Official Representative Pokémon for Regions

Different regions of the (real) world often have certain things that are chosen to represent those regions. Most often, this would be a plant of some sort (either a tree, or perhaps a flower) or particular creatures (like birds or insects). Less commonly, this could be something esoteric such as a certain kind of food. With Pokémon having greatly expanded and becoming well-known around the world, representation by Pokémon could become something to be considered. It would be one of those esoteric things, but that may be a nice thing.

A few regions in Japan have, in fact, named certain Pokémon to represent the regions of concern, given how Pokémon is ingrained there and among the people. For other regions in other parts of the world, Pokémon is much less ingrained, but it might make sense if in those regions Pokémon has a good following, or people with direct links to or who have become renowned by Pokémon hail from those regions, and thereby a representation would commemorate that fact. By and large, the representation could be considered to be only relevant for the local fans or the people for whom Pokémon is concerned, but with the potential for Pokémon to appeal to everyone, the representation may be welcomed by anyone regardless, which would then extend to the people in the entire region.

That does leave the question of which Pokémon best represents which region. It could be based on the other kinds of (official) representations as a way to remind people and fans about them, which could be just as important; Ho-Oh, for example, bears a likeness to certain national birds and conceivably can represent to remind that fact. As for multiple representations being the same, other kinds of representation can also have the same things for different regions. Therefore, there would be no need to struggle over duplicate representations, though there would still be work involved in order to select a unique representation if desired. Still, even today, there are only so many Pokémon, so duplicate representations are pretty much inevitable in many cases, and that may not be such a big deal.

The representation of a region through certain things is to embody certain things about the region, whether expected as with flora and fauna or unique as with odd everyday items. A representation with Pokémon would certainly fall into this latter camp, but if the people accept the representation, it may be as normal as representation by any other odd everyday items. It would be as much a representation of the fantastic world of Pokémon as much as it is a representation of something that is real for a real-world region.

One year ago: (Not) Sparkling Names

Two years ago: My Town, Pokémon Town

Three years ago: What's in a Name?