Pokémon Diamond & Pearl games and lets fans explore that region's past. The Sinnoh/Hisui region is full of secrets and plenty of hidden details. But while Arceus' Sinnoh might be the earliest region gamers have seen, it wasn't the first.
Kanto was the first glimpse anyone ever got into the world of Pokémon, and it remains a favorite for plenty of fans. But the region wasn't just locked to the Gameboy classics. Remakes like the Pokemon Let's Go games and spinoffs have built on the region. This region that shares a name with its inspiration seems straightforward, but at a further glance, there's plenty of trivia and secrets to be found.
Kanto and Johto are the only connected Regions
Kanto shares its name with a real-world location in Japan. It's the only region in the series that shares its name with its real-world counterpart. But it shares another feature with the real-life region of Japan. Much like Kanto has its neighbor Kansai, Pokémon's Kanto has a direct neighbor in Johto.
Pokémon regions come in all shapes and sizes, but most of them are pretty independent. They take place apart from each other, with only the most basic geographical links. But Johto and Kanto are the exceptions as the only two regions on the same continent. It's possible other regions like Orre are on this landmass as well, but it remains a mystery for now.
Kanto has appeared in the most games
There are plenty of regions throughout the Pokémon series, introduced through both mainline and spinoff titles. But while every main Generation reveals at least one, and spinoffs have their own usually, sometimes generations reoccur. This is usually due to remakes, but occasionally they reappear in mainline or spinoffs. And no regions have appeared as much as Kanto has.
It might seem obvious, as Kanto is also the oldest region. But Kanto has two series of remakes, both in the FireRed and LeafGreen games and the Let's Go games. Additionally, the region also appeared in the Generation 2 games and their remakes. That's over ten games without even including spinoff titles.
Is it called Kanto or Indigo?
Famously, the Pokémon League in the Kanto region is themed around colors. Every town name and every corresponding Gym badge is themed after colors. The beginning town was called Palette, and the League itself had the Indigo branding. But in the original Red and Blue, the Indigo branding appeared more than the Kanto branding did.
In the original Gameboy game English translations, the name "Kanto" never appears. For whatever reason, it was absent from maps and dialogue where it would be expected. This resulted in players believing the name of the region was "Indigo." By the time of its sequel, however, this confusion was cleared up.
The Sevii Islands and the Orange Islands
Kanto isn't just a massive landlocked continent; there's more that's considered part of its borders. Fans of the anime will the Orange Islands, an archipelago that Ash and his friends visit. There are plenty of great adventures to be had on those islands. But players of the game know that there was no game counterpart to go with them.
At least, in the original game, there was no counterpart. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen introduced the Sevii Islands. These were a place to find the Pokémon introduced in other generations. Some fans think it's possible that the Sevii Islands were inspired by the anime's archipelago.
The Power Plant turns on again
The Power Plant is one of the most mysterious and secret areas in Pokémon Red and Blue's Kanto. In the main game, it's a dilapidated and abandoned place. Like the Pokémon Manor, it's been abandoned by society and retaken by wild animals. In the game, it's a great place to find Magneton and Zapdos.
But it stands to reason that a major geographical region like Kanto would need power, and a place like this wouldn't be abandoned for long. As soon as Zapdos was gone, it seems that scientists got the facility up and running again. In future games, the Power Plant appears in working order with staff inside. Although Zapdos still can return under certain circumstances in Generation IV.
In the Anime, the Battle Frontier was in Kanto
Pokémon Generation 3 introduced a brand new mechanic to the series. That would be the Battle Frontier, a post-game arena where players can do challenging fights.
But strangely, the Battle Frontier was in Kanto instead of Hoenn. This was probably done in order to both the remakes of the Kanto games and Pokémon Emerald at the same time. But this does make it rather unrepresentative of the actual game. Of course, that's par for the course for the Pokémon anime.
Saffron City is based on Tokyo
Saffron City is one of the largest towns in the game, which ittedly was rather small for the Gameboy. But this home to the Psychic Pokémon gym leader made quite an impression since it also held a second gym and the Silph Co. building. This definitely suggests that it's quite large. Although not as large as its inspiration, the capital of Japan, Tokyo, would suggest.
When comparing Pokémon Kanto with real-life Kanto, several cities match up. Tokyo matches well with Saffron, as it also contains the magnet train in reference to Tokyo's public transport. Also, considering it's such a big city for a small game, it fits with Tokyo's high population.
Kanto has the smallest population of all the regions
Pokémon has some of the most iconic characters in video games. Every generation brings in a new ing cast of humans, not just Pokémon. It helps the world feel lived in and real. And in 1996, games only needed a handful of NPCs.
In Pokémon, signs can often elaborate on the population of towns beyond the NPCs. But while players might not expect a bevy of NPCs in a Game Boy classic, even the signs lowball the population of the region. None of the towns even exceed a population of 100. It's fitting for the peaceful grasslands, at least.
The look for Kanto was changed between games
Pokémon fans are more than likely familiar with the games' rocky development. While Pokémon Red and Blue are famous in the west, the Pokémon Green and Red games came out originally in Japan. Fans are fond of this original release for their off-model sprites, which were changed in future games. But the world itself also changed.
Classic role-playing games like Pokémon were made using tilesets. Tilesets were sets of graphics that could be arranged in a tiled grid to create environments. Between the original Generation 1 games, the tileset was altered. That means Green and Red's signs, barriers, and a few other graphics look different.
In the Anime, it's the only region where Gym Leaders swap out
In the Pokémon games, it's not uncommon for Gym Leaders to change around. In the games, Giovanni is replaced by Blue by the time of its sequels. Rereleases, remakes, and sometimes even plotlines call for Gym Leaders to be absent occasionally. But in the anime, Gym Leaders switching around is much less frequent.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that in the games, both the Gym Leader and their replacement are defined characters, and their absence is a part of the plot. But the original Pokémon anime had two gym leaders hanging around with Ash on his adventures. This necessitated their anime-only family filling in for them while they were out. Despite the original anime setting up Gym Leader companions and swaps, the only other Leaders who ed Ash had no such replacements.
