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Generation IV · Sinnoh

Generation IV: Sinnoh.

Sinnoh is the cold, deliberate one. Mt. Coronet runs the spine of the map. The legendaries deal in time, space, and antimatter. The Underground let you dig fossils and trap your friends in giant pit traps via DS wireless. And the Distortion World remains one of the strangest setpieces in mainline Pokémon history.

Release2006
HardwareNintendo DS
New species107
Dex range#387-493

The mechanic that defined Gen IV

Physical / Special split, online battling, Wi-Fi trades.

Gen 4 broke moves apart by classification (Physical vs Special) instead of by type. Suddenly Crunch became a physical move, Ice Beam stayed special, and every Pokémon got a clean second offensive option. Wi-Fi battles via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection turned the metagame into a global event.

Signature moves introduced this generation: Stealth Rock, Close Combat, Flare Blitz, Bullet Punch, Earth Power.

Starters

Turtwig
No. 387
Turtwig
Grass
BST 318
 Chimchar
No. 390
Chimchar
Fire
BST 309
 Piplup
No. 393
Piplup
Water
BST 314

Box legendaries

Dialga
No. 483
Dialga
Steel Palkia
No. 484
Palkia
Water Giratina
No. 487
Giratina
Ghost Arceus
No. 493
Arceus
Normal

Top 12 by base-stat total

Arceus
No. 493
Arceus
BST 720
 Dialga
No. 483
Dialga
BST 680
 Palkia
No. 484
Palkia
BST 680
 Giratina
No. 487
Giratina
BST 680
 Regigigas
No. 486
Regigigas
BST 670
 Garchomp
No. 445
Garchomp
BST 600
 Heatran
No. 485
Heatran
BST 600
 Manaphy
No. 490
Manaphy
BST 600
 Darkrai
No. 491
Darkrai
BST 600
 Shaymin
No. 492
Shaymin
BST 600
 Uxie
No. 480
Uxie
BST 580
 Mesprit
No. 481
Mesprit
BST 580

Key dates

  • Diamond and Pearl release in Japan on Nintendo DS.
  • Diamond and Pearl release in North America.
  • Platinum releases in Japan with the Distortion World and Giratina-O.
  • HeartGold and SoulSilver remakes ship.
  • Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl release on Switch.
  • Pokémon Legends: Arceus reframes Sinnoh as Hisui, retconning Gen 4 with new regional forms.

Iconic trainers: Roark, Volkner, Cynthia, Cyrus, Barry (Rival).

Games in this generation: Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, SoulSilver, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, Legends: Arceus.

Full roster (107 Pokémon)

Turtwig No. 387 Turtwig Grotle No. 388 Grotle Torterra No. 389 Torterra Chimchar No. 390 Chimchar Monferno No. 391 Monferno Infernape No. 392 Infernape Piplup No. 393 Piplup Prinplup No. 394 Prinplup Empoleon No. 395 Empoleon Starly No. 396 Starly Staravia No. 397 Staravia Staraptor No. 398 Staraptor Bidoof No. 399 Bidoof Bibarel No. 400 Bibarel Kricketot No. 401 Kricketot Kricketune No. 402 Kricketune Shinx No. 403 Shinx Luxio No. 404 Luxio Luxray No. 405 Luxray Budew No. 406 Budew Roserade No. 407 Roserade Cranidos No. 408 Cranidos Rampardos No. 409 Rampardos Shieldon No. 410 Shieldon Bastiodon No. 411 Bastiodon Burmy No. 412 Burmy Wormadam No. 413 Wormadam Mothim No. 414 Mothim Combee No. 415 Combee Vespiquen No. 416 Vespiquen Pachirisu No. 417 Pachirisu Buizel No. 418 Buizel Floatzel No. 419 Floatzel Cherubi No. 420 Cherubi Cherrim No. 421 Cherrim Shellos No. 422 Shellos Gastrodon No. 423 Gastrodon Ambipom No. 424 Ambipom Drifloon No. 425 Drifloon Drifblim No. 426 Drifblim Buneary No. 427 Buneary Lopunny No. 428 Lopunny Mismagius No. 429 Mismagius Honchkrow No. 430 Honchkrow Glameow No. 431 Glameow Purugly No. 432 Purugly Chingling No. 433 Chingling Stunky No. 434 Stunky Skuntank No. 435 Skuntank Bronzor No. 436 Bronzor Bronzong No. 437 Bronzong Bonsly No. 438 Bonsly Mime Jr. No. 439 Mime Jr. Happiny No. 440 Happiny Chatot No. 441 Chatot Spiritomb No. 442 Spiritomb Gible No. 443 Gible Gabite No. 444 Gabite Garchomp No. 445 Garchomp Munchlax No. 446 Munchlax Riolu No. 447 Riolu Lucario No. 448 Lucario Hippopotas No. 449 Hippopotas Hippowdon No. 450 Hippowdon Skorupi No. 451 Skorupi Drapion No. 452 Drapion Croagunk No. 453 Croagunk Toxicroak No. 454 Toxicroak Carnivine No. 455 Carnivine Finneon No. 456 Finneon Lumineon No. 457 Lumineon Mantyke No. 458 Mantyke Snover No. 459 Snover Abomasnow No. 460 Abomasnow Weavile No. 461 Weavile Magnezone No. 462 Magnezone Lickilicky No. 463 Lickilicky Rhyperior No. 464 Rhyperior Tangrowth No. 465 Tangrowth Electivire No. 466 Electivire Magmortar No. 467 Magmortar Togekiss No. 468 Togekiss Yanmega No. 469 Yanmega Leafeon No. 470 Leafeon Glaceon No. 471 Glaceon Gliscor No. 472 Gliscor Mamoswine No. 473 Mamoswine Porygon-Z No. 474 Porygon-Z Gallade No. 475 Gallade Probopass No. 476 Probopass Dusknoir No. 477 Dusknoir Froslass No. 478 Froslass Rotom No. 479 Rotom Uxie No. 480 Uxie Mesprit No. 481 Mesprit Azelf No. 482 Azelf Dialga No. 483 Dialga Palkia No. 484 Palkia Heatran No. 485 Heatran Regigigas No. 486 Regigigas Giratina No. 487 Giratina Cresselia No. 488 Cresselia Phione No. 489 Phione Manaphy No. 490 Manaphy Darkrai No. 491 Darkrai Shaymin No. 492 Shaymin Arceus No. 493 Arceus

Legacy

The physical / special split is the single most-cited mechanic in Pokémon competitive history. It rebalanced every move from 1996 forward in one patch. Sinnoh's lore (Arceus, the creation trio, Hisui) also gives modern Pokémon its closest thing to capital-M Mythology.