Summary
Red, Blue, Black, White, Scarlet, Violet -Pokemongames have been using colors as their titles since the very beginning of the franchise, long beforePokemon Scarlet and Violetwere dropped into the hands of Nintendo Switch owners this time last year. The question of why colors, of all things, traditionally play such a major part in the naming convention of the core-series games is one that has racked the minds ofPokemonfans for nearly three decades now, and remains a common query among fresh-faced players to this day. With the second half ofScarlet and Violet’s Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, The Indigo Disk, just a few weeks away, it seems like as good a time as ever to dive into the details and discuss why teal and indigo are the colors of choice for the Gen 9 expansions.
Before understanding the significance of the colors, though, it’s important to understand the significance ofpatterns in general within the world ofPokemon. If nothing else, Game Freak really is consistent with placing patterns in its games, whether that entails naming Kanto’s cities after different colors, using specific naming conventions for each generation of core-series games, or even embedding symbolism of literal alchemy and other metaphysical philosophies throughout every game in thePokemonseries. Putting that fun little detail aside for now though,Pokemon Scarlet and Violetclearly pay homage to the color-themed naming convention of the original Gen 1 games, and continue this tradition through their subsequent expansions.
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Why Teal and Indigo Come After Scarlet and Violet
Teal and indigo seem like oddly specific colors to use in the titles of the game’s DLC-based continuations, but as it turns out, there actually is a reason for their choice. The Gen 9 expansions both add to and further develop the story that began in the base game, with the two parts of the Hidden Treasures of Area Zero DLC each featuring their ownnew mascot legendary Pokemonwith the addition of Ogerpon and Terapagos. Sure, it’s easy enough to boil the titles' color choices down to Ogerpon’s mask being teal and Terapagos' body being mostly indigo in color, but that’s only partly answering the question at hand here.
With these new legendary Pokemon being the main focus of the games' expansions, the question instead evolves and asks why these new mascot Pokemon are the colors that they are - and to answer that, fans are going to need to delve deep into the origins, design details, and overarching lore of these creatures. Some spoilers are ahead for the story ofPokemon Scarlet and Violetand The Teal Mask DLC.
There’s More to Ogerpon Than Meets the Eye
One of the first things that might come to mind when considering these sorts of colors are the huge crystals that lay at the bottom of the Great Crater of Paldea. The mysteries of Area Zero are the driving force behind the entiremain plot inPokemon Scarlet and Violet, and though these kinds of crystalline structures do hold a connection to the Terastal phenomenon, closer analysis of these crystals' color reveals that teal and indigo aren’t particularly prevalent among the paler blue and pink shades that cover most of their surfaces. So, if the Terastal aesthetic itself isn’t the driving factor behind the designs of these new legendaries, that leaves one other likely suspect: real-world mythology.
See, in The Teal Mask DLC, players travel to the land of Kitakami, which is based on a real part of Japan. Kitakami is home to the expansion’s mascot legendary Ogerpon, a misunderstood Pokemon which can alter both its regular type and Tera Type by wearing one of four masks. Beneath the mask, though, Ogerpon isnaturally a Grass-type Pokemon, which is a crucial part of its overall design. Like with most Pokemon, Ogerpon’s design takes inspiration from various real-world concepts and tales, with Japanese oni as well as the Japanese sudachi tree plant both providing the primary factors that Ogerpon’s design is based upon. It’s likely that Ogerpon’s green body deliberately refers to a green oni - or ryoku-ki -which, in some Japanese folklore, signifies poor health and lack of motivation - both themes that fit Ogerpon’s backstory which is uncovered during the events of the DLC.
Interestingly, “sudachi” is the codename used by Game Freak for The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC.
There’s a lot more that could be said about Ogerpon’s fascinating design origins, but between its Grass-type, oni representation, and sudachi tree inspiration, it’s pretty clear why its teal mask - or “Midori no kamen” AKA green mask, as it’s called in the Japanese version of the game - is the color that it is.
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What About The Indigo Disk’s Legendary Pokemon?
Though the teal part is able to be understood fairly easily, unfortunately, figuring out The Indigo Disk isn’t as simple. What is known is that “The Indigo Disk” likely refers directly to the DLC’s legendary Pokemon, Terapagos, seeing as how a similar term is used to describe Terapagos in the Scarlet or Violet book, depending on the version of the game.Terapagos' importance to the world and lore ofPokemoncannot be overstated, with this giant, deep-blue turtle Pokemon seemingly being the very source of the entire Terastal phenomenon and possibly the explanation for the existence of Paradox Pokemon, too.
The problem here is that at the time of writing, The Indigo Disk DLC has not yet been released, leaving most of the details surrounding Terapagos in the realm of speculation. There areseveral excellent theories regarding the Pokemon, but despite Terapagos' design references to both the World Turtle mytheme and Urashimako legend, as well as a physical silhouette that depicts a dreamcatcher, there seem to be few solid explanations for its indigo body beside the color’s connection to the ocean - seemingly a big theme for the upcoming DLC, and likely where Terapagos itself currently resides.
