Every now and then, a character will be from a region that they did not debut in. Kabu, the Motostoke Gym Leader in Sword and Shield, is from Hoenn, Penny is from Galar, and Lance is from Johto.
While these are all canon instances, there’s one character from Scarlet and Violet that I feel could also fit this group. That being Hassel.
We do know that Hassel is from a different region. During his class side quests, he mentions how the son of a Dragon Tamer left his family behind to pursue music. And when that failed, he found himself pursuing art and becoming a teacher.
Now, it was never confirmed which region he’s from, just that he isn’t from Paldea. And, other than that, all we know is that he comes from a family of Dragon specialists.
It got me thinking: Assuming he’s not from a hypothetical new region, which is entirely possible, what existing region could Hassel be from? With eight other regions as of this post, a few things I ended up considering were, type specialty, what regions have prominent trainers that specialize in and/or are connected to said type, and Dragon Tamers.
I ended up narrowing it down to three regions, Unova, Hoenn, and Johto, before settling on one of the following. That ultimately being Johto.
As such, this post will break down how I came to this conclusion. Starting with why Hoenn and Unova were contenders and .
Why Did I Consider Unova and Hoenn?
The main factor was that both Unova and Hoenn have prominent Dragon users. As well as the fact that these two regions do have a focus on dragon legendaries.
Hoenn has the Draconid people, quite a few dragon types, both legendary and normal, and the Elite Four member Drake who specializes in the type. And much like Hassle was the last member of the Elite Four. Meanwhile Unova, also has it's fair share of legend and normal dragons. And if you invite Hassle to the Blueberry Academy League Room, he will state knows Drayden, the Dragon type gym leader in from the Gen 5 games, if Drayton, the Blueberry Academy Elite Four member and grandson of Draydon, is in the room.
The only other option would have been Sinnoh due to the Creation Trio sharing the Dragon type. However, I'd feel more inclined to say that Raifort at the very least studied there, since she has pictures of Laventon and the Legends Arceus PokéBalls in her class.
What Ruled Out Hoenn and Unova?
There were a few things that rules Hoenn and Unova out for me. Whether that be the specific dragon type the group focuses on or a different Paldea characters who have ties to a Unovan character via the Blueberry Academy.
Hoenn
For Hoenn, it mainly comes down to the Draconid People. While the Dragon type is the core type for the group, their primary focus is Rayquaza. And that’s what I feel works against it.
Nothing really speaks Rayquaza to me when I see Hassel. The only thing that I can think of is hie outfit having a vaguely similar color scheme to Rayquaza. But even then, I feel like there would/should have been more for this to be the case.
I also think that if his family were tied to the Draconid People, he wouldn't have been approached by an unnamed Dragon Tamer relative. If they wanted to reference them, I feel like they would have used a trainer that looked similar to Zinnia or a general Draconid aesthetic. Something to convey that the unnamed relative had ties to the Draconid People.
Unova
I consider Unova my runner up region. On the one hand, Unova would be a good candidate since Blueberry Academy and Kitakami have a partnership with Naranja/Uva Academy. So I could see Hassel maybe being the designated Paldea teacher for one of these trips. And from there could have met with Drayden while the students were off doing their sign assignment.
However, what holds it back, is the fact that he isn’t the only one to know someone from Unova or Blueberry Academy.
Clavell knows Cyrano, the director of Blueberry Academy. In fact, they have known each other for quite a while and appear to be good friends.
There’s also Jacq, who knows Briar. While I do think Clavell would be the one to set up the exchange program, I could see Jacq possibly recommending it or bringing it up to him because of Briar.
I also don't believe that Hassle has to be tied to the exchange program
Because of the following reasons, I didn’t feel like either would work. Hoenn does have an established Dragon tribe, but it felt too strict due to it’s focus being primarily on Rayquaza. While possible reasons for Unova could be filled by other characters or through his work as an Elite Four member. However, Unova would be a close second for me due to it interacting with Paldea .
Why Johto?
There are a few key things that I felt could tie Hassel to Johto. It mainly comes down to Blackthorn City, the Dragon Tamer class, and the Dragon’s Den. As well as being a more flexible option.
Dragon Tamer Trainer Class
Though we only see one, unnamed, member of his family, said family member is part of the Dragon Tamer Trainer Class.
This trainer class technically originates from Johto/Generation 2. Though, in Gold/Silver/Crystal, it was in name only and they were only referred to as such in the Japanese version of the games. Whereas they would officially debut (physically) in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.
However, the Dragon Tamer trainer class would be referred to as such across the board language wise when Heart Gold and Soul Silver came out. So they would still be a Johto originating trainer class, despite the translation discrepancy between the original and remakes.
As for how this could tie back to Hassel, his father did expect him to take over for him one day. What his father's goal is, and by extent, Hassel's family, isn't specified, it could be speculated that they wanted to make a name for themselves since a common goal for the class is to reach the same heights that Lance and Clair have.
Hassel does technically reach this since he's a member of the Elite Four (like Lance). And while the Dragon Tamer attempted to trick Hassel to come home under the guise of his father being ill, this could be a factor as well. That way, his father could say that they reached their goal of reaching the same heights as Lance.
Attire
While I mentioned the color could be somewhat of a nod to Rayquaza, and by extent, the Dragonid People, this is mostly speculation on my part. Bulbapedia gives some more concrete trivia on his outfit.
While it doesn't source a specific article, it does state how his coat could be a reference to the capes that Dragon Tamers wear. Which he has history with. And as a side point, it also mentions how it might be a nod to Clair's Gen 2 design as her cape resembles a suit.
Because of this, I'm more inclined to believe that he'd be from Johto. While Bulbepedia does mention it as a possibility, rather than an outright fact, it does make sense.
Blackthorn City and the Dragon's Den
While Lance and Clair are the pinnacle of Blackthorn City's Dragon masters, it is a city known for creating Dragon specialists. With the Dragon's Den being a sort of shrine and training ground for them. There's also nothing requiring them to stay in Blackthorn City. So, even if Hassel's family was from a region we haven't been introduced to yet, it's still possible that their family originated from Blackthorn before moving on to make a name for themselves.
Flexibility
As for flexibility, Johto provides that a bit easier than Hoenn or Unova. Unova, while not short of Dragon types, is a bit limited in terms of notable Dragon specialist outside of Iris and Drayden (and Drayton when/if you count the Indigo Disc). There aren't even any Dragon Tamers in Unova. And while Hoenn does have plenty of Dragon Tamers and a Dragon Elite Four Member in Drake, I feel like he would have to be tied to the Draconid People for his family to have ties to a region's Dragon specialists.
In Johto, he doesn't need to be related to Lance or Clair for his family to be an ambiguous Dragon specialty clan. They would just need to be associated with Blackthorn City and have trained in the Dragon's Den in some capacity.
And while it is unlikely that GameFreak would have planned that far ahead, in theory, Dragon Tamers and their families, could have originated from Johto before branching out to other regions.
Final Thoughts
Though his home region is never specified, Hassel being from Johto feel like a likely scenario. Due to his family being Dragon Tamers, which were first mentioned in Johto/Generation 2 (officially in Generation 3), it's possible that his family originated from the region. His family could have came from Blackthorn before branching out, with the intent of becoming as strong as Lance and/or Clair. Perhaps, Hassel's outfit is meant to reflect his Johto roots. He wouldn't need to be tied to prominent trainers or clans in order for him to specialize with Dragons with Johto being a hub for the type specialty.
What do you think? Would it make sense for Hassel to come from Johto? Or do you feel that a different region suits him better?
Sources
Academy Classes: https://www.serebii.net/scarletviolet/academyclasses.shtml
Draconid People Bulbapedia: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Draconid_people
I am 100% one of those delusional people who thinks they’re an expert in something because they saw it on TV. I watched 10 episodes of Dragons Den (the British Shark Tank) back to back yesterday and at one point shouted at the screen “YOU CANT VALUE YOUR BUSINESS AT HALF A MILL BASED ON POTENTIAL! WHERE IS YOUR BUSINESS ACUMEN?” While wearing mismatched gingerbread themed pyjamas and eating a slice of one day old Dominoes pizza.
