When a franchise has over 25 years of history and just shy of 900 individual creatures likePokemondoes, keeping everything consistent is a tough task. Games don’t have continuity departments like movies do, and even if they did, they’d certainly have their work cut out of them working on a franchise as expansive asPokemonhas become.
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There are a whole host of reasons why problems can occur. Be it deliberate changes made to the direction of the franchise, elements that have been left behind over time, or even plain old mistakes, the franchise is full of inconsistencies and nonsensical lore.
10Pikachu & Eevee Changing Cries
A minor feature that some players will barely notice, each Pokemon has a unique noise it makes when entering a battle. These “cries,” as they have come to be known, are the signature sound for each Pokemon in the games.
The anime took a different approach to this, having Pokemon communicate by saying variations on their own names. This was fine when the two worlds were separate, but starting inPokemon X & Y, Pikachu’s cry was changed from a traditional one to be the same as in the anime.Eeveewould get the same treatment fromLet’s Go! Eeveeonwards. It’s a cute feature, but it’s weird compared to the rest of the Pokedex who haven’t had the same changes.
9Elite Four & Gym Leaders With Illegal Pokemon
While what a player does in their own single-player game is their business, when competing with others, cheating is not on.CompetitivePokemonevents take a hardline stance on cheaters, so players would think that the games would be held to the same standards. Not so.
There are a whole host of trainers whose Pokemon know moves they can’t learn in that Generation. For example, Champion Lance’s Aerodactyl in Generation 2, which knew Rock Slide, a move it couldn’t learn until Generation 3. Even worse, some trainers have Pokemon who shouldn’t be able to evolve at their current level. For example, Team Galactic Commander Mars, who has a Level 16 Purugly, when Glameow should only evolve into Purugly from Level 38.
8Size Discrepancies Between Game & Anime
The size of Pokemon is hard to properly represent in games. It leads to Wailord being far smaller in battle than it should be and Joltik far bigger. That is understandable within video game logic. However, the anime should be able to properly present the Pokemon atthe size listed in the Pokedex.
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Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Charizard is only supposed to be 4 foot 11 inches in height, but it is consistently shown to be upwards for 6 feet tall. Similarly, Haunter is listed as 5 foot 1 inch, taller than Gengar; however, when the two are represented side by side, Haunter is always smaller.
7Pokemon Governments
How does any of it work? There are police who enforce laws, some Gym Leaders act as the mayor of their town, but who appoints them? Are there elections? Who even makes the laws?Pokemonhas never even tried to answer any of these questions. It’s generally implied that the region’s champion has some influence on this front. This makes sense when someone like Lance or Cynthia is in charge, but once the player character, a ten-year-old, becomes champion, can they really be trusted with that power?
What’s even weirder is Looker, who proclaims to be a member of Interpol when players first meet him inPlatinum.So does this mean there is some kind of Pokemon United Nations? Sure, in the context of the games, it doesn’t really matter, but there’s a lot of farmland in Pokemon regions. Where’s the Department of Agriculture to oversee it all? The franchise will likely never answer any of these questions, so it will forever remain a nebulous topic.
6Ash-Greninja In The Games
The concept ofAsh-Greninjafor theXYZanime was a really cool one. It gave the two of them a unique connection and allowed Ash to have a power that could rival the Mega-Evolved Pokemon prominent throughout the Kalos arc of the anime.
What makes less sense is when a Greninja was given to those who completed theSun & Moondemo with the new Battle Bond Ability. This ability allowed it to transform into Ash-Greninja. It was even named as such. However, Ash doesn’t exist in the world of the games, and even if he did, how could Greninja transform into Ash-Greninja with anyone other than Ash? It implies that this has somehow always been a part of Greninja’s DNA, but the games have never explained how.
5Pokemon That Are Born With Accessories/Clothing
Pokemon who have accessories as part of their design can be pretty cool-looking, but it creates some logical inconsistencies. For example, the Pokedex implies that Farfetch’d’s stalk is something it gains after birth. This is fine in theory. However, when a player hatches a Farfetch’d egg, it will come out of the egg already holding the stalk.
The same goes for Pokemon like Sawk & Throh, who wear clothes. The Pokedex never states whether that karate gear is a part of their body or not, but either way, it’s weird to think about. Perhaps most disturbingly is Kangaskhan, who will hatch out of their egg with a baby already in their pouch.
4Pokemon That Would Destroy The World By Existing
WhileLegendary Pokemonlike Palkia could tear the world asunder with their powers if they wanted to, they have control over their abilities, so it’s ok lore-wise. What doesn’t make sense, however, is the Pokemon, whose very biology would bring about the apocalypse.
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The most common example of this is Marcargo, whose body temperature is hotter than the surface of the sun. Even contained in a regulated body, that kind of heat would melt anything on the same continent as Marcargo. Or Espurr, who has the psychic power to blast away everything within 300 feet but has no control over this power. It’s a miracle a small group of Espurr hasn’t nuked a whole region out of existence.
3Mega-Evolution Is A Horrific Process
Both the games and anime have pushed hard on the idea thatMega-Evolutionis what happens when a Pokemon’s bond with their trainer becomes as deep as it is possible to be. It is the ultimate sign of friendship that allows both parties to push themselves to the greatest power in the world.
What they often fail to mention is how excruciatingly painful this process is for the Pokemon. According toUltra Sun & Ultra Moon’sPokedex, Scizor stores so much energy when it Mega-Evolves that its body starts to melt from the inside out. Aerodactyl is constantly uncomfortable in this form. Kangaskhan’s child grows so suddenly that its mother is in a constant state of worry. Absol’s entry specifically says how much it hates to Mega-Evolve. It’s dangerous for everyone else too, Gengar tries to kill anyone and everyone in its Mega form, including its trainer.
Maybe trainers should leave Mega-Evolution alone before they end up with aJurassic Parksituation on their hands.
2Immortality Has Been Discovered And No-one Cares
InPokemon X & Y’slackluster plot, there is a point in there that should make everyone perk their ears up and listen. The mysterious AZ character is revealed to be an immortal being thanks to the power of the Ultimate Weapon. He’s lived for over 3000 years, and yet no one is asking any questions.
Admittedly, it makes sense as to why no one other than Lysandre tried to use the Ultimate Weapon, as it’s powered by death. However, with the confirmation that immortality is possible, surely all the world’s scientists would want to be looking into it so they could hopefully find a way to achieve it without sacrifice? Maybe that research would be fruitless and they’d find it impossible, but the fact that they don’t even try is mind-blowing.
1The Layout Of The Pokemon World
The one thing that noPokemonmedia can seem to nail down is where all ofthe world’s regionsare in relation to each other, with the exception of Johto and Kanto, which are connected. Some unofficial sources have posted maps over the years, but many have contradicted each other, and none have been confirmed by The Pokemon Company or accepted amongst fans.
There are a host of popular fan theories. Sinnoh is thought to be directly north of Kanto and Johto, on the same continent, while Alola’s tropical climate and island structure suggest it may be south of the SeviI Islands, near the equator. Everything else is hard to place, and fans who want an answer to this question will have to look for the fan theory they think is closest.
