It is modeled after Japan's capital city of Tokyo and is the largest and one of the busiest cities in Kanto, being famous even in other regions. It is the tenth most populous city in the Pokémon world and one of the only cities in Kanto that has enough visible houses to accommodate its population in the games. The large Silph Co. headquarters building stands firm as the city's centerpiece while two Gyms dominate the northeastern corner district. Not only is this the central business district of Kanto, it also holds the region's largest infrastructure, including the Magnet Train station, which allows ease of access between Kanto and Johto.
The Silph Co. Head Office is the largest and tallest building in the city. Silph Co. are the leading manufacturer of Pokémon technology in the world, and produce a variety of goods for Trainers, such as the Poké Ball and the Silph Scope.
Their status makes them a target of Team Rocket, who orchestrated the takeover of their headquarters in Saffron City in order to obtain the Master Ball. However, the player successfully drives them out and the President of Silph gives the player the Master Ball for saving the company.
The Silph Co. Head Office is an eleven-floor skyscraper, and effectively a giant maze. The building contains a number of warp panels, which must be used in order to reach different rooms. Some of Silph's doors require a Card Key to open.
The Fighting Dojo and the Saffron Gym once competed against each other to determine which one would be Saffron City's Gym. Due to the type advantage that the Saffron Gym's Psychic-type Pokémon had over the Dojo's Fighting-type Pokémon, Saffron Gym easily won and became the official Gym.
To board the train, the player must have a Pass. The Copycat in Saffron City has one and is willing to give it up as a reward for returning her the Poké Doll that Red gave to her three years before. Initially, the train is out of service as a minion of Team Rocket has stolen a valuable part from the Kanto Power Plant. After defeating him on Route 24, the player can retrieve the part from the Cerulean Gym and return it to the Power Plant. With the component back in place, the train will have the necessary power to run.
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Vermilion City's Gym LeaderLt. Surge will come here and offer to trade his Pikachu for the player's Pikachu. This Pikachu is notable because it originates from a different language than that of the player's game: in the English releases, it is French and in all other releases, it is English.
Mr. Psychic's House
Mr. Psychic lives in a small house that is located on the southeastern side of the city, being better accessible by entering Saffron City from the southern entrance. He sits at a table in the middle of the room. When talked to for the first time in every game he is featured in, he will claim to know that the player really wants to receive a gift from him, giving the TM for Psychic to the player.
In the Generation I games, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Copycat lives in a house that is located in the northwest of the city. In the Generation I games, if the player gives her a Poké Doll she will give them TM31 (Mimic); in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen she will offer to teach one of the player's Pokémon Mimic if the player gives her a Poké Doll; and in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, she gives the player TM08 (Substitute) if they show her a Clefairy. There is a video game system in her bedroom: in the Generation I games and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen it is an SNES with a game that has Mario with a bucket on his head; in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, it is a Nintendo Switch with a game featuring cube-shaped Pokémon.
Between the events of Generations I and II, Copycat's house in Saffron City was torn down to make room for the Magnet Train station. Copycat and her family move to a house slightly south of the station.
In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, the population is 50, not including the members of Team Rocket who eventually leave.
Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal
Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the population is 35. This drastic decrease is due to both the Fighting Dojo shutting down and the restriction of access to Silph Co.'s upper floors.
One of the items below is in a different location in the original Red and Green version, and is listed separately. Other items are in the same location.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
A colored background means that the Pokémon can be found in this location in the specified game. A white background with a colored letter means that the Pokémon cannot be found here.
TRAINER TIPS
New GREAT BALL
offers improved
capture rates.
Try it on those
hard-to-catch
POKéMON.
TRAINER TIPS
FULL HEAL cures
all ailments like
sleep and burns.
It costs a bit
more, but it's
more convenient.
Generation III
TRAINER TIPS
The new GREAT BALL offers improved
catching rates.
Try it on those hard-to-catch
POKéMON.
TRAINER TIPS
FULL HEAL cures all ailments like
burns, paralysis, poisoning,
freezing, and sleep.
It costs a bit more, but it's more
convenient than buying other items.
Certain Pokémon will emerge from the elevator in the Silph Co. building and attack briefly, similar to Pokémon summoned from Poké Balls. Occasionally, Pidgey, Fearow, Butterfree, and Moltres will appear in the background.
During the game's intro, Pikachu can be seen rolling on a Poké Ball as a person walks by.
Saffron City debuted in Abra and the Psychic Showdown. Ash, Misty, and Brock were initially caught and trapped by Team Rocket, but were soon freed by a mysterious little girl, who turned out to be Sabrina's doll. Wanting to earn the Marsh Badge, Ash entered the Saffron Gym and challenged Sabrina into a battle, using his Pikachu against Sabrina's Abra. During the battle, Abra evolved into a Kadabra and easily overwhelmed Pikachu, making Ash eventually give up. Following the advice of a mysterious man, Ash headed to Lavender Town to obtain a Ghost-typePokémon so he could have another battle with Sabrina.
Ash and his friends returned to Saffron City in Haunter versus Kadabra, accompanied by a Haunter Ash had befriended at the Pokémon Tower. Unfortunately, Haunter preferred comedy over battling, and disappeared before the rematch. Ash managed to find Haunter again, but it disappeared yet again when Ash re-entered the Gym. To protect Ash, Pikachu faced Sabrina's Kadabra. After a while, Haunter reappeared and made Sabrina laugh for the first time in years. As her Kadabra was rendered unable to battle by the laughter, Sabrina gave Ash the Marsh Badge and kept Haunter with her.
In A Dairy Tale Ending, Team Rocket's uncontrolled ride down the incomplete Magnet Train line on a handcar from the previous episode was revealed to have ended in a collision into a brick wall in Saffron City, forcing them to walk all the way back to Johto.
The Battle Arena is also located near Saffron City.
In On Cloud Arcanine, Drew informed May that a Pokémon Contest was scheduled to be held at Saffron City. In The Saffron Con, Ash, May, Max, and Brock arrived there and met Harley, who was assisting Nurse Joy at the local Pokémon Center. Managing to gain May's trust by telling a convenient truth verified by Nurse Joy, Harley then tried to make May arrive late to receiving her KantoContest Pass by giving her the wrong time for the deadline. In the meantime, May assisted in stopping one of Team Rocket's Pokémon-stealing schemes. While she arrived past the deadline, Lilian told the receptionist about May's heroic efforts in saving many Coordinators' Pokémon from Team Rocket, allowing her to still receive her Contest Pass and register for the Saffron Contest.
The Contest took place in A Hurdle for Squirtle, which Harley entered with his Cacturne, Jessebella entered with Cacnea, and May entered with her Combusken and Squirtle. The three of them were able to impress the Contest Judges enough to advance to the Battle Stage. There, Harley defeated Jessebella and quickly made his way to the final round, where he found himself up against May. Using his Ariados against her Squirtle, Harley held the upper hand for most of their battle, having lowered May's score considerably. However, Squirtle ended up knocking out Ariados, making May the winner of the Saffron Contest. This victory earned May the Saffron Ribbon, her first Kanto Ribbon.
In Pasta La Vista!, May and Brock decided to visit Saffron City's most famous noodle house, known for a dish called "battle noodles". However, the owner was soon called away to attend to business at the Fighting Dojo. Ash and Max met the Fighting Dojo's owner, Master Hamm, and soon caught up with May and Brock, who followed the noodle shop owner, Kyle, who was also Master Hamm's son. Eventually, the father and son came to an understanding, with Kyle returning to his noodle business while dojo student Terri agreed to take over the dojo from Master Hamm.
Saffron City appeared in File 3: Giovanni. Soon after arriving at the city, Red encountered Blue, and together they saved a woman from being harassed by Team Rocket. The woman revealed herself to be the Silph Co.'s president's secretary, and told the two Trainers that Team Rocket had taken over the company, intending to steal the Master Ball they were developing. Wanting to free the Pokémon used in the development tests, Red stormed the Silph Co., releasing all the imprisoned Pokémon and Scientists inside. At the top floor, he encountered the Boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni. He had a battle against the criminal leader, but was easily defeated, and Giovanni got away.
Following the Silph Co. incident, Red challenged Sabrina to a Gym battle and defeated her, earning the Marsh Badge. Afterwards, he challenged the Karate Master at the Fighting Dojo and won, earning himself a Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan as a reward.
Saffron City first appeared in Holy Moltres and Kalling Kadabra, where it was revealed that Team Rocket had managed to capture all three legendary birds and was keeping their base at the Silph Co. building, along with the citizens of Pallet Town, whom they had kidnapped. Due to guards blocking the gates and an invisible barrier surrounding the city, it seemed impossible to get in. However, thanks to some cooperation between Red and Blue, they were able to discover that the barrier was actually a Light Screen cast by a Mr. Mime, and defeat it using teamwork between Red's Pikachu's Substitute clone and Blue's Golduck, lifting the barrier and allowing the Pokédex holders to enter the city.
The Pokédex holders subsequently stormed the Silph Co. and battled against the evil Gym Leaders serving for Team Rocket; Lt. Surge, Koga, and Sabrina, and the legendary birds they controlled. Using a device called the Badge Energy Amplifier, Green accidentally fused the three legendary birds into one being, Thu-Fi-Zer. With their combined efforts, the three Pallet Town Trainers managed to defeat the creature and separate it back into its three original forms, which then fled. The building proceeded to collapse into ruins during the ensuing chaos.
During the Silph Co. battle, lower members of Team Rocket tried to escape the city, but were all caught by the Gym Leaders of Justice (Brock, Misty, and Erika) and their allies outside the city gates.
Satoshi visited Saffron City in PZ07. From the Karate Master, he learned that Gym LeaderSabrina was trying to rescue the Silph Co. from the hands of Team Rocket, so he went after her to help. Inside the occupied office building, Satoshi found both Sabrina and a talkingLapras that she had befriended while infiltrating the building. With Sabrina's teleportation powers, they made their way to the top floor, where Giovanni was holding that Silph Co. president hostage. Satoshi fought Giovanni's Nidoqueen with Lapras and was able to force him to retreat. As thanks, the president gave Satoshi the Master Ball, while Sabrina gave him a Marsh Badge, and Lapras joined Satoshi on his travels.
Trivia
The unused map of Saffron City from FireRed and LeafGreen
In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, if the overworld's collision data is bypassed in order to skip any of the gates surrounding the city, the player will access an alternate version of Saffron City, where all warps and events are absent. This is because the real Saffron City is not directly connected to its adjacent routes so the game loads a copy of the map that assures the continuity of the overworld.
Name origin
Language
Name
Origin
Japanese
ヤマブキシティ Yamabuki City
From 山吹色 yamabuki-iro (golden color of kerria flower)
