It has been a great two decades for the Pokémon franchise. When the series came to America, I was barely a junior high student with dreams as high as the cloud. Now, I am an old man and still, the series remains fresh and one of the most popular franchises in the world. Not counting the Mega Evolutions and Alola variants, there are 802 different species of Pokémon. If the franchise maintains its popularity, there will be even more in the near future.

After Pokémon Go was released nearly a year ago, I rewatched and replayed all of the Pokémon titles from my childhood. That was one great summer filled with nostalgia and good times. Nothing like walking in the park in the middle of the night, trying to catch Pokémon.

Through the many generations, there are probably a lot of things that fans overlooked or just forgot. It is impossible to remember all of them, to be quite honest. Thankfully, the internet has supplied us with all of the wonderful Pokémon trivia that we can impress our friends with. Here are 20 different facts, trivia, and secrets that are often forgotten or overlooked. Please be sure to go on our social media to mention some more. Enjoy!

20 Remember Faraway Island

via deviantart (Tiffany-Tees)

The only known habitat of the legendary Mew, Faraway Island is only visitable in Pokémon Emerald. However, it was actually first mentioned in the Pokémon Mansion Journals left in the destroyed mansion on Cinnabar island in Generation I. Pieces of the manuscript can be discovered littered all over the abandoned mansion filled with burglars, Growlithes, and many other Poison-type Pokémon. The Guyanese jungle where Mew is discovered is actually Faraway Island. This was further bolstered by a signpost in Pokémon Emerald where a signpost contains a signature containing “Ji”, which is most likely a nickname for Mr. Fuji, who used to live in Cinnabar Island when he founded the Pokémon Lab.

19 A Creeping Feeling Of Doom

via pinterest.com

What if you woke up tomorrow morning and mysteriously turned into your favorite Pokémon? Pretty cool, right? Probably, not, though. This is actually the backstory of the Pokémon named Kadabra, the evolved form of Abra. In the entry in Emerald, it was written that “a boy with psychic abilities suddenly transformers into Kadabra while he was assisting research into extrasensory powers.” In FireRed, the entry said “one morning, a boy with extrasensory powers awoke in bed transformed into Kadabra. Though it is common for Pokémon creators to write up interesting theories through Pokédex entries, this description of Kadabra is probably one of the more disturbing ones.

18 Zombie Shrooms

via aminoapps

Sure, there are Ghost-types, Dark-types, and even some crazy specters Pokémon throughout this run of this popular franchise. Should we really be surprised that there is a Walking Dead Pokémon even as early as in Generation I? Though it is believed that Parasect is a parasitic insect Pokémon, the actual parasite is actually the mushroom-like fungus that is on its back. The insect has actually been drained of nutrients and under the control of the mushroom, known in Japan as a tochukaso or caterpillar fungus. Likely, the insect is merely a zombie doing the bidding of a sentient mushroom. The mushrooms actually command Paras and Parasect species to drain nutrients from tree roots. Poor Paras never saw this coming. They should be known as a Zombie Pokémon rather than a Mushroom one.

17 Origins Of Munna

via aminoapps.com

Though introduced in Generation IV, Munna was actually first mentioned in Generation I. Don't believe me? A female trainer in front of the Rock Tunnel utters a description that mirrors the appearance of Munna: “The Pokémon are so chunky! There should be a pink one with a floral pattern!” It was likely that Munna wasn't planned this early in the series, but it is very interesting to find this unintended Easter Egg with a harmless comment growing into something more. Could it be that a keen designer remembered this forgettable dialogue and turned it into a floral patterned Pokémon? Nothing like a small idea turning morphing into a bigger plot point.

16 The Electric Protein

via Lakako.com

Pikachu is the first Pokémon to have a scientific discovery to be named after it. Pikachurin is a retinal protein that was first recorded in 2008 by Shigeru Sato. The protein is named after Pikachu due to its nimble movement. Pikachurin aids in visual acuity, or the clarity of someone's eyesight. Thus, the usage of Pikachurin can help in the treatment of eye disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that causes severe visual impairment. In case you were wondering if there are other video game characters that have a protein named after it, please know that there is a human-based protein called Sonic Hedgehog, after Sega's wonderful mascot. Yes, scientists are the biggest geeks in the world.

15 Who Needs Wings?

via youtube (PlayRoughh)

Gamers probably never understood why a wingless bird like Doduo can use HM Fly. Similar to its real-world counterpart, the ostrich, Doduo and its evolution Dodrio look like they are land-based birds that lack the ability for flight. However, it actually can. Because you never really see this in the original series of games on the Game Boy, it is assumed this was just another misstep by GameFreak. In Pokémon Stadium, the creators actually made up a graphical sequence of how Doduo can indeed fly. For some inexplicable reason, whenever a Doduo uses Fly, it magically floats up into the air, almost like some sort of witchcraft. Though there are many fan-made explanations for this, most of them being more humorous than feasible, the official word from the series and Pokédex entries recognize these wingless birds are capable of flight. I'm assuming that it is able to run fast enough to generate enough lift to glide in the air. Hmm. Let's not apply real-world logic to Pokémon.

14 Whale Of A Diglett

via rebrn.com

Probably one of the more disturbing facts in the Pokémon series is that a giant-sized Wailord can actually breed with a Diglett. This has actually led to many witty artists on the internet making hilarious drawings and Memes elaborating on this topic, and most of the time it is not very pretty. Introduced in Generation III, Wailord is a huge species of Pokémon that evolves from the much smaller Wailmer, which is still much bigger than a Diglett or Dugtrio. Indeed, it is possible for trainers and breeders to breed a Diglett with an enormous Wailord. Animal Planet has never covered anything like this before.

13 Ditto Is Mew 1.5

via deviantart (Heiach)

Ditto and Mew are both pink and rather rare Pokémon that share the same weight and other interesting traits. Though not officially proven, the relationship of Mew and Ditto is probably more than just skin deep. Indeed, they are the only two Pokémon to be able to learn Transform, but Mew is capable of learning every move while possessing all Pokémon DNA. Yet, Ditto does seem rather similar to Mew. It has been proven that scientists in the Pokémon universe attempted to recreate and clone Mew on many different occasions with numerous failed results. Their most successful and fearsome creation is the powerful and horrific Mewtwo, the star of several films over the run of Pokémon. Thus, it is very possible Ditto is one of the failed subjects, ending up in a blobby version of Mew. In Pokémon Yellow, Ditto is found at Pokémon Mansion, the same place where manuscripts of Mewtwo and the Mew cloning experiment could be read. Though this might one of those unexplained plot points, it remains one of my favorite secrets.

12 Giovanni's Persian Is Special

via pokemon wikia

Giovanni of Team Rocket does love rare Pokémon. So, is it kind of odd that his favorite pet is actually a rather pedestrian Persian? I would think not. The shiny version of Persian looks rather similar to the regular incarnation except it has a pinkish tint to its ears. In the anime, Giovanni's Persian actually has this same pinkish tint to its ears, much like the shiny types in the game. Though fans claim that it is probably an exaggeration or an animation mistake, it is very likely that his Persian is special. Since the Shiny attribute is introduced in Generation II, after Persian's appearance, it is possible that it was not an official plan by the creators. It could be that it is a variant, much like how Puka, the surfing Pikachu, looks so different than Ash's Pikachu.

11 Orphaned

via thefactsite

Will GameFreak just admit that a Cubone is a Kangaskhan baby wearing the skull of its deceased mother? Then all of these CreepyPasta theories will become real and canon. Since being introduced in Generation I, Cubone's backstory has been quite a mystery. In the original games, the spirit of a murdered Marowak haunts Pokémon Tower. This storyline was also revisited in the Pokémon Origins anime. In the Pokédex, it reads that each Cubone “wears the skull of its deceased mother.” A Cubone does look oddly similar to a baby Kangaskhan with a skull helmet. So, it is more than likely that Cubone was birthed from a Kangaskhan that later died. What about Marowak, then? It could be that Cubones are only created when their mothers die before they could grow up into adult Kangaskhans.

10 Exterminator

via youtube (MrUnusualGaming)

Though the series tries not to mention the presence of death in the Pokémon universe, Pokémon can die, especially when your player finally reaches Lavender Town in Generation I. What exactly happens to your Rival's Raticate that he consistently torments you with in battle? Is Gary's Raticate dead? The final time you see Raticate is aboard the S.S. Anne (St. Anne in the anime). By the time you reach Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, Gary's Raticate is missing from his active party. He does have an available slot, where the Raticate should be. Why would he not even use it? This is due to his Raticate passing away before that encounter. This is also the reason why Gary visits Pokémon Tower, as it is a cemetery for dead Pokémon. No wonder, he hates your guts.

9 Splash Or Hop

via complex

Have you ever wondered why Splash is considered a Normal-type move rather than a Water-type? Because this move is commonly linked to Magikarp, a Pokémon that flops helplessly on its side, a lot of Western audiences never realized that it was not actually not supposed to be Splash. This is probably due to a localization error, as Splash was originally named Hop in the original Japanese release. After Generation I, the move was no longer a signature move of Magikarp, but able to be used by other Pokémon such as Hoppip and Wailmer. The next time one of your friend tries to bring up how Splash is not a Water move, make sure to mention how it is supposed to be Hop and drop the mic.

8 Gender Studies

via pokemonbyreview

The idea of genders was formally introduced in Generation II and determined by Attack IV. Therefore, it is impossible for a female of a species to have a high Attack stat unless it belongs to a species that is exclusively female, such as Chansey or Jynx. Because of this, the females of a species will always be a weaker attacker than the males. Of course, this gaming mechanic was modified in subsequent generations, so it is actually possible to obtain a strong Pokémon that disregards the gender bias programming in Generation II.

7 Shadow Of A Fairy

via deviantart (Cilerba)

This is a popular topic on various conspiracy theories threads involving Pokémon. It is widely believed that Gengar is the shadow ghost equivalent of Clefable, due to their similar appearance. Upon closer inspection, they do look oddly similar. We know Clefairy was going to be one of the franchise mascots, so having its shadow turn out to be Gengar would have been a cool bit of characterization. Because they are on opposing sides of typing, Gengar and Clefable can never harm each other from their primary type attacks due to immunities, rendering STAB attacks obsolete. Because the death of Pokémon is a rarely elaborated upon except for several fleeting moments in the animation or the games, this idea was never fully claimed by the creators, but we are all too keen to not figure this out on our own.

6 Unique To The Core

Via bulbagarden.net and narvii.com

Every generation of the series has their interesting new additions to the Pokédex, including several ones who oddly look similar to the series mascot, Pikachu. Introduced in Generation III, Spinda is a strange looking Pokémon that looks like a mixture of a panda and a rabbit that also looks like a Pikachu. The most interesting attribute of this character is the fact that every Spinda has different spot patterns, almost like a fingerprint on a human. Developers actually programmed the games to have nearly 4 billion different spot patterns available for the Pokémon. It is likely that we will never find two Spindas with the same spots, but this isn't probably going to stop some people from trying.

5 Transgender Mouse

via wikidex

The interesting dynamic of genders existed in Generation I, but wasn't truly elaborated upon until breeding was introduced to the series. Thus, it wasn't until the third generations of the series that we were introduced to the first gender-changing Pokémon. Released in Generation III, Azurill is one of two baby Pokémon released for the generation and the only Pokémon that can change its gender from a female to a male when evolved into a Marill. This is probably due to the idea that an Azurill female outnumbers males nearly three to one, yet Marill and Azumarill have an even gender ratio. Interestingly enough, unlike its subsequent evolutions, Azurill is actually not a Water-type, rather a Normal-type that gains a second typing of Fairy in the later generations.

4 Game Of Cat And Mouse

via youtube (Jonathan Linares)

Nothing like a game of cat and mouse. Like famous pairings in animated history such as Tom and Jerry, Meowth and Pikachu were created to be nemesis from the beginning. In the animated series, Pikachu is the protagonist's main Pokémon, while Meowth is the main Pokémon of their enemies, Jessie and James from Team Rocket. Even in the Pokédex, their relationship is also mirrored with Pikachu holding the numbering of 25 and Meowth being the reverse number of 52. Prior to Generation II, they both only held one evolution that were less popular than its base forms. Now, if Meowth could only get the better of Pikachu one of these days.

3 Pokérus

via reddit

It is a strange idea to think that a virus could actually make you stronger, rather than make you ill, but that is exactly what the Pokérus actually does. Introduced in Generation II, the Pokérus is a microscopic virus that doubles the EV, effort values, from battling. The infected Pokémon is able to pass on the virus to other Pokémon, in the best form of contagious diseases ever conceived. Unlike other status ailments, Pokérus cannot be cured at Pokémon Centers nor with healing items. Time has to just run out on the timer in order for the Pokémon to return to normal. Once cured, the Pokémon becomes immune to the virus in the future. Because the effects of the virus are beneficial, the keeping of infected Pokémon in the PC is actually a tactical move within the game's meta. Oh, if only all diseases could make you the Incredible Hulk.

2 Blackout Explained

via knowyourmeme

Unlike other role-playing titles, Game Overs and deaths in the Pokémon games are handled differently. Instead, a defeated team will force the player to blackout or whiteout and wake up at the last Pokémon Center visited. Do you really blackout when you lose? No, you actually don't. In Generation III, there is a cutscene that explains that the protagonist is rushing the injured Pokémon back to the Pokémon Center. The cutscene places a feasible explanation to this rather strange game dynamic. This makes much more sense than actually fainting and waking up in a hospital. That wouldn't happen, anyway, unless you were the actual Pokémon. It is better not to look too much into this.

1 Ultimate Typing

via pokemon wikia

If a Pokémon is typed with every available type, 18 types so far, it would actually only hold a weakness to Rock-type attacks. It would be immune to Normal, Ghost, Psychic, Poison, Ground, Electric, Dragon, and Fighting attacks, while resisting Bug, Grass, Dark, and Steel attacks. The only types that can damage it regularly are Water, Ice, Fairy, Flying, and Fire. Though it would seem that this would be an amazing defensive Pokémon, its offensive potential would be maximized, as well, due to its ability to have STAB attacks in every move it has. Amazing, right?