Pokemon red and green was first released, exclusively in Japan, back in February 1996, with a special version called Pokemon blue released later that year. When the games came to North America a couple of years later, it was simple Pokemon Red and Blue (before the special Yellow edition). Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen are remakes of these original games, and while some fans believe Leaf green may be an intentional reference to the original Japanese-only green version, this is not the case.
That doesn't mean Game Freak didn't have an express reason for naming them Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, however. As fans prepare for the game's release on Nintendo Switch consoles, many may find themselves curious about the titles once again. 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 and explain that it was called Blue in North America “for a reason.” Masuda doesn't expand on this, but it's likely that the company could use the improvements from the Japanese blue version. Understanding that continuing this with remakes means the new games should be called “FireRed and WaterBlue”, Masuda explained all the reasons why Leaf green was chosen instead:
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“A leaf is a symbol of peace.”
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“Fire and water are opposite concepts, so it seems like a conflict.”
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“On the jacket we wanted a colorful drawing of Bulbasaur.”
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“A leaf may not be immediately familiar to Japanese children, but to children abroad it is an easy concept to grasp.”
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“In this world of conflict, we wanted to give a name that suggests a peaceful world.”
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As Masuda explained, it is important to avoid any notion of “conflict” with the more modern Pokémon Gen 1 retools and instead emphasizes peace, with a leaf, in a real world filled with conflict. Masuda also added that the team was excited to come up with the title and how it would work in all countries worldwide, explaining that aspect is very difficult. In fact, Masuda said that the process of naming games is so difficult due to trademark issues, among other things, but that Fire red and leaf green focused on simplicity and therefore didn't 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 interconnection of Fire red and leaf green reflected Game Freak's desire to present the remakes as welcoming and globally unified contributions rather than oppositional counterparts. Of course, later Pokemon entries would tread down darker stories, like Pokemon X and Ys ultimate weapon, but simplicity, calm and peace are all at the heart of the original Pokémon game.
It will be interesting to see if there are any changes with the Switch versions of these games, but since they are largely ports, it is not to be expected. Still, Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on the Switch is already selling like hotcakes, perhaps showing that gamers the world over need the temporary peace these two games symbolize.
- Released
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September 7, 2004
- ESRB
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e
- Publisher
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Nintendo
