Ribbon

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For the Ribbons in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, see Sun Ribbon and Lunar Ribbon.

A Ribbon (Japanese: リボン Ribbon) is a special item that can be awarded to a Pokémon for a variety of reasons. Ribbons stay on a Pokémon permanently even across generations and can be checked in different ways depending on the game version.

In the games

File:Pokenav ribbons.png
PokéNav's Ribbons screen in Generation III
Summary's Ribbons screen in Generation IV

Ribbons were introduced in Generation III, where they primarily serve as rewards for competing in Pokémon Contests, though certain Ribbons are obtainable by defeating the Elite Four or from special events, among others. They are viewable from the PokéNav in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. While in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen they aren't visible, their data is still kept, and the correct Ribbons appear on a Pokémon if transferred to the Hoenn games or those from the following generations. In total, 32 ribbons were introduced in this generation, with 27 of them obtainable.

In Generation IV, 48 new Ribbons were introduced, where they are viewable in the Pokémon's summary screen. While primarily obtained in Pokémon Super Contests, Ribbons could still be obtained in a variety of ways. The total number of ribbons in this generation was 80, with 68 of them obtainable (including 2 event ribbons).

In Generation V, Ribbons are kept, and though they aren't obtainable anywhere in-game, they can still be seen in the summary screen if obtained in Generation IV or from an event, which are the only ways allowed to obtain Ribbons. Pokémon Black and White implemented a categorization of ribbons, separating them as League, Contest, Tower, Memorial and Gift Ribbons. Three of the Gift Ribbons were renamed, and 6 new Gift Ribbons were introduced by replacing 6 previously unused Gift Ribbons. The total number of ribbons in this generation remained at 80, with 73 of them obtainable (including 7 event ribbons.).

In Generation VI, it's possible once again to obtain Ribbons. This time, apart from the most common Generation IV Ribbons, the player can obtain them from Super Training, Pokémon-Amie and the Battle Maison. Contest and Battle ribbons from Pokémon migrated through Poké Transporter are consolidated into single ribbons for each category: the Contest Memory and Battle Memory Ribbons (each with two variations each). So far, this generation has introduced 16 known ribbons (including the 4 memory ribbons), but has removed 48 ribbons, bringing the number of ribbons down to just 48, with 41 of them obtainable (including 7 event ribbons).

League Ribbons

See also: List of League Ribbons

League Ribbons (Japanese: リーグリボン League Ribbons) are awarded to every Pokémon in the player's current party when he or she defeats the Elite Four in Generation III, Generation VI, Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. There are four distinct League Ribbons, making this category have the least amount of Ribbons.

Contest Ribbons

See also: List of Contest Ribbons

Contest Ribbons (Japanese: コンテストリボン Contest Ribbons) are awarded to the winning Pokémon in any of Hoenn's Contests and Sinnoh's Super Contests. A different Ribbon is awarded for winning in each of the four ranks of the five different categories (Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Smartness, and Toughness), making a total of 20 Ribbons in each type of Contest. As those awarded in Contests and Super Contests are considered separate, there are a total of 40 Contest-related Ribbons obtainable in the games prior to Generation VI.

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the Normal Rank Ribbons for all five Hoenn Contests can be obtained at the Verdanturf Town Contest Hall while the Super Rank Ribbons are at Fallarbor Town. The Hyper Rank Ribbons are obtained in Slateport City, and the Master Rank Ribbons are at Lilycove City. In Emerald, all are obtained at Lilycove City.

In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, all twenty Ribbons for the four ranks of Super Contest (Normal, Great, Ultra, and Master) are obtained at the Hearthome City Contest Hall.

In Generation VI, five new Contest Ribbons were introduced, representing a Master Rank victory in Contest Spectaculars for each of the five Contest categories. In addition, the Contest Star Ribbon were introduced, which represents a Master Rank victory in all of the categories. The Contest Memory Ribbons was also added, which represent all the Ribbons obtained in Contests and Super Contests in past generations.

The total number of Contest Ribbons is 48, making this category have the largest amount of Ribbons.

Contest Ribbons are the only type of Ribbons found in the games to be featured in the anime.

Tower Ribbons

See also: List of Tower Ribbons

Tower Ribbons (Japanese: タワーリボン Tower Ribbons) are awarded to Pokémon used to complete certain challenges in any of Hoenn's, Sinnoh's, or Johto's Battle Towers.

There are two Ribbons from the Battle Tower found in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. They are awarded for clearing the Level 50 Battle Tower and the Level 100 Battle Tower in Ruby and Sapphire, or Open Level Battle Tower in Emerald. Ribbons are awarded to party Pokémon upon completion of the eighth consecutive Battle Tower challenge (defeating 56 Trainers in a row) and each challenge thereafter if a Pokémon does not already have a Ribbon. Defeating fifty Trainers in a row but losing before 56 does not award any Ribbons.

In Generation IV, two new Ribbons replace the two given out in Hoenn, though they serve the same purpose. Four additional Ribbons are given out after winning fifty times in the Double Battles, in Multi Battles against the CPU, in Multi Battles with someone, or reaching Rank 5 in the Wi-Fi mode.

In Generation VI, two new Tower Ribbons were introduced, representing the player's victory against a Battle Chatelaine in either a normal battle or a super battle at the Battle Maison. In addition, the Battle Memory Ribbons were introduced, which represents all the Ribbons obtained in Battle Towers in past generations.

The total number of Tower Ribbons is 12.

Memorial Ribbons

See also: List of Memorial Ribbons

Memorial Ribbons (Japanese: メモリーリボン Memory Ribbons) are normally given after fulfilling an in-game accomplishment. The first Pokémon in the player's party is usually the one to obtain this type of Ribbon, although some Ribbons are rewarded to all the members of the player's party. As of Generation VI, there are a total of 17 Memorial Ribbons, with 16 being obtainable. (The Record Ribbon being the only one unobtainable)

Gift Ribbons

See also: List of Gift Ribbons

Gift Ribbons (Japanese: プレゼントリボン Present Ribbons) are normally found on Pokémon given to the player, such as event Pokémon. Unlike most other Ribbons, Gift Ribbons are not simply given to a Pokémon already under the player's ownership. The only exceptions are the National Ribbon and the Earth Ribbon from Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. Gift Ribbons available after Generation III normally prohibit Pokémon with them from being traded in the Global Terminal.

There are a total of 21 Gift Ribbons. However, only 15 can exist in a game at one time. This is due to 6 of the Gift Ribbons introduced in Generation V replacing 6 previously unused Gift Ribbons from Generations III and IV. Of these 15, only 9 have been made obtainable. (Earth, National, Battle Champion, Event, Birthday, Souvenir, Wishing, Classic and Premier)

Gift Ribbon Descriptions

See also: List of Gift Ribbon Descriptions

By participating in certain Pokémon activities, (such as the Regional, National, and Global tournaments for 2003, 2004, and 2005) ribbon descriptions would be associated with certain Gift Ribbons distributed, based on the event itself.

In Generation III, all Gift Ribbons by default have an empty description associated with them. Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD make use of the "Ribbon awarded for clearing all difficulties." and "100-straight Win Commemorative Ribbon" descriptions by assigning them to the National and Earth ribbons respectively. These assignments are then transferred to any Generation III handheld game whenever those games receive a Pokémon with their respective ribbon attached. The descriptions are hard coded for both Ribbons in Generation IV and onwards.

In Generation IV, certain Gift Ribbons by default have the description "A commemorative Ribbon obtained in a mysterious location."DP or "A commemorative Ribbon obtained in a Mystery Zone."PtHGSS associated with them. When the player receives a Pokémon holding either a Classic Ribbon or a Premier Ribbon via Mystery Gift, their descriptions are assigned to "A Ribbon that proclaims love for Pokémon" and "Special Holiday Ribbon" respectively. The descriptions are hard coded for both Ribbons in Generation V and onwards.

In total, there were 64 descriptions introduced in Generation III, and 32 descriptions introduced in Generation IV (96 total). These descriptions were removed in the Generation V games and onwards.

Maximum Number of Ribbons

The highest number of ribbons one Pokémon can legitimately have is 66. This Pokémon would have had to originate from either Colosseum or XD with the 2 ribbons exclusive to those games, would have had to achieve the 25 ribbons from Generation III handheld games, as well as the 39 ribbons from Generation IV handheld games. This Pokémon could reside in any Generation IV or Generation V game. However, when transferred to Generation VI, 48 of the ribbons are consolidated into 2 memory ribbons (a Pokémon cannot have memory ribbons of the same name), bringing their ribbon count down to 20. By achieving the other 12 ribbons in Generation VI, the current maximum number of ribbons is 32.

In the anime

Ash and May holding the Terracotta Ribbon

In the Pokémon anime, Ribbons are not attached to individual Pokémon like in the games. Instead, they can be compared to Badges earned at Gyms. They are considered proof that a Pokémon Coordinator has won a particular Contest. In contrast with Badges, Coordinators only get a single chance of earning a particular Ribbon in a certain Contest within a specific time period. They also must compete with other Coordinators to earn it.

Once a Coordinator earns five Ribbons, they are able to enter and compete in the Grand Festival, the Contest equivalent of the Pokémon League Conference. Ribbons also do not expire, and multiple years can be used to collect the five needed for the Grand Festival. However, after being used to enter the competition, the five Ribbons cannot be used again. In addition, Ribbons can only be used in the Grand Festival of the region where they are earned, with the exception of some.

The following is a list of known Ribbons from the regions of Kanto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. There are also Ribbons for the Johto region, although the locations where they are obtained are unknown.

Harley's Kanto Ribbons
May's Johto Ribbons
Drew's Hoenn Ribbons
Dawn's Sinnoh Ribbons
Dawn's dream Ribbons from Malice In Wonderland!

Kanto Ribbons

Hoenn Ribbons

Sinnoh Ribbons

Other Ribbons

Aqua Ribbon

The Aqua Ribbon (Japanese: アクアリボン Aqua Ribbon) is the prize given to the winner of the Wallace Cup. It can be used for entering the Grand Festival in any region, not merely that of the region it is won in.

Terracotta Ribbon

The Terracotta Ribbon is a commemorative Ribbon awarded to the winner of the unofficial Pokémon Contest held annually in Terracotta Town. It cannot be used to enter the Grand Festival.

Gallery

Rustboro Ribbon Saffron Ribbon Mulberry Ribbon Terracotta Ribbon
Rustboro Ribbon.png Saffron Ribbon.png Mulberry Ribbon.png Terracotta Ribbon.png
Jubilife Ribbon Solaceon Ribbon Celestic Ribbon Chocovine Ribbon
Jubilife Ribbon.png Solaceon Ribbon.png Celestic Ribbon.png Chocovine Ribbon.png
Sandalstraw Ribbon Brussel Ribbon Daybreak Ribbon Arrowroot Ribbon
File:Kenny Fourth Ribbon.png Brussel Ribbon.png Daybreak Ribbon.png Arrowroot Ribbon.png


In other languages

Language Title
Mandarin Chinese 緞帶勳章 Duàndài Xūnzhāng
Finland Flag.png Finnish Ruusuke*
Nauha*
France Flag.png European French Ruban
Germany Flag.png German Bänder
Indonesia Flag.png Indonesian Pita
Italy Flag.png Italian Fiocchi
South Korea Flag.png Korean 리본 Ribbon
Poland Flag.png Polish Wstążka
Portuguese Brazil Flag.png Brazil Fita
Portugal Flag.png Portugal Fita
Spanish CELAC Flag.png Latin America Listón
Spain Flag.png Spain Cinta


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