Generation V & Unova: Pokémon Generation Guide

The fifth generation (Japanese: 第五世代 fifth generation) of Pokémon, commonly referred to by fans as Generation V, is the fifth installment of the Pokémon series. Like previous generations, the first installments, Black and White, were released as a pair. However, unlike previous generations, the games were followed by two sequels——instead of a third version. For the first time since Generations I and II (following the internal identification of Gold and Silver rather than the advertised console), the games were released on the same platform as the previous generation's core series titles, in this case the Nintendo DS.

Unova, the new region introduced in this generation, is known to be far away from the regions of previous generations. Unlike the past four, Unova is based on an area outside of Japan, drawing inspiration from the New York City metropolitan area.

The Unova region (Japanese: イッシュ地方 Issyu region) is a region of the Pokémon world. It is the setting of Black and White and Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, while a school in Unova called Blueberry Academy was introduced as the setting of The Indigo Disk expansion of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It was the fifth core series region to be introduced.

Unova's Japanese name, イッシュ Issyu, is derived from the Japanese word for "one variety", 一種 isshu, or １種類 isshurui. According to the game director Masuda, this is to express that although the region is diverse in species and race, they are all the same as living creatures when seen from a distance.

Unova is divided by two rivers that lead into an ocean to the south of it. These rivers cannot be surfed on, with the exception of the river directly below Village Bridge. It divides Unova into central and eastern peninsulas and a western landmass. These three landmasses are connected by five bridges: the Skyarrow Bridge, the Driftveil Drawbridge, the Tubeline Bridge, Marvelous Bridge, and the Village Bridge. The eastern part of Unova is further divided by mountains that makes a southeast part and northeast part. The southeastern part is important to Trainers who want to compete in the Pokémon League since two Gyms are located there, but the northeastern part is not since there are no Gyms there and it mostly has tourism, as evidenced by the amount of people speaking foreign languages. Further away from this bundle of towns is where the Pokémon League is located. Interestingly, the northeastern part is the only place in the region to find Pokémon species foreign to Unova outside of Swarms. The central peninsula of Unova consists of two of the largest cities in the Pokémon world, Castelia City and Nimbasa City, as well as Opelucid City further north, all of which contain Gyms. Every bridge in Unova connects to the central part of the region from either the east or west. The western side contains medium-sized towns and more varied landscapes but it also has three Gyms there, making it another destination to visit for any Pokémon Trainer.