Pokémonis one of the largest and most recognized media brands in the world. Through video games, trading cards, and long-running anime, the series transports fans into a vast world inhabited by creatures called Pokémon, characterized by their monstrous appearances and their ability to wield powerful elemental forces. Fortunately, these creatures live alongside humans as friends.
Each main game of the franchise, and the seasons of the anime based on those games, takes place in a unique region of the Pokémon World. These isolated continents are based on real-world locations: the first four were based on regions of Japan, while later ones drew from other cultures. This gives each region a unique cultural identity that, combined with the native Pokémon and villainous teams, leads fans to gravitate toward one or another.This list will rank all nine Pokémon regions so far, taking into consideration the Pokémon available, the landmarks and cities, and the games and anime episodes tied to each one.
From ‘Pokémon Sword & Shield,’ ‘The Isle of Armor,’ and ‘The Crown Tundra’
Based on the United Kingdom,Galar breaks the convention for Pokémon regionsby being a vertical landmass explored with a bottom-to-top approach. The culture of Galar takes Pokémon battles to the next level, treating them likehigh-stakes sports events in massive stadiums. Thanks to a substance called Galar particles produced by the legendary Pokémon Eternatus, certain locations in Galar allow Pokémon to temporarily grow to massive size through the processes of Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing.
Unfortunately,exploring Galar is a lot less interesting than it sounds: the routes are very linear, with little to no incentive for exploration, and the more open spaces, such as its Wild Area, are surprisingly bare. Galar does have someinteresting mythology regarding Eternatusin an event called the Darkest Day, but compared to other regions, the information is poorly distributed and, in places, feels repetitive. Still, some of the Pokémon have fun designs, such as Toxtricity, a Poison-Electric type, and Obstagoon, a Normal-Dark type, both of whomplay into British punk-rock culture.
From ‘Pokémon Sun & Moon’ and ‘Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon’
Based on Hawaii, the Alola region comprises four islands: Melemele, Akala, Ula’ula, and Poni, each of which is watched over by one of four guardian spirits called Tapu.Tradition is important to Alola: it is the only region that forgoes the usual gym challenges, instead pitting trainers against giant Totem Pokémon and the Island Kahunas to acquire Z-Crystals, which allow their Pokémon to unleash devastating special attacks. Alola alsodelves into the idea of a Pokémon multiverse, with alien-like Ultra Beasts regularly breaching into the region from other dimensions to cause havoc.
Alola’s worldbuilding is very good, especially through its environmental message. It was the first region tointroduce regional variants of old Pokémonthat have adapted to a new region, such as Alolan Rattata being Dark-type and only coming out at night to avoid predators. Sadly, Alola suffers in a few places, such as holdovers from Kalos being planted onto it and its focus on the multiverse, sometimes leading toreaching too high but falling short.
From ‘Pokémon Scarlet & Violet,’ ‘The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero,’ ‘The Teal Mask,’ and ‘The Indigo Disk’
The most recent Pokémon region, Paldea, isinspired by the countries on the Iberian Peninsula. It’s a region based around the massive Great Crater of Paldea, from which originate numerous strange anomalies linked to the past and future. Prospective Pokémon trainers enrolled in one of Paldea’s two academies are sent around the region on a treasure hunt to make strong memories with their friends and Pokémon by exploring the region, battling gyms, andunlocking the mysteries of Terastrilization, which can temporarily change a Pokémon’s type.
Paldea wasthe franchise’s first main series game to be open-world, and while it’s exciting to be able to travel wherever you want, the fact that enemies don’t scale with your level means that they’re still expected to be tackled in a certain order.The towns are also very barren, which makes it hard to connect with the people of Paldea and its culture. Where it succeeds is the storytelling, especially regarding the mystery of the Great Crater and the origins of the past and future Pokémon, referred to as Paradox Pokémon.
From ‘Pokémon Gold, Silver, & Crystal,’ and ‘Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver’
Divided from its neighboring region, Kanto, by a mountain range, Johto’s landscape is more rural, and it feels like it lives in harmony with nature. Many of its cities have myths and legends tied to them, with the most famous being the Brass Tower, which once served as the roost for the legendary bird, Lugia. After being struck by lightning, burned down, and put out in a rainstorm, three Pokémon who perished within were reborn by the phoenix-like Ho-oh as the legendary beasts Raikou, Entei, and Suicune.
Johto succeeds best through these little moments of worldbuildingand the overall casual feeling of strolling through the woods one feels when walking along its routes. This casual feeling extends to some of the activities one can do in Johto, such as the Bug Catching Contest, where trainers compete to see who can catch the best Bug-type Pokémon on certain days of the week.Johto also has some unique Pokémon, although it’s not an overstatement to say the overall Pokédex is a bit of a letdown. Unfortunately, Johto isheld back due to its dependency on Kanto: most of the main story is just a continuation of the Kanto story, andthe region is much smallerthan others because you can return to Kanto in the post-game.
From ‘Pokémon X & Y’
Inspired by France, the Kalos region is shaped by an ancient Pokémon war, which prompted its king to build the Ultimate Weapon, capable of bringing Pokémon back from the dead or spreading mass destruction. In modern-day,Kalos focuses on its beauty, with many cultural sights, pleasant cafés, and clothing boutiques spread across the region. However, hidden away in the wild are the deer-like Xerneas and the eagle-like Yveltal, two Pokémon with the terrifying power to give and take life should they awaken from their slumber.
Kalos is held back due to many of itslocations and characters feeling half-bakedin the main games and being the one region devoid of a sequel game. Still, the regionoffers a lot in terms of worldbuilding, which the anime utilized to great effect in its much-beloved XY arc, and terrific Pokémon designs that play on the region’s love of beauty andintroduction of the Fairy-type. Kalos also introducedthe powerful mechanic of Mega Evolution, where the strong bond between humans and Pokémon can allow certain species to temporarily unlock new powers in battle.
From ‘Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, & Yellow,’ ‘Pokémon Gold, Silver, & Crystal,’ ‘Pokémon Fire Red & Leaf Green,’ ‘Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver,’ and ‘Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Let’s Go, Eevee!’
The region that started it all, Kanto, is noted for its high levels of urbanization, especially compared to neighboring Johto. That’s not to say that the region doesn’t have its beauty spots: lush forests, sprawling grasslands, and large mountains break up the large cities and are home to all manner of Pokémon. However, the region isn’t completely ideal, as in the shadows, the wicked Team Rocket seeks to use Pokémon to expand their criminal empire.
Compared to the regions that followed,Kanto feels barren in terms of content, but that’s what comes with being the first in a very creative series.The original 150 Pokémon of Kanto remain the most iconicthanks to their simple andinstantly recognizable designs, which is a testament to the skills of designerKen Sugimori.Kanto also remainswell-loved due to its simplicity: there’s no grand scheme to destroy the world, just the Pokémon mafia trying to increase their local power, allowing trainers to focus more on their journey through the region.
From ‘Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald,’ and ‘Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire’
Befitting the first region featured on the Gameboy Advanced, Hoenn is a beautiful regiondominated by vibrant colors and a lush, tropical climate. It is a region divided between the sea and land, reflected in its legendaries, Groudon and Kyogre. These ancient behemoths are kept in check by themighty and badass dragon Pokémon Rayquaza, but in modern times, the actions of the rival eco-terrorists, Team Aqua and Magma, threaten to awaken them and plunge Hoenn into chaos.
Hoenn gets some criticism due to how much of the region is dominated by water, but itexcels in immersion, worldbuilding, and its native Pokémon. The region perfectly captures its environmentalist themes, with memorable locations such as Fortree City, built atop tall trees with rope bridges, and Pacifidlog Town, which floats on the ocean close to Rayquaza’s resting place, Sky Pillar. It was also the first region tointroduce Pokémon Contests, giving trainers the chance to show off their Pokémon’s beauty and performative skills rather than battle prowess.
From ‘Pokémon Black & White,’ ‘Pokémon Black 2 & White 2,’ and ‘The Indigo Disk’
Unova was the first main series region not to be based on Japan, instead drawinginspiration from the United States of America. The region isheavily urbanized compared to others, with sprawling cities, massive bridges, amusement parks, and large sports stadiums. Trainers also have various activities they can do beyond battling, such as dressing their Pokémon up to perform in musicals or even star in films produced by Pokéstar Studios.
Unova wasa massive shakeup for the franchise: its Pokédex initially had no returning Pokémon untilPokémon Black 2 & White 2,and it put heavy emphasis on its story, which saw the villainous Team Plasma attempt to take over Unova in the name of Pokémon liberation. Then there is the legendary trio, all of whom came from an original dragon who split into three parts when Unova descended into civil war. These are Reshiram and Zekrom, who lie dormant until a hero who represents truth or ideals awakens them, and Kyurem, an ice-covered dragon who represents emptiness and attacks anyone who ventures into its frozen lair.
From ‘Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum,’ ‘Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl,’ and ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’
Once known as the Hisuian region in the ancient past, Sinnoh isa land where myths and legends become reality. It is divided in half by Mount Coronet, resulting in a wide array of habitats, Pokémon, and even city designs based on which half of the region they find themselves in. Many of Sinnoh’s ancient myths talk about the cosmology of the Pokémon world, right up to the very God of Pokémon itself, Arceus.
Sinnoh is the region thatoffers the most in terms of worldbuilding, constantly inviting trainers to re-explore it and learn something new that they may have overlooked the first time around. Many of itsPokémon designs are creative and evocative, such as the Aura-seeing jackal, Lucario, a duo of legendaries who control dreams and nightmares, and its main trio of dragons who represent time, space, and antimatter. Befitting the region’s mighty legendaries, the villainous Team Galactic has perhaps the most ambitious plan in the franchise: to destroy the Pokémon universe and create an entirely new one to the machinations oftheir villainous and scary leader, Cyrus.
