Kanto in the crossword: a guide to the first 151
For a few days now the crossword has had two editions: the whole-world one and the Kanto one. In the second, every answer comes from the first region, the 151 Pokémon from Bulbasaur to Mew. It sounds like the easy version, and partly it is, but it has a few traps worth knowing before you start.
Why Kanto differs from the whole-world crossword
In the whole-world crossword a clue such as “Water type” leaves hundreds of options. In the Kanto one you can count them, and many types belong to a single evolution line. That changes how you play: instead of guessing, it is often enough to remember who has that type in the first region.
A practical tip: before you write anything, pick the crossword you want from the region bar above the grid. Each one keeps its own progress, while your streak and your Collection are shared by both.
Types with a single line
In Kanto some types belong to very few Pokémon. When you read them in a clue, the answer is almost written for you:
- Dragon: only the Dratini line, that is Dratini, Dragonair and Dragonite (Dragon and Flying).
- Ghost: only the Gastly line, that is Gastly, Haunter and Gengar, all Ghost and Poison.
- Steel: only Magnemite and Magneton, Electric and Steel.
Ice is a little more crowded but still manageable: Articuno, Jynx, Lapras, Dewgong and Cloyster.
The types that came later
This is the main trap. Clues use today’s types, not those of the first games. Three types arrived later and changed some Kanto Pokémon:
- Steel, added in the second generation: that is why Magnemite and Magneton are now Electric and Steel.
- Dark, added together with Steel: no Kanto Pokémon has it, so you will not find a “Dark type” clue in the Kanto crossword.
- Fairy, added in the sixth generation: Clefairy and Clefable became Fairy, Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff Normal and Fairy, Mr. Mime Psychic and Fairy.
If you remember Clefairy as a Normal type, the clue will look wrong. It is not: it is the updated version.
Legendary and mythical
Clues say when a Pokémon is legendary or mythical, and in Kanto there are only a few, easy to remember:
- Articuno, Ice and Flying;
- Zapdos, Electric and Flying;
- Moltres, Fire and Flying;
- Mewtwo, Psychic, legendary;
- Mew, Psychic, the only mythical one in the region.
Mewtwo and Mew share a type: the word “legendary” or “mythical” in the clue decides. There is more in our guide to legendary and mythical Pokémon in the clues.
Starters and evolutions to know
The three starters are Bulbasaur (Grass and Poison), Charmander (Fire) and Squirtle (Water). Mind Charmander’s final stage: Charizard is Fire and Flying, not Dragon, even though many people remember it that way.
In Kanto, Eevee has three evolutions: Vaporeon (Water), Jolteon (Electric) and Flareon (Fire). The others arrive in later regions. So in the Kanto crossword, a clue about an evolution of Eevee is one of these three names.
For three-stage lines, our evolutions guide explains how to read “1st evolution” and “final form”.
How to tackle the grid
Start with clues that mention a rare type or the word “legendary”: they are the safest answers and give you letters for the crossings. Then move on to clues that name an evolution, which in Kanto almost always point to a single Pokémon. Leave the clues with a common type such as Normal, Water or Poison for last: with a few letters already in place they get much easier.
Ready to try? Open today’s crossword and pick Kanto from the region bar.