Is Kalos Region finally coming to Pokemon Sword and Shield?

A return to the Kalos region has been rumored ever since Pokemon Sword and Shield released in late 2019. Nearly a year and two DLCs later though, trainers don’t know whether they will be traveling to Kalos anytime soon.

Everything seemed to align for a return to the Pokemon X and Y stomping grounds. Even Junichi Masuda himself seemed to tease Kalos on Twitter.

Looking back at it, it was certainly understandable why so many trainers thought Kalos was coming for a second time. In addition to Masuda’s supposed tease, there was a whole host of other indications which we’ll break down now.

Galar and Kalos geographical location

It is clear that the Galar region is based on Great Britain. Equally, it is hardly a secret that Kalos is based on France.

This is the first and most obvious reason as to why the two could be linked. There’s a lot more though, beyond just geographical convenience.

Unfinished Gen 6 story

The story surrounding Pokemon X and Y is based on a war with an unnamed region. This region never gets revealed, either.

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Whether this was intentional for another Pokemon game down the line (now) or sheer laziness is unknown. At the very least it seems strange that something so important goes unexplained.

It has also been suggested that the initial stages of the Pokemon Sword and Shield development would have begun in 2013. This is when Pokemon X and Y was released, perhaps adding further evidence the vagueness (or incomplete) story was intentional.

Couriway Station

Interestingly there is an unused train station in Kalos’ Couriway Town. The train station remains unusable for the entirety of the game and it is never explained why.

Trains are also how trainers travel around the Galar region. This could be chalked up as coincidence, after all trains are hardly rare, but in addition to everything else it’s definitely noteworthy.

Just to add the significance of the train station, both games have similar caves which train tracks run through. Many would reasonably come to the conclusion that the two link in some way.

When looking at the Galar map there isn’t any obvious location that the train tracks would link to Kalos but that doesn’t mean it there isn’t. Naturally a lot of trainers would look at the south of Galar but maybe this isn’t where you should be looking.

The Galar region is actually the UK but upside down. This means that if Kalos is indeed connected that it could via the north. So, maybe the secret of Kalos lies in the Tower District.

DLC or new game?

With rumors rife of a third DLC coming to Pokemon Sword and Shield, trainers will be hopeful that it will be as something as big as the Kalos region. However, that is a lot of content for a DLC, although it will almost certainly cost in addition to the current Expansion Pass.

Nevertheless, a third Sword and Shield DLC (if there is one) could be something smaller like the Isle of Armor or Crown Tundra. With so much pointing towards Kalos though, it is hard to believe we won’t see it again in some form.

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So, if it isn’t in a DLC, then could it be part of a new game entirely? The Pokemon Company have said nothing about it but it’s more than possible.

That new game will have to compete with a Pokemon Diamond Pearl remake and sequel to Pokemon Let’s Go, however, as both seem inevitable at some point.

There are just too many tie ins with Kalos to ignore. The other alternative is the Pokemon Company had a return to Kalos ready to go but have decided to shelve it. Perhaps more will be revealed soon.