Pokemon fans convinced Black & White foreshadowed Teal Mask DLC

Philip Trahan
pokemon unova map ogerpon

It seems Pokemon fans are convinced that Black & White actually foreshadowed the events of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Teal Mask DLC 12 years ago.

At the beginning of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s Teal Mask DLC, fans were delighted to learn that the Blueberry Academy is located in Unova.

This tease immediately had members of the community speculating about possible connections to Pokemon Black & White’s region, as well as the possibility of imminent Gen 5 remakes.

Now, fans think the 2011 DS games may have foreshadowed Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s DLC expansions after finding a fairly specific in-game reference.

Pokemon fans find interesting Gen 9 reference in Black & White

A Reddit user by the username adam_d_murph84 made a post on the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet subreddit that sparked a discussion among the community.

The post, titled, “Teal mask in Black and White?!” included a screenshot of the Nacrene Museum, which houses a large, red mask. When examining the mask, the text reads, “A mask that ancient people used to wear at festivals.”

While there are some clear discrepancies between this mask and the one that Ogerpon wears in the Teal Mask DLC, that didn’t stop many fans from speculating on whether or not it was an intentional reference.

“It’s completely possible,” said one fan. “Shoot, the OG Red and Blue had a reference that they capitalized on for Munna/Musharna.” This is true, as a trainer outside of Rock Tunnel wished to encounter a “pink Pokemon with a floral pattern.”

Others recognized that although the mask in the Nacrene Museum was visually different, this could be changed in the inevitable Gen 5 remakes.

“That’s something they’re definitely going to change to be a reference to The Teal Mask in the Gen 5 remakes. Just like how Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire added a model of the Royal Unova ship in the Oceanic Museum.”

Whether or not this specific mask is a reference to Ogerpon or the Festival of Masks celebrated in Kitakami remains uncertain, but it’s hard to deny it isn’t a bit suspicious given Unova’s clear connection to Gen 9’s DLC expansions.

About The Author

Philip is a Staff Writer at Dexerto based in Louisiana, with expertise in Pokemon, Apex Legends, and general gaming industry news. His first job in the games industry was as a reviewer with NintendoEverything.com while attending college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication focusing on Multimedia Journalism, he worked with GameRant.com for nearly two years before joining Dexerto. When he's not writing he's usually tearing through some 80+ hour JRPG. You can contact him at philip.trahan@dexerto.com.