A friend and I are having a debate as to whether or not FireRed/LeafGreen and HeartGold/Soul Silver are canon or not. I say they are, because it doesn't make any sense that Pokémon somehow migrated to a region further away (Unova) from the others, and yet they didnt migrate to the four others that are literally almost neighboring each other (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh). So I ask you KHV, are the original releases the canon ones, or are the re-makes the way the story really goes?
Only Yellow is canon, every other game in the series is not. It needs to have both Ash and Pikachu to be canon, bro
Technically speaking, the remakes, which add references to the later generations and updates the plot to make more sense, are most likely canon, simply because they are remakes, not reboots. In most cases when something is remade with the same exact story, the remake is classed as the canon way things happened, while the original is moved to non-canon. The main exception to this is when something is remade into a compilation movie, in which case the original usually remains canon, and the new movie is either non-canon or an alternate universe. To address your question of Pokémon migrating etc; it does actually make sense in the same way that it makes sense that Canada doesn't get Alligators. Animals, and Pokémon too, have preferences for their environments, and if we assume that Johto, being slightly less mountainous, has different Pokémon simply because it has a different regional climate, it becomes pretty obvious why Kanto doesn't have those Pokémon; they simply don't like it there. The fact that most Pokémon are sentient, at least to some degree, would also affect that, as it means that if they didn't want to go anywhere, they could actively decide for themselves that they don't want to. Of course, this doesn't explain everything, and some Pokémon, such as Flying-types that are said to go wherever they please, have to be explained as absent simply through Gameplay and Story Segregation.
Considering having played through both FR and LG, not having played HG and SS, mind you... That they're basically the exact same thing with better graphics of the original, yes, it is in canon of the rest of the games. Pokemon can travel, and trainers can let Pokemon go at the new regions and they can adapt to the new regions and breed and have more Pokemon of the original. We're also looking at Pokemon logic here that says that when Mew was the creator of all Pokemon was three or four generations before Arceus was founded to be a god. Pokemon logic can be a little iffy when it comes to it's own cannon when it's making a 100 to a 150 new Pokemon per game. Give or take.
Mew is the ancestor of all Pokemon. Arceus created Mew and some of the other Legendaries, then Mew evolved into the other Pokemon. There's a theory that Ditto is a direct descendant of Mew/a failed clone, and that's why it can transform into any Pokemon it wants to. Mew can also learn every move (I believe).
I haven't followed the Pokemon genre since Diamond and Pearl came out, I was just using that as an example. There have been many contradictions from what I heard when it comes to the Pokemon series and the Pokemon. About which one is the most ancient, or the only ancient etc. I'd have to go back and watch the review to remember it.
The remakes are canon for several reasons. The most obvious reason is the fact that they have the same plot. FR and LG's only plot difference with the originals is the Sevii islands. Even with that minor plot addition (most of which takes place aftergame) it still follows the plot pretty much to a T. Heart Gold and Soul Silver also follow their original versions basically the same. Minor plot additions here and there but still. The gyms being redesigned from the original styles in HG and SS don't make it uncanon either. Don't know why it would but I figured that would probably be an argument for it (somehow). Graphics, of course, won't make the game uncanon nor will the fact that it's a remake. In fact, if it's a remake of the game this promotes the fact of it being canon imo. As for Pokemon being in different regions that's a simple one. Anyone who watches the anime knows that trainers bring pokemon to different regions. There's also wild pokemon from other regions there in the anime. While the anime is unrelated to the games (except for maybe yellow) the point stands that Pokemon can get to other regions. There are several ways. Maybe they migrated. Maybe once migrated they breed which lead to the source of wild pokemon there. Maybe a trainer brought them there but then released them. There's most definitely more but that's what I can think of right now. In short, the remakes are most definitely canon.
