Pokémon world in relation to the real world

Shortcut PKWorld

This article is a featured article. This means that it has been identified as one of the best articles produced on Bulbapedia.

This article contains fan speculation. There is no solid evidence for or against some parts of this article.

---

The map of Japan showing the four main Japanese Pokémon regions.

The designs of five of the major Pokémon regions—Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova—are strikingly similar in geography and demographics to regions in the real world, and sometimes even officially stated to be based on certain locations. The first four regions are based on smaller regions in Japan, while Unova is based on the New York metropolitan area.

Main regions

Kanto

The Kantō region of Japan is not only identical in name to Kanto in the Pokémon world, it is also very similar geographically; however, the western part of the game map corresponds to eastern Chūbu.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Notes
Pallet Town	下田市	Shimoda City	静岡県	Shizuoka	Pallet Town is based on Satoshi Tajiri's hometown Machida City in his boyhood, abundant in nature.
Viridian City	箱根町	Hakone Town	神奈川県	Kanagawa
Viridian Forest	奥秩父山塊	Okuchichibu Mountains	埼玉県、山梨県、長野県	Yamanashi, Saitama, and Nagano
Pewter City	前橋市	Maebashi City	群馬県	Gunma	Maebashi is the capital of the Gunma prefecture. The famous Iwajuku archaeological site and the Iwajuku Museum are located in the city of Midori.
Mt. Moon	赤城山	Mount Akagi	群馬県	Gunma	Mt. Akagi features a crater lake near the summit
Cerulean City	さいたま市	Saitama City	埼玉県	Saitama	Saitama is bordered in the west by the Arakawa River.
Vermilion City	横浜市	Yokohama City	神奈川県	Kanagawa	Yokohama is the largest seaport in Japan.
Power Plant	東海発電所	Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant	茨城県	Ibaraki	The first commercial nuclear power plant in Japan.
Lavender Town	成田市 or 佐倉市	Narita City or Sakura City	千葉県	Chiba
Celadon City	新宿	Shinjuku	東京都	Tōkyō	Shinjuku is the commercial center of Tokyo.
Saffron City	丸の内	Marunouchi	東京都	Tōkyō	Marunouchi is the business center of Tokyo, as well as all of Japan.
Magnet Train station	東京駅	Tōkyō Station	東京都	Tōkyō	The Tokyo Station is a train station located in Marunouchi. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen bullet train line runs from Tokyo to Osaka through here.
Fuchsia City	館山市	Tateyama City	千葉県	Chiba
Kanto Safari Zone	富士箱根伊豆国立公園	Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park	山梨県、静岡県、神奈川県、東京都	Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Kanagawa, and Tokyo
Cycling Road	東京湾アクアライン	Tōkyō Bay Aqua-Line			It connects Kawasaki City and Kisarazu City over Tokyo Bay. It was under construction when Pokémon Red and Green were released.
Cinnabar Island	伊豆大島	Izu-Ōshima	東京都	Tōkyō	Oshima is famous for Mt. Mihara, an active volcano.

Sevii Islands

The Sevii Islands are based on two archipelagos off the coast of Tokyo: the Izu Islands (伊豆諸島) and the Bonin Islands (小笠原諸島).

Pokémon world	Specific location		Subprefecture		Notes
Knot Island	新島、神津島、式根島、利島	Niijima, Kōzushima, Shikinejima and Toshima	大島支庁	Oshima
Kindle Road	新島	Niijima
Treasure Beach	神津島	Kozushima
Mt. Ember	利島宮塚山	Mt. Miyatsuka, Toshima Island
Boon Island	三宅島、御蔵島	Miyakejima & Mikurajima	三宅支庁	Miyake
Kin Island	八丈島、八丈小島	Hachijōjima & Hachijōkojima	八丈支庁	Hachijō
Berry Forest	八丈小島	Hachijōkojima
Three Isle Port	底土港	Sokodo Port
Floe Island	青ヶ島	Aogashima	八丈支庁	Hachijō
Chrono Island	聟島列島	Mukojima Islands	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	All are uninhabited.
Water Labyrinth	西之島	Nishinoshima
Resort Gorgeous	中ノ島	Nakanoshima
Lost Cave	笹魚島	Sasauojima
Memorial Pillar	媒島	Nakoudojima
Fortune Island	父島列島	Chichijima Islands	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	The small islands to the north of Chichijima include Anijima (兄島) and Otōtojima (弟島), among others.
Ruin Valley	父島	Chichijima
Green Path	兄島	Anijima
Outcast Island	弟島	Otōtojima
Quest Island	母島列島	Hahajima Islands	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	The small islands to the south of Hahajima include Anejima (姉島) and Imōtojima (妹島), among others.
Navel Rock	鳥島	Torishima	八丈支庁	Hachijō	Known as the habitat of albatross.
Birth Island	南鳥島	Minami Torishima	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	The easternmost island belonging to Japan.

Johto

In Japan, the Kanto region is often contrasted with Kansai, which is like Johto, to the west. However, Johto is geographically more similar to Kansai and western Chubu combined.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Notes
Mt. Silver	富士山	Mount Fuji	—
New Bark Town	静岡市 or 浜松市	Shizuoka City or Hamamatsu City	静岡県	Shizuoka
Cherrygrove City	名古屋市	Nagoya City	愛知県	Aichi	Nagoya is the third largest city in Japan.
Violet City	奈良市	Nara City	奈良県	Nara	Nara is where Japan was founded as a state. Kyoto City is nearby and home to a number of prestigious universities.
Sprout Tower	法隆寺五重塔	Hōryū-ji Five-story pagoda	奈良県	Nara	Hōryū-ji Pagoda and Kondō are the oldest wooden structures in existence in the world.
Ruins of Alph	明日香村	Asuka Village	奈良県	Nara	There are many archaeological sites in Nara such as Ishibutai Kofun (石舞台古墳) and Takamatsuzuka Tomb (高松塚古墳).
Azalea Town	みなべ町	Minabe Village	和歌山県	Wakayama	Minabe is famous for its high-quality Japanese apricots, known as ume, and high-quality charcoal, known as Binchōtan.
Goldenrod City	大阪市	Ōsaka City	大阪府	Ōsaka	Osaka is the most populous city in the Kansai region.
National Park	明治の森箕面国定公園 or 万博記念公園	Meiji no Mori Minoo Quasi-National Park or Expo Memorial Park	大阪府	Ōsaka	In the Expo Park is a famous monument called the Tower of the Sun.
Goldenrod Radio Tower	通天閣	Tsutenkaku	大阪府	Ōsaka	Tsutenkaku is one of the most popular landmarks in Osaka.
Ecruteak City	京都市	Kyōto City	京都府	Kyōto	Kyoto was formerly the imperial capital.
Burned Tower	金閣	Kinkaku-ji	京都府	Kyōto	Kinkaku-ji was set on fire by a monk in 1950 (金閣寺放火事件). The wall is covered with gold leaf. Atop the Kinkaku temple sits a golden statue of a rooster or phoenix (Ho-Oh).
Bell Tower	銀閣	Ginkaku	京都府	Kyōto	Ginkaku is not covered with silver leaf. Atop the Ginkaku temple rests the likeness of a bird (Lugia).
Olivine City	神戸市	Kōbe City	兵庫県	Hyōgo	Kobe is the major port city in the Kansai region. Kobe is also well known for wagyū, or Kobe beef.
Glitter Lighthouse	和田岬	Cape Wada	兵庫県	Hyogo
Whirl Islands	淡路島	Awajishima	兵庫県	Hyōgo	The Naruto Strait between Awajishima and Shikoku is famous for the Naruto whirlpools.
Cianwood City	鳴門市	Naruto City	徳島県	Tokushima	Naruto is where Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. began.
Mt. Mortar	比叡山	Mount Hiei	—
Mahogany Town	甲賀市	Kōka City	滋賀県	Shiga	Kōka is where the famous Kōga ninja were born and educated (Kōga-ryū, 甲賀流).
Lake of Rage	琵琶湖	Lake Biwa	滋賀県	Shiga	Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan.
Blackthorn City	白川郷	Shirakawa	岐阜県	Gifu	Shirakawa is known as a hidden region, relating to Blackthorn's Japanese name, Fusube, which roughly means "hidden area."
Dragon's Den	伊吹山	Mt. Ibuki			"Ibuki" is also the Japanese name of Clair.

Hoenn

Hoenn is based on the southernmost parts of Japan—Kyūshū and surrounding islands.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Notes
Littleroot Town	伊万里市 or 佐世保市	Imari City or Sasebo City	長崎県	Nagasaki or Saga	The United States Navy has operated a base in Sasebo since the end of World War II.
Oldale Town	佐賀市	Saga City	佐賀県	Saga
Petalburg City	福岡市	Fukuoka City	福岡県	Fukuoka	Fukuoka is the biggest city on Kyushu.
Rustboro City	北九州市	Kitakyushu City	福岡県	Fukuoka	Kitakyushu's main industry is steelmaking. It is also home to Zenrin, a company specializing in navigation software.
Dewford Town	対馬島	Tsushima Island	長崎県	Nagasaki	The entire island is considered a city. Before the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, the island was ruled by Korea, and known as Daemado.
Slateport City	長崎市	Nagasaki City	長崎県	Nagasaki	During the Edo period, among Europeans, only the Dutch and the Portuguese were allowed into Japan, and then only at Dejima, Nagasaki. The main industry is shipbuilding.
Mauville City	熊本市	Kumamoto City	熊本県	Kumamoto
Verdanturf Town	菊池市	Kikuchi City	熊本県	Kumamoto
Mt. Chimney	阿蘇山	Mount Aso	熊本県	Kumamoto	Mt. Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan.
Lavaridge Town	阿蘇町	Aso Town	熊本県	Kumamoto	Aso is home to seven onsen, or hot springs (阿蘇温泉郷).
Meteor Falls	羽門の滝	Udo Falls	大分県	Ōita	There is a legend of a white dragon here.
Fallarbor Town	大分市	Ōita City	大分県	Ōita
Fortree City	小林市	Kobayashi City	宮崎県	Miyazaki
Scorched Slab	天岩戸	Amano-Iwato	宮崎県	Miyazaki	In Japanese mythology, Amano-Iwato is where Amaterasu hid from her brother Susanoo, who had gone on a rampage.
Mt. Pyre	桜島	Sakurajima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	Sakurajima is an active volcano, formerly an island. The continuous volcanic activity drops large amounts of ash in the region.
Lilycove City	鹿屋市	Kanoya City	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Mossdeep City	種子島	Tanegashima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Mossdeep Space Center	種子島宇宙センター	Tanegashima Space Center	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Sootopolis City	硫黄島	Iōjima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	The landscape of Sootopolis City is based on Santorini, Greece.
Ever Grande City	屋久島	Yakushima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	The mountainous terrain and location seem to point to this island, though the shape and city could be based off of Naha.
Mirage Island	八重干瀬	Yaebishi	沖縄県	Okinawa	Yaebishi appears above the sea on March 3 by the lunisolar calendar.
Pacifidlog Town	八重山諸島	Yaeyama Islands	沖縄県	Okinawa	Ishigaki Island, located in the Yaeyama Islands, contains rare blue corals. The islands of Okinawa Prefecture are home to many coral reefs. Its location and shape are based on Koshikijima.
Sealed Chamber	与那国島	Yonaguni	沖縄県	Okinawa	Underneath the water's surface, natural rock formations were thought to be artificially created.

Sinnoh

Sinnoh has been said to be an island like Hoenn, rather than a peninsula. It is based on the northernmost major island of Japan, Hokkaido. Part of Sakhalin (Japanese: 樺太 Karafuto) and Kunashir Island (Japanese: 国後島 Kunashiri Island), territories which are in dispute between Russia and Japan, are also included.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Subprefecture		Notes
Twinleaf Town	登別市	Noboribetsu City	胆振支庁	Iburi
Lake Verity	洞爺湖	Lake Tōya	胆振支庁	Iburi
Sandgem Town	苫小牧市	Tomakomai City	胆振支庁	Iburi
Jubilife City	札幌市	Sapporo City	空知支庁	Sorachi	Sapporo is the largest city in Hokkaido.
Oreburgh City	夕張市	Yūbari City	空知支庁	Sorachi
Oreburgh Mine	夕張炭鉱	Yūbari Mine	空知支庁	Sorachi
Valley Windworks	苫前町	Tomamae Town	留萌支庁	Rumoi	Tomamae is famous for its windmills in the countryside.
Eterna City	旭川市	Asahikawa City	上川支庁	Kamikawa
Mt. Coronet	蝦夷山系	Ezo Mountain Chain			The Ezo Mountain Chain consists of the Teshio Mountains (天塩山地), the Kitami Mountains (北見山地), the Ishikari Mountains (石狩山地), the Yubari Mountains (夕張山地), and the Hidaka Mountains (日高山脈).
Hearthome City	帯広市	Obihiro City	十勝支庁	Tokachi
Solaceon Town	足寄町	Ashoro Town	十勝支庁	Tokachi	One of Ashoro's main industries is farming.
Veilstone City	網走市	Abashiri City	網走支庁	Abashiri	Abashiri is famous for the prison (網走刑務所). It is also a major port city.
Celestic Town	北見市	Kitami City	網走支庁	Abashiri
Sendoff Spring	摩周湖	Lake Mashū	釧路支庁	Kushiro	Lake Mashu, a crater lake, is known as a mysterious spot for the fog that covers its surface.
Lake Valor	屈斜路湖	Lake Kussharo	釧路支庁	Kushiro
Pastoria City	釧路市	Kushiro City	釧路支庁	Kushiro	Kushiro is the largest city in Eastern Hokkaido (道東).
Great Marsh	釧路湿原	Kushiro Marsh	釧路支庁	Kushiro	The Kushiro Marsh is the largest and most famous marsh in Japan.
Canalave City	小樽市	Otaru City	後志支庁	Shiribeshi	Otaru flourished as a port city and has a canal.
Snowpoint City	浜頓別町	Hamatonbetsu Town	宗谷支庁	Sōya
Lake Acuity	クッチャロ湖	Lake Kutcharo	宗谷支庁	Sōya
Sunyshore City	根室市	Nemuro City	根室支庁	Nemuro
Vista Lighthouse	納沙布岬	Cape Nosappu	根室支庁	Nemuro	Cape Nosappu is Japan's easternmost spot open to the public.
Iron Island	焼尻島	Yagishiri Island	留萌支庁	Rumoi
Victory Road	国後島	Kunashir Island	in dispute
Fullmoon Island	利尻島	Rishiri Island	宗谷支庁	Sōya
Newmoon Island	礼文島	Rebun Island	宗谷支庁	Sōya
Battle Zone	樺太	Sakhalin	in dispute

Unova

A comparison of Unova to New York

Unova has been said to be significantly distant from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Instead of being based on an area of Japan, Unova is based on the Manhattan area of New York City, and also parts of eastern New Jersey.

Pokémon world	Specific location	Notes
Nuvema Town	Coney Island
Accumula Town	Marine Park
Striaton City	Canarsie, Brooklyn	Striaton makes a multitude of references to the glaciers that formed Long Island, including its location compared to the central land.
Nacrene City	DUMBO, Brooklyn and High Line (New York City)	DUMBO, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Skyarrow Bridge	A hybrid of the Brooklyn Bridge and Rainbow Bridge
Castelia City	Lower Manhattan	Lower Manhattan is the business center of New York City, as well as the United States.
Nimbasa City	Midtown Manhattan
Gear Station	59th Street - Columbus Circle
Driftveil Drawbridge	George Washington Bridge
Driftveil City	Union City, New Jersey
Mistralton City	Teterboro, New Jersey	The Mistralton City Airport's real-life counterpart is the Teterboro Airport.
Icirrus City	Ridgefield, New Jersey
Opelucid City	Harlem
Village Bridge	Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
Lacunosa Town	Flushing, Queens
Undella Town	Jamaica, Queens
Undella Bay	Jamaica Bay
Marvelous Bridge	Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
Entralink	Central Park Manhattan	The Entralink also draws inspiration from the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
Liberty Garden	A hybrid of Liberty State Park and Liberty Island
Tubeline Bridge	Forth Railway Bridge
Unity Tower	United Nations
Aspertia City	Elizabeth, New Jersey
Floccesy Town	Newark, New Jersey
Virbank City	Jersey City	Virbank Complex bears some resemblance to the oil refineries and tanker area located along the New Jersey Turnpike.
Marine Tube	Ocean Parkway
Humilau City	Babylon, New York
Lentimas Town	Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Black City	East New York, Brooklyn
White Forest	Spring Creek Park

Side regions

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: TCG Islands, Fiore, Oblivia, specific locations

Comparison of Almia to Japan

Pokémon world		Inspiration		Notes
	Orre	Phoenix	Arizona	Arizona has been confirmed as the basis for Orre.
	Almia	Matsumae Peninsula, Kameda Peninsula, and Oshima Peninsula	Hokkaido, Japan

Landscape

This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Missing notes

---

While the above locations are meant to correspond to the different regions of Japan, great liberties were taken with the design of their landscape. Some of the designers have admitted to drawing inspiration from real-world locations outside Japan, especially with locations shown in Pokémon movies.

Pokémon world		Inspiration		Notes
	Porta Vista	Acapulco	Mexico	According to anime maps, Goldenrod City also slightly resembles Acapulco.
	Hollywood	Hollywood	California, United States	Hollywood, as the name implies, is based on Hollywood, the most well-known district of Los Angeles, California. In the dub, it is directly stated that it is located in California.
	Alto Mare	Venice	Italy
	Forina	Wulingyuan	China
	LaRousse City	Vancouver	British Columbia, Canada
	Sootopolis City	Santorini	Greece
	Alamos Town	Barcelona	Spain	The Space-Time Towers are based on the uncompleted church of Sagrada Familia.
	Pastoria City	Boston	Massachusetts, United States	It has some similarities with Boston and the surrounding area. Much of Boston is built on fens and there are multiple national parks in the suburbs outside the city, specifically in towns like Duxbury and Marshfield.
	Ten'i Village	Geiranger	Norway	A village that was nearly destroyed by a glacier. It is based on a town in Norway, which is threatened by the possibility of the mountain Åkerneset eroding into the fjord, causing a landslide-induced tsunami.
	Michina Town	Meteora	Greece	Its landscape, which is filled with towering rock formations, resembles Meteora. Also, the architecture of the temples resembles that of ancient Greek temples.
	Crown City	Amsterdam	The Netherlands	Its modern buildings are based on the many new buildings in parts of Amsterdam, and the Pokémon Baccer stadium is based on the Arena, the city's local football stadium.
	Eindoak Town	Gourdon, Tourrettes-sur-Loup and Mont Saint-Michel	France
	Roshan City	Seattle	Washington, United States	A modern coastal city, with its most prominent feature being a tower resembling the Space Needle, a major landmark of Seattle.

Real-world locations mentioned

Mewtwo overlooking a "faraway city" at the end of Mewtwo Returns

Chinese noodles

• Lt. Surge is known as "The Lightning American!"
• Game Freak's offices are present in the Celadon Condominiums, the equivalent location of their real-world office in Carrot Tower. Likewise, they have a building in Castelia City, and are found on 22F, the same floor that their offices are on in Carrot Tower.
• Mew was originally discovered in the jungles of the South American country Guyana. This is mentioned in logs inside of Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Mansion.
• Both Articuno and Beartic's names are derived from a real-world location, the Arctic.
• In School of Hard Knocks, Misty fantasizes about Paris and the Eiffel Tower.
• In The Ninja Poké-Showdown, James says that the Fuchsia Gym looks like a Japanese restaurant.
• In the English dub of The March of the Exeggutor Squad, Melvin says he wanted to make it to Las Vegas. In the Japanese version, he said that he wanted to make it to Broadway.
• Arcanine's Yellow, Stadium, Gold, FireRed, and HeartGold Pokédex entries state that it is mentioned in Chinese legends.
• In The Evolution Solution, Meowth says, "Keep digging till you hit China!" to Jessie and James, who were digging for clam shells.
• Parasect's Stadium and FireRed Pokédex entries mention that its spores are used in medicine in China.
• Ponyta's Stadium Pokédex entry mention that it can clear the Eiffel Tower (Tokyo Tower in the original Japanese version) in one leap. Also, its FireRed entry says that it can clear Ayers Rock in one leap.
• In the William Shakespeare-inspired episode Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?, Misty described the town as like being in "merry old England."
• In Mewtwo Strikes Back, Team Rocket are disguised as Vikings. In the English dub, Brock says that he didn't know that Vikings still existed and Ash replies that they "mostly live in Minnesota." This is clearly a reference to the Minnesota Vikings football team.

• In the Swedish dub of the movie, Ash says that they come from Norway, a reference to the Norse Vikings who lived from the 8th to the 11th century.
• In the Danish dub of the movie, Ash tells Brock that the Vikings are mostly on trips in Sweden, again referring to the Norse Vikings.

• In the first movie, Meowth mentioned that they lived on the same Earth (though he may have been referring to the soil rather than the literal planet Earth).
• In Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, Webster, the guard in the gate north of Goldenrod City, will give the player a Spearow holding mail to deliver. The Spearow is nicknamed Kenya, the name of a country in Africa.
• Poliwrath's Gold, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, Black, and White Pokédex entries mention its ability to swim the Pacific Ocean. Also, the direction of a Poliwrath's spirals depends on its geographical location.
• Xatu's Silver, FireRed, and SoulSilver Pokédex entries mention that South Americans say that it can see both the future and past.
• In the TCG Lucky Stadium (Neo Destiny 100) card, there is a promotional New York City print with a Pichu and a Pikachu flying on a Charizard in New York City, with the Empire State Building visible in the background.
• At the end of Mewtwo Returns, Mewtwo is shown overlooking a "faraway city" that greatly resembles New York City. Buildings similar to the Chrysler Building and the MetLife Building are visible in the distance.
• In Pokémon Heroes, Misty makes a direct reference to the Earth, saying "the Earth is so pretty."
• In Can't Beat the Heat, Ash's Charizard uses Seismic Toss. Normally, a cloudy globe can be seen, but this time the Pacific Ocean and Australia are prominent. This also happens in Volcanic Panic and the introduction to Mewtwo Strikes Back.
• According to a Scientist in FireRed and LeafGreen, Silph Co. has a branch in Tiksi, Russia.
• In FireRed and LeafGreen, Blaine refers to Kyoto in the original Japanese version.
• Delibird's Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald Pokédex entries explain that a Delibird helped a famous explorer reach the top of Mt. Everest.
• Regice's Emerald Pokédex entry mentions Antarctic ice.
• In the English dub of The Scheme Team, Jessie talks about Antarctica, the place where their next assignment is located.
• In the movie Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, Kidd's boss's office is in a city that resembles New York City.
• In Pasta La Vista!, an ad in May's food guidebook mentions "Chinese Noodles."
• At the beginning of the English dub of Spontaneous Combusken!, the narrator calls Chrysanthemum Island a "sun-and-fun mecca," a term related to the real world city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
• A Guitarist that can be battled in the Battle Frontier mentions that his guitar is actually a Japanese instrument.
• Upon defeating Fisherman Bronson in the Sinnoh Battle Tower, he will say, "Why the emperor of fishing? It's an ancient Chinese legend..."
• In Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokémon Knight"!, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe were seen on a movie poster.

Real-world people and cultures mentioned

• Snorlax's Japanese name Kabigon is the nickname of Game Freak programmer Kōji Nishino. The nickname comes from the time he was so hungry he ate moldy (黴 kabi) food from the office fridge.^{[citation needed]} This is referenced in Black 2 and White 2, where Nishino appears as a battleable NPC and his highest-leveled Pokémon is Snorlax.
• The main series games have featured staff members of Game Freak that typically reward the player for completing the National Pokédex, or occasionally through alternative methods. Shigeki Morimoto can actually be battled in the Generation V games.
• In Pokémon Shipwreck, Brock directly refers to the tale of Noah who sent a dove to find dry land after a great flood, according to most Abrahamic religions.
• The Japanese version of the song Team Rocket Forever includes the lines 「ムサシ!/コジロウ!/関門海峡/門司/下関」"Musashi!/Kojirō!/Kanmon Straits.../Moji.../Shimonoseki...", referencing the famous duel that Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō (the name basis for Jessie and James's Japanese names, Musashi and Kojirō) fought on an island in the Kanmon Straits, which is located between Moji and Shimonoseki.
• The Japanese holiday Hinamatsuri (means Doll Festival, but sometimes referred to as Girls' Day) is featured in Princess vs. Princess (dubbed as Princess Day).
• The Japanese holiday Children's Day (Kodomo no Hi) is featured in The Purr-fect Hero (dubbed as Kid's Day).
• Christmas is mentioned several times in the anime and manga. Santa Claus is a recurring character in the Pokémon anime who first appeared in Holiday Hi-Jynx. In the dub, Santa's home is called the North Pole.
• In Celebi: Voice of the Forest, Meowth asks if they saw the Iron-Masked Marauder in a Mexican wrestling movie.
• In A Bite to Remember, Jessie says that Albert Einstein created the light bulb. Max corrects her, saying that Thomas Edison was the creator.
• NPCs in the main series games are regularly named after real-world people.
  • In the Generation IV Battle Frontier, one of the potential NPC opponents is Guitarist Iggy, a reference to Iggy Pop.
  • In Pokémon Crystal, several Trainers in the Battle Tower are references to people involved in the creation of the game.
    • Guitarist Masuda is a reference to Junichi Masuda, Crystal's music director.
    • Bug Catcher Tajiri is a reference to Pokémon's creator, Satoshi Tajiri, and his childhood fixation with bug catching.
    • Scientist Mori is a reference to Akito Mori, who is listed under "special thanks" in Crystal.
    • Teacher Kawakami is a reference to Naoko Kawakami, who is listed under "special thanks" in Crystal.
• In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, a Team Rocket Grunt mentions the hula dance to a Kimono Girl while in the Kimono Dance Theater.
• In Pokémon Black and White, six of the Seven Sages quote proverbs from several Chinese philosophers.
  • Zinzolin quotes a proverb from Mencius and a line from Tao Te Ching at N's Castle.
  • Gorm quotes a proverb from Sun Tzu's The Art of War in Pinwheel Forest, and a line from both The Analects and Huainanzi at N's Castle.
  • Bronius quotes another line from Tao Te Ching at N's Castle.
  • Giallo quotes another line from Mencius at N's Castle.
  • In the Japanese version, Ryoku quotes a line from Zhuangzi at N's Castle. In both versions, he also quotes a proverb by Song Dynasty philosopher Hu Yin at N's Castle.
  • Rood quotes another proverb from the Analects and made a reference to a Chinese idiom at N's Castle.
• In Black, White, Black 2, and White 2, the woman in Mistralton City who normally gives a Heart Scale in exchange for ten Sweet Hearts will trade a Heart Scale for only five Sweet Hearts on Valentine's Day and White Day.

Other references to the real world

• In all of the main series games, and some side series games, there is a Nintendo gaming console in the player's bedroom. This is a reference to the real-world gaming company that owns the franchise.
• In Generation I-IV games, getting a triple seven on a slot machine gets the player a jackpot, just like in the real world.
• Raichu and Gastly's FireRed Pokédex entries mention both Pokémon being able to easily knock out an Indian Elephant, an actual animal.
• The Arceus event that takes place in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver includes real life pictures in the game.
• In Beheeyem, Duosion, and the Dream Thief!, a painting within the resort created by Beheeyem bears a striking resemblance to Relativity by M. C. Escher.