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Generation III · Hoenn

Generation III: Hoenn.

Hoenn is the tropical pivot. Bright color palette, water routes, the Pokémon Contest scene, and the only mainline games where you legitimately need a fishing rod. Ruby and Sapphire also marked the franchise transition off Game Boy and onto the GBA, with a graphical leap that made every gym feel like a stage.

Release2002
HardwareGame Boy Advance
New species135
Dex range#252-386

The mechanic that defined Gen III

Abilities, natures, and two-on-two Doubles.

Ruby and Sapphire introduced the ability system that turned every species into a kit (Levitate Gengar, Intimidate Salamence). Natures finally let you tune stat growth. Doubles battles added a whole second competitive format, plus Weather Wars (Drizzle Politoed, Drought Ninetales) that would define VGC for a decade.

Signature moves introduced this generation: Dragon Claw, Overheat, Spikes, Stealth Rock (later), Calm Mind.

Starters

Treecko
No. 252
Treecko
Grass
BST 310
 Torchic
No. 255
Torchic
Fire
BST 310
 Mudkip
No. 258
Mudkip
Water
BST 310

Box legendaries

Groudon
No. 383
Groudon
Ground Kyogre
No. 382
Kyogre
Water Rayquaza
No. 384
Rayquaza
Dragon

Top 12 by base-stat total

Rayquaza
No. 384
Rayquaza
BST 680
 Slaking
No. 289
Slaking
BST 670
 Kyogre
No. 382
Kyogre
BST 670
 Groudon
No. 383
Groudon
BST 670
 Salamence
No. 373
Salamence
BST 600
 Metagross
No. 376
Metagross
BST 600
 Latias
No. 380
Latias
BST 600
 Latios
No. 381
Latios
BST 600
 Jirachi
No. 385
Jirachi
BST 600
 Deoxys
No. 386
Deoxys
BST 600
 Regirock
No. 377
Regirock
BST 580
 Regice
No. 378
Regice
BST 580

Key dates

  • Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire release in Japan on GBA.
  • Ruby and Sapphire launch in North America.
  • Pokémon Emerald releases in Japan with the Battle Frontier.
  • Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remakes ship globally with Mega Evolution and Delta Episode.

Iconic trainers: Roxanne, Norman, Wallace, Steven Stone, Brendan / May (Rival).

Games in this generation: Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, LeafGreen, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire.

Full roster (135 Pokémon)

Treecko No. 252 Treecko Grovyle No. 253 Grovyle Sceptile No. 254 Sceptile Torchic No. 255 Torchic Combusken No. 256 Combusken Blaziken No. 257 Blaziken Mudkip No. 258 Mudkip Marshtomp No. 259 Marshtomp Swampert No. 260 Swampert Poochyena No. 261 Poochyena Mightyena No. 262 Mightyena Zigzagoon No. 263 Zigzagoon Linoone No. 264 Linoone Wurmple No. 265 Wurmple Silcoon No. 266 Silcoon Beautifly No. 267 Beautifly Cascoon No. 268 Cascoon Dustox No. 269 Dustox Lotad No. 270 Lotad Lombre No. 271 Lombre Ludicolo No. 272 Ludicolo Seedot No. 273 Seedot Nuzleaf No. 274 Nuzleaf Shiftry No. 275 Shiftry Taillow No. 276 Taillow Swellow No. 277 Swellow Wingull No. 278 Wingull Pelipper No. 279 Pelipper Ralts No. 280 Ralts Kirlia No. 281 Kirlia Gardevoir No. 282 Gardevoir Surskit No. 283 Surskit Masquerain No. 284 Masquerain Shroomish No. 285 Shroomish Breloom No. 286 Breloom Slakoth No. 287 Slakoth Vigoroth No. 288 Vigoroth Slaking No. 289 Slaking Nincada No. 290 Nincada Ninjask No. 291 Ninjask Shedinja No. 292 Shedinja Whismur No. 293 Whismur Loudred No. 294 Loudred Exploud No. 295 Exploud Makuhita No. 296 Makuhita Hariyama No. 297 Hariyama Azurill No. 298 Azurill Nosepass No. 299 Nosepass Skitty No. 300 Skitty Delcatty No. 301 Delcatty Sableye No. 302 Sableye Mawile No. 303 Mawile Aron No. 304 Aron Lairon No. 305 Lairon Aggron No. 306 Aggron Meditite No. 307 Meditite Medicham No. 308 Medicham Electrike No. 309 Electrike Manectric No. 310 Manectric Plusle No. 311 Plusle Minun No. 312 Minun Volbeat No. 313 Volbeat Illumise No. 314 Illumise Roselia No. 315 Roselia Gulpin No. 316 Gulpin Swalot No. 317 Swalot Carvanha No. 318 Carvanha Sharpedo No. 319 Sharpedo Wailmer No. 320 Wailmer Wailord No. 321 Wailord Numel No. 322 Numel Camerupt No. 323 Camerupt Torkoal No. 324 Torkoal Spoink No. 325 Spoink Grumpig No. 326 Grumpig Spinda No. 327 Spinda Trapinch No. 328 Trapinch Vibrava No. 329 Vibrava Flygon No. 330 Flygon Cacnea No. 331 Cacnea Cacturne No. 332 Cacturne Swablu No. 333 Swablu Altaria No. 334 Altaria Zangoose No. 335 Zangoose Seviper No. 336 Seviper Lunatone No. 337 Lunatone Solrock No. 338 Solrock Barboach No. 339 Barboach Whiscash No. 340 Whiscash Corphish No. 341 Corphish Crawdaunt No. 342 Crawdaunt Baltoy No. 343 Baltoy Claydol No. 344 Claydol Lileep No. 345 Lileep Cradily No. 346 Cradily Anorith No. 347 Anorith Armaldo No. 348 Armaldo Feebas No. 349 Feebas Milotic No. 350 Milotic Castform No. 351 Castform Kecleon No. 352 Kecleon Shuppet No. 353 Shuppet Banette No. 354 Banette Duskull No. 355 Duskull Dusclops No. 356 Dusclops Tropius No. 357 Tropius Chimecho No. 358 Chimecho Absol No. 359 Absol Wynaut No. 360 Wynaut Snorunt No. 361 Snorunt Glalie No. 362 Glalie Spheal No. 363 Spheal Sealeo No. 364 Sealeo Walrein No. 365 Walrein Clamperl No. 366 Clamperl Huntail No. 367 Huntail Gorebyss No. 368 Gorebyss Relicanth No. 369 Relicanth Luvdisc No. 370 Luvdisc Bagon No. 371 Bagon Shelgon No. 372 Shelgon Salamence No. 373 Salamence Beldum No. 374 Beldum Metang No. 375 Metang Metagross No. 376 Metagross Regirock No. 377 Regirock Regice No. 378 Regice Registeel No. 379 Registeel Latias No. 380 Latias Latios No. 381 Latios Kyogre No. 382 Kyogre Groudon No. 383 Groudon Rayquaza No. 384 Rayquaza Jirachi No. 385 Jirachi Deoxys No. 386 Deoxys

Legacy

Gen 3 is the generation that converted the Pokémon RPG into a competitive system. Abilities and natures alone created an entire teambuilding language. Hoenn is also the only mainline region whose remakes shipped on the same hardware generation as the original VC re-releases, which is why ORAS still feels almost contemporary.