Street racers, known natively as hashiriya (Japanese: 走り屋 Hashiri-ya), [1] often occur on expressways and highways, where they are known as kōsoku battle (高速バトル, literally "high-speed battle") or commonly known as Roulette-zoku as they drive round and round in circular motions[1] and frequently occur on the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo, real-life Kanto region. Japanese racers have also popularized racing along the narrow winding roads of the mountains of the country, known as Touge. (potrayed in SS[2] and Over Rev![3], both were published by Shōgakukan)
The most notorious group to be associated with street racing was the Mid Night Club who gave street racing worldwide attention with its 300km/h antics. It was known for its high standards and organization until they were disbanded in 1999 following a fatal accident involving a group of Bōsōzoku. The expressway racing scene is portrayed in the manga Wangan Midnight (formerly serialized in a manga magazine of Shōgakukan for short periods before moving out), as well as in the movie series Shuto Kousoku Trial.
With heavier punishments, patrolling police cars, crackdowns in meeting areas and the installation of speed cameras, expressway racing in Japan is not as common today as it was during the 1980s and the 1990s. Still, it occurs on a not-so-regular basis. Persistent racers often install spring assisted license-plate swivelling mechanisms that hold plates down at speed or picture-proof screens over their plates. In 2001, the amount of hashiriya dropped from 9,624 (in 1995) to 4,365 and police arrests in areas where hashiriya gather are common. Cars are checked for illegal modification and if found, owners are fined and forced to remove the offending modifications.
One of the causes of street racing in Japan is that, despite the numerous and famous race circuits, they can become overcrowded. Furthermore, such circuits may cost as much as ¥20,000 to race,[1] while a highway toll may cost less than ¥1,000.[1]
As in other countries, street racing also occurs on long straights in industrial areas, which are used for drag races, known natively as Zero-Yon (ゼロヨン) for "0-400" (meters; in America, racing to a quarter-mile, 1320 feet, or 402 meters, is the norm), Yon is Japanese for "4". This practice gave its name to a popular video game franchise of the 1990s, Zero4 Champ series.
Anime
- Ursula has a Plusle and a Minun, which are native to Hoenn region.
- In DP174, in the Japanese Version (if I read the article right), wild Pokémon theme from the Advanced Generation series was used during the Contest appeals of everyone except Dawn.
- In the first Diamond & Pearl special, Dawn decides to travel to Hoenn to compete in Pokémon Contests there, just like May traveled to Johto for the same reason after the end of the Advanced Generation series.
- In Zoroark: Master of Illusions, the flags promoting the Pokémon Baccer World Cup that are all over the town (and thus, everywhere in the movie) has a Poké Ball on the flag. One section is red and the other is blue, and in the middle, there's a green button.
HGSS
<-- *In HGSS, Steven Stone, the Champion of the Hoenn Region, makes an appearance, and gives you a choice of a Hoenn Region Starter Pokémon. -->
- The Pokémon Centers in HGSS have a green Poké Ball symbol on the floor.
- If you talk to one of the people in the Celadon Mansion, they will say "We are remaking an old game, but this is quite a challenge. Old fans would not want usw to mess with their good memories...". Some people I've say they're actually talking about HGSS. I believe it's a potential Ruby/Sapphire remake.
- All the Pokémon Centers have a green colored Poké Ball on the floor, similar to the Gold and Silver Poké Ball on the Pokémon Center floors in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
<-- *The Root and Claw Fossils are on display in the Pewter City Museum of Science.
- Hoenn Sound, the sound of Route 101, can be played on the Pokégear, and attracts Hoenn Pokémon to the player.
- Bill mentions Lanette (who, in turn, mentioned him in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald), and the Hoenn Region. -->
- Copycat has a Banette.
BW
- Black and White's lack of connectivity to Generation III serves as a sign in itself.
- In Black and White, there are multiple hints, with several people make references to Hoenn. In Undella Town, several people who only visit during the summer are said to come from Hoenn. The The Riches are also very similar to the Winstrate Family from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.
- The Pokémon Basculin which (while also looking like a Rabuta Berry, a Generation III introduced Berry), they come in two varieties, green with red stripes, and green with blue stripes, the colors on Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.
- While not being found in game (to my knowledge) data for the Fluffy Tail, Shoal Shell exists in Black and White.
- In Black and White, a Backpacker in the Desert Resort mentions that he is from the Hoenn region, and mentions the Go-Goggles.
- In the Driftveil Gym, the Gym Leader, Clay, is mining for emeralds.
- Dive has been restored to HM status. That is all.
- Also, there are similarties between the Surfing parts of Route 18 in Unova (with the currents and small shallow waters) that resemble area of open ocean in Hoenn.
<-- *The player needs special objects to summon the Legendary Pokémon of the Unova Region, Zekrom and Reshiram, who use the Dark Stone and the Light Stone respectively. Groudon and Kyogre are both summoned (and enraged) with the Blue and Red Orb respectively (in Emerald only, in HGSS, the player merely encounters them with the respective Orb), and Rayquazais encountered with the Jade Orb.
- An Armaldo fossil is shown in the Nacrene City Pokémon Gym. -->
- The Safari Ball has a catching animation programmed into Black and White despite not being legitimately able to be used, as there is no Safari Zone. Hoenn however, does have a Safari Zone.
<-- *Upon defeat, Game Freak Morimoto references Steven's self-introduction in his Ruby and Sapphire Trainer's Eyes profile (Japanese version only). -->
- The deserts in the Unova and Hoenn regions both use deep sand tile. They are also located on or near Routes that lead to the fourth Gym. In the Desert Resort, the Go-Goggles are even mentioned by a traveler from Hoenn. Special Pokémon (the Anorith Fossil and the Lilileep Fossil in Hoenn and five Darmanitan in Zen Mode in Unova) can be found in each desert.
- In R/S/E, your rival (one of the rivals anyway, as Wally also counts as a rival) gives you the HM02, Fly. In BW, one of your rivals ALSO gives you the HM02, Fly.
Other Sources
- Super GT and D1 Grand Prix have races held in Autopolis, an infamous motorsports venue in Hoenn region. Notable racing drivers such as Ken Nomura, Masao Suenaga and Takuto Iguchi are from Hoenn region.
- One of the Japanese Pokémon Center stores are located in Hoenn region.
- The author of the Over Rev![3] manga, Katsumi Yamaguchi[4], would be from Fukuoka Prefecture, where the Petalburg City is based on.
- Thoroughout history, especially since the modern era, the Hoenn region has been the largest source of the Yakuza members, including many renowned bosses in the Johto-based Yamaguchi-gumi. Isokichi Yoshida (1867–1936) was from the Rustboro City and considered the first renowned modern yakuza. Recently, Shinobu Tsukasa and Kunio Inoue, the bosses of the two most powerful clans in the Yamaguchi-gumi, are from Hoenn. Petalburg City, the northernmost part of the island, has the largest number of designated syndicates among all of the prefectures in all the Japan-based regions.
Reasons
- While the original DS can play the Generation III games, the DSi and 3DS do not. A Nintendo DS or 3DS remake would make Ruby and Sapphire playable on these newer systems.
- Nintendo also seems to have a pattern of remaking games every ten years. In 2012, it will have been ten years since Ruby and Sapphire's original release date, if I am not mistaken.
