All Pokemon regions and their real-world inspirations

The Pokemon realm can be considered as a digital version of our world, and its history is similar to ours. We feel that most, if not all, Pokemon regions are inspired by real-life locations. It can also be debated that real-life places don't inspire the regions and the events but take place in these locations.

For instance, the first four generations of Pokemon are not based on Japanese regions. But they take place in Japan. You might want to raise a rebuttal, but we have pretty convincing evidence. Even though everything is related to our world, the Pokemon regions would have an accurate match as it is just a version of places on Earth.

Listed below are all the Pokemon regions, along with their real-life inspirations.

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All 9 Pokemon regions and their real-world inspirations

1) Kanto Region inspired by Kanto Region in Japan

This is where the Pokemon franchise began its journey, and it is named after the actual Kanto region of Japan, which is situated on the island of Honshu.

Tokyo, the country's capital, is one of the seven prefectures that make up the region in real life. The game region is, likewise, strikingly similar to its real-world equivalent. From the layout to the aesthetics, everything bears a strong resemblance.

Numerous locales in the game have analogs in the surrounding real-world area. For instance, Pallet Town is based on Machida. This is where Satoshi Tajiri’s—the developer of Pokemon—childhood home is located.

2) Johto Region inspired by the Kansai Region in Japan

When it comes to Johto, you will find that it has a fair bit of similarities with Japan's Kansai region.

Numerous in-game cities like Olivine and Goldenrod appear to be inspired by the real-life cities of Kobe and Osaka, respectively.

Johto's National Park may also be a reference to Kansai, which is home to four of Japan's National Parks.

When analyzing each area's location in the Kanto region, Johto's location even matches that of the Kansai region. Kansai is situated west of Kanto in real life, and Johto is situated similarly in Pokemon.

3) Hoenn Region inspired by Kyushu in Japan

The Hoenn Region in the Pokemon world is pretty evidently based on Kyushu, a small Japanese island. The biggest giveaway is the fact that both these regions have a large volcano, Mount Chimney in the Hoenn Region and Mount Aso in Kyushu, Japan.

Lavaridge Town is known for its hot springs. The same is true for Kyushu. Furthermore, Groudon, an iconic legendary Ground- and Fire-type beast, nods at the unstable tectonic plates under Kyusu.

Besides these, the mountainous landscape, along with the overall structure of the map, goes on to strengthen this stance.

4) Sinnoh Region (formerly known as Hisui) inspired by Hokkaido in Japan

The Sinnoh Region greatly resembles Hokkaido island in Japan. Jubilife City is very similar to Sapporo, the biggest city on the island of Hokkaido.

5) Unova Region, inspired by New York City in the United States of America

As we shift to the more recent generations of the Pokemon franchise, we will see a few Western countries coming onto the scene.

The Unova region, first featured in Pokemon Black and White, was inspired by New York City in the USA.

If you take a look at the region of Unova from a bird’s-eye perspective, you will notice a large park in the central region sprinkled with iconic locations like Broadway, Brooklyn Bridge, and Lincoln Tunnel throughout the map.

These places are a direct indication that the developers drew inspiration from New York City while making this region.

6) Kalos Region, inspired by France

From the shape of the region to the art style and overall vibe of the various locations, the Kalos Region has a lot of similarities with France.

The Pokemon League of Kalos resembles Notre Dame, and the Prism Tower resembles the Eiffel Tower.

7) Alola Region, inspired by Hawaii in the United States of America

The region of Alola was introduced in the seventh generation. This region features a group of islands that resemble Hawaii in many ways.

Whether you talk about the warm tropical climate of this region or Hawaii-inspired names for different places on the map, like Melemele Island, Ula’ula Island, and Akala Island, you can't help but nod at the fact that Alola was inspired by Hawaii.

8) Galar Region, inspired by the United Kingdom

Wyndon City in the Galar Region can be said to be a replica of London, which is located in the United Kingdom.

Furthermore, the architecture of this region has been greatly influenced by that of Great Britain, as both have striking similarities. The NPCs of this region will often use British terms, further solidifying the link between the Galar Region and the UK.

9) Paldea Region, inspired by The Iberian Peninsula

The Academy, located in this region, has a lot of spiked protrusions. This bears an uncanny resemblance with Spain’s La Sagrada Familia, which is one of the most iconic cathedrals in the real world.

A lot of the Pokemon have Spanish names, for example, Fuecoco, Spirigatito, and more.

Cascarrafa and Porto Marinada have also been inspired by the coastal towns of Portugal.

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Edited by Angad Sharma