Viridian City (Japanese:トキワシティTokiwa City) is a small city located in westernKanto. It is home to theViridian Gym, which can only be challenged by theplayer once they have obtained theBadges of the seven otherGyms of Kanto. In the Kanto-basedgames, theGym Leader isGiovanni, the boss ofTeam Rocket and aGround-typeexpert. After being defeated, he abandons the Gym and is replaced byBlue, who has no specialtytype. He is the Gym Leader during the events of theJohto-based games.
Between the three-year gap ofGeneration I andGeneration II (as well as their remakes), the city has changed drastically with theTrainer House replacing theTrainers' School, and becoming known as "the Gateway to Indigo Plateau", although the layout remains largely the same.
InGeneration VII the city's layout is still faithful to the original, but a difference in elevation means that the secluded area on the left is only accessible bychopping down the bush above. Compared to its appearance in Generation III, Viridian City appears more similar to itsPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver appearance, with dark gray asphalt as opposed to the lighter gray pavement. Additionally, every dirt path is no longer present, and the Gym has been moved further back into the trees, meaning it cannot be walked around as is the case in every other game.
The Viridian Gym is the officialGym of Viridian City.Trainers who defeat this Gym's Leader receive theEarth Badge. The Gym is usually strewn with the same one-wayspin tiles seen in theTeam Rocket Hideout, except in Generation II, where the floor is bare of any obstacles.
In Generations II, IV, and VII, Team Rocket has disbanded andBlue takes over as the Gym's Leader. Under Blue's direction, the Gym no longer concentrates on any particulartype.
In GenerationsI,III andVII, this school is located in the center of Viridian. It is a place dedicated to teaching the basics of Pokémon to inexperienced Trainers. Before Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, it was referred to as the Pokémon Academy.
In GenerationsII andIV, this school has been replaced by theTrainer House.
In GenerationsII andIV, the Trainer House replaces the Trainers' School in the center of Viridian. The first floor is occupied by a handful of people, while the basement is primarily dedicated to a battlefield. In the basement, theplayer may battle other Trainers once a day.
In Generation II, the opposingTrainer in the basement will be the last person the player has usedMystery Gift with, with whateverparty they had when Mystery Gift was used. If the player has never usedMystery Gift with anyone, the opposing Trainer will beCal.
In Generation IV, the player will initially only findAce TrainerCal in the basement. When the player meets another Trainer via the Pokéwalker and re-syncs the Pokéwalker back to their game, the other Trainer will also appear in the basement with their party. Up to 10 additional Trainers may be encountered in this way. Any Pokémon in a Trainer's party above level 50 will have their level reduced to 50. Battles here give noexperience or money, but the player will receive 1BP for each victory.
In Generation I and III, a grumpy old man blocks the player from progressing toRoute 2 until he has had his daily coffee (in the Japanese script he is drunk and has passed out), preventing players from wandering past Viridian City until they've deliveredOak's Parcel toProfessor Oak. When returning to the area after delivering Oak's Parcel, he can teach the player how to catch a Pokémon. He will also give the player aTeachy TV inPokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, which instructs the player about battling and catching Pokémon through a variety of programs.
He makes an appearance in the same spot in Generation II and IV sequels, declaring that he has had his espresso and that he was once an expert at catching Pokémon, referencing the events three years prior.
In Generation I, II, and IV, he gives the player aTM forDream Eater. In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, he gives the player the TM forWill-O-Wisp. InGeneration III, he is aMove Tutor for Dream Eater.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
Viridian City's layout is consistent between Generations I, III, and VII. There are no notable differences between the Viridian of Generations I, III, or VII, aside from the larger houses inIII, the 3D graphics inVII, and some slight repositioning. Trees have become bigger, flowers are more visible, and most other sprites have been upgraded to modern standards. Most of the town's residents remain the same, and will give the player the same information. Items that are given out, however, are different from generation to generation.
In Generation III, the Potion behind the Cut tree is no longer hidden.
In Generation VII, the TM-giving man in the southwest part of town can no longer be reached via the pond to his right and can only be accessed by using theSecret Technique Chop Down.
Generation II and IV
The differences between the Generation II and IV and Generation I and III games are more noticeable. TheTrainers' School seen in Generation III has been replaced with the giantTrainer House, and other buildings were added as well. Within the Trainer House in Generation II, Trainers will battle eitherCal, if the player has never usedMystery Gift with anyone, or the last player with whom they have used Mystery Gift. In Generation IV, the player may either battle Cal or up to 10 different Trainers met on the Pokéwalker.
Trainer Tips
Generation I
TRAINER TIPS The battle moves of POKéMON are limited by their POWER POINTs, PP. To replenish PP, rest your tired POKéMON at a POKéMON CENTER!
TRAINER TIPS Catch POKéMON and expand your collection! The more you have, the easier it is to fight!
Generation III
TRAINER TIPS The battle moves of POKéMON are limited by their POWER POINTS, PP. To replenish PP, rest your tired POKéMON at a POKéMON CENTER.
TRAINER TIPS Catch POKéMON and expand your collection. The more you have, the easier it is to battle.
Generation VII
If you run out of Poké Balls, you can buy more at a Poké Mart!
Walking Pokémon quotes
Walking Pokémon can have reactions unique to Viridian City. Any quote below where the area says "anywhere" requires interacting with the Pokémon; for more specific areas, the Pokémon reacts automatically when it gets near.
Although Kanto was planned to return in Gold and Silver since 1997, thePokémon Gold and Silver Spaceworld '97 demo reveals that at the time, Kanto was a tiny reconstruction of its original map, as opposed to being far more complete in the final. This included a heavily condensed Viridian City, with the Route 22 Gate leading westwards being the only distinct piece of geography to survive the transition.
Viridian City was first seen briefly at the end ofPokémon - I Choose You!. It was then visited inPokémon Emergency!, whenAsh Ketchum took his injuredPikachu to thePokémon Center here. When entering the town, Ash was stopped by Viridian City'sOfficer Jenny, who found him suspicious, due to the fact he was carrying Pikachu in his arms and not aPoké Ball. While staying overnight at the Pokémon Center, Ash had his first encounter with theTeam Rocket trio:Jessie,James, andMeowth. Ash and Pikachu foiled their plot to steal all thePokémon in the Pokémon Center, thus beginning Team Rocket's obsession with capturing Ash's Pikachu.
They returned to Viridian inThe Battle of the Badge, and noticed that the Pokémon Center that had exploded at the end ofPokémon Emergency! has been rebuilt. They found theViridian Gym, but before Ash could to fight theGym Leader,Gary arrived andbattledGiovanni first. AfterTogepi was carried off by aFearow, Ash and his friends went looking for it, only to find it inside the Gym. They then noticed that Gary and hisentourage were badly injured due toMewtwo's attacks. Giovanni is forced to leave the Gym following an emergency call, and he puts Jessie, James and Meowth in charge. After Ash fought and won a difficult and dangerous battle with Team Rocket, the Gym collapsed due to Togepi blowing up the stands. Ash picked up theEarth Badge Team Rocket lost. Afterwards, Ash and his friends left.
After theSilver Conference, Viridian was once again revisited, inGotta Catch Ya Later!, only some things had changed. Most notably, theNurse Joy who worked at the Viridian Center inPokémon Emergency! had retired andMisty'sbike had been fixed. After a battle with Team Rocket, as well asa trio of hired thugs, they left Viridian City.
Ash later passed through Viridian on his way home inThe Scheme Team, after theEver Grande Conference. Visiting the site of the rebuilt Viridian Gym, circumstances ended up bringing him to the battlefield for a friendly one-on-one challenge with the temporary Gym Leader,KantoElite Four memberAgatha. Ash also metScott and learned about theBattle Frontier from him, becoming interested enough to challenge it.
Viridian City first appeared inFile 1: Red, whereRed stopped by the local Pokémon Center to heal hisCharmander, after having lost a battle against hisrival,Blue. He also made a call toProfessor Oak from there before departing toPewter City.
Viridian City appeared again inFile 3: Giovanni, where Red returned there in order to challenge the local Gym Leader, only to find out that not only had Blue already done so, but that the Gym Leader was none other thanGiovanni, the Boss ofTeam Rocket. Enraged of seeing Giovanni as a Gym Leader, Red challenged him to a battle, not as a Gym Leader, but as the enemy of all Pokémon. Using his specially trainedRhyhorn, Giovanni defeated most of Red's Pokémon with ease, but soon noticed himself getting excited of the battle. When Red sent out hisCharizard to face Giovanni's last Pokémon,Rhydon, Giovanni finally remembered how he had once been like Red, a child enjoying Pokémon battles simply for the fun and excitement of it. Even though Red eventually won the battle, he initially refused to take the Earth Badge, saying he didn't want it from the Boss of Team Rocket. Impressed of Red's attitude, Giovanni then informedhis minions that Team Rocket would now be disbanded. After this, Red accepted Giovanni's Badge, and departed Viridian City for Indigo Plateau. Reminded of his past, Giovanni decided to find a new path for himself and his Pokémon, leaving behind his positions as Viridian City's Gym Leader and the Boss of Team Rocket.
Viridian City appeared inThe Chase. TheInternational Police raided the Viridian Gym in search of Giovanni, but failed to find him. Giovanni was then seen overlooking Viridian City as he walked away, vowing that Team Rocket would never fall.
Viridian City first appeared inBulbasaur, Come Home!, whereRed andProfessor Oak were forced to chase some of the Pokémon that Red had accidentally set free fromProfessor Oak's Laboratory all the way toPallet Town's neighbor city, including aBulbasaur, which the two chased to the abandonedViridian Gym. After Red had helped Bulbasaur to defeat a wildMachoke attacking them, Professor Oak chose to give Bulbasaur to Red, along with aPokédex.
Viridian City made a brief appearance inMake Way For Magmar!, where local citizens were asking questions about the missingGym Leader.
Red revisited Viridian City inDrat That Dratini! after helping ayoung girl inViridian Forest. Upon hearing rumors about the missing "invincible" Gym Leader, Red decided to check out the Viridian Gym again. At the Gym, he metGiovanni, learning that not only was he the Viridian City Gym Leader, but also the leader ofTeam Rocket. Giovanni then challenged Red to a battle, making a bet with him that should Red lose, he'd come to serve him as his right-hand man. During the battle, Giovanni'sNidoking'sEarthquake caused the Viridian Gym to collapse into ruins. Eventually Red emerged victorious with hisPika defeating Giovanni'sNidoqueen and knocking the Gym Leader himself unconscious as well.
InForretress of Solitude, Red participated inPokémon Association's Gym Leader test for the new Viridian Gym Leader at the reconstructed Viridian Gym. Although he passed the test with flying colors, Red had to turn down the offer, as he had not yet completely recovered from the frostbites he received after being frozen byLorelei in theYellow arc. As such,Blue was appointed as the new Gym Leader instead, after he impressed the Pokémon Association by stopping andcapturing a group of rampagingwild Pokémon.
InSecrets from Sneasel,Yellow arrived in Viridian City to meet Blue at the Gym, but only found his hologram, set there in case for a challenger coming while he was not present. An automated system then brought out Blue's Pokémon, which, even without their Trainer giving them commands, easily defeated Yellow'sChuchu in a battle.Silver soon arrived at the site as well, looking for his roots. Unexpectedly, the two were attacked bySird andOrm of Team Rocket, who revealed that Silver was actually Giovanni's long-lost son. This revelation shocked Silver so much that the two Team Rocket members had no trouble in knocking him out and taking him to theTeam Rocket airship, with Yellow giving chase.
Viridian City appeared inPikachu, I See You!, whereAsh caught his runawayPikachu there after it had fled from him onRoute 1. Despite Pikachu still beingdisobedient towards Ash and frequentlyThunder Shocking him, he boasted that since Pikachu were hard to tame, he already hadGary beat without even trying. Gary, however, soon showed up himself, taunting Ash and showing him that he already had a fullteam of six Pokémon, while Ash only had his disobedient Pikachu.
Viridian City first appeared inPewter City, whereSatoshi tried to enter the localGym, only for aCamper to tell him the Gym was closed. Following the Camper's advice, Satoshi then headed to Viridian Forest in order to reach the nearest city with an open Gym.
After earning sevenBadges, Satoshi returned to Viridian City inViridian City. Upon entering the Gym, he was surprised to learn that the Gym Leader was actuallyGiovanni. Satoshi eventually won the Gym battle thanks to hisCharizard and gave the Giovanni a package thatMr. Fuji had given to him prior to him coming to Viridian City, which was revealed to contain the horn of Giovanni's deceased Nidoking. Following this, Giovanni rewarded Satoshi with anEarth Badge.
In Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, and their remakes, a Viridian CityPoké Mart employee onRoute 1 gives aPotion to the player as a free sample.
InPokémon Red and Blue, this Poké Mart does not actually sell Potions even though the sample is given to the player, as noted by a customer saying that Potions are out of stock. This changed inPokémon Yellow, where the customer says that Potions are finally in stock.
InPokémon FireRed, LeafGreen,Let's Go, Pikachu!, and Let's Go, Eevee!, the customer simply says that he needs to buy Potions and explains that they heal Pokémon, instead of commenting about the stock like in previous games. This is a rare instance of Let's Go! dialogue that originated in the Generation III games instead of the Generation I games.
The English manuals of Pokémon Red and Blue contain the correct list of items sold in this Poké Mart, but this was not updated in the manual of Pokémon Yellow, which still does not include Potion. However, those lists of Poké Mart items were added in the localization; they are not found in the respective Japanese manuals.
Names
Language
Name
Origin
Japanese
トキワシティTokiwa City
From 常磐色tokiwa-iro (green color ofevergreen foliage)
