As some of you may already know, Pokémon is a game with a lot of holes in it. Naturally, when people see an incredible world with a fantastic story but a few minor plot holes they fill those holes in themselves. As a species, we’ve been doing it for a pretty long time; it’s basically how the entire Greek and Viking pantheons were made.
Pokémon is no exception. In the mad dash to pump out yet another game cartridge, sometimes game designers don’t put as much thought into the story as they maybe should. And that’s OK! ‘Cause we’re here to help. I, of course, speak of the old internet standby: conspiracy theories.
If there’s one game universe that loves a good conspiracy theory, it’s Pokémon. There are dozens of fan-made theories for all the inexplicable contrivances the world has to offer, from why the player never seems to have a father, to why Ash never seems to age in the anime. The one thing they have in common is that they’re all just crazy enough to be true. Here are 20 Pokémon Conspiracy Theories that all true Pokémon masters should know about.
20 Why You Can Never Find Starters In The Wild
This one explains why you can never seem to find any of the starting Pokémon in your travels. Other than to artificially create scarcity and encourage your trainers to keep the first Pokémon they’re given.
Long ago (perhaps shortly after the nuclear war) starter Pokémon like Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Totodile were actually very common, and quickly became sought after companions for the many survivors due to their intelligence and aforementioned magic powers. Pretty soon they became too popular, with people hunting them to near extinction.
By the time Pokémon Red/Blue roll around, they’re virtually impossible to find anywhere except in controlled breeding programs only available to Pokémon scientists like Professor Oak.
19 Items Found In the Wild Are Leftover Remains From Devoured Trainers
While people may be safe from the predations of other people (except from Team Rocket of course), they’re certainly not safe from predation by Pokémon. Many Pokédex entries go on at length how fearsome and deadly these little creatures can be, and every Pokémon game begins with an explanation of how dangerous going into tall grass without your own Pokémon bodyguard can be.
Sometimes a Pokémon as protector isn’t enough, and a wild Pokémon will kill and eat both trainer and defender, leaving valuable items behind.
It’s certainly a better explanation than a world filled to the brim with forgetful and clumsy trainers that have Pokéballs falling out of their packs every few steps.
18 Humans ARE POKéMON
If the whole nuclear war explanation for Pokémon’s existence doesn’t tickle your fancy, then maybe this is the conspiracy theory for you.
Rather famously the world of Pokémon is populated by humans and Pokémon and nothing else. There aren’t any regular animals, birds, or fish to be found. Why would the world have only Pokémon and humans in it? Unless humanity is actually just another species of Pokémon that don’t happen to evolve. That we know of.
The theory actually goes on to tie in Dragon Ball Z and say that Saiyans are actually evolved versions of humans. It kinda goes a little off the rails there.
17 The Munna Time Paradox
In the original games, you’d eventually come across a hiker near a cave that says Pokémon should be pink and have a floral pattern. Over a decade later and Munna appears in Black and White with a pink paint job and a distinctly floral motif.
One could argue that game designers from the future were fans of the original series (naturally) and they decided to throw in a call-back to the earlier games in the series by finally granting this nameless hiker’s wishes. Or it could be that she was a time traveler sent from the future, and her original complaint was to point out how plain ancient Pokémon looked to her futuristic sensibilities.
16 Why Abras Always Teleport
One of the most frustrating Pokémon to capture has always been Abra, owing to the fact he only knows one move: Teleport. This means a trainer must always capture him with one ball or else he’ll teleport away as soon as you let him.
One theory suggests that Abras are actually highly intelligent Pokémon and know that humanity is only out to enslave them in a life of blood sport. We know that their evolution, Alakazam, can have an IQ of 5000, so it’s safe to say that their pre-evolution form has at least enough intelligence to know that people are bad news and to flee as soon as they see one.
Knowing why doesn’t make it any easier to catch one of the little bastards.
15 Everyone Becomes a Ghost. Everyone.
The Pokémon world can get really creepy. Perhaps creepiest of all is the Yanmask Pokédex entry that says all Yanmask are actually former humans that resurrect as Pokémon after they die but still holding their living faces as reminders of the humanity they once had. Duskull tells a similar tale, in that children who die become Duskull who then haunt living children who behave poorly.
Many legends in the series say that Ghost type Pokémon are deceased regular ones that simply cannot move on to the afterlife. Or maybe this is just a result of their radioactive bodies decaying and becoming incorporeal. Who can really say? Whatever the true nature of the afterlife, you can’t argue that turning into a Pokémon is one scary fate.
14 The Pokédex Is Totally Wrong And Just There To Humour You
Another theory suggests the whole reason Mommy wants you out of the house is because school isn’t really a thing (yet), and you really need something to do.
It’s absurd to think that a child can be sent out without any training to perform scientific fieldwork, so the Pokédex you’re given at the very beginning of the game is actually an elaborate ruse to just keep you out of the house. It also explains why some of the Pokédex entries have some outlandish claims like Machamp can land 1000 punches in two seconds, or that the mass and volume of Wailord actually makes it lighter than air.
The only question remaining is why your mom wants you out of the house so badly.
13 Black And White's Desert Are Because Of 9/11
We know that most Pokémon games are actually based off of real locations, like how Sinnoh is based off Hokkaido, Japan, and how Alola region is based off Hawaii.
Black and White followed the trend with their Unova region, which was based on New York City. The game was developed after the 9/11 attacks, and there’s some thought that the location of the former Twin Towers played a role in the location of the Desert Resort.
The locations don’t exactly match up, as the Towers were located on the northern edge of Manhattan and not in the middle of it, but there’s some evidence to support the theory. In the games, there is quite a bit of construction going on to build the place up, and the existence of a wasteland in the middle of New York seems to reflect the devastation after the attacks.
12 Ash Is A Clone Theory
The star of the anime series, Ash famously never seems to age despite the fact he’s been questing to become a Pokémon master for over 2 decades. Some theories state that Ash is actually in a coma and that everything in the show is really a dream, but I’ve got an even darker theory for you.
It goes that Ash actually died in the first episode of the anime when he gets struck by lightning. Professor Oak and his mother are so upset they decided to clone him, a technology known to exist due to the backstory of Mewtwo. The clone only lasts one year, explaining why he never seems to age and why he always seems to forget the events of previous seasons.
11 The Ghost Girl In X & Y
This one requires a brief explanation since not everyone will know about her. In Pokémon X & Y if you go into a certain building in Lumiose City and then go to the second floor, the music will cut, the screen flashes dark, and a Hex Maniac will appear behind you and seemingly float forward. Then she’ll say, “No, you’re not the one…” before floating away.
Then she appears again in Omega Red and Alpha Sapphire in the cemetery.
But who could she be? One theory suggests she is actually Az’s mother resurrected after the successful revival of his beloved Floette, endlessly searching for her son. Others suggest she was supposed to be a tie-in for Hoopa, a legendary Pokémon released shortly after Omega Red and Alpha Sapphire were. Still, others suggest she’s the ghost of the abandoned Skiddos outside Lumiose Station.
Any way you cut it, she’s one creepy lady.
10 Brock Is A Gorgon
Ever notice that Brock is a little squintier than a bad Asian stereotype reasonably should be? There’s a reason for that.
A slightly more mythological fan theory has Brock as a Gorgon, like the Medusa from Greek mythology. A single glance from him could turn anyone he looks at to stone! It also explains why Brock became a rock trainer - they’re already made of stone.
There’s even a horribly depressing backstory to this one which explains why Brock can never land a girlfriend. He had one once, long ago, and they were engaged to be married, until on their wedding day he opened his eyes and turned his one true love to stone. Ever since then he’s had a borderline anxiety disorder around women, which is kinda understandable given the circumstance.
9 Mimikyu Is Actually Another Pokemon In Disguise
Mimikyu already has a pretty heart-wrenching Pokédex entry - it wears the disguise of a more popular Pokémon since it’s so lonely, but also so that it doesn’t end up killing everyone around it. Apparently, an unclothed Mimikyu is so terrifying that Pokémon and people alike drop dead from one look at it.
However, Mimikyu’s design seems to be comprised of some familiar household items and a Shroomish, a Pokémon introduced in Gen III.
Other theories out there suggest that Mimikyu may be trying to mimic a Pikachu but is actually more closely related to Dedenne, another Pikachu clone introduced in X and Y. The argument here is that the height and weight more closely match Dedenne, and Dedenne was already a Pikachu clone in life so goes into death still wishing it could be the Pokémon poster child.
8 Pokémon Evolution Originally Looked Very Different
The original 150 Pokémon seemed to have a lot of similarities. Some might say a little too similar.
We take the case of Cloyster and Gengar. It begins life as a Shellder before evolving into Cloyster. Note the spherical, dark ball that makes up the core of Cloyster. Then it dies, becomes Gastly, which then evolves into Haunter, and then finally Gengar, perhaps being a 5 step evolution.
It’s not entirely out there. Both Gastly and Shellder learn Lick, and both evolutions have a distinctly ominous grin and spiky silhouette. Other possible original evolutions are Sharpedo and Garchomp, with their distinctive markings and similar colors, or Butterfree originally evolving from Venonat with their much more similar features. It’s entirely possible the game designers decided to go in a different direction at some point in the process and what we see are relics of a path not taken.
7 Codename Looker Is Based Off Dr. Who
Fans of Pokémon Platinum may remember Agent Looker, the International Police Officer investigating Team Galactic. He didn’t really help out much, but he’d show up occasionally to congratulate you on a job well done before going back under cover.
There are quite a few similarities between our international man of mystery and another famous intergalactic hero, the tenth Dr. Who. Notice the similar hairstyles, the nearly identical outfit, and that they’re both trying to stop people from messing with the space/time continuum.
It goes even deeper. Both abhor using violence to solve their problems, and Looker’s Croagunk has the same color scheme as the Tardis. Coincidence? I think not.
6 N Is Actually A Zoroark
Let’s break this one down. Zoroark as mischievous Pokémon known to possess fantastic powers of illusion and are able to mimic virtually any living creature. Legends described in Pokémon X and Y reveal that powerful Zoroark can even fool humans into thinking they’re people, going as far as speaking their language.
N is said to have been raised by Pokémon in the wild to the point where he even understands a Pokémon’s grunts and growls as speech, which is cool, but it’s a bit of a stretch to say he IS a Pokémon just because he understands them.
But then, in the events of X and Y, a Zoroark is seen running in the ruins of N’s castle. If you follow him, you eventually find N in the next room with nary a Zoroark in sight. And in the anime, he jumps in front of Axew and Pikachu and takes the full brunt of a Shadow Ball attack, something that would leave any Pokémon in tatters, but N emerges from the smoke unscathed. That would never happen… unless he was a Dark type Pokémon which takes no damage from Ghost moves.
Cue spooky music.
5 Ditto Are All Failed Mew Clones
If you think about it for a second, the original Pokémon games were pretty scary. You had international gangs trying to steal everyone’s Pokémon, you people and Pokémon all dying and becoming ghosts in Lavender town, and you had secret genetic experiments to make the ultimate Pokémon weapon.
Mewtwo is known to have been created from the genetics of Mew, a Pokémon not known to have existed on planet Earth. He was created in the Pokémon Mansion, which is also where you find a bunch of Dittos. The theory goes that all those Dittos are actually the genetic castoffs of the mad research done to create Mewtwo.
Sounds far fetched until you realize that both Mew and Ditto can learn Transform - the only two Pokémon to ever learn the move.
4 You Murder Blue’s Raticate
As far as conspiracy theories go, this one gets pretty dark. In the original Red and Blue, your rival begins the game with a Rattata that becomes a Raticate, and then he mysteriously loses that Raticate when you battle him in Lavender town.
Now, it could be that he simply replaced his Raticate with something a little more potent, which is what you as the player probably have already done. But there’s a more sinister explanation for why he doesn’t have it anymore.
The theory suggests you actually kill your rival’s Raticate on the S.S Anne where you last fought, and since he was stuck on a boat he couldn’t get to a Pokécenter in time to save him. He then goes to Lavender town to bury his dead Raticate, where he meets you and demands a grudge match.
3 Cubones, Kangaskhan, And The Many Theories Between The Tw
Remember when I said there were a lot of similarities between some first generation Pokémon? Well, Cubone, Marowak, and Kangaskhan are so similar that it almost seems impossible they’re not related. So there are a ton of theories surrounding them.
First off is a theory that says Cubones are actually baby Kangaskhan that have lost their mothers, and that Marowak are just Kangaskhan teenagers without a role model. You can see the similarities in design, and the theory doesn’t sound that far fetched.
Other theories state that Cubones actually hunt Kangaskhan, and that skull they wear may have originally belonged to their mother, but it wasn’t a Marowak skull - it was a Kangaskhan skull. Cubones also learn Boomerang, a tool used by Australian natives to hunt and kill Kangaroos.
2 The Daycare People Know EXACTLY Where The Eggs Are Coming From
C’mon. A couple of old-timers don’t know where eggs come from? Please. They know EXACTLY where those eggs are coming from. They just don’t want to have an awkward conversation when a 10-year-old.
Which, hey, I can’t blame them for. That’s really something a kid’s mommy and daddy should explain around that age. But surprise! Mommy wants kiddo out of the house so she can do mommy things. Maybe even make a few eggs of her own.
Wow, suddenly this theory wraps up both the humanity are Pokémon and why Mom wants you out of the house into one. And you know what they say - two improbable theories that neatly explain something else have to be true. Or something.
1 Pokémon Is A Post Nuclear War Apocalypse Utopia
Did you ever think it was odd that mothers all over the world would let their 10-year-old kids wander around and catch dangerous critters? Or why there seems to be no government? Or why there are little magic monsters in the first place? One theory suggests the whole reason the Pokémon universe exists is because of a long-past nuclear war.
Hundreds, possibly thousands of years ago, a nuclear war ravaged the planet. Those that survived were educated upper-class people that all managed to pile into limited fallout shelters, leaving behind all the criminals and undesirables. All that was left was a population that couldn’t imagine doing anything illegal, so those left to repopulate the planet would never harm a child.
As for Pokémon themselves, they’re all mutated versions of animals that managed to survive. In this case, the comic book convention of radiation = magic powers is very much at play here.