Since the dawn of the Pokemon franchise, there has always been two versions of, what is essentially, the same game. Sometimes, there's even been three, with the third version of a Pokemon game releasing a little after the other two and adding some new features, tweaking the map a little, and balancing the game overall. Despite a portion of the fans lamenting this long-running tradition, wishing that all the content was simply combined into one complete package, Game Freak continues to release two versions of its Pokemon games every generation, with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet being no different.
In the past, the differences between the versions have been relatively minor. It's often the case that the only real difference between the versions is the type of legendary Pokemon the player can catch at the end of the game. In the recently released Pokemon Scarlet and Violet trailer, it seems as though these versions are going to differ a little more than past entries, with some Pokemon, Professors, and cosmetics seemingly being exclusive to one version or the other.
Version Exclusive Pokemon
As has been the case since Pokemon Silver, Crystal, and Gold, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will feature two different legendary Pokemon. Revealed in the most recent trailer, Pokemon Scarlet will feature Koraidon, while Pokemon Violet will feature Miraidon. While both of these legendaries have the same serpent-like features overall, they each have some pretty distinguishing characteristics.
While Koraidon is more of the typical snake or dragon-like Pokemon, albeit with arms and legs, Miraidon's design is a little more out there, with giant jet engines protruding from its lower half in place of legs. The two Pokemon also sport their respective games' color, and as some investigative fans have theorized, their visual designs may tie-in with their names.
In Japanese, "Korai" loosely translates to "ancient," or "time-honored," while the word "Mirai" means "future." This links in pretty closely with the Pokemons' visual designs, with Koraidon being a simplistic, stoic figure, while Miraidon has bright electrical streaks across its body and has jet engines for legs.
This may also indicate the general direction of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's story, as past Pokemon games have used their legendaries to express the themes and narrative direction of the game. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, for instance, largely focused on time and space, which its legendaries Dialga and Palkia were respectively responsible for.
While this hasn't been officially confirmed yet, some fans are also speculating that on top of the exclusive legendary Pokemon, some regular monsters will also be locked behind a specific version of the game. Though there's no evidence of that just yet, this would fit in line with the last two decade or so of Pokemon entries, with even Pokemon Silver and Gold having some exclusive Pokemon.
Other Version Exclusive Content Confirmed So Far
Although the legendary Pokemon are probably the most important exclusive content in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, there are a few more aspects of the game that seem to be locked to either one version or the other. One of the more interesting version-exclusive aspects is the two different Professors. For those that purchase Pokemon Scarlet, they'll be reporting to Professor Sada, and those that purchase Pokemon Violet will be mentored by Professor Turo.
Much like Scarlet and Violet's legendaries, these professors' visual design and names may also tie-in with this theme of time, with Sada wearing some prehistoric-looking pelts and Turo wearing a futuristic bodysuit underneath a lab coat. Sada's name may also be a reference to the Spanish word "pasada," which means the past, while Turo's name may be a play-on "futuro," the Spanish word for future. With many fans theorizing that Scarlet and Violet's region is inspired by Spain, this might all tie together neatly.
It also seems like players will receive different color starting outfits based on the version they pick up. For Pokemon Scarlet players, they'll start with some orange shorts, a white shirt, an orange tie, and a blue hat, while Pokemon Violet players will be wearing purple shorts, a purple tie, a gray shirt, and a white hat.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launch November 18, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.