History VideoGame / PokemonRanger

** The Go-Rock Quads appear a few times in Shadows of Almia. Following the goal they set of becoming Musicians. Apparently they achieved this goal by Guardian Signs, as they are touring in Oblivia in the last quest of the game.

* WorldDomination and {{Immortality}}: [[spoiler:Edward and the Societea]]'s goals in ''Guardian Signs''.

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Quirky SpinOff from the main ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' video game franchise.

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* LockedDoor: Averted by Barlow in the second game. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome TARGET CLEAR!]]

* PapaWolf: Rand in Guardian Signs when he [[spoiler:[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome knocks down a Steelhead, while wounded, to save his daughter!]]]]

* TheManBehindTheMan: In the third game, [[spoiler:Purple Eyes to Red and Blue Eyes... then a Man Behind The Man ''Behind The Man'' with [[FiveBadBand The Societea]] to Purple Eyes! And, of course, Purple Eyes ends up [[TheStarscream betraying]] them all in the end.]]

* FiveBadBand:
** Go-Rock Squad in ''Pokémon Ranger'':
*** BigBad: Gordor
*** TheDragon: Billy
*** TheBrute: Clyde
*** TheEvilGenius: Garret
*** TheDarkChick: Tiffany
** Team Dim Sun [[spoiler:and Altru Inc.]] in ''Shadows of Almia'':
*** BigBad: [[spoiler:Blake Hall]]
*** TheDragon: [[spoiler:Kincaid (Ice also fits this role nicely)]]
*** TheBrute: [[spoiler:Heath]]
*** TheEvilGenius: [[spoiler:Ice]]
*** TheDarkChick: [[spoiler:Lavana]]
** [[spoiler:The Societea]] in ''Guardian Signs'':
*** BigBad: [[spoiler:Dr. Edward]]
*** TheDragon: [[spoiler:Purple Eyes, though he's not actually part of The Societea. He still fills this role, however.]]
*** TheBrute: [[spoiler:Arley (''so'' freakin' much...)]]
*** TheEvilGenius: [[spoiler:Hocus (and Dr. Edward also fills this role to a large extent - he's even called Ed "The Thinker"!)]]
*** TheDarkChick: [[spoiler:Kasa (she's also a MasterOfDisguise.)]]

* {{Namedar}}: The oil-soaked character responsible for causing the Vien Forest fire? He's given a LineOfSightName by the Rangers, but even his own mother calls him by it.
** It is possible that, against all odds, the name he was given for smelling like oil just happened to be his actual name.

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Quirky spin-off from the main ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' video game franchise.

In the first game, nicknamed ''The Road To Diamond And Pearl'', you battle the Go-Rock Squad. In the second game, ''Shadows of Almia'', you battle Team Dim Sun. In the third game, ''Guardian Signs'', you battle The Pokémon Pinchers.

* DefeatMeansFriendship

* EvenEvilHasStandards: In ''Shadows'', one of the {{Side Quest}}s has you run from one end of the then-available map to the other to [[FetchQuest capture a Nosepass]] and back again. Why? Because the quest-giver thinks they look funny. A [[{{Mook}} Dim Sun minion]] immediately [[OffscreenTeleportation shows up out of nowhere]] and chews him out for his selfish request.
* EvilTeacher: [[spoiler:Mr. Kincaid is TheDragon for Team Dim Sun.]]

* BeamSpam: Metagross, in ''all three games''.

* XMeetsY: Franchise/{{Pokemon}} + Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda + Anime/{{Beyblade}}.
** Alternatively: Franchise/{{Pokemon}} + Franchise/FinalFantasy. (''Shadows'' has similar overworld gameplay mixed with the plots from [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII VII]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII VIII]]).

* CardCarryingVillain / PunchClockVillain: Most of the lower-level Dim Sun mooks are either one of these two types. At least the Go-Rock Squad and Pokémon Pinchers know how to get serious. (Sort of.)

* [[spoiler:DoomedHometown: Pichu in the third game. All of them. Everyone gets out OK, though, thanks to Booker.]]

* MindControl / MassHypnosis: The villains' ultimate goal in all three games, and the means of achieving it.

* [[spoiler:MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Somewhat subverted, as ''Guardian Signs'''s Edward is a real doctor alright. He's also the BigBad. One of them...]]

* SavingTheWorld

** In Guardian Signs, it's stated that Ranger uniforms are made out of a special, very durable fabric that's capable of taking whatever the elements throw at it and has very good insulation. Still, Ranger uniforms don't cover ''all'' of a Ranger's skin...

* ProductPromotionParade: Happens around the time of each game's release, with the anime having at least one episode with one of the protagonists of the then-current ranger game included. Went even further with the first game, to the point where the 9th Pokémon Movie advertised the game and its sidequest to obtain the Legendary Pokémon Manaphy with its content and story.

* ChargedAttack: After a certain point in the second game, you can charge your Styler by holding it in position, making it more powerful and easier to "damage" the opponent.
** Many Poké Assists work like this as well, where the longer you hold the Styler in place before attacking, the stronger its effect will be.

** ChekhovsGunman: Also in ''Guardian Signs'', you meet all of the members of the [[spoiler:Societea]] early in the game, far before their true identities are revealed. (If you want a hint, all of them have a signature pose, but only one actually uses it before TheReveal.)

** The Go-Rock Quads appear a few times in Shadows of Almia. Following the goal they set of becoming Musicians.
*** Apparently they achieved this goal by Guardian Signs, as they are touring in Oblivia in the last quest of the game.

* InterfaceScrew: Only present in the original, which is Type A: several Pokémon release oddly colored waves as their attack in the field, Zubat being one of them.
** Jynx's kiss will do this too.

* OptionalStealth: In ''Guardian Signs'', at one point you have to navigate a forest of wandering Dusclops; if they spot you you get warped back to the entrance and have to try again. On the other hand, you ''can'' wait for one to turn its back and then attack it from behind to take it out. In fact, defeating all of them will [[spoiler:cause [[BossInMookClothing a Dusknoir]] to appear]].
** No such luck with the Claydol later on, which have 360-degree vision.

* RecurringTraveller: The un-catchable sleeping Snorlax that appears throughout the first game. Mostly just a FunnyBackgroundEvent, with the Snorlax showing up in increasingly bizarre or [[NPCRoadblock inconvenient]] locations, sleeping the whole time. After you catch every other Pokémon in the game, it finally wakes up and serves as the TrueFinalBoss.

* StandardStatusEffects: Subverted; in the first game, the player can become temporarily "Poisoned" (slower movement speed) or "Confused" ([[InterfaceScrew altered movement directions]]) if hit by a Pokémon's attack on the field, but this has no effect on the Styler itself in battle. Starting from the second game, getting hit on the field incurs normal damage.

* StealthBasedMission: In the second game, if you screw it up enough, the game [[AntiFrustrationFeatures has mercy on you and starts removing obstacles]]...

* StormingTheCastle: The finale of the third game. And it's ''epic.''
** The finale of the second game is very similar.

* SuspiciousVideoGameGenerosity: In the second and third games, you will often be warned by a character and given a chance to turn back when you're about to enter a boss area, sometimes without any reason to suspect a boss battle.
** Cargo Ship. Better get these 4 Drowzee (enough to fill your slots) for [[ClimaxBoss Drapion's]]) second phase. The fact ''base'' exp for that battle is 1k (much more than you ever got before) says something.

* VictoryPose: {{Lampshaded}} in the second game: Every Ranger is required to develop their own.
** And again in the third, where one of your enemies ''requests'' that you strike your pose, and then comments on how cool it is.

* WarpWhistle: Staraptor's "Fly" move lets you revisit any place you've been to before.
** ''Guardian Signs'' also adds some GlobalAirship elements, allowing you to freely fly all over Oblivia's sky to encounter various wild Pokémon, even though you can only ''land'' in previously-visited areas (or places where the story needs you to go.)

* LostForever:
** While certain Pokémon can be re-fought later on in the game, there are some that can only be fought once (usually for plot purposes).
** The games featured entire sidequests that were only accessible ''if you downloaded them from Ranger Net when they were available for download''.
** In the first game, each cartridge has one chance to get the Manaphy egg and have it [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo sent to your DS Pokémon game]]. Not each game, each ''cartridge''.

Instead of the series's norm of becoming a Pokémon "Trainer" who collects and battles the {{Mons}}, the player becomes a Pokémon "Ranger", a defender of the natural environment, [[FriendToAllLivingThings friend to Mons and people everywhere]]. Rangers are armed with "Capture Stylers" rather than Poké Balls, and the player subdues Pokémon by drawing loops around it with the NintendoDS's stylus and touch screen. Subdued ("friend") Pokémon can't be taken out of their natural environment (i.e. the area they were found in), but may be called upon (usually once) to clear obstacles in the level or to assist in capturing another Pokémon before being released. (The exception is the player's one "partner" Pokémon, who remains with them the entire game. Also, the former restriction is lifted after the end of the main storyline in the first game, and is completely dropped starting with the second game.)

--->'''Pincher:''' Hey, look! A flying pizza!
--->'''Burkhart:''' Really!? Does it have onions?
--->''(The Pinchers run away.)''
--->'''Burkhart:''' I hope it does. I like onions. Hey, get back here! Like pizzas could fly! You tricked me!
* LostForever: While certain Pokémon can be re-fought later on in the game, there are some that can only be fought once (usually for plot purposes). The games also feature entire sidequests that are only accessible ''if you downloaded them from Ranger Net when they were available for download''.

* TheManBehindTheMan: In the third game, [[spoiler:Purple Eyes to Red and Blue Eyes... then a Man Behind The Man ''Behind The Man'' with [[FiveBadBand The Societea]] to Purple Eyes!]]
** [[spoiler:And of course, Purple Eyes ends up [[TheStarscream betraying]] them all in the end.]]