Maruno
Lead Dev of Pokémon Essentials
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- Seen May 3, 2024
Has it ever occurred to you that the term "Regional Pokédex" is a misnomer?
Every region's Regional Pokédex contains a few Pokémon that simply aren't native to that region. For example, the only way to get a Jynx in Kanto is to trade for it, or to bring one over from Johto, yet it's listed in Kanto's Regional Dex. For that matter, Jynx can be found in the wild in Sinnoh (in the Snowpoint Temple in Platinum, or swarming as Smoochum at Lake Acuity), yet it isn't in Sinnoh's Regional Dex.
And then there are the Pokémon which suddenly show up in the wild once you get a National Pokédex. Why aren't they around before then? And if they're in the wild now, why aren't they listed in that region's Regional Dex? I really don't think "they all suddenly migrated there from abroad" is an explanation.
The most obvious example of species being listed but being unobtainable is of course the starter Pokémon. None of the starter Pokémon can be found anywhere in the wild, ever, yet they're always first in line for a Regional Dex list.
And what about Safari Zone Pokémon? Our zoos are filled with animals from all over the world, so can we assume any Safari Zone Pokémon are actually native to the region they're in? Okay, since you can capture Safari Zone Pokémon, calling them zoos isn't the best analogy - I suppose they'd be more like (irresponsible) conservation areas and the species would be native.
The obvious excuse is: "they're native, just not in places the player can reach." Don't give me that. That's not a reason, it's a cop-out, and it still doesn't solve half the problem anyway (i.e. blatantly native Pokémon that aren't listed).
So how different would the Regional Dexes be if they listed all native Pokémon to that region (as the name suggests) rather than the seemingly random selection of Pokémon they currently feature?
Every region's Regional Pokédex contains a few Pokémon that simply aren't native to that region. For example, the only way to get a Jynx in Kanto is to trade for it, or to bring one over from Johto, yet it's listed in Kanto's Regional Dex. For that matter, Jynx can be found in the wild in Sinnoh (in the Snowpoint Temple in Platinum, or swarming as Smoochum at Lake Acuity), yet it isn't in Sinnoh's Regional Dex.
And then there are the Pokémon which suddenly show up in the wild once you get a National Pokédex. Why aren't they around before then? And if they're in the wild now, why aren't they listed in that region's Regional Dex? I really don't think "they all suddenly migrated there from abroad" is an explanation.
The most obvious example of species being listed but being unobtainable is of course the starter Pokémon. None of the starter Pokémon can be found anywhere in the wild, ever, yet they're always first in line for a Regional Dex list.
And what about Safari Zone Pokémon? Our zoos are filled with animals from all over the world, so can we assume any Safari Zone Pokémon are actually native to the region they're in? Okay, since you can capture Safari Zone Pokémon, calling them zoos isn't the best analogy - I suppose they'd be more like (irresponsible) conservation areas and the species would be native.
The obvious excuse is: "they're native, just not in places the player can reach." Don't give me that. That's not a reason, it's a cop-out, and it still doesn't solve half the problem anyway (i.e. blatantly native Pokémon that aren't listed).
So how different would the Regional Dexes be if they listed all native Pokémon to that region (as the name suggests) rather than the seemingly random selection of Pokémon they currently feature?
