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 References to the Outside World In Pokemon 
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Dragon Tamer
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I looked around for a while and realised that there was the occasional reference to the outside world made in Pokemon.

I wanted to see if a list could be made of all the references to the world in either the games, anime, manga, etc.


Here's 1: Arcanine's Pokedex entries in Yellow, Gold, FireRed, Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2, and in the TCG reference China as being a legendary Chinese Pokemon.


I've heard of others, but can't remember. Doe's anyone know anything else?

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Sat Feb 14, 2009 11:21 am
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Parasect:
-"It scatters toxic spores from the mushroom cap. In China, the spores are used as herbal medicine." (FireRed, also mentioned in Stadium)

Poliwrath:
"This strong and skilled swimmer is even capable of crossing the Pacific Ocean just by kicking." (Gold, also mentioned in RSE and DP)

Ponyta:
-"Capable of jumping over the Eiffel Tower in a single giant leap. Its hooves are ten times harder than diamonds." (Stadium; the Eiffel Tower is in France)
-"Its body is light, and its legs are incredibly powerful. It can clear Ayers Rock in one leap." (FireRed; Ayers Rock is in Australia)

Mew:
-"A Pokémon of South America that was thought to have been extinct. It is very intelligent and learns any move." (FireRed, also mentioned in Stadium)
-"July 5: Guyana, South America. A new Pokémon was discovered deep in the jungle; July 10: We christened the newly discovered Pokémon Mew." (Excerpts from the journals in Cinnabar Mansion in the Kanto-based games.)
-In the anime, Jessie's mother was killed on a mission to track down Mew in the Andes mountains.

Xatu:
-"In South America, it is said that its right eye sees the future and its left eye views the past." (Silver)

Delibird:
-"Delibird carries its food bundled up in its tail. There once was a famous explorer who managed to reach the peak of Mt. Everest thanks to one of these Pokémon sharing its food." (RSE)

Lt. Surge is from America in both the Japanese and the English versions of the video games and the anime; Fantina seems to come from France in the English version of the video games, while Meowth was born in Hollywood in the English dub of the anime.


Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:12 pm
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Dragon Tamer
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ah, thanks Frost.

Kinda another question:

Do you think that the creators of Pokemon care or not as to whether the world is mentioned in Pokemon?
At first I thought that the translations kinda botched it and a few slipped through, but there have been mentions even in the D/P Pokedex, and surely someone would've noticed by now.
Also, I didn't know that Lt. Surge was from America, I've always assumed, but i thought he was different in the Manga etc.
I'm most likely wrong, but thanks for clearing it up.

On topic:
Muk: (kinda)
-Its body is made from a powerful poison. Touching it accidently will cause a fever that requires bed rest (Silver)
It's a stretch, but fevers are a human-world trait.

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Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:47 pm
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Pokemon Master
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That is a stretch - humans are a human-trait thing too. :P

Another reference would be the Church in Hearthome. There isn't a religion in DPPt that I know of, and it makes no reference of Arceus. I really cannot see its purpose within the games at all.

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Sun Feb 15, 2009 2:25 am
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Lite Four
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Firstly, Muk's Pokedex entry might actually mean that humans who touch it will get fever. It might be referring specifically to Pokemon, Secondly, animals can get fever too.

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Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:24 am
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The biggest reference to a "real world" event in Pokemon is found at the space exhibit in the Pewter Museum way back in RBY. If you talk to one of the people visiting the museum, he talks about the lunar landing and even says that it took place in 1969. References like that, as well as the Pokedex entries mentioning real life locations, are probably added to indicate that the Pokemon world is pretty much meant to be our world... except that it takes place in an alternate universe that, you know, has Pokemon and stuff within it.

I mean, DPP even let you collect and trade Pokemon that have Pokedex entries in different languages from around the world. Real life animals have been seen occasionally in the anime (fish at Cerulean Gym, Gastly summoning a mongoose to fight Jessie's Ekans, Pidgeotto eating a worm in the third episode) and in the TCG art (Spearow clutching a worm in its Jungle card art). Pokemon's universe is kind of similar to the Pikmin series and how it takes place on an Earth where humans may or may not still even exist.


Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:14 am
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Dragon Tamer
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Totally forgot about the Pewter Museum, but yeah, that's pretty much right out of a history book.

Another Pokedex one:

Gastly: A being that exists as a thin gas. It can topple an Indian Elephant by enveloping the prey in two seconds. (FireRed)
So China, India, and the U.S have all been referenced, so yeah, Frost, im totally understanding the alternate universe type of thing going on.

Few trading card game animals too, in addition to Spearow.

Oddish with a frog of some sort sitting next to it.
http://www.pokezam.com/tcg/rocket/63.jpg

Exxecutor with a crab (definately doesn't seem like a Krabby)
http://www.pokezam.com/tcg/jungle/35.jpg

Eevee with butterflies that aren't a species of Pokemon from the Jungle set.
http://www.pokezam.com/tcg/jungle/51.jpg

Magikarp with a worm as a hook, which is strange because later pictures had Pokeballs as bait, not worms.
http://www.pokezam.com/tcg/base/35.jpg

While on Magikarp, didn't Misty say that Magikarp were so useless you couldn't even eat them? I think it was in the Anime episode on the S.S Anne when James bought it from the Magikarp salesman? (Wasn't there a shiny Magikarp in his basket-o-fish too? Totally off-topic though.)

EDIT: Also, in Episode 16, Pokemon Shipwreck, within the first three minutes, Ash looks out the window and says something about fish swimming. Not fish Pokemon or anything.

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Mon Feb 16, 2009 8:09 am
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Gym Leader
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The only one I can remember is from the first movie, where Ash and co. are hitching a ride across the stormy ocean on a rowboat that's being rowed by Jesse & James disguised as vikings. Misty questions something about vikings, and Ash replies "They mostly live in Minnesota," which of course is a joke about the football team, the Minnesota Vikings. It's a real world reference nonetheless

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Mon Feb 16, 2009 7:16 pm
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that one with the minnesota reference is probably the funniest one they've ever though of, but onyl americans would udnerstand it.

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Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:55 pm
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Pokemon Master
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In the movie Destiny Deoxys Deoxys and Rayquaza fight in Anartica. Also when Ash and co. fight Gastly in the episode 20 at Maiden's Peak, Maiden's Peak is an actual place in Oregon.

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Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:25 pm
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The place in Oregon is called Maiden Peak and also has nothing to do with the location featured in the episode.


Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:16 pm
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Pokemon Ranger
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I already said this in a different topic but In the movie destiny deoxyes there is a tv bill board that shows a map of earth as we know it.


Mon Mar 30, 2009 9:56 am
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In the episode after the Hoenn championships, Team Rocket gets transferred to Antarctica by Giovanni, but decide to follow Ash instead.

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Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:36 pm
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