Kanto Route 23

Kanto Route 23 ２３ばんどうろ Route 23

Map description This area is not described by a map.

Required for navigation Cut Surf* Strength Flash Defog Whirlpool Rock Smash Waterfall Dive Rock Climb Bicycle Mach Bike Acro Bike Go-Goggles None

Connecting locations   ↑ Indigo Plateau   Route 23   Route 22 and Victory Road ↓

Location Location of Route 23 in Kanto.

Other generation maps Gen I Gen II Gen III

Pokémon world routes ← Route 22       Route 24 →

Route 23 (Japanese: ２３ばんどうろ Route 23) is a north-south route located in northwest Kanto. In every generation it appears, the northern terminus is at the entrance to the Pokémon League at the Indigo Plateau.

In Generations I and III, Route 23 is a lengthy route separated into two segments by Victory Road and terminates at Route 22. The route only serves as Badge checkpoints.

In Generation II, Route 23 is virtually non-existent and serves as a connector between Victory Road and the Indigo Plateau, terminating less than 15 paces from its northern terminus.

In Generation IV, the area is simply named as part of the Indigo Plateau, causing Route 23 to no longer exist, though a header for the area for the Pokémon status screen is found in the games' code.

It is one of the last stops on the way to Indigo Plateau's Pokémon League. Trainers will need Badges to progress further along Route 23 in Generations I and III. Upon collecting all eight from the eight Kanto Gym Leaders, Trainers will be able to walk to the entrance of Victory Road.

Route description

Southern segment

Heading north from the Pokémon League building, which houses the first badge checkpoint, Route 23 heads northeast, passing through the first of many archways on the route as well as the second checkpoint. Northwest of this point is the second archway and the third checkpoint. The main path of the road then heads north, taking a slight northeast alignment as it approaches the third archway and the fourth checkpoint on the bank of a waterway that effectively separates the route into two halves.

Directly north of the fourth checkpoint is checkpoint five, in the shadow of archway four. Northeast of this location, past an island in the water that splits the channel into two, is the next archway/checkpoint. The route continues north, making landfall northeast of the sixth checkpoint.

In this area, Route 23 is dotted with grassy patches and boulders, creating a unique look not seen anywhere else in Kanto outside the Safari Zone. North of the scenery, the route encounters the seventh checkpoint underneath the final archway on the route.

Route 23 turns to the northwest, passing the final patch of grass on the road before returning to a north-south alignment several paces south of the final checkpoint. Just north of the checkpoint is the south entrance to Victory Road.

This segment doesn't exist in Generation II and IV.

Northern segment

The route heads north from Victory Road's northern portal, arriving at a series of stones intended to create a maze. On the other side of the maze, Route 23 ascends a series of stairs before arriving at the front door to the Indigo Plateau.

This segment exists in all generations that Route 23 exists (Generations I-III), but the maze doesn't exist in Generation II.

Items

Item		Location	Games
	Max Ether	Near the center of the island (hidden)	R  B  Y  FR  LG
	Ultra Ball	In the wall in between the two statues just north of the water (hidden)	R  B  Y  FR  LG
	Full Restore	In the lone rock just east of the northernmost patch of grass (hidden)	R  B  Y  FR  LG
	Leppa Berry	In the small clearing left of the lone "building" between the Thunder Badge and Rainbow Badge checkpoints (hidden)	FR  LG
	Aspear Berry	In the big clearing between the rocks just south of the Volcano Badge checkpoint (hidden)	FR  LG
	Sitrus Berry	Next to the statue outside the southern Victory Road entrance (hidden)	FR  LG
	Lum Berry	Near the two statues on the left just north of Victory Road exit	FR  LG
	Max Elixir	In the labyrinth south of Indigo Plateau (hidden)	FR  LG

Pokémon

Generation I

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Nidorino	R		B		Y		Grass	41-44	35%
Ditto	R		B		Y		Grass	33-43	30%
Fearow	R		B		Y		Grass	38-43	25%
Fearow	R		B		Y		Grass	40-45	15%
Ekans	R		B		Y		Grass	26	25%
Sandshrew	R		B		Y		Grass	26	25%
Nidorina	R		B		Y		Grass	41-44	25%
Mankey	R		B		Y		Grass	36-41	20%
Spearow	R		B		Y		Grass	26	15%
Arbok	R		B		Y		Grass	41	5%
Sandslash	R		B		Y		Grass	41	5%
Primeape	R		B		Y		Grass	41-46	5%
Fishing
Magikarp	R		B		Y		Fishing Old Rod	5	100%
Poliwag	R		B		Y		Fishing Good Rod	10	50%
Goldeen	R		B		Y		Fishing Good Rod	10	50%
Poliwag	R		B		Y		Fishing Super Rod	25-30	70%
Poliwhirl	R		B		Y		Fishing Super Rod	30-40	30%
Slowbro	R		B		Y		Fishing Super Rod	23	25%
Kingler	R		B		Y		Fishing Super Rod	23	25%
Seadra	R		B		Y		Fishing Super Rod	23	25%
Seaking	R		B		Y		Fishing Super Rod	23	25%
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.

Generation III

Pokémon	Games						Location	Levels	Rate
Mankey	FR			LG			Grass	32-34	30%
Fearow	FR			LG			Grass	40-44	25%
Ekans	FR			LG			Grass	32-34	20%
Sandshrew	FR			LG			Grass	32-34	20%
Spearow	FR			LG			Grass	32-34	15%
Arbok	FR			LG			Grass	44	5%
Sandslash	FR			LG			Grass	44	5%
Primeape	FR			LG			Grass	42	5%
Fishing and Surfing
Psyduck	FR			LG			Surfing	20-40	100%
Slowpoke	FR			LG			Surfing	20-40	100%
Magikarp	FR			LG			Fishing Old Rod	5	100%
Poliwag	FR			LG			Fishing Good Rod	5-15	60%
Goldeen	FR			LG			Fishing Good Rod	5-15	20%
Magikarp	FR			LG			Fishing Good Rod	5-15	20%
Poliwag	FR			LG			Fishing Super Rod	15-25	40%
Poliwhirl	FR			LG			Fishing Super Rod	20-30	40%
Gyarados	FR			LG			Fishing Super Rod	15-25	15%
Psyduck	FR			LG			Fishing Super Rod	15-35	5%
Slowpoke	FR			LG			Fishing Super Rod	15-35	5%
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.

Differences among generations

Only minor cosmetic differences exist between Generations I and III.

In Generation II, Route 23 was reduced to an extremely short path connecting the front door of the Indigo Plateau with the northern portal of Victory Road. No items of interest were placed on the route; in fact, the route itself is completely barren with the exception of the surrounding scenery that makes up the border of the route.

In Generation IV, the route is named as part of Indigo Plateau, and thus does not exist as a visitable location, though the location data does exist in the game. The connection with Route 22 is now made on the south side of Victory Road, which leads directly into the Pokémon League Reception Gate, linking the cave with Route 22, Route 26 and Route 28.

The shrinking and later removal of this route is likely due to moving the badge checks to the Pokémon League Reception Gate in Generations II and IV, making the route unnecessary.

Trivia

• In Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Yellow, riding the bicycle here will not change the background music. In FireRed and LeafGreen only, using Surf will not change the background music either.
• This is the only area in Kanto that did not have its graphics changed between the original Pokémon Red and Green and the later Generation I games.
• Due to this route technically not existing in Generation IV (though the area between Victory Road and the Indigo Plateau building was named as Route 23 in Generation II), it is the only area in Kanto or Johto to not get a map blurb - not even one hidden in game data.
• An unused house interior map common to Routes 19 and 23 is present in the coding of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

See also

• Victory Road (Kanto)

Kanto
Cities and Towns Pallet Town • Viridian City • Pewter City • Cerulean City Vermilion City • Lavender Town • Celadon City • Saffron City Fuchsia City • Cinnabar Island • Indigo Plateau Routes 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 Landmarks Professor Oak's Laboratory • Viridian Forest • Diglett's Cave • Pewter Museum of Science • Mt. Moon (Square) Seagallop Ferries • Cerulean Cave • Underground Path (Routes 5-6) • Underground Path (Routes 7-8) • S.S. Anne S.S. Aqua • Cerulean Cape • Rock Tunnel • Power Plant • Cycling Road • Rocket Hideout • Silph Co. • Magnet Train Pokémon Tower • Safari Zone/Pal Park • Seafoam Islands • Pokémon Mansion Pokémon League Reception Gate • Victory Road • Tohjo Falls Access to Sevii Islands • Johto

This article is part of Project Routes, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every route in the Pokémon world.