Sinjoh Ruins

Sinjoh Ruins シントいせき
Shinto Ruins
"Wild Missingno. appeared!"
Sinjoh Ruins HGSS.png
Map description: A snow-covered area of old legends, surrounded by a wall of snow.
Location: North of Johto
Region: Unknown
Generations: IV
Johto Sinjoh Ruins Map.png
Location of Sinjoh Ruins in an unknown region.
Pokémon world locations

The Sinjoh Ruins (Japanese: シントいせき Shinto Ruins) are a location in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver that are not part of any known region. Their major feature is the Mystri Stage (Japanese: みつぶたい Mystri Stage), a triangular stage inside the ruined temple.

The only way to access the Sinjoh Ruins is by bringing an Arceus from an event distribution or the Hall of Origin to the Ruins of Alph. The event is triggered by having Arceus as the player's walking Pokémon and entering the Ruins of Alph. However, due to the Azure Flute never being released in Generation IV, it is not possible to obtain an Arceus from the Hall of Origin without the use of glitches or cheating.

In the games

The Sinjoh Ruins are outside the range of the map, and therefore are not part of the regions of Kanto or Johto. It is unknown where exactly they are in relation to Sinnoh and Mt. Coronet; the only hint to their location is the Pokégear's map of Johto pointing far north of Blackthorn City and northeast of the Lake of Rage. They can be visited by way of a mysterious entry point in the Ruins of Alph created by the Unown and Arceus.

Fly and Teleport cannot be used to leave the Sinjoh Ruins, though an elderly man with an Abra who is staying in the cabin offers to teleport the player back home (much like the old man and his Abra at the Indigo Plateau in Generation II). If the player leaves before talking to Cynthia, when they return to the Ruins of Alph with Arceus all of the events will be repeated as if nothing had happened (including the Hiker meeting the player at the entrance).

The creation event that takes place here includes real-life pictures. This is the first time this has happened in any of the Pokémon games.

Historical background

As revealed by Cynthia and a Hiker in the cabin, the Sinjoh Ruins are the remains of a temple created hundreds of years ago by two groups of humans: one who had come from Sinnoh, and another who had hailed from Johto, or specifically the Ruins of Alph. Because of this, the ruins contain elements of both the Temple of Sinnoh and the Ruins of Alph, as a sign of the blending of the two cultures. It is unknown what brought the two clans together to build a temple for Arceus, but this probably has to do with the underlying relationship between it and the Unown.

Arceus event

Artwork of Arceus in the Sinjoh Ruins

The event is triggered when the player tries to enter the Ruins Research Center at the Ruins of Alph with Arceus as their walking Pokémon. The lead archaeologist bumps into the player on his way out and is surprised that the player has Arceus. He then asks the player to come with him into the ruins to investigate a mystery. The scene cuts and the player, the lead archaeologist, and Arceus have just entered B1F of the Ruins of Alph. The lead archaeologist comments that something feels different this time to all the other times he has been in the ruins, and that he feels like the pictures on the walls are staring at him. The screen fades to black.

The player and Arceus are teleported to the inside of the Sinjoh Ruins. Upon stepping outside, a Hiker notices the player and comments that it is strange for someone so young to be interested in the ruins. He then talks about how the ruins show a blend of the cultures of Sinnoh and Johto. The Hiker then invites the player to talk inside the cabin rather than in the snow and walks off towards the cabin.

Inside this cabin, Cynthia is sitting at a table, and tells the player how the Sinjoh Ruins remind her of Sinnoh. She also mentions that the people of Sinnoh migrated here and built a temple that reminded them of Sinnoh. She mentions that she feels a "strong power" coming from the player's Poké Ball and believes it to be one of the Pokémon of Myth. Cynthia then exits the cabin and walks to the ruined temple.

Cynthia stands in front of the Mystri Stage, and will only allow the player to pass if the only Pokémon in the party is a single Arceus; if the player has other Pokémon, she recommends that they use the PC in the cabin to deposit them in the Pokémon Storage System. When the player has only a single Arceus in the party, Cynthia explains which circle represents which member of the Pokémon of Myth, and that the central circle represents Arceus. She then tells the player to choose one of these three Legendary Pokémon. Once a Pokémon is chosen, Arceus moves to its circle in the center and is surrounded by Unown. Several images of outer space appear, followed by an image of Arceus's head. Then a montage of real-world images appears on the screen behind an image of Arceus's overworld sprite standing on the Mystri Stage (with only the design of the stage showing by illuminating the lines). This then cuts an image of Arceus's head, followed by a photo of the Earth. Then the Mystri Stage's design appears, and an Egg appears on top of it. A crack appears in the Egg. The screen fades to black.

The screen then fades back into the overworld, and a mysterious round object, colored depending on the chosen Pokémon, is levitating above Arceus's head. This round object then swirls around and goes next to the player. The round object takes the shape of the chosen Pokémon, and the player obtains it. This Pokémon will be either Dialga, Palkia, or Giratina at level 1, equipped with its respective orb. Once the process is complete, Cynthia approaches the player and discusses the significance of what just happened.

Suddenly, the player is then teleported back to the Ruins of Alph, where the lead archaeologist is shocked to see the player after they disappeared right in front of him. The lead archaeologist then concludes that the combined power of Arceus and the Unown teleported the player to the Sinjoh Ruins. He then ponders how Arceus, Unown, and the Ruins of Alph are connected.

Later, after the player has visited the Sinjoh Ruins with either an event Arceus or an Arceus caught in the Hall of Origin, they may take the other Arceus to the Ruins of Alph and be transported back to the Sinjoh Ruins. During this second trip, Cynthia has returned to Sinnoh, and the player can go to the Mystri Stage to obtain one of the dragons they had not previously obtained. The event may only be activated twice, by using one of each type of Arceus.

Gallery

Real life images

Items

Item Location Games
Adamant Orb Adamant Orb Held by Dialga  HG  SS 
Lustrous Orb Lustrous Orb Held by Palkia  HG  SS 
Griseous Orb Griseous Orb Held by Giratina  HG  SS 

Pokémon

Pokémon Games Location Levels Rate
Dialga Dialga
HG SS
Premier Ball Only one
1 One
Palkia Palkia
HG SS
Premier Ball Only one
1 One
Giratina Giratina
Origin Forme
HG SS
Premier Ball Only one
1 One
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.


Layout

Version Outside Cabin Mystri Stage Mystri Stage (active)
HeartGold Sinjoh Ruins HGSS.png Sinjoh Ruins Cabin HGSS.png Sinjoh Ruins Mystri Stage HGSS.png Sinjoh Ruins Mystri Stage Active HGSS.png
SoulSilver
 

Music

The background music in this area is a combination of various parts of Mt. Coronet, the Distortion World, Battle! (Dialga/Palkia), Battle! Giratina!, and the music played by the Azure Flute.

Walking Pokémon effects

When interacting with walking Pokémon in HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Pokémon may occasionally show an altered mood specific to this location.

Games Pokémon Area Quote
 HG  SS 
Ani483OD.png
Dialga
Anywhere <Pokémon's name> gathered itself up and let out a huge roar!
Ani484OD.png
Palkia
Anywhere <Pokémon's name>'s body shook with a great roar!
Ani493OD.pngAni493ODFighting.pngAni493ODFlying.png
Ani493ODPoison.pngAni493ODGround.pngAni493ODRock.png
Ani493ODBug.pngAni493ODGhost.pngAni493ODSteel.png
Ani493ODFire.pngAni493ODWater.pngAni493ODGrass.png
Ani493ODElectric.pngAni493ODPsychic.pngAni493ODIce.png
Ani493ODDragon.pngAni493ODDark.pngAni493ODUnknown.png
Arceus (all forms)
Anywhere <Pokémon's name> looked up at the sky and shouted loudly!

In the manga

The Sinjoh Ruins in Pokémon Adventures
Mystri Stage in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

HeartGold & SoulSilver arc

The Sinjoh Ruins were first mentioned in Fortunately for Feraligatr, when Proton was revealed to be looking for them.

The Sinjoh Ruins first appeared in All About Arceus III, where Arceus transported Gold, Silver, Crystal, Archer, Ariana, Proton, and Petrel to it. The four Executives then forced Arceus onto the Mystri Stage, where Archer used the sixteen Plates gathered by Silver to control Arceus and force it to recreate Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. However, everybody were taken aback by the sudden arrival of Giovanni, Lance, and Pryce, who engaged in a battle against the Legendary Pokémon. Pryce revealed that while he had been floating inside the crack of time, where he had been left at the end of the Gold, Silver & Crystal arc, he had foreseen the destruction that the battle of these three Pokémon would cause. Because the Sinjoh Ruins existed in a pocket dimension connecting Johto and Sinnoh, its destruction would also destroy Johto and Sinnoh along with it. After Gold had restored Arceus's lost faith in humanity by opening up to Togebo, Arceus stepped in and stopped the battle, sending Giratina back to the Distortion World and Dialga and Palkia back to the Spear Pillar, as well as returning everybody back to their starting point at the Ruins of Alph.

Trivia

  • Choosing Giratina here is the only legitimate way to get a Griseous Orb (and therefore Giratina in its Origin Forme) in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver since the item cannot be held by Pokémon being traded in Generation IV.
  • Sinjoh is mentioned in Old Verse 12 in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, with the author comparing it to the Hisui region, i.e. the ancient Sinnoh region.
  • The pattern Arceus creates during the event here is reused as the design of the Hall of Origin in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
  • The Sinjoh Ruins share some similarity to the Nature Preserve. They're both located outside the regions of their respective games, and their exact locations are unknown. The ruins are located somewhere far north of Johto, while the Nature Preserve is located somewhere far from Unova.
  • Most, if not all, of the real life images featured in the cutscene are from the Datacraft Sozaijiten stock image library.[1]
  • The Arceus that appears in the cutscene here will be the same form as whichever form the player's Arceus currently is.

Second visit

It is possible to visit the Sinjoh Ruins a second time by having an Arceus obtained via whichever means the Arceus used to visit the ruins the first time was not obtained by as the player's walking Pokémon and going down the ladder in the Ruins of Alph. However, as the Azure Flute was never officially distributed, this second visit, along with several lines of text exclusive to it, go unused. These lines of text are listed below.

When talking to the Hiker in the cabin
"Well, hello! We meet again! Cynthia has gone back to Sinnoh. She is the Sinnoh League Champion. She studies various ruins despite her tight schedule. How wonderful she is!"
Choosing a Pokémon
Attempting to choose the same Pokémon that was chosen during the initial visit
It seems it no longer responds to this Arceus...
Attempting to choose a valid Pokémon with an Arceus obtained via the same method as the Arceus used in the initial visit
This place does not seem to respond...
Attempting to to choose a valid Pokémon
Will you choose Dialga/Palkia/Giratina?

Name origin

The Japanese name is a portmanteau of シンオウ Shin'ō (Sinnoh) and ジョウ to (Johto), as it is a place where the architecture and legends of both regions meet. The English name reflects this, though using the beginning of Johto rather than the end. The combination of the names of two regions alludes to the Tohjo Falls. It may also be a pun on the Japanese religion of Shinto (神道 Shintō), whose creation story is heavily referenced by the Pokémon of Myth, Arceus, and the Spear Pillar.

Mystri Stage is a pun on mystery and the prefix tri- (three). Its Japanese name is a pun on 密 mitsu (secret) and 三つ mittsu (three).

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 神都遺跡 Sàhndōu Wàihjīk
Mandarin 神都遺跡 / 神都遗迹 Shéndū Yíjī
France Flag.png French Ruines Sinjoh
Germany Flag.png German Sinjoh-Ruinen
Italy Flag.png Italian Rovine Sinjoh
South Korea Flag.png Korean 신도유적 Sindo Yujeok
Spain Flag.png Spanish Ruinas de Sinjoh
Thailand Flag.png Thai โบราณสถานชินโต Shinto Ruins
Vietnam Flag.png Vietnamese Di tích Shinto

Mystri Stage

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 三幻舞台 Sāamwaahn Móuhtòih
Mandarin 三幻舞台 Sānhuàn Wǔtái
France Flag.png French Autel Trismegis
Germany Flag.png German Trysteriumaltar
Italy Flag.png Italian Tre Are
South Korea Flag.png Korean 석밀무대 Seogmil Mudae
Spain Flag.png Spanish Estrado Mistrío
Vietnam Flag.png Vietnamese Vũ đài Huyền bí

References

  1. Reddit thread: “How many of the photographs featured in the Sinjoh Ruins (from HGSS) cutscene are of something identifiable?”
Johto
Zephyr Badge.png Hive Badge.png Plain Badge.png Fog Badge.png Storm Badge.png Mineral Badge.png Glacier Badge.png Rising Badge.png
Settlements
New Bark TownCherrygrove CityViolet CityAzalea TownGoldenrod CityEcruteak City
Olivine CityCianwood CityMahogany TownBlackthorn CitySafari Zone GateFrontier Access
Routes
2930313233343536373839404142434445464748
Landmarks
Dark CaveSprout TowerRuins of AlphUnion CaveSlowpoke WellIlex ForestRadio TowerGlobal Terminal
Goldenrod TunnelNational ParkPokéathlon DomeBell TowerBellchime TrailBurned TowerMoomoo FarmOlivine Lighthouse
Battle Tower (CrystalHGSS)/FrontierCliff Edge GateCliff CaveEmbedded TowerSafari ZoneWhirl Islands
Mt. MortarLake of RageTeam Rocket HQIce PathDragon's DenS.S. AquaMt. Silver (Cave)
Access to
Sinjoh RuinsKanto


Game locations of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon
Kanto Seafoam IslandsPower PlantVictory RoadCerulean Cave
Route 10Route 25Pewter CityRoaming Pokémon
Sevii Islands Mt. EmberNavel RockBirth Island
Johto Ilex ForestBell TowerWhirl IslandsMt. Silver Cave
Burned TowerEmbedded TowerRoaming Pokémon
Hoenn Desert RuinsIsland CaveAncient TombCave of OriginMarine Cave
Terra CaveSky PillarSouthern IslandSea MauvilleScorched Slab
Pathless PlainNameless CavernFabled CaveGnarled Den
Trackless ForestCrescent IsleSkyRoaming Pokémon
Sinnoh Acuity CavernValor CavernSpear PillarTurnback Cave
Rock Peak RuinsIceberg RuinsIron RuinsSnowpoint Temple
Stark MountainNewmoon IslandFlower ParadiseHall of Origin
Ramanas ParkFloaroma TownRoaming Pokémon
Unova Guidance ChamberTrial ChamberRumination FieldN's CastleAbundant Shrine
Giant ChasmDragonspiral TowerLiberty GardenRoute 11Route 13Route 22
Route 23Celestial TowerNacrene CityUnderground RuinsTwist Mountain
DreamyardMarvelous BridgeReversal MountainCoastal BiomeRoaming Pokémon
Kalos Sea Spirit's DenTeam Flare Secret HQTerminus Cave
Unknown DungeonRoaming Pokémon
Alola Route 16Altar of the SunneAltar of the MooneMount LanakilaMahalo Trail
Ruins of ConflictRuins of LifeRuins of AbundanceRuins of Hope
Aether ParadiseAncient Poni PathLake of the SunneLake of the Moone
Ten Carat HillResolution Cave
Galar Tower summitBattle TowerMaster DojoCrown ShrineMax Lair
Rock Peak RuinsIceberg RuinsIron RuinsSplit-Decision RuinsGiant's Bed
Frigid SeaLakeside CaveBallimere LakeFreezingtonRoaming Pokémon
Hisui Seaside HollowTemple of SinnohAcuity CavernValor CavernVerity Cavern
Lava Dome SanctumMoonview ArenaSnowpoint TempleTurnback CaveBonechill Wastes
Cobalt CoastlandsRamanas IslandScarlet BogCoronet HighlandsFloaro Gardens
Paldea Grasswither ShrineIcerend ShrineGroundblight ShrineFirescourge Shrine
Poco PathArea ZeroArea Zero UnderdepthsGlaseado Mountain
South Province (Area One)Asado DesertWest Province (Area One)East Province (Area Three)
Casseroya LakeNorth Paldean SeaSouth Province (Area Four)North Province (Area Two)
Alfornada CavernGreat Crater of PaldeaTagtree ThicketEast Province (Area One)
South Province (Area Five)Dalizapa PassagePokémon LeagueSocarrat Trail
Kitakami Paradise BarrensWistful FieldsOni MountainDreaded DenLoyalty Plaza
Other Faraway IslandDistortion WorldSinjoh RuinsUltra Space Wilds


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