Things in the Pokémon world which just don't make sense (by pokémon standards)

[Pokemon Fan]

The issue there is that many gen 1 attacks did get corrected/updated later on (Gust for instance got changed from Normal to Flying). It's a bit odd that Razor Wind and Whirlwind got left out, but perhaps the developers did simply leave them out and at this point its tradition to have them be that type.

 

[NeedsAName]

The issue there is that many gen 1 attacks did get corrected/updated later on (Gust for instance got changed from Normal to Flying). It's a bit odd that Razor Wind and Whirlwind got left out, but perhaps the developers did simply leave them out and at this point its tradition to have them be that type.

Þere are a boatload of (mostly status) moves Þat sound like Þey should be oÞer types. Here's a list I made only skimming Þrough Þe list of all Normal-type moves

• Captivate should be Fairy
• Disable should be Psychic
• Dizzy Punch should be Fighting (but Þis is somewhat forgiveable since it used to be Kangaskhan's signature move)
• Fake Out should be Dark (It boÞ seems like a standard Dark-type attack, and 9 Dark-types learn it by level-up compared to 7 Normal-types)
• Hold Hands should be Fairy
• Lucky Chant should be Ghost or Psychic
• Morning Sun should be Fairy or Fire
• Perish Song should be Dark or Ghost
• Psych Up should be Psychic
• Sharpen should be Steel
• Smokescreen should be Fire

and, most obviously,

• Mind Reader should have been a gosh-diglett Psychic-type move

 

[Auraninja]

• Mind Reader should have been a gosh-diglett Psychic-type move

I don't think Mind Reader is literally reading minds. Most of it's flavor texts mention that the user is sensing the opponents movements.
I always pictured it more as an anticipation type move.

 

[Akashin]

I don't think Mind Reader is literally reading minds. Most of it's flavor texts mention that the user is sensing the opponents movements.
I always pictured it more as an anticipation type move.

This. I've always looked at Mind Reader and Detect as being offensive and defensive applications of the same base concept; sort of like One Piece's Observation Haki or DBZ's Ultra Instinct, in a way. It's about sensing and predicting movements rather than actually reading minds.

 

[Luthor]

Another one that comes to mind is Agility which is a psychic move. It doesn't strike me as a psychic type. I'd go with it as a normal move.

 

[MrJechgo]

Selfdestruct and Explosion not being Fire... considering the visual effects ^^;

 

[Bguy7]

Why all the starters have the same abilities (Torrent, Blaze and overgrow ) as their primary and then have that be such a rare ability for non starters(literally only the elemental monkeys). I get it for balance reasons but outside of that from an internal world logic for all these varied Pokemon to have the same primary abilities is an oddity.

An in-universe reason could have something to do with the fact that starter Pokémon are selected to be extremely specific types of Pokémon. There's a lot of thought that goes in by whatever the region's professor is as to what makes a good starter Pokémon. These professors must all agree on most, if not all, of the qualities that make a Pokémon a good candidate to be a starter. It would seem that the Pokémon that possess these qualities naturally tend to have those three abilities, as a side-effect from picking Pokémon that are so specific.

The alternate possibility is that ability is one of the criteria for picking starter candidates, for one reason or another.

 

[MrJechgo]

The starters' abilities could be more useful though, such as a 25% increase to Defense and Special Defense, y'know, to represent the Pokémon's resolve (or similar)

 

[Redbird]

One thing that makes no sense to me is when the games try to tell you that when you catch a Pokémon, you're "befriending" it. It was particularly goofy in XY when Team Flare had taken over the Pokéball factory, intending to steal all the Pokéballs, and NPCs would say "Without Pokéballs, people will be unable to befriend Pokémon!"

Really, Game Freak? That implies that Pokémon would never want to be friends with humans unless caught in Pokéballs, which in turn implies that the catching process brainwashes them into becoming one's friend.

 

[Luthor]

When you trade an Electrode for a Raichu and the trainer claims your Raichu evolved.

 

[MrJechgo]

When you trade an Electrode for a Raichu and the trainer claims your Raichu evolved.

IIRC, it's a mistranslation ^^;

 

[Luthor]

IIRC, it's a mistranslation ^^;

Oh yeah it is an error (I think because the pokemon traded changed), but within the game's world taken on face value it is an oddity.

 

[MrJechgo]

Oh yeah it is an error (I think because the pokemon traded changed), but within the game's world taken on face value it is an oddity.

You want a worse trade? Someone in Platinum is willing to trade you a Haunter for a Medicham, but the catch is that Haunter is holding an everstone... meaning that it doesn't evolve into Gengar. This is so much infuriating, especially after in Yellow, in which you could trade a Cubone for a Machoke, but which immediately evolves into Machamp upon receiving it. That 'mon, in Stadium 1, was a good thing for the Pika Cup.

 

[Luthor]

You want a worse trade? Someone in Platinum is willing to trade you a Haunter for a Medicham, but the catch is that Haunter is holding an everstone... meaning that it doesn't evolve into Gengar. This is so much infuriating, especially after in Yellow, in which you could trade a Cubone for a Machoke, but which immediately evolves into Machamp upon receiving it. That 'mon, in Stadium 1, was a good thing for the Pika Cup.

Oh that yeah that trade is for me the worst in-game trade they ever did. Even your Gyarados for a Magikarp was a better deal.

 

[MrJechgo]

In the anime, there should have been more instances of Psychic-type being able to communicate normally with humans via telepathy. In game, this should be illustrated by text boxes for certain Pokémon that might act as special NPCs. Maybe even Ghost-type should be able to do this... and this could have led to the mother Marowak in the Lavender Tower to speak its distress. For instance, Mewtwo, Lugia and Jirachi are Psychic-type who can talk to humans... but I really doubt that you need a Legendary level of brain power to do so. While I don't want ALL such Pokémon to do so, maybe once in while a very specifically trained Pokémon could talk.

 

[NeedsAName]

In the anime, there should have been more instances of Psychic-type being able to communicate normally with humans via telepathy. In game, this should be illustrated by text boxes for certain Pokémon that might act as special NPCs. Maybe even Ghost-type should be able to do this... and this could have led to the mother Marowak in the Lavender Tower to speak its distress. For instance, Mewtwo, Lugia and Jirachi are Psychic-type who can talk to humans... but I really doubt that you need a Legendary level of brain power to do so. While I don't want ALL such Pokémon to do so, maybe once in while a very specifically trained Pokémon could talk.

Þe Gen 7 games played around quite a bit wiÞ Pokémon saying a few words, like Þe Mimikyu Þat says "Me... me curse you", alÞough Þat particular example is just pretty close to its name. Rotom also talks a lot using Þe Pokédex and an Oranguru says to "Gu do it".

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

Þe Gen 7 games played around quite a bit wiÞ Pokémon saying a few words, like Þe Mimikyu Þat says "Me... me curse you", alÞough Þat particular example is just pretty close to its name. Rotom also talks a lot using Þe Pokédex and an Oranguru says to "Gu do it".

The Murkrow in the Mahogany Town TR headquarters says a full sentence in Gen II and imitates Executive Archer’s voice for the password quest. The Marowak Ghost also talked as it tells you to go away when you’re in the Pokémon Tower without the Silph Scope and near the stairs where you meet it.

 

[TwilightBlade]

The Murkrow in the Mahogany Town TR headquarters says a full sentence in Gen II and imitates Executive Archer’s voice for the password quest. The Marowak Ghost also talked as it tells you to go away when you’re in the Pokémon Tower without the Silph Scope and near the stairs where you meet it.

I don't think the Murkrow should count as a talking Pokemon because wasn't it just repeating the words it had heard like a parrot? There's a difference between copying sounds and actually understanding a language and speaking it.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I don't think the Murkrow should count as a talking Pokemon because wasn't it just repeating the words it had heard like a parrot? There's a difference between copying sounds and actually understanding a language and speaking it.

Well the Murkrow seemed to know the significance of the passcode especially in HGSS since it actually ran up to the speaker and shouted the passcode in an imitated voice of Petrel. Murkrow have also been stated in a few different Dex entries to be pretty intelligent so it would not be too hard to believe that this one knew exactly what the Petrel Passcode was used for and where to use it. Remember this Murkrow was actually facing the speaker for the generator room when it said the passcode.

 

[RedBlastoise]

On the subject of talking Pokemon you know what doesn't make sense? How Team Rocket's Meowth in the show learned to talk with a Brooklyn accent even though none of the characters that he overheard at the dance studio talked that way.