Pokémon Black & White: The Secret Story of Pokémon’s Creation Complete Collection [ポケモン誕生秘話 完全総集版] is a bonus book bundled with the July 2011 issue of Nintendo Dream Magazine.
The following article is the human character popularity poll, both going over the results and the special bonus pages for the top 3 winners.
[This article was originally posted on Gear Station Archives July 5, 2026]
Human Character Category
The battle for first place is heating up!!
Next, announcing the results for the human character category! There were only 31 choices, which is considerably fewer than for Pokémon, so each person was allowed to cast two votes. The battle for first place turned out to be unexpectedly close!!
1st place
N
● King of Team Plasma
366 votes
N brilliantly secured first place, dodging Ingo’s fierce pursuit!! Despite being the King of Team Plasma, N is so pure that it causes him distress. His vulnerability, a combination of strength and fragility, made him sympathetic to many fans.
2nd place
Ingo
● Subway Boss
348 votes
Despite only appearing in the Battle Subway, he’s incredibly popular, especially online!! He even managed to secure a respectable second place spot in this popularity poll.
3rd place
Emmet
● Subway Boss
298 votes
The two Subway Bosses came in 2nd and 3rd place!! Although he couldn’t catch up to his twin Ingo, 3rd place with around 300 votes is still impressive.
4th place
Skyla
● Mistralton City Gym Leader
165 votes
Pushed by a tailwind of overwhelming popularity among men, she secured fourth place. Is her voluptuousness the secret to her popularity?
5th place
Elesa
● Nimbasa City Gym Leader
155 votes
Unlike Skyla, Elesa received many votes not only from men but also from women. She has a cool beauty.
6th place
Cheren
● The protagonist’s childhood friend
141 votes
He exudes an intellectual aura that childhood friends from past games lacked. He finished in 6th place, slightly ahead of Cilan.
7th place
Cilan
● Striaton City Gym Leader
140 votes
His popularity stands out amongst the three Striaton Gym Leaders. Perhaps it’s his gentle demeanor?
8th place
Male Protagonist
137 votes
The protagonist, who serves as the player’s avatar, is also popular. He seems to be older than the protagonists in previous titles.
9th place
Bianca
● The protagonist’s childhood friend
128 votes
There were many memorable moments, such as the conflict with her father and the line, “Knock it off!”*
*Note: The line in Japanese is やめたげてよう! [yame tage teyou!] which became a meme around the time of Black and White’s release. Here’s the pixiv dictionary article on the subject.
10th place
Female Protagonist
126 votes
The female protagonist seems more lively than ever before. Did many female players feel a connection with her?
11th place
Grimsley
● Pokémon League Elite Four
125 votes
Besting Caitlin in a close race, he secured the top spot out of the Pokémon League Elite Four!
12th place
Caitlin
● Pokémon League Elite Four
123 votes
Caitlin, who appeared in previous games, has grown up and become one of the Elite Four!!
13th place
Cynthia
● Sinnoh Region Champion
91 votes
You can meet Cynthia in Undella Town after the ending. A magnificently high placement for a guest participant from another region.
14th place
Burgh
● Castelia City Gym Leader
67 votes
The handsome Gym Leader of Castelia City. He received an overwhelming number of votes from women.
15th place
Iris
● Opelucid City Gym Leader
61 votes
She can only be battled in Pokémon White. Also plays a major role in the anime.
Overall Impressions: Garnering support from both men and women, N takes first place!
Top 5 by Male Voters
| 1 | Skyla |
| 2 | N |
| 3 | Male Protagonist |
| 4 | Elesa |
| 5 | Bianca |
Top 5 by Female Voters
| 1 | Ingo |
| 2 | N |
| 3 | Emmet |
| 4 | Cilan |
| 5 | Cheren |
It’s understandable why N is popular, but it’s surprising that Ingo and Emmet, who aren’t even involved in the main storyline, are so popular too… Is this the power of character design? However, while N received a balanced number of votes from both men and women, the overwhelming majority of Ingo and Emmet’s votes were from women. Also, many people cast one vote each for Ingo and Emmet as the Subway Bosses, but it seemed like many people cast two votes for N. That seems to be what ultimately made the difference between first and second place.
The popularity of the male and female protagonists was very interesting. Generally, men tend to vote for female characters and women for male characters, but when it came to the protagonist, men preferred the male protagonist and women preferred the female protagonist, the matching gender being more popular. Perhaps players develop an attachment to them as their “avatars.”
It’s interesting how the voting trends for the top-ranking female characters, Skyla and Elesa, were completely different between men and women. Skyla in particular received a lot of votes from men!
Popularity Poll TOP 3 Congratulations Project
Human Character Edition
Next, we’ll feature the top 3 in the human character category! We’ve dedicated an entire page to N, who came in first place, and half a page each to Ingo and Emmet, who came in second and third place!!
A pure soul that understands the hearts of Pokémon
The young king of Team Plasma
N
N appears as a mysterious figure who repeatedly battles the protagonist. He is a mathematical genius who understands the hearts of Pokémon, advocates for their liberation, and eventually conquers the Pokémon League. However, his pure heart is being exploited by evil forces…
Famous Scenes
↑ A scene from the opening movie. Is this a young N? He’s playing happily with Darmanitan and other Pokémon.
↓ N is crowned as the king of Team Plasma. From here, his tragic conflict begins.
A fateful battle with the protagonist!!
←↓ N, who speaks to the player in places such as Nacrene City and Chargestone Cave, has a demeanor that sets him apart from ordinary people.
↑ N challenges the protagonist to a battle, saying, “Let me hear the voices of your Pokémon.” In the end, he even brings along legendary Pokémon from mythology. He truly is the ultimate rival.
His power stems from his purity!!
↓ N rides the ferris wheel with the protagonist in Nimbasa City. It is here he tells them his true identity and intentions.
←↑ N defeats the Champion just before the protagonist can. With his secretly built castle, N attempts to besiege the Pokémon League and liberate the Pokémon, but…
His room was filled with toys…
→ In N’s castle, there’s a room that seems to have belonged to him. What kind of life did he lead there?
And so…
Where is N now?
→ After the ending, if all seven sages aside from Ghetsis are captured, you’ll find out about N’s whereabouts…
The black-clad conductor who is the master of single battles
Subway Boss
Ingo
Serves as a “Subway Boss” of the Battle Subway in Nimbasa City. He specializes in single battles and appears in the 21st battle of the Single Train and the 49th battle of the Super Single Train. He wears a mainly black uniform and speaks in a polite manner.
The white-faced conductor who presides over double battles
Subway Boss
Emmet
Serves as a Subway Boss alongside Ingo. He specializes in double battles, and you’ll face him in the 21st battle of the Double Train and the 49th battle of the Super Double Train. In contrast to Ingo, he wears a white uniform and speaks in short and simple phrases.
Famous Scenes
Not giving it their all? It’s impossible to know their truth strength
After defeating the Subway Bosses in the Battle Subway, if you talk to the trainers on the platform, it seems that the Subway Bosses aren’t fighting at full strength. Are they deliberately holding back to gauge the strength of their challengers? They are truly unfathomable men.
← Were they not giving it their all? Will the Super Trains show a glimpse of that strength?
← The gentlemanly Ingo. He can truly be called a train conductor, guiding trainers to greater heights through battling.
→ His dialogue is sprinkled with words associated with railroads.
← Ingo appears in the 21st and final battle of the Single Train. If you win, you’ll conquer the Single Train!
→ He’s described as an “uncanny and eccentric guy,” but his abilities are undeniable. That’s what gives him his unsettling aura.
← His manner of speaking is the opposite of Ingo’s, but his passion for battling is more than evident.
→ He appears in the 21st battle of the Double Train! His Pokémon are quite similar to Ingo’s, aren’t they?
The two appear together in the multi-train!!
↑ In the 21st battle of the Multi Train and the 49th battle of the Super Multi Train, you and your partner will face off against Ingo and Emmet. By the way, these two are twins, but it has not been revealed which one is the older or younger brother.
