Generation III: Difference between revisions

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The '''third generation''' (Japanese: '''{{tt|第三世代|だいさんせだい}}''' ''third generation'') of Pokémon games, also sometimes known as the '''advance''' or '''advanced generation''', is the third set of Pokémon games released, and is described by some to be a "{{wp|reboot (fiction)|resetting}}" of the series.

* Link trades and battles are made possible between Japanese and international releases due to the use of a worldwide character set. Due to the fact that online trading was introduced only in Generation IV, however, most are not made aware of this.

====Starter Pokémon====

Like before, the starter trio follows the Grass-Fire-Water alignment, with new Pokémon {{p|Treecko}}, {{p|Torchic}}, and {{p|Mudkip}} being the three Pokémon the player has to choose from to save [[Professor Birch]] from a wild {{p|Poochyena}} ({{p|Zigzagoon}} in {{v2|Emerald}}) at the start of the game.

{{gldrb2|type=Water|pic=Spr RS Wallace.png|ldr=Wallace|djap=ミクリ|drm=Mikuri ^{[[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions|{{color|{{ruby color}}|R}}{{color|{{sapphire color}}|S}}]]}|loc=Sootopolis City|cjap=ルネシティ|crm=Rune City|bdg=Rain|pic2=Spr E Juan.png|ldr2=Juan|djap2=アダン|drm2=Adan ^{[[Pokémon Emerald Version|{{color|{{emerald color}}|E}}]]}}}

====Starter Pokémon====

As the Generation III games taking place in Kanto are remakes of Generation I games, the starters are the same as in that generation; they are the {{type|Grass}} {{p|Bulbasaur}}, the {{type|Fire}} {{p|Charmander}}, and the {{type|Water}} {{p|Squirtle}}.

Like the starter Pokémon, the Kanto Gym Leaders are also the same as they were before, with each giving out a TM for the player to use freely as well as their Badge.

{{gldr|type=Electric|pic=Spr FRLG Lt Surge.png|ldr=Lt. Surge|djap=マチス|drm=Matis|loc=Vermilion City|cjap=クチバシティ|crm=Kuchiba City|bdg=Thunder}}

{{gldr|type=Poison|pic=Spr FRLG Koga.png|ldr=Koga|djap=キョウ|drm=Kyō|loc=Fuchsia City|cjap=セキチクシティ|crm=Sekichiku City|bdg=Soul}}

Sixteen spin-off Pokémon games are based on Generation III: [[Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire]], [[Pokémon Channel]], [[Pokémon Dash]], {{ga|Pokémon Ranger}}, [[Pokémon Trozei!]], [[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team]], [[Pokémon Advanced Generation: I've Begun Hiragana and Katakana!]], [[Pokémon Advanced Generation: Pico for Everyone Pokémon Loud Battle!]], [[Pokémon Advanced Generation: Pokémon Number Battle!]], [[Pokémon Team Turbo]], [[Pokémon Masters Arena]], [[Pokémon Team Rocket Blast Off]], [[Pokémon Poké Ball Launcher]], [[Pokémon Seek & Find]], and [[Pokémate]].

The third generation of Pokémon games were more directed towards nature and relationships. The three starters were collectively more symbolic to their elements than previous starters: {{p|Mudkip}} is based on a fish which thrives only in {{t|Water}}, {{p|Torchic}} is a chick (which, in the real world, needs warmth in order to hatch) holding its {{t|Fire}} internally, and {{p|Treecko}} is a gecko that lives only in forests with {{t|Grass}}. The main antagonists were either [[Team Magma]] and/or [[Team Aqua]] who want to expand the land or sea respectively. Once they awaken one of the Legendary Pokémon {{p|Kyogre}} or {{p|Groudon}}, the world is flooded by rain or dried by drought. It's up to the player to set nature back on course by defeating their version's mascot or capturing it. Hoenn's people are far more attuned to nature than previous regions: [[Fortree City]] is built alongside Pokémon in the trees, while [[Pacifidlog Town]] is built on wooden rafts in the sea atop a {{p|Corsola}} colony, even though Corsola cannot be found there in the games. With {{m|Secret Power}}, a player can make a [[Secret Base]] out of trees, caves, or clumps of grass.

There are far more Pokémon that share relationships with other Pokémon in this generation of games, especially the Legendary Pokémon. The [[Legendary titans]] are an obvious example of this; however, the game mascots all share a relationship as the [[super-ancient Pokémon]]. {{p|Latios}} and {{p|Latias}} are both Eon Pokémon that must be chased around the region. Pokémon such as {{p|Lunatone}}, {{p|Illumise}}, {{p|Plusle}}, and {{p|Wailord}} are related to other Pokémon, namely {{p|Solrock}}, {{p|Volbeat}}, {{p|Minun}}, and {{p|Relicanth}}, in relationships ranging from explicit to loose symbiosis, to intense rivalry in the case of {{p|Zangoose}} and {{p|Seviper}}.

While the opinion of the fandom shifts from time to time, Generation III is notable for drawing the most criticism for the series yet. The sense of a reboot when players were thrust into Hoenn (which excludes 184 of the older 251 Pokémon from availability) with no way to recover their old Pokémon drew ire from some fans. The game also saw a jump in newly introduced Legendary Pokémon, with 10 more introduced, a significant increase from Generation II, which only introduced 6.

Later games improved this, however, with Emerald's return to Hoenn being a welcome addition to the series (and including the first {{Gdis|Battle Frontier|III}} in the series as well). FireRed and LeafGreen brought back nostalgic fans who decided to pass on Hoenn's primary paired versions, as well as bringing new fans to the Kanto region, only previously available in its fullest state on the [[Game Boy]].

* Generation III introduced the most {{Abilities}} to the [[core series]], with 76 (77 if including {{a|Cacophony}}).

* Generation III was the first [[generation]] to:

** Introduce multiple [[Legendary trio]]s (the [[super-ancient Pokémon]] and the [[Legendary titans]]).

** Introduce a pure {{type|Ice}} Pokémon.

** Have version exclusive Gym Leaders. In this case; Wallace and Juan who are the Gym Leaders of Sootopolis City in Ruby, Sapphire; and Emerald respectively.

* Generation III is the only generation in which:

** Both a [[Mom (Hoenn)|mother]] and [[Norman|father]] for the main character and the rival were included.

** Games from the previous generation cannot be communicated with.

** An even number of Abilities (excluding Cacophony) were introduced.

** There are more than one year with no new Pokémon game being released in Japan, with the total being two years (2003 and 2005).

** A spin-off title has received a remake.

** There is an even number of Pokémon in the National Pokédex.

* Generation III is the last generation to introduce a [[starter Pokémon]] that later gained a [[gender difference]].

* Generation III does not introduce any evolved forms of Pokémon from previous generations (a trait shared with generations {{gen|V}} and {{gen|VII}}), with the only cross-generational relatives being [[baby Pokémon]] {{p|Azurill}} and {{p|Wynaut}}.

* Generation III has the largest number of total games, with fifteen.

* Generation III is the longest generation in North America, lasting slightly over four years.