Before the imminent release of the ninth generation of Pokemon games at the end of 2022, Pokémon fans excitedly rushed to find all possible information in the limited trailer released for scarlet and violet. There are visible clues as to what kind of place the new region might be, and what real-world locations it might well be inspired by.
Generation IX is not the first generation to draw inspiration from the real world when creating their region, with all previous regions featuring specific parts and aspects from different places and cultures. While the original idea for Pokémon was rooted in Japan, the franchise has since explored all of Japan and moved elsewhere.
9 Generation I: Kanto is based on its real-life namesake
The Kanto region of the first generation of Pokémon is the easiest to deduce and compare to its real-world influences, as it bears many similarities to the real-world Japanese region of the same name. The real-world Kanto region is an area of Japan’s largest island called Honshu, covering seven prefectures of Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Tochigi, Gunma, and Ibaraki.
The western side of the Kanto map, however, is thought to represent parts of the Chubu region of Japan, with Pallet Town allegedly resembling Pokémon’s hometown creator Satoshi Tajiri, Machida.
8 Generation II: Johto brings culture and history to the Kansai region
The Gen II Pokémon games feature both Johto and the original Kanto region and set them similarly to their real-world counterparts. Johto’s inspiration is the Kansai region which, as in the games, is west of Kanto. The Kansai region includes Osaka, Kyoto and Wakayama, among others.
The actual influences of Johto also make a lot of sense, with Mount Silver being considered as colossal and imposing as Mount Fuji, the city of Goldenrod being as vibrant as Osaka, and Ecruteak having Kyoto’s culture and history.
7 Generation III: Hoenn remains in Japan with the southernmost region of Kyushu
Hoenn stays in Japan for his inspirations and influences, resembling the southernmost regions of the country, Kyushu. The Hoenn region brings deserts and hot springs to the franchise for the first time, resembling various parts of Japan’s third-largest island.
Mount Chimney is very similar to the island’s Mount Aso, known as the largest active volcano in Japan, with Mount Chimney also considered an unstable location in the games. The home of the Hoenn Pokémon League, Ever Grande City, resembles the island of Okinawa, with the main building even resembling Shuri Castle.
6 Generation IV: Hokkaido is the main influence behind the Sinnoh region
As the last of the Pokemon generations to base their region on Japan, Sinnoh would be based on Japan’s northernmost island, Hokkaido, as well as parts of Russian territory, Sakhalin and Kunashir Island.
Kunashir seems to be the main influence behind Sinnoh’s road to victory, while the battle zone is based on Sakhalin. As for the mainland of Sinnoh, Mount Coronet is able to draw inspiration from the Ezo mountain range, made up of several different mountains, while Hokkaido’s largest city, Sapporo, seems to resemble Jubilife City, its busy equivalent in the game. .
5 Generation V: The United States of America is the driving force behind Unova
Unova is the first region in the Pokémon franchise to move away from Japan in terms of regional influences. Rather, Unova is believed to be based in the United States of America, specifically New York and New Jersey.
From the Skyarrow Bridge bearing a strong resemblance to the Brooklyn Bridge, to Castelia City representing Lower Manhattan as New York’s business hub, there are plenty of American comparisons to show a distinct deviation from the franchise’s Japanese roots.
4 Generation VI: European influences are introduced into the franchise with the Kalos in the image of France
While Gen V and Unova took the franchise to the United States of America, Gen VI and Kalos brought Pokémon to Europe with strong French influences throughout. Lumiose City is considered the capital of Kalos, drawing strong comparisons to Paris, from the Prism Tower and Eiffel Tower, to the Lumiose Museum and the Louvre, with even the Pokémon League resembling Notre Dame Cathedral.
Other locations take on aspects of other French cities, from Lille and Strasbourg to locations in Brittany and Normandy. Yet the Kalos region also has locations that take inspiration from the English Channel and Alderney of the Channel Islands, in Azure Bay and Sea Spirit’s Den respectively.
3 Generation VII: Alola returns to the United States with strong Hawaiian influences
After the brief trip to Europe, Alola and Gen VII bring the Pokémon franchise back to America, but this time focusing on Hawaii, with all its solar, maritime, and cultural aspects. As Alola is divided into four main islands, each island is modeled after different real-world islands of the Hawaiian Islands. Melemele Island is based on O’ahu, Akala on Maui, Ula’ula on the island of Hawaii, and Poni Island on Kaua’i.
Not only does Gen VII games deviate from the norm of earning eight gym badges before tackling the Elite Four and Champion, but the region also feels like the first since Japanese-inspired regions to properly capture the game. essence of a culture and translate perfectly into the Pokémon world.
2 Generation VIII: Pokémon is coming to the UK with the Galar region
Galar is the setting for Gen VIII and doesn’t shy away from its obvious influences coming from the UK. Most of Galar is based on England and Wales, while areas introduced in the Crown Tundra and Isle of Armor The DLCs are based on Scotland and the Isle of Man respectively.
Not only do many of the UK’s biggest towns offer their influence to Galar towns, but the introduction of the Wild Area as a franchise concept pays homage to the UK’s many national parks, including the Lake District. and the Peak District are part of it. the largest.
1 Generation IX: the next region seems to have Iberian influences
Based on limited region information released so far for upcoming Gen IX games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, it seems to be heavily influenced by the Iberian Peninsula. The Iberian Peninsula covers the European countries of Spain, Portugal and small parts of southern France, Andorra and Gibraltar.
The Pokémon franchise seems to enjoy its exploration of European countries and locations over the past few generations, especially those that can offer location ideas from all terrains. Fans can look forward to another vibrant region to explore, with the prospect of a fully open experience making the impending release all the more exciting.
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