Pokemon celebrated its 21st birthday this year and, in 21 years, the Pokemon universe has undergone many changes. It all started with 150 Pokemon and 15 Pokemon types in the Kanto region. Now, there are more than 800 Pokemon, 18 Pokemon types and eight regions in all. We've seen the introduction of not just new Pokemon, but new moves, mega evolutions, the Z-move, temperaments, shiny Pokemon ꦆand much more. The Pokemon universe is much bigger than it was 21 years ago.
Even with all the changes and all the new mechanics, there are still things about the Pokemon universe that don't make any sense. There's qu💎ite a bit that players take for granted or that people know about but have hardly questioned how they work or why they work. There's also a ton about the Pokemon themselves we don't know, like why do they evolve, why are so many region specific, or how did some of them come to bꦏe. Vanillite is a one Pokemon where we don't know what the universe was thinking, but weird Pokemon is another list for another day. Here are 15 things that don't make sense about the Pokemon universe.
15 Koga's Promotion to the Elite 4
Koga, the gym leader in Fuchsia City who specialized in poison Pokemon, was one of the easier gym leaders in Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow. All you needed was a psychic Pokemon for Red/Blue or a fire Pokemon for Yellow. His minions were much harder because they primariꦚly had psychic Pokemon. So🌳, just how did Koga get the Elite 4 job in the next set of games?
We're not saying Koga's a terrible Pokemon trainer, but poison i🤪s one of the worst types. Most poison Pokemon just plain suck or the combo Pokemon like Nidoqueen or Vileplume are week to water and fire respectively, so they're pretty easy to fight. Choosing a poison specialist to be part of the team meant to vet the most talented Pokemon trainers in the world doesn't make sense when a new ice or ghost specialist would've 🥀kept up the difficulty of fighting the Elite 4.
14 The Pokedex
Professor Oak created the Pokedex to allow trainers to help him complete his Pokemon database. If that's t🍬he case, then how does the Pokedex know so much about the Pokemon the trainer encounters? Why does Professor Oak need information he already has if the information is already in the Pokedex? If the information isn't already in the device, then how is it able🅰 to "scan" a Doduo and know everything about it, for example?
The Pokedex is a very neat tool, but beyond providing the player a few facts about Pokemon, it doesn't 🌜make a lot of sense. Besides letting the player know whether or not they've caught a Pokemon, the Pokedex isn't all the practical. It's not until Generation VII that the Pokedex functions more like Siri and less like a mobile encyclopedia.
13 How Do Poke Balls Work?
So, the Poke Ball has a red laser that summons a Pokemon back inside it. That's cool. Physics is probably involved. What's less cool is how the Poke Ball works the rest of the time﷽.
Beyond getting the Po♉kemon inside the ball, how does the Poke Ball work once it's in there? Does it need to eat? Does it ever get claustrophobic? Why does it only get out when you're trying to capture a Pokemon for the first time? What does a Pokemon do in there in-between battles? Can a Pokemon "outgrow" the Poke Ball, where it might need a Great Ball or an Ultra Ball to hold it? Poke Balls are one aspect of the Pokemon universe that's kind of taken for granted, where we know what's supposed to happen but we never question how it happens. Poke Balls don't really make a lot of sense, particularly because Pikachu is the only one who hates them.
12 Where Do the Evolution Items Come From? How Do They Work?
According to the anime, the🐼 Moon Stone comes from the bigger Moon Stone located on Mt. Moon. Fine. But, where does the🌊 Thunder Stone come from? Is there a giant Thunderstone somewhere? How does a Thunder Stone actually work to cause a Pikachu or an Eelektrik to evolve? It's not simply by touch, as Pikachu knocks the Thunder Stone out of Ash's hand in the anime and Pikachu doesn't evolve. Perhaps the Pokemon has to want to evolve?
The concept of stones and items for evolving Pokemon is great, but what doesn't make sense is how the items work and why the items only work for certain Pokemon.ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Scyther and Onix are two very different Pokemon, but they both can evolve with a Metal Coat, but not Magnemite, Klink or even Eevee. Speaking 𓆏of Eevee, how does Eevee work and why isn't there an evolution for every single type that exists? Anyway, the use of evolution items just seems haphazard.
11 Where Did the Rest of Professor Oak's Pokemon Go?
When the player starts Pokemon Red/Blue, Professor Oak says after all his years of research, he's down to only three Pokemon in his collection. Where did the rest of his collection go? Did they die? Why would he give away two of his last three Pokemon? How is he going to study Pokemon with no Poke♛mon?
It makes less sense in Pokemon Yellow where the rival gets Eevee and Professor Oak doesn't have any left. Maybe he goes to the grass outside of Pallet Town and captures a Rattata and Pidget in his spare time. But that doesn't make much sense either. Someon🌳e as well-known and well-rౠespected as Professor Oak could easily pull a few strings to replenish his collection.
10 Why Are the Starters Never Found in the Wild?
Seriously, why are Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, in the beginning, the only ones of their kind in the world? The same goes for the other starters. If the Pokemon are rare, then it doesn't make sense to giꦉve them away as starters. If someone specific breeds them to be starters, as was shown in the anime, then how is it a few haven't gotten away and started living in the wild?
The starters are absolutely amazing Pokemon, but it s🎉ucks that you have to trade to get all of them. It doesn't make sense that none of them exist in the wild, even as other trainers have starters or their evolved forms in ൩their lineup. Sure, putting them in the tall grass somewhat ruins the need to trade to "collect them all," but it doesn't make sense that the universe somehow only has one Squirtle or two Bulbasaurs, depending on the game.
9 Pokemon Breeding
Apparently, Pokemon breed by laying eggs. All of them lay eggs, even Miltank, which has nipples ready for Pokemon nursing. Not only do they all lay eggs, but they can only lay eggs at a Pokemon Day Care or ಌNursery. I guess wild Pokemon don't breed? If they don't breed, then how are there always wild Pokemon to catch? For over 800 Pokemon, having just one way to breed doesn't make much sense.
Perhaps Pokemon breeding will become more complex in future genera🅘tions of Pokemon. Besides Miltank, what's the story with Marowak being Cubone's mother? Can Starmie and Staryu reproduce by losing limbs like in real life? How are the eggs taken care of once they are laid? Does a caretaker put them in an incubator or does the female Pokemon keep it warm? There has to be more♎ to breeding than eggs and biking around the block until they hatch.
8 Pokemon Language
Most Pokemon communicate by saying variations of their own name. Others like Onix, Beedrill and Nidoking, grunt, roar or simply make a sound. The Pokemon, despite making different noises or saying different names, can understand each other. Meowth in the anime is the only one who speaks English, but he can also understand all the Pokemon and all the other Pokemon can still understand him, even though he speaks English. Humans onl☂y understand Pokemon some of the time, but Pokemon are completely fluent in their trainer's language.
Pokemon🐽 language doesn't make much sense because it's not clear how they understand each other or human languages for that matter. Metapod doesn't even have a mouth but it still says, "M♕etapod." How does "Metapod" translate into "Pikachu?" Maybe the code will be cracked in a later Pokemon generation.
7 Team Rocket
What does Team Rocket actually do? What crimes do they commit? How does the organization make money? The teams in later generations have a little more definition as to their end goal and what they do. However, Team Rocket only seems to exist to give Ash (or the player) a bit of hassle from time to time. Grantไed, Jessie and James don't encompass all of Team Rocket, but, as a whole, the group doesn't acc✨omplish a whole lot.
The confusion of Team Rocket may be, in part, due to the confusion of Giovanni. Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, also doesn't make a lot of sense. He already had a great gig as Viridian City gym leader, but maybe that didn't pay enough, so he started Team Rocket 🅰to make more money and rule the world... selling Pokemon on the black market perhaps? It's unclear what he really gains by running Team Rocket.
6 Move Sets
Overall, the move sets in the Pokemon universe are๊ pretty great. There's a wide variety of moves and they're awesome to see in action. A Pokemon can learn moves of different types to be a formidable fighter. What doesn't make sense is how Pokemon learn the moves and how some Pokemon are able to perform certain moves.
For example, Rhydon can learn Thunder in Pokemon Red/Blue. Yet, how does this rock rhino generate the electricity to perform Thunder? On top of that, Rhydon, and all the other Pokemon, can only learn four moves at a time. Why are their brains🉐 so small? Why only four moves? How does a Pokemon learn a move exactly? We just assume Pokemon are incredible and do amazing things but don't really think about how they pull these moves off.