pokepal: Unova

The Unova region is a large area of the Pokémon world. It is the setting of Pokémon Black and White. It is far away from the four other large regions, and the Pokémon which inhabit Unova are diverse and different from those of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. In his director's column, Junichi Masuda suggested that the geographical and social background for Unova draws inspiration from the New York City metropolitan areaalthough the region features rural locations as well as industrial.

Etymology and design concept

Etymology

Unova's Japanese name, イッシュ Isshu, is derived from 一種類 isshurui, meaning "one variety". As explained by game director Masuda, this is to express that even though the region has great diversity in species and race, when seen from a distance they are all the same as living creatures.^[3]

Unova likely comes from the Latin unum (one) and nova (new). May also be from united, considering its basis on the largest city in the United States. It also sounds like parts of the phrase United States of America.

Design concept

Although some of Unova is geographically based on New York, the creators of the region took some liberties in regards to the surrounding areas. Clearly, the largest city in Unova, Castelia City, is based on Lower Manhattan, but to the immediate north of Castelia is (as opposed to a continuing metropolis as in real life) a vast desert. Nimbasa City, which is to the north of Castelia City, could be a reference to Broadway, which is located in Manhattan. The division of Unova may also be a reference to the Boroughs of New York City. The Skyarrow Bridge is a reference to the Brooklyn Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Manhattan.

History

Location of Unova on Pokémon world

Mythological events

In mythology, Unova was created by uniting the warring peoples of the land by twin heroes. To do this, they used a single dragon at an unknown point over 2500 years ago. However, the brothers started arguing over something each sought in life; the older brother sought truth and the younger brother sought ideals. Their arguments split the single dragon into Reshiram, who sided with the older brother, and Zekrom, who sided with the younger brother. Since they were both born from the same dragon neither could defeat the other and the brothers declared that there was no right side. However, eventually their sons continued the fight and both the dragons started to battle again, destroying the Unova region with their fire and lightning powers before disappearing.

Sometime after the original dragon had been split into Reshiram and Zekrom, one of the two brothers and their respective dragon created the Relic Castle, which was the seat of a new civilsation for people and Pokémon.

Also at an unknown point in the distant past, a civil war broke out in Unova that caused an intense forest fire. The many Pokémon that lived in the forest became trapped, though luckily the Legendary musketeers came in to save them—Terrakion moved away boulders that blocked their escape route, Virizion used its nimble movements to protect Pokémon from looming flames, and Cobalion led the scared Pokémon out of the forest. These Pokémon would later become responsible for ending the war before disappearing into myths.

According to Lacunosa Town legend, a long time ago, a large meteor came from the sky containing a terrifying monster. It was said that at night, the monster would appear in the town along with the cold winds and take away humans and Pokémon to eat them. The residents of the town surrounded Lacunosa Town in a wall to keep the monster out, and a rule was then set on the town that forbade anyone from leaving at night and encouraged people to stay in their homes. Even though residents no longer believe this old story, they still stay inside of their houses at night to this day.

There is a legend which tells of how Thundurus and Tornadus once raced across Unova, tearing up the lands with their respective weather powers, caring not for any settlements or creatures in their path. Landorus, realizing the massive destruction the pair had brought to the region and its inhabitants, is said to have punished them so that they ceased their actions and have never since repeated them for fear of Landorus's wrath.

Meloetta once entertained the people of Unova with song and dance; however, when sorrow filled the hearts of people, Meloetta lost this melody as well as its red shoes.

Dated history

3,000 years ago, the Relic items were created.
2,500 years ago, the Relic Castle was flourishing and the Darmanitan in front of it went to sleep.
200 years ago, Village Bridge was constructed after the local river burst its banks, flooding the settlement that stood there previously.
100 years ago, the warehouses of Nacrene City were constructed.
100 years ago, Klink started appearing in Chargestone Cave.
50 years ago, Elgyem was seen for the first time when it appeared from far in the desert.

Contemporary history

In contemporary history, a present containing three starter Pokémon—one each for Cheren, Bianca and Hilda/Hilbert—was sent to Hilda/Hilbert's house in Nuvema Town by Professor Juniper on their mothers' request, so that they could each start their Pokémon journeys through the Unova region, challenging each of Unova's eight gyms in order to collect badges and eventually reach the Pokémon League. During their travels, Hilda/Hilbert met and battled with the members of Team Plasma many times, including their king, N, and encountered the mysterious Shadow Triad, with events coming to a head at Dragonspiral Tower, where N managed to capture one of the members of the Tao trio and invited Hilda/Hilbert to face him after they had beaten the Pokémon League and resurrected the complementary dragon from the Light Stone^B/Dark Stone^W. On retrieving the appropriate stone from Nacrene Museum and defeating the Elite Four, Hilda/Hilbert reached the Champion's room, where N was waiting for them, having just defeated the Champion. N then summoned his castle, which rose out of the earth surrounding the Pokémon League; Team Plasma had been working tirelessly for years prior to build the fortress around the Pokémon League right under their nose, overworking the Pokémon gifted to them by Trainers they had emotionally manipulated into doing so for this purpose. N then invites Hilda/Hilbert into the castle to battle him in order to test the strength of their convictions.

On entering the castle, Hilda/Hilbert are ambushed by all of the Seven Sages (minus Ghetsis), who planned to defeat them so that their king's reign would be unopposed. Fortunately, Bianca arrived, bringing all the Gym Leaders of the region that she was able find with her (which includes all of them except for Chili, Cress and Cilan, whom Bianca claimed she could not contact in time). The Gym Leaders then opted to engage the Seven Sages in battle on Hilda/Hilbert's behalf, so that they were able to ascend through the castle and defeat N. Eventually, Hilda/Hilbert reached Team Plasma's King in the throne room, where N summoned his member of the Tao trio, who subsequently came crashing through the farthest wall of the room. The presence of Reshiram^W/Zekrom^B then activated the player's dormant stone, which emerged from the bag and transformed into its counterpart, Zekrom^W/Reshiram^B. The latter then allowed Hilda/Hilbert to attempt to capture them and after doing so, Hilda/Hilbert proceeded to defeat N in the ensuing battle.

N's loss to his opponent caused Ghetsis to storm into the room in rage, insisting that N was a complete failure and a freak and revealing his true motivation for Team Plasma. By separating all other Pokémon from their Trainers, whilst Team Plasma retained their own, he, as leader of the group (acting through N), would have been left in a position of power from which he could have dominated the world. However, his delusions of grandeur were cut short by his defeat in a final Pokémon battle at the hands of Hilda/Hilbert followed by his arrest.

N, however, was not arrested and subsequently flew from the land on Reshiram^W/Zekrom^B in order to do some soul searching in light of Ghetsis's revelations. Whilst he was not seen again in Unova, there is a rumor that someone with a strong resemblance to N was spotted somewhere in a far-off region. Hilda/Hilbert then continued the rest of their journey, managing to also cover eastern Unova, (becoming the first person to successfully operate the Poké Transfer), locate and aid in the arrest of the remaining Seven Sages and eventually defeat the Pokémon League Champion themselves.

Cities, routes, and other locations

Demographics

The Unova region has a total population of 804 including all the towns, cities and areas.

Cities and towns

Map		City/Town	Population	Description
B	W	City/Town	Population	Description
		Nuvema Town	10	A rural town whose sea breezes give the sense of something coming.
		Accumula Town	30	This town offers great views due to its many hills.
		Striaton City	46	Entry stairs built in memory of a former home in a snowier climate.
		Nacrene City	50	A city established in restored storehouses built 100 years ago.
		Castelia City	130	A big city with skyscrapers piercing the clouds.
		Nimbasa City	239	A bustling city of entertainment, with many theme parks.
		Driftveil City	55	A port town distributing many goods, and a gateway to the Unova region.
		Mistralton City	37	Vegetables are grown by the runway and transported by cargo plane.
		Icirrus City	34	In winter, the city is covered with snow as far as the eye can see.
		Opelucid City	52	A convenient city of rapid change, showing no traces of the past.^B A city that respects history and values old things.^W
		Pokémon League	10	Only the Trainers who have conquered all Pokémon Gyms can challenge here.
		Lacunosa Town	16	A town where all honor old customs, living as methodically as clockwork.
		Undella Town	12	A summer retreat with a beach full of people who enjoy summer vacations.
		Black City	45	A modern city of ongoing development that draws people to it.
		White Forest	25	A place of nature's bounty, it attracts people who long for nature.
		Anville Town	13	A city with a rail yard where trains park for an overhaul.

Landmarks

Battle Subway map showing various destinations in the Greater Unova region

The five bridges of Unova

Given that Unova is spread across three strips of land divided by two rivers, a number of bridges exists to allow free movement across the region. Each of them has their own characteristic features and are even popular tourist attractions, they are:

Anime-exclusive locations

Picture	Location	Description
	Area 28	Area 28, located near Route 4, is notorious for its UFO sightings. Professor Icarus lived there to experiment on dark matter. He also encountered an Elgyem.
	Battle Club	Battle Clubs are facilities owned by Don Georges. There are many Battle Clubs across the Unova region. They have various features including a gymnasium, swimming pool to train Pokémon, and computers that display Trainer information.
	Clock tower	The clock tower is an old unnamed landmark that stands in an unnamed town in Unova. Ash and his friends helped a Darmanitan and its Darumaka friends save the tower from demolition.
	Eindoak Town	Eindoak Town is the setting for the fourteenth movie. It is the ancestral home of the "People of the Vale." During the battle tournament held for the village's Harvest Festival, Ash befriends Victini, a rare Pokémon that inhabits Eindoak Town.
	Litwick Mansion	Litwick Mansion is located along Route 4 and was discovered by Ash and his friends while trying to excape the rain. It is home to four Litwick and a Lampent.
	Luxuria Town	Luxuria Town is located somewhere between Striaton City and Nacrene City. Luxuria Town has its own Battle Club which is run by the local Don George. Ash had his second battle with Trip here and lost.
	Kingdom of the Vale	Kingdom of the Vale was once home of the "People of the Vale" and ruled by a beloved king. The Dragon Force supplies the kingdom with power.
	Milos Island	Milos Island is an island off the coast of Driftveil City. It is home to the Abundant Shrine where Landorus sleeps. Connected to the island are two smaller islands that house the shrines of Tornadus and Thundurus who also rest peacefully.
	Nimbasa Town	Nimbasa Town is located south of Nimbasa City. Ash mistakes the town for Nimbasa City at first when he asks where the Gym is until Luke explains that they're two different places. Nimbasa Town is where Ash and his friends take part in the Club Battle Tournament.
	Rainbow Valley	Rainbow Valley exists somewhere along Route 4. Cottonee gather at Rainbow Valley after finding their partner, riding on what is known as the "Diamond Breeze" while holding hands in order to get there. Ash and his friends visit Rainbow Valley after helping a Cottonee win over a love interest.
	Village of Dragons	The Village of Dragons is the hometown of Iris. It is a place where people raise and admire Dragon-type Pokémon. Iris obtained her Axew there from the Elder.

Routes

Unlike previous regions, Unova's routes do not follow the same numbering system, with a jump to 301, but are numbered 1-18, paralleling the Kanto region's numbering system and emphasizing Unova's dissociation from the previous four regions.

Geography

Unova is divided by two rivers that lead into an ocean to the south of it. These rivers cannot be surfed on, with the exception of the area around the Village Bridge. It divides Unova into central and eastern peninsulas and a western landmass. These three landmasses are connected by five bridges, the Skyarrow Bridge, the Driftveil Drawbridge, the Tubeline Bridge, the Marvelous Bridge, and the Village Bridge. The eastern part of Unova is further divided by mountains that makes a southeast part and northeast part. The southeastern part is important to Trainers who want to compete in the Pokémon league since two gyms are located there, but the northeastern part is not since there are no gyms there and it mostly has tourism, as evidenced by the amount of people speaking foreign languages. Further away from this bundle of towns is where the Pokémon League is located. Interestingly, the northeastern part is the only place in the region to find Pokémon species foreign to Unova outside of Swarms. The central peninsula of Unova consists of the two largest cities in the Pokémon world, Castelia City and Nimbasa City, as well as Opelucid City further north, all of which contain gyms. Every bridge in Unova connects to the central part of the region from either the east or west. The western side contains medium sized towns and more varied landscapes but it also has three gyms there, making it another destination to visit for any Pokémon Trainer.

Unova is a mixture of urban and rural land. The region features fifteen settlements which reflect the diversity of the region. Many cities have buildings that resemble real-world buildings, such as Striaton City and Castelia City. However, some cities remain the way buildings in the past do. Castelia City, a sprawling metropolis, is the largest city in any known Pokémon region. Nuvema Town, which is inhabited by the Pokémon expert Professor Juniper, is smaller and quieter. Black City is a version-exclusive city found only in Pokémon Black. Unova's landscape also features several forests (one of which, White Forest, is also version-exclusive), a desert, a magnetic cave and areas where the move Dive can be used outside of battle. Although Unova appears in some ways more technologically advanced than the previous regions, this development is not spread across the whole of the region. There will be several aesthetic differences in the region depending on the version, with Pokémon White these changes make the geography more rural looking, while in Pokémon Black these changes are more technological in appearance.

Climate

Main article: Seasons

The climate of Unova, unlike other regions, solely depends on the time of the year.

Unlike previous regions, where climatic change was experienced locally (that is to say, some routes would always feature snow, and some routes would always feature rain), Unova is susceptible to national seasonal change. Spring, summer, autumn and winter each last approximately thirty days, and recur three times each within a year. Each season brings with it different weather patterns, unlocks different events, and presents altered Pokémon availabilities.

Unova League

Main article: Unova League

The Unova League is the regional Pokémon League of the Unova region. After obtaining the eight badges of the region a trainer may battle the Elite Four at the Pokémon League building.

Gym Leaders

Unova League
Generation V				Region: Unova
Gym Leader Japanese				Location Japanese	Type			Badge
Cilan デント Dent	Chili ポッド Pod		Cress コーン Corn	Striaton City サンヨウシティ Sanyou City	Grass	Fire	Water	Trio Badge
Lenora アロエ Aloe				Nacrene City シッポウシティ Shippou City	Normal			Basic Badge
Burgh アーティ Arti				Castelia City ヒウンシティ Hiun City	Bug			Insect Badge
Elesa カミツレ Kamiture				Nimbasa City ライモンシティ Raimon City	Electric			Bolt Badge
Clay ヤーコン Yacon				Driftveil City ホドモエシティ Hodomoe City	Ground			Quake Badge
Skyla フウロ Fuuro				Mistralton City フキヨセシティ Fukiyose City	Flying			Jet Badge
Brycen ハチク Hachiku				Icirrus City セッカシティ Sekka City	Ice			Freeze Badge
Drayden シャガ Shaga^B		Iris アイリス Iris^W		Opelucid City ソウリュウシティ Souryuu City	Dragon			Legend Badge

Elite Four

Unova League
Generation V
Member Japanese	Type
Shauntal シキミ Shikimi	Ghost
Marshal レンブ Renbu	Fighting
Grimsley ギーマ Giima	Dark
Caitlin カトレア Cattleya	Psychic
Champion Alder アデク Adeku	Various