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N (Pokémon)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Japanese: ナチュラル・ハルモニア・グロピウス (Nachuraru Harumonia Guropiusu) English, German, French, Italian: Natural Harmonia Gropius Spanish: Natural Armonia Gropius Korean: 내추럴 하르모니아 그로피우스 (Naechureol Hareumonia Geuropiuseu) (more on Bulbapedia) |
| Occupation: | King of Team Plasma (BW) NEET (B2W2) |
| Relationships: | Ghetsis (foster father) Anthea and Concordia (sisters, minor characters) |
| Fandom: | Pokémon |
| Other: | n/a |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
N is a Pokémon Trainer from Pokémon Black and White and Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. He's a rival to the player character in BW, which may be Hilbert or Hilda depending on gender. While he is one of three rivals, he is sometimes considered the true rival as opposed to childhood friends Cheren and Bianca.
He is something of an antagonist, but not necessarily in a cruel way. He is presented as somewhat complex and has a different end goal instead of simply wanting to make the world over in his image like previous Pokemon antagonists in the franchise; he wants Pokémon to be treated fairly.
N is the "king" of the villainous group Team Plasma, the fifth of many evil teams in the Pokémon series who aim to generally be evil. In Team Plasma's case, it is a piracy organization under the guise of an animal rights group, with the goal of "liberating" Pokémon from their trainers.
When it is revealed that his father, and the real leader of Team Plasma, Ghetsis, used him to carry out his own whims of taking over the world, he leaves Unova to find himself and returns with purpose and determination in the sequel games, assisting either Nate or Rosa, depending on gender, to defeat Team Plasma once more.
Since his debut in BW, he has been a popular character in fanworks. He is widely loved and almost worshipped for being not only an attractive character, but extremely complex and deep with a tragic story and a determination to accept his past while still moving forward, particularly when BW and its sequels were the latest games in the franchise during 2010 though 2012. Past this point, N is still popular, though not nearly as much as he was in his prime.
Canon Overview
[characterization, story role, further important appearances]
Relationships
M/M | Yaoi
- N is most commonly paired up with Hilbert, forming IsshuShipping[1]. In Japanese, this is most often called N主♂ (N x Male Protagonist), meaning N is the seme and Hilbert is the uke in the coupling.
- The opposite is also commonly shipped and is written as 主♂N (Male Protagonist x N).
- N is also shipped with Cheren, forming AllWrongShipping. In Japanese, this is most often called Nチェレ (NChere), meaning N is the seme and Cheren is the uke in the coupling.
- The opposite is also commonly shipped and is written as チェレN (ChereN).
- N is also shipped with his father Ghetsis, forming HarmoniaShipping, aka CoronationShipping. In Japanese, this is most often called ゲーN (Gē N), meaning Ghetsis is the seme and N is the uke in the coupling.
- The opposite is also commonly shipped and is written as Nゲー (N gē).
F/M | NL
- N is also shipped with Hilda, forming FerrisWheelShipping. In Japanese, this is called N主♀ (N x Female Protagonist).
- N is also shipped with Rosa, forming VoidCubeShipping. In Japanese, this is called Nメイ (NMei).
Gen | Combi
- Together, Hilbert, Hilda, Bianca, Cheren and N form The Unova Five.
- In Japanese, their gen (combi in Japanese) relationship is called イッシュ組, meaning Unova Group.
- With works that don't include N, it may be the called the Nuvema Group. In Japanese, this is called カノコ組 (Kanoko Group), since Nuvema is named Kanoko in Japanese.
- N's gen relationship with his father Ghetsis is also common, called Ghetsis & N in English and ハルモニア親子 (Harmonia Father and Son) in Japanese.
Less Popular Relationships
- CarpenterShipping - N & Timburr
- CarriageShipping - N & Gardevoir
- CastellanShipping - N, Anthea & Concordia
- CavalloShipping - Giovanni & N
- CelestialKingShipping - N, Lunatone & Solrock
- CenturionShipping - N & Domino
- ChalcedonyShipping - N & Roxanne
- ChevelusShipping - AZ (XY), N, Iris & Lenora
- ChoiceKingdomShipping - N & Piers
- ChoronekoShipping - N, Ricard Noveau, Mischa & Rug
- ChristmasColoredShipping - N & Silver
- ChristmasGroomingShipping - N & Jessica
- ChristmasHarmonyShipping - N & Santa Claus
- CircleOfFriendsShipping - N & Solana
- CogShipping - N & Klink
- CompassionateAuraShipping - N & Riley
- ConfirmedShipping - N & Celebi
- CuriosityShipping - N & Trevor
...And these are just the C's! More can be found on Neverending Romance, a community-created relationship name list.
Popular Tropes & Fanon
There have been a lot of theories and headcanons about the character, expanding on what's shown in the game.
N as Ghetsis's victim
Some fans believe that because Ghetsis was a horrible father, he must have beaten and/or sexually abused N on top of manipulating and lying to him. There is no evidence to support this in-game, however, so this fanon is based purely on kink.
N the manchild
N is sometimes portrayed as being a child in a teenage/young adult body due to his naivete and the glimpse of his old room, filled with toys. His theme and childlike attachment to Pokemon as his "friends" are also cited as reasons for this fanon.
N the vegetarian
Because of his attachment to Pokemon and general "hippie" nature, fans often portray him as refusing to eat meat.
N the test tube baby
Before Black 2 and White 2 revealed the truth about his connection to Ghetsis, it was theorized that N was the 14th in a series of failed test tube children made by Ghetsis in order to create the perfect "King" of Team Plasma.
Subjects of Fannish Interest & Meta
IsshuShipping and FerrisWheelShipping
N is said outside of the games to be around 18, four years older than both Hilda and Hilbert, and shipping him with them is considered a large age gap. Other rivals in the series do not have this age gap, so N is an outlier, something not ignored by shippers. Shippers of IsshuShipping and FerrisWheelShipping are ostracized by some in the fandom.
Example/Notable Fanac
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fan Communities/Fan Events
- mystery-n, Archived version, a club on DeviantArt
- n-lovers-pokemon, Archived version, a club on DeviantArt
- fuck-you-n, Archived version, a character bashing club on DeviantArt
- N-Harmonia-Shippings, Archived version, a club on DeviantArt
- lord-n, Archived version, a club on Fanpop
Doujinshi
- Best Friends by Mutou (2011), gen N with NamelessShipping
- boku no ohime sama by AIMAIME (2011), with Hilda/N
Fan Art
Fan Mixes
- Possibility by peachalie, Archived version (2013)
- A Crownless King by cylo, Archived version (2014)
- Exitlude by repliku, Archived version (2013)
- and the world becomes gray by medamaude, Archived version (2011)
- N Playlist by lovesick-level-up, Archived version (2023)
Meta
- (...)he’s conceptualized as not just a Math Guy, but a Math Genius if we go by some interview trivia notated on Bulbapedia(...) by oneslimybastard, Archived version (2024)
Wikis
- N on Bulbapedia
- N(トレーナー) on PixivEncyclopedia
- N on Shipping Wiki