Pokémon is 22 years old. Heck, it’s almost as old as I am. The franchise has spanned countries, languages, movies, tv shows, games, animation, and there’s even a cafe in Japan. It’s a worldwide phenomenon the likes of which have only been replicated by other gigantic Nintendo properties like Mario or Legend of Zelda. But, as we’ve seen with Legend of Zelda specifically, the more games you make, the more chance there is for continuity errors.
Zelda’s timeline got so mixed up and confusing they had to make an entire book talking about it and even then a lot of it still doesn’t make sense. Pokémon is the same.
The ideas the developers had in the 90s don’t always match with the plans for the franchise nowadays. This leads to them either ignoring giant plotholes or attempting to fix them unsuccessfully. Over these 22 years, there have been unexplained mysteries, completely broken gameplay elements, absurdly ridiculous aspects of certain Pokémon, and even some absentee parents. There are just too many different threads here. There’s no way Gamefreak has the time or patience to both work on a new season of the cartoon, and also to go back to explain why Geodude is able to just…floats there. And honestly, after all these years, fans of the franchise have gotten pretty good at ignoring the inconsistencies. This allows Gamefreak to move on to fixing more..pressing problems, and I completely understand. But, that doesn’t mean the problems don’t still exist. so, in order to help clear things up, I dug through and found Pokémon: 25 Ridiculous Things That Make No Sense (And Fans Ignore)
25 Pokémon Games - Elevator Girl
Gamefreak has always had a knack for mystery. There has been a multitude of disappearing NPCs and ghosts throughout the Pokémon games. In Gen IV there was the Old Chateau that had both a Ghost Butler and Ghost Girl. Gen III’s remake had an NPC that disappeared during the Phoebe Elite Four battle. And finally, we have Elevator Girl from X & Y who is the worst of the three.
Elevator Girl suddenly appears, hovers past mid walk animation, and says that “you’re not the one” before disappearing.
Super creepy, and fans still have no idea what it’s about.
24 Pokémon - Generation 1 Is Broken
Generation 1 of Pokémon suffers from a heavy case of nostalgia goggles. People remember them as these revolutionary games.
But actually, large amounts of the game’s mechanics are completely broken.
I can’t list off all of them, but I can summarize a few. First, Pokémon fighting you had infinite PP. Next, one-hit KO moves like Horn Drill were speed based, so slow Pokémon never hit with it. And lastly, if you ever used Rage, you’d be stuck using it until the Pokémon faints. Overall Generation 1 is still iconic and fun, but it’s not the perfect game we remember it to be.
23 Games And Cartoon - Who Is Ash’s Dad
One thing that especially confuses me in the Pokémon games, is the sheer amount of absentee fathers. It started with Ash in the cartoon, whose father still hasn’t been revealed even after so many years.
But in every single game, your playable character has a missing papa.
Ash especially, has had fans speculated who his father is since the late 90s. I mean Ash is a world-renowned trainer whos fought Legendaries, entered the Pokémon League, and conquered over 20 gyms. You’d think his old man would have heard of him and found him by now.
22 Pikachu - Its Level Resets Every Season
This is the sole reason I can’t continually watch the Pokémon Cartoon. Pikachu has been through every single region known to man, and yet still loses to level 5 Pokémon. Gamefreak wrote themselves into a corner here, because Ash always has to have Pikachu, they have to reset it.
Pikachu can’t be this level 100 Pokémon destroying entire regions and solo’ing the Pokémon League.
So each new season Pikachu is knocked down to being a low level again and has to work back up. It’s neat that Ash still uses the same Pikachu, but it makes absolutely no sense from a continuity point of view.
21 Game Mechanics - How Does Fly Or Surf Work For Tiny Pokemon?
This is a pretty basic complaint but one that Gamefreak (as far as I know) has never addressed.
How in Arceus’s name am I using the HM Fly to get from point A to B…with a Pokémon with no wings?
Or how about the fact that I’m surfing across hundreds of miles of ocean, holding on to the tail of a Squirtle? Most of the other HM’s make sense, Cut isn’t really size dependent, and Strength is always subjective in animation. But Fly and Surf still don’t and will never make sense in Pokémon.
20 Game Mechanics - Impossibly Impassible Shrub
Again, these complaints have been around since the 90s, but they’re still relevant.
In a world where Trainers fight deities of space and time with tiny electric mice, how is hopping over one shrub so hard?
I’m talking about those darn mischevious little tree’s that can only be passed with Cut. It’s an obviously just Gamefreak needing to stop your progress every now and again. But how is it that in over 10 different mainline games, we aren’t cutting down giant, mammoth sized trees? At least it’d make more sense. Trainers to this day, have their journeys cut short by shrubs that go up to their knees.
19 Pokémon - Diglett Just Doesn’t Make Sense
There’s a couple of Pokémon where you can tell Gamefreak liked the idea but didn’t consider all the situations. Diglett is the prime example of that.
Diglett, while adorable, makes absolutely no sense outside of caves.
How does one put a Diglett in a Pokeball? How do Digletts fight on metal? How would a Diglett battle in the ocean? Diglett in all its incarnations is shown with dirt around it from its dig hole, no matter the environment. No one knows what its body looks like. Maybe the Dirt around it actually is its body and we’ve been played all along.
18 All Pokémon Games - Why Doesn’t Your Mom Get A Bed?
Mom’s in all of the Pokémon games are too good for this world. They’re brimming with positivity, and are genuinely happy to help their kid out in any way possible. They’ll help you save up money, call you whenever urgent news comes up, and sometimes they’ll even visit you on your Journey. When you first start most Pokémon games, you’ll either be in your house or your room.
But, where’s your Mom’s room? Oh, that’s right, she doesn’t get one.
It will never make sense to me how such kind parents can be so mistreated. Shame on you Gamefreak.
17 Game Mechanics - Taking People’s Money After Battling
Battling in Pokémon was already cruel. Gamefreak doesn’t want us to acknowledge that Pokémon as a whole is pretty iffy morally.
So what makes it even worse is the whole concept of receiving money after winning a battle.
How does that go exactly? Does your tiny little Pikachu shake down the enemy Trainer for 20 bucks? Or are they so blown away by your immense battling prowess that their wallet explodes? I don’t think I want to know.
16 Game Mechanics - How Do Battles Happen In The Ocean
There’s a couple of different biomes that make no sense for Pokémon to battle in. But, the worst of them all, is the ocean.
Unless you’re surfing on top of a Wailord or something, there’s no room for a Pokémon battle.
How is your Graveler, a giant two-ton boulder, supposed to fight on the ocean? They’re not, that’s how. Gamefreak has never even attempted to circumvent this issue in the games, instead just ignoring it completely. And I for one am honestly sick of it. You’ve had since the 90s to think of a solution Gamefreak, let’s hear it.
15 Geodude - Everyone Pretends It Isn’t Just Floating
Apparently, Geodude is a hidden flying type because that boy is floating. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s a ton of Pokémon that float. There’s birds, ghosts, balloons, and magnetic balls that float, but Geogdudes just a rock.
I mean it’s a rock with big buff arms but still, a rock.
So how in the everloving Lugia is that rock floating? And why does no one in the show question it? Could a Geodude carry you across the ocean? Is it floating or flying? Can it float higher? All important questions that we’ll never know the answer to.
14 Technical Machines - How Would You Actually Use One
Alright somebody explain this to me. Pokémon aren’t digital creatures. Well…they are, but to the characters in-game they’re real sentient animals.
So how does teaching your Pokémon a move through a TM make any sense?
How does your Pokémon learn the move? Is the CD a little informational video on how to perform Hyper Beam? Does an energetic Nurse Joy explain to your Pokémon exactly how to do the move? This has never, and will never make any sense. It only got worse in FireRed where you literally just stick the CD on your Pokémon’s forehead. I mean WHAT?!
13 Mewtwo - Shouldn’t Be Able To Mega Evolve
Here’s a bit of a plothole in one of Gamefreaks newer Pokémon mechanics, Mega Evolution. This type of Evolution can only be performed by certain Pokémon holding a Mega Stone that corresponds with their name. These Mega Stones are found in nature and aren’t at all man-made.
There’s a good number of Legendaries that have Mega Evolutions, one of them being Mewtwo.
But, how would there be a Mega Stone for Mewtwo? Mewtwo isn’t a natural Pokémon, it’s a failed clone of Mew. Now you could argue the Mega Stone’s are actually meant for Mew, but then where’s Mew’s Mega Evolution?
12 Arceus - 4 Legged Horse Known For Its 1000 Arms
Arceus, otherwise known as the almighty creator of the Pokémon Universe. It’s a horse-like creature that even with all it’s infinite power, can still be contained in a Pokeball if you play your cards right.
But that isn’t important, what matter is the inaccuracy of its Pokédex entry.
It is described in mythology as the Pokémon that shaped the universe with its 1,000 arms. But, where are those arms? The entry doesn’t at all match up with the Pokémon itself. Now there are some fan theories, such as “arms” symbolically meaning Pokémon and all Pokémon in existence are like one of its arms. While a cool idea, it doesn’t help it make any more sense.
11 Team Plasma - Prehistoric Pokémon Makes The Best Cyborg?
Genesect itself doesn’t make much sense when you think about it. Team Plasma resurrected an ancient Pokémon to strap futuristic technology to it? Why wouldn’t you make another man-made Pokémon like Mewtwo? Or capture a Legendary to use instead?
Why revive what is essentially a prototype Pokémon to turn into a weapon?
And before anyone says something about how prehistoric Pokémon would be less evolved for a peaceful time, remember this is Pokémon. Pokémon is a world where every single living creature is constantly battling. Why would current day Pokémon be any less equipped for battle than something from the past?
10 Pokémon Cartoon - Gary’s 10 Badges
This one has circled the internet since the early 2000s but to this day it still doesn’t make sense. In episode 63 of the original Pokémon cartoon, Gary Oak seems to have made an error.
It’s customary in the world of Pokémon that, before you challenge the Elite Four, you must collect the 8 Gym Badges of the region. But “Smell-Ya-Later” here seems to have 10.
Seems like someone made up some extra badges in his downtime so he could brag to Ash. In fact, he didn’t even manage to get all 8, only 3 of the badges in his collection are real!
9 Pokémon Gold - Red Living On Mt. Silver
Mount Silver is a gigantic barrier located in the Johto region. It’s also an incredibly rough area. The caverns are so dark you need Flash to light them up. And the only items worth grabbing are only obtainable through using Rock Climb. Never mind the fact that the closer you get to the peak, the colder it gets. So much so that it seems like the top area is always covered in heavy snow.
So with all that, how on earth does Red survive up there?
We know he essentially lives up there waiting for master trainers. So how does a Charizard survive a constant winter?
8 The Pokémon Cartoon - The Mystery Of The GS Ball
The GS Ball has been in the cartoons, the games, and even the Pokémon Adventures manga. Its name and origin are unknown, and it seems to be unopenable.
It’s obvious that the ball was originally going to be used as a part of Pokémon Gold and Silvers promotion, but for some reason that fell through.
It especially doesn’t make sense because Pokeballs are man-made objects but this one was found, and somehow can’t be transferred to a PC. It had a weird connection with Celebi, and in the Japanese only version of Gen II, can be used to summon a Celebi itself.
7 Pokémon Birth - Some Come Out Of Egg’s Wearing Clothes
This will bother me until I’m old and grey, but is Machamps belt part of its body? There’s actually a multitude of Pokémon that seem to have clothes or everyday items as parts of their bodies.
Take Hitmonchan for example. That dude is wearing a shirt, a skirt, shoes, and boxing gloves.
These aren’t clothes it was given. It pops out of the Poke egg wearing it. I mean, how does that make any kind of sense? And don’t even get me started on Sawk or Throh.
6 Beware - How Can It Keep A Trainer
“Bewear has extremely powerful arms, and it’s very dangerous. It waves its arms in a friendly fashion, but this is a means of warning. Approach with caution.” This is the Pokedex entry for Sun and Moon Pokémon Bewear.
Bewear is a big old cuddle bug and loves hugging people.
The only problem is, it’s really strong. and I mean like the most dangerous Pokémon in Alola kind of strong. So how does it ever maintain a Trainer? If Bewear has a real addiction to hugging, how has any Trainer lasted more than a week after catching it?
