History Trivia / Pokemon

* CashCowFranchise: GottaCatchThemAll indeed! As a video game series, only ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_game_franchises has sold more games.]] However, as a media franchise, ''Pokémon'' is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_highest-grossing_media_franchises one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time]] based on Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} users' calculations.

* CashCowFranchise: GottaCatchThemAll indeed! As a video game series, only ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_game_franchises has sold more games.]] However, as a media franchise, ''Pokémon'' is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_highest-grossing_media_franchises the highest-grossing media franchise of all time]] based on Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} users' calculations.

** {{Shipping}}: While the concept of fans pairing two fictional characters together existed ''[[Literature/LittleWomen long]]'' before ''Pokémon'' ever existed, it was ''Series/TheXFiles'' fandom [[TropeNamer that coined]] [[https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!topic/alt.tv.x-files/zMS5mmJmhAw the term.]][[note]]Specifically, "Relationshipping" vs not.[[/note]] However, with the large number and variety of human characters in [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} the two main]] [[Manga/PokemonAdventures adaptations]],[[note]]The Pokémon ''themselves'' were shipped later on as "logical" matches revealed themselves,[[/note]] the fandom has run the gamut of JustForFun/TheShipYard.

** Hell, if there's any series that has a wealth of rumors about things in the games, it's Pokémon. There were rumors that proliferated way back when about being able to find Togepi (introduced in the anime ''long'' before the second generation Pokémon were officially announced) and "Pikablu" (aka Marill) in the original games. And yes, millions of rumors of ways to find Mew. One particularly amusing one was that if you defeat the Elite Four 100 times, Professor Oak will tell you that he's sick of inducting you into the Hall of Fame every other Wednesday and give you free roam of the room. Take a guess what you would apparently find in the room. [[spoiler:Hint:It rhymes with "stew", is almost as pink as Kirby, and has incredible learning potential.]]

** OneGameForThePriceOfTwo and SocialisationBonus: The splitting of each generation of Pokemon games into two versions with relatively minor differences, which required players to trade with players who had the other version, resulted in the rise of these tropes.

** Rather unfortunately, there is a TCG set called "Stormfront". Stormfront is also the name of a certain [[ThoseWackyNazis neo-Nazi]] website, as well as the name of [[Series/TheBoys a Nazi masquerading as a superhero]].

** Rather unfortunately, there is a TCG set called "Stormfront". Stormfront is also the name of a certain [[ThoseWackyNazis neo-Nazi]] website, as well as the name of [[Series/TheBoys a Nazi masquerading as a hero]].

** Rather unfortunately, there is a TCG set called "Stormfront". Stormfront is also the name of a certain [[ThoseWackyNazis neo-Nazi]] website, as well as the name of [[Series/TheBoys an actual Nazi]].

** Rather unfortunately, there is a TCG set called "Stormfront". Stormfront is also the name of a certain [[ThoseWackyNazis neo-Nazi]] website.

-->'''Junichi Masuda''': It starts to get a little complicated if you pay too much attention to timelines. Like, there might be a professor that appears and it wouldn’t make sense at all if we applied that kind of timeline logic. So we try not to apply it too rigorously. Maybe one hint is that if a character is appearing with Professor Oak, they’re living in the same era. Rather than some series where it makes sense to have the timeline progress as you go and the story evolve, the approach that Pokémon takes is expanding the world, like what the regions are, and making it richer as we go. Rather than a timeline, it’s more of a physical space thing.

** There exists [[DummiedOut unused battle data]] for Professor Oak in all of the Generation I games. He can still be fought with certain variations of the Old Man or Mew glitches, but be warned: his teams (he has three, the only difference being which fully-evolved starter he has) is stronger than the Champion's. Whether he was meant to be the original Champion, or included as a BonusBoss, is unknown.

[[folder: Just For Fun]]

** [[http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Volbeat/33323 Volbeat]] shares its name with a Danish metal band (which, incidentally, formed a year or two before the release of Ruby and Sapphire). Same deal with [[http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Altaria/5721 Altaria]][[note]]Known for having [[Music/{{Nightwish}} Emppu Vuorinen]] and [[Music/SonataArctica Jani Liimatainen]] among their members during some time[[/note]], formed three years before the release of those same games.

** During the beta stage for ''Diamond and Pearl'', the Picnicker trainer class was planned to be depicted visually with a TomboyishPonytail; as the final game shows, Picnickers still ended up with their hair remaining loose.

** Ken Sugimori had revealed that there were plans for [[https://twitter.com/SUPER_32X/status/611129653110026241 a Viridian gym leader that could be fought before Brock]]. Some have speculated that he resembles a Youngster-aged Giovanni.

** {{Shipping}}: While the concept of fans pairing two fictional characters together existed ''[[Literature/LittleWomen long]]'' before ''Pokémon'' ever existed, it was ''Series/TheXFiles'' fandom [[TropeNamer that coined]] [[https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!topic/alt.tv.x-files/zMS5mmJmhAw the term.]][[note]]Specifically, "Relationshipping" vs not.[[/note]] However, with [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters the large number and variety of human characters]] in [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} the two main]] [[Manga/PokemonAdventures adaptations]],[[note]]The Pokémon ''themselves'' were shipped later on as "logical" matches revealed themselves,[[/note]] the fandom has run the gamut of JustForFun/TheShipYard.

** During the localization process in the USA, Nintendo of America wanted to redesign all of the Pokémon as [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore they deemed their original designs too cute]]. One of the supposed changes was turning Pikachu into a tiger with boobs. Game Freak found their idea too insane to accept.

** The move Volt Tackle, an Electric-typed variation on Double-Edge, is another nod to ''Pulseman'' - specifically his signature "Volteccer" move, with which it shares its name in Japanese (also a ShoutOut to ''Anime/{{Tekkaman}}'').

* Wobbuffet is a {{Homage}} to late Japanese comedian Sanpei Hayashiya. [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Wobbuffet_(Pokémon)#Origin No, really]]. Everything from Wobby's pose to its original name in Japanese. The trainer in G/S/C saying his Wobbuffet would spontaneously jump out of his Poké Ball and agree with everything he says is a reference to said comedian's {{Catch Phrase}}, roughly "That's the way it is!" -- sadly, [[LostInTranslation there was really no way to translate this gag to non-Japanese audiences]].

** Gen II: Ho-oh, via an EarlyBirdCameo on the first episode (though the Pokédex couldn't identify whether or not Ho-Oh was a Pokémon and its name wasn't mentioned). Togepi was the first identified as such. Donphan also appears in ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' while Marill and Snubbull were in the short film tied in to that and Elekid, Slowking, Bellossom and Lugia appeared in [[Anime/Pokemon2000 the second film]]. There was also an episode where a sketch of the top of Elekid's head was shown.
** Gen III: Kecleon, Wailmer, and Azurill for the [[Anime/Pokemon4Ever fourth movie]] (or rather, the Pikachu short}.

** Gen VI: Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie, Xerneas and Yveltal

** Gen VIII: Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble [[note]]Or Meltan and Melmetal, if treated as part of this generation, as they debuted in ''GO'' before the Galar starters were revealed.[[/note]]

* Rhydon was the first Pokémon ever created, according to Ken Sugimori. You can see this in Red, Green, and Blue's code — the internal list of Pokémon starts with Rhydon. Second is Kangaskhan.

* Mew was copyrighted in 1990 by Game Freak, six years before the release of Red/Green. Despite this, Nintendo didn't even know that Mew had been programmed in by Shigeki Morimoto when Red and Green were released. This is the reason Mewtwo predates Mew in Pokédex order — originally, Mew only existed in Mewtwo's backstory and wouldn't have been an in-game obtainable Pokémon, while Mewtwo was.
* Pokémon Red and Blue weren't the first Pokémon games in Japan. Over there, the duo was originally Red and Green, while Blue was a third game that was pretty much a remake with better graphics and a few bugs fixed.

* Currently, ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Shadows of Almia'' is the only Pokémon game in which you can actually ''die'' (Specifically, by failing to stop a sinking ship).
** In Guardian Signs, there is a similar mission, except instead of stopping a sinking ship, it's [[spoiler:escaping a flooding submarine]].

* Longtime fans may remember back in Generation I when [[UrbanLegendOfZelda bogus rumors were flying about the infantile internet]] speculating on a possible secret/glitch that would allow you to catch the most elusive of all Pokémon: Mew (No.151). Surprise surprise, there really IS a secret glitch that allows you to catch a Mew! For real this time! Now the bad news: you will probably have to restart your game in order to pull this off, since the easiest method for getting Mew requires you to have not battled a certain trainer on the route north of Cerulean City. Mew is actually only a small part of a [[GameBreaker game breaking glitch]] which can be activated as soon as you have Teleport/Fly and meet a trainer who will try to battle you as soon as he appears on-screen (near Lavender/Saffron). Fly away before he battles you, but after the "!" appears over his head, and you will soon find yourself battling strange glitch Lv.7 Pokémon determined by the Special stat of the last Pokémon you fought.

* Cryogonal and Mew, despite being genderless Pokemon, can learn Attract. This means it will never work, since genderless Pokémon cannot be infatuated with each other and don't count as "opposite" to male or female. Staryu and Starmie could also learn Attract via TM in Generation II.

*** This is also the cause for the infamous Green vs. Blue naming of the Rival who later becomes the Gym leader of Viridian. In Japan, the Rival is originally known as Green to the main character's Red. However, since the improved Red and Green versions were released as Red and Blue in America, they wanted to be consistent with your player being one version and your rival the opposite. Many fans argue over which name you should use when referring to [[DubNameChange Green/Blue]][[Webcomic/SuperEffective /DOUCHE]] (you DO have the option of naming him in-game despite default [[WordOfGod canon]]), while others simply say "whatever."

* ''Trivia/PokemonVietnameseCrystal'': A page dedicated to an alternate (and hilariously wrong) translation of [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Pokemon Crystal]].

* ''Trivia/{{Pokemon 2000}}''
* ''Trivia/{{Pokemon 3}}''

** Gen II: Ho-oh, via an EarlyBirdCameo on the first episode (though the Pokedex couldn't identify whether or not Ho-Oh was a Pokemon and its name wasn't mentioned). Togepi was the first identified as such. Donphan also appears in [[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie ''Pokemon: The First Movie'']] while Marill and Snubbull were in the short film tied in to that and Elekid, Slowking, Bellossom and Lugia appeared in [[{{Anime/Pokemon 2000}} the second film]]. There was also an episode where a sketch of the top of Elekid's head was shown.

*** Bonsly had the honor of actually being playable to a limited extent in a Pokémon RPG before its own game was released — it was available in the bingo mode of [[VideoGame/PokemonColosseum Pokémon XD]].

** There's an exploit abusing this in Gen II and Gen I. Simply transfer the shiny Gyarados to any Gen I game, and capture a Ditto after it transforms into that Gyarados. Voila, transfer it into any Gen II game and you have a shiny Ditto. ''And'' because of the way the game is structured, said Ditto vastly increases your chances for a shiny egg of any other Pokemon when breeding with it.

* Cryogonal and Mew, despite being genderless Pokemon, can learn Attract. This means it will never work, since genderless Pokémon cannot be infatuated with each other and don't count as "opposite" to male or female.

** Defense: Eternamax!Eternatus (Base 250) [[note]]Highest playable is a tie between Shuckle, Mega Aggron, and Mega Steelix (Base 230).[[/note]]

** In RealLife, it is extremely possible to encounter others playing a Pokémon game — especially with the popularity of Pokemon Go — and (if conditions are right) battle them, just like that damn Bug Catcher kid outside Vermilion City.
** In fact, many events and tournaments such as the [[https://www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon/pokemon-events/pokemon-tournaments/pokemon-world-championships/ World Pokemon Championships]] allow players to compete and become the real life Pokemon Champions.
** Getting an [[http://www.amazon.com/pokemon-pokedex-Pokemon-Advanced-Pokedex/dp/B00020LZ84 actual Pokédex]] can save you a lot of trouble in the games, and there are many Wiki sites (and Google) that serve as an online Pokédex

** There is a material in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' called Dragonite Ore. There's also the Bag of Dragonite in ''VideoGame/EarthBound''.

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: The franchise has generally been able to avert this as a whole, although there have been some exceptions. For example, due to a lawsuit by Uri Geller who claimed it was unlawfully based on him, the Pokemon Kadabra hasn't made any appearances in the anime since the ''Advanced Generation'' episode ''Fear Factory Phony''[[note]]not counting a very brief cameo in the "World of Pokemon" opening in ''Anime/PokemonKyuremVSTheSwordOfJustice''[[/note]], and no Kadabra card has been reprinted in the TCG since the "Skyridge" boosterpack[[note]]Abra, its pre-evolution, has only been released once since — in the "Mysterious Treasures" booster pack — and had an attack that allowed it to evolve straight to Alakazam, skipping Kadabra; and its evolution, Alakazam, has been released as a base Pokemon in every post-"Mysterious Treasures" booster pack that it's been a part of[[/note]]. Though Kadabra was able to avert this in fate in the main games, it did not show up in ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Shadows of Almia'' while Abra and Alakazam did. However, in 2020, Geller gave Nintendo permission to print Kadabra cards in the TCG.

** AimForTheHorn (Indirectly. It is a BeamMeUpScotty meme spawned from [[Recap/PokemonS1E58RiddleMeThis an anime episode]].

** ''Trivia/TheLegendOfThunder''
** ''Trivia/PokemonTheMastermindOfMiragePokemon''

* ''Trivia/PokemonScarletandViolet''

** At the time of Gen 1, fanon ran rife that Missingno was designed as a virus Pokemon, and that there were hidden pokemon known as Pokegods. Nintendo used these ideas for Deoxys and Arceus respectively, with Deoxys in particular having different forms just like Missingno, and Arceus being the literal god of Pokemon.

* CharacterSpecificPages
** [[Characters/PokemonMewDuo Mewtwo and Mew]]
** [[Characters/PokemonWeatherTrio Weather Trio]]
** [[Characters/PokemonAuraTrio Aura Trio]]
** [[Characters/PokemonCosmogLine Cosmog Line]]
** [[Characters/PokemonNecrozma Necrozma]]
** [[Characters/PokemonUltraBeasts Ultra Beasts]]