Whether you've played the video games or watched the anime, fans all know that the world of Pokemon is made up of over 800 catchable monsters that span across eight different regions in the main series. Each region is unique in its geographical features, cultures, towns, and Pokemon habitats.
In exploring anywhere from the original Kanto Region to the highly anticipated Galar Region in the upcoming Pokemon Sword & Shield games, trainers like Ash Ketchum have the opportunity to set out on adventures of their own to catch new Pokemon, battle other trainers, and become the very best. Although Ash ultimately won a League Championship in the Alola Region, the other regions he visited are pretty cool, too. Here are all of the regions ranked.
8 Johto
Introduced after the success of the first generation of Pokemon, the Johto Region is a friendly neighbor of the Kanto Region. Similar to how Kanto is modeled after the real-life Kanto Region of Japan, Johto is inspired by Japan's Kansai Region.
More specifically, many of the towns in Johto take after Kyoto's strong cultural presence. Landmarks such as the Bell Tower and Burned Tower greatly resemble Japanese temples and shrines, so it's only natural that they are enriched in culture and history around legendary Pokemon, Lugia and Ho-Oh.
Beyond the cultural aspect, Johto is also famous for peculiar features. In Johto, it is first discovered that people indulge in eating Pokemon, such as Slowpoke Tails. It is also home to the Lake of Rage where an oddly colored red Gyarados can be found.
7 Unova
Unova is a very modern and populous region based on New York. Because of this, it features many scenic bridges, towering skyscrapers, and a unique subway system.
Across the Unova Region, there are three sections of land that are connected by five bridges and an underwater tube. Each of the bridges offers scenic views of Unova's cities and nature, and the Marine Tube allows travelers to walk through an underwater passageway for a unique aquatic experience. At the heart of Unova, there are busy streets and skyscrapers in Castelia City and the famous Battle Subway where the best trainers face off in Nimbasa City.
In slightly less New York fashion, Unova was also home to the former Team Plasma King named N. Although N's Castle ended in ruins after Team Plasma's defeat, it still remains within Victory Road for the occasional visitor to explore.
6 Galar
The Galar Region will be making its official debut in the upcoming Pokemon Sword & Shield games later in 2019, so not as much is known about it yet. However, the information that has been released so far does sound very promising.
Perhaps one of the biggest changes that separate Galar from al the other regions is the new phenomenon of Dynamax. Dynamax is when a Pokemon transforms into a much larger version of itself with stronger power. Some special Pokemon like Corviknight can even go beyond Dynamaxing and instead achieve a rarer Gigantamax form.
In addition, the Galar Region will feature plenty of new Pokemon such as the electric corgi, Yamper, as well as Galarian versions and evolutions of classic Pokemon like Zigzagoon, Weezing, and Farfetch'd.
5 Hoenn
The Hoenn Region is known for having a wide variety of different Pokemon habitats such as volcanoes, deserts, deep seas, jungles, and a meteor cave. The reason for having so many different environments in one region could be due to the legendary Pokemon, Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza, whose powers affect weather and environmental conditions.
Hoenn is also a popular region where competitions beyond the traditional Pokemon battles take place. Many Pokemon Coordinators like May and Dawn prefer to participate with their groomed Pokemon in talent-based Contests. Rather than power and strategy, Contests focus on the style and beauty of how the Coordinators present their Pokemon.
4 Sinnoh
The history and myths of the Sinnoh Region all center around the creation of the Pokemon world, starting with the god-like Pokemon, Arceus. Arceus is said to have created not only the mythical lake guardians and legendary Pokemon of Sinnoh, but also the entire world.
After creating Dialga and Palkia to control and build the foundations of time and space, Arceus then created the lake guardians, Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf. In addition to making up the aspects of living organisms, these lake guardians have watched over three important lakes of Sinnoh: Lake Verity, Lake Acuity, and Lake Valor. A secret lesser-known fourth lake, Sendoff Spring, holds the portal to another dimension known as the Distortion World where the legendary Giratina can be found.
3 Kalos
Two of the biggest discoveries of the Pokemon world came in the Kalos Region. Not only is Kalos known for the origin of Mega Evolution, but also the discovery of a new Pokemon type.
Mega Evolution is said to occur when there is a Key Stone, a Mega Stone, and a strong bond between a Pokemon and its trainer. Because there are only Mega Stones for specific Pokemon species, not all Pokemon have the ability to Mega Evolve. That being said, Mega Evolution greatly enhances a Pokemon's overall power and can be a deciding factor in battle if used correctly.
The new Fairy typing also changed the way Pokemon is understood. With resistance and advantages over the mighty Dragon types, Fairy Pokemon have added another layer of strategy to how trainers battle.
2 Alola
Modeled after a Hawaiian dream vacation, Alola is perhaps one of the most unique regions that goes against the norms of traditional Pokemon Leagues.
While all other regions require trainers to collect gym badges from battling eight different gyms, Alola has replaced gyms with trials. In these trials, trainers will go on different mini-quests, battle an island kahuna, and defeat a Totem Pokemon. Although Totem Pokemon are not commanded by a trainer, they are generally larger and stronger than the average Pokemon. For every trial that is completed, trainers receive a Z-Crystal instead of a gym badge.
In addition, the Alola Region is home to Alolan variants of classic Kanto Pokemon such as Raichu, Exeggutor, and Vulpix. While these Alolan Pokemon resemble and share physical similarities to their Kanto counterparts, they often have different typings and strengths.
1 Kanto
For anyone who has been with Ash since his Pallet Town days, the Kanto Region forever holds a special place in our hearts. As the first ever Pokemon region, Kanto has plenty of nostalgia behind it as well as multiple video game remakes since the release of Pokemon Red & Blue.
Ash Ketchum, who recently became a League Champion, first began his Pokemon journey in Pallet Town of the Kanto Region. There, he said farewell to his mother, met his beloved partner Pikachu, and has since competed in countless battles and championships. But even beyond Ash's adventures, Kanto remains a symbol that marks the beginning of the entire Pokemon franchise.