Ribbon
- 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
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 Generation IV and V, more Ribbons were introduced, where they are viewable in the Pokémon's summary screen. While primarily obtained in Super Contests, Ribbons could still be obtained in a variety of ways.
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 introduced a few new Ribbons, which are only obtainable from events, as well as a categorization scheme, separating them as League, Contest, Tower, Memorial, and Gift 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, Pokemon-Amie and the Battle Maison.
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 IV and Generation VI. There are three 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 (Cool, Beauty, Cute, Smart, and Tough), 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, making this category have the larger amount of Ribbons.
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.
Contest Ribbons are the only type of Ribbons found in the games that are featured in the anime.
In Generation VI a new Ribbon was introduced, the Contest Memmory Ribbon which represents all the Ribbons obtained in Contests and Super Contests in past generations.
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 a total of eight Tower Ribbons.
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.
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. There are a total of fifteen Memorial Ribbons.
Gift Ribbons
- See also: List of Gift Ribbons
Gift Ribbons (Japanese: プレゼントリボン Present Ribbons) are normally found already with 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.
There are "Pokémon Event" and "Pokémon Festival" Ribbons which have been distributed at Pokémon events and festivals. The description of these Ribbons may be "A commemorative Ribbon obtained at a mystery location." if the player has yet to obtain a Pokémon with one of these Ribbons themselves from an event—only obtaining a Pokémon with one from a trade.
Gift Ribbons available after Generation III normally prohibit Pokémon with them from being traded in the Global Terminal.
Other Ribbons
- See also: List of other Ribbons
Many Ribbons were made available as prizes from tournaments, among many events, in Generation III and only in that generation; they could not be transferred to other generations.
On the other hand, six Ribbons available in Generation III and IV data have no longer been made available in Generation V.
Tournament Ribbons
Some of these Ribbons may have been awarded to players who won tournaments at Pokémon events in Japan. Other Ribbons were never handed out.
There are Ribbons for Regional, National, and Global tournaments for 2003, 2004, and 2005. Each has a Champion Ribbon, a Runner-Up Ribbon, and a Semifinalist Ribbon.
Additional Ribbons are:
- Pokémon Battle Cup Participation Ribbon
- Pokémon League Advance Cup
- Pokémon Tournament Participation Ribbon
Pokémon Center Ribbons
There are Ribbons for the Pokémon Centers in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and New York.
Holiday Ribbons
- Summer Holidays Ribbon
- Winter Holidays Ribbon
- Spring Holidays Ribbon
- Evergreen Ribbon
- Special Holiday Ribbon
Tower Ribbons
- Darkness Tower Clear
- Red Tower Clear
- Blackiron Tower Clear
- Final Tower Clear
In the anime
Unlike the games, Ribbons are not attached to individual Pokémon in the anime. Instead, they can be compared to Badges earned at Gyms. They are considered proof that a Coordinator has won a particular Contest. Unlike 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 Festival. However, after being used to enter a Grand Festival, the five 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.
Kanto Ribbons
- Saffron City Ribbon
- Silver Town Ribbon
- Wisteria Town Ribbon
- Chrysanthemum Island Ribbon
- Gardenia Town Ribbon
- Mulberry City Ribbon
Hoenn Ribbons
- Rustboro City Ribbon
- Slateport City Ribbon
- Fallarbor Town Ribbon
- Rubello Town Ribbon
- Verdanturf Town Ribbon
- Lilycove City Ribbon
- Izabe Island Ribbon
- Pacifidlog Town Ribbon
Sinnoh Ribbons
- Jubilife City Ribbon
- Floaroma Town Ribbon
- Alamos Town Ribbon
- Hearthome City Ribbon
- Sage Town Ribbon
- Solaceon Town Ribbon
- Celestic Town Ribbon
- Majolica Town Ribbon
- Gerbera Town Ribbon
- Beach Rose Town Ribbon
- Chocovine Town Ribbon
- Sandalstraw Town Ribbon
- Lilypad Town Ribbon
- Brussel Town Ribbon
- Daybreak Town Ribbon
- Neighborly Town Ribbon
- Arrowroot Town Ribbon
Other Ribbons
Aqua Ribbon
The 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 Town Ribbon is a commemorative Ribbon awarded to the winner of the unofficial annual Contest in Terracotta Town. It cannot be used to enter a Grand Festival.
Gallery
| Rustboro City Ribbon | Saffron City Ribbon | Mulberry City Ribbon | Terracotta Town Ribbon |
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| Jubilife City Ribbon | Solaceon Town Ribbon | Celestic Town Ribbon | Chocovine Town Ribbon |
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| Sandalstraw Town Ribbon | Brussel Town Ribbon | Daybreak Town Ribbon | Arrowroot Town Ribbon |
| File:Kenny Fourth Ribbon.png | 
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In other languages
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Pokémon Contests | 
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| Necessary Spoils Pokéblocks • Poffins Contest Categories Cool • Beautiful • Cute • Clever • Tough Rounds Appeal • Battle • Dance • Visual |
Participation Contest • Super Contest • Contest Show Coordinator • Contest Hall • Contest Pass The Grand Festival Kanto • Hoenn • Sinnoh Top Coordinator • Ribbon Cup | ||
| Others Combinations • Opponents (III • IV • VI • VIII) • Double Performance • Jamming Ribbons (list) • Stickers • Ball Capsules • Ranks • Judges • Announcers • Wallace Cup | |||
