Region
- If you were looking for the regions used for region-locking, seeSoftware region.
Aregion (Japanese:地方region) is an organized area of thePokémon world. There are at most eighteen known regions that have appeared in the various Pokémoncanons.
Terminology
"Region" is writen with a capital "R" inHidenori Kusaka's message fromPokémon Adventures volume 22:
- "The fourth Pokémon Adventures story arc ends here, but theHoennRegion will reappear in other major stories in the future."
In the core series games
Nine regions have appeared in thecore series ofPokémon games. They are, in order of appearance:Kanto,Johto,Hoenn,Sinnoh (formerlyHisui),Unova,Kalos,Alola,Galar, andPaldea. Each region has been the setting of at least two games in the generation in which it debuts.
Most regions are structured similarly. Typically, a region has its ownPokémon League, which includes eightGym Leaders. Once these eight are defeated,Pokémon Trainers can challenge the regionalElite Four andChampion (except Johto, which shares theIndigo League with Kanto). Alola does not have Gyms but instead hosts theisland challenge and only recently created aPokémon League. Hisui does not have a League, due to it being set in a time where the concept of Pokémon Leagues didn't exist yet. Each region also has aPokémon Professor who teaches new Trainers about Pokémon and typically gives outfirst partner Pokémon to them. There is usually avillainous team operating within the region that uses Pokémon to further its goals.
Though there are many similarities between them, there are some major differences between the regions, such as which Pokémon can be found and where variouslegends originate from. Visitors from another region quickly realize that the region they are visiting is far from their home, as noticeable by the distance traveled and the differences in climate, location, and the local culture.
InDiamond, Pearl, andPlatinum,Professor Oak explains that Sinnoh, Kanto, and Hoenn are part of a larger country, whose name has yet to be revealed.[1] Due to Johto being Kanto's neighboring region, it could be assumed that Johto is also a part of this country. This concept is similar to theregions of Japan, which the Pokémon world has beenmodeled after, and from which the Pokémon world's Kanto region takes its name. Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar and Paldea are known to be located far away from Kanto and Johto, and as such may not be part of this country. However, theNational Pokédex in Unova and Kalos contains all of the Pokémon from the first four main regions, which implies that either they are in the same nation or Professors from these six regions are collaborating. Additionally,Kitakami is stated to be in the East.Malie City in the Alola region was built by people who previously lived in Kanto and Johto and is also stated to have Eastern influence. The midway between Johto and Sinnoh/Hisui lies theSinjoh Ruins, being described as an entire location inOld Verse 12.
Blueberry Academy, located in Unova, has aTerarium that contains four different biomes based on different regions and locations. TheCoastal Biome in particular is based on environments and ecosystems located in Alola, allowing Alolan Pokémon to thrive there.
Other locations
There are similar places in thePokémon world which are technically not called "regions", but share similarities in terms of in-game mechanics with regions, some of which even have their own regionalPokédexes. Examples include theSevii Islands, theIsle of Armor, theCrown Tundra, andKitakami (officially referred to as "the land of Kitakami").
The Sevii Islands are located south of theKanto region. The Isle of Armor and the Crown Tundra are part of theGalar region. The land of Kitakami is mentioned to be located in the East and is far enough fromPaldea that traveling to it from there requires both a plane and a bus.
Unnamed locations
Many locations go unnamed. These locations can be other regions that certain Pokémon may have originated from, or locations described with an unknown origin or description.
- Pokédex entries and biology
- AlolanRattata are confirmed to not be native toAlola and arrived from somewhere else in cargo ships.[2]
- Exeggutor's Pokédex entries inPokémon Ruby, Sapphire,Emerald,Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire reveal that it originally lived in the tropics.[3][4]
- Corphish's Pokédex entries inPokémon Ruby andOmega Ruby reveal that it was originally a foreign Pokémon that was imported toHoenn as a pet.[5]
- Gible's Pokédex entries inPokémon Pearl andShining Pearl reveal that it once lived in the tropics.[6] Its Pokédex entry inUltra Moon reveals that Gible's original home is much hotter thanAlola.[7]
- Yungoos's Pokédex entry inPokémon Sun andGumshoos's entry inPokémon Ultra Sun reveal that they did not originally live in Alola and were imported from another region.[8][9]
- AllUltra Beasts, as well asCosmog's evolutionary line andNecrozma all live in alternative universes that can be traveled to and fromUltra Space viaUltra Wormholes.
- The home of the Ultra BeastGuzzlord, theUltra Ruin, appears to be analternate universe's version of the Alola region. There, a futuristic version ofHau'oli City lies in ruins and is only inhabited by a man in a Guzzlord-themed suit. According to the man, the people of this world fled to other planets as breathing too much of the air in the area is dangerous.[10]
- GigantamaxMelmetal's Pokédex entry inPokémon Sword reveals that there are legends of a cyclopic giant, a Gigantamaxed Melmetal, in a distant land.[11] Ancient texts found byProfessor Oak reveal that the people there worshipped Melmetal and, after its death, built theMystery Boxes to keep the Meltan it turned into safe until one would evolve into a new Melmetal. Similarly toGalar, theDynamax phenomenon seems to occur there as well.
- Eiscue is stated to have arrived in the Galar andPaldea regions by drifting on ocean currents from a more frigid area in Pokédex entries fromPokémon Sword andPokémon Violet, respectively.[12][13]
- Copperajah's Pokédex entry inPokémon Sword reveals that it came from another region to work with humans in Galar.[14] Its Pokédex entry inPokémon Scarlet reveals that it was brought toPaldea from a different region, which may or may not be the same as the one mentioned in its Pokémon Sword entry.[15]
- Single Strike StyleUrshifu's Pokédex entry inPokémon Shield reveals that it lives in the mountains of a distant region.[16] The same region is also mentioned in the Pokémon Sword and Shield website asKubfu's original home.
- Quaxly's Pokédex entry inPokémon Scarlet reveals that it migrated to Paldea from a different region.[17]
- AllParadox Pokémon, including theParadox duo are all implied to come from parallel timelines that can be accessed byProfessor Sada'sS/Professor Turo'sV "time machine". They're implied to be in a prehistoricS/futuristicV-like era.
- Other mentions
- In an oldKalos legend written in theTower of Mastery, it's revealed that aTrainer with aLucario arrived in Kalos from somewhere else long ago and found twostrangestones, which caused the Lucario to be the very first Pokémon toMega Evolve in history.
- InOld Verse 12, a place named Sinjoh is mentioned, likely where theruins of same name are located, somewhere around theJohto andSinnoh regions.[18]
- In thetreasures of ruin's story told byRaifort, it's revealed that the cursed treasures that'd become the treasures of ruin originated from a distant land in the east of Paldea, brought to Paldea by a merchant and purchased by the Paldean king.[19] It's revealed inWo-Chien,Chien-Pao,Ting-Lu, andChi-Yu's Pokédex entries that this land once had a king, sword-wielders, rituals, and multiple conflicts.
- InOgerpon's backstory, as told byYukito, it's revealed that bothOgerpon and her human friend came from a foreign land.[20] Similarly toKitakami,Tera crystals are found there as well.
- InPecharunt's backstory, it's revealed thatPecharunt, its human caretakers, andOkidogi originally lived in a distant land.[21]
- In the same story, it's revealed that the other members of theLoyal Three,Munkidori andFezandipiti, were from somewhere else as well before being recruited by Pecharunt somewhere between its homeland and Kitakami. Munkidori was found in a forest and Fezandipiti was found in a cavern.
Gallery
- List of regions
- Other locations
- Unnamed locations
Munkidori's forest in The Untold Story of Pecharunt
Fezandipiti's cavern in The Untold Story of Pecharunt
In the side series games
The region of theGeneration III side series games,Pokémon Colosseum andPokémon XD: Gale of Darkness,Orre has similar characteristics to the core series regions but lacks some basic core series features. There are mostlyPokémon Trainers inhabiting the region. There are very fewsettlements and noroutes. There is no officialPokémon League, but rather a variety of facilities which offer consecutive battles. There is a regional professor,Professor Krane and regional villains,Cipher andTeam Snagem.Wild Pokémon only appear in rare areas calledPoké Spots.
Art
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Ranger series
In thePokémon Ranger series, the regions ofFiore,Almia, andOblivia are much smaller and have different cultures than the core series regions.Pokémon Trainers are not present in the regions. Pokémon are not kept insidePoké Balls and wild Pokémon can be seen wandering cities as well as routes. Pokémon Rangers act as authority, helping Pokémon and people in need. There are no individual Gyms, an Elite Four or a Champion. However, Rangers can take the Capture Challenge to test their skills. Despite their peaceful natures, there arevillainous teams that operate within both regions that capture and use Pokémon to further their goals of world domination.One such villainous team has been known to brainwash Pokémon using theiradvanced technology, causing them to lose their memories and wreak havoc. There is an associated federation similar to the Ranger Union in Fiore and Almia that organizes all activities for rescue and exploration teams.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series
ThePokémon Mystery Dungeon series takes place in a world that is populated solely by Pokémon; humans do not live there. The world has six continents, with many Pokémon found in dungeons, but also towns in which Pokémon live, includingPokémon Square,Treasure Town,Post Town, andLively Town. Some of the Pokémon within them form exploration teams that explore dungeons and help Pokémon in need. TheWigglytuff Guild is where beginningexploration teams live and learn the basics, while theExpedition Society serves a similar role for expedition teams. TheMakuhita andMarowak Dojos are places somewhat similar to Gyms in the main regions where exploration teams hone their skills.
Other games
Holon,Parallel Worlds,Puzzle Continent,Southern Islands, and theTrading Card Game Islands appear in thePokémon Trading Card Game and theeponymous video games. The relationship of these regions with the others is unclear.
Pokémon Snap is set onPokémon Island, an isolated reserve home to many species of Pokémon. It appears to have a relationship with theKanto region of the core series, asProfessor Oak appears to have some authority over the island.
Pokémon Channel is set inMintale Town, which is inhabited by many species of Pokémon. Humans may live there too; there is at least one suburban area.
Pokémon Dash is set in an unnamed series of islands which are seemingly uninhabited by humans.
PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure andits sequel are both set in locations called thePokéPark, though these are stated to be two different locations. PokéPark Wii's PokéPark is a theme park owned by wild Pokémon located far away from human civilization, while in the sequel it is closer to a full Pokémon civilization.
Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure takes place in a keyboard shaped region featuring a wide variety of natural and artificial environments.
Pokémon Conquest takes place in theRansei region, which is said to have been created byArceus and is divided into 17 kingdoms, each ruled by a different warlord.
Pokémon Trozei! is set in an unnamed area. Its sequelPokémon Battle Trozei takes place in an unnamed island divided into zones.
Pokkén Tournament takes place in theFerrum region, which seems to be located somewhere in the core series Pokémon world, asCinnabar Island is mentioned in the game.
Pokémon Duel takes place onCarmonte Island, an artificial resort island filled with luxury hotels.
Detective Pikachu andits sequel's main setting isRyme City, a big city where people and Pokémon live together. It has some kind of connections to the core series regions, asregional forms are both mentioned and shown to exist in these games, andTim's notes onAlolanRattata mention theAlola region.
Pokémon Quest takes place onTumblecube Island, which is inhabitited by numerous cube-shaped Pokémon namedPokéxel. It seems to have connections to the core series Pokémon world, as theSilph Co. is mentioned in some game text.
Pokémon Masters EX takes place onPasio, an artificial island built byLear to host thePokémon Masters League, in which Trainers from various core series regions compete against each other.
Pokémon Mezastar takes place on an island with multiple environments connected by railway. At the center of this island is a small settlement that serves as the main hub.
New Pokémon Snap takes place in theLental region, which is an archipelago housing many different kinds of habitats for wild Pokémon.
Pokémon UNITE takes place onAeos Island, a mythical, distant island where people useAeos energy to participate inUnite Battles. Various regional forms of Pokémon appear in the game, nominally refrencing other regions. Additionally, a number of characters from the core series games compete in Unite Battles as part of theLegacy Trainer Showdown andSolo Challenge events. In the tie-in manga,Pokémon UNITE Manga - Come On Over to Aeos Island!,Zirco demonstrates knowledge of culture specific to other regions. He specifically citesPokémon Contests,Pokémon Musicals, andPokéstar Studios.
Pokémon Sleep takes place in an unnamed region consisting of several islands[22]. The only evidence of human habitation is aderelict power plant.
Pokémon Friends is set inThink Town, a coastal town that is known for the production ofPokémon plush.
Art
The keyboard-styled map inLearn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure
Setting ofPokemon Trozei
Unnamed island inPokémon Battle Trozei
Unnamed island inPokémon Mezastar
In animation
Pokémon the Series
The protagonists ofPokémon the Series,Ash Ketchum and histraveling companions, have visited all of the first eight core series regions in the same order the games have been released. To accommodate plots, story arcs, and episode numbers, regions in the series are much larger than their game counterparts. The regions are also shown to have a number of cities and towns that arenot present in the games. In some cases, some areas are moved to a different region from their game counterparts; for example, theHoennBattle Frontier inPokémon Emerald was not inHoenn in the animated series, but instead inKanto with the different facilities scattered all over the region rather than being located on an island. Additionally,Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen'sSevii Islands appeared in onePokémon Chronicles episode,The Search for the Legend.
Additionally, two regions exist in the series that do not exist in any video game:
- Orange Islands, the tropical setting for the second season,Adventures in the Orange Islands. Located south of Kanto and Johto, it differs from the standard region formula, with only fourGyms.
- Decolore Islands, the setting of the final arc ofPokémon the Series: Black & White. It is located between Kanto and Unova, and it has no Pokémon Professor, no Pokémon Gyms, no Pokémon League, and no villainous team.
The Orange Islands
The Decolore Islands
Pokémon Horizons: The Series
The protagonists ofPokémon Horizons: The Series,Liko andRoy, along with theRising Volt Tacklers, have been toKanto,Galar,Paldea, andJohto, in that order. Liko is from Paldea, but attended theIndigo Academy in Kanto, and Roy is from anunnamed island in Kanto. Liko and Roy have travelled with the Rising Volt Tacklers on theBrave Olivine between the four regions. Additionally, the Rising Volt Tacklers visited the land ofKitakami inRoy is Crocalor, and Crocalor is Roy!, and the Rising Volt Tacklers have been seen stopping in locations that don't belong to any known region on their travels between these lands, such asSteelbound Town.
Trivia
- Both animated series-exclusive regions are archipelagoes.
- BeforeGeneration VIII, each core series region had the letter 'o' present in its English name (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola). The animated series-exclusive regions also have the letter present (Orange Islands and Decolore Islands).
- Seven of the eight core series regions prior toGeneration IX had a name that was five letters long, with Sinnoh being the exception.
- Sinnoh's former name, Hisui, happens to be five letters long.
- Out of all of the regions in-game,Paldea has the highest population of 1,523.Kanto has the lowest, with 391 inGeneration III and 364 inGeneration IV.
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 地區Deihkēui* 地方Deihfōng* |
| Mandarin | 地區 / 地区Dìqū* 地方Dìfāng* | |
| Czech | Region Oblast | |
| Danish | Region | |
| Dutch | Regio | |
| Finnish | Alue Maailma | |
| French | Région | |
| German | Region | |
| Greek | ΠεριοχήPeriochí | |
| Hebrew | מחוזMakhoz | |
| Hindi | इलाकाIlākā रीजनRegion | |
| Hungarian | Régió | |
| Indonesian | Daerah | |
| Italian | Regione | |
| Korean | 지방Jibang | |
| Malaysian | Daerah | |
| Norwegian | Region | |
| Polish | Region Kraina | |
| Portuguese | Região | |
| Russian | РегионRegion ПровинцияProvintsiya | |
| Serbian | Regija | |
| Spanish | Región | |
| Swedish | Region Trakt* Distrikt* Område* | |
| Thai | ภูมิภาคPhumiphak เขตKhet | |
| Turkish | Bölge | |
| Vietnamese | Vùng | |
References
- ↑Professor Oak:"[...] This isPal Park! Pokémon from around the country can be brought here. In other words, Pokémon from places likeKanto andHoenn. [...]" (Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, andPlatinum)
- ↑Rotom Pokédex:"[...] Long ago, [Rattata and Raticate] came here to theAlolan islands aboard cargo ships, and eventually grew into the Pokémon we see today. [...]" (To Top a Totem!)
- ↑Pokédex entry:Exeggutor originally came from the tropics. [...] (Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire,Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire)
- ↑Pokédex entry:Originally from the tropics, Exeggutor's heads grow larger from exposure to strong sunlight. [...] (Pokémon Emerald)
- ↑Pokédex entry:Corphish were originally foreign Pokémon that were imported as pets. They eventually turned up in the wild. [...] (Pokémon Ruby andOmega Ruby)
- ↑Pokédex entry:It once lived in the tropics. [...] (Pokémon Pearl andShining Pearl)
- ↑Pokédex entry:Its original home is an area much hotter than Alola. [...] (Pokémon Ultra Moon)
- ↑Pokédex entry:[...] It did not originally live in Alola but was imported from another region. (Pokémon Sun)
- ↑Pokédex entry:Although it wasn't originally found in Alola, this Pokémon was brought over a long time ago when there was a huge Rattata outbreak. (Pokémon Ultra Sun)
- ↑A partially readable sign inUltra Ruin saying "...oli... ...ity Ha... "Servi... ... ...ity's... ...need..." matches the sign on theHau'oli City Hall (Hau'oli City Hall -Serving the city's every need!). Other locations are also reminescent of landmarks in Hau'oli City.
- ↑Pokédex entry:In a distant land, there are legends about a cyclopean giant. In fact, the giant was a Melmetal that was flooded with Gigantamax energy. (Pokémon HOME)
- ↑Pokédex entry [Ice Face]:It drifted in on the flow of ocean waters from a frigid place. [...] (Pokémon Sword)
- ↑Pokédex entry [Ice Face]:[...] This species rode here on ocean currents from a cold, faraway land. (Pokémon Violet)
- ↑Pokédex entry:They came over from another region long ago and worked together with humans. [...] (Pokémon Sword)
- ↑Pokédex entry:This Pokémon was brought to Paldea long ago by people from a faraway land. [...] (Pokémon Scarlet)
- ↑Pokédex entry:Inhabiting the mountains of a distant region, this Pokémon races across sheer cliffs, training its legs and refining its moves. (Pokémon Shield)
- ↑Pokédex entry:This Pokémon migrated to Paldea from distant lands long ago. [...] (Pokémon Scarlet)
- ↑Old Verse 12:"[...] Certainly the land of Hisui bears some resemblance to Sinjoh. [...]" (Pokémon Legends: Arceus)
- ↑Raifort:History class 4 (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet)
- ↑Yukito:"A long, long time ago, a man and an ogre came to Kitakami from a foreign land[...]" (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet -The Hidden Treasure of Area ZeroPart 1: The Teal Mask)
- ↑The Untold Story of Pecharunt
- ↑Greengrass Isle in-game description: "The largest island in the region, known for its fertile land covered with greenery. It hosts the greatest variety of Pokémon."
Related articles
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 | This article is part ofProject Locations, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world. |
