When Thomas and I purchased a Nintendo Switch system, I was pumped to finally play Pokemon Sword and Shield, as well as the first-generation remake of Let’s Go Eevee. During this resurgence of interest in a franchise I left behind in 2014 as adulting became a priority, I devoured as much pocket monster content as I could. One of the YouTubers I came across was Canadian streamer JRose11 who also publishes solo Pokemon challenge runs on his YouTube channel.

You would expect solo Pokemon runs on the original Game Boy Red and Blue games to get repetitious. Yet, some how each Pokemon is significantly different in how it progresses through the game when it happens to be the only Pokemon you’re allowed to use in battle. An additional rule to make things difficult, JRose11 can’t use items in battle, such as Potions and status-healing salves, either. 

It’s fascinating to see how a game made in the late 90s for a dated handheld 8-bit console could still hold so much intrigue after all these years. In fact, the interest in these challenge runs are enough for JRose11 to have over 330k subscribers on YouTube. The best part of each run is seeing how JRose figures out a winning strategy on the fly. He intentionally doesn’t figure out a complete game-plan on purpose in order to give each of the original 151 Pokemon a fair shake.  I especially enjoy how he orders his tier list for solo runs, as some Pokemon actually surpass expectations and others surprisingly underwhelm. 

Here’s the playlist for all of Jrose11’s Kanto (Pokemon Red and Blue) Solo Run Challenges

While JRose has done challenges in other Pokemon games on YouTube, as well as “Catch ‘Em All” series, the Red and Blue challenges are definitely his most popular videos. For me, being that I was introduced to Pokemon with the Red Version, these are extraordinarily nostalgic for me. For younger viewers, they get to experience Pokemon in its rawest and purest form. 

Sure, the old Pokemon games with their glitches and weird quirks haven’t aged well. But, honestly, their imperfections are probably what makes them so charming to retro gaming fans and Pokemon fans alike. His Kanto challenges regularly surpass 200,000 views each, and some have eclipsed half a million views.

JRose also streams the majority of his challenges live on his Twitch channel, which he uses as the raw material for his YouTube videos. He has done quite a few Pokemon challenges on Twitch that haven’t yet appeared on YouTube, either. Some other solo run content creators I enjoy include Scott’s Thoughts and RBY Pokemon Challenges (who also has a GSC Pokemon Challenges channel, as well.)

What gaming content do you enjoy on YouTube and/or Twitch? I’d love to hear about your favorite gaming channels in the comments!