How do you get a mythical Pokemon in Black?

With Pokemon becoming a worldwide phenomenon where every major release sells millions of copies, the franchise is one of the biggest on the market. It is widely assumed that Generation 9 Pokemon games are in the works despite no official announcement, simply because it's been the trend for Nintendo and Game Freak to release a new mainline Pokemon game every three years on averag. However, this wasn't always the case, and there was a time when there was no guarantee of another Pokemon game. Yet there was a pattern that indicated which ideas The Pokemon Company wanted to explore in the future.

While Mew and Celebi didn't necessarily hint at Gen 2 and Gen 3 Pokemongames, it's very likely that the Mythical Pokemon from Gen 3 onward did come with clues about the following Generation. It remains a mystery whether these Mythical Pokemon were designed specifically to hint at future games or if they were conceived at a time when Game Freak was already working on the next set of titles, making their designs inherently more in-line with the themes of following games. Yet, this became a pattern that can often accurately predict what the setting for new Pokemon games could be.

How Gen 3 Mythical Pokemon Hinted at Generation 4

Mythical Pokemon are basically like Legendary Pokemon, but usually released to the public through events, Pokemon movie tie-ins, and the like. For Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the Mythical Pokemon were Jirachi and Deoxys. The overall themes of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl were creation, space, and time - embodied by Arceus, Palkia, and Dialga, respectively.

Space is something both Jirachi and Deoxys incarnate to an extent, both in terms of the vastness of space and ideas about heavenly places. Furthermore, Jirachi's design is heavily influenced by Japanese culture, and it would be fitting to think that it was foreshadowing the last Japan-inspired settings in Pokemon games up to this point. Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum were the perfect games to close the Japanese cycle with precisely because of the themes of godhood that Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina all exemplify.

How Gen 4 Mythical Pokemon Hinted at Generation 5

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl introduced the most Mythical Pokemon in the series, tied with Pokemon Black and White depending on whether players consider Phione a Mythical creature. In Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, the major Mythical Pokemon to possibly hint at Generation 5 were Shaymin and Arceus, with a notable mention to Darkrai as a parallel with Pokemon Black and White's Dream World. As for Shaymin, the creature symbolizes gratitude, which is a big theme in Pokemon Black and White's storyline around N and Team Plasma.

N is led to believe that people are ungrateful toward Pokemon, quick to abandon or abuse them, which he changes his views on after being confronted by the main character. Meanwhile, Arceus is the creation deity, and Gen 4 games featured multiple new evolutions or baby forms for existing Pokemon. This is important because Pokemon Black and White ended up presenting a local Pokedex without any of the older critters until the post-game, and the setting was also the first to be based outside of Japan - a fresh start.

How Gen 5 Mythical Pokemon Hinted at Generation 6

Pokemon Black and White feature some interesting Mythical Pokemon that explicitly referred to a European setting for Gen 6. The main and most on-the-nose is Keldeo, a creature added to the Swords of Justice (inspired by the Three Musketeers) Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion. Keldeo is supposed to be D'Artagnan, the hero and main character of the Three Musketeers, which is clearly a reference to France and its culture before Gen 6's Kalos region was announced.

Despite Meloetta not being a big hint toward Gen 6's setting or plot, the remaining Mythical Pokemon from Black and White seemingly do have connections. Genesect is a Pokemon modified by human scientist to be the most powerful of all, and it has a laser cannon on its back - not unlike the Ultimate Weapon that Lysandre uses in Kalos. Victini's ties to Gen 6 come its location in Pokemon Black and White: Liberty Garden, inspired by Liberty Island. Liberty Island is famous for the Statue of Liberty, which was a gift from France to the American people, again pointing toward a French setting for the next game.

How Gen 6 Mythical Pokemon Hinted at Generation 7

Pokemon X and Y featured three mythical Pokemon, two of which were, in retrospect, a huge hint toward some of the mechanics of Gen 7. Diancie is a Mythical Pokemon made of crystals, and it is a different form of Carbink - not an evolution of this Pokemon. This was probably a hint to regional variants for Pokemon coming with Gen 7, but also to the Z-Moves system. Z-Moves were used through the power of special crystals collected primarily through Alola's Island Challenge.

Hoopa is a Mythical Pokemon that has several rings on its body, all of which can be used to twist space and dimensions in a way that allow it to summon even Legendary Pokemon. This is exactly what happens in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon with the Ultra Beasts, very being another hint at what Gen 7 would bring before it was ever announced.

How Gen 7 Mythical Pokemon Hinted at Generation 8

The Mythical Pokemon in Pokemon Sun and Moon are Magearna, Zeraora, Meltan, Melmetal, and Marshadow, though there are theories that Magearna was supposed to be a Gen 6 creature who got held back. The most obvious reference to Pokemon Sword and Shield's Galar region are Meltan and Melmetal, which don't particularly fit the themes of Pokemon Sun and Moon but blend in perfectly with the UK-based region. This is mostly due to Galar being very mechanically advanced, a probable callback to the United Kingdom's leading industrial revolution.

Another Mythical Pokemon that could have been hinting at Gen 8 is Marshadow, a Fighting/Ghost-type that could be a representation of shadowboxing. Boxing is considered a very British sport, at least in its modern form, and Marshadow's martial arts themes could also be a hint to Pokemon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor DLC. Lastly, if Magearna was indeed thought up as a Gen 7 Pokemon, it would be a rather noteworthy hint to the Galar region because of its Victorian aesthetics and steampunk themes. There are many ways in which Mythical Pokemon have been hinting at future games, even if a lot of it comes down to fan speculation, and it's not unlikely that Galar's Zarude does the same thing for Generation 9.

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