As a child, Satoshi Tajiri enjoyed catching and collecting insects. One could say the future game designer had a desire to catch 'em all. You can probably guess where this is heading...

Developed by Game Freak, Pokémon Red and Blue changed the game! Released in 1996, the JRPGs were tailor-made for the Game Boy, with copies flying off the shelf at an unprecedented rate. Generation I's titles are the handheld console's top-selling games, a feat made even more impressive by the fact that Tetris and Super Mario Land profited from a seven-year lead. Along with the anime, Pokémon boasted flawless marketing that pushed everyone to purchase a copy.

"Gotta Catch 'Em All?" Such a blatant call for action must be heeded! Now, in all fairness, accomplishing this task was slightly more manageable when there was only 151 Pokémon...

While the retail department accomplished their job, Pokémon would not be the monstrous brand it is today if its initial games failed to leave a positive impression. Pokémon Red and Blue are touted as ideal entry-level JRPGs; however, the core mechanics possess enough depth to entertain even the most seasoned of players! The competitive scene is also, well, rather competitive.

Ready to feel old? Pokémon Red and Blue celebrated their 20th birthday in 2016. Even after all these years, Game Freak's JRPGs remain shrouded in mystery! Here are 25 hidden things casual fans still haven’t found in Pokémon Red and Blue!

25 A Wild Missingno. Appears!

Via mynintendonews.com

MissingNo. is the stuff of legend. Pokémon and glitches live in tandem, and there is no better-known anomaly than Generation I's accidental #152 wild creature. Classified as a Bird/Normal type, MissingNo. does not evolve or learn any moves, although the glitch possesses a fairly respectable attack stat.

Sadly, MissingNo. struggles in every other department.

Depending on the player's name, an encounter with MissingNo. can be triggered after speaking to an old man just north of Viridian City. Once the dude educates the trainer about the magic of flight, travel to Cinnabar Island and surf down the coast. This method only works if a particular letter takes up a specific slot in the user's name.

24 Steal A Trainer's Pokémon

Via shaunkitchener.com

Helping gamers cheat since the days of the Game Boy, GameShark cartridges arrive preloaded with codes designed to free titles from the constraints implemented by developers. Pokémon Red and Blue are already fantastic but cheats greatly enhance their replay value. In some cases, GameShark permits certain unattainable Pokémon to be added to the team. The sky is truly the limit!

Helpfully uploaded by Thomas on Supercheats.com, this trick enables another trainer's Pokémon to be caught! Fair warning, this cheat breaks basic battle etiquette, and you can almost feel the JRPG's NPCs secretly judging you! If that is of no concern to you, then follow Thomas' instructions and launch a life of crime.

23 Battle Professor Oak!

Via YouTube.com (Mr Flash Zap)

Content is cut for various reasons. More often than not, it is the right call. Whether removed due to technical constraints or to improve a game's pacing, these decisions are seldom made lightly. With the rise of downloadable content and digital purchases, cut content tends to be taken with a grain of salt.

Yes, an underwhelming 30-minute mission should be sold separately for $5! 

Pokémon Red and Blue cut a battle against Professor Oak. As the person who set Blue and Red down the path to the Pokémon League, such a confrontation served as the ultimate test. The student against the master! The fight can be triggered through an array of glitches, with Oak packing quite an impressive team.

22 A Wild Gengar Appears!

Via pokemon.wikia.com

Along with the cheat that permits another trainer's Pokémon to be caught, a couple of glitches remove the need to partake in trading. Evolving from a Haunter, Gengar is locked behind the trade feature, an obstacle typically reserved for the roster's greatest third-evolutionary forms. Prefer to game alone? Then, you are out of luck!

If trading is not an option, another method exists to catch a Gengar. Occurring during the campaign's opening hours, one can trigger a confrontation with a wild Gengar. A user named cerealz posted a fantastic guide detailing the necessary steps to break through Game Freak's matrix. Please note, Gengar is basically a battle away from attaining its max level, therefore, this glitch reduces the rest of the campaign into a cakewalk.

21 The Ultimate Hangover Cure

Via gaming.stackexchange.com

Localizations amount to more than merely direct translations. Due to the cultural differences between the East and West, studios frequently alter references to complement the target audience. Gaming is far from the only medium impacted by such a necessity, as anime and films are subject to similar processes.

Changes may annoy purists, but localizations rarely alter anything of particular significance. At most, translators rethink certain phrases and dialogue chains to ensure they are appropriate for Westerners. Localized two years after hitting shelves in Japan, Game Freak and Nintendo had ample time to play around with the English translation. In the localized version, Viridian City's grumpy old man refuses to move without his morning coffee. Conversely, the original made no attempt to hide the fact that the dude had a bit too much to drink.

20 A Wild Charizard M Appears!

Via venturebeat.com

Whether purposefully or inadvertently activated, glitches are a strange sight to behold. Putting aside technical faults that consistently crash a program, errors offer users an opportunity to peek behind the curtain. Nintendo's stamp of approval essentially ensures a polished product, especially if dealing with first-party titles; however, even the cleanest of surfaces contain a few smudges.

Charizard 'M should not exit. Sharing its stats with the non-broken version, 'M illustrates that a couple of eggs had to be broken to produce Pokémon Red and Blue. Cheating devices are the simplest method for catching this anomaly, but adding the creature to the team runs the risk of crashing the JRPG.

19 A Decade In The Making

Via bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net

We should preface the upcoming entry by admitting this presumably originated as just a throw-away line. If Game Freak genuinely planned a reference 12-years in advance, then the studio deserves an award for patience!

Inaugurated in Generation V, Munna is foreshadowed multiple times by a trainer called Picnicker Carol found on Route 10. Carol wishes to catch a "chunky, pink Pokémon with floral patterns," a description worthy of Munna's Pokédex entry. Munna is heavily associated with Dream Mist, an item designed to birth Pokémon visualized by humans. While overanalyzing dialogue leads to identifying non-existent subtext, three separate references cannot be a coincidence!

18 Choose Nicknames Wisely!

Via YouTube.com (Free Emulator)

Pokémon facilitates trading at every given opportunity. What better way to motivate people to purchase multiple games then by barring certain awards behind trades? An accessory for the Nintendo 64, the Transfer Pak connected the publisher's home and handheld consoles, allowing data to be transferred between the two.

One of the association's hidden features concerned nicknames and a Pokémon's color. Depending on the user's ID and the names chosen for the creatures in the Game Boy's JRPGs, Pokémon Stadium would alter the monster's color. Pikachu has a number of alternatives, but others can also be initiated. While not a huge deal, this was still a welcome addition.

17 Learn Amnesia

Via aminoapps.com

While an admirable first effort, Game Freak did not quite succeed in perfectly balancing Generation I's roster. Psychic types were especially broken, with none of the other classes putting up much of a challenge against them. This was amplified by Amnesia, a support move that magnifies the user's special stat by two stages.

At level 81, Mewtwo learns Amnesia. Consequently, there is no point playing anymore...

Clearly aware they created an overpowered move, Nintendo EAD elected Amnesia Psyduck as a fitting reward for completing the Pokédex in Pokémon Stadium. In Generation I's Game Boy titles, the move is learned by a handful of Pokémon, but Psyduck is not among them. Using the previously discussed Transfer Pak, that is no longer the case.

16 Game Celadon City's System

Via YouTube.com ( Some Guy)

The "slot machine glitch" is one of the franchise's more infamous workarounds and can be a real time saver. A casino filled with slot machines, Celadon City's Game Corner presents an early opportunity to add Clefairy to the team, with the fairy type only spawning in Mt. Moon. Crucially, the casino's rewards system serves as the only viable method for collecting a Porygon.

Taking into account the highest payout is only 300C and the fact Porygon costs 9999c, gambling is not an efficient process. Who said Pokémon is not realistic? Rigging the system to constantly pay out, this glitch is a gift from the heavens!

15 A Super Reference

Via Twitter.com (@SuperMario_UK)

Are you aware that Pokémon is a Nintendo franchise? Well, the publisher periodically references its mustached mascot to help enlighten any uninformed customers. Now, in all fairness, Generation I is hardly the only set of games to acknowledge the Italian Plumber, but Game Freak's reference can easily be overlooked.

In Saffron City, a collector named Copycat offers a TM in exchange for a Poké Doll, but the coolest part has little to do with the actual trade. Hidden away amidst Copycat's bedroom clutter, one can just about discern a SNES displaying Mario wearing a bucket, a call-back to the Japanese exclusive Mario & Wario puzzle game.

14 Certifiable

Via ibtimes.co.uk

Franchise veterans should be aware of the reward bestowed for completing a game's associated Pokédex. Unless a user is bitten by the completionist bug, they are unlikely to go through the trouble of catching all 151 Pokémon required to finish the game.

Professor Oak tasked Red with completing the Pokédex.

Assuming cheat codes are not used, completing an entry in the series is an arduous and tiring task. Along with catching every available Pokémon, users must engage in trading to round off the collection. Once every named is checked off the list, Game Freak hands players a diploma for a job well done.

13 Skip Brock, Head Straight For Misty

Via comicbook.com

Primarily due to the anime, Brock and Misty hold a special place among the brand's extensive catalog of gym leaders. Putting aside the cartoon series, the two offer the first significant challenges in the JRPG's history. Who does not remember struggling to take down Onix with a Charmander?

As Pokémon Red's opening areas are painfully short of electric monsters, Misty is hardly a much easier opponent than Brock. Nevertheless, certain glitches allow the water trainer to be fought before Pewter Gym's leader. Generally, the data can be tricked into removing the Youngster blocking the path. Either way, both leaders must ultimately be defeated.

12 Earn A Mr. Mime Without Trading

Via pokemon.wikia.com

Seriously, who figured out some of these glitches? Certain examples require an absurdly specific chain to be followed, with the slightest variation causing the game to crash or failing to initiate the desired outcome. Locked behind an in-game trade, Mr. Mime cannot traditionally be encounter while exploring the great outdoors.

Luckily, a glitch exists that bypass this restriction, although the process is convoluted. After defeating Gary in the Silph Tower, use an escape rope on a specific spot and go fight a trainer at the local Dojo. Once they are defeated, journey back to the tower's same floor and a wild Mr. Mime should appear! Other methods have also proven effective.

11 Ice Fishing? How About Stone Fishing!

Via aminoapps.com

In the grand scheme of things, the majority of glitches barely impact the overall experience. At best, they serve as a mild distraction or a pesky annoyance. With the exception of faults that render the property unplayable, glitches are often minor, missable, and forgivable.

It is possible to fish and surf in Pokémon RedBlue, and Yellow's statues, which are usually located in Gyms. Pokémon can even be fought using this method, but none of the monsters are especially rare. With the fishing rod equipped, walk up to a statue's lower tile and the game should handle the rest!

10 Pokémon: Let's Go!

Via polygon.com

Remastering the Generation I handheld JRPGs, Pokémon: Let's Go brought Nintendo's beloved franchise to home consoles. That's not to say Pokémon has never moved away from the portable market, but the core series tends to be confined to Nintendo's handheld platforms.

Apparently, Nintendo does not like money.

Pokémon: Let's Go does a respectable job modernizing the classic titles, but 2018's dual releases cater towards a casual audience. Seeking a more authentic experience? Game Boy Tower was created expressly for you! The accessory enables Pokémon's early handheld titles to be played on a television set.

9 Enter Cycling Road Without A Bike

Via nerdist.com

While impressive for its day, the Game Boy's limited hardware specs forced developers to employ shortcuts to save space. All things considered, Pokémon Red and Blue pack a massive amount of content into an incredibly tiny space. Consequently, Game Freak could not afford to dedicate precious resources to instances destined to be only encountered by a select few players.

Prior to embarking for Cycling Road, trainers must first add a bicycle to their inventory. As the process is somewhat time-consuming, some may prefer to skip the fodder and head directly for the open road. Normally, the guard refuses passage to anyone without a bicycle; however, pressing the "B" button while traveling across the topmost path permits entry into Cycling Road.

8 Cut Down The Competition

Via wikihow.com

Commonly referred to as HMs, Hidden Machines are a franchise staple, especially if referring to the core series. While it can be somewhat annoying to waste a slot on "Flash" or "Rock Smash," these moves serve as valid in-game justifications for obstructing access to certain areas prior to a predetermined point in a campaign. "Fly" and "Surf" are respectable moves, but the remaining attacks are fairly underwhelming. As a result, HMs are best assigned to unused Pokémon.

Among the first to be received, "Cut" is a strong enough attack during Pokémon Red's opening stages, but the honeymoon period does not last long. Besides opening paths, "Cut" can be used to remove tall grass, which prevents random battles from occurring.

7 Clone Saga

Via polygon.com

Please do not mistake the upcoming point as criticism, but most Pokémon games can be completed without any significant consideration to strategy or tactics. Perfect for newcomers to the genre, Nintendo's franchise teaches children the advantages of combining attack, defense, and support moves to effortlessly dispatch the opponents. However, the JRPGs prefer to not aggressively punish those who spam the attack option.

Leer does no damage? FORGET.

In such a scene, Ditto cannot flourish. Equipped with the useful Transform move, which allows the opponent's look and attacks to be copied, Ditto's usefulness depends on the trainer's ability to plan ahead. As a result, the Pokémon tends to be undervalued. Nevertheless, underestimate Ditto at your own peril! A master of psychological warfare, the Pokémon can even cause its opponent to question its own identity!

6 Use Red's Team In Pokémon Stadium

Via knowyourmeme.com

In order to take part in cups or challenge Kanto's Gym Leaders, Pokémon Stadium authorizes users to rent a team. The Nintendo 64 game copies the franchise's trademark turn-based mechanics but lacks a story or an open world. Essentially, Pokémon Stadium condensed the license's traditional experience down to its basic essence.

This approach punishes sticking to a consistent team, with battles often determined by the rented Pokémon. Consequently, it is near impossible to nurture any attachment to your partners. The Transfer Pak enables Pokémon Red or Blue's team to be picked in the Nintendo 64 game. Once the Game Boy's Elite Four are conquered, set your sights on the home console's equivalent!