Unova Region

Unova イッシュ地方 Isshu region

Artwork of the Unova region from Black 2 and White 2

Introduction Pokémon Black and White Professor Professor Juniper Starter Pokémon Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott Regional Villains Team Plasma

Pokédex Pokédex List Unova Pokédex

Anime Series Best Wishes Season(s) Pokémon: Black & White(14) Rival Destinies (15) Adventures in Unova (16)

Games Generation V Games Black and White Black 2 and White 2

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. Nacrene City, with its restored storehouses, is reminiscent of the ubiquitous lofts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 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. The Battle Subway is a reference to the New York City Subway, which is the most extensive public transit system in the world, as well as one of the oldest.

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. They used a single dragon sometime more than 2500 years ago. The brothers started to argue over their beliefs; the elder 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 civilization 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 Swords of Justice 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. While residents no longer believe this old story, they still stay inside of their houses at night to this day. The legendary monster, Kyurem, was really a remaining third Pokémon created when the primordial dragon had split into two.

A legend says Thundurus and Tornadus once raced across Unova, tearing up the lands with their respective weather-controlling powers, not caring about settlements and creatures in their path. Landorus, seeing the massive destruction the pair had brought to the region and its inhabitants, is said to have punished them so that they would never repeat their actions.

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

Contemporary history

	Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Pokémon Black and White

Unova in Black and White

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 Townby 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 (except 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 forChili, 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

Cities and towns

Map		City/Town	Population	Description
Black	White
Black 2	White 2
		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	54	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	70	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	26	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	15	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.
		Aspertia City	30	A city at the foot of high mountains where you can see all of Unova.
		Floccesy Town	17	The town is famous for a clock tower that tells of the town's beginnings.
		Virbank City	40	A city often covered by clouds and smoke, with very active residents.
		Lentimas Town	12	The town boasts of porcelain and pottery made from volcanic clay.
		Humilau City	32	A resort city where buildings float in the waves and look like islands.

• exclusive locations

Picture	Location	Description
	Ambiga Town	Ambiga Town is a town that is located between Mistralton City and Icirrus City. The Clubsplosion tournament is held here.
	Antimony Research Lab	A top secret lab located somewhere in Unova. It held the Meteonite, until it was stolen by Team Rocket.
	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.
	Astilbe Town	A town located between Mistralton City and Icirrus City. It has a Battle Club, where Ash's Tepig met his former Trainer.
	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.
	Black Hero's ruins	The Black Hero's ruins, located near Chargestone Cave, and said to be where the Black Hero communicated to Zekrom. Cedric Juniper was researching them. It is protected by a Sigilyph and multiple Cofagrigus.
	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.
	Ferroseed Research Institute	The Ferroseed Research Institute is a facility located in a town between Icirrus City and Opelucid City. Research is being conducted here on the moss produced byFerroseed.
	Full Court	An abandoned mine which is located within a mountain crater. It serves as a home for Kyurem.
	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.
	Litwick Mansion	Litwick Mansion is located along Route 4 and was discovered by Ash and his friends while trying to escape 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.
	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.
	Mistralton Tower	Mistralton Tower is a treasured landmark that was built near Mistralton City that takes the place of the Celestial Tower from the games. Once a year, the Wishing Bell Festival is held in honor of it.
	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.
	Roshan City	A sprawling city accessible by train. Underneath it are disused subway tunnels. One of the old subway stations has been transformed into a museum for old transportation devices.
	Stonesthrow Town	A town located between Icirrus City and Opelucid City. Just outside the town is an enormous mansion were Mr. Hatterly and his daughter live.
	Sword of the Vale	The Sword of Vale is a castle that was once at the center of Kingdom of the Vale. One thousand years ago, the King of the People of the Vale's sons, the Heroes of Truth and Ideals, fought over the Dragon Force contained within the castle, causing the Dragon Force to corrupt the land beneath the Kingdom of Vale. The king used the power of Victini and hundreds of Solosis and Duosion to move the castle, containing all of the People of the Vale, to the top of a mountain. The castle now stands near Eindoak Town.
	Vertress City	Vertress City is a city close to Opelucid City. The Vertress Conference is held here.
	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.
	White Ruins	Ancient ruins located near the Dragonspiral Tower, above Icirrus City. It is here that the Light Stone was located.
	Windy Station	A station where the train to Roshan City stops and where travelers can buy Darumaka boxed lunches.