Trying to decide between Kanto and Johto is like Sophie’s Choice, and it can often lead to being side-eyed by the Pokémon community. The battle between these two regions is fierce and unforgiving, as many have very fond memories from their childhoods of their first time playing either Red & Blue or Gold & Silver. The debate between Kanto and Johto may never die, but there are clear pros and cons to each region.

The two regions, while similar, do have some important distinctions. Each has features that make it unique, ensuring that this argument will never go away. Here are some reasons why each region is better than the other, in the hopes of contributing to this endless debate.

10 Kanto - Rival

Rivals have, of course, always been a main feature of a Pokémon game. Whether they’re friendly or evil, they have long been used as a tool for testing your merit as a Pokémon trainer and giving you a direct nemesis with which to compare your might.

The original rival, Blue, is considered by many to be the best rival of them all. He’s snarky, arrogant, and tough, ensuring you’ll push yourself to best him at every turn. He’s everything you need in a rival, and many think he’s the whole package. Silver in Generation II is great too, but he lacks some of the personality that Blue brought to the table.

9 Johto - Gym Leaders

Speaking of personality, the Johto gym leaders take the title of most charismatic in a clear win over the Kanto gym leaders. The Kanto leaders are obviously fantastic and given great personalities in the anime. But, the Johto League just has that special something that makes you connect to them long-term.

Take, for example, Whitney, who sobs and refuses to give you a badge if she loses, and buries you in the ground several times when she wins. Jasmine is a sweet, compassionate caregiver to a sick Ampharos and then surprises you with rock-solid Steel types. Each of these leaders is full of personality and great, memorable moments.

8 Kanto - Rural

Kanto and Johto have similar geography. They are, after all, right next to each other and share a basically non-existent border. But, there are slight differences in their topography that sets them apart. Kanto excels in its rural areas and routes. Each has a distinctive role in the region and do a great job of giving the trainer a challenge between towns, like Viridian Forest, Mt. Moon, and the Power Plant.

Johto’s routes are cool in some cases, but many of them are either somewhat plain or have some feature that takes away from the route and turns it into its own area, like the national park. Kanto’s routes take the title here.

7 Johto - Urban

Where Kanto takes the medal in its rural areas, Johto thrives in its great cities, which each have a clear attitude and aesthetic, setting them apart from one another. Take Ecruteak, which is steeped in traditional culture, or Goldenrod, a bustling metropolitan center.

Kanto’s cities are very similar in some cases, with a few exceptions. But, Johto’s cities really take the cake when it comes to a distinct purpose for each and creating something memorable that you’ll want to visit again and again.

6 Kanto - Team Rocket

Each Pokémon game has a villainous team and starting in Generation III, they are different in every generation. Generation II has the unfortunate duty of sharing its villainous team with Kanto. Team Rocket is on the outs after the disappearance of Giovanni, and they’re trying to rekindle some of their former glory.

Team Rocket is always great, including in Johto, but they’re truly at their peak in Kanto. Generation I’s Team Rocket is cunning, deadly, and driven. The Team Rocket in Johto is a fractured mess that doesn’t pose the same threat. Kanto takes this one.

5 Johto - Culture

Where Team Rocket is a fractured shell of its former self in Johto, the culture and society of the region are intact and thriving. Kanto’s culture is a little more split by city/area and doesn’t really stand out in the same way as Johto’s.

Johto’s cultural heritage is front and center, from the kimono girls to the legends of the tin tower and whirl islands. A Kansai-inspired culture, on which Johto is based, is steeped in positive attitudes toward traditional Japanese customs, and that can be seen throughout Johto.

4 Kanto - Pokémon

It’s almost sacrilegious to say the Generation I Pokémon are not the best. Of course, every generation is great, but the Kanto 151 set the stage for what would become one of the greatest media franchises in history. The original starters are widely considered to be the best starters of them all, and the original 151 are all great from beginning to end.

The cultural zeitgeist that was born from the original generation of Pokémon is like something the world has never seen since. Johto’s Pokémon are fantastic, but they just don’t capture the love the way Kanto’s do.

3 Johto - Legendaries

While all the Kanto Pokémon are iconic and great, Johto’s legendaries are far superior. The lore behind Ho-oh and the Legendary Beasts is so well-written that it holds up to this day, two decades later.

The legends behind the Burned Tower and the Whirl Islands, Lugia’s role in the taming of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, the Ruins of Alph, and revival of the beasts, and more are all fantastic epics that set the standard for Pokémon lore for generations.

2 Kanto - It’s the original

No matter what Johto got right, it’ll never take the title of being the OG Pokémon game. Red & Blue (and Green in Japan) were the very first Pokémon games, and they stole the attention of the world for years, inspiring spinoffs, other series, and defining a generation.

There’s a reason GameFreak seems dead-set on remaking the Kanto games and paying homage to them. They’re the originals, and people love them. Nothing compares to the magnetism with which Kanto gripped the world, and still continues to.

1 Johto - Expanding Perfection

If the Kanto games were perfect, then the Johto games perfected that perfection even more, despite seeming impossible. Gold, Silver, and Crystal took the established formula and made it better, entrenching Pokémon as a game series that wasn’t about to go anywhere.

All the mechanics, features, and loveable aspects of the original Pokémon games were expanded, built upon, and improved. If the original games were a perfect 10/10, then Gold and Silver expanded the scoresheet. Despite the endless debate over which region is better, what remains true is that both are fantastic and always worth returning to for another adventure.

NEXT: Pokémon Green: 10 Differences It Had From Red & Blue