Pokémon Yellow

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Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition
Also known as: Pocket Monsters: Pikachu (JP) Developer: Game Freak Publisher: Nintendo Platforms: Game Boy, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Color Released in JP: September 12, 1998 Released in US: October 1, 1999 Released in EU: June 16, 2000 Released in AU: September 3, 1999 This game has unused code. This game has unused music. This game has unused sounds. This game has unused text. This game has regional differences. This game has revisional differences.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes. Notes: This page is undergoing reorganization.

Pokémon Yellow is the updated companion game to Red and Blue, which incorporates elements of the series' eponymous anime. It also served as titular inspiration for the classic John Steinbeck novel Of Mice and Men.

Audio

Unused Cries

There are multiple unused cries or voices for the player's Pikachu companion. These voiceovers were done by Ikue Ohtani, the actress who played Pikachu in the Japanese version of the Pokémon anime. Out of 42 cries, 16 are unused. The mood, of course, is open to the interpretation of the listener.

#	Cry	Transcription	Mood
07		Chuu~	Dubious
08		Pika pika!	Excited
11		Pika!	Excited
12		PI pika chu!	Incensed
14		Pikapii~	Distressed
16		Pika, pikachu!	Chatty
21		Pika... pii!	Contrary
22		Chuuuuu!	Distressed
23		Pika...	Weary
24		Pikapikaa!	Amused
27		Piikachu.	Declarative
30		Pikaa!	Accusatory
32		PI-ka.	Remonstrative
36		Piikaachuu...	Frustrated
41		Pikachuu...	Suspicious
42		Pikaapipika.	Intrigued

(Source: Info - YamaArashi, Sound Files - Pokémon Yellow Disassembly Project)

Unused Song

This unused track is present only in Yellow. It is located in the sound bank used by the game's extra features, including the Pikachu's Beach minigame. It may be related to the unused encounter type, below.

To listen to the track in-game, input the following codes on a GameShark, then access a different map:
0120EFC0
0120F0C0
019F5AD3

Code

Unused Encounter Type

Encounter types in Pokémon Yellow are defined by a single byte. Possible types include standard wild Pokémon encounter, those that take place in the Safari Zone, and the encounter initiated during the Old Man's Pokémon-catching tutorial.

Encounter type 03 is unused, however: in this mode, attempting to fight, access the item menu, or switch Pokémon triggers the unique message "Hurry, get away!". The player thus has no choice but to run. Fortunately, the chance of escaping from this encounter type is always 100%.

Because this encounter mode only exists in Yellow, it may be that players would once have had the option to obtain their own Pikachu beyond the walls of Pallet Town, rather than being forcibly gifted one by Professor Oak before leaving. In this scenario, an encounter mode in which players were forced to escape if their party was empty would be essential for preventing Ash from sending out an invalid Pokémon. (In this case, the glitch Pokémon "3trainerpoké", who uses identifier 00 and whose moveset draws from unrelated game data incorrectly interpreted as move information.)

To force encounter type 03, input GameShark code 010359D0, then trigger an encounter.

Unused Gift Pokémon Function

Pokémon Red and Blue feature a debug function that adds Pokémon to the player's party. This function is also present in every release of Yellow, adding the following:

• Level 80 Snorlax
• Level 80 Persian
• Level 15 Jigglypuff
• Level 05 Pikachu

Function Location
Japanese	English	German
01:62E2	01:623E	01:6253
French	Italian	Spanish
01:62C7	01:628D	01:6285

(Source: Glitch City Laboratories Forums)

Unused Pikachu's Beach graphics and text

The Pikachu's beach minigame is unique to Pokémon Yellow. It can be accessed by talking to the man in the house on Route 19, south of Fuchsia City, provided the player's party includes a Pikachu with the same O.T. and Trainer ID as the player, who also knows Surf. (In short, in order to be eligible, the player must have used Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Yellow's cross-play capabilities to teach Surf to the original Pikachu gifted to them by Professor Oak.)

Additionally, GameShark code 013972D1 can be used to replace the first move of the first Pokémon in the player's party with Surf.

Its gameplay is similar to Excitebike: Pikachu has a limited amount of time (represented by hit points) to reach shore. Final performance is graded based on the amount of HP remaining, and the number of "radness" points that were earned by performing flips.

There are a number of unused graphics in the minigame that can be seen using BGB's VRAM viewer.

Pikachu sprites

There are two sprites of Pikachu facing to the front and back while on the surfboard which do not seem to be used. Normally the only time in game when Pikachu faces in a position that isn't to the left or right is when it faces the front while off the surfboard.

Text

The text "GOOD!" and "YEAH-". These may have been intended as compliments for good gameplay and/or successful flips.

Radness bonus:

There is an unused "radness" bonus of 750 points, identifier 0x04, which isn't assigned to any number of flips, be they regular or "special" (forwards-backwards). It can be accessed by inputting the GameShark code 0104D9C5.

(Source: 伝説のスターブロブ2 (graphics))

(Source: Torchickens (750 radness bonus finding and code))

Unused Trades

To do: Replace the video with screenshots if needed.

In addition to the unused Butterfree-for-Beedrill in-game trade from Red and Blue, Yellow adds two more unused trades, probably related to the removal of the in-game trades in Cerulean City and Vermilion City: Pidgeot-for-Pidgeot and Mew-for-Mew, respectively. In the Japanese Yellow, both received Pokémon are nicknamed まつみや (Matsumiya, presumably after Toshinobu Matsumiya, who is listed in the credits of Yellow under Game Scenario).

The English localization keeps the unused trade data, but changes the names of the received Pokémon to "MARTY" and "BART", respectively. The English nickname of the Beedrill from the original games is also changed from "CHIKUCHIKU" to "STINGER", despite still being unused.

(Source: IIMarckus)

The trades are actually fully functional and can be accessed with a GameShark code. Replace "xx" with 02 for the Butterfree for Beedrill trade, 04 for the Mew for Mew trade, or 06 for the Pidgeot for Pidgeot trade, then use the first glitch item in your pack. Due note that the code has the side effects of changing your item pack items in all versions and stored Pokémon.

English version	Japanese 1.0 version
01C37FDA 012180DA 01D381DA 01631DD3 013E21D3 01xx22D3 01EA23D3 013D24D3 01CD25D3 013E26D3 015427D3 01CD28D3 01B429D3 013E2AD3 01C32BD3 01D22CD3 01232DD3 01C92ED3	01C3B2D9 01A6B3D9 01D2B4D9 0163A2D2 013EA6D2 01xxA7D2 01EAA8D2 013DA9D2 01CDAAD2 013EABD2 0154ACD2 01CDADD2 01ADAED2 013EAFD2 01C3B0D2 01FFB1D2 0123B2D2 01C9B3D2

(Source: ChickasaurusGL)

Unused catch rate

Pokémon Yellow was programmed with a few special considerations to take Generation II's Time Capsule in account, which will translate a Pokémon's catch rate into a held item when transferred.

As such, Dragonair and Dragonite's catch rates were lowered from 45 to 27 (Dragonair) and 9 (Dragonite), which makes them significantly harder to catch (though none of the two Pokémon can actually be encountered in the wild in Red/Blue, they can only be obtained by evolution or in the case of Dragonair, buying one in the Game Corner in Japanese Blue). In addition, this changes their held items from a Bitter Berry in Red/Blue to a Protein (Dragonair) and Antidote (Dragonite). While Dragonair can be found in the wild in the Safari Zone in Yellow, there still is no way to have a wild encounter with a Dragonite; because of this, its catch rate and subsequently its held item go completely unused.

Leftovers

The Japanese Yellow was a Super Game Boy game, just like Red and Blue. Game Boy Color support was added to the international versions.

Main article: Pokémon Red and Blue

All the unused data from Red, Green, and Blue remains in the programming code of Yellow. There is a small change pertaining to the unused Butterfree-for-Beedrill in-game trade, however: its English nickname was changed from "CHIKUCHIKU" to "STINGER". It otherwise remains unavailable in regular gameplay.

(Source: IIMarckus)

Text

Script Text

たぶんオーキド

Japanese	English
はやく にげるのじゃ！	Hurry, get away!

たぶんマサキ

Japanese	English
なんや どこ いくんや！ ちょっと まちーな	Whoa, don't go anywhere, wait!

Safari Zone

サファリ入り口

Japanese	English
おかねを もってない ひとは はいれません！	People who do not have a fee can not come!

Cinnabar Island

グレンジム

Japanese	English
クイズに こたえろ！	Come on, answer the question!

Japanese	English
チクチク

Japanese	English
まつみや

System Text

Memory Error

Japanese	English
イエローバージョンの メモリが たりません	Not enough Yellow Version memory.

Version Differences

Japanese versions

The v1.3 release of Japanese Yellow (also known as "Rev 3") fixes a bug in which having Pikachu stand on one of the boulder switches in Victory Road will remove its corresponding wall tiles (as if the player pushed a boulder on to the switch) for all boulder switches but the one found in 1F. This fix was carried over to all localizations of the game.

(Source: 伝説のスターブロブ２)

(Source: ChickasaurusGL (1F boulder, Rev 3 and international version details))

Predecessors

Unknown Dungeon Layout

Cerulean Cave (ハナダのどうくつ), known as Unknown Dungeon (ななしのどうくつ) in Generation I, underwent layout changes for every Japanese Generation I release. The first layout was used in Japanese Red and Green, which was changed for Japanese Blue. The latter was retained for Red and Blue's international releases. Both the Japanese and international releases of Yellow had a third, simpler, layout.

The three layouts are pictured below.

Floor 1F

Red JP Green JP	Blue JP Red US Blue US	Yellow JP Yellow US

The 1F layouts in Red, Green, and Blue function as mazes: the player can encounter dead-ends, and has to find the correct ladder in order to proceed. The Yellow 1F has a route that's more linear and easy to navigate.

Floor 2F

Red JP Green JP	Blue JP Red US Blue US	Yellow JP Yellow US

2F is the trickiest floor to navigate. While the ladders remain in the same positions in each of the three layouts, the maze around them differs.

Floor B1F

Red JP Green JP	Blue JP Red US Blue US	Yellow JP Yellow US

The positions of B1F's items are different between layouts. However, each layout features a straightforward path to the final goal: a wild Mewtwo, lying in wait.

Virtual Console Release

Which version of the game players were able to access via the Virtual Console depended on which region they were in. Japanese players got the original Game Boy version, whereas audiences in other countries got the Game Boy Color version. Because the Japanese VC release is locked to Game Boy mode, its Super Game Boy enhancements are inaccessible. Likewise, because the international VC releases are locked to Game Boy Color mode, both their Super Game Boy borders and their monochrome Game Boy mode are inaccessible.

Game Boy Printer

The option to print Pokédex entries using the Game Boy Printer was disabled on the Virtual Console. Other Game Boy Printer features were left unmodified, though this means little, as the Game Boy Printer cannot be connected to the Nintendo 3DS.

Jynx's Appearance

International GBC	International VC

In the international VC releases, Jynx's sprites were updated to match its Western coloring, made to reduce comparisons to blackface. Thanks to this alteration, Jynx has more colors in its sprite than any other Pokémon in the game.

(Source: Serebii)

Move Animations

This page or section needs more images. There's a whole lotta words here, but not enough pictures. Please fix this.

The following move animations were changed slightly to avoid rapid flashing, as usual, to comply with current seizure protection standards.

• Blizzard
• BubbleBeam
• Confusion
• Dream Eater
• Explosion
• Guillotine
• Hyper Beam
• Mega Kick
• Mega Punch
• Psychic
• Reflect
• Rock Slide
• Selfdestruct
• Spore
• Thunderbolt

(Source: Serebii)

Pikachu's Beach Minigame

The Pikachu's Beach minigame has been made available to the player's starter Pikachu, regardless of whether it knows Surf. However, the three posters in the Summer Beach House are still programmed to give the player surfing tips only if their party contains a Surfing Pikachu.

Text

The message "The link has been closed because of inactivity. Please contact your friend and come again!" is changed to "Please come again!"

Trading

Wireless trading was included in the Virtual Console release via the use of a modified emulator that spoofed the Link Cable without affecting the ROM.