Thanks to a new trailer released this month, gamers have had a chance to take a better look at the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, now confirmed to be set for an official launch on November 18 later this year. While more details have been shared about the new mascot Legendaries and even a few fresh Pokemon set to be introduced in Gen 9, one key tidbit is still missing and leaving many fans scratching their heads.
Game Freak has yet to confirm an official name for the new region that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is set to explore, and while innocuous enough, it could be that the region's name will provide some insight into the upcoming games' story, or it may even finally confirm what many have already guessed regarding where the new region's inspiration comes from. Despite many fans being convinced they've worked everything out, without any official confirmation or announcement to name the new region, these theories will run wild while Game Freak keeps quiet.
Past Region Names Stayed On-Theme
While there have been many regions explored throughout Pokemon, to date there have only been 8 regions introduced within the mainline games, one for each generation of Pokemon. For the very first generations, these regions were based on different areas of Japan, initially being directly inspired and named after Kanto, then moving to Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh consecutively. From Gen 2 onwards, these names often took on more symbolic meaning than just their real-world counterparts and often factored in a connection between their name and the main theme explored within their respective games. Junichi Masuda confirmed this in interviews with various outlets when giving insight into each new game and discussing the inspiration for each region.
For instance, examples such as Hoenn take their name from '豊縁 hōen,' meaning 'rich or abundant relations,' which Masuda connects between Pokemon and people. Sinnoh draws from '神奥 shin'ō,' connecting to mystery, the profound, and god within. As later regions moved away from Japan, this didn't stop Masuda from applying the same naming conventions by drawing on the real-world etymology to name the region. An excellent example of this was Hawaii forming Alola, which not only uses 'ola,' which in Hawaiian means 'life,' but also bears similarity to 'aloha', a greeting among the islanders. The list goes on of course, as for each region, Masuda has his reasons behind their namesakes and how they connect to the games themselves. Gen 9, therefore, should be no different.
Scarlet and Violet Theories Hint Toward A Name
As no official name has yet been given to the new region, Masuda has likewise not yet spoken up to explain its name. However, as many Braviary-eyed fans have speculated, there's an overwhelming amount of evidence and similar leaks that back up the current theory that the new region is inspired by Spain. From the association of grapes and oranges to new Pokemon like the immediately loved Lechonk, most if not all fans are convinced that Spain is going to be the new destination for Scarlet and Violet.
With this in mind, many are turning to more abstract ideas that are being born out of the new trailer that hint toward the game focusing on the past and the future. Between the similar albeit unique mascot Legendaries to the surprising break from tradition with two Professors who have rather specific dress senses, it would appear that Scarlet and Violet are poised to explore the relationship between the region's history and its future. It doesn't take much to put two and two together to realize that the region's new name might just confirm these suspicions, explaining why Game Freak have remained so cagey and quiet about the region's name. Still, until an official announcement is made that finally gives fans a name, many are left to speculate on just where exactly Scarlet and Violet will be taking players this time.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet releases on November 18, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.