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Reading a recent email from Viz Media about Pokemon Season 1 I was reminded of
something. in the first season when Ash is traveling his home region of Kanto
they refer to the Pokemon League as the Indigo League but when Ash goes to the
other regions like Johto, Shinnoh and Hoenn the League name is that of the
region.

[![Viz Media
Image](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P9kDa.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P9kDa.png)

Why is the Kanto League called the Indigo League and not the Kanto League?


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2017-11-14T02:46:29.543
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2020-03-11T21:29:04.200
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question
pokemon
Why is the Kanto League called the Indigo League?


Firstly, you can refer to it both as the Kanto League or the Indigo League but
the main reason it's called the Indigo League is that it is situated on the
Indigo Plateau. There isn't any other reason why it's called the same. Also,
the Kanto grand festival happens at the same location so it isn't explicitly a
location for the Pokemon league. I believe the main reason for calling it the
same and not doing it in the later on seasons is probably because this was the
first iteration of the anime and the writers could very likely have put more
thought into it as it was the first time the concept was introduced. In the
later on seasons it was just a recycled concept, which could possibly explain
the simplicity with the names.


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2017-11-14T06:44:17.307
43326
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While it is more commonly known as the [Indigo
League](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Indigo_League), the names
"Indigo League" and "Kanto League" are simply synonymous

> Depending on the context, the Indigo League can also be called the Kanto
> League or simply the Pokémon League

However, after doing some research on Bulbapedia, I found the reasoning to why
"Kanto League" is known as the "Indigo League"

In the Generation I games, the final area of the game is called "Indigo
Plateau" which lead to many players assuming the Pokémon League for this
region was called the "Indigo League". The reason why the name "Kanto League"
wasn’t considered was because
[Kanto](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Kanto) wasn’t commonly known
at the time. “Kanto” was only ever mentioned once in the Generation I games,
and not mentioned outside of Japan until Generation II games.

> Until the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver, Kanto's name was seen only
> once in the Japanese Generation I games: upon viewing the Town Map at Blue's
> house. It was never mentioned in the Generation I games outside of Japan,
> and thus many fans assumed the region was called "Indigo", based on the name
> of the Indigo Plateau. By the time the Generation III remakes, Pokémon
> FireRed and LeafGreen, were released, Kanto's name was firmly established
> and appeared regularly in-game


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answer


In the II generation games that takes place in the Johto region the league
called... be prepared, the Indigo Plateau, together with that there's to be
mentioned, in the games the Pokemon leagues called.... the Pokemon league.
That to be said, GenII games are known to be continue for the 1st gen games,
occurring on the same land two years after the first games, dividing the land
to two different regions, and the johto league is the same as the Kanto league
just different Elite Four and champion that changed over the years, so in the
games to be called "the Indigo league" though not to called that way in the
games can be true as it serves the league for two regions and not to be a one
region Pokemon league only as in the next games (though the League lies in the
Kanto region borders).

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ODmGM.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ODmGM.jpg)

Now, if the anime were more closely to the games it will be the same so
calling it the Indigo league will make much more sense why called differently
than the other regions, but the anime didn't adapt that closely but placed the
Johto Pokemon league in Silver Conference at Silver Town.

But while at it, the announcer of the anime says clearly the the indigo
plateau is only the home of the Pokemon league and not calling it "the indigo
league", and so on in the first season it's only being said that the Indigo
plateau is holding for a fact the Pokemon league for the Kanto region.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cbYEL.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cbYEL.jpg)

That point of view leads to Wondercricket answer, I will quote the main part:

> In the Generation I games, the final area of the game is called "Indigo
> Plateau" which lead to **many players assuming** the Pokémon League for this
> region was called the "Indigo League".


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