50 Fun Facts About Pokemon Black and White

Which American city was the model for Unova, the first main Pokémon region not based on Japan?

New York inspired Unova after the games' director visited for the launch of Diamond and Pearl. Its Skyarrow Bridge is modelled on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Which black Dragon and Electric legendary is the box mascot of Pokémon White, not Pokémon Black?

Zekrom fronts Pokémon White while the white dragon Reshiram fronts Pokémon Black. In the story, the rival N catches whichever dragon is not on the player's box.

Which Pokémon, obtainable in every earlier main game, is missing from the story of Pokémon Black and White?

Pikachu was left out because the main story features only the 156 new species, a choice meant to make the games feel as fresh as the very first pair.

Which expected third version of Pokémon Black and White was skipped for clashing with a theme of opposites?

Grey was dropped because the title clashed with the theme of opposites, and to surprise players who expected the usual third version. Direct sequels followed instead.

Which Ice-type Pokémon, designed by British artist James Turner, is based on an ice cream cone?

Vanillite breathes air as cold as minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit and shrinks little by little in warm places. Households in hot regions treasure it for its cool embrace.

Which villainous group in Pokémon Black and White claims Pokémon must be freed from their Trainers?

Team Plasma is a Knights Templar-style group led by a young king known as N, who was raised alongside Pokémon and sees them as friends rather than tools.

Which Grass-type Pokémon from Unova did fans nickname Smugleaf before its English name was revealed?

Snivy is the Grass Snake Pokémon, one of the three partners offered at the start of the journey. The leaf on its tail photosynthesises and droops when Snivy runs low on energy.

Which pink Pokémon was created to stand in for Chansey as the healer of Pokémon Black and White?

Audino takes its name from the word audio and the phrase 'I dunno'. Artist Ken Sugimori said it was needed because no older species appear in the main story.

Unova's legendary Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion were each modelled on a hero of which classic novel?

The Three Musketeers supplied Athos, Porthos and Aramis as the models for the trio. Their young pupil Keldeo plays d'Artagnan, the fourth swordsman.

Which fire monkey Pokémon came last in a 2016 Japanese popularity poll and got a campaign to boost it?

Simisear finished bottom of the fan vote and was given its own promotional campaign as a result. Its name joins the words simian and sear.

Which schemer is unmasked as the true villain of Pokémon Black and White, having raised N as a pawn?

Ghetsis wanted to be the only human left with Pokémon so that he could rule the world. He is arrested after the final battle, yet returns in the sequels.

Which Unova League Champion is beaten by N just before the player arrives in Pokémon Black and White?

Alder resumes his post once the villains are beaten, and the player can only challenge him for the title after the credits.

Which childhood friend and rival from Pokémon Black and White returns as a Gym Leader in the sequels?

Cheren always picked the partner with a type advantage over the player's. Two years on he leads a Gym, while fellow rival Bianca hands out the starter Pokémon.

Which Unova researcher became the first female Pokémon professor to appear in the video games?

Juniper gives the player a first partner Pokémon as a gift at the start of the journey. In the Japanese games she is named Professor Araragi.

Which central metropolis of Unova is known for its huge skyscrapers in Pokémon Black and White?

Castelia City was built to convey a feeling of communities in its streets, the games' director said. In the Japanese versions it is called Hiun City.

Which Poison-type Pokémon from Unova is based on a bag of garbage and prefers unsanitary places?

Trubbish belches a gas said to put anyone who inhales it to sleep for a week. Oddly, places infested with them often end up spotless.

Which champion from an earlier region can be battled in Pokémon Black and White once the main story ends?

Cynthia, the former Sinnoh League Champion, waits in the eastern part of Unova that opens after the credits. That area also holds species from the older games.

Which aspiring Dragon Master from the anime is the Unova League Champion in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2?

Iris travels with Ash across Unova in the anime. In the games she is battled only after the returning villains have been defeated.

Which Striaton City Gym Leader and Pokémon Connoisseur travels with Ash across Unova in the Black & White anime?

Cilan joins Ash and a young dragon trainer for the series known in Japan as Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes.

Which Water-type Pokémon from Unova carries a detachable shell called a scalchop that it wields as a blade?

Oshawott is the Sea Otter Pokémon, and its scalchop is made of the same material as fingernails. Its final form carries a sword built into the armour of its front legs.

Which three-on-three format new to Pokémon Black and White did the director say takes more luck than strategy?

Rotation Battles place each side's three Pokémon in a circle that can be turned at will. Pokémon Black features more of them, while Pokémon White favours the other new format.

Which bottom-screen tool in Pokémon Black and White replaced the Pokétch and runs infrared and Wi-Fi links?

C-Gear handles trading, battling and syncing with the Global Link, and its Pass By mode swaps data with nearby players even while the console sleeps.

Which online feature of Pokémon Black and White, shut down in 2014, let players befriend Pokémon with unique abilities?

Dream World ran on the Global Link website, where players could also keep a house and grow berries. Befriended Pokémon came back to the game through the Entralink.

Which kind of stage show in Pokémon Black and White is the counterpart to the Contests of earlier games?

Musicals send a Trainer's Pokémon to dance in a theatre alongside other Pokémon. They are one of several side activities added for Unova, with a cruise ship of battles among the others.

Which mini-game in Pokémon Black and White replaced Pal Park and has players launch Poké Balls on the touch screen?

Poké Transfer opens after the main story and moves six Pokémon from an older game at a time. The player must then catch them all again before a time limit runs out.

Pokémon Black and White introduced 156 new species, five more than which record-holding earlier pair?

Red and Blue introduced the original 151 Pokémon, a total no later generation beat until Unova. None of the 156 newcomers is related to an older species.

Which Japanese magazine gave Pokémon Black and White a perfect score of 40 out of 40 on release?

Famitsu had handed out only fourteen perfect scores before, making the pair the fifteenth game to earn one.

Which Game Freak veteran both directed Pokémon Black and White and composed part of the soundtrack?

Junichi Masuda shared the scoring with six other musicians, and the results filled a four-disc soundtrack album.

Which handheld console did Pokémon Black and White and their 2012 sequels both release on?

Nintendo DS hosted both pairs, although the sequels could link to a downloadable companion on its successor. In Japan the originals were the fastest games on the system to sell five million copies.

In Pokémon Black and White, how often does the season change, altering routes and the wild Pokémon found on them?

Every month the season moves on, so the game cycles through all four seasons three times in a real year. Some areas can only be reached at certain times of year.

Which Grass-type monkey in Pokémon Black and White belongs to a trio based on the three wise monkeys of folklore?

Pansage, or one of its two cousins, is given to the player as a gift before an early battle where it holds the type advantage. Its name joins chimpanzee and sage.

Which three-headed Dark and Dragon Pokémon from Unova has a name built on the German word for three?

Hydreigon caps a counting joke: Deino takes its name from the German for one and Zweilous from two. Only its middle head has a brain.

Which bald eagle Pokémon from Unova has colouring thought to echo the flag of the United States?

Braviary may also draw on Native American culture, since the feathers on its head resemble a war bonnet. It gained a Hisuian form in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

Which Dragon and Ice legendary do the villains use to freeze parts of Unova in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2?

Kyurem is said to be the empty shell left behind when Unova's two great dragons split apart. In the sequels it fuses with one of them, taking on a black or a white form.

Which Mythical Pokémon, numbered 000 in the Unova Pokédex, shares the title of a 2011 film released in two versions?

Victini is said to bring victory to any Trainer who befriends it. It could only be caught by downloading a special item in the weeks after launch.

Which Dark-type illusion Pokémon, the first of generation V to be revealed, starred in a 2010 film named after it?

Zoroark can fool hundreds of people at once with illusory scenery. Special Pokémon given out with the film unlocked an in-game meeting with it.

Which Bug and Steel Pokémon, last in the generation V Pokédex, had the cannon on its back upgraded by villains?

Genesect was feared as the strongest of hunters more than 300 million years ago. Its Pokédex number, 649, closes the generation that opened with 494.

Which Fire-type Pokémon from Unova was modelled on Zhang Fei, a hero of the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms?

Emboar was designed to embody Chinese culture, just as its fellow final-stage starters drew on Europe and Japan. A flaring beard of fire shows it is pumped up.

Which Ground and Ghost Pokémon from Unova was inspired by a clay protector from the Jewish folklore of Prague?

Golurk is said to fly at Mach speeds with its legs tucked in. Remove its seal and, the story goes, it rampages and destroys towns.

Which Psychic and Flying Pokémon from Unova, said to guard an ancient city, is designed after Peru's Nazca Lines?

Sigilyph never varies its flight path, because it still remembers patrolling a city now buried under desert sand.

Which Normal and Grass Pokémon from Unova changes its coat colour and scent with each season?

Deerling and its evolution Sawsbuck are the two Pokémon that represent the new seasons, which also change which routes can be reached.

Which Electric-type Pokémon from Unova has no type weaknesses, thanks to its Levitate ability?

Eelektross is immune to Ground moves through Levitate, which leaves it with no weak points. Its family is based on the sea lamprey.

Which Bug-type Pokémon from Unova evolves only when traded for a Shelmet, whose shell it takes as armour?

Karrablast becomes the lance-wielding Escavalier, while the Shelmet it robbed speeds up as Accelgor. Neither evolves unless the two are swapped for each other.

Which Grass-type Pokémon from Unova was modelled on European nobility and Lady Oscar of The Rose of Versailles?

Serperior is said to stop opponents with a single glare. Its design also draws on Titanoboa, and its name blends serpent and superior.

What is Unova called in the Japanese games, a name drawn from words meaning many kinds and one kind?

Isshu reflects the idea that many kinds of people and Pokémon seen up close look like a single kind of life from afar.

Which legendary Pokémon of Unova arrives to end the clashes between Tornadus and Thundurus and brings rich harvests?

Landorus is hailed as the Guardian of the Fields. Its Incarnate Forme is modelled on Inari, the Shinto god of agriculture, while its rivals echo the gods of wind and thunder.

The two mascot dragons of Pokémon Black and White joined which American event in November 2010?

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade sent the dragons down its route with the balloon of the franchise's mascot, more than three months before the games reached American shops.

Which item lets Tornadus and Thundurus switch between their Incarnate and Therian Formes?

Reveal Glass unlocks Therian Formes drawn from the Four Symbols of Chinese myth: Tornadus takes after the Vermilion Bird and Thundurus the Azure Dragon.

Which mechanic in Pokémon Black and White link battles lets players use healing items against human opponents?

Wonder Launcher was known as the Miracle Shooter in the Japanese games. It is offered when playing others online or over infrared.

Which script could Japanese players of Pokémon Black and White display, a new option beyond the usual two?

Kanji joined hiragana and katakana as an on-screen choice, one of several presentation changes that also turned dialogue boxes into speech balloons.