Still, many Pokemon fans are eager to know when Generation 9 will be coming, and the expectations for the Pokemon franchise in 2022 place it as a plausible release this year, especially following the rumors about exciting news coming in April. While there are no official details about Generation 9 games, the Pokemon series is known for dropping hints about its future mainline titles several years before their time, and the hunt for clues about the setting for Gen 9 started all the way back in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Seemingly no major hints came from those games, but Pokemon Legends: Arceus might be building on something that was foreshadowed in a Pokedex entry for Generation 8.
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Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ Evidence for Generation 9’s Setting
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were believed to be the games that were actually hinting at Generation 9 because of a new painting appearing in a house, depicting what seemed to be Venice, Italy. It was speculated that Generation 9 Pokemon games would be set in Italy after this discovery, especially because Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl also hinted at Hisuian Qwilfish from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, making this theory more credible. However, Pokemon Legends: Arceus features a Pokedex entry for Raichu that slightly retcons the original from Pokemon FireRed, where it was stated that its electric charges were so powerful that even Indian elephants would faint when they came in contact with the Pokemon.
The new Pokemon Legends: Arceus Pokedex entry, however, refers to the original Indian elephant as a Copperajah instead, which is a Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield. The creature is indeed an elephant and has an Indian name, but the hints don’t stop there. In fact, Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ Pokedex entry for Raichu also states that Copperajah comes from Professor Laventon’s homeland, and the Professor himself could very well be of Indian origin based on his appearance in the game.
Another huge clue comes from Pokemon Sword’s Pokedex entry for Copperajah, which states that this species came from another region a long time ago, and thus is not native to Galar. Plus, Galar as a region is based on the United Kingdom for its looks and characterization, and the real-world country has a long, shared history with India. Considering all this, the evidence does seem to stack up when it comes to Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Sword and Shield hinting at the region for Gen 9, which at this point could be based on India. One more thing that could be considered as possible evidence for this theory is that Pokemon Legends: Arceus has a varied cast of characters, all looking very much alike to existing characters in modern Sinnoh and the Pokemon franchise as a whole.
These are clearly ancestors of all those characters that players met on their journeys in other Pokemon games, and Professor Laventon is one of the very few to not have any sort of relation to other characters - which could be a clue to the fact that new releases could tackle this aspect. Little is known about how Professor Laventon got to the region of Hisui, much like little is known about Copperajah’s journey to Galar. Yet, it’s not impossible that Generation 9 games will indeed be set in an India-inspired region, and the evidence could have been right in front of players this whole time.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now for the Nintendo Switch.
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