Regions of the Pokémon World pt. 1: Kanto and Johto

If you poke around Pokémon websites a lot like I do, you'll eventually find out something very interesting. The different parts of the Pokémon world are based on certain parts of the real world. Most of it thus far has been based on Japan, which isn't too surprising since Nintendo and Game Freak are both Japanese companies. Some parts of the U.S. have been included as well. But these places' Pokémon counterparts aren't exactly like the world we live in. Obviously, there aren't brightly-colored creatures with magical powers running around, but there are also liberties taken with the landscape and relative locations of cities and landmarks to make the area more interesting and easy for the player to navigate.

For the next few posts, I'll be describing the regions of the main series of games. I'll talk a little bit about their aesthetics, major landmarks, and maybe some of the local wildlife. After that, I'll pick out the regions that I'd most like to live in if they existed.

First up is Kanto, featured in Generation I: Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow versions. This is probably the region that the most people familiar with Pokémon will recognize, as it was the only region in the series at the point where Pokémon was experiencing its initial popularity boom around the world. It's also the only region that is explicitly named after its real-life counterpart; the region of Japan that contains Tokyo is actually named Kanto.

Pallet Town

The first place in Kanto you see is Pallet Town, the home of Ash Ketchum in the animé and whatever you decide to name the player character in the games. Like the future hometowns of the main characters of the series, it's a small, peaceful, cozy, nondescript town that also happens to be the home of a prominent Pokémon researcher. What mostly stands out about Pallet Town compared to the other hometowns of the series is its real-life counterpart. It's actually based on series creator Satoshi Tajiri's childhood hometown of Machida.

After leaving Pallet, players explore the rest of the Kanto region seeking to complete the Pokémon League Gym Challenge. The region itself is mostly a mix of forested, mountainous, and urban areas. Admittedly, it's a bit bare-bones in terms of aesthetic flavor compared to the other regions, as most of the different cities look very similar in the games from the first three generations. This is understandable, since this is the first region that was made, and the hardware of the original Game Boy couldn't really produce more than one or a few different kinds of sprites for buildings and landmarks. However, it does make the regions that were made later on a bit more exciting to explore. Fortunately, in the anime and in HeartGold and SoulSilver, most of the different cities each have their own unique aesthetic, which addresses this issue well enough for me.

Cinnabar Island

Saffron City

Most of the cities in Kanto are based more on prefectures than specific cities in Japan. The metropolitan area of Tokyo is represented by two cities. Celadon and Saffron each represent a different district of the city. Meanwhile, Cinnabar Island is based on an island off the coast of Tokyo that has an active volcano. An appropriate environment for the Fire-type specialist Gym Leader, at least until the volcano erupts (which it does between the time Generations I and II take place, unfortunately -- there have probably been better places to build towns).

Overall, I find Kanto has a nostalgic feel that hearkens back to the early years of Pokémon. But at the same time, it could have used a little local flavor to help it stand out. That being said, it seems to have a nice, mild climate and a selection of Pokémon that I like, with a few that I'm curious to try out. Although it's not my absolute most favorite region out of the five in the main series, I think it would be a decent place to live if it existed.

Next up is Johto, featured in Generation II: Gold, Silver, and Crystal versions. It's based on the Kansai region in southwestern Japan. It also includes parts of the Chubu region, which lies between Kansai and Kanto. Thus, Kansai and Kanto aren't quite right next door to each other in real life. However, in the Pokémon world, Kanto and Johto are only separated by a narrow mountain range. The two regions are very closely intertwined, even sharing the same Pokémon League, whose headquarters is on the Indigo Plateau.

Ecruteak City

Johto has a bit of a different feel from Kanto. There seems to be more of a traditional Japanese flavor in some of the cities, especially in Violet City (based on Nara), Azalea Town, and Ecruteak City (based on the former imperial capital, Kyoto). Some of the building designs in these towns wouldn't seem out of place in a martial arts or samurai movie. Johto also has more in terms of Pokémon myths and legends than Kanto. Johto is home to the wandering Legendary Beasts Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. The rainbow phoenix Ho-Oh is said to have lived at the top of the Bell Tower (or Tin Tower as it used to be known) in Ecruteak City. The guardian of the seas, Lugia, rests deep in the waters of the Whirl Islands off the western coast of the mainland. And there's also a small, out-of-the-way shrine to Celebi, the elusive time-traveling guardian of the world's forests.

Whirl Islands

Goldenrod City

However, Johto also has a few things in common with Kanto. The two regions' wildlife is very similar; both regions have a selection of the first 251 Pokémon in the series. While more of the last 100 of these Pokémon appear in Johto, many of the first 151 appear in both Johto and Kanto. Johto also has a major metropolis in the center, Goldenrod City (based on Osaka), which is similar to Celadon and Saffron. In addition, most of its natural environments are forests and mountains. But Johto's mountains and the caves inside them seem more prominent than the ones in Kanto, perhaps simply because there are more of them.

I think Johto would be a very nice place to live in the Pokémon world. It has a pretty mild climate, a good selection of Pokémon that I like, and a good amount of local flavor to it. While I still like Kanto quite a bit, if I was given the choice between these two regions, I'd prefer to live in Johto. But either way, I'd be able to visit both regions easily.

Whew, that was a long one! Come back next time for Hoenn and Sinnoh. Have a nice day, and good luck catchin' 'em all!

UPDATE: Upon further reflection, I realized that the original version of this post didn't accurately reflect my opinions. My opinion of Kanto is actually fairly more favorable than the original post would suggest. I have also taken into account the hardware limitations of the Game Boy. I would like to apologize for this and will make an effort to think my future posts through a little better.

(all images provided by Bulbapedia)