Pokémon fans gather evidence Scarlet and Violet could take place in a Spain-like region

Pokémon fans have gathered evidence they believe shows that the newly announced games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, could take place in a region inspired by Spain.

Revealed during the Pokémon Presents stream on Sunday, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet received a short trailer that introduced players to the game’s new region. However, the region wasn’t given a name, and nothing was stated about its inspiration.

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However, now that fans have pulled apart the trailer they’re convinced that the games could take place in a region inspired by Spain, thanks to some clues gathered from the video, as well investigation into the names of the two versions of the game.

The first piece of evidence is the game’s map. While we only get a brief look at one side of it while the protagonist is walking past it, when compared to a map of Spain, it’s very similar, even featuring several islands to the right side of the region, just like Spain:

In the portion of the trailer featuring the detective skulking through the office, we get a look at a fuller version of the map, however, it’s covered by a few papers on the wall:

The colour scheme chosen for the games, Scarlet and Violet also support the idea that the unnamed region is inspired by Spain.

Scarlet and Violet are both featured on the Flag of the Second Spanish Republic, which was the official flag of Spain from 1931 until 1939, and the flag of the Spanish Republican government in exile until 1977.

The official title treatment of the games also continues this colour theme, with scarlet and yellow on Pokémon Scarlet’s title art and violet and yellow on Pokémon Violet’s title art:

Some of the architecture featured in the trailer is also reminiscent of certain Spanish landmarks.

The large building that features a shining Poke Ball has tall spires that resemble the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, a church designed by Antoni Gaudi that began construction in 1882.

The church is famous as construction has yet to be completed, almost 100 years after Gaudi’s death.

Towards the end of the trailer, a bowl of grapes is given prominence, which also supports the idea that the game takes place in a Spanish-inspired region as grapes are the national fruit of Spain:

Each of Pokémon’s regions has taken inspiration from real-life locations.

The first four generations of games were inspired by regions across Japan. Pokémon’s fifth generation of games, Pokémon Black & White took place in the Unova region which was inspired by the US.

Pokémon X & Y took place in Kalos, which was inspired by France and even had its own version of the Eiffel Tower in the game. Pokémon Sun & Moon’s Alola region was inspired by Hawaii, and Pokémon Sword & Shield‘s Galar region took inspiration from the UK.

A Pokémon game’s regional inspiration often impacts things like the names of new Pokémon introduced in the game, often taking inspiration from local legends or country-specific folklore.

The countries’ language also impacts how Pokémon are named, and we can already see that with Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet. Of the newly revealed partner Pokemon, the fire type, Fuecoco means ‘Firecracker’ in Spanish.