Ethan (game)

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Ethan (Japanese: Hibiki) is the main in and is the male choice in , . In Crystal, his female counterpart is , while in HeartGold and SoulSilver, his female counterpart is .
==Terminology==
He was first named Ethan (Japanese: Hibiki) when he appeared as a non-player character in Generation IV games. He is also known by in Pokémon Masters EX.
In the game manuals from Generation II, his name depends on the game version: Gold, Silver, or Chris (Japanese: , , or ).
The different names are seen in the player's story from the game manuals. For instance:
* "The Professor showed Gold three Pokémon [...]" (referring to the player in Pokémon Gold's manual)
* "The Professor showed Silver three Pokémon [...]" (referring to the player in Pokémon Silver's manual)
In the player's story from Pokémon Crystal's manual, the Japanese name simultaneously refers to either player character. However, this was adapted as "you" instead in the English version. For instance:
* Japanese version of Crystal's manual:
*: 「クリスはパートナーとなる1のポケモンをぶと」 (Kris/Chris chooses 1 partner Pokémon and [...])
* English version of Crystal's manual:
*: "After you choose your Pokémon [...]"
In several game screenshots from the English manual of Pokémon Crystal, the male player character is named Chris.
In the Pokémon Gold and Silver Spaceworld '97 demo, his name is Satoshi or Shigeru. These are 's and 's respective Japanese names, and correspond to the second entry in the list of optional names for and in .
In Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, he appears as an unnamed player character.
Before he received an official name in , most fans called him Gold (Japanese: Gold).
Pokémon Gold manual intro.png|The player's story (named "Gold") in the manual of Pokémon Gold
Pokémon Silver manual intro.png|The player's story (named "Silver") in the manual of Pokémon Silver
Pokémon Crystal manual intro.png|The player's story (known as "you" in English) in the manual of 
==In the core series games==
===As the protagonist===
Ethan's journey as a begins when Professor Elm asks him to run an errand for Mr. Pokémon, who lives north of Cherrygrove City on . Because he may encounter dangerous wild Pokémon along the way, Elm gives him a choice between three Pokémon to protect him: , or .
Ethan spots another boy his age watching Elm's Lab from outside. When Ethan tries to talk to him, the boy abruptly shoves him away. This boy, , will become Ethan's rival.
Ethan continues onward and finally meets Mr. Pokémon and completes his errand. While there he meets Professor Oak who, upon realizing Ethan's bond with his new Pokémon, gives him a Pokédex. On his way back home, Ethan again meets Silver, who has stolen one of Elm's remaining Pokémon. After defeating the boy in battle, the boy tells Ethan his name/Ethan learns the boy's name from his dropped , and Ethan relays it to the police in New Bark Town. Professor Elm allows Ethan to keep the Pokémon he chose earlier, and also encourages him to compete in the Johto League.
Ethan begins on a Pokémon journey in the Johto region, facing off against its eight Gym Leaders, defeating and disbanding the revived Team Rocket, and becoming Pokémon League Champion by defeating the Elite Four and its previous Champion, Lance at Indigo Plateau. Along the way he also teaches Silver to respect Pokémon as living creatures and not just as tools for battle.
After being declared the Pokémon League Champion, Ethan then journeys by ship from Olivine City to Vermilion City in Kanto. Traveling around that region, he battles against another set of eight Gym Leaders. Upon getting permission from Professor Oak in Pallet Town, Ethan heads for Mt. Silver via . His journey comes to a close when, deep in Mt. Silver's cave, he faces the Champion from Pallet Town, Pokémon Trainer , who had been training there since shortly after he became Pokémon League Champion three years prior.
===As a non-playable character===
====Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal====
In , if is selected, then the male player character does not appear in the game, except as an opponent in the Trainer House. Even when playing as Kris, the player's sprite is changed to Ethan's during link battles and in the Trainer House.
====Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver====
In , if playing as , Ethan appears as an NPC in the game. When playing as Ethan, Lyra takes on this role instead.
Ethan meets the player in New Bark Town at the start of the game. In this particular scene, he is seen with a . He teaches the player how to catch Pokémon on (replacing the Dude from ). His grandparents run the Pokémon Day Care on . He also gives the player the Fashion Case in Goldenrod Tunnel and the Vs. Recorder on .
When called from certain locations, Ethan will mention that something will happen if the player takes a certain Pokémon there.
====Pokémon====
Ethan uses this party to show the how to catch Pokémon when is selected as the player character in .
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=====Caught in tutorial=====
=====Mentioned=====
When called with the Pokégear at different locations, Ethan will mention he owns certain Pokémon.
♂			
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Puzzle Challenge===
Ethan is the player character in the Challenge mode of Pokémon Puzzle Challenge. In this mode, he challenges the Gym Leaders and Elite Four of Johto in puzzle games.
===Super Smash Bros. Ultimate===
While Ethan himself does not appear directly, a palette swap color scheme based on Ethan's design appears for the male , who is an incarnation of .
===Pokémon Masters EX===
Ethan, who is based on the player character, forms a sync pair with and its evolved forms and , along with in Pokémon Masters EX. Ethan became a playable sync pair on January 15, 2020.
Ethan has also made notable appearances in the game's Main Stories, Legendary Adventures and the Villain Arc. Unlike in , both Ethan and coexist in the same game.
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===Pokémon GO===
To commemorate the Johto Festival, Ethan's outfit from were released as free style options in Pokémon GO.
==Quotes==
==Optional names==
Game 	Japanese 	English 	French 	German 	Italian 	Spanish 	Korean
Gold 	ゴールド Goldヒロキ Hirokiテツオ Tetsuoタカシ Takashi 	GOLDHIROTAYLORKARL 	GOLDJULIENJEANJACQUES 	GoldDANIELFRITZKARL 	OROPAOLODIEGOCARLO 	OROHIROTOMÁSCARLOS 	골드 Gold수호 Suho인철 Incheol강산 Gangsan
Silver 	シルバー Silverカモン Kamonトオル Tōruマサオ Masao 	SILVERKAMONOSCARMAX	SILVERDANIELPIERREPAUL	SilberTHOMASOSKARHANS	ARGENTOLUCAPAOLOMAX 	PLATAKAMONOSCARMÁXIMO	실버 Silver청운 Cheong'un지겸 Jigyeom찬호 Chanho
Crystal 	クリス Chrisヨウスケ Yōsukeタケヒロ Takehiroタカオ Takao 	CHRISMATALLANJON 	CHRISBENJINICOLASJEAN 	CHRISARNOLDGERTJON 	CHRISSERGIOGIACOMOMANUELE	CRISANTONIOÁLEXEMILIO	
HeartGoldSoulSilver	<ab>ハート Heart
ソウル Soul
サトシ Satoshi
ケン Ken
カケル Kakeru
ジャック Jack
ジャン Jean
ジョン John
カモン Kamon
タカシ Takashi
テツオ Tetsuo
トオル Tōru
ヒロキ Hiroki
マサオ Masao
タカオ Takao
タケヒロ Takehiro
トウゴ Tōgo
ヒトシ Hitoshi
ヨシナオ Yoshinao</ab>	<ab>Heart
Soul
Ash
Nic
Dion
Duncan
Jude
Ross
Shae / Shea
Darrell
Terell
Chris
Brad
Dwight
Talon
Lonny
Jess
Eric
Chase</ab>	<ab>Heart
Soul
Dilan
Gurvan
Gabriel
Allane
Zack
Marc
Loris
Max
Damien
Tom
Greg
Kamel
Franck
Ralph
Seb
Daniel
Thomas</ab>	<ab>Heart
Soul
Karsten
Gerd
Hans
Jack
Jan
John
Daniel
Helge
Uhland
Tobit
Ugo
Berno
Jon
Rafik
Boris
Thomas
Silvio</ab>	<ab>Heart
Soul
Ash
Nico
Elmo
Mattia
Silvano
Rossano
Kamon
Karl
Gabry
Oscar
Dino
Daniel
Manuele
Ralph
Lucio
Paolo
Marco
</ab>	<ab>Heart
Soul
Ash
Llamin
Casio
Job
Chechu
Juande
Javi
Ral
Marino
Toilo
Nahum
Max
Morel
Ralph
Russ
Erminio
Quinn</ab>	<ab>하트 Heart
소울 Soul
지우 Jiwoo
캔 Ken
호진 Hojin
상우 Sang'u
쟝 Jyang
재범 Jaebeom
청운 Cheong'un
강산 Gangsan
인철 Incheol
지겸 Jigyeom
숙호 Sukho
찬호 Chanho
지훈 Jihun
윤호 Yunho
케이 Kay
다인 Dain
상현 Sanghyeon</ab>
==Counterparts==
===In animation===
====Pokémon the Series====
, the main protagonist of The Legend of Thunder!, is the first counterpart of Ethan, and seems to be based on him in the most basic sense, much more than was based on his game counterpart, . follows Ethan's design from . Much like Ethan, Jimmy is from New Bark Town and receives a first partner Pokémon from Professor Elm. He also encounters the counterparts of Silver and Kris on his journey.
Ethan's second counterpart has a cameo appearance at the beginning of Zoroark: Master of Illusions, where he had a against Ash. This counterpart follows Ethan's updated design from . It has been argued that this is Jimmy in an updated look, rather than a different counterpart, but this counterpart is identified as "Hibiki" (Ethan's Japanese name) in the Japanese DVD of the movie.
=====Pokémon=====
This listing is of Ethan's known in :
====Pokémon Generations====
Ethan made two brief appearances in The Lake of Rage. First, he and Lance infiltrated the Team Rocket HQ separately. He then communicated with Lance through his Pokégear about updates on their mission, and acted as a decoy for Lance's attacks.
Much like the other player characters depicted in Pokémon Generations, Ethan doesn't have any lines of dialogue.
====GOTCHA!====
Ethan briefly appeared in GOTCHA!, using his and .
====Pokémon Evolutions====
Ethan briefly appeared in The Show, where he was seen in Ecruteak City.
===In the manga===
Ethan, like most player characters, also has several counterparts in the various Pokémon manga series.
====Pokémon Adventures====
Gold from Pokémon Adventures is based on Ethan. He's a stubborn boy with a tendency towards gambling and bragging about himself. Having lived with Pokémon for all his life, he has the ability to make Pokémon Eggs hatch and draw out the potential of the baby Pokémon hatched from them.
====Pokémon Pocket Monsters====
Gold from Pokémon Pocket Monsters is based on Ethan.
====Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys====
Gold, the main character of Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys, is based on Ethan.
====Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure====
Jō from Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure is based on Ethan.
====Pocket Monsters HeartGold & SoulSilver Go! Go! Pokéathlon====
Takashi from Pocket Monsters HeartGold & SoulSilver Go! Go! Pokéathlon is based on Ethan.
====Pokémon HeartGold SoulSilver: Pokédex Completion Comic====
Soul from Pokémon HeartGold SoulSilver: Pokédex Completion Comic is based on Ethan.
==In the TCG==
The following is a list of cards mentioning or featuring Ethan or his Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game:
==Gallery==
===Artwork===
 	 	 	 	
Artwork from 	Artwork from 	Artwork from 	Checking his 	
 	 	 	 	
Approaching a	Artwork from the website	In front of the 	Encountering a 	
 	 	 	 	
In the 	 	Ethan and concept artwork for Kotobukiya ArtFx J figurines	Artwork of Ethan fighting the at the for by	
===Sprites and models===
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Trainer sprite from 	Trainer sprite from 	Trainer sprite from 	sprite from 	Back sprite from	backsprite from 	Back sprite from 	VS sprite from
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Overworldsprite from	Overworldsprite from	Overworld sprite from	Overworld sprite, disguised as a , from	sprite from 	Sprite fromthe of	Close-up sprite fromthe of	iconfrom
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Sprite from 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Trivia==
* The artwork was originally presented in the Official Guidebook of Nintendo Space World '97 (Japanese: ), along with , , , , , Kimono Girl, , , , , , and the new Pokédex.
* A 1997 pamphlet describing mentions that the protagonist has a brother three years his senior. However, this aspect of his character was discarded by the time of the final release.
* Ethan is 4'11" (1.50 m) tall and weighs 88.2 lbs (40 kg) in . This was confirmed by checking the heights and weights of certain in the Pokédex. As such, and are both the same weight as Ethan.
* Ethan is the only male player character to have two female counterparts; and , or two counterparts; and a cameo appearence at the beginning of Zoroark: Master of Illusions.
** Ethan's first animation counterpart having a different name, Jimmy, likely stems from the fact that Ethan did not become his canon name until .
* The majority of his Japanese default names from are shared with and . The same holds true for their .
* On the "Area" map on the Pokédex in , Ethan's headshot sprite shows his hat from . An earlier, unused version of this sprite is also found within other scrapped Pokégear graphics data, in which appears instead of .
* In Generation IV, Ethan is depicted with two different eye colors. His eyes are gray in his Generation IV artwork while they are brown in the HeartGold and SoulSilver games, as seen in the opening animation.
* One of 's palette swaps in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has a color scheme based on Ethan's appearance in .
* The Japanese optional name カケル Kakeru, along with the English optional name Chase, were eventually given to the of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
==Names==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese 	ヒビキ Hibiki 	From 響き hibiki (echo; sound)
English 	Ethan 	, is believed to be the author of Psalm 89 and/or a or player in King David's court.
German 	Klarin 	From Klarinette ()
Spanish 	Eco 	From eco (echo)
French 	Luth 	From luth ()
Italian 	Armonio 	From armonia (harmony) or armonio ()
Korean 	심향 Simhyang 	From 심 (心) sim (heart) and 향 (響) hyang (echo)
Chinese ()	阿響 Ā Xiǎng 	From 響 xiǎng / héung (echo; sound)
Chinese ()	阿響 A Héung 	From 響 xiǎng / héung (echo; sound)
==References==
==Related articles==
Category:Gold, Silver and Crystal characters
Category:HeartGold and SoulSilver characters
Category:Champions
Category:Pokémon Generations characters
Category:Pokémon Evolutions characters
de:Klarin
es:Eco
fr:Luth
it:Armonio (gioco)
ja:ヒビキ
zh:阿響