Was your rival in Gold, Silver, and Crystal always intended to be the son of Team Rocket's Boss?

[WaterTypeStarter]

The gen 2 rival has certainly been established as the son of Giovanni, what with the hint in FRLG and the chapter of the same name in the Adventures manga. And confirmed in the HGSS event. And adaptations like Generations have continued to affirm this. However, in the original GSC games, there is no Celebi event, and there is no hint at all that he is the son of Giovanni. And this is not mentioned in the GSC chapter of the manga either significantly. The obscure Golden Boys manga according to Bulbapedia says Team Rocket regards him as a traitor but this does not mean he is the son of the team's boss. And it is possibly just an adaptation addition. Going by in game, it does seem he was originally just a jerk with no canon backstory who despised those he considered weak, like the player and Team Rocket. And his original reason for hating Team Rocket had nothing to do with his father but because, like he says in Azalea Town, he hates the weak and despises Team Rocket acting tough in a group when they are weak apart. Do you think Game Freak originally did intend him to be Giovanni's son?

 

[NovaBrunswick]

Game Freak probably didn't intend it during the GSC era when characters had significantly less backstory and more mystery to them, but after that hint in FR/LG, they felt obliged to have to make Silver as the son of Giovanni in the next games set in Johto and Kanto, which were obviously HG/SS.

 

[lolipiece]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was, but any references to Silver and Giovanni's relation to each other had to be cut simply due to time and/or space constraints.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I think he was but as Nova has stated, most of the mentions were probably cut because of deadlines. There are a couple hints with his extreme hatred of Team Rocket which was extremely random and he did view all Pokémon as weapons before Lance finally broke through to him that he was being too harsh on his Pokémon and in the process both hurting and holding them back at the same time which is exactly how Giovanni acted until Red defeated him for the final time. Giovanni had Mewtwo created to be the ultimate Pokémon weapon (note that I said Pokémon as we all know that AZ’s machine was the true Ultimate weapon which is completely different).

 

[pacman000]

“However, in the original GSC games, there is no Celebi event, and there is no hint at all that he is the son of Giovanni.”

There was a hint in Crystal; one Grunt, after he was defeated, mentioned that he was looking for Giovanni’s son, who had red hair.

 

[WaterTypeStarter]

“However, in the original GSC games, there is no Celebi event, and there is no hint at all that he is the son of Giovanni.”

There was a hint in Crystal; one Grunt, after he was defeated, mentioned that he was looking forGiovanni’s son, who had red hair.

Really? Do you know where it was exactly? And what he said exactly?

 

[lolipiece]

I'd like a source, too, considering that sounds suspiciously like the hint from FRLG. Are you sure you're not misremembering something?

 

[pacman000]

Never played FRLG.

It was in that hideout where you have to open doors by turning switches on & off. Had a blue floor. Is that in Goldenrod City? It’s been years, perhaps even a decade since my last play through.

 

[NovaBrunswick]

Never played FRLG.

It was in that hideout where you have to open doors by turning switches on & off. Had a blue floor. Is that in Goldenrod City? It’s been years, perhaps even a decade since my last play through.

You mean the Mahogany Town hideout?

 

[pacman000]

Found a transcription for Pokémon Crystal, but I cannot find the line I remembered: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gbc/375087-pokemon-crystal-version/faqs/49457

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Found a transcription for Pokémon Crystal, but I cannot find the line I remembered: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gbc/375087-pokemon-crystal-version/faqs/49457

Found something close to it but it is very far down in the TR Mahogany Town Hideout and the Scientist doesn’t say that TR was looking for your rival. He said that your rival barged into the location of their last mission and wiped the floor with him. The Scientist says how your rival “had mean-looking eyes.”

 

[pacman000]

That is the closest to the line I remember, tho I thought he said "Where's Giovanni's son?" Or something similar before that.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

That is the closest to the line I remember, tho I thought he said "Where's Giovanni's son?" Or something similar before that.

A similar line was said in FRLG. The Scientist said he didn’t know where Giovanni’s kid went but that he had red hair and the PC wasn’t him like the Scientist thought at first.

 

[Leonhart]

I don't think so. If they planned for the rival in G/S/C to be Sakaki's (Giovanni's) son all along, then it would've made sense for that to be revealed in G/S/C instead of it being revealed many years after Gen II.

 

[TwilightBlade]

Hard to say since Gamefreak rarely talk about stuff like that. If I remember right the first hint we got about Silver being Giovanni's son was in FireRed and LeafGreen then the Pokemon Adventures comic expanded on that. Then many years later HGSS confirmed it. I think that's the timeline.

 

[Sakuyamon]

Game Freak probably didn't intend it during the GSC era when characters had significantly less backstory and more mystery to them, but after that hint in FR/LG, they felt obliged to have to make Silver as the son of Giovanni in the next games set in Johto and Kanto, which were obviously HG/SS.

Yeah I bet they didn't come up with the Giovanni and Silver connection until later on. And speaking of that I guess Ariana might be Silver's mom because of their similar hair colour?

 

[NovaBrunswick]

Yeah I bet they didn't come up with the Giovanni and Silver connection until later on. And speaking of that I guess Ariana might be Silver's mom because of their similar hair colour?

Although Ariana wasn't even named as such until HG/SS, it could be plausible given that both she and Giovanni are both Rocket bosses.

 

[Xuxuba]

I don't remember much from the originals, but i feel like he had this weird obsession with TR which went kind of unexplained, so to me at least it made a lot of sense for him to be Giovanni's son. Perhaps they wanted the fans to speculate and that is why they never gave a full answer until FRLG.

 

[Leonhart]

Yeah I bet they didn't come up with the Giovanni and Silver connection until later on. And speaking of that I guess Ariana might be Silver's mom because of their similar hair colour?

I personally assume that she's his mother since there weren't many female characters with red hair like Silver's back in Gen IV. Given her devotion to Sakaki (Giovanni), it makes sense that she'd have his child.

 

[NovaBrunswick]

I personally assume that she's his mother since there weren't many female characters with red hair like Silver's back in Gen IV.

Unless you count Maylene, maybe, but she looks a bit too young to be someone's mother.