Which Pokémon video game first let players choose a female protagonist?

Pokémon Crystal was the first Pokémon video game to let players choose a female protagonist.

Released for the Game Boy Color, Pokémon Crystal was an enhanced version of Pokémon Gold and Silver. It launched in Japan in December 2000 and internationally during 2001. Its selectable female character, later known as Kris, gave players an alternative to the male protagonist used in earlier Pokémon games.

The choice affected the character sprite and the player's on-screen identity, while the main adventure remained broadly the same. Crystal also added animated Pokémon sprites, new story material involving Suicune, and the Battle Tower. These additions helped distinguish it from Gold and Silver rather than making it a completely new generation.

A common mix-up is attributing the feature to Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, which also allowed players to select the protagonist's gender. Those games came later, in 2002 in Japan, so Crystal holds the earlier milestone. The feature became standard in later main-series Pokémon games, although character-customization options expanded considerably over time.