Moms, also named mothers, exist both in real life and the Pokémon franchise alike. They first appear in Generation I.
Description
Various major characters are shown to have a mother, especially the player within the core series and the protagonists in other media.
In every game of the core series, the player and their mother live in their hometown. Since most of the core games start in the player's hometown, their mom is usually one of the first characters whom they interact with. The player's mom usually remains at the player's house. In most games, after the player has begun their journey, they can talk to their mom to have every Pokémon in their party fully restored, a service that is optional since it is mainly offered at the Pokémon Centers throughout.
In the anime Pokémon the Series, a counterpart of a mom in the core series is usually given to one of Ash's female companions, which is because the male players from the core games are generally absent because of Ash and his mother, Delia Ketchum.
Since the protagonists the manga Pokémon Adventures are mostly counterparts of the male and female players in the core series, there are cases where one of the protagonists has the mom with a game counterpart but not the other. Characters such as Green and Platinum (the manga counterparts of Leaf and Dawn, respectively) have a mom who is not within the core series at all.
List
Core series
| Generation | Image | Name | Games | Child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 
|
Mom | ||
| II | 
|
Mom | ||
| III | 
|
Mom | Brendan/May | |
| IV | 
|
Johanna | Lucas/Dawn | |
| V | 
|
Mom | Hilbert/Hilda | |
|
Mom | Nate/Rosa | ||
| VI | 
|
Mom | Calem/Serena | |
| VII |
|
Mom | Elio/Selene |
Appearances
Core series
The player's Mom in Generation I can only heal the player's Pokémon in their party.
The player's Mom in Generation II does not heal the player's Pokémon, and is the only Mom of the player to not offer this. However, she does give the PokéGear to the player, and the player can have her save Pokémon Dollars on their behalf. The mom sometimes purchases items on behalf of the player.
The player's Mom in Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version and Pokémon Emerald Version gives the Running Shoes to them. The player can later also receive the Amulet Coin from her. These are the first games where the rival has a mom as well. In the Generation I remakes Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version, the player receives receives the Running Shoes from Mom indirectly, as one of Professor Oak's aides deliver them on her behalf once the player has defeated Brock in Pewter City.
The player's mom in Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version, Pokémon Platinum Version, and the remakes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl is named Johanna, who sometimes participates in Pokémon Contests. Like the moms in the Generation III core games, Johanna also gives Running Shoes to the player. The player's rival also has a mom.
Generation V is the first generation in which more than one Mom is introduced for the player's character, each in the different set of paired games, specifically the Mom in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version and the Mom in Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2. The Mom in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version is revealed to have once been a Pokémon Trainer, which is the first time they once had this role. Meanwhile, the Mom in Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 had formerly worked at a Pokémon Center. Like the moms in the previous two generations, both of them give Running Shoes to the player in the respective paired games. Furthermore, the Mom of Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version also gives the Xtransceiver, which is used for making calls, just as how the player receives the PokéGear from their Mom in the Generation II games.
In Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, the player's mom is named again, Grace, who was formerly a Rhyhorn racer. Unlike the moms in the previous three generations, Grace does not give the Running Shoes to the player, as they have them from the start, although she does give them the Town Map.
Spinoffs
The player's Mom in the Generation I spinoff title Hey You, Pikachu! is different than the one in the core games that take place in Kanto.
In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Lily is the mom of the playable character, Michael, and his sister Jovi. She is the first mom in any of the Pokémon games to be named.
Anime
Pokémon the Series
Several of the protagonists have moms present in Pokémon the Series, most notably Ash's mom, Delia Ketchum, created as a counterpart to the Mom in the Generation I games. Since Ash became a Pokémon Trainer, Delia lives alone with her Mr. Mime in Pallet Town, and the Mr. Mime helps Delia with household chores.
Brock's mom is Lola, who lacks a counterpart in the core games. She and her husband manage the Pewter City Gym on Brock's behalf during his travels with Ash.
In Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, Caroline is the mother of May and Max. She first appears in "There's No Place Like Hoenn" and is the show's counterpart of the Mom in the Generation III core games. Unlike her husband, Norman, Caroline's game counterpart is unnamed. Both Caroline and Norman live with their children in Petalburg City, not Littleroot Town like in the games.
In Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, Johanna is Dawn's mother and first appears in "Following a Maiden's Voyage!". Johanna's role and appearance is more consistent than the previous moms in the show, being a Pokémon Coordinator like her game counterpart.
In Pokémon the Series: XY and Pokémon the Series: XYZ, Grace is Serena's mother and the counterpart of the Mom in . She first appears in "Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!", at her home in Vaniville Town, where she tries to prepare her daughter to begin her journey as a Pokémon Trainer. Grace is based on her game counterpart more closely, like with Johanna, because she is an expert Rhyhorn racer.
In Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Camille is Goh's mother. She first appears in "A Snow Day for Searching!". Camille works as a programmer at an association alongside her husband, Walker. She is a worried mother who does not pay much attention to her son since she is busy with her job, and also because he feels lonely at Cerise Laboratory.
In Pokémon Horizons: The Series, Liko's mother is Lucca, who is first seen in "The Future I Choose", and she works as a teacher at a bookstore.
Pokémon Origins
Red's Mom appears in Pokémon Origins. She is more clearly the same character as the Mom from the Generation I games, unlike Delia from Pokémon the Series.
Manga
Some of the Pokédex Holders' moms appear in Pokémon Adventures. A few of the moms have a counterpart in the games within the core series, but a few of them do not.
Red, the main protagonist of the Red, Green & Blue Chapter, is not shown to have a mom. However, Gold, the main protagonist of the Gold & Silver Chapter, has a mom who appears in as early as the first chapter, "Murkrow Row". Her game counterpart is the mom in the Generation II games.
Crystal's mom is named Mirei, who first appears in "Absolutely Azumarill" of the Crystal Chapter. Unlike Gold's mother, Mirei does not not have a counterpart in the core games.
Ruby's mom appears in the Ruby & Sapphire Chapter. Her game counterpart is the mom in the Generation III games. Ruby's mom is married to Norman, like her game counterpart.
The Green's parents were mentioned in the Red, Green & Blue Chapter, but neither her mother nor father would physically appear until "The Escape", the first chapter of the FireRed & LeafGreen Chapter. Green's mother and father both do not have a game counterpart.
Emerald, the main protagonist of the Emerald Chapter, does not have parents, since both had died of an illness.
In the Diamond & Pearl Chapter, Johanna is the mother of Diamond instead of Platinum, the manga counterpart of Dawn. Platinum's mother is a Pokémon researcher named Yanase Berlitz, who does not have a game counterpart.
Whitley's mom is the manga counterpart of the mom in Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2, although she is first seen in the final chapter of the Black & White Chapter, "A Difficult Parting", but her role continues over into "The Transfer Student", the first chapter of the Black 2 & White 2 Chapter itself. Whitley's mom and her were formerly a part of Team Plasma.
In the X & Y Chapter, Grace is the mother of Y, the manga counterpart of Serena, like in both the core series and anime. X's parents do not have game counterparts, although Grace does look after X while his parents are away.
Pocket Monsters Zensho
Two mothers of the main characters of Pocket Monsters Zensho appear, being the mothers of Satoshi and Shigeru, respectively.