Distortion World
The Distortion World (Japanese: やぶれたせかい Torn World) is a dimension on the other side of the Pokémon world where time doesn't flow and space isn't stable. It is also the homeworld of the Legendary Pokémon Giratina after it was banished by its creator, Arceus. Both the Pokémon world and the Distortion World must be balancing each other to remain in existence.
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| Location: | On the other side of the Pokémon world | |||
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| Region: | None | |||
| Generations: | IV | |||
 Location of Distortion World in Sinnoh. | ||||
| Pokémon world locations | ||||
History
Background
At the start of the Pokémon universe, due to Giratina's violent nature, its creator, the Mythical Pokémon Arceus, banished it to the Distortion World, which became its home from then on.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
While the Distortion World does not appear in the game, Giratina emerges from there through a dimensional rift at the Temple of Sinnoh during Mission 26: "Seeking the Remaining Plates" when summoned by Volo. After Giratina is defeated by the player, it flees, returning to its dimension. Later, during Request 91: "On the Trail of Giratina", Giratina reappears in Turnback Cave from another rift, where it can be battled again and caught by the player.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
While the Distortion World does not appear in the games, it is mentioned as a peculiar scenery stretching beyond a gap in the sky found as the player soars in the sky. Giratina can be found within this gap.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
While the Distortion World does not appear in the games, a similar area can be set up in Ramanas Park called the "Distortion Room", which plays a similar role of battling Giratina in its Origin Forme and obtaining the Griseous Orb. However, as Giratina is caught in Turnback Cave, the one that appears here is in a shadow-based form, signifying that it cannot be caught. It will only reveal its true form after the battle, which also flips the area upside down.
Pokémon Platinum
When the player reaches Spear Pillar at the top of Mount Coronet to stop Team Galactic, and the lake guardians fail to stop Team Galactic's control over Dialga and Palkia, Giratina appears from the Distortion World and swoops on Cyrus to stop him from destroying both worlds. After Cyrus is taken away by Giratina, the player and Cynthia follow them and navigate the new world with the help of the lake guardians. The Pokémon will guide the player in the Strength puzzle. There, the player battles with Cyrus once again and later battles Giratina as well. Cyrus also remains in the Distortion World, vowing to create his spiritless world.
Geography
The Distortion World is said to be another universe or world parallel to the Pokémon world. Two gateways to it have been known to exist: one opened at the top of Mount Coronet on the Spear Pillar, and the one present in Turnback Cave.
More of the 3D capabilities of the DS are utilized in the Distortion World than elsewhere in Sinnoh. It is a dark place with platforms floating at many different angles. The world disobeys the normal laws of physics, creating an effect similar to the art of M. C. Escher. Time is said to not flow, and spatial relations are shown to be irregular, allowing the player to walk and Surf on walls in any direction. Trees and rocks can simply grow out of the ground and then disappear. The player is able to go up a waterfall without having the move Waterfall or the Beacon Badge. This is possibly due to the fact that gravity is not normal in this world; therefore, no extra effort is needed by the Pokémon to climb the waterfall. Also, given how the player appears to be "surfing" on the waterfall's surface, it may be that the waterfall isn't being "climbed" at all. The only Pokémon known to inhabit the Distortion World is Giratina. Therefore, fishing has no results here, showing up with a message that there seems to be no Pokémon in this water.
The world's rust-colored landmass is separated into tiny islands. Trees are spiky and incredibly tall, much like giant kelp. Beneath the floating land, there is a spinning whirlpool of spatial clouds.
In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, when Professor Laventon comes across Giratina's Origin Forme, he notes in its Pokédex entry that Giratina has no legs, and thus he speculates Giratina "[hails] from a world where the heavens and the earth are as one" (referencing the floating distorted islands and landmasses). Volo, at one point, also mentions that Giratina dwells in "a world on the reverse side of our own".
Cynthia and Cyrus theorize that this world was created by Giratina as a balance for the Pokémon world, meaning one cannot exist without the other.
Items
| Item | Location | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Griseous Orb | Accessible via the Turnback Cave entrance | Pt |
Special encounters
An Origin Forme Giratina appears here as part of the story. If defeated or run from, it respawns in Turnback Cave after entering the Hall of Fame.
Trainers
Effects in gameplay
The Distortion World is the only place in which a Pokémon that has used Transform can assume Giratina's Origin Forme in Generation IV. Since in Generation IV only Giratina can hold the Griseous Orb, all Pokémon that transform into an Origin Forme Giratina will immediately become the Altered Forme outside of this area.
Battling Giratina here is the only instance in the Generation IV games where the battle scene does not include a platform graphic underneath the Pokémon.
Although time is said to not flow here, the game clock counting total gameplay time will still add time spent here and events affected by time, such as Eevee's Evolution to Espeon or Umbreon, still occur. In addition, the clock on the Pokétch functions normally.
After defeating Cyrus, the Journal entry for that day reads "Met Distortion World's Cyrus!".
Layout
Spear Pillar
| Version | 1F | B1F | B2F |
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| Platinum | 
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| B3F | B4F | B5F | |
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| B6F | B7F | B7F Giratina's Area | |
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Turnback Cave
| Version | Map |
|---|---|
| Platinum | 
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Music
| Games | Situation | Song name (Japanese) | Song name (English) | Composition | Arrangement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pt | Overworld | やぶれたせかい | Distortion World | Hitomi Sato | Hitomi Sato |
| When battling Cyrus | 戦闘！ギンガ団ボス | Battle! (Team Galactic Boss) | Junichi Masuda | Junichi Masuda | |
| After defeating Cyrus | ギンガ団に勝利！ | Victory! (Team Galactic) | Go Ichinose | Hitomi Sato | |
| When battling Giratina | 戦闘！ギラティナ | Battle! (Giratina) | Junichi Masuda | Go Ichinose |
In animation
Pokémon the Series
Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
- Main article: Reverse World
A counterpart to the Distortion World, the Reverse World, was featured in the movie Giratina and the Sky Warrior.
Pokémon Generations
The Distortion World appeared in The New World, where Cyrus was taken there by Giratina after his failed attempt to control Dialga and Palkia at the Spear Pillar. Cyrus realized that the Distortion World was like the emotionless world he had attempted to create, thus he decided to stay there. He sent an audio message to Saturn, telling him to not come looking for him.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Diamond & Pearl arc
In Stunning Staravia & Stinky Skuntank II, Saturn used an experimental energy cannon to transport Paka and Uji to another dimension, this dimension later being revealed to be the Distortion World.
In Double Trouble with Dialga and Palkia VI, Charon revealed that the black hole created by Dialga and Palkia's battle at the Spear Pillar was not the seed of a new universe, like Cyrus and everyone else had assumed, but a portal to another world. As Byron snatched the machine that Charon had been holding and brought it closer to the portal while doing so, a group of draconic tentacles reached out of the portal, snatched Dialga, Palkia, and Cyrus, and pulled them inside.
Platinum arc
During this arc, Platinum challenged the Battle Frontier in order to learn more about the Distortion World from the Frontier Brains, hoping to rescue Paka and Uji from there. Accompanying her in her research was Looker from the International Police, who discovered that Charon was planning an assault on the Distortion World using the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon of Sinnoh.
Eventually the Sinnoh Pokédex holders, Team Galactic Commanders, Stat Trainers, and Palmer entered the Distortion World in order to fight Charon and rescue the people trapped in there. Volkner and Flint entered the Distortion World as well, although they were only interested in battling Giratina. Eventually, everybody exited the Distortion World through a portal created by Giratina at Sunyshore City.
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire arc
In PS614, it was revealed that Archie and Maxie's spirits had wound up in the Distortion World after their respective deaths in the Emerald arc. There their spirits had merged, and during the events of the HeartGold & SoulSilver arc, they had been pulled back to the real world at the Ruins of Alph in order to help save the Hoenn region from an upcoming disaster.
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!
The Distortion World was first mentioned in A Surprise Visit from Hareta's Father!, where it was revealed that Charon was seeking Kaisei due to his knowledge of it.
In Enter the Distortion World!, Charon entered the Distortion World with Kaisei after learning from him how to get there through Turnback Cave, followed by Hareta, Koya, and Jun. However, Giratina proved too strong for Charon to capture, and it started attacking everyone, with Hareta leading everyone into a battle against the Renegade Pokémon. While Giratina proved to be too strong for them as well, Hareta was happy to see Giratina having fun in an all-out battle. In Hareta's Fierce Battle!, Giratina transported everyone and itself to the real world to continue the battle.
Trivia
- Oddly, the "upside-down" surfing speed in the Distortion World is the same surfing speed as in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which is different in every other area in Pokémon Platinum, where the surfing speed is faster.
- In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the Lost Zone, introduced in the Platinum expansion, is associated with Giratina, much like the Distortion World.
Origin
In interviews Junichi Masuda and Takeshi Kawachimaru did for G4, it was revealed that Giratina and the Distortion World are personifications of antimatter.[1] The Distortion World's antimatter affects the real world's matter and vice versa, though they mentioned that antimatter is more fragile than matter.
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 毀壞的世界 Wáiwaaih dīk Saigaai * 反傳統世界 Fáan Chyùhntúng Saigaai * |
| Mandarin | 毀壞的世界 / 毁坏的世界 Huǐhuài de Shìjiè * 崩潰的世界 Bēngkuì de Shìjiè * 破格的世界 Pògé de Shìjiè * 反轉世界 Fǎnzhuǎn Shìjiè * | |
| French | Monde Distorsion | |
| German | Zerrwelt | |
| Indonesian | Dunia Distorsi | |
| Italian | Mondo Distorto | |
| Korean | 깨어진세계 Kkaeeojin Segye | |
| Malaysian | Dunia Herot-Benyot | |
| Polish | Zniekształcony Świat | |
| Portuguese | Brazil | Mundo da Distorção* Mundo Distorcido |
| Portugal | Mundo Distorcido | |
| Romanian | Lumea Deformată | |
| Spanish | Mundo Distorsión | |
| Thai | โลกที่ถูกทำลาย Lok Thithukthamlai | |
| Vietnamese | Thế giới hỗn mang | |
References
Related articles
| Game locations of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This article is part of Project Locations, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world. |