chapters of Pokémon Adventures were separately collected into mini-volumes. The rounds included in these mini-volumes were only ones that were published in the CoroCoro Ichiban magazine. Once the Black 2 & White 2 chapter ended in the regular volumes, the subsequent chapters started to be collected in that format as well.
Red, Green & Blue The first story shows Red, the protagonist, who gets his Pokédex from Professor Oak to start on his Pokémon journey, collecting Pokémon and battling Gym Leaders for the eight coveted Gym Badges. He later meets his rival Blue who is Oak's own grandson. Later in his journey, he encounters con artist Green, who sells him fake Pokémon items. She has stolen a Squirtle from Oak's lab and has evolved it into a Wartortle.
Later, Oak had been kidnapped by Team Rocket to replace Blaine, a former Team Rocket scientist, and the townspeople of Pallet Town were also kidnapped due to their strange empathy for Pokémon. Red, Green and Blue arrive at Saffron City to take on the Team Rocket Admins—Koga, Lt. Surge, and Sabrina. They manage to defeat Team Rocket and save Oak. It is revealed that using 7 Gym Badges, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres will be fused after Green does, unaware of the results. Their fusion results in a Pokémon referred to as Thu-Fi-Zer, which looks like the three Legendary Birds fused together at the body, having all three of their heads. Red, Green, and Blue then work together to defeat and split the bird apart. Red then travels to the Indigo Plateau to battle his rival Blue, having gained 7 Gym Badges, but also prevails against the bio-weapon Mewtwo and Team Rocket's leader and legendary missing Viridian Gym Leader, Giovanni, on the way. Green is confronted by Oak about stealing and is forgiven. Red later battles Blue in the Pokémon League Championships and emerges victorious, claiming the title of Pokémon League Champion.
Yellow Red has disappeared after receiving a challenge letter sent to him by Bruno of the Elite Four. They plan to lure him to them, and use him to get information on Giovanni's whereabouts. They also need his Earth Badge. Only Red's Pikachu, Pika, managed to escape, Red having been encased in ice. Yellow decided to go look for Red, as Red had helped her catch a Rattata to train her in the skills of battling.
Later, Yellow, Blaine, Blue, Green, Bill, Lt. Surge, Koga and Sabrina join forces to bring down the Elite Four together. They find out that Lance's master plan was to use the Gym Badges and create an amplifying effect at Cerise Island to power up a mysterious Legendary Pokémon and destroy all humans in the world except themselves. They felt that humans and Pokémon were not meant to coexist. Red turned up later at Cerise Island to help Surge and Bill defeat Bruno. It is also revealed that Giovanni was the one who rescued Red from his ice coffin. Yellow battles Lance, but is losing until the other trainers send their power to Yellow, and with their combined strength, she manages to defeat Lance.
Gold, Silver & Crystal The third adventure is based on the Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal versions of the game. It features the protagonists Gold, Silver and Crystal, and is centered mostly around the Johto region. Gold first started his journey to chase a thief that broke into Professor Elm's lab, and stole a Totodile. Gold then made it his mission to get Totodile back from Silver (who stole it), and follows Silver. In Gold's quest to steal back Totodile, he decided to become fully involved in Silver's life. But following him gets him wrapped up in Neo Team Rocket (a revival of Team Rocket), and Gold tries to stop them. In a shocking reveal, it turns out one of the gym leaders is the Neo Team Rocket's leader, the Ice-type Gym Leader, Pryce. He was also the Mask of Ice, a mysterious man who kidnapped Silver and Green as children. The Johto Trio (Gold, Silver, and a pro catcher named Crystal) then stop both Neo Team Rocket and the Mask of Ice in a dramatic final battle to end off the chapter.
Ruby & Sapphire The Ruby & Sapphire manga is based on the Ruby and Sapphire versions of the game. It features Ruby and Sapphire and their bet to each other: 80 days for Ruby to win all the Contest Ribbons in Hoenn, and for Sapphire, a powerful Trainer in her own right, to battle all the Gym Leaders for the 8 Gym Badges.
In their travels, they meet new companions like the Gym Leaders of the Hoenn region and the avid news reporter Gabby and her cameraman Ty (who play a minor role in the games). Team Aqua and Team Magma are introduced here, as they attempt to awaken the Legendary Pokémon Kyogre and Groudon to conquer the world, and Ruby and Sapphire take notice after encountering several main members in their journeys. The Gym Leaders, Ruby, and Sapphire end up trying to protect Hoenn from the awakened Kyogre and Groudon, their awakening causes a disaster as Ruby loses a contest, leading to his Feebas running away and unable to find its way back. Ruby, however, finds it and apologizes, and gives it the Hyper Rank Beauty Ribbon, after which it evolves into Milotic. In the chapter Rayquaza Redemption II, Sapphire confesses that she has developed romantic feelings for Ruby.
FireRed & LeafGreen The next story, returning to Red, Green, and Blue, is loosely based on the Sevii Islands portion of the FireRed and LeafGreen versions of the game. The plot consists of Team Rocket trying to capture Deoxys, and Red, Green, and Blues' efforts to stop them. Along the way, they must rescue Green's parents and Professor Oak, who is Blue's grandfather, who have been kidnapped by Deoxys. Despite their best efforts, they are not able to stop Team Rocket from obtaining Deoxys, even though they've mastered the ultimate attacks taught by Ultima, an old but powerful woman residing on Two Island. After being defeated, Red is approached by Mewtwo who offers help in defeating Team Rocket.
Yellow and Silver are later reintroduced as they search for clues about Silver's parents. Knowing that his objective was somewhere in Viridian City, Silver met up with Yellow in the forest. Meanwhile, Giovanni used Deoxys's power to search for his lost son and was led to the Viridian Forest too. It is revealed that Silver is Giovanni's son and he passes out in shock. Yellow follows Team Rocket, who brought Silver back with them to an airship.
Red and Mewtwo challenge Giovanni. He loses, but the airship flies out of control. It is revealed that Red and Deoxys' have a connection because it absorbed some of Red's blood. Together, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Silver stop Deoxys from destroying the area, but they are caught in an energy clash that petrifies them. Though Mewtwo is also caught in the attack, his body is nowhere to be seen. Deoxys manages to escape moments before the blast and is currently searching for the other Deoxys that was disposed of after Team Rocket had no further use for it.
Emerald The protagonist of this story arc is Emerald, who is hired by Crystal and Professor Oak to capture Jirachi in seven days before it is captured by Guile Hideout, the main antagonist of the arc. Emerald is also trying to challenge the seven facilities of the Battle Frontier and conquer them all. In the process, Emerald meets with the other two Hoenn Pokédex holders, Ruby and Sapphire.
The three Pokédex owners take on the Battle Frontier challenge, but they are interrupted by Guile Hideout, who was manipulating the head of the Battle Tower, Anabel. In an ensuing battle with Emerald, he releases Anabel from his control and reveals himself to be Team Aqua's leader, Archie. He also reveals that he has caught Jirachi, and subsequently uses it to summon a massive water-composed clone of Kyogre to flood the Battle Frontier. Archie hints that he is unable to be separated from the armor covering him for a prolonged period of time.
The three Pokédex holders escape the rising waters with the help of Gold and Crystal, who have also arrived at the Battle Frontier. Gold explains that the five Pokédex owners who were petrified – Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Silver – were ordered to be shipped to the Battle Frontier. The hope was for them to be de-petrified through a wish to Jirachi. While Crystal trains Ruby and Sapphire to learn a powerful skill that can help stop Kyogre, Archie abandons Jirachi, who is subsequently left in Emerald's hands.
Gold assigns Emerald to make a wish to de-petrify Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Silver. After finally coming into terms with his real desire—to be with Pokémon and people who like them, Jirachi grants his wish, and the five Pokédex owners are cured of their petrification. Red and Gold immediately incapacitate Archie by destroying his armor. With all ten Pokédex owners now reunited, they combine their strongest attacks together and defeat Kyogre and Archie, who vanishes for good.
Diamond & Pearl This storyline is based on the Diamond and Pearl versions of the game. It features Lady Platinum Berlitz, who, for her coming-of-age ceremony, must travel to the top of Mt. Coronet in order to collect materials to create her own family emblem. Despite her vast knowledge, due to coming from a wealthy family of scholars, her father insists that she is followed by a pair of professional bodyguards. However, an identity mishap occurs as manzai comedians Diamond and Pearl believe that Platinum is their tour guide who will accompany them on a prize trip around Sinnoh, while Platinum believes that the duo are her bodyguards.
As they travel Sinnoh, Platinum becomes engrossed in Gym Battles after fighting Roark in order to up her Piplup's confidence. She manages to obtain six gym badges within a space of 25 days, which Byron remarks to have beaten Sapphire's previous record of 8 Gym Badges in 80 days. While helping Platinum prepare for Gym Battles through intense periods of training, the starter Pokémon bestowed upon them by Professor Rowan gradually evolve to their final evolved form, while Platinum's Ponyta evolves into a Rapidash.
In an encounter with Team Galactic while in Veilstone City, Platinum becomes Team Galactic's ransom target, as a means to extract capital to develop a bomb, which would be used to destroy the three lakes of Sinnoh. Platinum's center of attention causes the banishment of her real bodyguards to a different realm, causing Diamond and Pearl to continue faking as professional bodyguards, while now knowing the truth. The evidence is further solidified when the trio visit Celestic Town to find Cyrus studying the ruins there.