Video games often times lead us toward a suspension of disbelief, allowing us to immerse ourselves fully in a universe unlike our own. While many games tend to try to take a realistic approach these days, there are still plenty that willingly push all logic aside for the sake of gameplay. While logic isn’t something that many people necessarily look for in video games, there are plenty of instances in gaming where we are left scratching our heads wondering “How does that work, exactly?”
Pokémon is no stranger to creating an illusion of a world with little to no sense. While it’s fun to imagine ourselves in a world where we send our pets into cock fight battles for the sake of winning money, Pokémon often makes less sense than other games. We are talking about a world where we send ten year old children out into the world by themselves to fight and capture monsters, afterall.
Because Pokémon so often tries to scrape the edge of our imagination, Pokémon has been subjected to plenty of internet memes and comics that have us questioning all the smaller details of the Pokémon universe, which are things that we may not have pondered much as children. Here are a few comics that deal with the use of “Pokémon Logic” that will definitely have you questioning everything the next time you pick up a Pokémon game.
25 These Are Some Seriously Incompetent Adults
There’s something about the crime syndicates in the world of Pokémon that are just so… incapable. You have to give Team Rocket some credit for being the original gangster in this universe, however, as they still aren’t as daft as the likes of say Team Skull or Team Magma or Aqua (though Jessie and James from the anime is the exception to this rule). But it really makes no sense how in each iteration of Pokémon, a ten year old is capable of wiping out an entire crime syndicate, especially one who is just starting his Pokémon journey. These regions do have a police force, you know! Yet for some reason, the safety of the world is always in the hands of a ten year old kid with little to no experience. That’s Pokémon logic for you.
24 Weight Distribution Isn't A Concept
Many of the Hidden Machines in the Pokémon universe are able to teach your Pokémon some nifty abilities that will help you to get around the world a little bit easier. Whether it’s digging yourself out of a cave or flying to a city you’ve been to previously, your Pokémon has got your back… well, technically, you’ve got theirs. It’s implied that using abilities like Fly or Surf require the training traveling on their pocket monster’s back. While this might make sense for big Pokémon like Blastoise or Zapdos, some Pokémon are realistically far too small to really support the weight of their trainer, especially when they are likely more than tripling their size. This would cause Pokémon like a Pidgey unable to even get off the ground while a Squirtle would probably just sink to the bottom of the ocean.
23 Maybe These Monsters Need A Little More Target Practice
Certain Pokémon attacks will give the trainer the ability to take advantage over their opponents while certain status effects are inflicted. This could be the likes of making another Pokémon fall asleep or paralyzed, essentially making them immobile. So why in the name of Arceus do Pokémon miss their follow up physical attack after immobilizing their opponent? I get that a Pokémon’s accuracy is dependent on their stats, yet as the comic above depicts, this Butterfree is in serious need of a trip to Lens Crafters since it can’t even take aim and hit a Rattata that is sleeping only a few feet away. I might be able to understand the scenario if the Pokémon was blinded by Flash or had blurry vision due to Sand Attack, but other than that, there really isn’t much of an excuse.
22 Destruction Is Not A Concept
Not all Pokémon are created equal, and many are far more powerful that others, some ranking among Gods with the ability to create worlds, manipulate space or time, or just simply cause mass destruction. While this comic exaggerates the attack Hyper Beam to quite a large degree, there is no denying that it is still one of the most deadly attacks in the game and is quite capable of causing mass destruction. Yet we all know that Pokémon don’t really “die” in battles in this world, but rather faint. Yet still, we have a level one Pidgey, essentially a baby chick straight from the nest, battling a level hundred Gyrados, a Pokémon that could easily kill its opponent. Yet after unleashing one of its most devastating attacks, Pidgey simply passes out from exhaustion without even getting a scratch.
21 Not The Most Useful Item
There are just so many loopholes with Snorlax’s first appearance in Pokémon Red and Blue as well as later titles in the series. I can buy that Snorlax is blocking a path, but there is little to no reason why trainers just can’t go around or climb over it. Also, most trainers are likely going to try to catch it. So what exactly is the point of waking it up when a sleeping Pokémon is easier to catch than one that stays awake? Heck, the trainer could even weaken it plenty if the Snorlax is that insistent on keeping its nap going. Other than using a Pokéflute in a battle to wake up your own Pokémon, the item is pretty much useless in other respects, especially when you’ll want a big Pokémon like that to be asleep before attempting to catch anyway.
20 Life Inside A Pokéball
There is really no telling exactly what happens inside a Pokéball, but you can’t really expect a trainer’s Pokémon to just be sitting inside all day waiting for its trainer to call it out to battle on a whim, now, can you? While the science of how a Pokéball works is something that really hasn’t been explored yet, I’d imagine since Pokémon spend so much time inside them that they are at least somewhat comfortable, allowing them to shrink in size just small enough to lounge about inside their miniature home. But even when a Pokémon is trying to kick back and relax, a trainer could easily call them out at a moment’s notice, flinging them into yet another unexpected battle, which seems pretty obnoxious if you ask me.
19 Not The Sharpest Characters
Ash isn’t exactly the brightest Pokémon trainer on the block, but then again, neither is Brock, his trusty companion who left behind his brothers and sisters to fend for themselves in Pewter City all the way back when Ash was just starting out in the Indigo League. Despite not being the brightest when it comes to Pokémon battles, there still really is no reason for Ash to lack common sense. It seems like Ash has found himself and his friends lost multiple times throughout the series and in this particular instance, they seem to be short of water. Wait, what? While I’m not totally sure where water type Pokémon get their power from, I’m pretty sure they can conjure up water just by having Ash shout “Hydro Pump!” But since our heroes lack common sense, it seems like they will remain parched a little longer.
18 How Is This Even An Attack?
The Pewter City Gym gave me quite a lot of grief back when I was a kid, probably because I started off with a Charmander for my first playthrough. The truth is, Brock is a pretty formidable foe at the beginning of the first Pokémon game (especially if you chose a fire type) and he requires a certain amount of grinding to get your first water or grass based attacks if you chose Bulbasaur or Squirtle. But should you eventually learn Squirtle’s Bubble attack before this battle, you’ll defeat Brock’s heavy hitter Onix with ease… a little too much ease, if you ask me. Bubble is exactly what it sounds like… a stream of gentle bubbles attacking its opponent. So in what world do bubbles that pop on impact harm anyone? The wonderful world of Pokémon, obviously.
17 Putting All Your Eggs In One... Egg?
I have so many pressing questions about how Pokémon breeding works… I mean, if I breed a Magmar with a Ditto that is just copying its DNA, wouldn’t that make them the same gender? How are they copulating? But besides all those pesky little nuances that are entwined with Pokémon breeding, especially with a group of animals that are primarily mammals, there’s still plenty of oddities that surround the mysteries of Pokémon eggs. Take Exeggcute for example. Exeggcute is literally just a small bundle of eggs. If you take two Exeggutors and breed them together, they will give you a single egg that you’ll have to hatch by walking around. What hatches, though? Just a batch of new eggs spawn from the initial one. While I’m no zoologist, I know this makes absolutely no sense, even for a Pokémon.
16 A Bird With No Wings
There are a lot of inconsistencies with the attacks of various Pokémon in the Pokémon universe, yet none are quite as baffling as the attack Fly. If you were to pick out the defining attribute of a member of the avian species, you’d probably instantly think of the ability to fly. Yet that does not necessarily apply to bird Pokémon in this world, even if they are considered a Flying type. Sure, even a baby chick doesn’t know how to spread its wings right away before leaving its nest, but you could have a level hundred Lugia and not teach it the HM Fly so it basically wouldn’t be able to act out its primary function. Even so, a trainer shouldn’t expect to be able to climb on a Pidgey’s back anyway.
15 It's The Thought That Counts
There are plenty of items in the Pokémon universe that have different attributes that can help you along your journey, letting you equip your Pokémon with them so they can get some nice battle perks along the way. But usually, these traits belong to items that wouldn’t really help you out in the real world, such as a Silver Bell or Wise Glasses. One of these items is Soft Sand, introduced in the second generation which boosts the attack of Ground type moves. But when you really think about it… it is just sand, something that could seemingly be found anywhere, In Pokémon Black and White 2, you acquire the Soft Sand item literally in a desert which is covered in the stuff. The kicker? An NPC gives it to you as a “gift” while the two are actually standing on heaps of it.
14 This Is One Heck Of A Bag
Thank Arceus that after the first generation of Pokémon, Game Freak opted for fixing that pesky bag situation. Along your Pokémon journey, you’re bound to collect a wide range of items, but in the original games, your bag could only hold up to twenty and it was a complete unorganized mess. Later generations included compartments that would let you find items with ease, but despite this improved feature, it doesn’t quite explain the magical properties of your bag. It seems like you can fit almost anything in there, and while I’m willing to suspend my disbelief when it comes to holding up to ninety-nine Ultra Ball, I have to wonder how trainers manage to fit a full sized bicycle in there. Yet despite when our player is done pedaling around, he simply stores it back in his bag, which clearly has some serious Santa’s present sack-like qualities.
13 Memory Clearly Is The First Thing That Goes With Age
Oh, Professor Oak. There hasn’t been a Pokémon Professor who has been able to fill your shoes since you made your debut in Pokémon Red and Blue back in 1996. Yet being the original professor has probably given you plenty of grief over the years as you’ve been victim to plenty of internet memes and comics making fun at your expense. It’s just that you are just such an easy target! One of Professor Oak’s biggest blunders (other than studying Pokémon his whole life and having an empty Pokédex) is the inability to remember the simplest details, even if the answer is right in front of him. Are you a boy or girl? Yes, I get you shouldn’t assume one’s gender this day and age, but come on, you should at least be able to remember the name of your own grandson!
12 Maybe They Should Have Made A Prior Evolution...
Ah, yes, Pokémon breeding. You give us yet another unsolvable mystery surrounding the science of the birthing of Pokémon. We’ve already discussed the baffling existence of Exeggcutes being hatched from an egg, but how do you explain Kangaskhan? Kangaskhan is one of the few Pokémon to never receive a prior or post evolution after its debut in the first generation, yet it is probably the one that most deserves it. Much like a kangaroo, it holds its offspring in a pouch that is on its belly, yet its offspring looks like it could be a prior evolution of its own. The thing is, Kangaskhan is depicted with a baby in its pouch regardless, even after initially being hatched from an egg and being a newborn itself. So it’s basically a baby with a baby of its own.
11 Sea Battles Make No Sense Anyway
I already have a lot of questions about the nitty gritty details of sea battles and water-type Pokémon, like how a Goldeen manages to fight on land in the first place. Yet sea battles are a whole new beast, and it is unlikely trainers are surfing on Pokémon big enough to hold the trainers and a fighting ground for the various land Pokémon who don’t have the ability to swim. While Surf is an attack that shouldn’t exist on land, Dig is an attack that shouldn’t be able to be used on water, yet lo and behold, a Sandslash is more than capable of somehow digging a hole underwater and attacking its opponent as if the water were made of sand. While this attack might make sense on land based battles, it’s completely illogical over water.
10 Good Luck Catching Them All, It's Not Possible
Oh look, another Professor Oak comic! This time, we’re exploring the impossible task that Professor Oak unleashes on the player, let alone a ten year old boy. While Ash may have a dream to become the ultimate Pokémon Master, his goals are a little lofty, and technically, impossible. Not only does Oak task him with catching all 150 Pokémon, but he also makes it so it’s technically impossible in a standalone cartridge. Not only are the other two starter Pokémon off limits after you choose your initial Pokémon, but many of the Pokémon that you have to catch of the initial 150 were deemed to be extinct and are pretty much only available by using some very questionable science. While I’m sure many of us managed to fill out our Pokédexes, the goal of catching every Pokémon is actually not possible if you follow Pokémon’s lore.
9 If It Has Wings, It Should Fly
There’s been plenty of controversy over which Pokémon can learn the Fly ability and which ones cannot over the years. It seems like some of the most obvious critters with wings are the ones that can’t manage to carry a trainer on their backs… after all, Charizard wasn’t even capable of flying in the first generation of games, despite its monstrous wings. Scyther is yet another Pokémon that has wings that should be able to fly with a trainer on its back, especially since we have seen it buzzing around the air in the anime series, yet for whatever reason, its wings are pretty much incapable of much and are there purely for show. Meanwhile, a Pidgey roughly the size of a basketball can carry a person on its back across the world. Go figure.
8 Time For Trouble, So Hand Over Double
It’s already questionable as to why Pokémon trainers are forced to hand over wads of cash after having their own Pokémon beaten in battle. It’s equivalent to kicking someone’s dog while they were out walking it and demanding that they pay up since you were able to injure their pet. Yet one particular item exacerbates this peculiar rule making trainers fork over twice the money. If a Pokémon holds the Amulet Coin in battle, the opposing trainer will have to pay up double the reward money, whether or not they agree to that ridiculous rule or not. It kind of makes me wish such items existed in the real world, but alas, Pokémon logic isn’t something that could ever really exist in real life. Too bad.
7 A Wild Pokémon Appeared! How Did I Not See That Coming?
Early on in your Pokémon adventure, you find out that Pokémon oftentimes try to hide in tall, grassy areas, making for random encounters to be a means for finding creatures in the Pokémon world. While it is implied that these Pokémon are actually hiding, allowing for them to spring an attack without much notice, these grass patches would pretty much have to be the shrubs in a rainforest to allow them to cover up some Pokémon. While Pidgeys and Sentrets might be able to hide in grassy areas, there is really no reason for a trainer not to be able to see an Onix coming from a mile away, a Pokémon that stands at roughly nine meters long. Take care in those grassy areas, trainers, because there is no telling what you might find lurking in there!
6 There's No Excuse For This One...
Levitate is an ability that grants the Pokémon immunity to Ground-type attacks and this is something that is set in stone. While it makes sense that the ability Levitate allows Pokémon that spend little time on the ground to avoid such attacks like Earthquake, this is one situation where there should be an exception to the rule. Flygon is a Pokémon that is equipped with the ability Levitate, but it also is a Pokémon that can use Ground attacks, like Dig. If a Pokémon uses Dig as an attack, it is literally burrowing itself underground, so if an earthquake were to actually strike the ground, it would naturally be a hard hitter to anything buried underneath. Despite this, Flygon’s Levitate ability still allows it to be immune to the Earthquake attack, leaving us scratching our heads.