Goldenrod City
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Map description
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Goldenrod City Gym - Johto Gym #3
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Location  Location of Goldenrod City in Johto. | |||||||||||||
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Goldenrod City (Japanese: コガネシティ Kogane City) is a sprawling metropolis located in western Johto. It is the largest city in the region, rivaling Celadon City, the largest city in Kanto. Goldenrod City is the third largest city in the Pokémon world, behind Unova's Castelia City and Nimbasa City. Goldenrod is the center of the region's economy and telecommunications. Major attractions for Trainers include the Goldenrod Radio Tower, the city's Department Store, Game Corner, Name Rater, Magnet Train, Global Terminal (HeartGold and SoulSilver only) and Gym.
Pokémon Trainers often come to Goldenrod City in order to win the Plain Badge from Whitney, the Goldenrod Gym Leader, who specializes in Normal-type Pokémon.
The National Park, along with the Pokéathlon Dome, is located north of Goldenrod off Route 35 while the Pokémon Day Care is just south of the city on Route 34.
Places of interest
Miracle Cycle
- Main article: Miracle Cycle
The lone Bike Shop in Johto is located in an isolated neighborhood in east Goldenrod, where business doesn't seem to be doing very good. The owner of the shop moved his business from Cerulean City to Goldenrod between Generation I and III and Generation II and IV.
The player obtains their Bicycle from this shop for free. The owner of the store first simply loans the player the Bicycle, but after his number of customers drastically increases, he calls the player on the Pokégear to let the player know that he/she can keep it.
The World is a
Cycle Path!
BIKE SHOP
Goldenrod Department Store
- Main article: Goldenrod Department Store
The Goldenrod Department Store, located in the city center, claims to have a full selection of Pokémon Goods for Trainers. Though the store does not carry more advanced items such as Hyper PotionsGSC, Ultra BallsGSC, or Full Restores, it does back up its claim by boasting the widest selection of specialty items in Johto. It is one of the largest buildings in Goldenrod City, making it easy to find.
The lowest level of the store connects to the Goldenrod Tunnel, which encompasses most of western Goldenrod. A team of workers and a Machoke are moving boxes around. People get told off by the worker for going down and distracting them. This is one of the endpoints of the Goldenrod Tunnel. In Generation II, every time the player enters the area, the boxes will be moved in various places, allowing access to items that are on the ground in blocked rooms. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the boxes are instead moved when the player interacts with workers in the area.
Goldenrod Game Corner
- Main article: Goldenrod Game Corner
Johto's installment of the Game Corner is located in Goldenrod across the main north-south road from the department store. The parlor features slot machines among other varieties of games. In Pokémon Crystal, the Move Tutor can be found standing outside the building on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
There are two games to play: the slot machines and Card flip. One to three coins can be put in the slot machine each play. One Coin will only count the center row across, two Coins will count all three rows across, and three Coins will count all three rows across as well as both diagonals. The reels stop spinning when the A button is pressed. The Card flip minigame is exclusive to Generation II. The player can pick either a card or a group of cards, making it much like roulette. The deck has 24 cards, each one with a number between 1 and 6 and a picture of one of four Pokémon (Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Oddish, or Poliwag). Bets can be placed by a single card, by a single column, by a single row, by a pair of columns, or by a pair of rows. In non-Japanese versions of HeartGold and SoulSilver, these games are replaced by the Voltorb Flip minigame.
Your Playground!
GOLDENROD CITY
GAME CORNER
Johto Name Rater
- Main article: Name Rater
The Johto Name Rater is located in a house near the gate separating Goldenrod from Route 35. Here, Trainers can have the nicknames of their Pokémon rated and, if the Pokémon's ID number matches the Trainer's ID number, the nickname can be changed.
If the Pokémon was caught by the player that currently owns it, he'll say that the name could be better and offer the player the option of changing it.
If the Pokémon he's judging was obtained via a trade, he will say that the name is perfect and refuse to change it. However, if both players have identical Trainer IDs and secret IDsHGSS, he will allow name changes.
NAME RATER
Get Your POKéMON
Nicknames Rated
Radio Tower
- Main article: Goldenrod Radio Tower
The Goldenrod Radio Tower, located at the west end of the main east-west path through the city, is the source of all Pokégear broadcasts in Johto. An antenna on top of the tower transmits three radio programs daily, with a fourth program being aired between 6 P.M. and 12 A.M. every night. The building has three studios spread over five floors. The Radio Tower broadcasts numerous programs daily, the most prominent of such being Professor Oak's Pokémon Talk and Buena's Password, a new radio show that debuted in Pokémon Crystal and that returns in HeartGold and SoulSilver.
In Gold and Silver, the station has two studios, located on the fourth and fifth floors. A third studio is added in Pokémon Crystal on the second floor. In every version, the tower has a welcome center, as well as a computer linked to Bill's PC and the Trainer's personal computer, on the first floor and a small café on the second floor. The technical operations of the tower are handled by way of a network of computers on the third and fourth floors. The manager of the tower has an office on the fifth floor.
For a short time in Generation II and its Generation IV remakes, the tower falls into the clutches of Team Rocket, during which time none of the normal broadcasts are aired. Following the player's collection of seven Gym Badges, it is necessary to purge the Radio Tower of Team Rocket in order to continue the storyline as a man selling RageCandyBars in Mahogany Town will prevent access to Route 44, the eastern path out of Mahogany, until the Radio Tower has been returned to normal.
GOLDENROD CITY
RADIO TOWER
Magnet Train station
- Main article: Magnet Train
Saffron City and Goldenrod City are linked by a railway used by the Magnet Train, a high-speed train that runs regularly between the two cities. The train follows no set schedule, making the Magnet Train an ideal way to travel between Kanto and Johto.
To board the train, a potential rider must have a Pass. The Copycat of Saffron City has one (given to her as compensation for the fact that the station in Saffron is built where her house used to be), and is willing to give it up as a reward for returning her Poké Doll that Red gave to her three years before.
Initially, the train is out of service as a minion of Team Rocket has stolen the Machine Part from the Power Plant in Kanto. After defeating him in Cerulean City, players can retrieve the part from the Cerulean Gym and return it to the Power Plant. With the part back in place, the train will have the necessary power to run.
GOLDENROD CITY
STATION
Goldenrod Tunnel
- Main article: Goldenrod Tunnel
An underground path, the Goldenrod Tunnel, runs from the southwestern side of the city to the northwestern area, with a branch leading to the basement of the Department Store. A pair of groomers in the tunnel will groom Pokémon, increasing the friendship of the groomed Pokémon, for a small fee.
This path contains a barber shop, Herb Shop, and a shop selling valuable items—which are to be simply resold for profit. Shops are only open on certain days of the week, and in some cases, at certain times. The path is also notorious for having litter carelessly left there by Trainers. Additionally, there is an entrance to the basement of the Department Store, which is initially occupied by Team Rocket.
Southern entrance
UNDERGROUND
ENTRANCE
Northern entrance
UNDERGROUND
ENTRANCE
Flower shop
A flower shop is located in the northeast area of the city, where the player can obtain the SquirtBottle, the key item needed to get past the Sudowoodo who blocks the player's path on Route 36; however, the SquirtBottle can only be obtained after defeating Whitney.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Gracidea can be obtained here with a fateful encounter Shaymin as the walking Pokémon. Also only in HeartGold and SoulSilver, after Sudowoodo has been cleared from Route 36, Mulch can also be bought here.
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Friendship checker
A woman in a house near Miracle Cycle is able to determine the friendship of the first Pokémon in the player's party.
- When a Pokémon has between 0-69 friendship, she will say, "It doesn't seem to like you at all. It looks mean."
- When a Pokémon has between 70-99 friendship, she will say, "You should treat it better. It's not used to you."
- When a Pokémon has between 100-149 friendship, she will say, "It's quite cute."
- When a Pokémon has between 150-199 friendship, she will say, "It's friendly toward you. It looks sort of happy."
- When a Pokémon has between 200-219 friendship, she will say, "I get the feeling that it really trusts you."
- When a Pokémon has between 220-255 friendship, she will say, "It looks really happy! It must love you a lot."
Bill's house
Goldenrod City is the hometown of Bill, the inventor of both Kanto's and Johto's Pokémon Storage System. It is also the home of the rest of his family, who lives in a small house near the southern entrance of Goldenrod Tunnel. However, some of his family also lives in Fuchsia City, and in Generation II and Generation IV, his grandfather watches over his Sea Cottage on Route 25.
Pokémon Communication Center
- Main article: Pokémon Communication Center
In the Japanese version of Crystal, the Pokémon Center was expanded into a much larger building, called the Pokémon Communication Center, and shortened to PokéCom Center. It took use of the Pokémon Mobile System GB and the Mobile Adapter GB, which required connecting to a mobile phone.
The Pokémon Communication Center housed the facilities for the aforementioned systems, such as the Pokémon News Machine, which compiles news from the save files of players across Japan. Reading the news would sent out a player's own save file data, allowing others to read about the player's adventure.
It is most famous for being related to the GS Ball event that allowed to encounter and catch Celebi. The GS Ball would be delivered to the player by a nurse in the Pokémon Communication Center, which should then be taken to Kurt in Azalea Town to investigate. In the day after, the player could retrieve the GS Ball from Kurt and take it to the shrine in Ilex Forest to summon a battle with a level 30 Celebi.
The building and its associated features were removed from international releases of Crystal, which also caused the restoration of the regular Pokémon Center from Gold and Silver. However, they are still available in the programming of the international releases and most of the scripts are fully translated in the English versions.
The sign outside in the English versions, either by restoring the Pokémon Communication Center in the map via hacking or by analyzing the game's dialog scripts in the programming, reads:
For Mobile Tips!
POKéCOM CENTER
Global Terminal
- Main article: Global Terminal
The Global Terminal is the worldwide network over which players can interact in different ways via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, only seen in HeartGold and SoulSilver. In order to access the terminal, players must have the first Badge of Johto. The first Pokémon in the player's party is returned to its Poké Ball before entering the building.
The Global Trade Station lets a player send and receive Pokémon on the worldwide network. If the player talks with the woman at the counter, she will direct them into a room in which they can either trade for a Pokémon put there by another player, or put their own Pokémon up for trade.
Players can go to the second floor by using the green warp panels. There are two points of interest on this floor: Box Data, which is located on the western side and the northern set of green machines; and Dress-Up Data, which is located just below the Box Data in the south-eastern corner. Players can go here by using the pink warp panels. There is only one point of interest on this floor: the Battle Video Gallery located on the western side and the set of the pink machines.
Goldenrod Gym
- Main article: Goldenrod Gym
The Goldenrod Gym is the official Gym of Goldenrod City. It is based on Normal-type Pokémon. The Gym Leader is Whitney. Trainers who defeat her receive the Plain Badge. In Generation II, the Goldenrod Gym is a maze of flowers and ornaments. The player must navigate their way around the Gym floor by going around the wall of pretty flowers first, then enter the middle section. The Trainers in the Gym are hard to avoid, and most of them must be battled in order to challenge Whitney, who is located in the middle of the Gym.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, many aesthetic changes have been made to the Goldenrod Gym. The overall layout of the Gym remains the same; however, the outer part of the Gym has been raised to create a platform above the rest of the Gym. To reach Whitney, the player must navigate their way around the raised platform, battle Trainers, and go though an arch below one of the platforms.
When Leader Whitney is defeated, she throws a temper tantrum and cries. Then, the player must talk to her. After drying her eyes and blowing her nose, she will get over her loss and give the player the Plain Badge, TM45 (Attract), and the ability to use Strength outside of battle.
Demographics
Pokémon Crystal
In Pokémon Crystal, Goldenrod City has a total population of 105, being the largest city at the time. However, this was short-lived, as Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire introduced a larger city—Lilycove City, which has a population of 123.
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, Goldenrod City has a total population of 126, making it the largest city in Johto. Its population is more than triple the second-most populous city in Johto, Violet City, which only has a population of 40. This number makes Goldenrod the third largest city in the Pokémon world, behind Castelia City and Nimbasa City.
Items
| Item | Location | Games | |
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Bicycle | Given by the Bike Shop owner | G S C HG SS |
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SquirtBottle | Given by the Flower Shop lady after winning the Plain Badge | G S C HG SS |
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Fashion Case | Gift from Lyra or Ethan upon first entering Goldenrod Tunnel | HG SS |
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Super Potion | Northwest of the lamppost south of Miracle Cycle (hidden) | HG SS |
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Gracidea | Given by the flower shop lady (must have a fateful encounter Shaymin in the party) | HG SS |
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Coin Case | Gift from Mr. Game in Goldenrod Game Corner (non-Japanese versions only) | HG SS |
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Gold Berry | Held by Muscle, a Machop player receives in a trade | G S C |
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Macho Brace | Held by Muscle, a Machop player receives in a trade | HG SS |
Pokémon
Generation II
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20 | One | |||||||||
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The same as the Traded Pokémon | One | |||||||||
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The same as the Traded Pokémon | One | |||||||||
| A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here. | |||||||||||||||
Generation IV
| Pokémon | Games | Location | Levels | Rate | |||||||||||
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HG | SS |
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20 | One | ||||||||||
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HG | SS |
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5 | One | ||||||||||
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HG | SS |
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The same as the Traded Pokémon | One | ||||||||||
| A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here. | |||||||||||||||
In the anime
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. |
Goldenrod City first appeared in A Goldenrod Opportunity, when Ash and his friends arrived in the city as Ash wanted to win his third Johto League Gym Badge here. However, the Gym was closed, so the gang decided to explore the city, specifically the Goldenrod Galleria. Unfortunately, the city is so large, that Brock lost his way, which lead them to meet Whitney, who offered to guide them to the Galleria through the Underground Path. Eventually, once the gang learned that Whitney is the Gym Leader, Ash battled her in an attempt to win the Plain Badge, though he ultimately ended up losing to Whitney's Miltank.
The travelers remained in the city through the events of A Dairy Tale Ending, as Ash prepared for a rematch against Whitney, while Whitney took them to visit her uncle's dairy farm. After an attack by Team Rocket at the farm, Ash and Whitney began their second battle. Ultimately, Ash did not win an even battle, but Whitney awarded him the Plain Badge anyway.
The city was seen once again in Air Time!. With Ash coming off his victory against Whitney, the gang visited the Goldenrod Radio Tower, where Ash was interviewed by DJ Mary. Following the events of this episode, the trio departed from the city.
In the manga
In the Ash and Pikachu manga
In the Ash and Pikachu manga, Ash and his friends visit Goldenrod City in The Beginning Of Good Luck?! Pokémon Fortune Telling. There, they meet Whitney's grandmother, a fortune teller, and Ash challenges Whitney at Goldenrod Gym.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. |
In Smeargle Smudge, Gold reaches Goldenrod and has his face painted by a Smeargle. The Radio Director offers him a spot on the show "Pokémon Talent Round-Up". There, he meets Whitney and argues with her, causing an influx of positive calls from listeners who wanted them to battle. Instead of a normal battle, they have a Pokémon Battle race where one Trainer must reach the end point, and both Trainers are allowed to use their Pokémon.
Ruby was born in Goldenrod City; however, his family moved to the Hoenn region when he was young.
Trivia
- The placement of the Global Terminal in HeartGold and SoulSilver in Goldenrod City may have been inspired by the Pokémon Communication Center that replaced the regular Pokémon Center from Gold and Silver in the Japanese version of Crystal.
- The song Goldenrod City (Japanese: コガネシティ) serves as the base for the song Bicycle (Japanese: じてんしゃ), since the latter is a sped up version of the former which also uses different instruments.
- Goldenrod's English motto in Generation II was "The Festive City of Opulent Charm".
- When the player arrives in the city after using the Magnet Train in HeartGold and SoulSilver, the guard states that the stress is to be placed on the letter "o". However, there are two "o"s in Goldenrod, and the guard does not state whether the stress is on the first "o" or the second.
Name origin
| Language | Name | Origin |
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| Japanese | コガネシティ Kogane City | From 黄金 (kogane) gold. |
| English | Goldenrod City | From goldenrod, a type of yellow-colored flowering plant. |
| French | Doublonville | From doublon (doubloon) and ville (city). |
| German | Dukatia City | From Dukat, ducat. |
| Italian | Fiordoropoli | From fiore d'oro, golden flower, and the suffix -poli, meaning city. |
| Spanish | Ciudad Trigal Ciudad Caña Dorada * Ciudad Camino Dorado * |
From trigal, wheatfield. Literally means golden road. |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Cidade de Quinhão Dourado* | Means golden share. |
| Korean | 금빛시티 Geumbit City | 금빛 (geumbit) means golden color. |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 滿金市 Mǎnjīn Shì (anime) 小金市 Xiǎojīn Shì (manga) |
金 is taken from 黄金 (kogane). 滿金 (mǎnjīn) literally means "full of gold". From 小金 kogane. 小金 (xiǎojīn) literally means "little gold". |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 滿金市 Moongam Si | Same as the Mandarin name |
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This article is part of Project Cities and Towns, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every city and town in the Pokémon world. |
