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, and one of the largest cities in the Pokémon world. 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.
Slogan
Generation II
The Festive City of Opulent Charm (Japanese: ごうか けんらん きんぴか にぎやか はなやかな まち The bustling, brilliant city of luxurious splendor.)
Generation IV
A Happening Big City (Japanese: にぎわいの おおがた とし A bustling big city.)
Places of interest
Pokémon Center
In Western versions of Crystal, a woman in the Pokémon Center gives the player Revives in exchange for copies of Eon Mail, itself only obtainable via Mystery Gift.
She is not featured in the Japanese version, Gold and Silver, or HeartGold and SoulSilver.
Bike Shop
- Main article: Miracle Cycle
The lone bicycle shop in Johto is located in an isolated neighborhood in east Goldenrod, where business doesn't seem to be doing very good. In Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the owner of the shop has moved his business from Cerulean City to Goldenrod, whereas in HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Goldenrod Bike Shop is merely a new branch of the Bike Shop located in Cerulean City.
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.
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.
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.
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. In addition, the Blackthorn Gym won't be open for challengers until the incident has been solved.
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 the 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 Kanto Power Plant. After defeating him in Cerulean City, the player 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 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.
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 the Bike Shop is able to determine the friendship of the first Pokémon in the player's party.
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 via the Mobile Game Boy Adapter, 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 players to encounter and catch Celebi. The GS Ball would be delivered to the player by a nurse in the Pokémon Communication Center, which could then be taken to Kurt in Azalea Town to investigate. The day afterwards, 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
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Population in Gold and Silver; population in Japanese Crystal |
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 double the second-most populous city in Johto, Violet City, which only has a population of 52. This number makes Goldenrod the fifth largest city in the Pokémon world, behind Castelia City, Mauville City, Nimbasa City and Lumiose City.
Items
| Item | Location | Games | |
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Revive | From a girl in the Pokémon Center in exchange for an Eon Mail (Western version only) | C |
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Bicycle | From the Bike Shop owner | G S C HG SS |
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SquirtBottle | From the Flower Shop lady after earning the Plain Badge | G S HG SS |
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SquirtBottle | From the Flower Shop lady after earning the Plain Badge and speaking with her sister on Route 36 | C |
| GS Ball | GS Ball | From an attendant while attempting to exit the Pokémon Center/Pokémon Communication Center after entering the Hall of Fame (Virtual Console only) | C |
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Super Potion | Northwest of the lamppost south of the Bike Shop (hidden) | HG SS |
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Gracidea | From the Flower Shop lady if the player has a fateful encounter Shaymin in their party | HG SS |
Pokémon
Generation II
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20 | 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
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HG | SS |
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5 | 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
In the main series
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 Goldenrod Gym was closed, so the gang decided to explore the city, specifically the Goldenrod Galleria. Unfortunately, the city was so large, Brock lost his way, which led 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.
In A Dairy Tale Ending, Whitney escorted Ash and his friends to her uncle's dairy farm located in the hills surrounding Goldenrod City. After an attack by Team Rocket at the farm, Ash and Whitney began their second battle. Ultimately, Ash only beat her in a three-on-one battle, but Whitney awarded him the Plain Badge anyway.
The city was featured again in Air Time!. With Ash coming off his victory against Whitney, the group visited the Goldenrod Radio Tower, where Ash was interviewed by DJ Mary. The group also took part in a radio drama, which was almost ruined by Team Rocket's attempt to steal Pikachu, but was successfully adapted as a part of the show. Following the events of this episode, the trio departed from the city.
Gallery
| Pokémon Center | Goldenrod Gym | Goldenrod Galleria | Goldenrod Radio Tower |
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In Pokémon Generations
Goldenrod City appeared in a flashback in The Vision, as Looker recalled the incident where Team Rocket took over the Goldenrod Radio Tower in an attempt to contact Giovanni.
In the manga
In the Ash & Pikachu manga
In the Ash & 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
In Smeargle Smudge, Gold reached Goldenrod City and had his face painted by a Smeargle. The Radio Director offered him a spot on the show "Pokémon Talent Round-Up". There, he met Whitney and argued with her, causing an influx of positive calls from listeners who wanted them to battle. Instead of a normal battle, they had a Pokémon Battle race where one Trainer must reach the end point, and both Trainers are allowed to use their Pokémon.
Goldenrod City was also where Suicune challenged Janine, the night after Janine had tested security systems for a Goldenrod museum.
Ruby was born in Goldenrod City; however, his family moved to the Hoenn region when he was young.
In the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga
Gold went to Goldenrod City in Let's Use Fighting Type Pokémon!!.
In the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga
Goldenrod City made a cameo in JBA2.
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Goldenrod City made its first appearance in Don't Accuse Me.
Trivia
- The placement of the Global Terminal in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver in Goldenrod City may have been inspired by the Pokémon Communication Center that replaced the regular Pokémon Center from Pokémon Gold and Silver in the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal.
- The song Goldenrod City serves as the base for the song Bicycle, since the latter is a sped-up version of the former which also uses different instruments.
- 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.
- Although the localizations of Crystal restored the regular Pokémon Center from Gold and Silver due to the removal of the Pokémon Mobile System GB, the NPCs there were altered to match those from the Japanese version's Pokémon Communication Center (specifically, the little girl was replaced by the PCC's older girl). HeartGold and SoulSilver reuses the NPCs found in Gold and Silver.
- The Pokémon Center in Crystal also has an unused warp on the tile above the stairs that leads the player to the Administration Office of the Pokémon Communication Center (video). Furthermore, the entrance/exit mat has hidden toggles for triggering the GS Ball delivery that would be activated during an official Nintendo distribution due to the event being adapted for the localizations (video); this is the only instance in which the Pokémon Communication Center's Trade Corner attendant appears to the player on non-Japanese versions of Pokémon Crystal.
Name origin
| Language | Name | Origin |
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| Japanese | コガネシティ Kogane City | From 黄金色 kogane-iro, golden color |
| English | Goldenrod City | From goldenrod |
| French | Doublonville | From doublon (doubloon) and ville |
| German | Dukatia City | From Dukat, ducat |
| Italian | Fiordoropoli | From fiore d'oro, golden flower |
| Spanish | Ciudad Trigal | From trigal, wheatfield |
| Ciudad Caña Dorada* Ciudad Camino Dorado* |
Means golden cane Means golden road | |
| Korean | 금빛시티 Geumbit City | From 금빛 geumbit, golden color |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 滿金市 / 满金市 Mǎnjīn Shì* | From 滿金 / 满金 mǎnjīn, full of gold |
| 小金市 Xiǎojīn Shì* 黄金市 Huángjīn Shì* |
From the Japanese name 小金 Kogane From 黄金 huángjīn , gold | |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 滿金市 Múhngām Síh* | From 滿金 múhngām, full of gold |
| 黃金市 Wòhnggām Síh* 小金市 Síugām Síh* |
From 黃金 wòhnggām, gold From the Japanese name 小金 Kogane | |
| Polish | Goldenrod* Miasto Goldenrod* Goldenrod City* |
From its English name |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Cidade de Goldenrod* Cidade de Quinhão Dourado* |
From its English name Means golden share |
| Vietnamese | Thành phố Kogane | Transliteration of its Japanese 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. |
