The mobile game Pokémon Masters allows players to battle and recruit trainers from throughout the franchise's 24 year history. Since launching in August 2019, the roster has expanded to include even more player characters, rivals, gym leaders, champions and even some villains, making the game a great celebration of Pokémon as a whole. On December 23, the game is adding a fan-favorite antagonist and arguably the best-written character in the entire series: N Harmonia from Pokémon Black and White and Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.
N debuted in Pokémon Black and White as the supposed "King" of Team Plasma. From the start, it's clear that N is not like the series' other villains. While there's something odd about him -- he introduces himself by claiming he can hear the voices of Pokémon -- he's quite friendly towards the player and remarks that their bond with their Pokémon is unexpected.
Though he's the leader of the Unova region's evil team, N continues to be amicable throughout Black and White. His goals, and those of Team Plasma, are also justifiable: the group wants to liberate Pokémon from trainers, either through spreading their ideology or resorting to theft. Though N is a trainer, he doesn't use a consistent team through his battles, instead using Pokémon found in or around the area where the battle is taking place and releasing them afterwards. Using B2W2's Memory Link allows players to find and catch N's Pokémon, all of whom have max friendship when captured, implying that their short time with N really made an impression on them.
While Team Plasma's methods and goals may be extreme, their reasons for taking action are understandable and may even leave players questioning their own decision to catch and train Pokémon. However, by the end of the game, the player and N both learn that this was all an elaborate ruse created by N's adoptive father, Ghetsis. Exploiting N and other Team Plasma members who truly believed in the cause, Ghetsis aimed to separate everyone from their Pokémon so he could take power as the only one with Pokémon at his disposal.
N, whom he adopted as a child, was merely a puppet Ghetsis used to befriend one of the legendary dragons of Unova, either Reshiram or Zekrom depending on the version. This reveal stuns the usually verbose N into silence. After the player defeats Ghetsis, N apologizes and flies away on his dragon following a moving scene where he tells the player, someone who has been a true friend to him, to follow their dream. He returns during a pivotal moment in the sequel, this time staying in Unova after the main story. B2W2 also indicates the the first game's player character has left Unova in search of N.
N's worldview was shaped by his tragic upbringing. Originally an orphan living in the woods among Pokémon (hence his ability to communicate with them), Ghetsis claimed to be his father and took the young boy in. From there, N was isolated in a castle with minimal contact with other people and only Pokémon who had been abused by humans as company. This lead him to believe that all humans are evil and that Pokémon would be better off without them -- which made meeting the player and hearing their starter say they love being with them so confounding.
While some may see Black and White's ending as something of a cop out, Team Plasma having an ulterior motive doesn't erase N's incredible character development. Through his time with the player and the journey he goes on between the events of the games, N learns that, while there are some bad people who hurt Pokémon, there are also good people who view them as friends, not merely tools. The Unova games (as the titles Black and White suggest) are all about clashes between those who see their beliefs as dogmatic, and N's arc encapsulates the idea that the world is full of gray areas that must coexist.
Interestingly, N is coming to Masters with Zekrom as his partner, which implies the game considers Pokémon Black to be canon. This is fitting, as Zekrom is the Pokémon said to "those who want to build an ideal world" according to the Pokédex. The game also provides an opportunity to finally reunite N with the Pokémon Black and White protagonist, something that the trailer has already teased. Other Pokémon generations may generally be considered more popular, but while the series is not known for its storytelling, Generation V and N are widely seen as exceptions to the rule.