There have been plenty of expected staples of mainline Pokemon games since the release of the first games in 1996. Starter Pokemon, villainous teams, a league of some kind, rivals, and more. Characters don't usually make repeat appearances in every mainline game, with just one exception.
That one character is the unnamed man who first exclaimed that "Technology is Incredible!" in🌼 Pokemon Red and Blue Versions, and he has been in every mainline Pokemon game to date. This character almost always has something new to say about the features added in each game, but some are less noteworthy than others.
14 🦂 FireRed and LeafGreen
The technology enthusiast's appearance in FireRed and LeafGreen is the worst because he just repeats what he said in the first generation games word for word - "Technology is incredible! You can now store and recall items and Pokemon as data via PC!"
Since he's usually so excited about new features, it's surprising he didn't mention the wireless adapter that was included with the game or at least the new Pokemon abilities. Not mentioning everything new is one thing, but not saying anything new at all makes his appearance almost meaningless. It seems like they only kept him in because it's a tradition.
13 Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl 💧
In the Nintendo Switch remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, the Technology Enthusiast once again repeat🦩s the line he had in the original games - "Technology just blows me away! I mean, now you can play with people around the world...wirelessly!" It makes sense that he would repeat it since brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes, but by this point, the mainline Pokemon series had already had wireless communication features for nearly two decades.
This is made even weirder when considering there are a handful of new features he could've mentioned instead, although most of them are unlocked later on in the game and are at least mentioned by other characters.
12 Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald 🤪
In the third generation of Pokemon, "Technology is incredible" was changed to reference science instead with the line "If you use a PC, you can store items and Pokemon. The power of science is staggering!" This is closer to what the technoloꦛgy enthusiast says in the Japanese versions of the original games.
While it's cool that this quote is a more accurate translation, it's repetitive and too similar to the original quote to be all that notable. New features in the third generation games include Pokemon abilities, double battles, and in the case of Pokemon Emerald, wireless adapter compatibility, yet the Technology Enthusiast mentions none of it. Instead, we just get a reworded version of an older quote.
11 HeartGold and SoulSilver ꧅
The Technology Enthusiast's quote in HeartGold and SoulSilver is "Technology is incredible! You can now trade Pokemon overseas like email." While it imitates what he said in the original Gold, Silver, and Crystal versions, it's not as good, and it is too similar to what he said in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum versions.
Since he had already mentioned online functionality in the previous fourth-generation games, it's disappointing that he didn't say anything about the PokeWalker that was included with copies of HeartGold and SoulSilver, as it was a relatively impressive pedometer and Pokemon game hybrid at the time, and predated the release of Pokemon GO by about seven years.
10 🥀 🍷 Sword and Shield
He has a new outfit, and looks the best he ever has, yet what the technology enthusiast says here - "The power of science is amazing! Now you can battle and trade Pokemon with other people just by walking around! Isn't that super amazing?" - sounds a little too similar to the seventh generation games.
However, mentioning Dynamax, Gigantamax, or Raid Battles could be seen as out of character, as they are new features but aren't technological advances in-universe, so it wouldn't make much sense. It's nice that he acknowledges the player's existence by asking them a question at the end though, even if Pokemon Sword and Shield didn't add much to the battling and trading process.
9 ♑ Sun🔜, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon
While what the Technology Enthusiast says in Sun and Moon and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon is fine, it's disappointing that he didn't say something new in the Ultra games since they're set in a different timeline. Instead, he sticks with; "The power of science is amazing! A simple press of a button and you can trade Pokemon or battle with the people around you!"
This is probably because these updated games didn't introduce any noteworthy new features, making a number of minor changes to those already present in Sun and Moon instead, so there wasn't anything new he could say about them. It would be funny if he mentioned ultra wormholes, though, since they connect to other dimensions and are an essential part of the game's plot.
8 🎀 ꧟ Black and White
Black and White may not have been the first൲ Pokemon game to use infrared - that honor goes to the second generation Pokemon games💧 - but it was referenced in the technology enthusiasts quote; "The power of science is amazing! Now you can use infrared to do all sorts of things in the blink of an eye!"
Infrared communication is used for battling, trading, feeling check, which checks how compatible trainers are w✤ith each other, and swapping friends codes. This is all done through an in-game device known as the C-Gear, which the player receives once they have reached a specific point in the game. It may be less impressive than some other features introduced in the series, but it has a larger variety of functions than one might expect.
7 Black and White Version 2 🐈
In the d🔯irect sequels to t♑he fifth generation Pokemon games, the Technology Enthusiast says different things depending on which version is being played. You'll hear either "The power of science is amazing! Now you can use communications to play with a hundred people at the same time!" or "Now you can use infrared to trade pokemon and have battles - all in the blink of an eye!"
While he says the same thing as he did in the original Black and White Version in Black Version 2, in White Version 2, he instead mentions how players could play with a hundred people at once, referencing the new and updated communication features. While one quote is better than the other because it's not just a repeat, having what the Technology Enthusiast says be exclusive to each version is a nice touch.
6 Red, Bꦛlue, and Yellow
While the Technology Enthusiast's first appearance is far from the best, it deserves credit since it started the tradition of having him appear in the starting town of every mainline game. He talks about how items and Pokemon can instantly be stored in or gained from the PC - "Technology is incredible! You can now store and recall items and Pokemon as data via PC!"
While there were a few minor new features added to Pokemon Yellow version, it's unlikely he would have mentioned any of them. It's also possible that new features like compatibility with the Game Boy printer just weren't enough to impress him anyway.
5 Omega Ruby and Al🔯pha Sapphire
In the sixth generation remakes of the third generation Pokemon games, the Technology Enthusiast still talks about the staggering power of science, bu⛦t mentions the Street Pass functionality of the Nintendo 3DS instead of regurgitating the same exact line about the PC ins✤tead saying; "To think that you can get data from the friends you pass by even when your Nintendo 3DS is in sleep mode. The power of science is staggering!"
At the time, StreetPass functionality was being promoted by a large variety of diffe🏅rent Nintendo games, so it was merely a matter of time until it would be mentioned in a Pokemon game. Pokemo💛n X and Y used StreetPass as well, but it had more limited functionality, just giving players Poke Miles they could trade in for items.
