Pokémon world in relation to the real world
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This article contains fan speculation. There is no solid evidence for or against some parts of this article. |
The designs of five of the major Pokémon regions—Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova—are strikingly similar in geography and demographics to regions in the real world, and sometimes even officially stated to be based on certain locations. The first four regions are based on smaller regions in Japan, while Unova is based on the New York metropolitan area.
Main regions
Kanto
The Kantō region of Japan is not only identical in name to Kanto in the Pokémon world, it is also very similar geographically; however, the western part of the game Kanto corresponds to eastern Chūbu.
Pokémon world | Specific location | Prefecture | Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pallet Town | 下田市 | Shimoda City | 静岡県 | Shizuoka | Pallet Town is based on Satoshi Tajiri's hometown Machida City in his boyhood, abundant in nature. |
Viridian City | 山梨県 | Yamanashi | 山梨県 | Yamanashi | |
Viridian Forest | ? | ? | |||
Pewter City | 前橋市 | Maebashi City | 群馬県 | Gunma | Maebashi is the capital of the Gunma prefecture. In a neighboring of the city of Midori, there is the famous Iwajuku archeological site and the Iwajuku Museum. |
Mt. Moon | 赤城山 | Mount Akagi | 群馬県 | Gunma | Mt. Akagi features a crater lake near the summit |
Cerulean City | さいたま市 | Saitama City | 埼玉県 | Saitama | Saitama is bordered in the west by the Arakawa River. |
Vermilion City | 横浜市 | Yokohama City | 神奈川県 | Kanagawa | Yokohama is the largest seaport in Japan. |
Power Plant | 東海発電所 | Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant | 茨城県 | Ibaraki | The first commercial nuclear power plant in Japan. |
Lavender Town | 茨城県 | Ibaraki | |||
Celadon City | 新宿 | Shinjuku | 東京都 | Tōkyō | Shinjuku is the commercial center of Tokyo. |
Saffron City | 丸の内 | Marunouchi | 東京都 | Tōkyō | Marunouchi is the business center of Tokyo, even of Japan. |
Magnet Train station | 東京駅 | Tōkyō Station | 東京都 | Tōkyō | The Tokyo Station is a train station located in Marunouchi in which the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, bullet train line that runs from Tokyo to Osaka, passes through. |
Fuchsia City | 館山市 | Tateyama City | 千葉県 | Chiba | |
Kanto Safari Zone | 富士箱根伊豆国立公園 | Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park | 山梨県、静岡県、神奈川県、東京都 | Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Kanagawa, and Tokyo | |
Cycling Road | 東京湾アクアライン | Tōkyō Bay Aqua-Line | It connects Kawasaki City and Kisarazu City over Tokyo Bay. It was under construction when Pokémon Red and Green were released. | ||
Cinnabar Island | 伊豆大島 | Izu-Ōshima | 東京都 | Tōkyō | Oshima is famous for Mt. Mihara, an active volcano. |
Sevii Islands
The Sevii Islands are based on two archipelagos off the coast of Tokyo: the Izu Islands (伊豆諸島) and the Bonin Islands (小笠原諸島).
Pokémon world | Specific location | Prefecture | Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Knot Island | 新島、神津島、式根島、利島 | Niijima, Kōzushima, Shikinejima and Toshima | 大島支庁 | Oshima | |
Kindle Road | 新島 | Niijima | |||
Treasure Beach | 神津島 | Kozushima | |||
Mt. Ember | 利島宮塚山 | Mt. Miyatsuka, Toshima Island | |||
Boon Island | 三宅島、御蔵島 | Miyakejima & Mikurajima | 三宅支庁 | Miyake | |
Kin Island | 八丈島、八丈小島 | Hachijōjima & Hachijōkojima | 八丈支庁 | Hachijō | |
Berry Forest | 八丈小島 | Hachijōkojima | |||
Three Isle Port | 底土港 | Sokodo Port | |||
Floe Island | 青ヶ島 | Aogashima | 八丈支庁 | Hachijō | |
Chrono Island | 聟島列島 | Mukojima Islands | 小笠原支庁 | Ogasawara | All are uninhabited. |
Water Labyrinth | 西之島 | Nishinoshima | |||
Resort Gorgeous | 中ノ島 | Nakanoshima | |||
Lost Cave | 笹魚島 | Sasauojima | |||
Memorial Pillar | 媒島 | Nakoudojima | |||
Fortune Island | 父島列島 | Chichijima Islands | 小笠原支庁 | Ogasawara | The small islands to the north of Chichijima include Anijima (兄島) and Otōtojima (弟島), among others. |
Ruin Valley | 父島 | Chichijima | |||
Green Path | 兄島 | Anijima | |||
Outcast Island | 弟島 | Otōtojima | |||
Quest Island | 母島列島 | Hahajima Islands | 小笠原支庁 | Ogasawara | The small islands to the south of Hahajima include Anejima (姉島) and Imōtojima (妹島), among others. |
Navel Rock | 鳥島 | Torishima | 八丈支庁 | Hachijō | Known as the habitat of albatross. |
Birth Island | 南鳥島 | Minami Torishima | 小笠原支庁 | Ogasawara | The easternmost island belonging to Japan. |
Johto
In Japan, the Kanto region is often contrasted with Kansai, which is like Johto, to the west. However, Johto is geographically more similar to the combined region of Kansai and western Chubu.
Pokémon world | Specific location | Prefecture | Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mt. Silver | 富士山 | Mount Fuji | — | ||
New Bark Town | 静岡市 or 浜松市 | Shizuoka City or Hamamatsu City | 静岡県 | Shizuoka | |
Cherrygrove City | 名古屋市 | Nagoya City | 愛知県 | Aichi | Nagoya is the third largest city following Osaka. |
Violet City | 奈良市 | Nara City | 奈良県 | Nara | Nara is where Japan as a state began; Kyoto City is also nearby, and is home to a number of prestigious universities. |
Sprout Tower | 法隆寺五重塔 | Hōryū-ji Five-story pagoda | 奈良県 | Nara | Hōryū-ji Pagoda and Kondō are the oldest wooden structures in existence in the world. |
Ruins of Alph | 明日香村 | Asuka Village | 奈良県 | Nara | There are many archaeological sites in Nara such as Ishibutai Kofun (石舞台古墳) and Takamatsuzuka Tomb (高松塚古墳). |
Azalea Town | みなべ町 | Minabe Village | 和歌山県 | Wakayama | Minabe is famous for its high-quality Japanese apricots, known as ume, and high-quality charcoal, known as Binchotan. |
Goldenrod City | 大阪市 | Ōsaka City | 大阪府 | Ōsaka | Osaka is the most populous city in the Kansai region. |
National Park | 明治の森箕面国定公園 or 万博記念公園 | Meiji no Mori Minoo Quasi-National Park or Expo Memorial Park | 大阪府 | Ōsaka | In the Expo Park is a famous monument called the Tower of the Sun. |
Goldenrod Radio Tower | 通天閣 | Tsutenkaku | 大阪府 | Ōsaka | Tsutenkaku is one of the most popular landmarks in Osaka. |
Ecruteak City | 京都市 | Kyōto City | 京都府 | Kyōto | Kyoto was formerly the imperial capital. |
Burned Tower | 金閣 | Kinkaku-ji | 京都府 | Kyōto | Kinkaku-ji was set on fire by a monk in 1950 (金閣寺放火事件). The wall is covered with gold leaf. Atop the Kinkaku temple sits a golden statue of a rooster or phoenix (Ho-Oh). |
Bell Tower | 銀閣 | Ginkaku | 京都府 | Kyōto | Ginkaku is not covered with silver leaf. Atop the Ginkaku temple rests the likeness of a bird (Lugia). |
Olivine City | 神戸市 | Kōbe City | 兵庫県 | Hyōgo | Kobe is the major port city in the Kansai region. Kobe is also well known for wagyū, or Kobe beef. |
Glitter Lighthouse | 和田岬 | Cape Wada | 兵庫県 | Hyogo | |
Whirl Islands | 淡路島 | Awajishima | 兵庫県 | Hyōgo | The Naruto Strait, Between Awajishima and Shikoku, is famous for its whirlpool (Naruto whirlpool). |
Cianwood City | 鳴門市 | Naruto City | 徳島県 | Tokushima | Naruto is where Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. began. |
Mt. Mortar | 比叡山 | Mount Hiei | — | ||
Mahogany Town | 甲賀市 | Kōka City | 滋賀県 | Shiga | Koka was classified as a town when the game was released. Koka is where the famous Koga Ninja were born and educated (Kōga-ryū, 甲賀流). |
Lake of Rage | 琵琶湖 | Lake Biwa | 滋賀県 | Shiga | Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan. |
Blackthorn City | 白川郷 | Shirakawa | 岐阜県 | Gifu | Shirakawa is known as a hidden region, relating to Blackthorn's Japanese name, Fusube, which roughly means 'hidden area' |
Dragon's Den | 伊吹山 | Mt. Ibuki | "Ibuki" is also the Japanese name of Clair. |
Hoenn
Hoenn is based on the southernmost parts of Japan - Kyūshū and Okinawa - with the latter highly condensed. (The distance between the northernmost and southernmost points of Okinawa is about as large as the distance between the northernmost and southernmost points of Honshu, the mainland of Japan.)
Pokémon world | Specific location | Prefecture | Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Littleroot Town | 伊万里市 or 佐世保市 | Imari City or Sasebo City | 長崎県 | Nagasaki or Saga | The United States Navy has operated a base in Sasebo since the end of World War II. |
Oldale Town | 佐賀市 | Saga City | 佐賀県 | Saga | |
Petalburg City | 福岡市 | Fukuoka City | 福岡県 | Fukuoka | Fukuoka is the biggest city on Kyushu. |
Rustboro City | 北九州市 | Kitakyushu City | 福岡県 | Fukuoka | Kitakyushu's main industry is steelmaking. It is also home to Zenrin, a company specializing in navigation software. |
Dewford Town | 対馬 | Tsushima Island | 長崎県 | Nagasaki | |
Slateport City | 長崎市 | Nagasaki City | 長崎県 | Nagasaki | During the Edo period, among Europeans only the Dutch and the Portuguese were allowed into Japan, and then only at Nagasaki, specifically, Dejima. The main industry is shipbuilding. |
Mauville City | 熊本市 | Kumamoto City | 熊本県 | Kumamoto | |
Verdanturf Town | 菊池市 | Kikuchi City | 熊本県 | Kumamoto | |
Mt. Chimney | 阿蘇山 | Mount Aso | 熊本県 | Kumamoto | The largest active volcano in Japan. |
Lavaridge Town | 阿蘇町 | Aso Town | 熊本県 | Kumamoto | Aso is home to at seven onsen, or hot springs (阿蘇温泉郷). |
Meteor Falls | 羽門の滝 | Udo Falls | 大分県 | Ōita | There is a legend of a white dragon. |
Fallarbor Town | 大分市 | Ōita City | 大分県 | Ōita | |
Fortree City | North Miyazaki | 宮崎県 | Miyazaki | ||
Scorched Slab | 天岩戸 | Amano-Iwato | 宮崎県 | Miyazaki | Amano-Iwato is where Amaterasu shut herself up in Japanese mythology. |
Mt. Pyre | 桜島 | Sakurajima | 鹿児島県 | Kagoshima | Sakurajima is an active volcano, formerly an island. Volcanic activity continues, dropping large amounts of ash in the region. |
Lilycove City | 鹿屋市 | Kanoya City | 鹿児島県 | Kagoshima | |
Mossdeep City | 種子島 | Tanegashima | 鹿児島県 | Kagoshima | |
Mossdeep Space Center | 種子島宇宙センター | Tanegashima Space Center | 鹿児島県 | Kagoshima | |
Sootopolis City | 屋久島 | Yakushima | 鹿児島県 | Kagoshima | The landscape of Sootopolis City is based on Santorini, Greece. |
Ever Grande City | 那覇市 | Naha City | 沖縄県 | Okinawa | Despite the distance from Kyushu to Naha, the shape of the Okinawa main island is strikingly similar, although upside down. |
Mirage Island | 八重干瀬 | Yaebishi | 沖縄県 | Okinawa | Yaebishi appears above the sea on March 3 by the lunisolar calendar. |
Pacifidlog Town | 八重山諸島 | Yaeyami Islands | 沖縄県 | Okinawa | Ishigaki Island, located in the Yaeyami Islands, contain rare blue corals. The islands of Okinawa Prefecture are home to many coral reefs |
Sealed Chamber | 与那国島 | Yonaguni | 沖縄県 | Okinawa | Underneath the water's surface, natural rock formations were thought to be artificially created |
Sinnoh
Sinnoh has been said to be an island like Hoenn, rather than a peninsula. It is based on the northernmost major island of Japan, Hokkaido. Part of Sakhalin (Japanese: 樺太 Karafuto) and Kunashir Island (Japanese: 国後島 Kunashiri Island), territories which are in dispute between Russia and Japan, are also included.
Unova
Unova has been said to be significantly distant from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Instead of being based on an area of Japan, Unova is based around the Manhattan area of New York City.
Side regions
This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. |
The US State of Arizona has been confirmed as the basis for Orre.[1]
Almia appears to be based on the Matsumae Peninsula, Kameda Peninsula, and Oshima Peninsula of Hokkaido.
Landscape
While the above locations are meant to correspond to the different regions of Japan, great liberties were taken with the design of their landscape. Some of the designers have admitted to drawing inspiration from real-world locations outside Japan, especially with locations shown in Pokémon movies.
Pokémon world | Inspiration | Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Alto Mare | Venice | Italy | ||
Forina | Wulingyuan | China | ||
LaRousse City | LaRousse City | Vancouver | British Columbia, Canada | |
Sootopolis City | Santorini | Greece | ||
Porta Vista | Porta Vista | Acapulco | Mexico | |
Pastoria City | Boston | Massachusetts, United States | While not mentioned specifically, Pastoria has some similarities with Boston and the surrounding area. A good portion of the city is built on fens, there are multiple national parks in the suburbs of outside the city, specifically in towns like Duxbury, Massachusetts and Marshfield, Massachusetts. | |
Alamos Town | Barcelona | Spain | The Space-Time Towers are based on the uncompleted church of Sagrada Familia. | |
Hollywood | Hollywood | California, United States | Hollywood, as most would suggest upon first seeing it, is based on Hollywood, the most well known district of Los Angeles, California. In the dub, it is directly stated that it is located in California. | |
Ten'i Village | Geiranger | Norway | A village in the eleventh movie Giratina and the Sky Warrior, which was nearly destroyed by a glacier, is based on a town in Norway, which is threatened by the possibility of the mountain eroding into the fjord. | |
Michina Town | Meteora | Greece | Its landscape, which is filled with huge pillar shaped rock formations, resembles Meteora. Also, the architecture of the temples resembles that of ancient Greek temples. | |
Crown City | Amsterdam | The Netherlands | Its modern buildings are based on the many new and modern buildings in parts of the city, and the Pokémon Baccer stadium is based on the ArenA, the city's local football stadium. | |
Eindoak Town | Gourdon, Tourrettes-sur-Loup and Mont Saint-Michel | France |
Real-world locations mentioned
- In the Generation III games, Blaine refers Kyoto in the original Japanese version.
- Arcanine's FireRed Pokédex entry states that it is mentioned in Chinese legends.
- Parasect's Stadium Pokédex entry mentions its spores are used in medicine in China.
- Regice's Emerald Pokédex entry mentions Antarctic ice.
- Upon defeating Fisherman Bronson in the Sinnoh Battle Tower, he will say, "Why the emperor of fishing? It's an ancient Chinese legend..."
- In Pasta La Vista!, an ad on a book mentions "Chinese Noodles."
- Lt. Surge is known as "The Lightning American!"
- Mew was originally discovered in the jungles of the South American country Guyana. This is mentioned in logs inside of Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Mansion.
- Xatu's FireRed, Silver, and SoulSilver Pokédex entries mention its association with mysticism in South America.
- Poliwrath's Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Black, and White Pokédex entries mention its ability to swim the Pacific Ocean. Also, it is to be noted that the direction of its spirals depends on their geographical location.
- Delibird's Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Pokédex entries explain that a Delibird helped a famous explorer reach the top of Mt. Everest.
- Silph Co. has a branch in Tiksi, Russia.
- In Mewtwo Strikes Back, Team Rocket are disguised as vikings. In the English dub, Brock says that he didn't know that vikings still existed and Ash replies that they "mostly live in Minnesota." This is clearly a reference to the Minnesota Vikings football team.
- Though in the Swedish dub of the movie, Ash replies to Brock that they come from Norway. Most likely referring to the Scandinavian Vikings that lived in the 8-11th century.
- In the Danish dub of the movie, Ash tells Brock that the vikings are mostly on trips in Sweden, again refering to the Scandinavian Vikings.
- Ponyta's Pokédex entries mentions that it can clear Ayers Rock and jump over the Eiffel Tower in one leap. Tokyo Tower is referred in the original Japanese version.
- A Guitarist that can be battled in the Battle Frontier mentions that his guitar is actually a Japanese instrument.
- In School of Hard Knocks, Misty mentions wanting to go to Paris.
- In Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?, Misty described the town like being in 'Merry Old England,' in which it could possibly be based on Tudor Time Stratford-Upon-Avon. It is also the same historic town where the story's inspirational author, William Shakespeare was born.
- In The Scheme Team, Jessie talks about Antarctica, the place where their next assignment is located. It should be noted that this was dub-added.
- In Celebi: Voice of the Forest, Meowth asks if they saw Vicious in a Mexican wrestling movie.
- In the English version of The March of the Exeggutor Squad, Melvin says he wanted to make it to Las Vegas. It should be noted that he said that he wanted to make it to Broadway in the Japanese version.
- In the first movie, Meowth mentioned that they lived on the same Earth (although he may have been referring to the soil rather than the literal planet Earth).
- In The Ninja Poké-Showdown, James says that the Fuchsia Gym looks like a Japanese restaurant.
- In Pokémon Heroes, Misty makes a direct reference to the Earth stating that, "The Earth is so pretty."
- In The Evolution Solution, Meowth says "Keep digging till you hit China!" to Jessie and James who were digging for clam shells.
Real world people and cultures mentioned
- In Pokémon Shipwreck, Brock directly refers to the tale of Noah who sent a dove to find dry land after a great flood, according to most Abrahamic religions.
- In A Bite to Remember, Jessie says that Albert Einstein created the light bulb. Max corrects her, saying that Thomas Edison was the creator.
- The Japanese version of the song Team Rocket Forever includes the lines 「ムサシ!/コジロウ!/関門海峡/門司/下関」"Musashi!/Kojirō!/Kanmon Straits.../Moji.../Shimonoseki...", referencing the famous duel that Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō (the name basis for Jessie and James's Japanese names, Musashi and Kojirō) fought on an island in the Kanmon Straits, which is located between Moji and Shimonoseki.
- A Team Rocket Grunt mentions the hula dance to a Kimono Girl while in the Ecruteak dance theater.
- The main series games have featured staff members of Game Freak that typically reward the player for completing the National Pokédex, or occasionally through alternative methods. Shigeki Morimoto can actually be battled in-game.
Other applications of real-world locations
- In Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, Webster, the guard in the gate north of Goldenrod City, will give the player a Spearow holding mail to deliver. The Spearow is nicknamed Kenya, the name of a country in Africa.
- In Raichu's FireRed Pokédex entry, Indian Elephants are mentioned. Incidentally, Gastly's FireRed entry mentions the same thing.
- In Generation I-IV games, getting a triple seven on a slot machine gets the player a jackpot, just like in the real world.
- At the end of Mewtwo Returns, Mewtwo is shown overlooking a "far away city" that greatly resembles New York City. Buildings similar to the Chrysler Building and the MetLife Building are visible in the distance.
- In Can't Beat the Heat, Ash's Charizard uses Seismic Toss. Normally, a cloudy globe can be seen, but this time the Pacific Ocean and Australia are prominent. This also happens in Volcanic Panic and the introduction to Mewtwo Strikes Back".
- In all of the main series games, and some side series games, there is a Nintendo gaming console in the player's bedroom. This is a reference to the real world gaming company that owns the franchise.
- The Arceus event that takes place in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver includes real life pictures in the game.
- Game Freak's offices are present in the Celadon Condominiums, a possible reference to their real-world office of Carrot Tower.
- In Castelia City, there is a building named "GAME FREAK".
- Both Articuno and Beartic's names are derived from the real world location, The Arctic.
- In Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokémon Knight"!, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe were seen on a movie poster.
- In the movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, Kidd's boss's office is in a city that resembles New York City.
- In Beheeyem, Duosion, and the Dream Thief!, a painting within the resort created by Beheeyem bears a striking resemblance to Relativity by M. C. Escher.
- In The School of Hard Knocks, the Eiffel Tower is seen during Misty's fantasy.