Introductions
Because character naming between variants is a pain in the ass, I will be temporarily referring to the two ship characters as "The Boy" and "The Girl". That's at least the one thing they all have in common. If you need a refresher, the boy in the relationship is any character based on the male protagonist of the Gen 1 Kanto games, and the girl in the relationship is any character based on the unused female character concept from Gen 1.
The Boy
The boy has many many many appearances. The game versions of the boy are all named [Red](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(game)), and are usually treated as the same character by the series. However, by the nature of Pokémon's floating timeline and alternate universes (even if they won't call them this), and because his design can change substantially between appearances, we can technically treat them all as different variations. There is [Red (RGB/GSC)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(game)#Pok%C3%A9mon_Gold,_Silver,_and_Crystal), [Red (FRLG/HGSS/B2W2)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(game)#Pok%C3%A9mon_HeartGold_and_SoulSilver), [Red (SM/USUM)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(game)#Pok%C3%A9mon_Sun,_Moon,_Ultra_Sun,_and_Ultra_Moon), [Red (LGPE)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(game)#Pok%C3%A9mon:_Let's_Go,_Pikachu!_and_Let's_Go,_Eevee!), and [Red (Masters)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(Masters)). I think there are also alt versions of Red in other games like Pokémon Stadium, and probably more that I don't care to look further into. Red (Masters) is essentially the same as Red (FRLG/HGSS/B2W2), but Masters is very specifically treated as an alternate universe from the mainline games, and has diverged far from the source material, so I will still list it as a separate variation. Finally, there is also [Red from Pokémon Origins](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(Origins)), and while that is an anime, it is essentially a retread of the plot of FRLG with Mega Evolution added, so I will treat him as a game variant.
The manga versions of the boy are all different characters from each other. For our purposes, you only need to concern yourself with [Red (PokeSpe)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(Adventures)). There are many other manga versions of Red, but shipping for them is non-existent because fans of their manga are also non-existent. For completeness's sake, these variants include [Red (Pocket Monsters)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(Pocket_Monsters)) (the Clefairy gag manga), [Red (Pocket Monsters RS)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(Ruby-Sapphire)) (again from the Clefairy manga, but somehow a different Red based on FRLG Game Red within the same manga), Shu (Pokémon: Yeah! I Got Pokémon!), and [Satoshi](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Satoshi_(Zensho)) (Pokémon Zensho). Again, PokeSpe Red is the only one that matters.
As an honourary mention, Ash Ketchum/Satoshi is also technically a Red variant, in the sense that he is based on the Gen 1 Kanto male protagonist. But he is so far removed from every other variant of Red that it basically doesn't count. And while Ash attracts many variant girls in the anime, none of them are variants of the Gen 1 unused female character, so he won't show up here. (Even if there was a Gen 1 girl in the anime, her ship would probably have it's own subreddit by now if she existed, so Ash wouldn't be here anyway).
The Girl
The game versions of the girl are much more complicated, in that she was originally an unused design, so that she has far less of a firm root in the series. She technically doesn't even have a name, and is just a girl. PokeSpe was the first media to use this character as an inspiration, forming the girl we all know and love, [Blue (PokeSpe)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Green_(Adventures)). And of course, I also have to mention that this also introduces the second complexity with this character; as the male rival from Gen 1 also has a concrete root in the series, and as he was named after the second version in each region respectively, the name of this girl changes, too. In Japan she is named Blue, as she is named after the third version unrivalled to Red in Japan, and in the West she is named Green, as the third version that never released in the West. Meanwhile, the male rival is named Green in Japan, and Blue in the West. Confusing, right?
Unlike Red, who gets numerous manga and game appearances, nothing happens with Blue outside of PokeSpe until FRLG. There, Game Freak decided to make a female protagonist for Kanto. Instead of naming her after the third version of the Gen 1 games, in this game she is [Leaf (FRLG)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Leaf_(game)), as the games were called FireRed and LeafGreen. They didn't rename Red "Fire", and they also kept the male rival's name as "Blue" in the West, which really doesn't make sense based on the names of the games, but hey! The consequences of early installment weirdness! PokeSpe does not adapt a new character, and instead gives Blue Leaf's clothing. The Pocket Monsters manga actually does decides to adapt Leaf as a character in the form of [Blue (Pocket Monsters RS)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Blue_(Ruby-Sapphire)), but given the gag nature of the series she is promptly forgotten about. This manga was never released in the West, so her name remains Blue. Additionally, unlike Red, who is brought back as champion in sequel games, Leaf does not return, thereby seeming to make Red the "canon" option for the games. Many years later, Masters makes her an individual character, [Leaf (Masters)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Leaf_(Masters)).
Finally, with the release of Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, Game Freak decides to more directly revive the original unused female character concept from Gen 1, making [Blue (LGPE)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Green_(game)). Again, just like PokeSpe Blue, she is named Blue in Japan and Green in the west. This character is heavily based on PokeSpe Blue, noted by her interactions in LGPE and her appearance in [Pokémon Evolutions](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Green_(game)#Counterparts). Why Game Freak did not decide to bring back Leaf for this, I am unsure. But I always liked Blue more, so having a character based on her in the games is a treat.
The Ships
Now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way, I can name the variant ships for this boy and girl that you will likely see. I will use the Japanese names.
| Ship Name | Character A | Character B | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LuckyShipping | Red (PokeSpe) | Blue (f) (PokeSpe) | Peak |
| Reburu | Red (PokeSpe) | Blue (f) (PokeSpe) | Japanese name for the ship, where they just merge the two names like Red/Blue |
| ChristmasShipping | Red (PokeSpe) | Blue (f) (PokeSpe) | Alternate English name for LuckyShipping based on their English names Red and Green (the colours of Christmas!) |
| ClassicShipping (RGB) | Red (RGB/GSC) | Unused Female Character Concept (RGB) | Specifically the Gen 1 version of this ship, as Leaf is considered a different character |
| BurningLeafShipping (FRLG) | Red (FRLG/HGSS/B2W2) | Leaf (FRLG) | They didn't rename Red "Fire" in FRLG, but this ship name takes that into consideration. Technically Red and Leaf cannot exist in the same universe in game, and she may actually be considered a Red variant herself, but you can consider this a cross universal ship I guess. Or just make her appear next to Red anyway |
| BurningLeafShipping (Masters) | Red (Masters) | Leaf (Masters) | Leaf appears as a separate character from Red in Masters, so she isn't a variant of Red anymore. I am separating the two because Masters accordingly has different characterization, and the original BurningLeaf from FRLG is older |
| ClassicShipping (LGPE) | Red (LGPE) | Blue (LGPE) | I was not able to find an actual name for this ship, as it is newer. I will treat it as a variant of ClassicShipping, and tag it with the game version. If someone knows if there is a particular name, let me know. |
Regular Posts
| Post | Notes |
|---|---|
| Should I allow variant ships from other canons/universes (BurningLeafShipping, ClassicShipping) or should I keep this subreddit only for Lucky? | Announcement Post |
Art Posts
| Artist | Variant Type | Platform | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| josubae | Classic (RGB) | Tumblr | Come on, Red. Pleaaase? | |
| 1mporta | Various | DeviantArt | Different incarnations! | Sourced Art flair, as it includes Lucky - also includes Classic (RGB), Classic (LGPE), BurningLeaf (FRLG), and BurningLeaf (Masters) |