Kris is Pokémon Crystal’s first playable female Pokémon Trainer.
Pokémon Crystal, released as an enhanced version of Gold and Silver, added the option to choose a female protagonist. The character is named Kris in English-language materials and has a distinct design from the male player character, Ethan.
This was an important structural change for the core series. Earlier main Pokémon role-playing games allowed players to name the protagonist but did not offer a selectable player gender. Crystal established a feature that became standard in later generations, where players could choose between male and female player characters.
Kris is sometimes confused with Lyra, the female protagonist in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. Lyra belongs to the Nintendo DS remakes of Gold and Silver, not the original Crystal release. May and Dawn are also female protagonists from later generations, appearing in Ruby and Sapphire and Diamond and Pearl respectively.