The Pokémon regions, from Kanto to Paldea

PokèVerba’s clues don’t say “generation 2” but “from Johto”. Regions are how we all remember them: the place where we chose our first starter, beat our first gym, made our first catch.

Why the region helps in the crossword

Every generation of games brought a new region and a group of new Pokémon. If the clue says “from Kalos”, the possible answers drop from nearly nine hundred to a few dozen. Combine it with the type and the length of the word and you’re often left with two or three names.

The numbers below count the species introduced in each region, the same ones we use in today’s crossword.

Kanto (generation 1, 151 Pokémon)

The region of Red and Blue, inspired by the Tokyo area. The starters are Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. It’s the region of the names almost everyone knows: if a clue says “from Kanto”, start from the Pokémon you remember from your childhood.

Johto (generation 2, 100 Pokémon)

Gold and Silver, west of Kanto. Starters: Chikorita, Cyndaquil and Totodile. This is where the first pre-evolutions were born, like Pichu and Cleffa: a clue “from Johto” that talks about a Pokémon evolving into one from Kanto is a great sign.

Hoenn (generation 3, 135 Pokémon)

Ruby and Sapphire, a region full of sea and islands, inspired by Kyūshū. Starters: Treecko, Torchic and Mudkip. Lots of Water Pokémon: if the clue says “from Hoenn” and “lives in the sea”, you’ve already narrowed it down a lot.

Sinnoh (generation 4, 107 Pokémon)

Diamond and Pearl, in the cold north inspired by Hokkaidō. Starters: Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup. Sinnoh gave new evolutions to many Pokémon from earlier regions, from Magnezone to Togekiss: “from Sinnoh” doesn’t always mean “a name I don’t know”.

Unova (generation 5, 156 Pokémon)

Black and White, inspired by New York. Starters: Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott. It’s the region with the most new species, and the first games showed no older Pokémon: its names are often less familiar, so rely on the crossings with the words you already have.

Kalos (generation 6, 72 Pokémon)

X and Y, inspired by France. Starters: Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie. It’s the smallest region by number of species and the one that brought the Fairy type: “from Kalos” plus “Fairy type” is a very tight clue.

Alola (generation 7, 88 Pokémon)

Sun and Moon, an archipelago inspired by Hawaii. Starters: Rowlet, Litten and Popplio. Many names join two words (Mudbray, Bewear): if a crossing letter doesn’t fit, try splitting the name in two.

Galar (generation 8, 89 Pokémon)

Sword and Shield, inspired by Great Britain. Starters: Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble. It’s the last region in our crossword today.

Paldea (generation 9)

Scarlet and Violet, inspired by the Iberian Peninsula. Starters: Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly. Its Pokémon aren’t among PokèVerba’s answers yet: when we add them, you’ll read about it on the blog.

Regions in the starters’ names

A trick to remember the regions: the starters. Each region has three, one Grass type, one Fire type and one Water type, and their lines always reach three stages. If a clue says “Fire type Pokémon from Hoenn” and “it is the 2nd evolution and the final form of its line”, the answer is Torchic’s last form: Blaziken.

Going over the nine starter trios is the quickest way to have at least one sure name for each region, and to rebuild the rest of the grid from there.

How to use the region

Read the region first, then the type, then count the squares. If the name doesn’t come, fill in the words that cross it: in the crossword every right letter gives you a piece of the others. Need a refresher on types? There’s the beginner’s guide to types.