Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's most popular character is an apathetic gym leader called Larry
Livin' like Larry
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players are loving Larry, the depressed salaryman who also happens to be the Normal-type Gym Leader.
The two new gen nine games have only been out for a few days, but one Scarlet and Violet character has already stolen the show. That would be Larry, the incredibly gloomy office worker who moonlights as the Normal-type Gym Leader in both the new games.
jesus, larry #PokemonScarletViolet pic.twitter.com/jTm1yU6uYWNovember 20, 2022
As this Reddit post attests to, Larry really does bitterly hate his office life in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Upon being defeated by the player, he'll even remark that the entire experience is still better than getting cornered by his boss during his regular nine-to-five hours.
One Reddit user in the replies to the post above actually reveals that, in Spanish at least, Larry speaks in a very formal tone, one you'd usually associate with corporate speak and emails from a manager. Developer Game Freak has nailed that part of Larry's life.
Larry is what's commonly referred to as a "salaryman" in Japan, but not for the reasons you might think. Yes, the term is used to describe an office worker, but it's also a slightly derogatory term used for someone who's been crushed by their workload and has had their spirit utterly broken by their day job.
Hopefully, Larry will be happy to hear Pokemon Scarlet and Violet had the biggest physical launch of any game in 2022 in the UK. Beating out titans like God of War Ragnarok and FIFA 23, the two new games have absolutely dominated in the three days since they launched last week.
That hasn't stopped fans from voicing their discontent over in-game bugs, including severe frame rate drops and other performance issues.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.