PokéRinger
PokéRinger (Japanese: ポケリンガ PokéRinger) is an animated series-exclusive competition featuring Pokémon that can fly. It is known to take place once a year in at least two regions in the Pokémon world, namely Hoenn and Sinnoh. The winner is granted honorary citizenship of the hosting location. Participating Trainers are called PokéRingers.
Competition
The PokéRinger is a competitive sport where a Trainer and their Pokémon compete together as a team. The competition provides Trainers with a unique battle variation and tests how well they cooperate with their Pokémon. At the start of each match, a hot air balloon is released containing a ring hanging from it. The competing Pokémon must retrieve the ring before its opponent and hang it on one of three hooks on the goalpost located at the center of the battlefield.
For the competition, Trainers enter a single Pokémon capable of flying, which they must use in all matches. Trainers are expected to read air currents and wind patterns to assist their Pokémon in grabbing the ring and delivering it to the goalpost. Whichever team first completes that task is declared the winner. During a PokéRinger match, Trainers stay on a hot air balloon from where they give commands to their Pokémon. While battling midair, the Pokémon are allowed to use their moves to prevent their opponents from delivering the ring. As such, a Pokémon may end up fainting during a match, thus a victory by knock out is also a possibility.
In Hoenn, the competition is held in Crossgate Town, while in Sinnoh, it takes place in Squallville. In both regions, the winning Trainer obtains honorary citizenship of the hosting town. The PokéRinger is a traditional event in these locations and has made them popular in their respective regions for hosting it.
List of PokéRinger tournaments
| Region | PokéRinger | Location | Episode | Winner | Other notable contestants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoenn | Crossgate PokéRinger |  Crossgate Town |
 That's Just Swellow |
 Ash |
James (Runner-Up) Shane (Top 4) May (Round 1) Volt (Round 1) |
| Sinnoh | Squallville PokéRinger |  Squallville |
 Pursuing a Lofty Goal! |
 Ash |
Paul (Runner-Up) Steveland (Top 4) Provo (Round 1) "Jamus" (Round 1) |
Trivia
- PokéRinger is referred to as Pokélinga on the Pokémon official site for Asia.
- The depictions of the PokéRinger competition in That's Just Swellow and Pursuing a Lofty Goal! have a lot in common:
- They took place exactly ten episodes after Ash won a Gym Badge.
- Ash participated with his first capture in the new region, a Normal/Flying-type which evolved into its final stage in the final round, and won after his newly evolved Pokémon hit the ring with its wing to make a goal from a distance.
- Due to not having a Pokémon capable of flying, James borrowed the Bug-type Pokémon that Jessie had at the time.
- The defending champions, Volt for Hoenn and Provo for Sinnoh, were both overconfident, had remarkably similar Japanese names (ボルト Boruto and ポルト Poruto, respectively) and did not make it past the first round after losing to a first-time PokéRinger (Ash and Paul, respectively).
In other languages
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
