References to Other Media in Pokemon Franchise

See also: Articles

3 Different Types of Pokemon Go Players

There are three types of player groups here:

Diehard Pokémon fans that have been with the franchise since the franchise was born and/or they were old enough to play video games in general.
Players familiar with the Pokémon franchise, who may have grown up with it, lost interest over the years, but still holds the franchise in a special place in their hearts.
New players whose only or first experience with the Pokémon franchise is with Pokémon GO.

For the first group, probably everything here you already know. But for the second and most specifically the third group, here are some neat "did you know's" (in no particular order) to digest.

Basic Information

The Pokémon franchise was originally created with the Japanese launch of Pokémon Red & Green versions, two sister games for the Game Boy handheld console in 1996. In 1998, the games were ported over to the western world in the forms of Pokémon Red & Blue and set off an unprecedented phenomenon that left a deep mark in video game history. As of the beginning of 2017, there are seven generations of Pokémon with core series handheld games (from the original Game Boy to the current Nintendo 3DS), anime episodes, movies, toys, and trading cards to accommodate each generation.

Pyro, Sparky, and Rainer

This one should be familiar for GO players by now. Nicknaming your Eevee one of the above names will guarantee its evolving to Flareon, Jolteon and Vaporeon, respectively (but only once per nickname).

Pyro, Sparky, and Rainer are the names of three brothers who each owned an Eevee in the original English-dubbed Pokémon anime in 1998. Pyro's Eevee evolved into a Flareon, Sparky's evolved into a Jolteon, and Rainer's evolved into a Vaporeon.

Pokémon Models

All Pokémon models used in GO are the same as those found in the Generation VI and VII games (namely X, Y, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, Sun, and Moon). The number of particles are different, but the skeleton and animations are the same.

Pokémon "Cries"

The sound effects used by all Pokémon are the same "cries" used for the core series games. They are not some random effects designed specifically for GO.

Yes, Pikachu does get special treatment as it's the only one that speaks its name. This is the same case with Pikachu starting in Generation VI games (specifically X and Y versions), though it did use its name as a cry back in Pokémon Yellow.

Music

Some of the tracks used in GO are remixes or contain samples of themes found in the core series games.

The "Walking Theme" or track played in the overworld contains some elements of the wild Pokémon encounter theme as well as the Trainer battle theme from the original Red/Blue/Yellow versions.

The track that plays after clicking on a Gym is a remixed version of the "Pokémon League" theme found in many of the core series games.

Junichi Masuda, one of the founding members of Game Freak (the developers behind the core series Pokémon games) and one of the company's main developers and music composers, composed the tracks found in Pokémon GO.

Kanto

One of the medals, "Kanto," is named after the Kanto Region, the setting for the original Pokémon games (Red/Blue/Yellow versions and the Japanese-only Green version) and home of the original 151 Pokémon. You may see the term "Johto" getting thrown around in recent months. Johto is the setting for Generation II (and you may see this term even more frequently) games, namely Gold/Silver/Crystal, which expanded the Pokémon roster from 151 to 251.

Medals

With the exception of "Kanto," all the medals in GO are named after Pokémon Trainer classes in the core series handheld games. These include Swimmer, Bird Keeper, Hiker, Gardener, Ace Trainer, Hex Maniac, etc. etc. etc.

The Youngster Medal

The Youngster medal is focused on tiny Rattata. Like the other medals, "Youngster" is also based on a trainer class, but most specifically it's a reference to Youngster Joey from the Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal and HeartGold/SoulSilver games. He is famous for his Rattata, where specifically in HeartGold/SoulSilver, he will frequently call the player just to say, "Remember my super cool Rattata? My Rattata is different from regular Rattata. It’s like my Rattata is in the top percentage of all Rattata." His "Top Percentage Rattata" has become a meme in the Pokémon community.