Pokmon world in relation to the real world

This article contains fan speculation. There is no solid evidence for or against some parts of this article.

The designs of nine of the major Pokémon regions—Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar, and Paldea—are strikingly similar in geography and demographics to regions in the real world, and they are sometimes even officially stated to be based on certain locations. The first four regions are based on smaller regions in Japan, Unova and Alola are based on parts of the United States, Kalos is based on France, Galar is based on the United Kingdom, and Paldea is based on the Iberian Peninsula, consisting in the countries of Spain, Portugal and Andorra.

Among the core series games, it was also confirmed that the inspiration for Orre from Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD, is Phoenix, Arizona in the United States.

In the core series games

Kanto

The Kantō region of Japan (関東地方, Kantō-chihō, meaning "Region East to the Barrier", referring to the east of the Hakone checkpoint) is not only identical in name to Kanto in the Pokémon world, but is also very similar geographically; however, the western part of the game map corresponds to eastern Chūbu (中部地方, Chūbu-chihō, meaning "Central region", also called 中部日本, Chūbu-nihon, that means "Central Japan").

Sevii Islands

The Sevii Islands are based on two archipelagos off the coast of Tokyo: the Izu Islands (伊豆諸島, Izu-shoto, meaning "Izu Archipelago") and the Bonin Islands (小笠原諸島, Ogasawara-shoto, meaning "Ogasawara Archipelago"), both archipelagos are administered by the Tokyo Metropolis (under Japanese law, the prefecture of Tokyo is designated as a to (都), translated as metropolis)

Johto

In Japan, the Kantō region is often contrasted with the Kansai region (関西地方, Kansai-chihō, meaning "Region West to the Tollgate", referring to the regions west to the Osaka Tollgate), also known as Kinki region (近畿地方, Kinki-chihō, meaning "Region Near the Capital", referring to the cities of Nara and Kyoto, Japan former capital cities), which like Johto is to the west. However, Johto is geographically more similar to the Kansai region and the western Chūbu region combined, as well as a small part of eastern Shikoku region (四国地方 Shikoku-chihō, meaning "Region of the Four Provinces", referring to the four historical provinces that made up the island).

Hoenn

Hoenn is based on the southernmost parts of Japan—Kyūshū region (九州地方, Kyūshū-chihō, meaning "Region of the Nine Provinces", referring to the nine historical provinces that made up the island, currently the region is divided in seven prefectures) and surrounding islands (including the Okinawa island), with its main island flipped counter-clockwise ninety degrees with the smaller islands pushed close together and circulating around its southern side.

Sinnoh

Sinnoh has been said to be an island like Hoenn, rather than a peninsula. It is based on the northernmost major island of Japan, Hokkaido (北海道, Hokkaidō, literally "Northern Sea Circuit"), as well as parts of the Kuril Islands (Japanese: 千島列島 Chishima Rettō, meaning "Archipelago of Thousand Islands"; Russian: Кури́льские острова́, Kurilskiye ostrova, Kuril Islands). Kunashir Island (Japanese: 国後島 Kunashiri Tō; Russian: Кунаши́р, "Kunashír"), which is in dispute between Russia and Japan, is also included. The Battle Zone is based on Sakhalin (Japanese: 樺太 Karafuto; Russian: Сахали́н, "Sakhalín"), a Russian island whose southern part was controlled by Japan between 1905 and 1945.

Hisui is the historical name of Sinnoh known during its discovery and settlement. The name change could be a reference to the fact that Ezochi (蝦夷地, Ezochi, meaning "Land of the Ezo" or "Ezo-land", Ezo was the historical exonym that the Japanese used to the Ainu people, the original inhabitants of Hokkaido) was renamed Hokkaido and established as a prefecture after the Meiji Restoration. Therefore, the Hisui region is likely based on Hokkaido in the late Edo and early Meiji when large-scale development and modernization took place. The design of Hisui is heavily inspired by the physical geography of Hokkaido.

Sinnoh

Hisui

Unova

Unova has been said to be significantly distant from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Instead of being based on an area of Japan, Unova is based on New York City as well as parts of northeastern New Jersey and western Long Island. Both New York and New Jersey are part of the United States.

Kalos

Kalos is based on the northern half of Metropolitan France and Alderney, one of the Channel Islands which are self-governing crown dependencies of the United Kingdom.

Alola

Alola is based on Hawaii,[4] one of the states that is a part of the United States.

Galar

Galar is based on the United Kingdom,[5] with the region focusing heavily on the island of Great Britain, flipped upside-down as if being viewed from the north. The main region itself is based mostly on England and Wales, while the Crown Tundra is based on Scotland. The Isle of Armor is based on the Isle of Man, which is a self-governing crown dependency of the United Kingdom.[6][7]

Isle of Armor

The Isle of Man is a crown dependency of the United Kingdom in the middle of the Irish Sea. It is one of the six Celtic Nations along with Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. The island has its unique language (known as Manx Gaelic) and culture, with myths and legends that derive from Celtic mythology. It is also world-famous for its Manx Grand Prix.

Crown Tundra

Paldea

Paldea is based on the Iberian Peninsula — which comprises Spain, Portugal, and Andorra — and its shared culture and fauna. It draws inspiration primarily from the culture of Spain, as can be seen in its gastronomy, musical influences, Pokémon nomenclature, as well as the sporadic use of the Spanish language by the locals of Paldea; however, specific references to Portugal, its architecture and language can also be found, mainly on western locations of Paldea.

Kitakami

The land of Kitakami is inspired by the northeastern region of Japan, the Tōhoku region (東北地方 Tōhoku Chihō, meaning "North East"); particularly Iwate, Akita, and Aomori, the three northernmost prefectures on Honshū. Much like the real-world location, the land of Kitakami itself is well known for its countryside atmosphere as well as its mountains and rice paddles.

The name "Kitakami" may be derived from the real-world river, mountain range, or city in Iwate. Despite this, the terrain of the explorable areas of Kitakami in The Teal Mask is more similar to that of Towada-Hachimantai National Park and neighbouring areas on the borders of the three prefectures.

Real-world locations mentioned

• Prior to Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Lt. Surge was known as "The Lightning American!". In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Pokémon Journal entries state that he "is rumored to have been a pilot while home in America."
• Game Freak's offices are present in the Celadon Condominiums, the equivalent location of their former real-world office in Carrot Tower. Likewise, they have a building in Castelia City, and are found on 22F, the same floor that their former offices were on in Carrot Tower.
• In the Generation I games and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Scientist Taylor in the Silph Co. building mentions an international branch of Silph Co. In English, he states that the Tiksi branch of the company is "in Russian no-man's-land". In the Japanese version, he states that the Ponaya Tunguska (Japanese: ポナヤツングスカ) branch is located "deep in Russia". Ponaya Tunguska appears to be a shortened form of the transliterated name of Podkamennaya Tunguska in Japanese (ポドカメンナヤツングースカ).
• Mew was originally discovered in the jungles of the South American country Guyana. This is mentioned in logs inside of Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Mansion.
• In Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, Webster, the guard in the gate north of Goldenrod City, will give the player a Spearow holding mail to deliver. The Spearow is nicknamed Kenya, the name of a country in Africa.
• In the original Japanese version of FireRed and LeafGreen, Blaine refers to Kyoto.
• Upon defeating Fisherman Bronson in the Sinnoh Battle Tower, he will say, "Why the emperor of fishing? It's an ancient Chinese legend...".
• A Guitarist that can be battled in Generation IV's Battle Frontier mentions that his guitar is actually a Japanese instrument.
• Among the exhibits of the Nacrene museum, there is an African mask, referring to a place in the real world, in addition to being different from other exhibitions, which are related to the history of the Pokémon.
• Articuno, Beartic, Arctozolt, and Arctovish's names are derived from a real-world location, the Arctic.
• Arcanine's Pokémon Yellow, Stadium, Gold, FireRed, and HeartGold Pokédex entries state that it is mentioned in Chinese legends.
• Parasect's Stadium and FireRed Pokédex entries mention that its spores are used in medicine in China.
• Ponyta's Stadium Pokédex entry mentions that it can clear the Eiffel Tower (Tokyo Tower in the original Japanese version) in one leap, and its FireRed entry says that it can clear Ayers Rock in one leap.
• Poliwrath's Gold, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, Black, White, Black 2, White 2 and X Pokédex entries mention its ability to swim the Pacific Ocean. Also, the direction of a Poliwrath's spirals depends on its geographical location. In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it instead refers to "the ocean".
• Xatu's Silver, FireRed, and SoulSilver Pokédex entries mention that South Americans say that it can see both the future and past.
• Delibird's Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald Pokédex entries explain that a Delibird helped a famous explorer reach the top of Mt. Everest. In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it instead refers to "world's highest mountain," which is what Mt. Everest is to Earth.
• Regice's Emerald Pokédex entry mentions Antarctic ice.
• Galarian Meowth are implied to have been raised by Vikings in ancient times, and share many similarities with them.

Real-world people and cultures mentioned

• Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are explicitly named after martial artists Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, respectively. In other languages where their names are different, those names are likewise derived from real people.
• Snorlax's design and Japanese name Kabigon are derived from Game Freak programmer Kōji Nishino and his nickname of "Kirby" (Japanese: カービィ Kābī), which in turn is derived from the video game character of the same name.[9] This is referenced in Black 2 and White 2, in which Nishino appears as a battleable NPC and his highest-leveled Pokémon is Snorlax.
• The core series games have featured staff members of Game Freak that typically reward the player for completing the National Pokédex, or occasionally through alternative methods. Shigeki Morimoto can be battled in the Generation V, VII, and VIII games; in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, he is fought in a Double Battle that also features director Kazumasa Iwao.
• NPCs in the core series games are regularly named after real-world people.
  • Johto Route 35, Connecting Cave, Hau'oli Cemetery, and Viridian Forest (in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!) each contain a Trainer whose Japanese name is Ikue (in the latter two cases, this name was preserved in other languages as well) and who uses a Pikachu. Ikue Otani is the voice actress for Ash's Pikachu.
  • Alola Route 5 contains a Double Battle against trainers named Isa and Nico, named in honor of the daughters of Eric Medalle, a Pokémon creative director who was killed in an accident during the time Pokémon Sun and Moon were in development.[10]
  • In Pokémon Sword and Shield, an Artist NPC named Kapoor can trade with the player, a reference to British artist Anish Kapoor.
  • In Pokémon Crystal, several Trainers in the Battle Tower are references to people involved in the creation of the game.[11]
    • Guitarist Masuda is a reference to Junichi Masuda, Crystal's music director.
    • Bug Catcher Tajiri is a reference to Pokémon's creator, Satoshi Tajiri, and his childhood fixation with bug catching.
    • Scientist Mori is a reference to Akito Mori, who is listed under "special thanks" in Crystal.
    • Teacher Kawakami is a reference to Naoko Kawakami, who is listed under "special thanks" in Crystal.
• In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, a Team Rocket Grunt mentions the hula dance to a Kimono Girl while in the Kimono Dance Theater.
• In Pokémon Black and White, six of the Seven Sages quote proverbs from several Chinese philosophers.
  • Zinzolin quotes a proverb from Mencius and a line from Tao Te Ching at N's Castle.
  • Gorm quotes a proverb from Sun Tzu's The Art of War in Pinwheel Forest, and a line from both The Analects and Huainanzi at N's Castle.
  • Bronius quotes another line from Tao Te Ching at N's Castle.
  • Giallo quotes another line from Mencius at N's Castle.
  • In the Japanese version, Ryoku quotes a line from Zhuangzi at N's Castle. In both versions, he also quotes a proverb by Song Dynasty philosopher Hu Yin at N's Castle.
  • Rood quotes another proverb from the Analects and made a reference to a Chinese idiom at N's Castle.
• In Black, White, Black 2, and White 2, the woman in Mistralton City who normally gives a Heart Scale in exchange for ten Sweet Hearts will trade a Heart Scale for only five Sweet Hearts on Valentine's Day and White Day.
• Archeops's name is possibly derived from Cheops, the Greek name for Egyptian pharaoh Khufu.

Other references to the real world

In the side series games

Orre

Orre is based on Phoenix, Arizona, United States.[12] Many areas in Orre bear similarities to other locations in Arizona and northern Mexico as well, though it's not confirmed if these are intentional references.

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Ranger series

Fiore

Fiore appears to be based on Okayama and Hyōgo Prefectures, as well as Shōdo Island in Kagawa Prefecture, in Japan.

Almia

Almia appears to be based on Oshima and Hiyama Subprefectures within the Oshima Peninsula in Hokkaido and the very northern part of Honshu in Japan.

Oblivia

Oblivia may be based on the Oki Islands in Shimane Prefecture.

New Pokémon Snap

Lental

Lental may be based on the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. The Galápagos Islands have a notable variety of endemic species and have been historically important to ecological research, due to the different island's distinct environment and wildlife, most famously in the Second voyage of HMS Beagle. Lental's islands seem to exaggerate this distinctiveness, presenting several very distinct environments in just a small selection of islands.

Pokkén Tournament

Ferrum

Ferrum may be based on Iriomote Island, the largest of the Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It seems to have had some of its islands brought closer into the mainland, and also submerged and merged parts of the geography. Alternatively, it may also be derived from Sardinia as some of the landscape and architecture have similar features.

In the TCG

The TCG is home to a few specific regions, which are more loosely based than the game regions seem to be, opting instead to provide an overall impression of a real world region. Nonetheless, their motifs and inspirations still seem somewhat coherent to real world geography, and like the games, use artistic licence to produce art for the sets that provides an overall story to the visuals.

Puzzle Continent

The e-card sets, such as Aquapolis and Skyridge are constituted of four Japanese sets which included promotional material revealing the Puzzle Continent as their setting. Judging by the overall appearance and several other factors, such as geographical features and certain relics and motifs, the continent could be said to be an amalgamated South America, which has either been condensed and rearranged, or not represented to scale on the map. Much of the continent seems to be centred around the Andean States, as the map points north from what looks to be a small peninsula, potentially based on the Tierra del Fuego. Material released on the topic does claim that the map is a work of imagination on the part of its creator.

Holon

The Delta Species based sets surrounding areas might be based in South East Asia, perhaps specifically the Philippines, as some of the motifs, backgrounds and aesthetics seem to indicate this as an inspiration. Whilst certain regions can be seen as likely allusions to real places, trying to identify specific locations is less clear cut.

Real-world locations mentioned

• In the TCG Secret Mission (Gym Heroes 118) card, the map in the background shows German occupied Poland during World War II: Warsaw is located right above Raichu's right ear, Białystok and Brest-Litowsk behind Lt. Surge, and the Silesian Border between Andreashütte and Festenberg right below Raichu's binoculars. The rivers Weichsel, Narew and Bug are also depicted.
• In the TCG Lucky Stadium (Neo Destiny 100) card, there is a promotional New York City print with a Pichu and a Pikachu flying on a Charizard in New York City, with the Empire State Building visible in the background.

In the anime

Landscapes

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Missing notes

While the above locations are meant to correspond to the different regions around the real-life world, great liberties were taken with the design of their landscapes. Some of the designers have admitted to drawing inspiration from real-world locations outside their stated real-world counterparts, especially with locations depicted in Pokémon movies.

Pokémon world		Inspiration		Notes
	Porta Vista	Acapulco	Guerrero, Mexico
	Neon Town	Las Vegas	Nevada, United States
	Hollywood	Hollywood, Los Angeles	California, United States
	Pummelo Island	Oban	Argyll and Bute, Scotland	Both are resort towns in an island, the houses of Pummelo had the same English architecture of Oban. The Pummelo Stadium is modeled after the McCaig's Tower, a folly colosseum in a hill of the city.
	Big Town	Boston	Massachusetts, United States
	Whitestone	Ostuni	Apulia, Italy	The white façade of Whitestone's buildings is reminiscent of the medieval town of Ostuni. Domed buildings in the background draw inspiration from Byzantine architecture, and flat-roofed structures mirror those of the city's real-world counterpart.
	Devon Corporation	Toronto City Hall	Ontario, Canada	In the anime, the Devon Corporation largely resembles the Toronto City Hall, the seats of the Toronto Municipal Government.
	Sootopolis City	Santorini	Greece	Like its name suggests, Sootopolis City was created in the wake of a volcanic eruption (per Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald). Similarly, Santorini, Greece, was formed as a result of the Minoan eruption, which left a large caldera that filled with water and became the current bay in the center of the island of Santorini (Thera). Both cities boast landscapes dotted with vivid blue domed roofs.
	Solaceon Ruins	Ziggurat of Ur	Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq
	Area 28	Area 51	Nevada, United States
	Odyssey Village	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
	Kalos Canyon	Grand Canyon	Arizona, United States
	Fleurrh City showcase theater	Metz and the Pompidou	Grand Est, France	The modernist and undulating design of the theater could be based on that of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, which also operates as a theater and show room.
	Anistar Gym	Fusion between the Observatory of Strasbourg and the Strasbourg Mosque	Strasbourg, France
	Gloire City	Menthon-Saint-Bernard	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France	A coastal city located on Lake Annecy, famous for its medieval Château perched above on a 660-foot-tall rock.
	Eclipse Castle	Hikone Castle	Shiga Prefecture, Japan
	Mega Island	Grand Bé and Petit Bé	Brittany, France	The first island is located on the outskirts of Saint-Malo but not as far out to sea as in the anime, Petit Bé houses a fort from the year 1667, which may inspire the structures of the Mega Island.
	Tetsuron Town	Hamilton	Ontario, Canada	Like Tetsuron Town which is an industrial town that sells industrial and contruction products, industrial plants in Hamilton also produces parts like for automotive, construction, infrastructure, agriculture, appliance, manufacturing and pipe and tube industries.

In the movies