Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

Development Info Prototype Info Notes

Unused Weather Effects#

Every time Thundurus or Tornadus appears, a rainstorm starts. Since these Pokémon can't be found in Black 2 and White 2, these two weather effects go unused. They use the IDs 0x6 and 0x7 respectively.

Unused Graphics#

Leftover Key Item Icons#

Every Key Item icon Game Freak has made since Generation III is present. Period. Including all the ones that haven't even existed since Generation III started, including the God Stone.

Unused Sound Test and Text Input#

The graphics for the unused sound test and the text input screens from Pokémon Black and White are still present within the game's files.

Unused Small Kanji Font#

Like the previous game, a small kanji font exists for names. It is technically used during battles if the player's name contains kanji, but due to lack of kanji input ability, it goes unused during normal gameplay.

Pokéstar Studios Placeholders/Unused Palettes#

There are several placeholder/box graphics and unused alternate palettes for props, actors, and movie cutscenes in Pokéstar Studios. All of the unused prop graphics are fully assembled and are not animated.

Cutscene Placeholders#

Three cutscene placeholder graphics. The first one is of the male player character in his normal clothing, which is never seen in any movies. The other two are negative versions of the male and female character's cutscene portraits.

Shiny Prop#

A "shiny" variant of the normal Prop sprite. Like several unused "shiny" sprites in Pokéstar Studios, it's just a silhouette.

UFO#

Two placeholder graphics for the UFO. The silhouette is the shiny variant.

White Door#

Very early graphics for the White Door. The silhouette is the shiny variant.

Black Door#

Two placeholder graphics for the Black Door. The silhouette is the shiny variant.

MT#

Two placeholder graphics for the Mecha–Tyranitar (MT). The silhouette is the shiny variant.

MT2#

Two placeholder graphics for the Mecha–Tyranitar 2 (MT2). The silhouette is the shiny variant.

Humanoid#

Two placeholder graphics for the Humanoid. The silhouette is the shiny variant.

Monster#

Two very early placeholder graphics for the Monster boss. The silhouette is the shiny variant. This one looks extremely similar to Zero of the Kirby series.

Transport#

Two very early placeholder graphics for the Transport. The silhouette is the shiny variant.

Majin#

There are two blank graphics for the Majin boss.

F-00 (1)#

Two unused palettes for F-00's first form.

Shiny F-00 (1)#

An unused shiny version of F-00's first form.

F-00 (2)#

Two unused palettes for F-00's second form.

Shiny F-00 (2)#

An unused shiny version of F-00's second form.

Monica (1)#

Two placeholder graphics for the first encounter with Monica.

Monica (2)#

Two placeholder graphics for the second encounter with Monica.

Blackbelt#

Two placeholder graphics for the Blackbelt. The silhouette is the shiny variant.

Brycen-Man#

Two placeholder graphics for Brycen-Man. These use the Victini sprite with a different palette, swapped to resemble that of Brycen-Man. The silhouette is the shiny variant.

Pink Smeargle#

Two placeholder graphics for the pink Smeargle.

Manaphy Egg#

The Manaphy egg graphics leftover from Generation IV are still present.

Unused Music#

SEQ_BGM_MSL_DI_01-04#

As with its predecessor, there are multiple series of ascending notes in the music files - this was likely done to test the soundbank, as it is a common method of doing so.

Opening Cinematic (BGM_TITLE)#

The first part of Black and White's opening segment where N is crowned King of Team Plasma, labelled SEQ_BGM_TITLE.

Title Screen Music (BGM_POKEMON_THEME)#

The title screen music from Black and White, labelled SEQ_BGM_POKEMON_THEME.

Unused Hidden Abilities#

In the Generation V games, it is possible to find Pokémon with special "hidden Abilities", either via the Dream World or Hidden Grottos. However, some Pokémon with hidden Abilities were unable to be found in the Dream World or in Hidden Grottoes, rendering the hidden Abilities unused in normal gameplay.

Note that Gothita, Klink, and Rufflet's evolutions have hidden Abilities that can be found in-game. However, because these hidden Abilities were only given to males (or, in the case of Klink, genderless Pokémon), obtaining these hidden Abilities through breeding is impossible in the Generation V games.

The new breeding mechanics of the Generation VI games gave Gothita, Rufflet, and Klink their previously-unused hidden Abilities.

Larvesta and Volcarona can now be found with their hidden Ability in the Generation VI games.

The Unova and Johto starters, along with the Legendary birds and golems, were distributed with their hidden Abilities in event distributions in Generation VI.

Also of note is that Litwick, Lampent, and Chandelure's hidden Ability in the Generation VI games changed from Shadow Tag to Infiltrator. These Pokémon can now be found in the Generation VI games with Infiltrator. Zapdos' hidden Ability was changed to Static in Generation VI, for it can be seen with this Ability in the Battle Maison. It can be obtained with this Ability from an event distribution.

In the Generation VII games, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune's Hidden Abilities were all changed to Inner Focus, now obtainable by transferring from Virtual Console Gold, Silver, or Crystal to Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, or Ultra Moon.

Unused Text#

Unused Weather Text#

Several lines of unused weather effect text appear within the internal data of Black, White, Black 2, and White 2. Notably, quotes for fog exist within the text, implying that fog functionality was planned to exist in Black and White. While the final game does include foggy locations, such as Route 15, the fog weather condition does not appear in battles.

Unused Missing Person Text#

To do: Add more information as to why it appears/context.

This can be forced as NPC text in Nimbasa City's musical theater.

Unused Mom Quotes#

To do: There may be more. Compare locations to text strings.

There are unused strings of text for inquiring to the player character's mother about their current location via the Xtransceiver. Most are locations where the Xtransceiver cannot be used, though one exists for Route 10 (see its own section).

Inaccessible Areas#

There are a few tiny corners of in-game locations that exist, but can't be visited without cheating.

Reversal Mountain#

Reversal Mountain's donut-type main chamber actually does have an interior section! It's this tiny cavern here - you can even see the stairs in the corner in-game, from one of the offshoots of the main path.

...Seeing it is all you're going to do, though. You can't actually reach it - it doesn't connect to the main path, and the stairs don't go anywhere. It's just...there. The White 2 version of Reversal Mountain (the one shown on the picture is the Black 2 version) also has a similar area at a different location.

This is actually a reference to each version's difference in shape, as when you overlay both version's maps together, you'll see that the inaccessible stairs on one version corresponds to the accessible stairs on the other version.

This may well be the single least exciting unused room ever to exist, by the way.

Route 21#

Watch on YouTube

On Route 21, the area above the Seaside Cave can be seen, but can't be accessed normally. If hacking is used to move around this area, an unused warp to the Plasma Frigate can be found. Because the Frigate is parked outside of the Seaside Cave during the story, it stands to reason that this was previously the main point of entry into the Frigate, but was moved during development of the area.

Pokémon World Tournament#

BW Protagonists#

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: Try to force Hilda to load via her default settings in the PWT file instead of custom ones, if she has any.

Unused dialogue exists for the protagonists of the previous games to use in the Pokémon World Tournament.

Through a specific parameter in a PWT file, you can face the female protagonist, Hilda, as one of your opponents. She doesn't seem to have any Pokémon assigned to her, and the game does not load the unused dialogue strings as default text. Her intro text is the exact same used for Red. ("It's the living legend Red! Is that strength for real?!"/"リビング　レジェンド　レッド！　その　つよさ　ほんもの　なのかあ！？"/"リビング　レジェンド　レッド！　その　強さ　本物なのかあ！？) before you fight, she also uses Red's speech ("...") Her only programmed line is for when she loses a battle, which is simply a copy of Red's defeated line ("...!").

Hilda actually has default dialogue:

Hilda: Make your dreams come true!
Someone once encouraged me to do that.
Even now, I'm continuing my journey to
realize those dreams.

Hilda: I'll leave you with words
someone told me once.
Dream your dream!

Meet Hilda, the Trainer some
claim to be the strongest of all!

Oddly, the male protagonist, Hilbert, is absent. He actually has dialogue for the PWT, though mostly it's just recycled from Hilda's dialogue.

Hilbert: Make your dreams come true!
Someone once encouraged me to do that.

Even now, I'm continuing my journey to
realize those dreams.

Hilbert: I'll leave you with words
someone told me once.

Dream your dream!

Meet Hilbert, the Trainer some
claim to be the strongest of all!

There are several variations of this line.

Everything can be understood through
Pokémon battles! Let's go!

Words are the source of all misunderstanding!
Everything can be understood through
Pokémon battles! Let's go!

You communicate with Pokémon using feelings, not words!
Everything can be understood through Pokémon battles! Let's go!

Thank you!

I just lucked into winning...
Isn't that how it felt?

In the Japanese, German, and Korean versions, these Hilda and Hilbert lines have been dummied-out (replaced with "未使用"/"unused"/"미사용", respectively).

Fighting Cheren in the PWT#

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: See if Cheren has any Pokémon assigned to him.

Again, through editing the PWT files and then importing them as download tournaments, you're also able to add Cheren. He has two values that you can select when you customize trainers for custom PWTs. One value is simply named "Rival" and the other is called "Cheren".

Upon entering the PWT with these two trainers, they both use Cheren's sprites.

"Rival" and "Cheren" use most of the same text, though they are in different addresses.

Unused ROM Tournaments#

Download Unused ROM tournaments File: BW2UnusedTournaments.rar (7.20 KB) (info)

There exists a file in all versions of the game that contains data for twelve additional tournaments, all of which are unused. If imported to the Download Tournament menu, it is shown to be data from the 2011 Pokémon World Championships. The ruleset, trainer data, and Pokémon data from the championship was all carried over, so the tournaments can be played as normal Download tournaments. However, the tournament files are slightly unfinished, because the names of the trainers and Pokémon are very weird and out of place.

Each division of the championships (Juniors, Seniors, and Masters) has a tournament file. One is the standard tournament, no modifications at all, while the other is a toned down, easier version. The remaining six files are just duplicates of the first six.

The presence of these tournaments is quite odd, as Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 weren't even out during the 2011 World Championships. These were probably going to be future Download tournaments at one point, or they could have just been used for testing.

Leftovers#

Leftover Key Items#

Most of the Generation IV key items still exist. A handful, like the Lunar Wing and Magma Stone, are used (fun fact: this is the first time the Magma Stone has been used since it was implemented in Diamond and Pearl!), but the vast majority aren't.

And yes, that includes the other unused key items from Diamond and Pearl like the Seal Bag, Red Chain, and Azure Flute.

Leftover WiFi Mode#

There is leftover code and a script command (0x15F) from an extra WiFi mode that was removed before the game was released. The command begins the same as all other WiFi commands, but essentially does nothing. Due to the amount of code left, there is no way of knowing if this command was for debugging or a late-removed feature. However, it is mixed into the middle of the other such WiFi-related commands and as such may mean that it was meant for the player.

Whatever it was, it likely belonged to the woman on the right at the top of the stairs in each of the Pokémon Centers.

Maps#

Watch on YouTubeAll of the areas that could be accessed only in Black and White still exist, however, the headers use placeholder data so the maps can't be visited without some fixing. These areas include the Challenger's Cave, parts of Relic Castle, N's Castle, Route 10 and Victory Road. The Cold Storage was replaced with the PWT so new headers have to be added. The matrices and map models don't have to be readded.

The scripts, text, wild Pokémon data and some building data were lost to time. By default, these maps use the Route 6 theme. The game still identifies the locations correctly in the save menu to retain location compatibility with Black and White, however, when entering the maps, no eyecatch is present. For some maps, such as Route 10, the arrow pointer defaults to the center of the map since the location technically does not exist in the game.

A full list of all the unused maps can be found on the notes page.

Anti-Piracy#

These games have the similar anti-piracy features as the previous games, using the DS Protect anti-piracy library and the cartridge's internal IR sensor to detect if it is being run on a flashcart, emulator, or counterfeit cartridge.

Layer 1#

The first layer of anti-piracy consists of DS Protect version 2.05. It runs checks whenever the player changes areas or enters a battle. If any of the checks fail, the game will intentionally leak memory until it eventually crashes.

Layer 2#

The second layer consists of DS Protect version 2.05s, which has the same checks as 2.05, but immediately crashes the game if any checks fail. It is invoked every time a Pokémon's summary screen is viewed.

Layer 3#

As with the previous games, if the cartridge's inbuilt IR sensor is not detected, the player's Pokémon will fail to gain any experience after battling.

Unobtainable Shiny Pokémon#

For the sake of consistency, every Pokémon in every Pokémon game is given a Shiny variant. Most Shiny Pokémon have been obtainable through random chance encounters or event distributions, including most Legendary Pokémon. However, a few Pokémon are programmed to never have the chance to appear Shiny (colloquially known as "shiny-locked") or are only given in Event Distributions with no chance to be Shiny. As a consequence, players would never be able to see their Shiny colorations without hacking.

• Reshiram, Zekrom - These Legendary Pokémon are encountered via fixed in-game battles following the completion of the game's main story. However, they are restricted to never be Shiny. Shiny Reshiram and Zekrom would later be legitimately obtainable for the first time in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

• Victini - This Mythical Pokémon cannot be caught at all in Black 2 & White 2, and was Shiny-locked during the distribution-based event it could be caught through in Black and White. As a consequence, Victini's shiny form remained unseen throughout the entirety of Generation V.

• Keldeo, Meloetta - These Mythical Pokémon were only obtainable through special distributions via Mystery Gift. Pokémon obtained from Mystery Gift cannot be Shiny unless distributed as such, and no distributions of these Pokémon ever occurred for the Generation V games. The Shiny variant of Genesect, the fourth Mythical Pokémon of Generation V, was distributed in some Asian countries following the premiere of the 16th Pokémon movie. Shiny Meloetta and Shiny Keldeo would later be given out as completion rewards in Pokémon HOME, the former being rewarded for completing the Paldea, Kitakami and Blueberry Academy Pokédexes, and the latter for doing likewise for the Galar, Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra Pokédexes. Meloetta and Keldeo can also be found in the wild in Blueberry Academy and the Crown Tundra respectively, as well as Hyperspace Lumiose in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, however those encounters are all shiny locked.

Regional Differences#

Title Screen#

Japan	Korea	International

Virbank Gym Music#

In the Japanese version, Roxie, the gym leader, spells out "Dogars", the Japanese name for Koffing. In western versions, she spells out "Pokémon" instead. Due to the slightly longer time to do so, she does not begin the song with "1, 2, 3, 4!"

Zoroark Glitch#

Watch on YouTubePart of the post-game involves you following a Zoroark through Victory Road, eventually ending up in N's Castle. In the Japanese version, if you leave the cave without following it, it will appear at its original spot but will not move, preventing entry into N's Castle as well as rendering the player unable to capture Zekrom/Reshiram. Talking to it at this point gives you the same text you get if you talk to it before beating the game.

This glitch was fixed for all other regions.

Humilau Gym Glitch#

To do: There's a larger time window in which this can be done. Find exactly when you can do this, and how long it lasts for.

Watch on YouTubeAfter facing Marlon and finishing the events of the Frigate, but before Ghetsis, if you talk to Marlon, one of the text boxes that appears will be completely empty. This bug was rectified in international releases.

C-Gear Skins#

To do: Needs images and information on the Korean versions.

A total of 15 C-Gear skins were distributed over the Pokémon Global Link. Six of the skins were exclusive to the Japanese versions.

PWT Download Tournaments#

To do: Supposedly, the final tournament was distributed to Korea as well. Find out which other tournaments, if any, were distributed to the Korean versions.

A total of nine PWT Download Tournaments were released over the Pokémon Global Link. Six of the tournaments were exclusive to the Japanese versions.

Unobtainable Medals#

Due to updates in the online system, some medals are no longer obtainable without hacking. Some were made unavailable after the shutdown of the Generation V Game Sync in October of 2013, while one was made unobtainable after the shutdown of Gamespy's Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection servers in May of 2014.

* Great Adventurer, Entertainment Master, and Top Medalist can still be legitimately obtained if the player earned the other unobtainable prerequisite medals prior to the service shutdown.