The subject of this article has no official name. The name currently in use is a fan designator; see below for more information.

Amultiverse refers to the concept of multiple alternate realities. The Pokémon franchise has explored the topic of multiple alternate realities, typically known asworlds ordimensions, forming what fans may consider to be thePokémon multiverse. Alternate worlds may be used to explain version differences or changes incontinuity, and may extend to alternatetimelines andtime travel.

Overview

Certain species ofPokémon may allow for inter-dimensional travel between many alternate universes. Among the manyPokédex descriptions that mention species such asGengar traversing between these worlds,Hoopa, thePokémon of myth, theCosmogEvolution line,Necrozma, andArceus have been directly seen transporting people and Pokémon between alternate realities. TheUltra Beasts are a group of extraterrestrial Pokémon who have passed throughUltra Space from other realities crossing it into another. Hoopa'sHyperspace Hole andHyperspace Fury moves utilize its rings to manipulate the space around it in order to attack opponents.

Starting inGeneration VI, the idea of a multiverse became a minor focus of the overall continuity of games, often utilizing phenomena such as Hoopa's rings orspace-time distortions, with certain games having a larger focus on it that others. Many characters are known to have come from these alternate realities, allowing for cross-media connections between games that may not otherwise be considered. A Pokémon who has beentraded ortransferred between different games may be described as "traveling across time and space" on theirsummary, suggesting that not only different versions, but individual playthroughs, are also considered to be a different world from one another. Notably theSpiky-Eared Pichu, a member of thePichu species, is also mentioned to have crossed through time and space so far that it is prevented from being traded.

Due to version exclusivity, some games leave details ambiguous as to whether certain previous games may be considered "canonical" or otherwise mix details in order for the player to come to a conclusion themselves, leaving potential "what-if" scenarios and implying events that may otherwise not have happened. For example,Pokémon Legends: Z-A alludes toTeam Flare having caught bothXerneas andYveltal, whereas inPokémon X and Y, they only catch one of them.

In the spin-off mobile title,Pokémon Masters EX, it confirms that within its own canon, that individual versions of games from thecore series are in fact alternate realities, with inclusion of creating worlds that have otherwise never happened, or having a mix of events that have happened in multiple games.

In the core series games

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire'sDelta Episode focuses largely on the context of a multiverse. In order to rid of ameteor flying straight towards theHoennregion, members of theDevon Corporation and theMossdeep Space Center create a dimensional shifter, also known as a Link Cable, allowing the meteor to be shot into another world. This dimensional shifter was created by use ofInfinity Energy from theultimate weapon inKalos. After destroying this dimensional shifter,Zinnia mentions that this meteor might be sent to another similar, yet different, world where the war in Kalos 3000 years ago never occurred, so the ultimate weapon was never built andMega Evolution consequently does not exist, lacking the tools to prevent their own destruction.^[1] This assumed world contains an alternate version of Hoenn, possibly referencingPokémon Ruby, Sapphire, andEmerald, games set in Hoenn that lack Mega Evolution before its introduction inPokémon X and Y.Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon would later reintroduce a version ofArchie andMaxie from another world based on their appearance from Ruby and Sapphire, without using Mega Evolution (orPrimal Reversion), while also using their Pokémon found in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, possibly alluding to Zinnia's statements and hypothesis.

At theBattle Resort,Archie^OR/Maxie^AS speculates about a slightly different world in which theplayer would battleTeam Aqua^OR/Team Magma^AS to stop them from revivingKyogre^OR/Groudon^AS, but dismisses the idea of such alternate worlds and realities as either fantasy or dreams. This is a reference to the events in the opposite version of the game.

Multiple hidden rings that summonLegendary Pokémon appear throughout Hoenn after theplayer had defeated eitherKyogre^AS orGroudon^OR. Many of these rings are accessed by, but not limited to,soaring in the sky. The rings bring forth these Pokémon from unknown locations, having similarities to the rings used by theMythical Pokémon,Hoopa, who received not only a newform in these titles, but received a newmove titledHyperspace Fury. Hoopa was in the data forPokémon X and Y, but would not be released until after Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire's own release. Many of these Pokémon are summoned in an area called amirage spot. While soaring in the sky,Palkia,Dialga, andGiratina are encountered through inter-dimensional rifts, with Giratina'sDistortion World being referenced.

Sinnoh-based titles

Generation IV'sPokémon Diamond and Pearl, their sister title,Pokémon Platinum, and theirGeneration VIII remakesPokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl introduceTeam Galactic, a group of villains whose main goal is to create an ideal world by using eitherDialga^DBD,Palkia^PSP or both^Pt, in order to recreate the existing world, or create a new one, as the Pokémon are known to control time and space respectively.

The appearance ofSpear Pillar changes depending on the game being played. Diamond and Brilliant Diamond is mirrored in contrast to Pearl and Shining Pearl, with Platinum having a new layout of the pillars. The design of broken theTemple of Sinnoh inPokémon Legends: Arceus reflects that of Diamond and Brilliant Diamond.

Pokémon Platinum

Pokémon Platinum is the first title to directly imply the existence of multiple worlds and travel through them. TheDistortion World takes place in a dimension on the "reverse side" of the Pokémon world, similar to the description of a parallel universe. Home to this realm is theLegendary Pokémon,Giratina. Multiple theories exist to the world's origins. Giratina was said to have been banished byArceus, for its violent nature, while others suggest it may have been created as a balance to the real world.

Unova-based titles

Pokémon Black and White

Pokémon Black and White take place in slightly different worlds to each other. In both games, it is said thatOpelucid City is different in another world, with there being an alternate version of the city that is traditional^B/modern^W, referencing the fact that the city differs between the two versions of the game. The character Thyme^B/Bach^W (on the second floor in the building east ofDrayden's house) requests to be shown a Pokémon that knowsCharge from the alternate world and rewards theplayer with aCell Battery once they show him such a Pokémonoriginating from the opposite version of the game.

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

AsPokémon Black 2 and White 2 are direct sequels, the game's differences from the their predecessors are also present, such as the visual distinction with Opelucid City.

In these games, the player can earn the "Opposite Trader"medal bytrading Pokémon with the opposite version or its predecessor, which is described as "trading Pokémon between two worlds".

Alola-based titles

Pokémon Sun and Moon have a larger focus on the concept of the multiverse, with not only having the plot focused onUltra Wormholes, but they are also suggested to take place in different universes from one another.^[2] These worlds notably contain a 12 hour time difference.Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, being based on Sun and Moon, enter an alternate storyline from the original titles, taking place "in the same world" as that of Sun and Moon.^[3] These two share similar themes from their predecessors, including the 12 hour time difference.

The concept of Ultra Wormholes andUltra Space was discovered by professorMohn before the events of the games.Faba succeeds in creating an Ultra Wormhole withinAether Paradise, allowing aNihilego to spawn from another dimension into the conservation area.Malie City's library describes an event in the past suggesting thatSolgaleo andLunala had come out of Ultra Wormholes from a location outside ofAlola. Solgaleo, Lunala, their pre-evolutions;Cosmog andCosmoem,Necrozma and allUltra Beasts are stated to have come from either "another world" or "a different world" both in the games' plots and theirPokédex entries.

Professor Burnet, aprofessor originally introduced inPokémon Dream Radar, is a researcher ondimensions. In generation VII, she is also studying Ultra Wormholes, trying to prove their existence by studying dimensional disturbances. She also mentions that thePokédex references the existence of different dimensions, which can be used as evidence for such.^[4]

Either after the player becomes theChampion^SM or unlocksUltra Warp Ride^USUM, a rift appears at theAltar of the Sunne^SUS/Altar of the Moone^MUM, which can be opened into an Ultra Wormhole and traveled through if the player has aSolgaleo or Dusk ManeNecrozma in theirparty at night or aLunala or Dawn Wings Necrozma in their party during the day. The Ultra Wormhole leads to an alternate universe, known as thereverse world. It is near-identical to the main world, but thetime of day is inverted and the Altar of the Sunne^SUS/Altar of the Moone^MUM andLake of the Moone^SUS/Lake of the Sunne^MUM are both replaced by their counterparts from the opposite version. An Ultra Wormhole remains at the altar, allowing the player to return to the original world at any time. By going into the reverse world and bringing a Solgaleo^SUS/Lunala^MUM to the lake onUla'ula Island, theLegendary Pokémon's counterpart will briefly appear before the player's and the two of them will create aCosmog that the player can obtain.

Pokémon Sun and Moon

In Pokémon Sun and Moon's climax,Lusamine usesNebby's power to create anUltra Wormhole so that she andGuzma could travel throughUltra Space. Multiple Ultra Wormholes are created by this event, havingUltra Beasts travel from other worlds into Alola.Lillie and theplayer travel through Ultra Space, finding Lusamine and Guzma in a location simply named "Ultra Space". This location is renamed to theUltra Deep Sea in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

After Sun and Moon's main plot,Anabel is mentioned to have come through an Ultra Wormhole, and was found byLooker andNanu onPoni Island ten years before the events of the games. She remembers that she came fromHoenn and was apowerful Trainer who protected atower, referencing her role inPokémon Emerald. Anabel and the player are described asFallers, a type of person identified by theInternational Police to have gone through an Ultra Wormhole.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

InPokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon's climax, Lusamine and Guzma simply open a single wormhole to preventNecrozma from coming to Alola instead. AtPoni Island's altar, the two seemed to have failed and multiple wormholes are instead unleashed by Necrozma, allowing for an Ultra Beast invasion. Necrozma heads toUltra Megalopolis, with the player following. This allows the player to unlockUltra Warp Ride, the ability to traverse through different dimensions in Ultra Space, including those that certain Ultra Beasts may call home. One of these is an alternate universe's version of Alola known as theUltra Ruin, which has been destroyed byGuzzlord.

TheUltra Recon Squad are a group of individuals who debuted in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. They come from Ultra Megalopolis, a location different from the Pokémon world that the main game takes place in. They were summoned byLusamine to help studyCosmog andNecrozma and assisted theAether Foundation in creating theBeast Ball.^{[citation needed]}

InEpisode RR,Giovanni comes toAlola from an alternate universe in whichTeam Rocket was successful in achieving its goals. He then formsTeam Rainbow Rocket by summoning other leaders of othervillainous organizations from alternate worlds where they each also succeeded in their goals:Maxie,Archie,Cyrus,Lysandre, andGhetsis. Each of these leaders uses aLegendary Pokémon they have successfully obtained, with the Legendary Pokémon changing between versions.Colress uses his technology to send them back to their original worlds after they are each defeated by theplayer. Team Rainbow Rocket's goals include creating an army of Ultra Beasts to conquer the multiverse by using the Aether Foundation's technology of being able to open Ultra Wormholes. Episode RR ends with Giovanni wondering what other worlds he could attack next before vanishing on his own.

Archie and Maxie take on their appearance fromPokémon Ruby and Sapphire, while retaining theirparties fromPokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire without use ofMega Evolution orPrimal Reversion, a potential reference toZinnia's claims of a parallel world that never had Mega Evolution spoken of in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

InPokémon Legends: Arceus, theplayer travels across space and time to the land ofHisui, theSinnoh region in the distant past, through thespace-time rift that is looming overMount Coronet. They struggle to remember where they come from, although they do have insight on what the world they come from is.Ingo, aSubway Boss fromUnova, also appears in this game and is in a similar situation to that of the player, having lost most of his memories from traveling across space and time. Both Ingo andCogita suggest that the space-time rift may link different worlds.^[5][6]

Giratina is described as coming form a world on the reverse side of Hisui's, referencing theDistortion World.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

TheParadox Pokémon are described as counterparts to existing species from not only the past^S or future^V from which they came, but also possibly from an alternate timeline altogether, providing them their name. Comparable toUltra Beasts, these species of Pokémon are brought toPaldea through the use ofProfessor Sada's^S/Professor Turo's^Vtime machine. This machine was built after the studies of theTerastal phenomenon, utilizing Tera crystals andTerastal energy to power the device within the depths ofArea Zero. Many of these Pokémon escape into modern-day Paldea, including the player's ownride Pokémon, setting off the events of the game.

DuringThe Indigo Diskexpansion, it is revealed that the Terastal phenomenon originates from the Terastal Energy radiating from a Pokémon known asTerapagos. A specificTerapagos resides in theArea Zero Underdepths, from which most of Paldea gets it Terastal Energy from. After the Indigo Disk, if the player goes to theCrystal Pool withBriar's Book, the Terapagos uses the crystals at the bottom of the lake to summon Professor Sada^S/Professor Turo^V. The professor notes their displacement across space and time and speculates that the encounter might be occurring in the future or even in a different timeline to their own. The encounter is mentioned in the professor'sjournals in theArea Zero Underdepths, however, these same journals also mention that the professor finished theirtime machine prior to theirchild's birth, which isn't the case with this professor. After trading their copy of theScarlet Book^S/Violet Book^V forBriar's Book, the professor vanishes in the mist, returning from where they came.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Pokémon Legends: Z-A expands on the concepts that were provided inPokémon X and Y andPokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. In this game, taking place five years after the events of X and Y, it affirms thatTeam Flare had used bothXerneas andYveltal, where as in X or Y, they would have only used one or the other, having Legends: Z-A take place in different (yet similar) continuity than its prequels. In addition to, the design of theultimate weapon's core appears differently between both X and Y, and in Legends: Z-A (seen in the blueprints that are found inLysandre Labs).

Legends: Z-A's DLC expansion,Mega Dimension, involves an unknown space by the name ofHyperspace Lumiose. This has created parallel realms based onNewmoon Island, theCave of Origin, andSky Pillar from theSinnoh andHoenn regions.

After the deactivation ofAnge during the main story, several distortions began to appear throughoutLumiose City, connecting the city to Hyperspace Lumiose.Hoopa, who plays a major role in the expansion's plot, is able to use its rings to manipulate these strange spaces through the use ofHyperspace Hole, so that people may follow through. These distortions are found to be a manifestation of (usually) sleeping people and Pokémon's subconscious byDarkrai, who's ability has indirectly mingled with theMega Power dispersing through the remains of Ange.

Because of these subconscious thoughts, Pokémon and people can manifest other entities by wishing and thinking strongly. Hyperspace contains many Pokémon not typically found in either Lumiose City or theKalosregion, havingregional forms and evenLegendary andMythical Pokémon appearing outside their usual homes. These Pokémon are not only stronger than those in the real world, but are also exposed to the raw Mega Power and may undergo atransformation ofRogue Mega Evolution. In addition to these Pokémon, many manifestations of people appear, allowing theplayer and other characters to interact with these "unreal" variants of people, including even of those who have passed away.

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

ThePokémon world in theMystery Dungeon series is an alternate universe only populated by Pokémon.

Pokémon GO

The teaser trailer for the debut ofTeam GO Rocket contains the line "Earth is where I shall unleash my evil schemes next!", referencingGiovanni's line before he vanishes at the end ofEpisode RR inPokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, implying the world ofPokémon GO (i.e. Earth) is in another dimension from that of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Ultra Wormholes appear in the game, along withUltra Beasts and theGO Ultra Recon Squad, whose only known member isRhi. Like the Ultra Recon Squad members from the core series, Rhi's home isUltra Megalopolis. The occurrence of Ultra Wormholes causedProfessor Willow to disappear temporarily before returning with a new appearance.

Pokémon Masters EX

InPokémon Masters EX,Giovanni is the same one that appeared inPokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, as he is the leader ofTeam Rainbow Rocket.

Cyrus is also the same one that appeared in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, as he says that he was about to useDialga andPalkia to remake the world when he was interrupted byHoopa's ring.

A different version ofGhetsis fromPokémon Black 2 and White 2 is playable in this game. Before arriving inPasio, Ghetsis was about to confront the player from the original game when he was also interrupted by Hoopa's ring.

TheTeam Rocket trio from the alternatemovie continuity is somehow transported toPasio while chasing theShinyCelebi fromSecrets of the Jungle.

DuringThe Classic Thunderboltspecial event,Ash from thePokémon the Series universe accidentally winds up on Pasio while training for theMasters Eight Tournament.

During theTwin Stars Far Apartstory event,Liza andAnabel wind up in an alternate world version of Pasio through anUltra Wormhole. This world appears to house no humans, but does contain severalUltra Beasts, which appear to have wound up there by chance. The two Trainers eventually return to their own world through another wormhole.

Different versions ofRose andOleana fromPokémon Sword and Shield are playable in this game. These versions of Rose and Oleana are from a world where they have not yet caused theDarkest Day.

Any character who originates fromPokémon Legends: Arceus is summoned through aspace-time distortion.Rei in particular mentions that he has been sent to multiple worlds, originally coming from his own world, being sent toHisui, and then toPasio.

Most characters from thePaldea region are based on their appearances inPokémon Scarlet, and many are stated to attendNaranja Academy.Florian comes from a parallel world based on Pokémon Violet, and is a student ofUva Academy.

In animation

Pokémon the Series

Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior

Giratina and the Sky Warrior debuts the animated series' counterpart of theDistortion World, theReverse World. This strange world too has distorted physics, such as gravity, and is considered to have a symbiotic relationship with the Pokémon world.

Pokémon the Series: XY

Main article:Mirror World

TheMirror World appears inThe Cave of Mirrors!. It is similar to the regularPokémon world, except that the humans and Pokémon found in the Mirror World have mirrored appearances and opposite personalities compared to their regular world counterparts.

The mirror versions of some characters are seen in this world:

• Mirror Ash
• Mirror Serena
• Mirror Clemont
• Mirror Bonnie
• Mirror Team Rocket
  • Mirror Jessie
  • Mirror James
  • Mirror Meowth

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

TheUltra Beasts appear throughUltra Wormholes, having theUltra Guardians catch these Pokémon and sending them to theAether Foundation.

TheUltra Ruin directly appears and is shown to be an alternate reality to the world Ash lives in, much the Ultra Ruin in the video games. This alternate reality is complete with unnamed counterparts to students at thePokémon School.

Poipole's world's also directly appeared, connecting it to Ultra Space.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

InThe Gates of Warp! andShowdown at the Gates of Warp!, there is another universe, which is similar to the main one.

The alternate versions of some characters are seen in this world:

• Alternate World Ash
• Alternate World Dawn
• Alternate World Goh
• Alternate World Chloe
• Alternate World Team Rocket
  • Alternate World Jessie
  • Alternate World James
  • Alternate World Meowth
  • Alternate WorldTeam Rocket Grunts
• Alternate World Professor Rowan
• Alternate World Nurse Joy

In the TCG

TheParallel Worlds expansion features two alternate worlds, one themed around nature and the other around technology. Portals are shown opening between these two worlds.

Related articles

• Dimension
• Ultra Wormhole
• Paradox Pokémon

References

This article is part ofProject Locations, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world.

• Articles with conjectural titles
• Articles needing sources
• Locations
• Inter-dimensional locations