Geography
The top of the Bell Tower during
Ho-Oh's appearance
The Bell Tower was once the perch of the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh; however, long before the events of the Generation II games and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Ho-Oh flew away, never to return. Many Trainers came to the tower, hoping for Ho-Oh's return, but no one had yet been successful. Finally, with the Rainbow Wing and Clear Bell, the player is able to summon Ho-Oh to the Bell Tower in order to battle it atop the roof.
In Generation II, the tower is known as the Tin Tower, and only the Rainbow Wing is required to reach the top. In Pokémon Crystal, the Clear Bell summons Suicune to the ground floor of the tower; however, Ho-Oh does not appear until the Elite Four has been defeated and all three of the legendary beasts have been captured in the current save file. Defeating the legendary beasts or trading them from other games will not activate this event.
History
Ho-Oh flying around the tower
Seven hundred years before the events of the games, two nine-tier towers were built opposite each other in Ecruteak City. The towers were built to foster friendship and hope between Pokémon and people. The view from atop the towers was said to be magnificent.
The eastern tower was said to awaken Pokémon, while the western tower was where Pokémon were said to rest, similar to Hoenn's Cave of Origin and Mt. Pyre, respectively. Ho-Oh roosted at the top of the Bell Tower to the east.
However, about 150 years before the games' events, a lightning bolt struck the western tower. It was engulfed in flames that raged for three days. A sudden downpour finally put out the blaze, but it had already burned to the ground. Three nameless Pokémon perished in the fire, but Ho-Oh descended from the sky and resurrected them. The Pokémon are said to embody three powers: the lightning that struck the tower, the fire that burned it, and the rain that extinguished the fire. When the Pokémon appeared, they struck terror in those who saw their rise. The three Pokémon, knowing their own power, fled, running like the wind off into the grassland.
Bellchime Trail
- Main article: Bellchime Trail
Bellchime Trail is a short path in Ecruteak City that joins the Barrier Station gate and the Bell Tower. It does not exist in Generation II as a separate location, instead being considered part of Ecruteak City's main area.
ItemsPokémonSpecial encounters
Pokémon Gold and Silver
A Ho-Oh appears on the roof if the Rainbow Wing is in the bag.
Pokémon Crystal
A Suicune appears on 1F if the Clear Bell is in the bag.
A Ho-Oh appears on the roof if the Rainbow Wing is in the bag.
Pokémon HeartGold
Ho-Oh on top of the Bell Tower in HeartGold
A Ho-Oh appears on the roof as part of the story. If defeated or run from, it respawns after entering the Hall of Fame.
Pokémon SoulSilver
Battling Ho-Oh on top of the Bell Tower in HeartGold
A Ho-Oh appears on the roof if the Rainbow Wing is in the bag. If defeated or run from, it respawns after entering the Hall of Fame.
Layout
Outside and 1F-5F
6F-10F and Roof
EyecatchesIn the spin-off gamesIn the anime
Main series
The tower first appeared in A Ghost of a Chance, where it was referred to as the Tin Tower by the dub, like in the English Generation II games. The importance of bells was made clear in For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!. The tower holds four bells on each floor, which will only ring if Ho-Oh or Suicune is coming. In addition, the bells on the top floor are made of crystal and will only ring for Ho-Oh's appearance.
Neither of the towers have any relation to Lugia in this continuity. This tower was also built after the other tower had already burned. It is said that Ho-Oh would occasionally appear at the old tower as a sign of peace to a chosen few who were Morty's ancestors. However, several greedy people tried to take its power, burning down the original in the ensuing battle and forcing Ho-Oh to flee the tower. The people of Ecruteak City decided to make another tower in hope of Ho-Oh returning, though it never did.
The Bell Tower reappeared in Finding a Legend!. While investigating rumors of a Ho-Oh sighting in Ecruteak, which turned out to be false, Ash and Goh encountered a boy named Chad, who desperately wanted his grandfather Jaye to see Ho-Oh. With Goh's advice, they started climbing the tower, but they were caught in illusions created by a Misdreavus and a Stantler until Goh caught them. At the top of the tower, they started waving Jaye's Rainbow Wing around and calling for Ho-Oh to appear. Though their calls didn't seem to work, the Rainbow Wing started glowing in response to a rainbow appearing in the sky. When they started to leave, Jaye managed to get a view of Ho-Oh flying in the distance, though the others didn't see it.
Pokémon Generations
The Bell Tower first appeared briefly in The Adventure. It was shown in the background as Red and his Pikachu visited Ecruteak City.
The tower next appeared in The Reawakening, where it also appeared in the background of Ecruteak City but was shown in a little more detail.
Pokémon Evolutions
The Bell Tower appeared in The Show, where it was seen in the background of Ecruteak City. It was later shown as the focus of the Kimono Girls' performance about the histories of it and the Brass Tower.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
The Tin Tower first appeared in Ampharos Amore. Having been caught up in an earthquake that struck Ecruteak City, Jasmine managed to climb to the top of the tower for her Ampharos, Amphy, to send out a distress signal, but passed out when rubble fell on her. Gold and Silver both noticed Amphy's light, with Silver reaching Jasmine first. The tower begun to collapse on their way out, and Amphy was able to carry Jasmine out before the collapse trapped both Gold and Silver inside. After escaping from the tower, they were surrounded by Team Rocket Grunts and Rocket Executive Carl, whose Piloswine had been responsible for the earthquake, its intention being to draw the attention of Ho-Oh. Once Team Rocket had been driven away, Morty ordered the Tin Tower to be reconstructed before any other building in the city, fearing Ho-Oh's wrath over its destruction.
From Suddenly Suicune (Part 1) to Suddenly Suicune (Part 3), Crystal battled against Suicune at the Tin Tower in the hopes of capturing it. Although she managed to hit it with a Heavy Ball, Suicune ended up getting away, marking the first time Crystal had ever failed to capture a Pokémon. As a result of this shock, she became unable to capture any Pokémon at all.
In Oh, It's Ho-Oh!, the Masked Man arrived at the sky over the Tin Tower to confront Ho-Oh, which had escaped from his control nine years earlier. Determined to make Ho-Oh his servant once more, the leader of Neo Team Rocket started battling against the Legendary Pokémon, ultimately catching it and forcing it under his command once more.
The top floor of the Tin Tower houses a Ho-Oh statue, which is said to glow when Ho-Oh is about to return. According to the Masked Man, this statue was made by him.
Trivia
- In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Pokégear radio will not function on the roof of the Bell Tower.
- It is possible to use Dig to escape from the Bell Tower, except from the roof, and return to the entrance; this is because, as can be seen from the in-battle background used in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Bell Tower is classified as a cave area, rather than a building, likely to allow wild Pokémon to be found. This also applies to Sprout Tower and Burned Tower.
- The Radio Director in Goldenrod City mentions that there was a similar tower that once stood in Goldenrod Radio Tower's place in the past. The tower was also visited by the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh, which is evident by the Rainbow Wing that he found and kept. While it is not mentioned if this tower preceded the Bell Tower, the city shares its namesake with the game titles for which Ho-Oh acts as the mascot.
- In For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!, Morty refers to the tower by its Generation IV name at one point, years before the name was made official in the games.
- The Bell Tower makes an appearance as a backdrop when a Pokémon from Generation II is used in the Alola Photo Club in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
Origin
Ecruteak City's Bell Tower is likely based on a mixture of two temples in the real world city of Kyoto. One of them is a Buddhist temple in Kyoto known as Ginkaku-ji. Unlike its counterpart, Kinkaku-ji, which is covered in gold leaf, this temple is not covered in silver leaf, though this was originally intended. A statue of avian likeness rest atop each of the two real world towers.
The other likely basis for the Bell Tower is a temple in Kyoto called Tō-ji (East Temple). The temple's pagoda is the tallest in Japan, and it once had a twin temple in the west of Kyoto, called Sai-ji. Just like in the legend of the Burned Tower in Ecruteak's west and the Bell Tower in its east, the western temple of Sai-ji was burned long ago, while To-ji still stands today.
Name origin
The Japanese name of the tower, スズのとう Suzu no Tō, could be translated either to Tin Tower (as in Generation II), or Bell Tower (as in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver). This is because the kana for suzu refers to both 錫 tin, a metal that has a bright, silvery sheen, but is far less valuable than actual silver, and 鈴 bell. Suzu are a type of bell used in Shinto rituals, which both the Clear Bell and Tidal Bell are based on.
In other languagesSee also
