Pokémon academies are schools where students and Trainers learn about Pokémon. Trainer classes commonly seen at these locations include Lasses, School Kids, and Scientists. Much like the one in Violet City, this Pokémon Academy, located in the center of Viridian in Generations I and III, is 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 In Generations II and IV, this school has been replaced by the Trainer House.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 just 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 Generation II and HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Trainer House replaces the Pokémon academy. On entry, the first floor has a few people and a small desk. The basement is mostly comprised of a large open area with only a desk located at the top of the room and an open battlefield on the lower portion. After the battle, the player cannot re-challenge the Trainers in the basement until the next day.
In Generation II, the Trainer will be the last player he or she has used Mystery Gift with, or in the case the player has never used Mystery Gift with anyone, Cal. If this Trainer is another player that he or she has used Mystery Gift with, their team will consist of whatever Pokémon were in their party at the time of using Mystery Gift, including held items, moves, levels, and stats. Regardless of which Trainer it is, the opposing Trainer's sprite will be of Ethan.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the player will initially encounter only Ace TrainerCal. When the player meets someone in the Pokéwalker and re-syncs it back to the player's game, the Trainer and their Pokémon will appear in the basement. Up to 10 additional Trainers may be encountered in this way. Like Generation II, these Trainers' teams will consist of whatever Pokémon were in their parties at the time of re-syncing with the Pokéwalker, including held items, moves, levels, and stats. Unlike Generation II, if a Pokémon's level is above 50, its level is reduced to 50 like a battle under the Flat Battle rules. Players will earn no experience or money, but will receive 1 BP for each victory.
The Viridian Gym is the official Gym of Viridian City. It specializes in Ground-typePokémon. The Leader is Giovanni, the head of Team Rocket. Trainers who defeat him receive the Earth Badge. Viridian Gym appears in all games set in the Kanto region. In Generation I and III, the Gym is locked due to its Leader's absence; the gym will not re-open until the player has collected seven other badges.
The gym floor uses the same transporting tiles seen in the Rocket Hideout. The player must use these tiles to navigate through to the upper-left hand corner of the Gym, where Giovanni waits. In Generation II and IV, Blue has taken over the Gym. In Generation II, the Gym is completely remodeled and the tiles are gone. In Generation IV, the tiles are back in order. The colors of the Gym's exterior are based on the colors most associated with the type that the Gym specializes in. Viridian Gym, however, is both green and blue, likely referring to its Gym Leader's name.
In Generation I, a Revive can be found in the gym, while a Macho Brace replaces it in Generation III; it is the only gym to boast items. This is the only Gym to be based on 3 different types throughout the games and anime and the only one to ever have no type specialty. In all generations aside from Generation III, at least one Trainer in the Viridian Gym owns a Rhydon, while in Generation III, all of Giovanni's Pokémon know Earthquake.
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 towns 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. 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 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, Fisherman 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.
Trivia
Its Japanese motto is トキワは みどり えいえんのいろ "Tokiwa is the color of green eternity."
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.
Its English motto before Generation IV was "The Eternally Green Paradise".
The man in the area that requires Cut or Surf to access (in all generations) gives out a TM containing Dream Eater, except in Generation III, where Dream Eater is not a TM; instead, he works as a Move Tutor, offering to teach it directly to one of the player's Pokémon.
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.
Czech
Chromové město
Chrom means chromium (possibly a reference to chrome green) and město means city (or town).
German
Vertania City
From French vert, green.
Italian
Smeraldopoli
From smeraldo, emerald, and the suffix -poli, meaning city.