In Generations I and III, this academy is located in the center of Viridian. It is a place dedicated to teaching the basics of Pokémon to inexperienced Trainers.
In Generations II and IV, this school has been replaced by the Trainer House.
There is a grumpy old man in central Viridian who will not let Trainers pass through to Route 2 until he has had his daily coffee. (In the original Japanese games, the old man is not grumpy from lack of coffee, but rather is drunk and has passed out in the middle of the road, much to the dismay of his grandchild.) The man is simply a barrier in the game, preventing players from wandering past Viridian City until the player has gone to the Viridian Poké Mart and delivered Oak's Parcel to Professor Oak.
He appears again in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, declaring that he has had his espresso and that he was once an expert at catching Pokémon. This is a reference to the events of three years before.
The Trainer House in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
In Generations II and IV, the Trainer House replaces the Pokémon academy 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, the player may battle other Trainers once a day.
In Generation II, the opposing Trainer in the basement will be the last person the player has used Mystery Gift with, with whatever party they had when Mystery Gift was used. If the player has never used Mystery Gift with anyone, the opposing Trainer will be Cal.
In Generation IV, the player will initially only find Ace 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 no experience or money, but the player will receive 1 BP for each victory.
The Viridian Gym is the official Gym of Viridian City. Trainers who defeat this Gym's Leader receive the Earth Badge. The Gym is usually strewn with the same one-way spin tiles seen in the Rocket Hideout, except in Generation II where the floor is bare of any obstacles.
In Generations II and IV, Team Rocket has disbanded and Blue takes over as the Gym's Leader. Under Blue's direction, the Gym no longer concentrates on any particular type.
In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, the population of Viridian City is 28 (27 excluding Giovanni).
Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal
In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the population of Viridian City is 25. The population has decreased, due to the fact that Viridian Gym no longer has regular Trainers.
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the population of Viridian City is 34. This shows that Viridian City has grown in size from FireRed and LeafGreen to HeartGold and SoulSilver.
Poké Mart
The Poké Mart is located south of the Viridian Gym. In Generation II and IV, it is to the right of the Trainer House.
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.
Differences between generations
Generation I and III
Viridian City's layout is consistent between Generations I and III. There are no notable differences between the Viridian of Generation I and Generation III, aside from the larger houses in III and some slight repositioning. Trees have become bigger, flowers are more visible, and most other sprites have been upgraded to Generation III 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.
Generation II and IV
The differences between the Generation II and IV and Generation I and III games are more noticeable. The Pokémon academy seen in Generation III has been replaced with the giant Trainer House, and other buildings were added as well. Within the Trainer House in Generation II, Trainers will battle either Cal, if the player has never used Mystery Gift with anyone, or the last player with whom he or she has 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.
Viridian City was first seen at the end of Pokémon - I Choose You!, and is later visited in Pokémon Emergency!, when Ash Ketchum took his injured Pikachu to the Pokémon Center here. When entering the town, Ash was stopped by Viridian City's Officer Jenny, who found him suspicious, due to the fact he was carrying Pikachu in his arms and not a Poké Ball. While staying overnight at the Pokémon Center, Ash had his first encounter with the Team Rocket trio: Jessie, James, and Meowth. Ash and Pikachu foiled their plot to steal all the Pokémon in the Pokémon Center, thus beginning Team Rocket's obsession with capturing Ash's Pikachu.
Sometime later, in The Battle of the Badge, Ash and his friends revisited Viridian City, and they find out the Pokémon Center that had exploded in the end of Pokémon Emergency! has been rebuilt. They found the Viridian Gym, and Ash decided to fight the Gym Leader, but Gary ended up fighting him first (forcing Ash to wait outside due to the one-Trainer-at-a-time policy that Viridian Gym apparently has). After Togepi was carried off by a Fearow, Ash and friends went looking for it, only to find it in the Gym. They then noticed that Gary and his girlfriends were badly injured due to Mewtwo's attacks. 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 the Earth Badge Team Rocket lost. Afterwards, Ash and his friends left.
After the Silver Conference, Viridian was once again revisited, in Gotta Catch Ya Later!, only some things had changed. Most notably, the Nurse Joy who worked at the Viridian Center in Pokémon Emergency! had retired and Misty's bike had been fixed. After a battle with Team Rocket, as well as a trio of hired thugs, they left Viridian City.
Ash later passed through Viridian on the way home in The Scheme Team, after the Ever 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 member Agatha. It is also here that Ash met up with Scott, the owner of the Battle Frontier and decided to take the Battle Frontier challenge.
Viridian City appeared again in File 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 than Giovanni, the Boss of Team 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 trained Rhyhorn, Giovanni defeated most of Red's Pokémon with ease, but soon noticed himself getting excited of the battle. When Red sent out his Charizard 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 informed his 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.
In Pokémon Generations
Viridian City in Pokémon Generations
Viridian City made an appearance in The Chase. The International 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 is the hometown of Giovanni, the Team Rocket leader, Yellow, the star of the Yellow arc who debuted in Drat That Dratini!, and Lance, the main villain of the Yellow chapter.
In the Gold, Silver & Crystal arc, Wilton arrived at Viridian City to meet Yellow and take her on a new adventure to Johto. Red would later take the Gym Leader test at the newly renovated Gym in the city. Red passed, and became Viridian City's next Gym Leader - until he forfeited due to injury. Blue eventually assumed this position after proving his strength in front of four wild Pokémon.
In the FireRed & LeafGreen arc, Yellow first visited the Viridian City Gym to see Blue, but he had not yet returned. Upon stepping out of the Gym, she met Silver, who came to Viridian searching for his roots. Not long afterwards, two Team Rocket members came and told Silver that he was their leader's son, and took him away. Yellow gave chase on her Butterfree, Kitty.
It is the only town that is the first visited in the game that has a Gym after the starting location, though the Gym is closed until the other seven Badges have been obtained.
Name origin
Language
Name
Origin
Japanese
トキワシティ Tokiwa City
常磐色 (tokiwa iro) refers to the green color of evergreen trees.
English
Viridian City
From viridian, a blue-green color. May also come from Latin Viridi, meaning green.
French
Jadielle
From jade.
German
Vertania City
From French vert, green.
Italian
Smeraldopoli
From smeraldo, emerald, and the suffix -poli, meaning city.
Spanish
Ciudad Verde Ciudad Viridian*
Means green city. Same as English name.
Korean
상록시티 Sangrok City
상록 (常綠) sangrok means evergreen.
Chinese (Mandarin)
常磐市 Chángpán Shì
From the Japanese name.
Chinese (Cantonese)
常青市 Soengceng Si
常青 (soengceng) means evergreen.
Czech
Chromové město
Chrom means chromium (possibly a reference to chrome green) and město means city (or town).
Polish
Wertania
From German Vertania.
Brazilian Portuguese
Cidade de Veridiana* Cidade de Viridian* Cidade Viridian* Cidade Veridian*