Ash Ketchum has always dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Master and as soon as he turned ten he obtained his first Pokémon, Pikachu. Together with his friends Misty and Brock, he’s learned to improve his skills and capture more Pokémon.

In Pokemon Black and White, N (full name Natural Harmonia Gropius) is the leader of Team Plasma. He grew up among abused Pokemon, where he learned to communicate with them and grew to despise humans, who he blamed for their abuse.

In Pokemon X and Y, Serena is a Pokemon trainer who, along with her Pokemon Fennekin, accompanies Ash Ketchum on some of his travels. She is a kind girl but openly rebels against her mother.

Professor Birch is the stoutly Pokémon professor for the Hoenn Region. He is more outgoing than the other professors and often takes his research with him outdoors, hence those really cool sandals. Birch’s research specialisation is Pokémon behaviour in the wild.

In Pokemon, James is a member of Team Rocket, a trio that follows Ash Ketchum around trying to steal his Pikachu. If you see James, his mates Jessie and Meowth are usually not far behind.

A gym leader who trains only the cutest of Normal-type Pokemon, Whitney (Yuko Miyamura / Megan Hollingshead) is a rather unorthodox trainer. She’s young, sensitive, and admittedly a bit immature, but her Miltank is a force to be reckoned with. If you defeat her, she will give you the Plain Badge…but only after crying about it.