Generation V

Generation V
Title screen of Pokémon Black Version
Debut EN Unknown JA September 18, 2010 Pokémon 649 (156 new) Main games Black and White Region(s) introduced Unova Current length EN 9602 days JA 5202 days

The fifth generation of Pokémon, known by fans due to its version names as the monochrome generation, is the fifth installment of the Pokémon series. Like previous generations, it begins with two games, Pokémon Black and White, released as a pair, and will possibly later be joined by a third version. In an unprecedented move, Black and White were for the Nintendo DS, the same as Generation IV's five main series games.

A new region was introduced for this generation. The Unova region is known to be far away from the regions of previous generations. Unlike the past four, Unova is not based on a part of real world Japan, but draws inspiration from the New York City metropolitan area.

The Generation V games are able to communicate with the five Generation IV games in the same way that the Generation III games can communicate with the Generation IV games, with players able to transfer Pokémon via a method similar to Pal Park. Pokémon caught in a Generation III game are able to move forward to Generation V by passing through Generation IV games.

Generation V occurs an unknown amount of time after Generation II and Generation IV.

Advances in gameplay

Being the first games on the same console as their predecessors since Generation II, the Generation V games enhance the Pokémon experience on the DS in several ways. Advancements introduced in Generation V include:

• The addition of 156 new Pokémon, bringing the total to 649. No Pokémon from previous generations can be found in Unova itself until after the National Pokédex is obtained.
• The addition of 92 new moves, bringing the total to 559.
• The addition of 41 new abilities, bringing the total to 164. Many older Pokémon are allowed to have new abilities, including some that were introduced in Generation III and Generation IV, by transferring them from the Dream World. This effectively gives most Pokémon three legitimate abilities, rather than the two which have been standard since Generation III.
• Yet another region to explore, the Unova region, far away from the previous four and based on New York City, rather than a region of Japan.
• A new villainous team, Team Plasma, whose goals include separating the worlds of Pokémon and humans to make a black and white world.
• Triple battles are now a part of gameplay, which are an improved form of double battles.
• The introduction of seasons, which alternate every month.
• Expanded variance in camera placement, making the cities and towns of Unova more real and lifelike.
• Introduction of the Pokémon Global Link, which allows players to visit each other in-game, rather than just inside of the Union Room.
• Weather conditions and the current time are now displayed on the bottom screen during battle when making selections as to what to do during the turn.
• One new variant of Poké Ball, the Dream Ball, retaining the 25 found in previous games.
• Pokémon now move constantly throughout battle, with animations reminiscent of those of Pokémon Crystal, rather than the two-sprite distortion method that has been the standard since Pokémon Emerald. Differently from before, they don't stop moving. The speed in which Pokémon move changes as the HP goes down.
• The back sprites of Pokémon show the Pokémon's body in full, with their poses and animations being the same as the front sprite, but seen from behind.
• The battle music changes under certain conditions. When one of the player's Pokémon on the battlefield has less than 25% of their HP, the music changes to a faster, more suspenseful music. When battling a Gym Leader's last Pokémon, the music also changes.
• In the Japanese version of the game, there is a Kanji mode, which when enabled, causes Kanji to be used in game menus and text, in addition to the hiragana and katakana used in the previous four generations.
• A reduction in boxes in the Pokémon storage system from 18 to 8, giving players the ability to store only 240 Pokémon, the same as Generation I. Additional space is available once the player has placed one captured Pokémon in each of the 8 boxes, then receiving an additional 8 boxes for storage, bringing the total to 16. This cycle continues until the player finally has 24 boxes, for a storage total of 720 Pokémon.
• TMs have expanded to 95 from 92. Many of the 92 TMs found in Generation IV contain different moves.
  • In addition, TMs are now able to be used an infinite number of times just like HMs.
    • When a Pokémon forgets a move in order to learn from a TM or HM, the move learned takes on the current PP of the move replaced by the new move. This is to prevent repeated usage of TMs and HMs for the purpose of PP restoration.
• HMs have been reduced from eight to six. The first four remain the same as during the first four generations; HM05 is now Waterfall and HM06 is now Dive.

Alterations from Generation IV

• The abandonment of Pokémon Contests in favor of the Pokémon Musical, a different type of competition which does not factor in a Pokémon's moves.
• Pokémon in the party can no longer follow the player outside of battle.

Regions

Unova

File:Unova.jpg

Unova

Main article: Unova

Like previous generations, another new region, the Unova region, is introduced in Pokémon Black and White. Unlike the previous four regions, which are relatively close in respect to one another, Unova has been revealed to be distant from them, with the only way to travel between it and the other four being boat or airplane.

Starter Pokémon

The starters of the Unova region, like the starters of the previous four regions, follow the Grass-Fire-Water trio, with Snivy the Template:Type2, Tepig the Template:Type2, and Oshawott the Template:Type2.

Gym Leaders

Unova League
Generation V						Region: Unova
Gym Leader Japanese						Location Japanese	Type	Badge
File:VSDent.png Dent デント Dent		File:VSPod.png Pod ポッド Pod		File:VSCorn.png Corn コーン Corn		Sanyou City サンヨウシティ Sanyou City	Grass, Fire and Water	File:Tri Badge.png Tri Badge
{{{size}}} Aloe アロエ Aloe						Shippou City シッポウシティ Shippou City	Normal	Basic Badge
{{{size}}} Arti アーティ Arti						Hiun City ヒウンシティ Hiun City	Bug	File:Beetle Badge.png Beetle Badge
{{{size}}} Kamitsure カミツレ Kamitsure						Raimon City ライモンシティ Raimon City	Electric	Bolt Badge
{{{size}}} Yacon ヤーコン Yacon						Hodomoe City ホドモエシティ Hodomoe City	Ground	Quake Badge
{{{size}}} Fuuro フウロ Fuuro						Fukiyose City フキヨセシティ Fukiyose City	Flying	Jet Badge
{{{size}}} Hachiku ハチク Hachiku						Sekka City セッカシティ Sekka City	Ice	Icicle Badge
File:VSShaga.png Shaga シャガ ShagaWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.			Iris アイリス IrisWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.			Souryuu City ソウリュウシティ Souryuu City	Dragon	Legend Badge

Trivia

• The Japanese logo of the Pokémon games was redesigned once again for Generation V's releases; the first logo was used in Generation I and Generation II, and the second during Generation III and Generation IV.
• Generation V introduces the most new Pokémon to the series, 156, five more than Generation I introduced.
• While Generation III did not introduce any new evolutions for old Pokémon (only introducing pre-evolutions Wynaut and Azurill), Generation V is the only generation so far that does not introduce any new evolutionary relatives of older Pokémon at all.
  • This is also the first generation not to introduce any branched-evolution chains.
• This is the first generation not to introduce a new HM move - all six HMs in the game contain moves that have previously been available as HMs.
• This is the first generation since Generation II that does not occur at the same time as an earlier generation, as Generation III occurs simultaneously with Generation I, and Generation IV occurs simultaneously with Generation II.
• This is the first generation since Generation I not to have any new baby Pokémon.
• The ???-type does not exist in this generation. Curse is now a Ghost-type move.

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