One of the longest running anime series of all time, Pokémon is one of the most beloved children’s franchises in history. Its success has spawned numerous seasons, sagas, and specials with 992 episodes and counting! There have been and released for the franchise. With now over twenty years of success and renewed popularity with the recent viral app sensation Pokémon Go, Nintendo’s belove🦩d IP doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
The Pokémon series has fun and lovable characters, great visual art style, and a riveting plot that has the power to both make you cry from laughter and sob from heartache. Without a doubt, Pokémon’s success is proof that it has done a lot right over the years. However, when a series has over 900 episodes, there are bound to be some hiccups and stumbles along the way. That includes making mistakes in many areas, including logic, continuity, and coloring issues. Just because a series is good and loved by many doesn't mean that it's perfect, and that's definitely the case with Pokémon. Let's take a look at some of the biggest and more surprising mistakes in the Pokémon show that you probably did💟n’t catch. This time, you can catch ‘em all!
20 These Balls Look A ⭕Little Green
Blue balls? Or was it green? No, that’s right, they’re red! At least, the standard Poké Ball, that is. So what is this mysterious green Poké Ball shown in the first few seconds of the first episode of the series? In “Pokémon, I Choose You!” the show o🌺pens with a Pokémon 🌄league battle being shown on Ash’s TV between two unnamed trainers.
In the battle, one 👍trainer recalls his or her Nidorino and throws out the infamous green Poké Ball and out pops an Onix. There are a wide range of possibilities and theories regarding the discoloration. Some have come to believe that it’s a Safari Ball, some believe it was a simple, silly mistake, while others believe that𓂃 all Poké Balls were originally meant to be green before Coca Cola sponsored a change to match the cans of their sugary drinks. The truth? Perhaps we’ll never know.
19 A Half Rack Too Short 💫
Anatomy is a harrowing field. With the adult body consisting of 206 bones, many a student buried their heads in their hands when fixed with the task of cramming for tomorrow’s exam. So it’s easy to get mixed up, or at least it seems that way for Pokémon animators. In this particular episode, Ash and ওProfessor Oak are seen electrocuted by♛ Pikachu (stubborn as always) and their skeletons are shown flashing on the screen while the little electric mouse has his fun.
But see that? Both ash and Professor Oak are shown with five ribs on each side of their body. In reality, both men and women ✱have twenty-four ribs, or twelve on each side. So close, but looks like they’re about half a rack too short.
18 🌌 Paid Extras ♏
On Ash’s first day as an official Pokémon trainer, he’s given a ceremonial farewell and seen off by Professor Oak, his mother and all his loving family, friends, classmates, and... wait? Just as Ash himself says, “Mom you’re embarrassing me in front of all these people!” Who the heck are all these people!?
Obviously he has no clue who they are, and neither do we. Gary’s farewell party, just moments before Ash’s, consisted of a mob of his adoring fans (why a ten-year-old has fans is a whole other issue), but Ash has no such following. So why is this man tearing up? Did Ash’s mother rally up some random townsfolk? Did Professor Oak hire extras to stand outside his lab? Did this man just come from an early afternoon screening of Your Name? You be the judge.
17 𝐆 One Big Catch
In ”Pokémon, I Choose You!” Ash jumps into a rushing river hold♌ing onto his injured Pikachu for dear life. At the other end of the river, Misty sits peacefully, fishing, waiting for a big catch, and boy did she get one! But instead of a fish, she got a 10-year old boy holding a Pokémon.
Currently, can lift approximately ten kilograms. Whereas the average 10-year old male weighs around eighteen to forty kilograms dry, let alone soaking wet and holding an injured Pikachu. Also, how the heck does Ash ꩲmanage to keep his cap on? Suffice it to say, there’s no way Misty’s rod can sustain both Ash and Pikachu’s weight without breaking, let alone bending less than 30 degrees under that weight. But it’s a kid’s show.
16 🍰 Just Down The Road From Here
Have you ever asked someone for directions and were told “oh yeah it’s just down the ro꧋ad from here”, only to wind up miles down, fifteen minutes out of your way and still not there yet? Wel👍l, misdirection is one thing, but it’s a whole new ball game when you’ve got an injured Pokémon on your hands! When Ash first meets Misty, she tells him that there’s a Pokémon Center “not too far from here”.
However, as soon as Ash “borrows” Misty’s bike, he can be seen just a few seconds late♌r riding into a darkening night. From broad daylight to a dark evening in just a few frames? Either Misty is terrible with directions or Ash is boneheaded at following with them. Either way, “not too far from here” was farther than it seemed.
15 The Imaginary Camꦺera 𝓀
In episode 2, “Pokémon Emergency,” Ash waits in the Pokémon Center in Viridian City while Pikachu is being healed. During the waiting time, he gets two phone calls from the Pokémon Center. The first is from his mother and the second is from Professor Oak, which he answe☂rs unsuspectedly. When the phone call begins, Ash is shown Professor Oak’s back.
The Professor says “I’m in the wrong camera,” and quickly switch🦄es to the correct one. The Professor and Ash have a brief conversation. However, when the phone call is about to end, the Professor stands and says goodbye and we see that there is no other camera at all behind him. Maybe the camera is hidden, or maybe it’s a continuity issue. Likely the latter, but we’ll let you decide.
14 🥃 🐬 Fake Moves
In Pokémon episode 15, "Battle Aboard the St. Anne," Team Rocket's Jessie and James lure unsuspecting Pokémon tra🍷iners, including Ash and his friends, to a fancy cruise ship in a ploy to steal their Pokémon. Upon entering the cruise ship, Ash feels right at home seeing adoring trainers comparing their Pokémon. Best of all, he sees full-fledged battles already underway. He fights for a spot in the front row of the crowd and watches a battle between a young boy's Starmie and an older eccentric man's Raticate. Raticate opens with a Jump Kick and 𓆉the young boy calls for Starmie to counter with Spinning Tackle. After that... wait, what the heck is "Spinning Tackle"? Not Rapid Spin, not Savage Spin-out, not even Tackle, but Spinning Tackle! Did this boy find a special TM that no one else knows about? Sorry, don't bother checking your Pokédex, because that move doesn't exist.
13 Wait, There's Real Animals, Too? ꦬ 🗹
Before we get into the paradox, let's answer one simple question: what are Pokémon? Let me show you the first sentence of the answer from the : "Pokémon are creatures of all shapes and sizes who live in the wild or alongside humans." Does that sound familiar? Well, it should, because in the real world that is the definition of ANIMALS. Pokémon is by nature a world where Pokémon exist 🐻INSTEAD of animals. Not both. We have Pidgey and we DON'T have pigeons. We have Mankey and we DON'T have monkeys. The very idea of Pokémon and animal coexistence makes my head spin. But during the episode "Battle Aboard the St. Anne," Ash, Misty, and Pikachu are shown chowing down and in the same frame we see chicken 🤡and lobster. I hope no Kinglers or Pidgeys were watching.
12 The Cha😼meleon Cap
In every anime you're gonna have your continuity issues. Usually they are small things no one notices: an odd tree in the corner of the frame, a missing cloud in the sky. But sometimes they're big enough to stand out, especially if it's standing on the main character's head. Throughout the Pokémon series, Ash's cap changes color enough times to make the keen observer realize something is amiss. Normally Ash's cap is pretty simple: a red back, white face, and red brim. In "The Water Flowers of Cerulean City," Ash learns that Misty iℱs technically the Cerulean gym leader and he must face her to gain the cascade badge. However, Jessie and James, in classic Team Rocket fashion, decide to crash the party. Literally, as they punch a hole right through the gym wall. You can clearly see the brim of Ash's hat turn completely white, then back🌟 to red again a few seconds later. Chameleon cap, indeed!
11 What You're Madܫe Of
Being an anime for children, I'm sure Pokémon writers didn't spend too much time on biological realism when writing their plot points for the show. However, in Episode 19 "Tentacool & Tentacruel," the writers were a little too lenient on themselves. The episode itself is quite refreshing, as it features a wealthy old lady who seeks to destroy a po꧟rtion of coral reef to build a resort, but is being halted by a population of Tentacool & Tentacruel. She offers a reward to anyone who can "get rid of" the problem for her, so the story holds themes of environmental preservation and animal rights. However, when Ash opens up his Pokédex for info on the Tentacool, it says the following "Tentacool, a jellyfish Pokémon. 99% of its body is made up of water." Hold that thought.
Most jellyfish have a rudimentary nervous system without much functi💯on in terms of physical actions besides their ability to sting. Real jellyfish are made up of about 95-98% water. This is a Tentacool. It boasts multiple colors and has enough limb function🔴ality to fight battles and use moves like Constrict, Wrap, Acid Spray, and Toxic Spikes. 99% water? I don't think so!