Pokémon Super Contest

This article is about the contests held in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. For the contests in Generation III, VI, and the anime, see Pokémon Contest.

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Lucas and Dawn participating in a Super Contest Show

The Super Contest Hall

Pokémon Super Contests (Japanese: ポケモンスーパーコンテスト Pokémon Super Contest) are an expanded format of the Pokémon Contests for the Generation IV games, specifically in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, and in their Generation VIII remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl under the name Super Contest Shows (Japanese: スーパーコンテストショー！ Super Contest Show!). In it, Pokémon are rated on their appearance and performance, rather than strength. They are different from the previous generation's competitions in that not only do they have more rounds, but rounds from the earlier games have been altered. They come in four rankings in the same five categories as Generation III: Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness, or Toughness.

Super Contests of all ranks are held at the Super Contest Hall in Hearthome City.

Competitions

Visual Competition

Lucas wins the Super Contest

Main article: Visual Competition

The Visual Competition is where players dress up their Pokémon depending on a theme. The Visual Competition score consists of two parts: the condition portion and the dress-up portion. The score from the Visual Competition is the total number of hearts given from both portions.

Dance Competition

Main article: Dance Competition

In the next round, all four Pokémon dance on the stage. Competitors control their Pokémon with four buttons: Left, Right, Front, and Jump. The dancer in front chooses up to three steps in the Normal Rank and Great Rank^DP, and four in the Great Rank^Pt, Ultra Rank and Master Rank, matching the beat as closely as possible. Then the backup dancers try to match the lead dancer's moves. Each Pokémon will lead for two measures (a measure is the time it takes for the lead dancer to make its moves and the backup dancers to follow), and each measure will contain 16 beats for both halves in the Normal and Great Ranks and 24 beats in the other ranks.

At the bottom of the top screen, a simple music staff shows the steps with a bouncing Jigglypuff on top of it keeping the beat.

A Pokémon earns 1 point for each step judged as "Good", and 2 points for each step judged as "Excellent". A step judged as a "Miss" does not score. The maximum score for the Dance Competition is thus 48 points in Contests with 3 steps, and 64 points in Contests with 4 steps.

Acting Competition

Main article: Appeal

This is the equivalent of the second round of Pokémon Contests in Generation III. Pokémon perform moves for one of the three Contest Judges, Jordan, Dexter, or Keira, to earn Appeal Points. At the end of each round, judges award extra points to the Pokémon: 3 points if only one Pokémon performed to them, 2 points each if two Pokémon performed to them, 1 point apiece if three Pokémon performed to them, and none if all Pokémon performed to them. This competition has four rounds, rather than the five rounds found in Generation III. The Pokémon, contrary to the Hoenn Contests, get their position by their scoring in reverse. The best scorer goes last and the worst scorer goes first. Performing a Contest-specific move (i.e. a Tough move in a Tough Contest) to any judge causes their Voltage to go up by 1, however, an incompatible move (such as a Smart move in a Cool Contest) causes the Voltage to go down by 1. The Pokémon who fills the Voltage meter will receive a bonus from the judge they performed to: Keira and Jordan give +5, Dexter (as the head judge) gives +8.

Unlike in Generation III, the most a Pokémon can use any move in succession is two times. Most moves can only be used once, while specific moves, such as Outrage or Arm Thrust, may be used twice in a row. If a Pokémon only has one move, it may not enter a Super Contest (including Visual and Dance practice sessions). This makes it impossible for Unown and Ditto to legitimately have any Super Contest Ribbons.

The number of points earned from the Acting Competition is 10 times the number of hearts received.

Results

Winning a Super Contest

To compute a Pokémon's final score, the scores from each competition are first scaled such that the Pokémon with the best score in the competition is given 33 points, and the other Pokémon are given scores proportional to this score. This score is then scaled again such that the best score is given 64 points, and the other Pokémon are given scores proportional to this score. The final score of a Pokémon is the sum of the Pokémon's scores from each of the competitions, and the Pokémon with the highest final score wins. If there is a tie for highest score, a winner among the tied players is randomly chosen.

Awards

The winning Pokémon will receive a Ribbon for the Contest condition and rank. They will also receive a special Accessory the first time the Contest is completed successfully.

Accessory prizes

Category	Accessories
	Normal Rank	Great Rank	Ultra Rank	Master Rank
Cool Contests
	Red Barrette	Red Balloons	Top Hat	Gold Pedestal
Beauty Contests
	Blue Barrette	Blue Balloons	Silk Veil	Glass Stage
Cute Contests			File:Accessory Lace Headress Sprite.png
	Pink Barrette	Pink Balloon	Lace Headress	Flower Stage
Smart Contests
	Green Barrette	Green Balloons	Professor Hat	Cube Stage
Tough Contests
	Yellow Barrette	Yellow Balloon	Heroic Headband	Award Podium

Notable contestants

Main article: List of Contest opponents (Generation IV)

There are several contestants that are also encountered throughout the storylines of the games. They are only encountered in the Master Rank after the player has entered the Hall of Fame.

Fantina

Fantina is a Gym Leader, from Hearthome City. She competes with her Drifblim, named Loony, and appears in Cool, Beauty, Smart, and Tough contests.

	Types: Ghost Flying
Loony♀
Focus Energy Cool Appeal: 0     --               Ominous Wind Smart Appeal: 0     --               Constrict Tough Appeal: 0     --               Explosion Beauty Appeal: 0     --

Johanna

Johanna is the player's mother. She competes with her Kangaskhan, named Jumpy, and appears in Cool, Cute, and Tough contests. She seems to be well acquainted with the Judge Keira.

	Type: Normal Unknown
Jumpy♀
Fake Out Cute Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --               Endure Tough Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --               Reversal Cool Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --               Dizzy Punch Cool Appeal: 0     --

Jasmine

Jasmine is a Gym Leader, from Olivine City, in Johto. She competes with her Steelix, named Rusty, and appears in Beauty, Cute, Smart, and Tough contests.

	Types: Steel Ground
Rusty♂
Screech Smart Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --               Fire Fang Beauty Appeal: 3 ♥♥♥   --               Stone Edge Tough Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --               Mud Sport Cute Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --

Kristin

Kristin is a Reporter (presumably the one who interviews the player after a contest). She competes with her Magneton, named Jolt, and appears in Beauty and Smart contests.

	Types: Electric Steel
Jolt
Supersonic Smart Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --               Gyro Ball Beauty Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --               Metal Sound Smart Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --               Magnet Rise Cute Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --

Casey

File:PC Nurse IV OD.pngCasey is a Pokémon Center Nurse (presumably Hearthome's). She competes with her Chansey, named Pinky, and appears in Cute and Tough contests.

	Type: Normal Unknown
Pinky♀
Double-Edge Tough Appeal: 0     --               Minimize Cute Appeal: 2 ♥♥   --               Healing Wish Cute Appeal: 0     --               Fling Tough Appeal: 1 ♥   --

Super Contest Show!

In Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Super Contests show heavily changed as Super Contest Shows (Japanese: スーパーコンテストショー！ Super Contest Show!). In it, Pokémon are rated on their appearance and performance, rather than strength. They are different from the original competitions in that not only do they have more rounds, but rounds from the earlier games have been altered.

Visual Performance

In these Super Contests, visual is judged on two components: The Pokemon's condition and the ball capsule stickers used. At the beginning of registering for the contest, the player picks the ball capsule used in the contest.

Condition is calculated as:

Condition = primary_condition + 0.5*adjacent_condition_1 + 0.5*adjacent_condition_2 + 0.5*sheen

For Brilliant/Shining Contests:

Condition = coolness_condition/3 + beauty_condition/3 + cuteness_condition/3 + cleverness_condition/3 + toughness_condition/3 + sheen/3

Condition is then converted into hearts by dividing by 50. 5 small hearts equals 1 large heart during appeal.

Scarfs increase the condition associated with it by 10%, even if the condition is already maxed out.

Stickers are a new portion. Up to 20 stickers can be placed on a single ball capsule. Stickers always improve the visual performance, but some stickers provide bonuses for certain contest types. Position does not matter, and neither does the letter designation. Beneficial stickers give a 12.5 appeal bonus, meaning all 20 stickers being properly selected will net 1 big heart (=5 small hearts) of appeal. Otherwise, stickers give 7.5 appeals, or 3 small hearts. Appeal points are rounded down.

Beneficial stickers:

• Coolness: Ribbon, Electricity, Burning, Sky, Spark, Coolness
• Beauty: Party, Flora, Cool, Beauty
• Cuteness: Heart, Star, Ethereal, Cuteness
• Cleverness: Bubble, Song, Sinister, Cleverness
• Toughness: Smoke, Fire, Stone, Leaf, Toughness
• Brilliant/Shining: Show Master

Dance Performance

The main part of the Super Contest Show is the dance performance. It is a rhythm game done by pressing A at the approach time. Successive correct actions improves the Pokemon's groove. The Heart Gauge fills up depending on how accurate the beat is hit. When the Heart Gauge fills up completely, a heart is sent to the Hype Points. All contestants add to the Hype Points. If the number of Hype Points is above the threshold by the end of the performance, it is considered a success, and improves the Stage Level. Getting a successful dance performance allows the Player to compete in the next rank. Getting a successful dance performance in Master Rank in required to obtain a Trainer Card star.

During dancing, a Pokemon can performance one move. Unlike previous contests, moves no longer have a condition type. Instead, 1 move is selected during registration and can only be used once during the dance performance for an added effect. Proper usage of the move is judged separately but helps add to the dance performance. Moves are judges as more successful if the move is success in succession with other contestants' moves to create or maintain a long duration. Moves are also judged more successfully if they have matching type of other contestants' moves.

Star of the Show

At the end of the performance, a Pokemon is judged on Visual, Dance, and Move performances. The Pokemon with the highest combined score is declared the "Star of the Show". In the event of a tie, both Pokemon are considered Stars of the Show. This can occur even if the dance performance is deemed a failure. The winner of the contest is awarded a ball capsule sticker associated with that type and rank. If it is the first time that Pokemon won the Master Rank type, it is awarded a ribbon. If a Pokemon wins all five standard Master Rank contests, the first time the Pokemon is additionally awarded the Contest Star Ribbon and the Player is awarded the Show Master ball capsule sticker.

Brilliant/Shining Contests

After entering the Hall of Fame, a sixth type of Super Contest Show is unlocked called Brilliant^BP / Shining^SP Contests. These are similar to the standard five contests, but with more difficult NPCs and judging. For a Pokemon to be eligible for entry, they must first have won Master Rank in all five Super Contest Shows previously. The winner of the contest is awarded a randomly selected contest-related ball capsule sticker. If it is the first time that Pokemon won the Master Rank type, it is awarded a Twinkling Star Ribbon.

In the manga

The Super Contest Hall in Pocket Monsters DP

Pocket Monsters DP

In Super Contest Opens!!, Red's Clefairy participated in a Pokémon Super Contest. He went up against a Carnivine, but ended up slacking off at the last minute, baking and eating Poffins.

The Super Contest Hall in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

Diamond & Pearl arc

In Booying with Buneary, after wandering into the Super Contest Hall, Platinum was accidentally whisked to the stage. When she failed to perform, the audience saw her expensive jewelry and assumed she had tried to win just by being rich. Wanting to defend the name of her family, Platinum registered for the next day's Normal Rank Coolness Contest.

Platinum's Super Contest took place in Perturbed by Pachirisu. During it, other contestants sought to sabotage Platinum by disorganizing her Fashion Case and having their Pokémon bump into Prinplup during the Dance Competition. These setbacks made Platinum feel dejected, but Diamond managed to cheer her up and remind her that Contests were all about having fun. With these encouragements, Platinum was able to overcome her dejection and give it her all during the Acting Competition. Her performance enthralled both the audience and the judges, allowing her to win the Contest.

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  The Visual Competition in Pokémon Adventures

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  The Dance Competition in Pokémon Adventures

The Super Contest Hall in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!

In Beauty Contest: The Pokémon Super Contest!!, after arriving in Hearthome City, Hareta learned about Pokémon Super Contests and, along with Mitsumi and Jun, decided to participate in one. Hareta and Jun participated in a Normal Rank Super Contest, but only succeeded in getting themselves disqualified for their poor performances. Mitsumi participated in a Master Rank Super Contest, but went overboard as her Infernape accidentally burned down the Contest Hall's dome with Fire Spin. Afterwards, a man introducing himself as Mitsumi's friend asked Hareta to tell her that her performance was great.

Trivia

• The Super Contest ranks are named after the original Kanto Poké Balls (Normal, Great, Ultra, and Master).
• Pokémon that have Ribbons earned in Pokémon Contests in Generation III do not have any advantage when entering a Super Contest; they must go through all four ranks no matter what.
• Pokémon back sprites are often flipped in the Acting Competition, but there are exceptions for noticeably asymmetrical Pokémon, such as Togekiss and Budew.
  • In spite of this, Weezing's sprite is flipped, despite its obviously asymmetrical appearance.
• There appears to be a formal or semi-formal dress code for Super Contest entrants—in the Generation IV games, players are given a tuxedo or dress (dependent on gender) by Johanna prior to their debut, and anime characters usually dress up for Sinnoh Pokémon Contests (though Ash did not do so in the Jubilife Contest).
• In Pokémon Platinum, the Pokémon keep their sprite from Diamond and Pearl during the Visual and Dance Competitions.
  • The main reason for this is to provide compatibility for multiplayer Super Contests, as the winner of the most recent Super Contest would have a photo of itself in its dressed-up state displayed in front of the reception desks in the Contest Hall.

In other languages

Pokémon Super Contest

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 華麗大賽 Wàhlàih-daaihchoi Mandarin 華麗大賽 / 华丽大赛 Huálì-dàsài 宝可梦超级华丽大赛 Pokémon Chāojí Huálì-dàsài * 神奇寶貝超級華麗大賽 Shénqí-bǎobèi Chāojí Huálì-dàsài * Dutch Superwedstrijd* Finnish Superkilpailu French Super Concours Pokémon German Pokémon Wettbewerb Italian Super Gara Pokémon Korean 포켓몬 슈퍼 콘테스트 Pokémon Super Contest Portuguese Super Concurso Pokémon* Spanish Súper Concurso Pokémon Vietnamese Hội trình diễn cao cấp

Super Contest Show

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 超級華麗大賽 Chīukāp Wàhlàih-daaihchoi Mandarin 超級華麗大賽 / 超级华丽大赛 Chāojí Huálì-dàsài French Super Show Concours German Super-Wettbewerbs-Show Italian Super Gara-show Korean 슈퍼 콘테스트 쇼! Super Contest Show! Russian Шоу Суперконкурс Shou Superkonkurs Spanish Gala Superconcurso

This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.