Vermilion City (Japanese: クチバシティKuchiba City) is a city in Kanto.
Situated near a sea inlet to the south, it serves as a popular sea port for ships such as the S.S. Anne. Vermilion Harbor is a home port for many ships. The S.S. Anne sails around the world and returns to Vermilion once a year. The S.S. Aqua sails from Olivine City in Johto to Vermilion Harbor. The Seagallop Ferries sail regularly to all of the Sevii Islands. Aside from the harbor, the other exits to the city are Route 11 and Diglett's Cave to the east. North of the city is Route 6.
The Port of Exquisite Sunsets (Japanese, Generations I-III, VII: クチバはオレンジ夕焼けの色Kuchiba is the color of orange sunsets.; Generation IV: ゆうやけいろのみなとまちThe sunset-colored port town.)
Vermilion City is home to the "Lightning American" Lt. Surge, the Leader of the Electric-specialist Gym. The people in the town are careful about pollution, as they are afraid that an infestation of Grimer could occur if the seas were ever polluted, as Celadon City suffers from this in Generations II and IV. In Generations I-IV, Wild Pokémon appear in the sea around the city.
The Vermilion City's Fan Club in FireRed and LeafGreen
Pokémon Fan Club
All Pokémon Fans Welcome!
The Kanto chapter of the Pokémon Fan Club is located in Vermilion. The Pokémon Fan Club is an organization spread throughout the Pokémon world, with at least one Club House in nearly every region. The Fan Club is a place for people to meet and chat about their favorite Pokémon and to show off their collections to each other. In general, the members are usually more oriented to unevolved, cute Pokémon.
In the northeastern part of the city, there is an old man whose Machop is preparing a plot of land for construction of a building. They still have not finished three years after he started in Generation I, as he does not have enough money to begin building. This man's Machop can cause a glitch in Generation II. In Generation IV, the construction site consumes most of the north-eastern side of the city, playing a slightly bigger role in the game; there are many breakable rocks surrounding the building site that conceal many hidden items such as Shards, Heart Scales, and other valuable items.
In-game trade
In one of the houses south and a little east of the Pokémon Center is a girl that wants to trade the player a Farfetch'd for a Pidgey (in Japanese Blue) or Spearow.RBYFRLG The Farfetch'd will be nicknamed "Ch'ding" in Generation III or "Dux" in Generation I, and it will be holding a Stick in Generation III. The OT will be "Elyssa" and its ID will be 08810. The Pokémon's level will be the same as the one that the player traded.
Although the sprite and name of the owner are female, Ch'ding's original Trainer data defines Elyssa as male, likely as an error. In FireRed and LeafGreen, this is undifferentiable from a female original Trainer, but if Ch'ding is traded to Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald or transferred forward to Generation IV (via Pal Park), the OT name is shown colored blue.
In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, this house is occupied by a Gentleman who owns a Farfetch'd, again nicknamed Dux like the girl from Generation I's Farfetch'd, but he instead intends to catch Spearow himself.
In Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee, a Hiker in the Pokémon Center will trade an Alolan formGeodude for a Geodude from Kanto. This can be done repeatedly.
Fishing Brother
In Generations I and III, a man known as the Fishing Guru can be found in Vermilion City who gives away an Old Rod to the player. Later (in Generations II and IV), he is known as the Fishing Dude and claims to be the eldest of the Fishing Brothers.
In Pokémon Yellow, the population of Vermilion City has increased to 26 (not including the passengers on the S.S. Anne). This is because Officer Jenny has been added.
Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal
In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the population of Vermilion City is 30. The increase in population is possibly due to the addition of the harbor building.
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Vermilion City has a population of 29 (not including the passengers on the S.S. Anne).
Northeast of the S.S. Aqua, in the area below the gatekeeper Sailor, only accessible after taking the S.S. Aqua from Olivine City, on the northern buoy three squares west of the eastern edge (requires Surf) (hidden)
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.
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.
Special encounters
Generation II
A Snorlax appears here on the first visit. The Pokégear (upgraded with the EXPN Card) must be used in order to battle it.
Much has changed from Generation I to Generation III. Most of the city is now covered in grass and sandy patches along the shoreline. The construction site has grown, while the Pokémon Fan Club has been redesigned and expanded. The S.S. Anne's port has also had an archway added to the entrance. In Generation II nothing major has changed, though the city has extended into Route 11 near Diglett's Cave and the Vermilion City port has been redesigned into a building, where the S.S. Aqua transports passengers to and from Olivine City in Johto. Also, Snorlax was also relocated from Route 12 to the entrance to Diglett's Cave. To move it, Trainers had to use a Pokégear tuned to the PokéFlute Channel, as the Poké Flute did not exist in the Generation II games. In Generation IV, Diglett's Cave is pushed back to Route 11.
In Ivysaur's Mysterious Tower!, an outbreak of Bulbasaur and Ivysaur, a part of natural phenomena known as the "Ivysaur march", was causing traffic and minor chaos across the city. The Grass Pokémon made their way to their former grassland, to the north of Vermilion, which is now a construction site for a new Gym. After scaling the building, the Ivysaur and Bulbasaur evolved together and released pollen into the air, causing all of the city's flowers to bloom.
Although Vermilion City was never properly seen in Pokémon Origins, Red recalled having visited it prior to the events of File 2: Cubone. During his visit, he obtained the HM for Cut from the captain of S.S. Anne and earned the Thunder Badge by defeating Lt. Surge at the Vermilion Gym.
Vermilion City is split into two main areas; the center city and the harbor. The KantoPokémon Fan Club headquarters is located in the center city. Some of the citizens are Poké Fans and Sailors.
Vermilion City first appeared in Danger: High Voltorb and Buzz Off, Electabuzz!. After arriving, Red learned that many people in the city had gotten their Pokémon stolen. Red decided to investigate the S.S. Anne, where he learned that the local Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, was behind the thefts and was using the ship to transport the stolen Pokémon away. Surge almost succeeded in drowning Red, but was saved by his newly evolved Poliwrath. Although Surge managed to get away, his Sailor underlings were arrested and the stolen Pokémon aboard the ship were returned to their rightful owners.
Vermilion City reappeared in Ekans the Ecstasy. Just when Yellow arrived there aboard the S.S. Anne, which was now transporting passengers instead of stolen Pokémon, the Team Rocket Elite Trio sabotaged the ship. Although Yellow was able to save all of the passengers, the ship was still sunk at the harbor.
In The Kindest Tentacruel, the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman told Yellow of a legend about an underwater dome at the bottom of the Vermilion Harbor. Inside the dome was supposedly a set of unique Evolution stones that didn't disappear after being used, with one of these stones being behind the Evolution of Red's Poliwrath three years earlier. Yellow was later lead to the dome by a Tentacruel, only to find out that the Thunder, Water, and Fire Stones were missing, meaning that she wasn't the first one to have found the place.
In Breath of Dragonair Part 1, while thinking about a way to cross the ocean without Surf, Yellow learned of a surfing contest, where the main prize was going to be a Dragonair, an excellent Pokémon for crossing the sea. However, before the contest could even begin, the "prize" Dragonair started attacking everyone, as it actually belonged to Lance, who used its Hyper Beam to obliterate most of Vermilion City, as he claimed it was obstructing his view. When Lance started to leave, Yellow gave chase. Lance proved to be an overwhelmingly strong opponent and sent Yellow sinking into the sea. However, thanks to Pika learning Surf, Yellow was able to save herself from drowning and start crossing the sea.
Vermilion City appeared in Vermilion City, where it was visited by Satoshi. With the S.S. Ticket he had received from Bill, he visited the S.S. Anne and met the ship's seasick captain. After the captain had recovered from his seasickness, he talked with Satoshi for a while, before Satoshi headed to the Vermilion Gym to challenge Lt. Surge. The Gym battle between Surge's Electabuzz and Satoshi's Charmeleon ended in Satoshi's victory, earning him the Thunder Badge. Afterwards, the captain of the S.S. Anne came to congratulate him of his victory, giving him HM01 (Cut) before leaving with his ship.
Trivia
Vermilion City and Cinnabar Island are named after the same color in the English versions of the Pokémon games but not in the Japanese versions, since vermilion (クチバkuchiba, "decayed leaves") refers to a shade of orange while crimson (グレンguren, "crimson lotus") refers to a shade of red. Vermilion is an orange-red pigment, produced from the orange-red mineral cinnabar. This explains why Vermilion City is colored orange while Cinnabar Island is colored red in the Generation I games when played with the Super Game Boy enhancements enabled on a compatible system or with the Game Boy Color enhancements available in the international releases of Pokémon Yellow (including the Virtual Console release).
Vermilion City may also be inspired by Yokosuka, which has a United States Navy base, a possible inspiration for Vermilion Gym and Lt. Surge as an "American" soldier.
Name origin
Language
Name
Origin
Japanese
クチバシティ Kuchiba City
From 朽葉色 kuchiba-iro (burnt orange color of decayed leaves)
English, Norwegian
Vermilion City
From vermilion (reddish-orange pigment produced from the mineral cinnabar)
German
Orania City
From Orange
Spanish
Ciudad Carmín
From carmín (carmine)
Ciudad Vermilion*
From its English name
French
Carmin sur Mer
From carmin (carmine) and the suffix sur Mer (on the sea)
Italian
Aranciopoli
From arancione (orange) and the suffix -poli (city)
Korean
갈색시티Galsaek City
From 갈색 (褐色) galsaek (brown)
Chinese (Mandarin)
枯葉市 / 枯叶市 Kūyè Shì
From 枯葉色 / 枯叶色 kūyèsè (color of dried leaves)
Chinese (Cantonese)
枯葉市 Fūyihp Síh* 秋色市 Chāusīk Síh*
From 枯葉色 fūyihpsīk (color of dried leaves) From 秋色 cāusīk (autumn-colored)
Czech
Rumělkové město* Město Vermilion*
From rumělka (cinnabar) and město (city, town) From its English name
Polish
Orania
From its German name
Brazilian Portuguese
Cidade de Vermilion* Cidade de Vermillion* Cidade Vermilion*
