The next generation of Pokémon is here! Pokemon Scarlet & Violet kick off the 9th generation of the Pokémon RPGs in style with a few significant changes, including a wholly open world and the chance to tackle the Gyms in whatever order you see fit! But before you dive into the vast Paldea region, budding Trainers first need to decide whether they’ll be Team Scarlet or Team Violet.
Like with most Pokémon games, the biggest difference will be the list of version-exclusive Pokémon, but Scarlet & Violet are also introducing a few other differences depending on which version you pick up.
To find out exactly what you’re getting in each version of Generation IX, read on.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet – Pokemon Exclusive Version
Here, you’ll find a list of all of the Pokémon exclusive to each version as they’re announced (thanks to Serebius):
Pokemon Scarlet – Exclusive Pokemon
Pokemon Violet – Exclusive Pokemon
Pokemon Professors
For the first time in the series’ history, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are introducing version-exclusive professors.
If you pick up Pokémon Scarlet, your Pokémon Professor will be Sada. If Violet is more your thing, you’ll be greeted by Professor Turo.
World and story themes
In an exciting twist, fans have noticed a few key differences in the aesthetics of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Scarlet seems to embody the past, while Violet looks to the future.
You might have already noticed these things just looking at Sada and Turo, but Sada is wearing cavewoman-like attire, and Turo is wearing a skintight bodysuit under that lab coat. Also, their names are pretty important! Sada comes from pastthe Spanish word for past, while Turo comes from futurethe Spanish word for future.
Plus, those legendaries certainly have a few visual differences. Koraidon, Scarlet’s legendary, looks like a prehistoric bird-like dinosaur. Miraidon is a metallic lizard with pixelated eyes.
The legendary’ forms
Box art legendaries are the standard in the Pokémon series, but Koraidon and Miraidon have many more differences than their colors and initial appearances. Each legendary has a different form to help with traveling across the many different terrains of the Paldea region — Koraidon’s are all ‘Builds’ while Miraidon’s are all ‘Modes’, again emphasizing that past vs future theme the games seem to be going for.
Bikes
Many people noticed that Koraidon and Miraidon seemed to have wheels in their designs when they were first revealed, but we now officially know that both Pokémon can turn into bikes!
Our prehistoric dragon, Koraidon, turns into Sprinting Build Koraidon, a motorbike-looking ride that (for some reason) doesn’t use its wheels! Miraidon, however, transforms into ‘Drive Mode Miraidon’, and it looks like a very sleek jet bike and uses ‘energy’ to accelerate.
Water
Again, your water transportation will look entirely different depending on whether you have Scarlet (Koraidon) or Violet (Miraidon).
Koraidon’s ‘Swimming Build’ puffs up its front wheel (or throat) to use as a floatation device, and it uses its powerful legs to paddle across the water. Miraidon’s ‘Aquatic Mode’ looks like it could come out of a futuristic Wave Race game and uses its jet engines on its legs to move in the water.
Gliding
And, being dragons, these two can fly! Or glide, at least. And to match their past and future theming, each legendary has a specific form it takes when taking to the skies.
Our Scarlet mascot, Koraidon, unravels its tendrils to reveal some large wings on its head, which it uses to soar through the air for its ‘Gliding Build’, making it look even more like a prehistoric bird. Miraidon, on the other hand, looks like a glider fit for James Bond, as ‘Glide Mode’ makes its antennae extend and spread out what The Pokémon Company calls “a membrane of energy”.
Your school
In Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, your character goes to a prestigious school in the Paldea region. Age isn’t an issue, and everyone there is attending to learn more about Pokémon. But there are some pretty key differences depending on whether you’re more partial to the color red or purple.
Name and emblem
While the school will always be located in the Paldea region’s largest city — Mesagoza — the name of the school your character attends, and its emblem will be totally different.
If you pick up Scarlet Version, then you’ll attend the Naranja Academy. In Violet Version, your school is called the Uva Academy. If you know your Spanish, then you know these translate to the ‘Orange Academy’ and ‘Grape Academy’, respectively.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a unique school without a unique color scheme and an emblem. The Naranja Academy has an orange emblem in a rich orange color, while the Uva Academy’s is proudly purple and embellished with a bunch of grapes.
Uniform
One of the first things we saw in the initial Scarlet & Violet trailer was the different colored uniforms, and this matches whichever academy — and version — you go for.
In Pokémon Scarlet, your uniform has a blue hat, orange tie, and orange striped shorts. Your shoes are black (with a matching backpack), and your socks are white with an orange stripe. In Pokemon Violet, swap the orange for purple, the black for brown, and the blue hat for a white one, as well as black socks with a yellow stripe.
If you don’t like the basic outfit, don’t worry! Customization is back, and you’ll be able to buy new clothes and change your outfit throughout the game.
Your character isn’t the only one with a color-coded outfit, either. Clavell, the director of your academy, has a different colored suit depending on your version. Again, Scarlet’s is a burning orangey red color, while Violet’s is a rich purple.
We’ll be adding more details to this guide as we get closer to Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’s release, so make sure you bookmark this page and come back for the latest details!
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