When we think of Pokémon we tend to think of the adventures of Ash and Pikachu as they try hard to complete every quest on their long journey to becoming the best Pokémon trainer and the strongest Pokémon respectively. We think of Brock and Misty and all of Ash's other friends, and, of course, we think of Team Rocket and their antics to steal all of Ash's Pokémon, especially Pikachu. Even though this tends to be the case there is a lot of the Pokémon universe that goes unexplored, and there are a lot of things that are not questioned and things that would seem pretty dark on the surface tend to be overlooked because of everything that is going on at the time.
There's no doubt that Pokémon itself has staked its claim as one of the best franchises every created. Still, there are things about the Pokémon universe that will have you scratching your head and asking yourself just what is wrong with the people in it and why are they so obsessed with capturing and bringing their Pokémon to battle against other trainers. What is it inside the Pokémon universe that drives everyone with a pulse to try to be the best in either the battling of Pokémon or the research of their history. Better yet, why is everyone so tight lipped about what happened to so many parents that don't seem to exists inside the Pokémon universe any longer?
25 There Is A Lot Of Organized Crime That Goes Unchecked
When you think about Pokémon you probably don’t think about organized crime, but the fact of the matter is that the Pokémon universe is filled with it. From Team Rocket to the many other splinter organizations that will stop at nothing to steal your Pokemon it seems that in the Pokémon Universe crime must pay.
As if the existence of Team Rocket wasn’t bad enough you also have many different crime families that control everything in the Pokémon universe from Pokemon Gyms to Pokémon centers. There is a police force in the Pokémon world, but it’s strange to see that the Crime families still hold so much power. It’s almost as if the police force is in their back pocket as well. After all it’s not the police force, but Ash that puts a stop to them. It is he who has to put a stop to Giovanni's plans.
24 Pokémon And People Are Closer Then You Think...
Where Pokémon came from is a mystery to everyone in the Pokémon universe including the brilliant Professor Oak. Oak sends Ash and others on quests to discover all the Pokémon they can and record any and all experiences they have with them. He then wants all of the trainers to share that information with him so that he can better understand the Pokémon and their origins.
So, what indicates that they were maybe at one time people? Well, if you dig far enough and read some of the descriptions of various Pokémon you will find that there are a few Pokémon who once were people, but changed into Pokémon. There is even a story about a child who was turned into a Kadabra. You can find this story in the Pokedex which states about this event "It happened one morning - a boy with extrasensory powers awoke in bed transformed into Kadabra". Additionally, there is a Pokemon called Yamask which carries around a mask that depicts what it's human face looked like.
23 There Was A Glitch That Allowed You To Catch Mew
You might have heard stories like I did that there was a way to catch Mew in the Pokémon Red or Pokémon Blue games. My brother and I tried and failed to find Mew and we even attempted to move the truck which was supposed to lead you to Mew. We weren’t the only ones who really wanted Mew and thanks to some incredible digging by a group of programs who wanted the same we might finally know the truth.
Through their expert digging and looking at the code inside the games these programs were able to find a line of code that opened them up to a glitch in the game. This particular glitch would give you the ability to catch Mew like you have always wanted to.
22 The Tortured Creature...
This one is a little on the fringe, but I have always wondered what the true origins of Ditto were. While it may seem weird to hear about cloning in the Pokémon universe it’s clear that a lot of experimentation with Pokemon was going on throughout the series. For these reasons it’s not really out of the realm of possibility that Ditto is the direct result of a cloning gone wrong. After all the prehistoric Pokémon were brought back through similar means by scientists.
The story of Ditto goes that scientists found a Mew that they wanted to then clone to have more. The problem was that the experiment failed for various reasons and Ditto was the result of that failure. If it seems to far out there for you to believe consider that Ditto and Mew are the only Pokémon who can completely copy their opponents moves as if they were that Pokémon.
21 Pokémon And A Post War World
It was always strange to me that the Pokémon universe had a large absence of parents for all the characters and in particular father figures. Ash doesn’t have a father and Gary has neither a father or a mother to speak of and no one seems to know or want to say what happened to them. We do get a little bit of a hint though thanks to the Gym Leader Lt. Surge.
In the dialog between Lt Surge and Ash Surge states that many electric Pokémon saved him during the war and that without them he would have ended up like all of the rest. This indicates that there was a great war at some point in the Pokémon universe which directly resulted in fatherless children by a wide margin and it also explains why so many of the children in the Pokémon universe become Pokémon trainers and use their Pokémon in battle. It’s almost as if they are filling in the space of their father’s who are no longer there.
20 People In The Pokemon Universe Probably Eat Certain Pokemon For Food
It’s not something I thought about too much as a kid, but now that I am older this part seems more than likely to be in fact true. I mean think about it for a second, everything in the Pokémon universe apart from people are Pokémon. This means that any food that is eaten is more then likely the direct result of the murdering of a Pokémon. This is further reinforced by the fact that many of the vegetables we know of are also manifested in the form of Pokémon.
As if that wasn’t weird enough, the Pokedex itself leaves little doubt to the true fate of some Pokémon. The dead give away is this: there were Pokémon at one time almost hunted into extinction and that the Pokémon Magikarp was fished for food by many humans rather than used as a Pokémon in battle. It not only puts things in a whole new perspective, but it shows just how dark the Pokémon universe really is.
19 Cubone Wears What?!?
Have you ever wondered where that cute Cubone got its skull from? You probably thought at first that it was just a part of its body that acted as a sort of armor for its face, but the sad and dark truth is that the skull that it wears actually came from its dead mother.
That’s right folks, that cute and cuddly creature is wearing the dead skull of its’ mother to mourn her loss. I’m sure it warms your heart to know that its mother somehow mysteriously died without any explanation. It gets even darker when you consider the fact that once Cubone evolves the skull actually fuses with its’ body. Some say it's just folklore, but Cubone's actions and its constant crying at night for its mother say otherwise.
18 Gengar Is A Truly Dark Pokemon
The Pokémon universe is full of all kinds of creepy and terrifying Pokémon and Gengar is no slouch when it comes to that. Sure, he likes to play pranks on Ash in the show and the game, but the Pokedex gives you the real story behind this ghastly little prankster. According to the Pokedex Gengar stalks its’ victims first by disguising itself as their shadow and then it sneaks up on them and kills them.
I’m sure that this was meant to be read and understood, but it really puts into view how un-childlike the show really was. There was a lot of real-life experiences and a lot of real-life scenarios that could happen and even though Pokémon wanted to appear peaceful on the surface the fact is that like humans, Pokémon tended to kill.
17 Mr. Mimey Could Actually Be Ash’s Dad
The story of Ash’s dad is one that is shrouded in mystery. There are a lot of theories about what happened and where Ash’s dad could be, but nothing is more pleasurable than the one about Mr. Mimey. When it comes right down to it Mr. Mimey looks a lot more like a person than a Pokémon. He has the same structure and the same mannerisms of a person and for all intents and purposes, he could be a human dressed in a clown costume.
Now, take what you’ve read and add to it the fact that Mr. Mimey is always with Ash’s mom and that he lives with her at all times and does not reside inside a Poke ball. Additionally, there are many stories of people turning into Pokémon themselves and there was a ton of experimentation already done with Pokémon. These two facts leave on the table the possibility that Ash’s dad turned into Mr. Mime from no fault of his own or he was turned into the Pokémon through an experiment gone wrong.
16 Some Pokémon Are The Embodiment Of Child Spirits
When you think of children in the Pokémon universe the thought of their spirits being trapped isn’t likely something to enter your mind. It’s not surprising then that you may be in for a bit of shock when you learn that some of the Pokémon in the Pokémon universe are actually created from those aforementioned child souls.
Yep, you heard that right. Some of the Pokémon, most of which you encounter near the forest are actually the embodiment of children who died in the forest and were never properly laid to rest. The idea that you are either killing or capturing these same spirits is really unsettling when you think about it. One such Pokémon goes by the name Phantump and there are stories that indicate that it is the direct result of the souls of lost children possessing tree stumps.
15 Pokémon Are Basically Slaves
This one doesn’t take long to catch on to and it helps to explain why there is deep rooted crime in the Pokémon universe. From the time people are little they are taught to become Pokemon trainers. They are taught to catch Pokémon against their will and make them fight each other for prizes and recognition. These same Pokémon are used in experimentation and as attractions.
To make matter worse all of the groups that claim to want to free the Pokémon are portrayed as villains. One such Villain in the series, N, wants to give all the Pokémon freedom and prevent them from being used in Pokémon stadiums any longer. Add to that the instances where Pokémon are used to generate power for the towns or to do manual labor and you quickly learn the darker side of the Pokémon universe.
14 In Pokémon Red You're The Monster...
When I played through Pokémon Red again a few years back I noticed a lot of things that I really hadn't noticed before and one thing in particular really caught my attention. It happens when you make it halfway through the game and encounter Gary who, like he always does, challenges you to a fight. After defeating Gary you don't run into him again until you reach the Lavender Town Tower.
Once inside the Lavender Town Tower you bump into Gary who at first appears to be looking around the tower. You don't think much of the location and what's happening until you fight Gary and realize that the Raticate that he had during the earlier battle with you is now gone. There's no indication of why this is the case, but when you consider that you fought him in Lavender Tower which houses the biggest Pokémon graveyard in the game things finally come into view. Couple with that the fact that Gary says to you "What are you doing here? It's not like any of your Pokémon are dead!". After that there isn't a whole lot of guessing that needs to be done.
13 Wailord And Skitty Can Mate Together
There are many weird and unexplained things in the Pokémon universe, but when it comes to mating between Pokémon you will find some of the strangest things ever. After all it's natural to assume that like Pokémon mate with like Pokémon to produce offspring, but some of the combinations that the show presents seem to far fetched to be true. Take for instance one of the largest Pokémon in the Pokémon universe in Wailord and now picture that it has the ability to produce offspring with one of the smallest Pokémon in Skitty.
Yeah you heard that right, these two can produce babies with one another according to the Pokedex because they are of the same ground egg group. It seems strange enough until you take into consideration that it's never really explained throughout the show or otherwise how two Pokémon mate with one another. It's entirely possible that they don't mate in any way shape or form the way we think that they do.
12 It’s Likely That Drowzee And Hypno Kidnap Children
When you have a group of Pokémon who like nothing more then to feast on the dreams of humans, it's not long before some stories start to surface not just about their origins, but what they would do to humans if they had the chance. In the case of Hypno and Drowzee the pokedex states that each of them likes children's dreams the most because they find them the most delicious. That right there doesn't spell alarm about what they might do to children, but this next part sure does.
According to the Pokedex not only do they like children's dreams, but there was once an incident in which a Hypno took away a child because it liked the way the child's dreams tasted. That doesn't sound like too nice of a Pokémon to me and it makes you wonder how many times each of these Pokémon has done such a thing without anyone being the wiser.
11 Pokémon Was Banned In Saudi Arabia
There are many different reasons why a show would be banned from airing in a specific country, and it is no surprise that this has happened to Pokémon before in the past. In one such instance of this, the country of Saudi Arabia has banned any and all use of anything from the Pokémon show to the Pokémon card games. So, you may be wondering what caused the ban in the first place? Well, it was put in place because the highest religious authorities in Saudi Arabia deemed it to be 'un-islamic' and they also felt that it 'possessed children's minds' as well as promoted things such as 'Zionism' and 'Gambling'.
10 Will The Racism End!?
It's not something that happens often, but every once and a while a company does something that goes way beyond their better judgement. One such incident occurred in Pokémon and involved the Pokémon called Jynx. At first, you may be a bit confused as to what exactly was so off-putting about the appearance of Jynx until you start looking at the history of 'blackface'. It doesn't take long after that to immediately see what Jynx looks like in comparison and why so many had an issue in America and elsewhere with the appearance.
As a result of the large amount of backlash that the introduction of Jynx caused the Pokémon company redesigned it to have purple skin instead of black and toned down some of its features to get away from the racist undertones that it once had. Pokémon denied that they intentionally did anything racist, but the comparisons are almost two identical to ignore.
9 The Truth Behind Pikachu...
Pikachu has fast become one of the world's most iconic and most beloved Pokémon of all time, but did you know that it wasn't originally going to be the mascot for the video games or the show? It's strange to think of Ash having any other Pokémon companion now aside from Pikachu, but the original designers of the show liked Clefairy as the lead Pokémon more than they did Pikachu.
In the beginning, during the comic book run, they heavily featured Clefairy as the lead Pokémon. Once they started to produce the television show the makers of the television show backed away from Clefairy as the lead character because they felt that she just wasn't an engaging enough Pokémon to keep the masses interested in the show for the long haul.
8 Drifloon Steals Children Who Mistake It For A Balloon
As if the original Pokémon universe couldn't get any more scary we come across a Pokémon by the name of Drifloon. At first it seems that Drifloon is similar to a walking stick or a walking leaf in that it looks like an object that you wouldn't expect to be alive, but actually is. It seems cute and cuddly and childlike in every sense of the word, that is until you read about what it does to children who happen to mistake it for a normal harmless balloon.
According to the Pokedex, if a child happens to have the misfortune of mistaking one of these seemingly harmless Pokémon as an ordinary balloon they are in for one horrible surprise. So, what does Drifloon do to children who mistake it for an ordinary balloon you ask? Well, the answer is simple really, it takes them away high into the sky never to be seen again. If that doesn't send shivers down your spine I don't know what will.
7 Genesect's Dark Origins
Humans have an innate want to mess around with things that they don't understand, and they have a deep fascination with the inner workings of things. It can work to both their benefit and to their detriment and the humans in the Pokémon universe it turns out are no different than our own. They do experiments on Pokémon and try to create their own through the information they have learned about the ones they have already captured.
Genesect is the byproduct of this exploration and experimentation. It is both organic and robotic and when you look at it long enough you get the sense that the theory that it is the result of experimentation on Kabutops is more than plausible given its close resemblance to the same Pokémon. Other theories suggest that it is simply another form of Kabutops that is in a more advanced defensive state.
6 All The Crazy Ways Pokémon Kill Other Pokémon
When we think of Pokémon, we don't often think about how they interact with other Pokémon inside the Pokémon universe. We instead think about how they interact with humans and what one is stronger then the other based on its type and abilities. The truth is though that it is likely that Pokémon just like any other creatures in the wild fight and kill each other. When you get right down to it a lot of the Pokémon inside the Pokémon universe kill in some pretty horrible and terrifying ways.
A few examples of this lie first in Pinsir who, according to the Pokedex entry, uses it's enormous pincers on the top of its head to cut its pray in half. That sounds pretty terrifying and horrible if you ask me. The next example lies in the cute and cuddly looking Gorebyss that uses its long thin mouth to puncture its prey and drain them from the inside out. There are many more horrifying ways that Pokémon end each other, but I'm sure by these two you get the idea.