If you love games, chances are very good you’re a Pokémon fan. Even if you’ve never played the original games, chances are very good that you’ve played Pokémon Go. Before you say nobody plays Pokémon Go anymore, the game still makes a million dollars a day. Nintendo’s cash Miltank is going as strong as ever. Pokémon happens to be the biggest franchise of all time. It beats Star Wars by over 13 billion dollars. It beats Harry Potter by 30 billion dollars.

Not to put things solely in financial perspective, but your parents sure cared when they were shelling out hundreds of dollars for cards that has a slightly holographic foil compared to the other pieces of plastic. From a marketing perspective, the series is an investor’s dream. It’s entirely built around collecting— collecting cards, games, the episodes, the movies, merch. Ash’s last name is Ketchum, for Pikachu’s sake. But if you were (or are) a kid, you didn’t care about feeling manipulated. Yeah, the series was a business. Yeah, they were trying to sell you stuff. But going on that adventure and becoming a Pokémon master still holds a special place in our hearts.

To this day, Pokémon continues to be the dominating series because nothing has matched its unique monster-catching concept. For all that we love the series, there’s still a lot of strangeness to it that we can examine, though. Here are 25 comics from hilarious artists that catch all the weirdness of this beloved series.

25 Popémon

Art by: Delacroix

Pokémon Go is notorious for ferrying youngsters out to all sorts of weird places. In one way this is good; it’s given failing business a boom of new customers. Most of the time, though, kids just show up, catch their Bulbasaur, and leave without buying anything. The Pokémon Go app selects which places on the world map are Pokéstops through a complicated algorithm. This comic shows how sometimes the ones they choose can be quite controversial. Honestly, is there a Pokéstop near the Vatican? IS the Vatican a Pokéstop? These are questions only Italian TheGamer fans know. Gotta love Pope Francis playing along. He’s the coolest pope on the block right now. Makes sense he’d also be a gym leader.

24 Catching High Level Pokémon

Art by: Owlturd

The comics over at Shencomix are pretty fantastic. If you’re unaware of the web series, the artist often personifies abstract emotions and concepts in little ways that hilariously poke fun at the bleakness of existence. Here he’s taking on an entirely new bleak aspect of our lives: Pokémon Go. Ever catch a Pokémon that is much higher level than you? It might go a little something like this. Our unassuming Pokémon trainer has the good fortune of nabbing himself a high-level Clefairy—man, I’m digging those abs on Clefairy— but now he’s no longer the one calling the shots. I included this comic mostly because of that last panel where Clefairy says, “you are nothing.” Makes me laugh every time. Also it’s true every time.

23 Double Standards

We’ve all been there. When you’re young and you have a stuffed animal, everyone thinks you’re adorable for sleeping with it. But suddenly you’re 28 years old and oh no, everyone loses their minds because you’re just trying to give your teddy bear an 8-hour hug. It’s much the same way with Pokémon, I would imagine. At first, nobody bats an eye when Ash sleeps with Pikachu. The Pokémon is a little rodent that’s adorable for reasons we can’t quite comprehend. Either way, people give Pikachu a pass because he’s so small and lovable. Not so with some other Pokémon. When Ash tries to get cozy with Machamp, suddenly it’s weird. Machamps and Machokes need love too you know.

22 The Evolution Of Pokémon

Art by: Katie Tiedrich/ Awkwardzombie

This is a comic that rings too true. When you’re a kid, Pokémon is the bee’s knees. Everybody’s playing the games and collecting the cards and your mom is begging to spend more of her hard-earned dollars to buy you merch. Then you become a prebuscent. Suddenly you take notice of a much scarier breed of monster that can’t be caught: the opposite gender. All your friends— who once stood by your side and proudly proclaimed themselves Pokémon masters— now won’t be caught dead playing the games. If that’s where you are in life, I got some good news. Right around the time college rolls around, everybody picks up their old games again. Either you stop caring what people think, or you really still care what people think and Pokémon just happens to be cool again. In any case, Pokémon.

21 Trainer Used Robbery! It’s Super Effective!

Art by: Katie Tiedrich/ Awkwardzombie

These Awkward Zombies comics are on-point. At the beginning of Pokémon Ruby (or Sapphire or Emeral or Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire…), you encounter a hapless professor who’s being attacked by a wild Pokémon. This is the game’s tutorial introduction to Pokémon battling and also the way you choose your starter Pokémon. It’s a clever twist on the old version where you simply go and choose one from the professor’s lab. Boring! So you’re supposed to choose one of the Pokémon and that’s it, pal. But what if, um, you take all three and leave the hapless professor to the horror that will befall him? I mean, it’s not like you’re leaving any witnesses. Kudos to Awkward Zombie comics for this sociopathic route!

20 Pokémon Have Other Uses Too

Art by: DarkKenji/ Deviantart

There’s a bunch of weird stuff you can do with your Pokémon. They have all these cool abilities like water gun and stuff, right? Why would you only use that in battle? Seems like a big waste to me. If you were struggling of thirst in the desert, are you seriously telling me you wouldn’t have your Squirtle squirt some refreshing cool fluids in your mouth? Grow up. It’s between that and leaving behind a skeleton. Although, this does raise a whole bunch of questions about the cleanliness of Squirtle’s water supply. Does he naturally clean the water himself and make it fit for human consumption? Or are you not supposed to drink Squirtle’s water like I wasn’t supposed to drink the water from the tap in that hostel in Tijuana?

19 David Attenborough’s Planet Pokémon

Art by: JHALLpokemon/ Deviantart

Ah the circle of life. Nature is beautiful, ain’t it? Pokémon is a kid’s game but it hints at all these dark truths that lurk under the surface. Take for instance, the fact that animals eat each other in our world. Do you think that normal Pokémon are any different? Realistically, there are carnivores and omnivores. So that means every time you attack an innocent wild pidgey, you leave it unconscious and at the mercy of nearby predators like Scyther here. We don’t want to know what happens next. I only hope that we’re right and Scythere’s only using pidgey for sustenance. What’s the alternative? Oh right, trapping Pokémon in eternal tiny prisons. This series is rife with ethical issues.

18 Disk Failures

Art by: Katie Tiedrich/ Awkwardzombie

Another hilarious Awkward Zombie comic from Katie Tiedrich that hits at another truth in the Pokémon universe. To teach your Pokémon new abilities, you have to use HM/FM disks. Um… Okay. So what, do you like pop the disks into the Pokémon? Provide a seminar for them with snacks where you play the disks on the television? Of course, there are only certain types of your pocket monster pals that can learn certain abilities. Doduo can learn fly. But… where are Doduo’s wings? This is the artist’s rendition of what Doduo flying looks like. Its only appendages are its necks so logically that would mean Doduo would have to flap its necks ultra fast for liftoff. Doesn’t sound like fun.

17 The Dark Truth Of Pokécenters

Art by: Katie Tiedrich/ Awkwardzombie

I’m just going to call it right now. Awkward Zombie has the best Pokémon comics on the internet. They never fail to make me laugh out loud. This one is no exception. Ever go to a Pokécenter and wonder how they’re able to serve you so fast? I mean with the medical institutions being what they are for people, it’s nothing short of a miracle that they can heal Pokémon in a matter of seconds and at no charge either. But what if they weren’t really healing the Pokémon? This is what’s really going on. Chancey takes your bruised and battered little beasts, chucks them into a fire, then takes new ones from their limitless pile.

16 Snorlapse Of Intelligence

Art by: Inyuo

Ash is legit the worst. He makes it his goal in life to catch ‘em all. It’s even in his darn name to subliminally make kids buy as many Pokémon games as possible. Or maybe his mom just gave him the last name Ketchum to put all this horrible pressure on him. Whatever the case may be, he’s terrible at catching them all. When Ash comes across a prone and unconscious Snorlax in the video game series, he could easily capture him with a Pokéball. But this is Ash. He’s walking around with Misty and he’s more concerned about checking out Pikachu. Instead, Ash lets the Snorlax obstruct his path until he’s able to procure an expensive flute to wake up him so Snorlax can battle him. The Pokémon master, everyone.

15 A Critical Hit In The Feels

Going back to the very first Pokémon GameBoy games, Zubats have an ability that let them call for help during battles. Often, another Zubat will appear alongside his compatriot and you must battle two Zubats for the price of one! Other times, however, another Zubat will fail to show up to help. This comic imagines what goes on during those other times. The Zubat here is like a kid whose poppa is too busy to come play a game of catch with him. Or maybe all the other Zubats are busy playing a game without him. Or maybe this Zubat wasn’t invited to a really cool party they were having. These are random examples not drawn from my personal life.

14 The Ethics Of Pokémon Attacks

Art by: Dorkly

This Dorkly comic is a 10 on 10 on the Richter Scale. It addresses a problem that’s always bothered me in Pokémon. One of the attacks that your Pokémon can learn is Earthquake. That’s exactly what it sounds like. Your Pokémon causes an earthquake just to attack his opponent. But depending on the strength of your Pokémon, that quake could be incredibly dangerous. You’re playing God and shifting tectonic plates just to damage a little Bidoof you want to knock out. In the process, anyone in the vicinity caught in the radius of the quake has their houses torn asunder and their lives ruined. Suddenly you’re responsible for a staggeringly high husk count. But you caught your Bidoof. Are you happy now?

13 Eevee Evolved Into Radioactievee!

Art by: Dorkly

Now this is a twisted Dorkly comic, but it’s not far from the reality if you think about it. People in the Pokémon universe find many different ways to mutate their cuddly little pals and transform them into fighting machines. Eevee is constantly exposed to all manner of strange rocks that will permanently transform her into a different evolution against her will. Is it any wonder that some people choose to experiment with some harsher alternatives? You know someone somewhere has taken radioactive material and applied it to Pokémon just to see what would happen. You know, for kicks. I’ve said this before but there is such a dark undercurrent to the Pokémon world that Nintendo is not telling us about.

12 The Best Choice

Art by: Sephko

Ah, here’s the secret fourth choice that most players never knew about. At the beginning of the original Pokémon games, Professor Oak gives you the choice between three Pokémon: Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur. If you were playing Pokémon Yellow, you also got Pikachu. What you didn’t know is that you can also select Professor Oak. His special abilities include confusing genders and asking about Ash’s mom’s relationship status. I know this is a gag and everything, but now I can’t be happy in a world where we don’t have an option to make Professor Oak a playable Pokémon. Knowing Nintendo, they’ll release a version with Professor Oak as a Pokémon without any other changes and still charge full price. Yes, we’ll all still buy it.

11 The Height Of Logic

Art by: Rounindx

This makes me laugh way more than it should. As we’ve seen, there are only certain types of Pokémon that can learn certain abilities. That makes sense superficially. After all, wouldn’t a water-based Pokémon naturally be the one to learn to swim? It follows that only bird type Pokémon should be the ones to learn the ability to fly. In reality, though, not every bird type Pokémon should be equipped to fly. Pidgeys are small little birds no bigger than an owl. How can a big Scyther not learn to fly when that scrawny little Pidgeotto wannabe can carry a full-grown man? I love that the artist chose to make Gary the one flying. Gotta love him standing up and pounding the air.

10 Poképoachers

Art by: Dorkly

This is EVIL!

…

I LOVE it! So if the only thing that makes a Pokémon special is how rare they are, then wouldn’t it stand to reason that some messed-up person out there would go around getting rid of a certain type of Pokémon until they became rare? I’m not going to name any names, but it reminds me of a certain moustached aggressor from the forties who tried this out. It doesn’t end well. With all the creative ways that humanity finds to control Pokémon, there’s no way that someone hasn’t gone down this dark path already. The Pokémon world would have Poképoachers just like our world does, hunting endangered species all for the sake of exploiting their valuable properties.

9 Don’t Worry, It Only Has A Week

Art by: Jamuko

Oh my lord, this is sad. It’s also, um, pretty factual if we’re getting right down to it. Let’s face it: Pokémon get treated just like how people get treated. The prettier ones get more attention. Do you see a Muk or a Koffing on the cover of a Pokémon game box? No, you don’t— because they’re ugly. It’s always photogenic Pikachus and Charmanders. It’s a sad truth that the loud and more homely dogs don’t get brought home from the animal shelter. It’s the fate of poor ol’ Bidoof here. But you know what? If there are people out there who can find it in their heart to— shudder— love Pugs, then by all means, there’s someone who can love Bidoofs.

8 Pokémon No!

Art by: Modantoire

In Pokémon Go, you don’t get to choose a start Pokémon. You do get to choose a starter person, though, and isn’t that so much better? Players can choose which team they want to align themselves with. There’s Team Valor, Team Mystic, and Team Instinct. Each of these Teams has a separate leader with a colorful personality of their own. As you can see from this comic, they’re not quite as memorable as the original starter Pokémon. Candela from Team Valor is pretty cool, Blanche from Mystic ain’t bad, but Spark from Team Instinct comes off as a nutcase. Is it any wonder at least one of them is cracked? They’re constantly battling over that one corner store run by an Indian family that are running you off for catching Pokémon there.

7 He’s Seen ‘Em All

Alright, so this comic relies on a pretty good pun. But I think the real shining star here is old Ash. Can we take a moment to appreciate that he’s still got his old hat on? He’s in a wheelchair and he’s got a cane, but he’s still dressed the same as he was on the day his mom abandoned him— er, sent him on a quest to collect all the Pokémon at nine years old. It seems that Ash still bears a grudge. The mall is unfortunately called Ketchum Mall, which sounds just like Catch ‘em All. I don’t know what happened in Ash’s past to make him so grumpy and pun-averse, but he’s not happy with the name.

6 The Latest Collectible: Stocks And Shares

Art by: Sephko

In the Pokémon world, you can go to any Pokécenter and get your Pokémon healed for free. It’s a wonderful utopia of socialized medicine for liberals, but what if Pokécenters became privatized? That would mean that they are no longer run by the government and performing a service for their citizens with taxes. Instead, big business has swooped in to make mad profits. The price has suddenly rocketed way up. Sorry, looks like you can’t use a bunch of your lesser-liked Pokémon as buffers in battle until you bring out the real weapons… not if you like money as much as the rest of the world does. In the last panel, we can also see that Pokémon are struggling to fold down the fort. What a world.