History Headscratchers / Pokemon

** It's a different continuity, but the Adventures manga suggests it was an acronym. Not that "Raid On City Knockout Evil Tusks" makes sense in any way.

** It could just be a cool name to attract potential new members. "Hey, kid, wanna join our cool gang, Team Rocket?" They were the first evil team, they don't need a good reason for their name.

* Why are they called Team Rocket? All the other teams have names that either tie into their goals (Aqua and Magma want to expand the sea and land respectively, Galactic wants to recreate the universe, and Plasma is both seeking out the power of a legendary Pokémon that can use either electricity or fire (the components of plasma) and seeking to separate Pokémon and humans (like how, in plasma, electrons are separate from nuclei)) or are threatening/cool-sounding and their outward styles match (Flare wears fiery orange outfits, Skull wears skull-inspired hats, and Yell carries around those weird megaphones/vuvuzelas). Nothing about Team Rocket, whether in their goals or in their visual style, seems particularly rocket-y to me.

* Why can't you register 'mons in your Dex by encountering them outside of battle, like that Slowbro/Electrode in Cerulean City?

* Sabrina. What is her CharacterAlignment? It seems NeutralGood, yet Sugimori has official art of her being.. [[http://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/2/22/Sabrinas-Psychic-Control.jpg Creepy]] to put it simple. She doesn't seem like a ChaoticGood, and I doubt those red eyes mean anything other then her using her powers.
** ChaoticNeutral, then? She doesn't seem ''evil''(at least not in the games, especially in G/S/C where she doesn't really even like to fight anymore), but I guess she just doesn't care much about what's right or wrong. Then again, I suppose she could be ChaoticGood, but more fierce in battle(which is, so to speak, a controlled situation where no one will get hurt)
** Not everyone has CharacterAlignment?
** It depends on the portrayal of her. Pokemon Special or whatever has her as a ''villain'', whereas Electric Tale of Pikachu has a more sympathetic portrayal of her. The Anime apparently shows her as merely having a television-style Split personality. (I woudln't know - I don't watch the Anime after seeing a couple episodes and finding Ash Ketchum to be a complete IdiotHero that's not even entertaining.)
*** I meant in the games.
*** Depends on how you look at it. In the games, she doesn't get involved in stopping Team Rocket, since she just wants to focus on psychic training (it's stated somewhere that she doesn't even like battling that much). So she might be TrueNeutral, or maybe NeutralGood since she's a benevolent figure in the games. By the events of the Johto games- mostly in the remakes where we see her interact with others outside of her gym- her apparent character development definitely makes her Neutral or Lawful Good. That card art looks a little odd, but she doesn't seem to be doing any actual harm, just surprising Misty and Psyduck. Plus it's the card game which really isn't in canon anyway.
** I'm assuming the [=TCG=] card is less her being creepy and doing something to Misty, and more her simply beating her in a battle. I put Sabrina as NeutralGood in the games.

** PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad.

** FoeYay.

** Because they're videogames from the 90s and 2000s aimed at small children, so there was no need back then to preserve foreign names. Names native to one's own culture are more marketable on a mass scale, and the games themselves barely have any cultural references that would make specific names stand out.

* What does Toxel appear do be based off of?
* Why did the localizations give the characters from the first 4 generations western names when those gens were set in Japan?

** I think what's happening in-universe is that the Poke is getting stronger and is aware of the fact. The badges are proof that you know what you're doing, and so the Pokémon won't follow your orders if it thinks it can do a better job on it's own.

** This ''always bothered me''. And it still does! Its the designers PUNISHING you for '''training and trading your Pokemon'''. I cannot comprehend that idiotic decision they made, even to this day. If you want to level up your Pokemon, spend time with them, love and nurture them, congratulations, you've established trust between you and your Pokemon - they should obey. What Pokemon should NOT be impressed by, [[BlingOfWar are pieces of plastic you won in a battle]]!
** Maybe pokemon do recognise the badges and think "ah, this is a skilled and experienced trainer" since some of them do have human-level intelligence. But it's also possible that pokemon simply respond to your skill and sensitivity as a trainer, and since your trainer themselves doesn't grow in levels, the badges in this case work as an abstraction of your skills as is common for RPGs. Then it would be your skill that matters, and the badges are a shorthand for that.

** Guns.
*** Bombs.

** The Master Ball can '''only''' fail in RBGY, and in those games it only has a 0.04% failure rate against a perfectly healthy Pokemon with a catch rate of 3 (most Legendaries). In all other games it can not possibly fail.

** All fan-reasoning aside, the grim truth is that (with a few exceptions), Pokemon either had to erect a Great Wall of Separation from Reality or '''somehow''' deal with the ''astounding possibility'' of Pokemon getting killed while fighting each other. YOU try being in the company PR department when kids send tear-stained letters asking if they can bring back Fluffy or Scorchy. Or imagine the reaction to a Pokemon in the anime series getting killed in a battle due to an inexperienced trainer sending it up against a horribly-powerful foe.

*** Do you have a source for that? Also, if this is true, did no one consider it a bit [[{{Lolicon}} disturbing]] for the least physically mature stage in the nidoqueen lifecycle to be the only stage capable of reproduction?

*** Do you have a source for that? Also, if this is true, did no one consiter it a bit [[{{Lolicon}} disturbing]]

*** It's possible that Mew's gender, and the gender of anything else as old as it is (like Arceus) [[BizarreAlienSexes isn't one we're familiar with]]. All Pokémon are naturally attracted to Mew (the moves in question are just when it manipulates them through said attraction) through some genetic memory, or something, but due to evolution, none are actually compatible with it (except Arceus, but it seems to be [[{{Asexuality}} asexual]]).

** He wants you to RESEARCH them, not DISCOVER them. The number of Pokemon at any given time isn't a secret or mystery, but he wants you to capture them to get more insight on their biological data to add the the encyclopedia that is the Pokedex, with things such as height, weight, dietary details, whatever, etc.

* What 's the deal with most signature moves? Is there any reason why any of these traits (in no particular order) must apply to the only Pokémon who was able to learn it during the move's debut and/or still the the only one able to learn it?

* Why can Hyperspace Hole and Hyperspace Fury get past Protect, Detect, and the likes? Hyperspace Fury's flavour text seems to imply it's because it warps space, but then... why can't Spatial Rend get past Protect and Detect? In Japanese, the moves are called Dimensional Rush and Dimensional Hole. So, as the the names imply, Hoopa is travelling through an alternate dimension and back to attack its opponent. In the attack animation, Hoopa dives into a hole and comes out beside the opponent to attack for HH, and he sends a bunch of rings around the opponent, where his fists then come out to strike them for HF. So how would that in any logical sense ignore Detect and Protect? Why would moves that are essentially just a teleport (HH) or playing with portals (HF) pass through Protect, but not a move that literally tears the fabric of space? (Also note Spatial Rend is called Subspace Tear in Japan, and in science fiction, subspace and hyperspace are essentially the same thing).

** Practicality. The larger your team, the harder it is to raise them all evenly. Most trainers in the the actual game don't even have six because many find it easier to just focus on a handful. The teams probably figure it's better to have a small number of strong Pokémon than loads and loads of level 2 and 3 critters who can be easily wiped out.

* Why is the psuedo-rival's number mandatory in Heartgold and Soulsilver? They never actually call you with anything plot important.
** They're your childhood friend; in-character, you would naturally want to keep in contact.
*** But can't they make it so that you go and ask yourself? I really don't care about what their Marill smells like. And why have you never had it before, anyway?
*** Your Pokegear was in the shop for repairs, as I recall, it's not uncommon for phones to lose all numbers in real life if they're broken (I've seen way too many Facebook posts about it). So they notice you got it back and give you their number, since, after all, Ethan and Lyra are friends. Why wouldn't the other one give it to the player? As for plot importance, perhaps not, but call in the right place and they'll give you some trivia about certain areas or a hint about something special you can do with the right following Pokemon. (For example, take a Togepi to Cerulean Gym and see what I mean.)
*** Yeah, but the way it was put makes it seem like the very first time it was ever given. And it's not important enough a mechanic, I don't really care all that much about what happens with following Pokémon, especially because I often don't have whatever Pokémon they're talking about. I understand why you would want to get it in-character, but they should've made it something you can get yourself if you want to, like Bill's number, instead of them forcing it upon you. Your mother's number, I can understand, Professor Elm, yeah, he needs to tell you about eggs or Pokérus and whatever, Professor Oak, he's got the thing with the Pokédex, but little trivia isn't something I want pushed on me.
*** See, now it sounds like you're just whining over a little thing. You don't have to read the messages in-depth. Press A and fast-forward through it. You say they "force it upon you" like it's a Bad Egg or something... it's just for fun, you're taking it far too seriously.
*** Just saying, it's an irritating distraction. It's annoying to have to stop fairly often to press the A button a bunch of times. Or, if you ignore the call, you listen to an annoying ringing sound. (Random thought, but it would be awesome if you could have a ringtone, say a battle theme or something, for your Pokégear.)
*** Then just turn off your sound until the call stops...
*** Or hit any other button besides Save...
* Why can't Nidoqueen or Nidorina breed? It wouldn't bug me half so much [[DoubleStandard if it were the same for Nidorino and Nidoking]]. I know this problem has been adressed before, so exactly why are we in generation IV with the problem ''still'' not fixed or at least explained?

** Their habitats are likely protected and not available to the public so you never get to go there
* In HeartGold / SoulSilver, how the hell do the Gym leaders travel their respective distances (from as far away as Cianwood City) to get inside the Fighting Dojo in the time it takes for you to hang up the Pokégear and go through the door ''from the tile directly in front of the door''?

* Well Black and White have more varied skin colours (probably from being somewhat based on American culture which is more racially sensitive and has nothing to do with the name) so that fixes that for the most part.
* In GSC/HGSS, the rival is a criminal, right? He steals things and kicks people. Why do I constantly let him just flounce off once all his Pokemon are unconscious, as opposed to knocking him out and taking his stolen starter back to Professor Elm?
** You're ten. I'd guess the rival is at least fifteen. He'd probably kick your ass in a fistfight. I would ''love'' to see Kotone beat him up, though.
*** Why would it have to be a fistfight? Some of my Pokemon are still fine. If, hypothetically, I've got an Oddish with Sleep Powder still standing, why can't I use that?
*** I always assumed that using a Pokémon to attack an actual person would be illegal. True, the rival is engaging in criminal activity too, but at ten years old, you're a little young to become a vigilante.
*** In HG/SS, Lance makes his Dragonite use [[NoKillLikeOverkill Hyper Beam]] on a person. ''And he survives.''
*** On the other hand, as soon as the player hears anything about Team Rocket s/he becomes a vigilante so fast you'd think it was hir lifelong ambition.
** You're '''not''' ten in HGSS. That's the anime and the anime alone. The only ages ever given in the games is Red being 11 years old in RBY.

* Why is Pikachu the Pokemon featured in every one of the intro panels for Viridian Forest in HG/SS? It's the rarest Pokémon to find in that place, a panel with Caterpie or Weedle would make more sense.
** It's [[strike:[[FanNickname God]]]][[SeriesMascot Pikachu]].
** You just answered your own question; rare Pokemon in the area appear on the intro panels, changing for the time of day ( ex: Quagsire appears on Mt Silver's panel in the morning, Larvitar appears on it at night).
* The redesign of the Violet City Gym in HG/SS bugs me. In GSC it looked like it was on ground level, but in the remake it's quite high up. Wouldn't that cause problems for any Trainer who happened to be terrified with heights? And I can't say Claire's Gym looks very safe, what with the fast moving platforms with no handrails or anything of the sort being the only thing stopping the protagonist from ''falling into lava!''
** ...you know these are videogames right? RuleOfCool trumphs people afraid of heights and safety over the lava.
** The original Violet Gym looks like a BottomlessPit. At least now, should you happen to fall, [[NightmareFuel you won't have to worry about never landing...]]

* In Heart Gold and Soul Silver, it's said that the Embedded Tower was built by people from Hoenn. How were they able to build a tower so high up into the sky, AND the bottom of the ocean? Never mind a place where Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza can all reside? I take it that it must have been like the Sky Pillar, that is before it was ravaged. Still not sure how those legendaries resided there. Also, do HG/SS take place after Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald after the Red and Blue Orbs have been used?
** Yes. Gen II is stated to take place three years after Gen I. Gen III is generally considered to have run concurrently with Gen I, since the remakes can contact Gen III without the need for a time machine.
* Karen, the Dark-type Elite Four member in G/S/C/HG/SS. Only three of her five Pokés are Dark-type, and when they had enough Dark types to fill up her team(Sneasel and Tyranitar) in GSC, it just seems weird to have two non-Dark types, especially at a time where Elite Four trainers kept to one type for battles(not counting second types) and now, they only have one other-typed Pokémon to "balance" out the team- not two.
** Actually, in the first two games it was much more common for Elite Four members to have Pokemon outside their speciality type (probably due to there being fewer Pokemon of certain types back then). Agatha is said to be a Ghost-type trainer but in fact all her Pokemon are poison-type, Lance has more flying-types than Dragons (true for both gen 1 and 2). Lorelei has Slowbro, Koga has Forretress, Bruno had his two Onix. So Karen isn't really much of an anomaly - it's only from Gen III onwards that Elite Four members really start using types exclusively. That said, I do find it odd that GSC had an Ice-type Gym and a Dark-type Elite Four member, and chose to not use the Dark/Ice Sneasel in either one of them.

* So why's everyone rejoicing about how the trainers in Gen V are teenagers and not children? Wasn't it actually the ''anime'' and the ''manga'' that said that 10-year-olds were able to become Pokémon trainers, and everyone else just assumed that the trainers were 10? Did I miss something in the manual where it says the protagonists were all 10?
** Red was said to be 10 or 11 or something in the manual, I believe.
*** That I would believe. I don't know if it was said about all gens - The Gen IV trainers (In D/P/Pt) Definitely look 10 years old.
*** Considering how much of a big deal that has been made about the Isshu trainers' ages, I think it would be safe to assume all previous protagonists were roughly the same age.
** First of all, Red is eleven (fourteen Post-{{Timeskip}}) and that's the only age we can go on. Next, the "Ten year olds become trainers" is an anime made rule. People were just happy to see older protagonists, and a DarkerAndEdgier plot.
** The place that stuff regarding age was said that the protagonists were "older than ever before" so it's safe to say everyone else is indeed younger.
*** Still though, for all we know, they could just mean "Oh, these guys are ''obviously'' fifteen to seventeen years old. I thought the trainers in Gen III looked thirteen to fifteen years old.
** I refuse to believe that any of the protagonists are only 11. I mean, ''[[OlderThanTheyLook look at them]]''!
*** I can believe the protagonists of Gen IV being eleven because they look pretty young. Gen III? They look 13-15. Gen II? 13-14. Heck for that matter I thought they looked thirteen in Gen V, too. Even then they're essentially a paper doll for you to interact with the world, so...does age even ''matter''? Maybe if you're thinking o what they are. (Because I can imagine some pretty surprising things the Gen IV Protagonists are going through if they're eleven.)
** They all look eleven. Puberty hits people in different ways, but they all look young compared to the older characters (Red, Green, Misty, Whitney, Courtney, Wes, etc)
*** Have you SEEN the [[http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/4/4d/PlayerCharactersGrouped.png official artwork]]? I'm a new poster here, but come ON, this is ridiculous. They (almost) all look like mid-teens!
** All that aside, they're not even the oldest player characters in the series. Everyone always seems to forget about [[http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/thumb/7/7d/Colosseum_Wes_3D.png/209px-Colosseum_Wes_3D.png Wes.]] At the very least, he's old enough to drive a motor vehicle, as evidenced by his [[http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/ArmedHibiki/DQ4AB/GC6E01-56.png awesome hover-cycle.]]

* Has anyone else noticed that when you fight Misty in the first game, she claims her strategy is all out offensive, yet in the battle she goes on the defensive, spamming Harden and X-Defend?
** Obviously a clever bluff so that you'll be ''expecting'' an all-out offensive, then be caught off guard when you don't get one. Misty is a tricky snake!
*** That doesn't seem too effective; the opposite (appearing meek but striking fast) would be better. However, there may be an socio-emotional component to this, (see the "tomboy" IJBM below).
* Something I noticed when playing Platinum. How is it possible for ''Dugtrio'' to learn ''slash''?! I mean, they're just three heads poking out from the ground!
** [[EldritchAbomination What]]ever is below ground, it obviously has claws.
** I'm pretty sure there's a similar question above, but... it's a mole(or three moles joined by the neck), so it has claws.
*** [[http://spookydoom.deviantart.com/art/Diglett-99614616 Diglett.]] Imagine 3 of those. Dugtrio with slash is justified.

* How tall is Red pre-timeskip (RGBY)? I've seen official artwork of him for gen-1, and he seems shorter then both Leaf and Misty.
** Well, if you're comparing gen-1!Red to Leaf, there's probably going to be some height differences due to the art styles. Other than that...there's not really a way of knowing, because the only confirmed heights are for the Gen IV trainers (And maybe the Gen V trainers? I don't know if your Pokédex gets upgraded to show heights later or anything.)
*** I'm comparing their Generation 1 designs to each other.
*** ...What picture of Leaf in generation 1 are you talking about?
*** It's probably the one that Green (or Blue in Japan) from Adventures is based on. Though Ken Sugimori has changed his style significantly since Gen 1, so you should probably base the comparisons on current artwork. Though girls do tend to be taller than guys at that age. But if you're going by Gen 1 art, it can be hard to tell because they're not standing right next to each other. But as we know, ArtistsAreNotArchitects.

* In Generation IV, most Pokemon are of the same gender as their trainers. The only exceptions are Pokemon that are more likely to be a certain gender, like Lucario. However, Bugsy, Commander Saturn and Will are all males with all female Pokemon. Why?
** Maybe for unexpected difficulty for people who make use of the Attract move?
** [[ViewerGenderConfusion Maybe Bugsy really ''is'' a girl?]]
*** No, he's just a little boy.
** With Bugsy, it's most likely because in the world of bugs, the one who actually get things done are the females.
*** Woah, dude, that's some serious FridgeBrilliance.
** All 3 of them are pretty androgynous.
** I'm more bugged by the fact that the even-gendered Pokemon all default the same way on the same team. I mean, they're [[AdultsAreUseless Gym Leaders]]! Surely, they know the [[TooDumbToLive tactical deficiencies]] inherent in CripplingOverspecialization!

** Because that doesn't actually work...[[DontExplainTheJoke or rather, using a controlled fire to burn down the path an uncontrolled fire would spread across to impede it]] doesn't translate very well to ElementalRockPaperScissors.

* So, in G4 Feint hit only if Protect/Detect was used and had BP of 50. Now it can hit anytime, but has BP of 30. Apparently, ''always''. If that's true, I wonder why wouldn't they do the thing they did with many other moves - increase power (back to 50) when hitting through Protect/Detect/Wide Guard/Quick Guard.[[note]]Yes, it hits through Quick Guard. Ironicall it's an increased priority move...[[/note]] Considering what things they have done, that should be pretty easy to implement.

* Why did team Magma/Aqua use the Blue/Red Orb to summon Groudon/Kyogre in Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire? YMMV but to me, you would summon a land spirit with a red orb, and a sea spirit with a blue orb, and not the other way around.
** Notice that they were pissed off when they awoke. Groudon and Kyogre were likely enraged into appearing due to their opposing element's presence. Heck, each may have thought that the other was somewhere near.
*** True, but irrelevant. I asked why Magma/Aqua thought it was a good idea, not why Game Freak did.
** We have a trope for this: PlotInducedStupidity. Who said team Magma and Team Aqua were ''smart''? Their plan is to expand the land or ocean to have more space for their Pokémon. Maxie tries to erupt a volcano that's ''nowhere near the ocean'', and Archie apparently doesn't think that maybe because there is land, that people would get overcrowded ''quickly'' if not die out in the floods?
*** Not to mention, you surely can't expect an evil organization which is ultimately brought down by a tween to be savvy. Also to be fair, the Pokemon world is a bit of an [[SmallSecludedWorld isolated universe]], so poor underderstanding of elemental color coding tropes is to be expected.
** Actually, if you take a closer look, the orbs ''do'' correspond with the right Pokémon: Groudon has the Blue Orb because it has (sometimes hard to see) BLUE TronLines all over its body, whereas Kyogre has RED TronLines that correspond with the Red Orb. So, it's simple to say that each orb was the color of its corresponding Pokémon's inner aura.

* In Pokemon Gold, why is no one at all concerned that a Pokemon thief is obviously going through populated areas while making no attempt to disguise himself? Is law enforcement really just that pathetic?
** [[PoliceAreUseless Yes.]]
** Other than the cops that battle you (and stay in only one spot) there are hardly any police at all in the Pokemon world. My guess is that Silver beat them in a battle and they just gave up.

* In HG/SS you can get water-dwelling Pokémon that can't walk, to "walk" with you. How does that work exactly? If I sent out my Lanturn on dry land, wouldn't it kind of desperately flop around while it slowly dehydrates? In fact, I've never understood the workings of ''battling'' with those Pokémon anywhere other than in water.
** That's a nice case of FridgeHorror right here. While I agree that it wouldn't work, I'm ready to suspend my disbelief for it.
** I think that those...whatever those console games where had water-type Pokémon magically floating. Who knows, maybe water-type Pokémon are different than real-world fish and can stay out of water for long periods of time.
** Maybe they're like [[Manga/OnePiece Fishmen]] and have both lungs and gills.
*** [[JokeCharacter Except Magikarp.]]
* Have there been any games that have been hacked to hell and back as much as Pokémon? I mean, in ''VideoGame/MarioKart Wii'', which I'm sure sees a significant overlap in players, no one has been able to figure out the formula for getting high grades for Mario Grand Prix, but it would seem like a piece of cake to people who hacked Pokémon and found every means of a Pokémon's acquiring moves, happiness, base stats, [=EVs=] and [=IV=]s, Dream World Abilities, and so forth. I know Pokémon lends itself to people taking the battling system apart due to its meticulous nature, but it feels like the only series that's been like this.

* This is something that has bugged me since Gen 1... Why is the player character not able to join the region's criminal organization? The closest we got was in Pokemon Colosseum, where Wes apparently quit his membership in Team Snagem shortly before we get to control him.