Is Gary also Blue?


So we have [this question](https://anime.stackexchange.com/q/412/1651) about
the character [Red](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_%28game%29) vs
[Ash](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash_Ketchum).

It made me start wondering if your rival in the game (red/blue), or if he
appears in the manga, is different from Gary. So are Gary and Blue the same?
If not, what are the major differences?




The different versions of Pokemon (anime, manga, games) are mostly
inconsistent with each other, and aren't directly comparable. Here are the
versions of this character:

  * [Blue Oak from the games](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28game%29) is the rival of [Red](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_%28game%29) in Generation I (as well as [Leaf](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Leaf_%28game%29) in the Generation III remakes), and is the gym leader of the Viridian Gym in Generation II and the Generation IV remake. In the games in which he is the rival, you have the choice of his name, and "Gary" is one prerecorded choice that you could make. His Japanese name is "Okaido Green" (オーキド・グリーン).
  * [Blue Oak from the Pokemon Adventures Manga](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28Adventures%29) is a main character and [Red](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_%28Adventures%29)'s rival. He is based on Blue from the game. Being a manga, he obviously isn't nameable. His Japanese name is "Okaido Green" (オーキド・グリーン).
  * [Gary Oak from the original anime](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gary) is one of [Ash](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash_Ketchum)'s rivals for the first few seasons of the anime. He is also based on Blue from the game. Again, since it's an anime he isn't nameable. His Japanese name is "Okaido Shigeru" (オーキド・シゲル)

There are definite similarities between all three of these characters. For
instance, all of them are the grandsons of the respective Professor Oaks. All
three are the rivals to the protagonist. All three are respectable trainers,
and in many cases they have some of the same pokemon.

However, there are quite a few differences as well. For instance, Gary
competes in the Pokemon League in 3 regions before going to work as a
researcher. Blue from the game becomes the League champion, only to lose to
Red, after which he becomes a Gym Leader. Blue from the manga doesn't even
collect gym badges; he's only acquired one. The Bulbapedia pages above contain
much more detail, but the point is that these three characters are quite
different in personality, style, and story, so you really have to regard all
of them as different characters who just all happen to have similar design and
occupy similar positions in the stories.

Incidentally, there are other characters named Blue as well (taken from [this
Bulbapedia disambiguation page](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue)):

  * [Blue from the Pokemon Origins Anime](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28Origins%29) is based off of Blue from the original games. This series seems to be following the game story reasonably closely and the characters are quite similar. His Japanese name (at least so far) is just "Green" (グリーン).
  * [Blue from the Pokemon Pocket Monsters Manga](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28Pocket_Monsters%29) is again a rival of Red, but clearly a different character, as evidenced by the fact that his Japanese name "Blue" (ブルー) doesn't match the others. The character based on Blue in this version is [Green](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Green_%28Pocket_Monsters%29) (グリーン), whose full name is "Midorikawa Kai" (緑川 開)
  * [Blue from the Pocket Monsters Ruby-Sapphire Manga](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28Ruby-Sapphire%29) is based on Leaf, not Blue. She is still a rival of Red. She doesn't seem to have any relation to the original Blue, and her Japanese name Midori (みどり) is different from the other characters, though it could be translated as "Green".
  * [Green from the Pokemon Adventures manga](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Green_%28Adventures%29) is based on an unused female character design from the first game, which was also the basis for Leaf in the remakes. I've included her only because her Japanese name is "Blue" (ブルー); she and Blue switched names in the English version of the manga.




The different versions of Pokemon (anime, manga, games) are mostly
inconsistent with each other, and aren't directly comparable. Here are the
versions of this character:

  * [Blue Oak from the games](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28game%29) is the rival of [Red](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_%28game%29) in Generation I (as well as [Leaf](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Leaf_%28game%29) in the Generation III remakes), and is the gym leader of the Viridian Gym in Generation II and the Generation IV remake. In the games in which he is the rival, you have the choice of his name, and "Gary" is one prerecorded choice that you could make. His Japanese name is "Okaido Green" (オーキド・グリーン).
  * [Blue Oak from the Pokemon Adventures Manga](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28Adventures%29) is a main character and [Red](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_%28Adventures%29)'s rival. He is based on Blue from the game. Being a manga, he obviously isn't nameable. His Japanese name is "Okaido Green" (オーキド・グリーン).
  * [Gary Oak from the original anime](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gary) is one of [Ash](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash_Ketchum)'s rivals for the first few seasons of the anime. He is also based on Blue from the game. Again, since it's an anime he isn't nameable. His Japanese name is "Okaido Shigeru" (オーキド・シゲル)

There are definite similarities between all three of these characters. For
instance, all of them are the grandsons of the respective Professor Oaks. All
three are the rivals to the protagonist. All three are respectable trainers,
and in many cases they have some of the same pokemon.

However, there are quite a few differences as well. For instance, Gary
competes in the Pokemon League in 3 regions before going to work as a
researcher. Blue from the game becomes the League champion, only to lose to
Red, after which he becomes a Gym Leader. Blue from the manga doesn't even
collect gym badges; he's only acquired one. The Bulbapedia pages above contain
much more detail, but the point is that these three characters are quite
different in personality, style, and story, so you really have to regard all
of them as different characters who just all happen to have similar design and
occupy similar positions in the stories.

Incidentally, there are other characters named Blue as well (taken from [this
Bulbapedia disambiguation page](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue)):

  * [Blue from the Pokemon Origins Anime](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28Origins%29) is based off of Blue from the original games. This series seems to be following the game story reasonably closely and the characters are quite similar. His Japanese name (at least so far) is just "Green" (グリーン).
  * [Blue from the Pokemon Pocket Monsters Manga](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28Pocket_Monsters%29) is again a rival of Red, but clearly a different character, as evidenced by the fact that his Japanese name "Blue" (ブルー) doesn't match the others. The character based on Blue in this version is [Green](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Green_%28Pocket_Monsters%29) (グリーン), whose full name is "Midorikawa Kai" (緑川 開)
  * [Blue from the Pocket Monsters Ruby-Sapphire Manga](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_%28Ruby-Sapphire%29) is based on Leaf, not Blue. She is still a rival of Red. She doesn't seem to have any relation to the original Blue, and her Japanese name Midori (みどり) is different from the other characters, though it could be translated as "Green".
  * [Green from the Pokemon Adventures manga](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Green_%28Adventures%29) is based on an unused female character design from the first game, which was also the basis for Leaf in the remakes. I've included her only because her Japanese name is "Blue" (ブルー); she and Blue switched names in the English version of the manga.

