Lady’s Gitweb - Wiki/blob - Sources/Page/PokemonCanon.djot

   1 # Pokémon canon
   2
   3 The goal of this page is to establish a base _Pokémon_{as=cite} “canon”
   4   for making narrative fanworks in, roleplaying, or just generally
   5   thinking about.
   6 *_Canon is a choice_* (documented set of choices) and the choices we
   7   make on this _Wiki_{as=cite} won’t necessarily agree with the
   8   _Pokémon_{as=cite} fandom at·large.
   9
  10 ## general approach
  11
  12 - *The English main‐series games are the primary source of canon.*
  13   When information in the anime, movies, trading card game, side‐series
  14     games, ⁊·c conflicts with the main‐series games, the latter wins.
  15   When games differ substantially between their original Japanese and
  16     subsequent Western releases, the latter is considered canonical.
  17
  18 - *All other pieces of Pokémon media _may_ be considered canonical
  19     (when useful).*
  20   This includes side‐series games like _Pokémon Conquest_{as=cite} as
  21     well as non‐games like the anime, movies, or original YouTube
  22     animations.
  23
  24   Specifically, the order of priority for sources of canon should
  25     generally be main‐series games > original YouTube animations > new
  26     movies (_I Choose You!_{as=cite} and later) > anime and older
  27     movies > side‐series games > other media.
  28
  29   Even when canon directly contradicts with one part of a piece of
  30     media, other parts (for example, a character of the day from the
  31     anime) may be considered (somewhat) canonical.
  32
  33 - *Consider every work in the _Pokémon_{as=cite} franchise to be an A·U
  34     of every other work (and this canon).*
  35   Obviously, the paired versions in each generation of games are A·U’s
  36     of each other, and Ultra Sun is obviously an A·U of Sun, ⁊·c.
  37   But this principle applies across the franchise, meaning that Black 2
  38     is an A·U of Black (and White) and so forth.
  39
  40   What this practically means is that canon cannot offer exact details,
  41     only suggestions.
  42   Divergences from canon can and will take place so long as they
  43     preserve the “spirit” of the originals.
  44
  45 - *Avoid “world‐hopping”.*
  46   The Pokémon franchise is replete with instances of people travelling
  47     from one universe to another or travelling back‐and‐forth though
  48     time.
  49   This runs contrary to having a single, consistent timeline, so for
  50     practical reasons it must be considered noncanonical.
  51   This isn’t to say it won’t ever happen.
  52
  53 - *Combine paired versions where possible; defer to the “red” version
  54     otherwise.*
  55   The “red” versions are:8--: _Red_{as=cite}, _Gold_{as=cite},
  56     _Ruby_{as=cite}, _FireRed_{as=cite}, _Pearl_{as=cite},
  57     _HeartGold_{as=cite}, _White_{as=cite}, _White 2_{as=cite},
  58     _Y_{as=cite}, _Omega Ruby_{as=cite}, _Sun_{as=cite},
  59     _Ultra Sun_{as=cite}, _Let’s Go! Pikachu_{as=cite},
  60     _Shield_{as=cite}, _Shining Pearl_{as=cite}, _Scarlet_{as=cite}.
  61
  62 - *Game plots follow the Gen ⅤⅠ–ⅠⅩ timeline.*
  63   This means that, for game plot–related elements, _Omega
  64     Ruby_{as=cite} & _Alpha Sapphire_{as=cite} takes precedence over
  65     _Ruby_{as=cite}, _Sapphire_{as=cite} & _Emerald_{as=cite} and
  66     _Let’s Go! Pikachu_{as=cite} & _Let’s Go! Eevee_{as=cite} takes
  67     precedence over _Red_{as=cite}, _Blue_{as=cite}, _Green_{as=cite},
  68     _Yellow_{as=cite}, _FireRed_{as=cite} & _LeafGreen_{as=cite}.
  69
  70   This does not mean that the other games do not contain canonical
  71     information—for example, the Sevii Islands still exist, Anabel was
  72     still Salon Maiden of the Hoenn Elite Four, ⁊·c.
  73   But it does mean, for example, that Chase ∣ Elaine is the one to
  74     defeat Team Rocket, not Red.
  75
  76 - *Technological developments occur at the time depicted in the games
  77     which introduced them.*
  78   This means that a rudimentaly P·C system must have existed in the
  79     time of _Red_{as=cite} & _Blue_{as=cite}; ⁊·c.
  80
  81 - *There is a correspondence between the _Pokémon_{as=cite} world and
  82     the real world.*
  83   Very few things have definite dates in the _Pokémon_{as=cite} canon,
  84     but it should be assumed that they roughly correspond to the
  85     timeline of similar events in the real world.
  86   The date of the moon landing is fixed at 1969, and considered
  87     equivalent to the real‐world moon landing in that year.