Pokemon Sun and Moon Hopes and Speculations!

[WingsofBliss]

i'm not surprised to see that considering the sundial in Anistar City. apparently another character in X&Y mentions there's a moondial counterpart to it?
but i have no confirmation of this actually.

Yeah, the NPC in question was a Hex Maniac. She mentions that there are moondials that exist, but whether or not there's a specific one that's supposed to be a counterpart to the Anistar Sundial is unknown.


-break-


After giving it some thought, I'm wondering if where we're going next might be based on one of the Mediterranean countries. That hotel from the concept art in the Direct video, IMO, reminds me of the architecture that's commonly used on buildings in those areas, specifically Italy and Greece. Not to mention that those areas have tons of interesting myths and history that I think would be neat to incorporate into the Pokémon world, and the Sun and Moon theme for some reason automatically pulled my mind in that direction as well.


If S/M turn out to have some sort of connection to Kalos, it could work out geographically; the southern portion of France has a coast on the Mediterranean Sea:

Spoiler:

 

[Universe]

After giving it some thought, I'm wondering if where we're going next might be based on one of the Mediterranean countries. That hotel from the concept art in the Direct video, IMO, reminds me of the architecture that's commonly used on buildings in those areas, specifically Italy and Greece. Not to mention that those areas have tons of interesting myths and history that I think would be neat to incorporate into the Pokémon world, and the Sun and Moon theme for some reason automatically pulled my mind in that direction as well.


If S/M turn out to have some sort of connection to Kalos, it could work out geographically; the southern portion of France has a coast on the Mediterranean Sea:

Spoiler:

that makes a lot of sense actually because in the small previews we saw for the game, Horsea was a huge feature Pokemon. it was on a fountain and even the main flag.

which apparently the Mediterranean Sea has a seahorse on its representing flag.. all because the Mediterranean Sea kinda resembles one.

so that seems like pretty strong evidence so far.

 

[WingsofBliss]

that makes a lot of sense actually because in the small previews we saw for the game, Horsea was a huge feature Pokemon. it was on a fountain and even the main flag.

which apparently the Mediterranean Sea has a seahorse on its representing flag.. all because the Mediterranean Sea kinda resembles one.

so that seems like pretty strong evidence so far.

That's interesting about the flag, what specific real-world country is that flag from?


Also thinking about it again, the only things holding me back about the location being in the Mediterranean is the palm trees and the Strange Souvenir from X/Y. True, there are palm trees that can grow near the Mediterranean coast, specifically the ones in the hotel pic... I believe those are more common around the southern Mediterranean, but I can't be sure. The Strange Souvenir points towards more of a Pacific/Polynesian based region, because it closely resembles a tiki. There's been suggestions about Hawaii, and I wouldn't mind that either; I've been to Hawaii IRL before, and I liked it.

 

[Universe]

That's interesting about the flag, what specific real-world country is that flag from?


Also thinking about it again, the only things holding me back about the location being in the Mediterranean is the palm trees and the Strange Souvenir from X/Y. True, there are palm trees that can grow near the Mediterranean coast, specifically the ones in the hotel pic... I believe those are more common around the southern Mediterranean, but I can't be sure. The Strange Souvenir points towards more of a Pacific/Polynesian based region, because it closely resembles a tiki. There's been suggestions about Hawaii, and I wouldn't mind that either; I've been to Hawaii IRL before, and I liked it.

i'm not sure if it belongs to a country because it just says "Flag of the Mediterranean Sea" everywhere i see this flag and i can't find a corresponding area besides that.

The suggestions of Hawaii probably come from the rainbow on the license plate and yellow firetrucks. I lived there for a few years and would enjoy the similarities, but i personally think it's drawing inspiration from Hawaii more so than taking place there. Seahorses aren't a big represented symbol there, so it wouldn't make sense to make Horsea so prominent with matching real-world symbols like that flag and the Mediterranean Sea.

Not to mention Masuda took a trip to Barcelona Spain 2 years ago, which.. well, that's regionally correct. He also took a trip to France before X&Y came out so that's a thing.. he often draws inspiration from places he visits for various Pokemon things. I think he even did the same thing for the Victini movie-- it's environment was based on a particular part of France he visited that I can't remember the name of anymore.

 

[WingsofBliss]

Not to mention Masuda took a trip to Barcelona Spain 2 years ago, which.. well, that's regionally correct. He also took a trip to France before X&Y came out so that's a thing.. he often draws inspiration from places he visits for various Pokemon things. I think he even did the same thing for the Victini movie-- it's environment was based on a particular part of France he visited that I can't remember the name of anymore.

That's an interesting point, considering that would place it during S/M's production if we are to assume S/M have been in production since the release of X/Y.


Apparently, the Japanese trademarks for S/M have now been made public officially. CoroCoro should be leaking later on this week too, so it would seem like they're starting to set up shop for more info release.

 

[Hikamaru]

That's an interesting point, considering that would place it during S/M's production if we are to assume S/M have been in production since the release of X/Y.

I recall X/Y were in production since B/W were released, but man that Masuda sure loves getting inspiration. Maybe this'll be a sign the new region will be based on Hawaii but throwing some elements of Spain in as well?

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

That's an interesting point, considering that would place it during S/M's production if we are to assume S/M have been in production since the release of X/Y.


Apparently, the Japanese trademarks for S/M have now been made public officially. CoroCoro should be leaking later on this week too, so it would seem like they're starting to set up shop for more info release.

I recall X/Y were in production since B/W were released, but man that Masuda sure loves getting inspiration. Maybe this'll be a sign the new region will be based on Hawaii but throwing some elements of Spain in as well?

He also visited southern France last summer. So perhaps the region will be based on southern France and parts of Spain with a Hawaiian spin to them. We did have Hoenn which is made more tropical than real life Kyushu really is, plus Sootopolis is based on a greek city, and the two trios are based on beings spoken of in Jewish scripture (the golems, Behemoth, Leviathan, and the Ziz), hmm, funky thing is that all three of those match the eastern Mediterranean sea... Actually if the Hoenn games were coming out now, most people would probably think it's based on Greece and Israel...

 

[Zet]

Yeah, the NPC in question was a Hex Maniac. She mentions that there are moondials that exist, but whether or not there's a specific one that's supposed to be a counterpart to the Anistar Sundial is unknown.


-break-


After giving it some thought, I'm wondering if where we're going next might be based on one of the Mediterranean countries. That hotel from the concept art in the Direct video, IMO, reminds me of the architecture that's commonly used on buildings in those areas, specifically Italy and Greece. Not to mention that those areas have tons of interesting myths and history that I think would be neat to incorporate into the Pokémon world, and the Sun and Moon theme for some reason automatically pulled my mind in that direction as well.


If S/M turn out to have some sort of connection to Kalos, it could work out geographically; the southern portion of France has a coast on the Mediterranean Sea:

Spoiler:

It definitely matches up with the image I posted a while ago. Someone overlaid a map to match with what we currently know to be Kalos, and showed what it could look like south of it.

(cropped it for the map part)

 

[xLionKingx]

I just want new starting pokemon types. And a Dragon type eeveelution. That's it. That's all I want.

 

[Pebbles]

i hope in the new games you will be able to customize the look of your character again
i really like that in pokemon x and y
it is a cute feature that makes the game even more FAB
​

 

[Tigertrb]

Obviously I'd love to see character customization again, but I also think they need to put a lot more effort and thought into it. There's a lot of potential there. Seeing it go unexplored (possibly completely abandoned) is a real shame.

I'd also love to see a pure tank Eeveelution, preferably Steel type. I think that would be really cool, there's a lot of stuff you could do with that kind of design and moveset possibilities would be interesting... I would think the base stats would look something like this:

HP: 130
Attack: 65
Defense: 110
Sp. Attack: 65
Sp. Defense: 95
Speed: 60

 

[SnowpointQuincy]

Basic Online Features: If the game ends in a disconnect, Display who Won the match. In Online Competitions like Kanto Classic you can only battle 30 times. The server keeps a record of your win/loss, it knows so it should tell you upfront. (Or tell you when you reconnect)

 

[Sabrewulf238]

i'm not sure if it belongs to a country because it just says "Flag of the Mediterranean Sea" everywhere i see this flag and i can't find a corresponding area besides that.

The suggestions of Hawaii probably come from the rainbow on the license plate and yellow firetrucks. I lived there for a few years and would enjoy the similarities, but i personally think it's drawing inspiration from Hawaii more so than taking place there. Seahorses aren't a big represented symbol there, so it wouldn't make sense to make Horsea so prominent with matching real-world symbols like that flag and the Mediterranean Sea.

Not to mention Masuda took a trip to Barcelona Spain 2 years ago, which.. well, that's regionally correct. He also took a trip to France before X&Y came out so that's a thing.. he often draws inspiration from places he visits for various Pokemon things. I think he even did the same thing for the Victini movie-- it's environment was based on a particular part of France he visited that I can't remember the name of anymore.

If the region we're going to in Sun & Moon is the same region the backpacker is talking about....it wouldn't really work if the region was Spain (or any Mediterranean country really) since the strange souvenir says it depicts a Pokemon who is a protector in a region far from Kalos.

Maybe at a stretch you could call countries like Turkey or Greece "far" from France but when I think about far I'm more likely to think about countries that are on the other side of the world.

It makes me think Hawaii is more likely. I mean heck, as far as countries go Hawaii is pretty much far away from every other country.

If nothing else I think the idea of southern Kalos being a thing at this point is beyond ridiculous.

 

[war rock exe]

A LONGER POST GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lol I've been playing pokemon since Gold and Silver and I always loved the fact that there were two regions, a ton of legendary pokemon, and a long story to the game! My biggest pet peeve about the new games is that there's basically nothing to do after you beat the game! I would a longer and better post game with Sun and Moon!

 

[Universe]

If the region we're going to in Sun & Moon is the same region the backpacker is talking about....it wouldn't really work if the region was Spain (or any Mediterranean country really) since the strange souvenir says it depicts a Pokemon who is a protector in a region far from Kalos.

Maybe at a stretch you could call countries like Turkey or Greece "far" from France but when I think about far I'm more likely to think about countries that are on the other side of the world.

It makes me think Hawaii is more likely. I mean heck, as far as countries go Hawaii is pretty much far away from every other country.

If nothing else I think the idea of southern Kalos being a thing at this point is beyond ridiculous.

But the only evidence you've provided so far is one NPC who gives you a wooden Tiki from an unknown place.. whereas the big pieces of evidence about Horsea and Masuda going to Spain stand stronger than that.

I can see why the wooden Tiki is considered important to everyone doing an evidence check, but it's a smaller piece of evidence compared to everything else.. because it doesn't come from the brand new games and their concept work. I believe the games could take place in Hawaii regardless, especially since Japan is actually neighbors with Hawaii and they hold official Pokemon competitions over there a lot. But the strong evidence still seems less... especially when I consider the type of bird the new one is. It has zygodactyl feet and a red crested head that sticks up, which to me indicates a woodpecker. Guess what kind of bird you can't find in Hawaii? Woodpeckers.

Anyway, the talk of a protective Pokemon being tied to the wooden Tiki may come from the legends about Tiki himself, actually.

 

[pkmin3033]

There is every possibility we could get both, actually - a chain of islands inspired by Hawaii; similar to the Sevii Islands in FRLG - and a major region inspired by the south of France. Granted, it isn't very likely, but...well, who knows? Until we get some concrete information, all evidence is equally valid or invalid.


Anyways, a random hope from me - no Legendary mascots. I'd actually quite like it if Lunatone and Solrock (or maybe their megas) were the cover Pokemon and tied into the story or thematic motif of the evil team. I mean, RBY got on alright without a Legendary mascot, and this "back to basics" thing that seems to be going around suggests to me that they might be doing that with the plot; we don't really NEED a Legendary Pokemon story to have a good time, do we? The story in Pokemon titles has never really been a highlight for me, at least. I'd be just as happy if they didn't bother with it and put a greater focus on exploration, training, etc., i.e. the things I actually play the game for, rather than trying to spin this epic tale of Legendary Pokemon on the side, never giving it the attention it really deserves, and leaving me feel like it's been imposed on me because, of course, I can't play just to have fun.

 

[HyperJono]

I definitely would like it if the box art didnt feature the legendary that ties into the main story of the game. Coz I mean I am pretty tired of seeing legendary Pokemon as box art. They could instead of putting a single Pokemon on the box art do something similar to the Pokemon Myster Dungeon Red and Blue Box Art

 

[Sabrewulf238]

But the only evidence you've provided so far is one NPC who gives you a wooden Tiki from an unknown place.. whereas the big pieces of evidence about Horsea and Masuda going to Spain stand stronger than that.

I can see why the wooden Tiki is considered important to everyone doing an evidence check, but it's a smaller piece of evidence compared to everything else.. because it doesn't come from the brand new games and their concept work. I believe the games could take place in Hawaii regardless, especially since Japan is actually neighbors with Hawaii and they hold official Pokemon competitions over there a lot. But the strong evidence still seems less... especially when I consider the type of bird the new one is. It has zygodactyl feet and a red crested head that sticks up, which to me indicates a woodpecker. Guess what kind of bird you can't find in Hawaii? Woodpeckers.

Anyway, the talk of a protective Pokemon being tied to the wooden Tiki may come from the legends about Tiki himself, actually.

It's not a small piece of evidence at all. It's referencing a Pokemon that we haven't seen yet. Not only that but from the way it describes the Pokemon as a protector it's likely a legendary Pokemon. If it was just some random trinket I could understand it just being swept under the carpet in the next generation and forgotten, but this is clearly making a reference to a brand new Pokemon. You can't just ignore that.

Also I think your theory regarding the Horsea flag is really shaky. It's definitely not anywhere close to being big or solid evidence. It could certainly be a reference to the Mediterranean flag OR it could just as easily be a flag representing an aquariums mascot Pokemon. Whereas it's a fact that we've seen concept art of licence plates that look like the ones found on vehicles in Hawaii. That ties the region more closely to Hawaii in my opinion.

It's more unusual and notable to see licence plates that look like licence plates from Hawaii in a Pokemon game than it is to see a flag with a Horsea on it. Which could still mean anything or nothing at all.

I also don't think Masuda visiting a country necessarily means anything either. It could certainly mean something but it doesn't seem like it's worth considering as significant evidence as of right now. I think something like that will be more useful if we start seeing more evidence of the region being based on Spain....but I don't think it stands on it's own.

In my mind right now the Hawaiian licence plate seen in the concept art is the strongest piece of evidence pointing towards the identity of the new region, with the tiki idol being a close second. They fit together quite well too.

Just to be clear, I think it's the strongest piece of evidence we have so far....but that doesn't mean I think it's airtight or anything.

 

[Universe]

clip

The point of my evidence was to say that when Masuda travels, he takes inspiration from where he goes for Pokemon games. 2 years ago is plenty enough time to implement ideas and inspiration from the Mediterranean Sea region to a new Pokemon game. He did the exact same thing with France and XY, so you can't dismiss it as meaning nothing yet, especially when the connection is clearly there. Horsea is sitting on a very prominent flag in front of what looks like a hotel with a style that doesn't exist anywhere in America, and it's featured in the fountain too as a double whammy. They made that Horsea thing too obvious, in my opinion. Much too obvious to be just some mascot for a random aquarium.

Yeah, stick a rainbow on any blank license plate and it will automatically look like Hawaii's. Since Horsea is so prominent, it must be just one building's mascot in the first scenes we have ever seen from the new games right? Then the rainbow could have a different meaning as well. Yellow firetrucks were also first created and used in California, not Hawaii. California also has palm trees.

Anyway I can agree about the wooden Tiki being odd with the point about it having a connection to a Pokemon we apparently don't know about yet. However, you have to keep in mind that of course the Pokemon series is always going to imply that there's more regions and Pokemon than we know of. It's an entire world just like ours and they're obviously not stopping new gens anytime soon.

I personally believe the Tiki holds as much weight as the seahorse symbolism. The backpacker himself implied that he isn't from any of the main game regions, but who's to say he isn't from Orre or another region like that? There's plenty of tropical regions in spin-off games that could've drawn inspiration from Hawaii just the same.

I certainly wouldn't complain if Hawaii was actually what the new region is based off, but most points about it are a little weak right now in my opinion.

 

[Sabrewulf238]

Out of interest, has Masuda ever visited Hawaii for the World Championships?