A lot of important things are happening this year in February. Super Bowl L will commence this weekend, Mardi Gras parties across the world, and the celebration of Black culture after a year of racial tensions in America. Among all the celebrations going on around the world there is one more that is celebrating a long history of great success, Pokémon.
One of the industry’s most iconic and popular franchises, this one about pocket monsters was a literal game changer. We have spent two decades traveling across the land searching far and wide. So in celebration of the upcoming 20th anniversary here is the ranking of the regions in the Pokémon world from worst to best.
Kanto
Main Game: Red, Blue, and Yellow
Professor: Samuel Oak
Champion: Blue (Gary Oak)
Regional Villains: Team Rocket
The Kanto Region was the first place we had the pleasure of encountering Pokémon. Sadly it is also the worst place to live and work on the planet. Nostalgia aside the region has a plethora of problems. The city planners built the towns in the worst possible geographical locations. New tunnels are constantly being built to make up for the lack of routes, and the city gate guards refuse to let people through when they are thirsty. On top of all that crime is rampant.
Team Rocket was a legit terrorist organization with kidnapping, Pokémon killing, illegal gambling rings, and hostage situations. Even local gangs were a huge problem. They controlled the underground passages and one took over cycling road, which is literally 3/4 the length on the continent. One of their biggest landmarks is a Graveyard for Pokémon, and all the regions advance trainers carry whips. Officer Jenny where you at?
Hoen
Main Game: Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald
Professor: Professor Birch
Champion: Steven Stone/Wallace
Regional Villains: Team Aqua/Magma
Across the ocean is a continent that’s equal parts land and sea. A place that has fabulous beaches and trainers who are more concerned with vanity than Pokémon battles. Hoenn is pleasant place to live, minus the literal turf war between Team Aqua and Team Magma, but the region is half under water. I’m not a team Magma supporter, but to live here means to be half aquatic which can’t be good for tourist or trainers with a phobia of deep waters.
Even though the region has a great diversity of towns they all feel like different cultures being forced together. One minute you’re in a harsh desert then you’re soaking wet in a tropical rainforest. Thriving here requires learning the most essential of survival techniques or you will certainly face death. From a city of the future, to a treetop village, and a town in the middle of a creator in the ocean this place is more comical then it is coherent.
Unova
Main Game: Black, White, Black 2, and White 2
Professor: Aurea Juniper
Champion: Alder/Iris
Regional Villains: Team Plasma
Unova is a real interesting place. In terms of a region that feels well thought out instead of forcing different elements together it is only slightly better than Hoenn. With that said it’s amazing cities and unique Pokémon make it an entertaining place to live. Castelia City is one of the grandest cities in the world and the four bridges of Unova are quite the spectacle, but there are a few things that hold it back a little.
For some reason people listen to Team Plasma when they tell them to release their monsters, and if they don’t they just take them. It’s a weird place where you’re forced to acknowledge the dark side of Pokémon, yet also be perfectly fine with it. Also they are two major places that change/you can only access in your dreams. Unova isn’t the best, but it’s far from the worst. Just avoid the subway systems because they allow intense battling and have been known to derail.
Johto
Main Game: Gold, Silver, and Crystal
Professor: Professor Elm
Champion: Lance
Regional Villains: Revived Team Rocket
The reason people love the Johto region to this day wasn’t because of the new Pokémon, but because Johto has it’s own distinctive personality. Unlike the prior regions every city feels unique, but still part of the greater continent. People often speak of the happenings in neighboring towns, and never loose the sense of Johto’s rich history. It’s the type of place where you can raise a family and know their safe. From the snowcapped peak of Mt. Silver to the beaches of Cianwood City it’s a place where people and Pokémon truly thrive.
Sinnoh
Main Game: Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
Professor: Professor Rowan
Champion: Cynthia
Regional Villains: Team Galactic
As the fog rolls off of Mt. Coronet you can hear the whispers of all the lore that engulfs the Sinnoh region. Shrouded in mystery this place has more myths of Pokémon than anywhere else in the world. The Champion Cynthia can usually be found in various cities exploring the unique mythos of the land. In its densely populated lands, the creatures you go to capture often evolve into new forms, and you’ll discover the creatures in unexpected ways. Sinnoh doesn’t offer a lot of diversity outside of the monsters and people there, but the time spent there is akin to living in a fairytale.
Kalos
Main Game: X & Y
Professor: Augustine Sycamore
Champion: Diantha
Regional Villains: Team Flare
Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but in Kalos it does. It has the biggest cities, continent, and adventures. Kalos is so huge that its Pokédex has to be broken up in three different parts. Outside of its size the trends of the world start here. The fashion and food industry are shaped by the happenings in this region. The only thing more diverse than the Pokémon in Kalos are the people. A melting pot of all the people and cultures found on the plant all come to a point in Lumiose City. Brimming with life energy the forces here can cause mega evolvolutions, and it has the lowest crime rate out of all the regions. Kalos doesn’t have its own unique identify, but combines the best of what all other regions has to offer.
