Where did the name "Leaf" come from?

[Jamesredsilver]

I've looked around all over the net and can't find an answer. It seems like a silly thing to make a topic about, but I want to truly solidify the game characters' names for myself.

Back in the day, Red's rival was named Blue outside Japan because the rest of the world got the Red and "Blue" versions. As logic and the official english print of Pokèmon special would suggest, that makes the girl's name "Green".

But as of FRLG, I realized that the default name for Red's rival in the Red version is indeed Green now, even in English. And with Red/Green game versions world-round, it makes it a smooth retcon.

But That leaves the girl unknown. One'd think her name is Blue then, but I see a lot of people affirm that her name is "Leaf". I've been looking for my instruction manual for LG but can't find it, is it said in there or something? Since trainers in the game don't have default names given anymore, it isn't listed in-game that I know of.

 

[Falconwing]

LEAFgreen? Just a guess.

 

[Jamesredsilver]

I suppose, but... They could've just as easily called her Fire(and I've seen it done), but Leaf happens to stand out. *shrugs*

 

[Orion-Sama]

It's both a combination of the Rival being Blue before, and the discrepancy introduced in Ruby/Sapphire.

In RS, the 3rd character that becomes your true Rival (Wally) couldn't be named by you. He's always Wally. As such, the names Ruby and Sapphire were given to the two main characters you can choose from. As usual, it depends on the version, and their true default names were Brendan and May, which is a change just introduced since 3rd Gen. As per tradition, however, the name of the first Version in the pair (Red/Gold/Ruby/Diamond) is usually given to the main guy, so the Rival usually gets the second name (Green-Blue/Silver/Pearl). In turn, the girl gets the name of the 3rd Version (Crystal/Platinum). This is easy to see in the Special Manga, and usually applies to the games as well... in most instances.

As I pointed above, RS changed this with the incursion of a Rival you can't name. Emerald didn't change this either. As such, the "default" names for the RS Guy was Ruby, and the Girl was Sapphire. There's also the issue of them having real names in-game (Brendan/May), but if we were to go with the usual trend, then Brendan, May and Wally would have Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald as their game names.

The logical extent was that, with the introduction of a female character in FR/LG, they'd do as they did with RS. After all, until then, most people knew the Rival as Blue, so there wouldn't be any problem with it. Since the guy has always been known as Red since the originals, his name stood, or it went with the alternative of the added-on name for the remake (Fire). In turn, the girl went with the second Version of the Remake pair, and to stick with the name change from Red to Fire, she became Leaf, with Green as a "classic" option.

You've got a point in that the Rival was retconned and became Green, or Leaf, but RS brought a different way to work out names, and I think that's the reason behind Leaf. Plus, it sounds like a more feminine name. Also, we didn't know the 4th Generation would goback to the old ways of being able to name your Rival, so we stuck with what RS brought to the table back then. The name was embraced by the fans, and I think that's why it's stuck, as well as to avoid confusion with the Special Manga character (Blue/Green), and with both of the Rival's official names (Green/Blue).

 

[Zeta]

There is default data in the games listing her as Leaf for an enemy encounter.

 

[Jamesredsilver]

That was very formal and informative. Thank you very much.

I never thought of Red being called "Fire" or the rival naming stuff, so it helps it all make more sense.
I think "Leaf" is actually a nice girl's name. It's weird for me because it's not a color(But at least it's a version, like RSapphire or Platinum), but I might finally stick with it. Thank you.

There is default data in the games listing her as Leaf for an enemy encounter.
Really? Is there someplace I can learn more about this?

And I liked your signature. It reminded me of every cave I've ever gone into in Pokèmon games.