Pokémon You Frequently Associate With A Region It Isn't From

:tentacruel:
I associate this with sinnoh more as I’ve not played gen 3 in ages and gen 4 was my most played games so I often associate the constant attack of tentacruels in the sea with gen 4, still stupid ik since it’s also everywhere in gen 3.
 

Celever

i am town
is a Community Contributor
:tentacruel:
I associate this with sinnoh more as I’ve not played gen 3 in ages and gen 4 was my most played games so I often associate the constant attack of tentacruels in the sea with gen 4, still stupid ik since it’s also everywhere in gen 3.
Another post in this thread that works on a bunch of levels, since the Tentacool line is actually from Gen I!

But yeah, Gen IV's water encounters are rough. For whatever reason, Gen IV's new Water-Type Pokémon were more land dwelling than anything else. The surfing encounters, Tentacool, Pelipper, and Mantine, are Gens I, III and II respectively. Though Sinnoh did add Mantyke which... is only encountered in the same location as Mantine, right at the end of the game. Arguably the most underutilised baby mon ever, since the whole point of them is giving access to evolutionary families earlier in the game.
 
Another post in this thread that works on a bunch of levels, since the Tentacool line is actually from Gen I!

But yeah, Gen IV's water encounters are rough. For whatever reason, Gen IV's new Water-Type Pokémon were more land dwelling than anything else. The surfing encounters, Tentacool, Pelipper, and Mantine, are Gens I, III and II respectively. Though Sinnoh did add Mantyke which... is only encountered in the same location as Mantine, right at the end of the game. Arguably the most underutilised baby mon ever, since the whole point of them is giving access to evolutionary families earlier in the game.
The only way to obtain Mantine in DPPt is by evolving Mantyke. Same goes for BDSP actually, even in the underground only Mantyke appear
 

The Mind Electric

Calming if you look at it right.
Carbink

This is a personal one, but I've always associated Carbink with Alola more than Kalos. Probably because I used one in Sun but never once saw it in a gen 6 game (I'm pretty sure Steven has one in the OR/AS rematch but I didn't fight that). It helps that Carbink shits on some Totem Pokémon in Alola, while I'm not sure what you'd use one for in Kalos since everything shits on everything in those games. Not much of a point in using the wall when ten other readily-available things get the job done way faster.
 
Got another one after playing through BD/SP.

I'm never going to look at this evolution line the same way again.

Why does Team Galactic use so many Wurmples? Did they hear about MikkelDemey's Wurmple solo challenge in Sapphire and decide if it was good enough for a bored player, it was good enough for them? Imagine the Grunts shouting "Release the Wurmples!" as the Bugs slowly inch towards the trainers of Sinnoh.
 

Celever

i am town
is a Community Contributor
Why does Team Galactic use so many Wurmples? Did they hear about MikkelDemey's Wurmple solo challenge in Sapphire and decide if it was good enough for a bored player, it was good enough for them? Imagine the Grunts shouting "Release the Wurmples!" as the Bugs slowly inch towards the trainers of Sinnoh.
The limited number of Poison-Type Pokémon in the Sinnoh Dex. In D/P (and BDSP by extension) Team Galactic is for all intents and purposes a Poison-Type team, primarily owing to the lack of Dark-Type Pokémon in the regional dex. Poison-Type was the most common "evil/enemy" typing, with the Zubat, Stunky, Skorupi (though does a galactic grunt ever use one? the source I found says not) and Croagunk families. They didn't use the Gastly family, but no enemy team has ever used that, since it's an example of a dual-type that most players really only think of as its primary type (Ghost) so it'd feel out of place there. Wurmple got caught up in the mix due to Dustox, and Beautifly itself is an eldritch horror, so I think it's a fun, quirky choice.

Notably, Beautifly's D/P dex entries are the ones that revised Beautifly into the eldritch horror we know it as. R/S make it seem pretty gentle and serene, even suggesting "If you want to see this Pokémon, just leave a potted flower by an open window. Beautifly is sure to come looking for pollen." Emerald notes it can be ferocious but only when angered, while FRLG amplify this by saying "Despite its appearance, it has an aggressive nature. It attacks by jabbing with its long, thin mouth." But that makes sense, it doesn't have much to attack with besides its long, thin mouth.

"It has an aggressive nature. It stabs prey with its long, narrow mouth to drain the prey's fluids."

O-ok Diamond. Jeez. Who hurt you. Pearl even upgrades ferocious when angered or aggressive to "savage".

Beautifly for most compelling villain arc in the series.
 

QuentinQuonce

formerly green_typhlosion
Why does Team Galactic use so many Wurmples? Did they hear about MikkelDemey's Wurmple solo challenge in Sapphire and decide if it was good enough for a bored player, it was good enough for them? Imagine the Grunts shouting "Release the Wurmples!" as the Bugs slowly inch towards the trainers of Sinnoh.
When DP first came out all those long years ago I was a devoted watcher of Marriland's Pokemon Diamond Adventure (they're still on Youtube IIRC, worth a watch imo). There's a grunt with a Silcoon in the Eterna HQ who says "let me test out this Pokemon! I stole it from some weak trainer" before battling you and he loudly comments "well why didn't you steal it from a STRONG trainer? My goodness, what's the matter with you?" and I've always found that so funny.
 

Daylight

angels roll their eyes
is an Artistis a Contributor to Smogon
A2028E3D-7093-4A26-8A9B-DDC0875DF9F9.png

For me, 1000% Espeon (and Umbreon, by extension). The gen 3 games were my first exposure to Pokémon (also probably why so many of my faves—Milotic, Espeon, Gardevoir, Ninetales—were featured prominently then) and Colosseum and XD were two of my very favorite Pokémon experiences. I still think they hold up pretty well tbh. As for Espeon, I think this image says it all…

AA976F1A-178D-45D2-B3FB-65B352772BB8.jpeg
 
If by the region a Pokémon is “from”, you mean the earliest region in which a Pokémon from the same species can be legitimately obtained in the earliest-released game containing said species, then I’m willing to bet that if asked, the vast majority of Pokémon fans would incorrectly identify a Murkrow, Houndour, Houndoom, or Sneasel as being from Johto instead of Kanto.
 

Celever

i am town
is a Community Contributor
If by the region a Pokémon is “from”, you mean the earliest region in which a Pokémon from the same species can be legitimately obtained in the earliest-released game containing said species, then I’m willing to bet that if asked, the vast majority of Pokémon fans would incorrectly identify a Murkrow, Houndour, Houndoom, or Sneasel as being from Johto instead of Kanto.
Region and generation are actually largely interchangeable! Gen I = Kanto; Gen II = Johto; Gen III = Hoenn; Gen IV = Sinnoh; Gen V = Unova; Gen VI = Kalos; Gen VII = Alola, and Gen VIII = Galar. To that end, all of the Pokémon you listed are considered Johto Pokémon, despite being obtainable only in Kanto in their debut generation (Sneasel actually has always been findable in Johto since Mt. Silver is counted as Johto). The idea of the thread was generation-based, not region-based in such specifics.

As my second Pokémon game was Colosseum after Pokémon Blue, all of the gen II and III Pokémon would be Orre-region Pokémon using your definition!
 

QuentinQuonce

formerly green_typhlosion
This thread just reminded me, but in HGSS post game there are 2 new channels you can have on your PokeGear radio, the Hoenn and Sinnoh sounds, which attract Pokemon from each region in various locations..except for one Sinnoh Sound mon, which is the Hoenn-native Meditite, for some reason.
Probably because Meditite is vastly more common in Sinnoh, whereas in Hoenn it's confined to one small area. Still an odd choice, though.
 

bdt2002

Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs superfan
is a Pre-Contributor
View attachment 401943
For me, 1000% Espeon (and Umbreon, by extension). The gen 3 games were my first exposure to Pokémon (also probably why so many of my faves—Milotic, Espeon, Gardevoir, Ninetales—were featured prominently then) and Colosseum and XD were two of my very favorite Pokémon experiences. I still think they hold up pretty well tbh. As for Espeon, I think this image says it all…

View attachment 401945
This doesn't necessarily tie in with your post, but it did remind me of something. That being, how stupidly difficult it is to get your hands on a Shiny Espeon or a Shiny Umbreon in a Generation 3 game. On one hand, Eevee is unavailable in the Hoenn games, and for the purpose of this post, the Colloseum starter duo is also Shiny locked. On the other hand, Eevee can't evolve into Espeon or Umbreon in FRLG. due to mechanics changes from Gen 2. That leaves you with only two options for getting one, and both options go out the window if you don't own a GBA Link Cable or the wireless adaptor.

Anyways... let's get to something that's bothered me for years on end. Preferably, this will bug the crap out of you guys, too, and we can all sit here in disbelief at one of the stupidest decisions Game Freak has ever made with a starter Pokémon.

Why, in the name of all that is holy, is Snivy not the Kalos Grass-Type starter?
:xy/snivy::xy/servine::xy/serperior:

At first glance, there's nothing inherently wrong with Snivy being a Unova Pokémon alongside Tepig and Oshawott. Aaaand then you take a look at Serperior's design concept, which trickles down throughout the entire family. Let me put this into perspective. We are looking at a Pokémon here who is not only based off of French royalty (the country Kalos is based on), but was released in the very region that came before Kalos and STILL didn't have any competitively viable niche until- you guessed it! Generation 6, which just so happened to be the very same generation that released the Unova starters' hidden abilities for the first time AND even buffed the Grass-Type a little bit as an added bonus with their new spore/powder move immunity.

As if all of that wasn't bad enough, with some simple switching around the Unova and Kalos starter positions, not only can Snivy's placement be resolved, but we can do that while still having two balanced starter Pokémon trios AND creating a gap in the controversial Fire/Fighting starter pattern as yet another perk of this decision! For Unova, let's go with a trio of Chespin, Fennekin, and Oshawott, and for Kalos, let's go with Snivy, Tepig, and Froakie (the latter two also fit the hidden ability point better than Oshawott, I might add).

I'm sorry, guys, I just... I will never look at a Grass-Type Pokémon with literal inspiration from the "Rose of Versailles" and the queen of the same name background and think "Oh, that's definitely a Unova Pokémon."
 
Anyways... let's get to something that's bothered me for years on end. Preferably, this will bug the crap out of you guys, too, and we can all sit here in disbelief at one of the stupidest decisions Game Freak has ever made with a starter Pokémon.

Why, in the name of all that is holy, is Snivy not the Kalos Grass-Type starter?
:xy/snivy::xy/servine::xy/serperior:

At first glance, there's nothing inherently wrong with Snivy being a Unova Pokémon alongside Tepig and Oshawott. Aaaand then you take a look at Serperior's design concept, which trickles down throughout the entire family. Let me put this into perspective. We are looking at a Pokémon here who is not only based off of French royalty (the country Kalos is based on), but was released in the very region that came before Kalos and STILL didn't have any competitively viable niche until- you guessed it! Generation 6, which just so happened to be the very same generation that released the Unova starters' hidden abilities for the first time AND even buffed the Grass-Type a little bit as an added bonus with their new spore/powder move immunity.

As if all of that wasn't bad enough, with some simple switching around the Unova and Kalos starter positions, not only can Snivy's placement be resolved, but we can do that while still having two balanced starter Pokémon trios AND creating a gap in the controversial Fire/Fighting starter pattern as yet another perk of this decision! For Unova, let's go with a trio of Chespin, Fennekin, and Oshawott, and for Kalos, let's go with Snivy, Tepig, and Froakie (the latter two also fit the hidden ability point better than Oshawott, I might add).

I'm sorry, guys, I just... I will never look at a Grass-Type Pokémon with literal inspiration from the "Rose of Versailles" and the queen of the same name background and think "Oh, that's definitely a Unova Pokémon."
Starters rarely feel thematically connected to the region they first appear in, besides the imo overwrought design choices in Gen 8. I think this is a freedom allowed to the designers because the marketing and basic mechanics of starter Pokemon inherently make them feel like they 'belong' to their home region no matter what they actually look like or how they behave. It works for me because starters are generally treated like rare and exotic imports rather than native species, so it fits that they don't necessarily have any obvious links to the geography/climate/history of the region.

So uhh I guess what I'm saying is that I think it makes sense for the Snivy line to have design influences that are foreign to the region where it debuted. I also doubt that many people will be on board with the idea of mixing and matching the Kalos starters, since a lot of Pokemon fans really like the Fighter/Mage/Rogue theming of the canon trio.
 

Bull Of Heaven

99 Pounders / 4'3" Feet
is a Pre-Contributor
Yeah, that swap would mess with the theming of both gens' starters. The Unova ones intentionally took design inspiration from different cultures (Europe, China, Japan) to fit the diversity of the Unova region. In that way, their designs are connected to their region, though not in the same kind of way as the Galar starters.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top