| 1 | ([[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Back to main page]]) ('''Pokemon/TropesAToI''', '''You are here''', '''Pokemon/TropesSToZ''', '''[[YMMV/{{Pokemon}} YMMV]]''', '''[[Trivia/{{Pokemon}} Trivia]]''') |
| 2 | ---- |
| 3 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 4 | |
| 5 | [[folder:J]] |
| 6 | * {{Jerkass}}: Some of your rivals, particularly [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Green/Blue]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Silver]]. Largely done away with in [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Generation III]]. |
| 7 | ** ''[=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=]'' play with this some. If you compare dialog, you'll find that in the latter he doesn't call you "pal", whereas in the originals he did[[note]]though it's highly likely he didn't ''actually'' mean it in a friendly way[[/note]]. On the other hand... |
| 8 | --> '''Blue''': Oh yeah, right. I feel sorry for you. No, really. You're always plodding behind me. So here, I'll give you a little present as a favor. *gives Fame Checker* |
| 9 | * JustAddWater: Poffins (muffins). |
| 10 | [[/folder]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | [[folder:K]] |
| 13 | * {{Kamaitachi}}: |
| 14 | ** The [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Generation II]] [[Characters/PokemonGenerationIIFamilies Sneasel]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl its Gen IV evolution Weavile]] are weasel-like, bipedal [[AnIcePerson Ice-types]] with razor-sharp claws, and inspired by the legend of the kamaitachi. Interestingly, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Sneasel was actually based more on a kamaitachi]] (at least in terms of appearance) as revealed in a leaked prototype of the games seen in Space World '97. [[https://tcrf.net/images/b/be/PokeGoldDemo-front_246.png Here are the ingame]] [[https://tcrf.net/images/e/eb/PokeGoldDemo-back_246.png images of it]] for those who are curious. |
| 15 | ** [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyandSapphire Generation III]] has [[Characters/PokemonGenerationIIITreeckoToSharpedo Linoone]], a speedy, badger-like Pokémon that has kamaitachi qualities. |
| 16 | ** [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Generation V]]'s [[Characters/PokemonGenerationVMinccinoToVolcarona Mienfoo and Mienshao]] are also based on them; according to the Pokédex, Mienfoo make up their packs in numbers and use their (normally unseen) claws to slice through enemies, and while Meinshao don't attack with claws, they instead use their arm fur are utilized as whips. |
| 17 | * KarmaHoudini: |
| 18 | ** A few villainous organization leaders get off receiving little to no repercussions for their acts. |
| 19 | *** Justified by Archie and Maxie due to a HeelFaceTurn, and the remakes show them actively working for a peaceful resolution in the postgame. |
| 20 | *** Averted for Lysandre [[spoiler:(who is either dead or [[AndIMustScream worse]])]]. Played straight with his Flare grunts, though. One of them can actually be found later in broad daylight thinking fondly about the time when he was "in the red", apparently without any worry about being prosecuted for his previous membership in a criminal organization that stole people's Pokémon, broke into several public and private facilities, and almost destroyed the entire Kalos region. |
| 21 | *** Played straight with Lusamine and the rest of the Aether Foundation, as their isolated headquarters were stormed by the protagonists long before they could accomplish their leader's ultimate plan, leading to most Alolan citizens not knowing on what were they actually up to. They also pull a HeelFaceTurn as a result. |
| 22 | * KillerRabbit: The ability Huge Power doubles the user's attack stat and is exclusive to powerful rabbit-like Pokémon such as Azumarill, Diggersby and Mega Mawile. |
| 23 | * KillItWithFire: Grass, Bug, Steel, and Ice types are weak to Fire-type attacks. |
| 24 | * KillItWithIce: Grass, Ground, Flying, and Dragon-types are weak to Ice-type attacks. |
| 25 | * KillItWithWater: Fire, Rock, and Ground-types are weak to Water-type attacks. |
| 26 | [[/folder]] |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[folder:L]] |
| 29 | * LactatingMale: The move Milk Drink was exclusive to Miltank which is an AlwaysFemale [[SingleGenderRace Pokemon]] until ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' introduced Skiddo and Gogoat. They are based on goats and can be female or male, making it this trope for the latter. |
| 30 | * LadyLooksLikeADude: Some Pokémon appear masculine, but can be female. Examples include Galarian Meowth, Kadabra, Alakazam, the Machop line, Mr Mime., Shiftry, Slaking, Kricketune, Probopass, Emboar, Samurott, Stoutland, the Timburr line, the Pawniard line, Diggersby, Barbaracle, Incineroar, Drampa, Thievul, Perrserker, Mr. Rime., Kleavor, and Mabosstiff. |
| 31 | * LamarckWasRight: Breeding might give learned moves to the child. |
| 32 | * LateCharacterSyndrome: |
| 33 | ** Generally, Ice-type Pokémon don't appear until three-quarters of the way into a given game at the earliest, and as such they miss out on most of the game up to that point. Even the evolutions of the non-Ice Eevee and Crabrawler suffer, as they level up only in certain locations... locations that are invariably very late game. This finally started getting averted from Generation VIII onward, as you can find Ice-types at the start of the game (and Eevee can evolve into an Ice-type via an evolution stone). |
| 34 | ** [[OlympusMons Legendary Pokémon]], owing to their above-average or godly stats, tend to be reserved for the late game. By then, a player likely already has a team that covers any niche a Legendary might, and there may only be a few boss fights or the FinalBoss left. And some {{Optional Boss}}es, like Mewtwo in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' or Kyurem in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', come in ''after'' the game's over -- and with [[BrutalBonusLevel the Battle facilities]] banning Pokémon of their tier, there's often nothing left for them to do but sit in a PC. |
| 35 | * LavaMagicIsFire: |
| 36 | ** Lava-based moves, such as Eruption, Lava Plume, and Magma Storm, are treated as part of the Fire type. |
| 37 | ** Slugma, a Pokémon resembling a slug made entirely out of magma, is a pure Fire-type. Its evolution, Magcargo, is Fire/Rock, but that's because it develops a shell of solidified stone. |
| 38 | * TheLawOfPowerProportionateToEffort: Many moves utilize this scale. |
| 39 | ** Moves like Solarbeam or Roar of Time have lengthy charge times for greater attack power or effect. Bide, in particular, has a Pokémon wait two turns and deal back double the damage it took while waiting to the last Pokémon to inflict damage to it. |
| 40 | ** Some, like Avalanche or [[SwitchOutMove Roar]], have a "decreased priority", which makes them move second that turn. These are typically stronger than special moves that activate on normal turns. On the other hand, ''"increased'' priority" moves are typically support abilities that do little to no damage. |
| 41 | * LegacyBossBattle: |
| 42 | ** Cynthia, [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Sinnoh's]] [[FinalBoss champion]] appears as a {{Superboss}} in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''. She also returns in both pairs of Generation VII games in the Battle Tree, now with the possibility of facing you with a Mega Garchomp. |
| 43 | ** Later, in ''Videogame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', you can face ''every'' Gym Leader and Champion from preceding games. Most of them are fought in the World Tournament, but some, like the retired Gym leaders from Black and White and N, are fought in different areas, and only one Gym Leader (Koga) is excluded (due to Elite Four members, which he is as of Gen II[[note]]''Black & White 2'' take place after ''Gold & Silver'' on the timeline[[/note]], not being included). |
| 44 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' has episode Rainbow Rocket, a post-game story where a reformed Team Rocket takes over Aether Paradise. Within this team, the team leaders from the previous main series games appear and need to be battled to progress. |
| 45 | * {{Leitmotif}}: |
| 46 | ** In all [[VideoGame games]], a different tune plays in each city, changing for battles, Poké Marts, Pokémon Centers, and even while Surfing. Some cities recycle tunes, though (RBY and GSC being the worst offenders due to lack of data storage space). |
| 47 | ** There are also several different songs that play when you meet trainers. In Gen IV and V, they're surprisingly long. |
| 48 | ** In the ''Black and White'' versions, every city finally has its own unique music. |
| 49 | * LethalJokeCharacter: |
| 50 | ** Wobbuffet. Despite its limited moveset and comical appearance (and actually being partially based on a Japanese comedian), it has high HP reserves and knows how to CounterAttack (Counter and Mirror Coat return ''double'' the damage inflicted against the user). From the third generation onwards, its baby version Wynaut learns Encore, which can force the opponent to repeat one attack multiple times (making them easier to counter), and comes with an ability that prevents the opponent from switching out. Ghost- or Dark-type Pokémon can take advantage of their elemental immunity to Counter and Mirror Coat (respectively), but other types are on their own. |
| 51 | ** Early in the games, you get an Old Rod. Most first-timers are excited about fishing for Pokémon, but are disappointed to see that the Old Rod yields little more than [[http://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/0/02/129Magikarp.png Magikarp]], which are one of the weakest species in the game. Most first-timers don't have the patience to level one up until the MagikarpPower kicks in (at Level 20). |
| 52 | ** Even unevolved Magikarp gets shades of this due to learning Flail (post-Gen II) and Z-Splash (Gen VII), both of which give it a huge attack boost if used patiently. |
| 53 | ** Anything with the hidden ability Moody is this. To elaborate, most of the Pokémon that can have this ability aren't exactly great, Moody randomly lowers a stat and sharply raises another at the end of each turn, including Evasion and Accuracy. With enough luck, even a Bibarel can defeat a Legendary Pokémon without too much effort. |
| 54 | ** Many pre-evolved Pokémon learn some exploitable attacks and abilities their evolved brethren can't, as well as take advantage of certain specific items like the Eviolite (which gives unevolved Pokémon a similar boost in Defense and Special Defence). Pikachu, being the franchise mascot, was intentionally conceived this way, since with the right use of items and attacks, it can actually surpass a Raichu raised too hastily. [[SubvertedTrope However, due to Pikachu's terrible stats, Light Ball and Evolite not doing anything for it, its Z-Moves only working once and Gigantamaxing and Terastal only highlighting how bad Pikachu's stats are, it's not actually better than Raichu except for a few early areas]]. |
| 55 | * LetsGetDangerous: Looker in ''Platinum'' is almost totally useless until the very end of the game, at which point he successfully ambushes the DragonAscendant [[ToWinWithoutFighting and forces him to surrender without a fight]]. |
| 56 | * LetsYouAndHimFight: This is basically the universal rule between all trainers in the world: if you have Pokémon, and your eyes meet with another trainer, then you ''must'' battle. You won't be allowed to turn it down. Some of the early trainers lampshade this fact. |
| 57 | -->'''Youngster Calvin''': If you have Pokémon with you, then you're an official Pokémon Trainer! You ''can't'' say no to my challenge!\ |
| 58 | '''Bugcatcher Rick''': If you lock eyes with a Trainer, you have to challenge! It's a rule! |
| 59 | ** Downplayed in ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet''; The open-world nature of the game makes it so you have to talk to the other trainer to engage in battle, with the first Trainer lampshading how in Paldea mere eye-contact isn't enough to convey intent to battle. |
| 60 | * LevelGrinding: Given the AbsurdlyHighLevelCap, this can easily take a while. To say nothing of EV training... |
| 61 | * LieToTheBeholder: The fifth-generation species Zorua (and its evolved form, Zoroark) feature an ability called Illusion, which makes it appear as a different Pokémon until hit by an opponent's attack in battle. This means that, since it's Dark-type, a Psychic-type attack won't dispel the illusion. Of course, a [[ArtificialStupidity human]] opponent will get a little suspicious after the following exchange: "Mewtwo used Psychic!" "It doesn't affect Emboar..." ([[DontExplainTheJoke Emboar, being a Fighting-type, should be weak to Psychic-type attacks]].) |
| 62 | * LifeDrain: |
| 63 | ** Absorb (as well as its upgrades, Mega Drain and Giga Drain), Dream Eater, Drain Punch, Horn Leech, Leech Life, Leech Seed, Draining Kiss, Parabolic Charge, and Oblivion Wing all give their user health while damaging the enemy, |
| 64 | ** The Shell Bell held item activates whenever an attack successfully connects with the foe and restores 1/8th of the damage dealt back to the user. |
| 65 | ** The Big Root item can increase the amount of damage restoration when held. |
| 66 | ** The ability Liquid Ooze (possessed by Tentacool, Gulpin, and their evolutions) causes any HP-draining attacks[[note]]with the exception of Dream Eater in generations III and IV[[/note]] used against the wielder to instead cause damage to the drainer (though the damage to the wielder is not negated). |
| 67 | * LighterAndSofter: Fairy types are among the cutest Pokémon designed, and many ([[TheFairFolk but not all of them]]) have an innocent and pleasant behavior, providing a stylistic and thematic contrast along with the DarkerAndEdgier Dark type. |
| 68 | * LightningBruiser: There are a ''lot'' of examples, most of them being Legendary Pokémon. Some Pseudo Legendary qualifies as well, the most famous example being Garchomp. |
| 69 | * LightningFireJuxtaposition: There are several pairs like this. The Electabuzz and Magmar evolutionary lines, who are respectively Electric and Fire type, and Zekrom and Reshiram, two OlympusMons who represent the two elements as power sources. Zekrom represents Ideals using a lightning/electric tech robotic theme, while Reshiram represents Truth through an organic fire combustion theme. This Ideals vs Truth dichotomy is based on ying-yang taoistic themes. With the icy, neutral, apathetic, undead(?) Kyurem, it becomes FireIceLightning. ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' treat Manectric and Houndoom as this trope, being version exclusive along with their respective Mega Stones. |
| 70 | * LimitBreak: Both Mega Evolution and Z-Moves function like this. Mega Evolution is a mechanic that enables certain species of Pokémon to become super-powered versions of themselves, with better stats, typings and abilities, as long as they hold their species-specific Mega Stone. Z-Moves are attacks of ridiculous power that are activated by giving any Pokémon a Z-Crystal that corresponds to that attack (for example, Firium-Z for Flamethrower) and then activating it in battle, and the Z-Crystals can also be used on status moves to give them extra effects. Both can be used only once per battle, by only one Pokémon at a time, forcing you to use them wisely. |
| 71 | * LimitedMoveArsenal: |
| 72 | ** Each Pokémon can only learn four moves at a time. In order for a Pokémon to learn a new one, a currently-known move has to be replaced. HM moves can only be deleted outside of battle, with the assistance of a person known as a Move Deleter; [[DevelopersForesight this is meant to prevent the player from getting trapped in an area due to not having a Pokémon with the required HM move needed to navigate out of the location in question]]. |
| 73 | ** According to game director Junichi Masuda, at one point during ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire''[='s=] development, the designers [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pokémon_Ruby_and_Sapphire_beta#Limitations considered changing the number of moves that a Pokémon could know at a time]], as well as how many Pokémon are allowed on the player's team at a time. However, neither of these two limitations have been changed. |
| 74 | * LivingGasbag: Drifloon and Drifblim are living floating balloons, and despite having a largely non-threatening appearance, the former are known to abduct children. Drifblim is mostly peaceful, however. The Jigglypuff line is a subversion; though gasbags, they don't fly (though Jigglypuff can float quite easily in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''). |
| 75 | * LongRunners: The first Pokémon games were released in Japan in 1996. New games, anime, and other media in the franchise are still being made as of 2024. |
| 76 | * LoopholeAbuse: Trying to find a Pokémon of a specific gender when it's species is disproportionately male/female? Just get an opposite-gendered Pokémon with Cute Charm — it cuts the hunting time in half at ''least'', especially since a lot of Pokémon with Cute Charm are ComMons or, like Sylveon, are very easy to obtain. |
| 77 | * LordOfTheOcean: |
| 78 | ** Lugia is a Psychic/Flying-type Pokémon that exists as one of the five legendary birds of the franchise, acting as the Guardian of the Seas. It lives within the ocean and acts as a mediator between Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres, preventing one element from overcoming the others. It has the power to control the weather, calming storms with the beating of its wings or starting them according to its Pokédex entries. |
| 79 | ** Kyogre is a Water-type Pokémon native to the Hoenn Region with the ability to expand the oceans, acting as the equal-opposite of Groudon, a Ground-type Pokémon with the ability to expand the continents. |
| 80 | * LostInTranslation: |
| 81 | ** The animation of Fire Blast and its spread [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gozan_no_Okuribi is a reference to a festival]] that also provides the Japanese name, ''Daimonji''. |
| 82 | ** Mega Ampharos gaining the Dragon type may seem bizarrely random, until you realize that its original name contains ''ryū'', which means "dragon". Similarly, Draco Meteor was originally a play on ''ryūsei'', Japanese for "meteor". |
| 83 | ** Jirachi, Castform, and Darumaka/Darmanitan fall into this as well, plus Wobbuffet, which was inspired by a Japanese comedian. |
| 84 | ** The Ultra Ball is called a "Hyper Ball" in the Japanese version, hence why it has an H on it. Additionally, the Pokémon Contests ranks of [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Generation III]] were originally based off of the Japanese names of Generation I's basic Poké Balls, excluding the Safari Ball: Normal ("Monster"), Super, Hyper, and Master. The English naming scheme Pokémon Contest ranks did not catch this, and the original Japanese terms were used instead. [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Generation IV]]'s Super Contests rectify this, with the "Hyper" rank getting properly translated to "Ultra" rank, referencing the Hyper Ball's English renaming of "Ultra Ball", while "Super" rank is translated to "Great" rank, referencing Super Ball being a Japanese name of Great Ball. |
| 85 | ** A number of Trainers in later games [[ContinuityCameo have the same name and Pokémon as characters from the movies]], though these references are [[DubNameChange almost always missed in the translation]]. |
| 86 | ** The Dark-type doesn't actually mean dark. It is called "evil" in Japan. Because of this, lots of fans see the dark type as actual [[CastingAShadow darkness]] rather than [[CombatPragmatist using dirty tricks to win]] and wonder why there isn't a Light type yet. |
| 87 | ** Some abilities and moves make less sense in international translations due to being given non-indicative or even different sounding names, although their descriptions still usually hit the mark: |
| 88 | *** Curse's Japanese name, ''noroi'', can mean either "curse" or "slow/dull" depending on the kanji used. This is why it lays down an actual curse when used by a Ghost-type but reduces the user's Speed in exchange for Attack and Defense otherwise. |
| 89 | *** Fake Out is based on, and in Japanese named for, a sumo wrestling technique called ''nekodamashi''. That literally translates to "cat deception", hence the move's otherwise inexplicably wide distribution among feline Pokémon. |
| 90 | *** High Jump Kick is called Jumping Knee Kick in Japanese, and so is not just a more vigorous version of Jump Kick. |
| 91 | *** Hyper Cutter is called "Superpowerful Claws" and has to do with pincers rather than {{Absurdly Sharp Blade}}s. |
| 92 | *** Mirror Move is a Flying-type move that copies the last move used by the enemy, and is learnable exclusively by bird Pokémon. This makes more sense with its Japanese name, "Parrot Mimicry". |
| 93 | *** The move Smart Strike is called "Smart Horn" in Japanese, hence why it's mostly learned by things with horns or horn-like protrusions. |
| 94 | *** Throat Chop is "Hell Thrust" in Japanese. It is actually a piercing move that targets the opponent's neck, which is why armless Pokémon incapable of chopping could learn it, as they have sharp body parts that allow them to pierce things. It was most likely called that because it was Incineroar's SecretArt in ''[=SM=]''. |
| 95 | *** Splash is "Hop" in Japanese and was called that because the only Pokémon who learned Splash in Generation I was Magikarp whose Pokédex entries said it could only ''splash'' around. |
| 96 | * LuckBasedMission: |
| 97 | ** Capturing wild [[{{Mons}} Pokémon]], ''especially'' legendaries. (Knocking them out is fairly easy; it's ''catching them alive'' that takes forever.) To explain this, each [[{{Mons}} Pokémon]] species has a specific capture rate that affects the probability of snagging it with a given Poké Ball. ComMons have a capture rate of 255, making them easy to catch. Meanwhile, most Legendary Pokémon have a capture rate of 3. Even after said Legendary Pokémon only have 1 HP as well as affected by status, the chance for catching them is still pretty slim. |
| 98 | ** The Safari Zone; every Pokémon encountered is willing to run away at the drop of a hat, and your strategic options are limited to either throwing rocks/mud, or throwing bait. Doing the former will make them easier to capture, but they will more likely to flee, while the latter option will cause them less likely to flee, but harder to catch. This is taken even further if you want a Lucky Egg. In ''[=FireRed/LeafGreen=]'' there is a 5% chance a Chansey in the Safari Zone will be holding it, and even catching ''one'' Chansey is brutal enough. Averted in [=ORAS=] wherein the Safari Zone allows you to get into regular Pokémon battles without the whole running away shenanigans. |
| 99 | ** Many of the Battle Frontier challenges, particularly the Battle Pike (where the whole purpose is to test the player's luck) and the Battle Palace (where Pokémon fight on their own, without commands from their Trainers). The Battle Factories of Hoenn and Sinnoh/Johto are also notable, as the selection of Pokémon offered to the player at the start of each challenge is randomized each time. |
| 100 | ** Factory Head Noland[[note]]Presides over the aforementioned Battle Factory of Hoenn[[/note]], Factory Head Thorton[[note]]Presides over the aforementioned Battle Factory of Sinnoh[[/note]], and Hall Matron Argenta all have randomized party Pokémon each time they are challenged, meaning that essentially '''any''' Pokémon (other than those[[note]]Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys, Rotom (all Rotom forms except "'''Normal''' Rotom", Rotom's default form), Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus[[/note]] that are not admissible to the Battle Frontier, and excluding species that debut in subsequent generations) could appear as an opponent Pokémon. So not only is the ''player''[='s=] team subject to luck, the ''opposing'' teams (and the ''difficulty'' of every battle with the aforementioned Frontier Brains) are as well. |
| 101 | [[/folder]] |
| 102 | |
| 103 | [[folder:M]] |
| 104 | * MachiavelliWasWrong: Played straight in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the anime]], but lightly subverted here. The Revival Herb, an item that is purchasable from an herbal shop. It functions like Max Revive, which can't be found in stores. However, feeding a fainted Pokémon with it will reduces its happiness. |
| 105 | * MadeOfExplodium: |
| 106 | ** Several [[{{Mons}} Pokémon]] can learn Self-Destruct and/or Explosion. Voltorb, Koffing, and Pineco in particular are known for this. |
| 107 | ** There's also the Aftermath ability, which makes the user explode when it faints, hurting any opponent that knocks it out with a move that makes contact. Voltorb is one of the few Pokémon that can have Aftermath. |
| 108 | * MagicFire: Mystical Fire is a Fire-type move that was formally the SignatureMove of Delphox that does damage and lowers the opponent's Special Attack by one stage. |
| 109 | * {{Mana}}: Each move's Power Points, or PP, effectively serve as this. |
| 110 | * ManaPotion: The rare Elixirs and Ethers restore [=PPs=]. Starting from Gen II the rare Mysteryberry were introduced. From Gen III onwards Leppa Berries were introduced. |
| 111 | * MagicIsRareHealthIsCheap: Traditionally, Elixirs and Ethers cannot be bought, and are only found lying on the ground. If they can be obtained otherwise, it's only in the PlayableEpilogue, and only at the Battle Tower. Potions, however, are abundant. Averted with the introduction of Leppa Berries, depending on how easy it is to plant and harvest them for more. |
| 112 | * MagicPotion: The various Potions are the series' primary healing item, coming in regular, Super, Hyper and Max varieties -- each kind refills more hit points; the Max kind completely restores the health bar. You cannot make them yourself, and must purchase them from shops. Unlike most examples, the Potions come in spray-bottle form and are applied to the Mons by their Trainer; it's even noted in-game that the Mons can't use man-made healing items, though they can hold on to a variety of [[HyperactiveMetabolism Berries]] for similar effects. |
| 113 | * MagnetismManipulation: |
| 114 | ** Magnetism is used in a couple of moves. Magnet Bomb is a Steel-type move that never misses, and Magnet Rise uses electromagnetism to make a Pokémon float above the ground, rendering it immune to Ground-type moves for five turns. |
| 115 | ** The item "Magnet" increases the power of [[ShockAndAwe Electric]] moves by 20%. |
| 116 | ** Many species of Pokémon such as Magnemite and its evolutions use magnetism to move around. Some of those species also have the ability "Magnet Pull", which [[YouWillNotEvadeMe prevents Steel-type opponents from escaping the battle]] in any way. |
| 117 | ** Certain Pokémon (two-thirds of whom can have the ability Magnet Pull) can evolve by leveling up in areas with a special magnetic field, such as the ones present in [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Mt. Coronet]] or [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Chargestone Cave]]. |
| 118 | ** There's also the move "Magnetic Flux", which raises the defenses of any allied Pokémon with the "Plus" or "Minus" abilities. |
| 119 | * ManOnFire: Getting burned inflicts steady damage and cripples most physical attackers. However, Guts users' attack is instead '''boosted''' while afflicted by status conditions, so beware of InfernalRetaliation. |
| 120 | * MartialArtistsAreAlwaysBarefoot: Trainers that specialize in Fighting-type Pokémon often go barefoot, including the common Black Belts, [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Bruno]], [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Chuck]], and[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Maylene]], [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Marshal]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Bea]]. |
| 121 | * {{Mascot}}: [[KidAppealCharacter Pikachu]] is the {{mascot}} of the Pokémon franchise across almost all the media. |
| 122 | * MasterOfNone: A number of Pokémon have base stats that are evened out. |
| 123 | * MeaningfulName: |
| 124 | ** The majority of the Gym Leaders in the games have them. Just guess which elements these guys specialize in: B''rock'', ''Misty'', Lt. ''Surge'', ''Falkner'', ''Bug''sy, ''Brawl''y, ''Watt''son, Cand''ice'', ''Clay''…the list goes on. |
| 125 | ** Most Pokémon names are Portmanteaus or puns. The translations try to match this by [[{{Woolseyism}} creating equivalents that Western audiences will appreciate]]. |
| 126 | * MechanicallyUnusualClass: In much of competitive play, many Pokémon that focus on the move Baton Pass have a tendency to be this, often using Substitute for endurance purposes and status buffs in hopes of lasting long enough to pass the status buffs on to the next Pokémon. Pokémon given these movesets are often passed up outside competitive play, as it's faster and easier to just mow through the in-game opponents with high-leveled Pokémon and more conventional strategies. |
| 127 | * TheMedic: |
| 128 | ** Any Pokémon with the move Wish can potentially be this, though the effectiveness varies based on the user's HP stat. In addition, the moves Aromatherapy and Heal Bell cure the entire party of status ailments, and the move Heal Pulse lets the user heal any Pokémon but itself (which is useless in single battles, where the only other target is the opponent). |
| 129 | ** Pokémon with the Healer ability can cure their allies of status conditions. |
| 130 | ** Prior to Generation VII, the moves Softboiled and Milk Drink could be used outside of battle to transfer some of the user's HP to other teammates. Once you've done that, you can just fight a random wild Pokémon and use the move to restore the original Pokémon's HP. |
| 131 | * MegaCorp: A few big-name businesses exist in the world of Pokémon. |
| 132 | ** Gen 1: Silph Company. |
| 133 | ** Gen 3: Devon Corporation and the (defunct) Mauville Corporation. |
| 134 | ** Gen 5: Game Freak Incorporated. |
| 135 | ** Gen 6: The unnamed company that built the Poké Ball Factory in the Kalos Region. |
| 136 | ** Gen 8: Macro Cosmos, a massive business conglomerate with no less then 14 business subsidiaries ranging from transportation, media, finances, and energy production. Its president, Rose, is also the chairman of the Galar Pokémon League. |
| 137 | * MetaPower: The Disable move prevents the opposing Pokémon from using one of their moves. Only one move can be disabled at a time, and in [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the first generation]] the move is chosen at random, while in all subsequent generations it affects the last move the target used, failing if they haven't used one yet. |
| 138 | * MetamorphosisMonster: |
| 139 | ** Quite a few Pokémon do this while evolving. The most obvious example is Magikarp to Gyarados (small carp to sea serpent), but there are others, such as Vibrava to Flygon (lacewing to dragon) and Feebas to Milotic (fish to elegant-looking sea serpent). |
| 140 | ** Many of these Pokémon's real-life counterparts undergo a similar transformation. Flygon, for example, is based off of an adult [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antlion antlion]], so it's only natural that its base form, Trapinch, would look so different. |
| 141 | * MeteorSummoningAttack: |
| 142 | ** One of the rarest, most powerful moves available to the rarest type is the Dragon-type move, Draco Meteor. It summons a barrage of meteors to devastate an opponent, with a base power of 130[[note]]140 before Generation VI[[/note]] with a [[HeroicRROD drawback of harshly lowering the user's Special Attack]]. No Pokémon can learn it naturally, it has to be taught by a special tutor found in the game-world, making it something of an InfinityPlusOneSword. |
| 143 | ** Rayquaza also brings some of these along while smashing down to earth with its Draco Ascent move in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.]]'' |
| 144 | * MightyGlacier: |
| 145 | ** Many Pokémon qualify, but the legendary Pokémon Regice gets bonus points for being a ''literal'' glacier. It's a very large chunk of sentient ice that's vaguely human-shaped. It also fits this trope, having pretty good 100 Special attack and phenomenal 200 Special defense but a low speed of 50. |
| 146 | ** The attack Body Press is unique in how it operates, being a physical attack that calculates damage from the Defense stat of the user rather than the user's Attack[[labelnote:*]]However, Attack modifiers from a held item, Ability or the burn status still apply while Defense modifiers such as Fur Coat and the Eviolite do not apply when calculating damage[[/labelnote]]. This allows [[StoneWall Pokémon with high Defense and low Attack]] to effectively become this trope with these new offensive options without needing to focus on their Attack stat. |
| 147 | ** Avalugg also qualifies, being a living ice creature with great Attack and Defense stats, but it's pitifully slow. |
| 148 | * MimicSpecies: There are numerous species that make use of mimicry: |
| 149 | ** Mimikyu is a ghost Pokémon that conceals its true form (that acts as a BrownNote to anyone unfortunate to see it) with old merchandise to take advantage of Pikachu's popularity. |
| 150 | ** An example in hindsight can be found in Sudowoodo, a rock-type Pokémon that disguises itself as a tree. When the actual tree-like Trevenant was introduced later, it was possible to see a Sudowoodo in a horde of Trevenant in Kalos. |
| 151 | ** The Pokémon Lurantis is based on the famous orchid mantis, except it [[GenuineImpostor actually is an orchid flower pretending to be a mantis that imitates an orchid flower]]. |
| 152 | * MinigameZone: |
| 153 | ** The Game Corners are shops where players could visit and play Pokémon-themed casino games, like Slots and Roulette to earn a currency called Coins, which could be traded in to get prizes like [=TMs=] and rare Pokémon. This ended after Generation IV due to changes in the PEGI ratings system banning simulated gambling in games, which stopped Game Corners from appearing in future games and [[RealLifeWritesThePlot caused the Mauville Game Corner in Generation VI to shut down.]] |
| 154 | ** The Dream World was an online browser game accessed through the Pokémon Global Link service where Pokémon from Black, White, Black 2, and White 2 could be sent to to befriend Pokémon not normally found in Unova, as well as being able to find Pokémon with special moves or Hidden Abilities. This was done by playing minigames with them, and if the player succeeded at the minigame, they could take the befriended Pokémon back to their Gen V game, where they could catch it and add it to their collection. After ''X and Y'' released, this was shut down in favor of the [=PokéMileage=] Club. |
| 155 | ** The [=PokéMileage=] Club is the Generation VI successor to the Dream World, as it is also a MinigameZone accessed through the Global Link. By transferring [=PokéMiles=] earned in your Gen VI game to the Global Link, you can spend said [=PokéMiles=] to play "Attractions" for a chance at winning items. Items earned from here range from ShopFodder to common items you can find ingame, to rare items you won't be able to find anywhere else, and on occasion, the very rare PP Maxes, Enigma Berries, or even ''Master Balls''. |
| 156 | * MinimalisticCoverArt: The main games all feature a single Pokémon on their covers, known as a "game mascot" and later "box legendary" among the fandom. [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Gen I]] had starter Pokémon (Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise and Pikachu), while later games all feature [[OlympusMons Legendary Pokémon]]. |
| 157 | * MissConception: Somehow the couple running the day care don't know where the eggs keep coming from. [[HotSkittyOnWailordAction But with some of the combinations of Pokémon who can breed, it's hard to blame them.]] |
| 158 | * MixAndMatchCritters: Especially plant-animal hybrids. |
| 159 | * MixedAnimalSpeciesTeam: The main games are about the human player collecting the different kinds of Pokémon and adding them to his/her roster. |
| 160 | * ModelMuseum: The explicit purpose of ''Pokédex 3D Pro'', which allows you to view every Pokémon from throughout the series up to and including ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''. Features include being able to watch each mon perform numerous animations, check their types and descriptions, sort and search through them, and even take quizzes on them. |
| 161 | ** The original ''Pokédex 3D'' also counts, though it's limited to the mons included in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and doesn't have as many features. |
| 162 | * MonTech: |
| 163 | ** The Pokémon Storage System is used by Trainers to hold the Pokémon they can't fit in their party due to being limited to six. It stores and transmits them as data, which allows for easy management. They have an admin to ensure everything is running fine within every Region. Titles starting from ''Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee'' allow the player to access the Storage system from anywhere as opposed to primarily from Pokémon Centers. |
| 164 | ** Technical Machines or [=TMs=] are discs used to teach Pokémon moves. |
| 165 | * MoneyForNothing: |
| 166 | ** Especially in the later games, you can make tens of thousands of dollars just fighting your stock trainers and being conservative with your cash, but there's rarely anything worth spending it on aside from vitamins, which are a bit pricey at 9,800 Pokédollars, but you'll still have plenty of cash to buy them in bulk. |
| 167 | ** The Generation V games added more ShopFodder items with no purpose but to be sold for cash, and added special "item maniac" characters who will pay double the price for particular items. The Abyssal Ruins alone have over a million dollars worth of loot in them. |
| 168 | ** Generation VI zigzags this. There are facilities that will charge six-figure sums for their services, but once again, the game will be throwing high battle winnings at you, and those facilities that charge six-figure sums pit you against trainers and/or have valuable items as rewards, allowing you to make your money back from them and then some. At higher levels of the Battle Chateau, you can walk in and throw away five hundred thousand dollars at the front door, then wander the mansion battling rich trainers and eventually leave with well over a million in your pocket. |
| 169 | * MoneyMultiplier: |
| 170 | ** The Amulet Coin and Luck Incense items double the amount of money gained from defeating Trainers. |
| 171 | ** The move Pay Day also grants Trainers an additional amount of money each time it is used, with the awarded amount of coins being based off of the level of the Pokémon using the move. During [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Generations 1]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver 2]], the amount of money scattered was two times the user's level. From [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Generation 3]] onwards, the multiplier was increased, so that the money received per use is now five times the user's level. |
| 172 | ** Pass Powers, introduced in [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Generation V]], and the Prize Money O-Power from [[VideoGame/PokemonXandY Generation VI]], include increasing the reward money from winning Trainer battles. There's also the event-exclusive move Happy Hour, which doubles earnings for that battle and stacks with the other methods. |
| 173 | * {{Mons}}: Somewhere between the TropeNamer and TropeCodifier. |
| 174 | * MonsAsCharacterization: Type specialists will often have characters that tie into the type they specializes in, for example [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Fighting-type specialist Bruno is a super-jacked martial artist and Psychic-type specialist Sabrina has psychic powers herself]]. |
| 175 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'': Tate and Liza are twins who are able to psychically communicate with each other and specialize in the Psychic-type. They face you as a tag-team in a double Gym Battle, and their signature mons are Solrock and Lunatone, two closely associated Pokémon based on the sun and the moon respectively. |
| 176 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': |
| 177 | *** [[AmericansAreCowboys Clay]] is a Ground-type Gym Leader who also works a second job as a the head of a gem mining company. His SignatureMon Excadrill is a giant mole with drills for hands. |
| 178 | *** [[TheDragon N]] believes that keeping Pokémon in Pokéballs is abhorrent. As a result, he uses a different team every time he battles you, and his team is made up exclusively of Pokémon found in that area. This implies that he likely caught his entire team minutes beforehand for the sole purpose of battling you, then releases them after you beat him. |
| 179 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest'': |
| 180 | *** TheHero of the story starts out with an Eevee as a partner, reflecting their flexible potential. [[spoiler:Their Rank III partner can potentially be Arceus, continuing the trend]]. |
| 181 | *** UsefulNotes/ToyotomiHideyoshi's partner being the Chimchar line is based on him being nicknamed ''kozaru'', or little monkey. [[spoiler:A Wi-Fi event allows him to partner with Reshiram, the counterpart to Nobunaga's Zekrom, which alludes to him becoming Nobunaga's historical successor.]] |
| 182 | *** Nobunaga's initial partner is Hydreigon, reflecting his DemonKingNobunaga reputation. |
| 183 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'': Volo uses a team that's almost identical to that of his descendent Cynthia in ''VideoGame/PokemonPlatinum''. However, his SignatureMon is the peaceful Fairy/Flying type Togekiss while Cynthia's is the violent Dragon/Ground type Garchomp, with Fairy-types being a counter to Dragon-types and Flying-types being a counter to Ground-types. One of the Pokémon found on Cynthia's Platinum team, the Water-type Milotic, is not available in the Hisui dex, so Volo has it replaced with a Fire/Rock-type Hisuian Arcanine. [[spoiler: This alludes to how Volo is the BigBad of his game while Cynthia was the BigGood of hers]]. |
| 184 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'': Arven, who is a talented cook who is seeking cooking ingredients, gradually builds up a Pokémon team based around food products and cooking, such as Garganacl (based off of salts) and Scovillain (based around the pepper). |
| 185 | * MonsterModesty: Many humanoid Pokémon subvert this by appearing to be wearing clothes for our benefit, when they're actually a natural part of their biology. A good example of this is Machoke and Machamp; they ''are'' wearing belts, but the "underwear" are just markings on their skin. |
| 186 | * MoodWhiplash: The dex entry for Swampert in ''[=FireRed=]/[=LeafGreen=]'': "Its arms are rock-hard. With one swing they can batter down its foe. It makes its nests at beautiful beaches." |
| 187 | * MookChivalry: |
| 188 | ** Despite being ''criminals'', all the members of the evil organizations, from the lowest grunt to its boss, will still award you money when you beat them. In addition, they very rarely gang up on you. |
| 189 | ** This is [[ImpliedTrope implied]] in regards to the Pokémon themselves; accuracy and evasion checks aside, battling Pokémon will always take their opponents’ attacks head-on. Translating this to the anime has led to Trainers needing to verbally ''tell'' their Pokémon to dodge an incoming attack. |
| 190 | * MoonLogicPuzzle: Some of the Gym puzzles, and the Trick House in the third generation. |
| 191 | %%Please don't list type specialists who utilize this trope unless they put a somewhat unique spin on it compared to other type specialists of the same type. We've listed the general trend that this trope applies generally to type specialists up front to avoid lots of copypasted examples. If you add an example that basically amounts to "This character is hot-blooded and they're a fire-type specialist", there are a billion other fire-type specialists to whom that description applies just as much. |
| 192 | * MoreDiverseSequel: The main series games. Initially, the [[FantasyCounterpartCulture regions were based on various parts of Japan]], resulting in a mostly [[{{Mukokuseki}} pale and homogeneously Japanese-ish]] cast with some one-off AmbiguouslyBrown characters like Phoebe from ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire''. |
| 193 | ** Starting from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' (which is set in the setting's equivalent of the USA, and suitably features a larger range of skintones for its [=NPCs=] to match the US's status of a melting pot), there have been more characters who evoke real-world minorities or are just AmbiguouslyBrown; from those games, Lenora is the setting's equivalent of black, and Iris is the latter. |
| 194 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' introduced CharacterCustomization, which allows the player to be darker-skinned. |
| 195 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' is set in the setting's equivalent of Hawaii/Polynesia, and many [=NPCs=] are suitably some variation of brown. |
| 196 | ** Later games have also made it a point to make characters from the first four regions (Valerie, Kabu) distinctly Asian-inspired, which makes them stand out as minorities in diverse settings. |
| 197 | * MuggingTheMonster: |
| 198 | ** Whenever you have to backtrack far, the wild mons hit this. "Oh my, a Level 5 Caterpie. Do your thing, Level 62 Charizard." |
| 199 | *** Although in some games, it can basically get subverted, you can run into a situation where you ''think'' it's yet another low-level mon and instead it's a roaming legendary. |
| 200 | ** Also, grinding early on makes for funny situations. You can also skip some early Trainers, who then say that you look pretty easy and challenge you, only to find that you have a team of Level 100's. |
| 201 | ** In games where you can have your Pokémon follow you (In ''[=HeartGold=]'' and ''[=SoulSilver=]'' and Videogame/PokemonSwordAndShield, it's the first Pokémon in your party, while in Videogame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee, you freely choose your Pokémon) around on the overworld, outside of its Pokéball. This trope approaches TooDumbToLive levels when Youngster Joey decides to take on you and your OlympusMons. |
| 202 | ** Though since the ''Pokémon'' universe runs on DefeatMeansFriendship, this trope could arguably be justified as a way of trying to make (powerful) new friends. |
| 203 | * MultiformBalance: A number of Pokémon have various forms with differing distributions of stats, moves, or typing. Some of them can be changed outside battle, in battle, or require a held item. Each form's stats/typings/moves tends to contrast with the others (e.g. Deoxys Attack Forme is a GlassCannon, Defense Forme is a StoneWall, while Speed Forme is a FragileSpeedster), allowing them to perform their role differently. |
| 204 | * MultipleDemographicAppeal: |
| 205 | ** One of the best examples out there. The various {{Mon}}s appeal to Japan and the Western world, as well as girls and boys. The gameplay appeals to both casual gamers who play simple games and hardcore, competitive gamers who try to understand deeper strategies used to take down the opponent. |
| 206 | ** It also appeals to multiple age groups as there are games designed for older players such as ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' (to get the most out of the game, the player needs to travel without parental supervision and have a disposable income) and ''VideoGame/PokkenTournament'' (a hardcore FightingGame for the MediaNotes/FightingGameCommunity), and games designed for younger children such as ''Pokémon Playhouse'': an app designed for 3-5 year olds with no fighting whatsoever: the app consists of playing simple games and hatching Pokémon eggs. |
| 207 | * MultipleHeadCase: Not many Pokémon have multiple heads, but some of those that do fall under this. Dodrio, Zweilous, Binacle, and Exeggutor are all examples (though Exeggutor's heads don't argue between themselves). Barbaracle goes a step further, with a grand total of '''seven''' heads (four of which serve as its arms and legs). |
| 208 | * MultipleReferencePun: In Generation I, Tri Attack fired a triangle-shaped projectile. In Gen II it became a FireIceLightning tri-elemental attack that could burn, paralyze and freeze. In Gen III and beyond, it now creates a triangular field of elemental energy. And for a third pun, aside from Genesect and the Porygon line, the only Pokémon to learn it now are Dugtrio, Magneton, Doduo, Dodrio, and Hydreigon — namely, Pokémon with three heads. |
| 209 | * MultipleTailedBeast: Many species have multiple tails, such as Vulpix (six), Ninetales ([[ExactlyWhatitSaysOnTheTin obvious]]), and Tauros (three). Espeon has a forked tail with two tips, as do Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. Buizel and Floatzel have two (they even [[HeliCritter use them as propellers]]), as well as Ambipom and Electivire. There are also some ambiguous cases, such as Grovyle (which has branching fern leaves for a tail) and Suicune (which has two ribbons for a tail). |
| 210 | * MundaneUtility: |
| 211 | ** A common thing throughout all adaptions of the franchise is how Pokémon moves and abilities can often be used for mundane tasks. For example, certain Pokémon will be used to help with tasks such as construction, guarding, or food production, Fire types can help blow glass or cook, Water-type Pokémon make good firefighters, etc. |
| 212 | ** In the anime and most manga, most Grass-type Pokémon will always have Vine Whip in their move sets. In the games, it's a 35 power move most people will quickly sack once they get a better Grass move, but in other media, it's very versatile. Most will use it as an extra set of hands (or as hands in the first place if they don't have any to begin with), can extend it out as a rope to catch others or cross gaps, use it to make pictures as to better communicate with others, and so on and so forth. |
| 213 | * MushroomMan: Shroomish, Breloom, Foongus, Amoongus, Morelull, and Shiinotic. |
| 214 | * MyNaymeIs: Names like "Feraligatr", "Victreebel", and "Cofagrigus" were likely artificially shortened from their natural forms ("Feraligator", "Victreebell", and "Cophagrigus") due to a 10-character limit on names in the games. However, as a result, all official media goes by the constrained names instead of dismissing the shortening as a trick of the game device. Even ''X'' and ''Y'', which added 2 more letters to the name limit, hasn't affected the names of the aforementioned Pokémon, most likely because it would be too much of a hassle to re-apply for MediaNotes/{{Trademark}}s. |
| 215 | * MysteriousPurple: The Ghost type is assigned purple in the franchise's ColorCodedElements, several Ghost-type Pokémon incorporate purple in their designs, and Ghost-type specialists tend to wear a lot of purple. Ghost-types are otherworldly and unknown, and feature frequently in hauntings, mysteries, and legends throughout the various games. |
| 216 | * MythologyGag: Some recurring gameplay elements that exist for no particular reason -- a Bug-type Pokémon that evolves at a low level, a three-stage Normal/Flying bird Pokémon in starting locations, a regional Normal-type rodent, Pikachu stand-in, etc. |
| 217 | [[/folder]] |
| 218 | |
| 219 | [[folder:N]] |
| 220 | * NegativeAbility: |
| 221 | ** Truant is an ability making the Pokémon who possesses it skip every other turn. It was originally [[SecretArt exclusive]] to Slakoth and its final form Slaking, the former being [[MagikarpPower difficult to raise and evolve because of it]], while the latter has it as a NecessaryDrawback due to its stats rivalling that of [[OlympusMons Legendary Pokémon]]. |
| 222 | ** Normalize, the [[SecretArt signature ability]] of Skitty and Delcatty, makes all of the user's moves Normal-type, preventing them from landing super-effective hits or damaging Ghost-type Pokémon. It does have a few niche benefits, such as allowing them to paralyze Ground-types with Thunder Wave, but it generally just serves to make the two [[JokeCharacter even worse at battling than they already are.]] |
| 223 | ** The Klutz ability prevents the Pokémon from using held items. |
| 224 | ** Regigigas' Slow Start ability halves its attack and speed for its first five turns in battle. |
| 225 | ** Archen and Archeops' Defeatist ability lowers their stats when they're at less than half their max HP. |
| 226 | ** Due to a programming error, in [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Generation I]], Focus Energy ''decreases'' the user's CriticalHit rate, when it is supposed to increase it. |
| 227 | * NemesisWeapon: The player and the rival will take starters from the same lab who are usually their most powerful and reliable Pokémon. Starters are not found in the wild, have above average abilities overall, as well as access to a few unique powerful moves. Some adaptations make a plot point that both TheHero and TheRival's 'mon of choice were raised together as friends before the two kids pit them against each other. That and the rival always takes the one that has a natural advantage over yours. |
| 228 | * {{Nerf}}: |
| 229 | ** In between the strengthening of the types that were already strong against it, the decreased proliferation of the types that are weak against it, the creation of two advantageous types (Dark and Steel), and the ease of finding Dark-type moves, the formerly [[GameBreaker game-breaking]] Psychic type is now much more balanced. |
| 230 | ** Up through Generation IV, Self-Destruct and Explosion actually inflicted double their stated attack power because they [[GuideDangIt secretly]] reduced the opponent's Defense by half. This has been changed as of Gen V, likely due in part to the introduction of Triple Battles, where this could be extremely centralizing, even more so than it already was in Double Battles. |
| 231 | ** [[invoked]]WordOfGod says that the Fairy-type was made ''specifically'' to balance the Dragon-types. Dragons were originally meant to be a rare InfinityPlusOneElement with the best type matchups, but as new dragons were introduced later, they grew so much in power as to be [[GameBreaker game-breaking]] juggernauts. To counter this, the Fairy-type was made to have a huge type advantage over dragons, much as the Dark-type had over Psychics in Generation 2. Meanwhile, the Steel-type was defensively nerfed by removing key resistances to Ghost and Dark in exchange for strength against Fairy-types. |
| 232 | ** A good deal of Special-oriented moves had their power reduced in ''X'' and ''Y'', including Flamethrower, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt, as well as their stronger counterparts. Meteor Mash also got hit with this, as while its shaky accuracy was moved to a more acceptable 90%, its power got cut down from 100 to 90. |
| 233 | ** Two particular {{Game Breaker}}s were nerfed in ''Sun'' and ''Moon'' to the point of becoming '''[[JokeCharacter absolutely useless]]'''. Gale Wings, an ability that makes all Flying-type moves go before other moves, was nerfed to make it only function while the user is at full HP[[note]]note that its user is a GlassCannon who utilizes a lot of CastFromHitPoints moves and is ''extremely'' Vulnerable to [[ThatOneAttack Stealth]] [[TrapMaster Rock]], meaning that it's almost '''never''' at full HP[[/note]]. Dark Void, the SecretArt of Darkrai (which could be copied by [[PowerCopying Smeargle]]), was changed to only function when Darkrai uses it and has significantly reduced accuracy (going from being the second-best sleep-inducing move to being the absolute worst (only the one-hit KO moves have worse accuracy)). |
| 234 | *** To elaborate on Dark Void and Smeargle, it was one of the very few cases of a Nerf because a strategy was overpowered and overused: after players realized they could use Dark Void without its [[OlympusMons original user]] in their [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Gen IV debut]], Dark Void Smeargle ran rampant in the newly-introduced online battles to the point where the move had to be made illegal on Smeargle in Gen V. The restriction was lifted in Gen VI under the pretense that players had a lot of new toys to play with, but [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome this didn't help as much as they'd hoped]], and so Gen VII made Dark Void learnable but unusable by Smeargle (''and'' made it [[CoolButInefficient outrageously]] [[FakeSpecialAttack unreliable]] for good measure). |
| 235 | ** ''Sword and Shield'' cut many moves from the previous generations such as Toxic Thread, Return and Frustration, though the [=DLC=]s restored several such as Shadow Bone and Aeroblast. ''Scarlet and Violet'' cut even more moves such as Aromatherapy and Rock Wrecker. Some moves such as Corrosive Gas are programmed in, but can only be called by Metronome. |
| 236 | * NeverBringAKnifeToAFistfight: CombatPragmatist Dark-types are weak to Fighting-type attacks. |
| 237 | * NewbieImmunity: A general rule of thumb for the games is that while the first battle can be lost, instead of whiting out and losing money like what normally happens after losing a battle, the plot will continue on as normal, with the exception of the first generation. |
| 238 | * NewSkillAsReward: Sometimes you'll get a TM (i.e. an item that teaches a Pokémon a new ability) as a reward for a quest. One example is getting the Dig TM in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' for dealing with a Team Rocket member who stole the TM from a man's house. HM Moves always have unlimited uses while TM Moves in the first four generations could only be used once before being gone for good until becoming unlimited use in Generation 5. |
| 239 | * NewWorkRecycledGraphics: A good chunk of the games released since ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' have made a point of consistently reusing the same 3D models for the Pokémon and simply adding new models when new Pokémon are added, then subsequently reusing those models in later installments. Both Generation VII and Generation VIII reuse the [=3DS=] models, as do ''Pokémon Masters'' and ''Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX''. |
| 240 | * NightAndDayDuo: |
| 241 | ** Espeon and Umbreon were introduced in the second generation to show off the new day/night feature. Both evolve from an Eevee that has high happiness, but Espeon evolves during the day and Umbreon during the night. For further contrast, Espeon is a Psychic-Type, and Umbreon a Dark-Type. |
| 242 | ** Lunatone and Solrock are, as their name implies, living stones based on the sun and the moon. They are believed to be meteorites, though this is unproven. Solrock is said to absorb energy from the sun while Lunatone is most powerful during the full moon. Finally, they are version counterparts, with Solrock being in ''Ruby'' and Lunatone in ''Sapphire''. |
| 243 | ** Fittingly for the games ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'', their main legendaries are based on the sun and the moon. Both evolve from a nebula Pokémon called Cosmoem, with their final form based on the game. ''Sun/Ultra Sun'' has Solgaleo, a white sun-lion, while ''Moon/Ultra Moon'' has blue moon-bat Lunala. |
| 244 | * NinjaPirateZombieRobot: |
| 245 | ** Meet Blaziken, the giant kickboxing fire chicken. Or Garchomp, the dragon jet-plane LandShark. Or Tropius, the flying dinosaur with palm-leaf wings and bananas growing from its chin. Or Flygon, the antlion dragon. Yup. |
| 246 | ** Scyther. Human-sized mantis ninja raptor with ''[[SinisterScythe scythes]] [[BladeBelowTheShoulder for arms]]''. |
| 247 | ** In Generation V, we have Emboar, the professional wrestling pig with a beard of fire, and Genesect, a prehistoric {{Cyborg}} bug that can fly using its laser cannon as a JetPack. |
| 248 | ** Vespiquen, a combination of a [[BeeAfraid bee]] and a battleship with a touch of European royalty. |
| 249 | ** Sharpedo, a torpedo shark that evolves from a piranha. |
| 250 | ** Blastoise, the water jet cannon tortoise. |
| 251 | ** Deoxys, a humanoid alien personification of DNA. |
| 252 | ** Dewott is a samurai [[PlayfulOtter otter]] that evolves into a samurai sea lion. |
| 253 | ** The three starters of Generation VI. Chesnaught, the chestnut hedgehog knight. Delphox, the flaming oracle fennec fox. Greninja, the water ninja frog. |
| 254 | ** Slurpuff, a meringue/pudding/cupcake puppy fairy. |
| 255 | ** Scraggy and Scrafty, urban-gangster lizards. |
| 256 | ** Cacturne, a humanoid cactus scarecrow. |
| 257 | ** Dragapault, a prehistoric stealth bomber ghost dragon that launches its babies like missiles. |
| 258 | * NoBiologicalSex: Most Legendary Pokémon and a couple regularly found Pokémon. Most genderless Pokémon seem to be quite powerful, however. And sometimes fan-viewed gender on Pokémon are accepted by the fandom at large to be correct (Meloetta is female, Mewtwo is male, etc.). |
| 259 | * NoFairCheating: |
| 260 | ** General: |
| 261 | *** Newer ''Pokémon'' games implement methods to keep players from either transferring severely hacked (as in modified stats and illegitimate Abilities) Pokémon between games or from using them in things like Colosseums and the Battle Frontier. They don't seem to have found a way to do this for illegitimate move sets yet, though. |
| 262 | *** Pokémon Bank's side app, Poké Transporter, will not send over any pokémon that fails its hack checks. Unfortunately, there were cases where legitimate event mons were seen as hacked. |
| 263 | *** Cheating is now also harder because patches can be released to update software and patch previously used exploits. In one case, players were induced to update their system and close the exploit that was allowing genning Pokémon via QR codes, because the update patch for the game itself was in the eShop. In order to go online and get it, a system update was required. Not updating blocks any online play. |
| 264 | *** Most ''Pokémon'' games use the actual time on the system clock to determine certain events, like [=NPCs=] who will help you once daily, items that respawn, weather in the Wild Area in ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', etc. If the games notice you changing the clock, they'll cancel all daily events for a while. (There's an exploit in ''Sword and Shield'' that partially prevents this though.) |
| 265 | *** Using a cheat device on the DS titles would lock them out from participating in official Creator/{{Nintendo}}-sanctioned tournaments. |
| 266 | ** Generation 1 and their remakes: |
| 267 | *** It's impossible to transfer a Mew that was created with a glitch from the Platform/VirtualConsole [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Generation 1 games]] or the Coin Case glitch in [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Generation 2 games]] into Pokémon Bank, unless you go through [[https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/5q4meg/how_to_trick_pokebank_into_thinking_your_gen_1/ a really elaborate process]] or soft resetting your Trainer ID to be 22796 with the name GF before you obtained the Mew. |
| 268 | *** In ''Pokemon [=FireRed=] And [=LeafGreen=]'', if you hack Mew or Deoxys into the game to skip having to need the events for them, since they don't get a special flag otherwise, they will disobey your every command. {{Downplayed|Trope}} in the sense that the anti-cheat measure only worked if you directly hacked them into your game. Hacking to teleport to their location and catching them there wouldn't. |
| 269 | ** Generation 2 and their remakes: |
| 270 | *** In just ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', Clair will call you out if you obtain a Dragon Fang before challenging and defeating her, and will also hold on to her Rising Badge until you get the Dragon Fang in-game. |
| 271 | ---->'''Clair:''' You did not get that at Dragon's Den. Trying to cheat like that... I'm disappointed in you. |
| 272 | *** In ''Pokémon [=HeartGold=] and [=SoulSilver=]'', if you use a Walk Through Walls cheat code to walk through the Safari Zone Gate without going through reception first, the Safari Zone will be reduced to six plain squares and the only Pokémon you encounter are Level 20 Rattata. Strangely, the encounters are treated like regular ones instead of Safari Zone encounters. |
| 273 | ** Generation 3 and their remakes: |
| 274 | *** ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'': These games introduced the "Bad EGG" anti-cheat measurement. Apart from ''Emerald'' where it can spawn from doing the Pomeg glitch, it only shows up if you do things such as alter [=IVs=], give illegal movesets or steal other trainers' Pokémon (all of which are impossible without a cheating device) then a "Bad EGG" will often spawn (usually in place of that stolen mon). This thing is just a useless egg that when it hatches will cause your game to crash. It also occasionally duplicates itself, overwriting other pokémon. Since it's an egg, [[MadeofIndestructium you can't get rid of it, and cheating to get rid of it often just made things worse]]. Finally, anytime you restart with it spawned; especially after the aforementioned crash, you will often find your data corrupted and forced to restart. |
| 275 | ** Generation 4 and their remakes: |
| 276 | *** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'': This is the reason why ''Diamond and Pearl'' never got Oak's Letter or the Member Card released for the Shaymin and Darkrai events. Players were getting them all the time through tweaking and surf glitch, so Game Freak just gave out events by wi-fi instead. Also, getting Shaymin by the glitch methods doesn't trigger the fateful encounter flag, so you can't get the Gracidea flower to change its form. |
| 277 | *** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonStadium Pokémon Battle Revolution]]'': Used the statbreaker glitch to hack your mons' stats or imported obviously hacked pokémon? Then in ''Battle Revolution'', all those pokémon are now just Bad Eggs, essentially making them useless for the game. They only go away once the offending Pokémon has left the DS game and its stock is reuploaded. |
| 278 | ** Generation 5: |
| 279 | *** From this generation onwards, the Wonder Card system ensures that hacked items or pokémon have to be triggered by a flag in the data before they'll work, making your 900 Liberty Passes with the '900 of all items' Action Replay code useless. Same thing with the event pokémon, since the game won't recognize them as the Pokémon they're supposed to be. |
| 280 | *** Despite all Pokémon being released now, using a code to fill in your Pokédex will still block you from the Global Link in Generation 5. |
| 281 | ** Generation 6: |
| 282 | *** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'': Any attempt to import a Pokémon with an unreleased ability into the game will result in the ability defaulting back to the regular ability after bringing it into the game/hatching it. |
| 283 | *** Anything created with Powersaves, the sixth gen VideoGame/GameShark device, will only be tradable if it's within legal parameters. This includes stats, moves, shininess, or unreleased Pokémon or items. Oddly enough, illegal movesets are not checked for, only illegal moves, and legality does not appear to be considered for all of the aforementioned factors at the same time, so a Shiny Pikachu that knows Fly, Surf, and Volt Tackle at the same time (which was flat-out impossible for the moveset until Gen VII, and is still flat-out impossible for a Shiny Pikachu as of writing) is considered tradable. |
| 284 | ** Generation 7: |
| 285 | *** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'': Game Sync allowed Creator/GameFreak to detect things like unreleased items or the sole unreleased Pokémon, Marshadow, and players got banned from online events and battling for it. Also, Game Freak seems to be targeting giveaways on the GTS, banning players for trading too many Pokémon too fast. Sadly, a few innocents got caught up in the bans but couldn't get the problem fixed any sooner than the pre-determined ban length. |
| 286 | ** Others: |
| 287 | *** ''VideoGame/PokemonShuffle Mobile'' will not allow you to access ranked events if your device is rooted (Android) or jailbroken (iOS). |
| 288 | *** Attempt to use GPS spoofing in ''VideoGame/PokemonGo''[[note]]that is, trick the game into thinking you're somewhere you're not[[/note]] and this will result in an hour-long ban--but this isn't a typical ban in that it will not lock you out of the game. Instead, you're denied access to [=PokéStops=] and gyms, and wild Pokémon will always run away from you. This was later changed so that GPS spoofing will result in a proper, typical ban. (Rooted and jailbroken users are also denied access to the game, leading to the creation of patches to fix the problem.) Of course, players have figured out this can be bypassed by teleporting back home after engaging the Pokémon but before catching it. There were also cases of people using cars and public transportation to hatch eggs at a quick rate instead of actually walking to do it. Niantic countered the exploit by disabling the tracker that counts your steps, which means eggs and any achievements/activities related to distance walked would be halted until you started walking again. Likewise, the tracker won't count your steps if all you're doing is walking in circles around your house; you actually have to walk a good distance for the game to count your steps. |
| 289 | * NoFourthWall: |
| 290 | ** In the beginning, pre-Generation VIII, the game's respective Pokémon professor prompts you to choose a character/name. |
| 291 | ** If you collect every Pokémon, the developers personally congratulate you. |
| 292 | ** Other [=NPCs=] will teach you how to use the interface. |
| 293 | * NoHarmRequirement: The best way to ensure the capture of a Pokémon is by weakening them to improve their catch rate. However, for some reason, Pokémon can't be caught if they're outright K.O'd. Therefore, it's most effective for players to use more reserved tactics like set damage moves and moves that induce a status ailment to catch the Pokémon without risk of fully defeating them. The moves False Swipe and Hold Back were even made specifically for this purpose, since they will leave the target's health at 1 HP when they would otherwise make it faint, which is useful for whittling a wild Pokémon's health down. |
| 294 | * NonDamagingStatusInflictionAttack: |
| 295 | ** From ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' onwards: |
| 296 | *** Growl: Lowers Attack. |
| 297 | *** Tail Whip: Lowers Defense. |
| 298 | ** From ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' onwards: Attract, which only works when used by gendered Pokémon of the opposite gender, to infatuate them and reduce the chances that they're able to attack. |
| 299 | ** From ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' onwards, there's: |
| 300 | *** Odor Sleuth, which removes the effects of Evasion {{Status Buff}}s and allow Normal and Fighting attacks to hit Ghost-types. |
| 301 | *** Will-O-Wisp, which inflicts the DamageOverTime status, "Burn". |
| 302 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonEmerald'' has the only instance where one of these can inflict Frozen, and it's technically an event, not a battle. In the Battle Pike, A Gentleman's Dusclops can run up and try to freeze your Pokémon with an "Ice Beam", although not dealing the damage of a regular one. The Trainer claims it's easily startled due to its Timid nature. |
| 303 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'': Darkrai's Dark Void, which has a 80% sleep chance on its targets. |
| 304 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': "Bestow" gives the attacker's held item to the target, provided the attacker's not carrying Mail or some other special items. |
| 305 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'': Klefki's Fairy Lock attack stops all Pokémon from leaving the battle for a turn, unless they faint or by moves/items that cause it. |
| 306 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'': The Spinarak line's new signature move, Toxic Thread, which inflicts poison and lowers Speed by one stage. |
| 307 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'': Grapploct's Octolock: |
| 308 | ---> The user locks the target in and prevents it from fleeing. This move also lowers the target's Defense and Sp. Def every turn. |
| 309 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness'', have an AntiDebuff move called "Shadow Shed", which works as a non-damaging Defog (Safeguard and Mist clearer) and Brick Break (shield clearer) simultaneously, and has a single PP which never runs out. The only downsides are that [A] it's a Shadow move, and [B] it hits your group as well. |
| 310 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness'': Only Shadow Moves are unique in this game. Some that count for this are: |
| 311 | *** Shadow Down: lowers opponents' Defense by 2 stages. |
| 312 | *** Shadow Mist: lowers opponents' evasion by 2 stages. |
| 313 | *** Shadow Hold: Prevents both foes from switching out. |
| 314 | *** Shadow Panic: Confuse all foes. |
| 315 | *** Shadow Sky: DamageOverTime for non-Shadow Pokémon for 5 turns. |
| 316 | |
| 317 | * NoSell: |
| 318 | ** Certain types are completely immune to others. [[SoulPower Ghost-types]] are immune to [[BareFistedMonk Fighting-]] and [[NonElemental Normal-type]] moves (Normal-types are ''also'' immune to Ghost-type moves), [[BlowYouAway Flying-types]] are immune to [[DishingOutDirt Ground-types]], Ground-types are immune to [[ShockAndAwe Electric-types]], [[CastingAShadow Dark-types]] are immune to [[PsychicPowers Psychic-types]], [[ExtraOreDinary Steel-types]] are immune to [[PoisonousPerson Poison-types]], and [[SuperCuteSuperPowers Fairy-types]] are immune to Dragon-types. |
| 319 | ** Some types are also immune to [[StatusEffects status conditions]] or certain kinds of moves: [[PlayingWithFire Fire-types]] cannot be burned, [[AnIcePerson Ice-types]] cannot be frozen, Poison- and Steel-types can't be poisoned, Electric-types can't be paralyzed. Additionally, Grass-types are immune to powder-based moves (which all inflict StatusEffects) and Ghost-types are immune to [[YouWillNotEvadeMe moves that trap the opponent in the arena]]. |
| 320 | ** Quite a few abilities enable Pokémon to NoSell various types or moves. For example, Levitate blocks Ground-type moves, Soundproof blocks [[MakeSomeNoise sound-based moves]], abilities like [[FeedItWithFire Flash Fire]] or Water Absorb absorb certain types of moves to provide a buff, Clear Body prevents your stats from being lowered, Cloud Nine negates weather conditions... There's a lot of these. |
| 321 | ** Wonder Guard completely blocks any attack that does not deal super-effective damage. It sounds very powerful, but it's balanced by only being available on Shedinja, a OneHitPointWonder that will faint to any successful attack or residual damage from StatusEffects. |
| 322 | ** [[AchievementsInIgnorance Unaware]] makes a Pokémon ignores any stat changes in the opposing Pokémon. |
| 323 | ** There are tons of ways to NoSell things in Pokémon, but there are also some ways to NoSell the NoSell. One of the more prominent is the ability Mold Breaker, which allows your moves to bypass abilities that would normally result in a NoSell (a Ground-type move would be able to hit something with Levitate, for example). Mold Breaker cannot overcome type immunities, however, so that Ground-type move would still have no effect on a Flying-type Pokémon. |
| 324 | ** The moves Foresight and Odor Sleuth, as well as the Scrappy ability, enable Normal- and Fighting-type attacks to strike Ghosts, which are normally immune to those elements. Likewise, Miracle Eye enables Psychic moves to hit Dark-types, and the moves Gravity and Smack Down allow Ground attacks to strike Flying-types. |
| 325 | * NonIndicativeName: |
| 326 | ** The move Double Slap can hit up to ''five times''. It's a [[LostInTranslation dub-induced thing]]; the original Japanese name is Round Trip Slap. |
| 327 | ** Mr. Mime can be female. Again, it's a translation thing: Barrierd is its Japanese name, from 'barrier'. Also, in Gen I, when it was introduced, only the Nidoran line had gender. Game Freak knew the male name would come back to bite them, according to one article, but used the name anyway. |
| 328 | ** Pokémon "evolution" has nothing to do with actual evolution (the change that occurs in the heritable characteristics of populations through the passing of genes over many generations) and is more similar to metamorphosis (a process in which an organism physically develops after birth involving abrupt changes in its appearance). Actual evolution ''is'' sometimes touched upon in FlavorText, however, such as with Shellos/Gastrodon mentioning allopatric speciation as the cause of its different forms, and Archen/Archeops being considered the ancestor of all bird Pokémon. |
| 329 | * NonLethalKO: Pokémon who have fainted are too weak to battle, but can still perform field moves such as Fly or Surf. Note that while death is not a gameplay mechanic, this does ''not'' mean NeverSayDie is in place, as the mourners at Pokémon Tower Mausoleum can attest to. |
| 330 | * NotDistractedByTheSexy: Pokémon who have the ability appropriately called "Oblivious" are immune to the infatuation status effect and other effects that only work on Pokémon of the opposite gender. |
| 331 | * NotDrawnToScale: |
| 332 | ** The sprites generally fall victim to this. For example, [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/185-438_8785.png Bonsly (left) should be 1'8" and Sudowoodo (right) should be 3'11".]] Averted by the console games. |
| 333 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c36L86SbaPo Zig-Zagged]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C99SjDAqaLA in Generation VI]]. While a lot more Pokémon are drawn to scale, exceptionally big Pokémon like Wailord still look smaller than they should be. |
| 334 | * NoticeThis: Sometimes you may find a suspiciously empty spot in middle of tall grass or near it — that means there might be a hidden item there. Sometimes it's subverted when tall grass is on the spot with the hidden item. Also, many hidden items don't have hints like this. |
| 335 | * NPCRandomEncounterImmunity: Averted, and still justified anyway. Wild Pokémon are said to only jump out at people who are carrying Pokémon with them... but ''everyone'' carries Pokémon with them, and the Trainers in each area will have level-appropriate mons with them. |
| 336 | * NPCRoadblock: The series even provides the page picture, rightfully so since this pops up ''all the time'', and has not let up with age (in fact, it seems to be getting ''more'' common). All over the world, you'll find people who exist for no purpose but to not let you walk by them until you progress far enough in the plot, often for no good reason. Sometimes this is justified, like a power outage making an area dangerous to travel through, other times the [=NPC=] simply says "you should go do this!" (usually challenge a Gym Leader or talk to a plot-critical character) and won't let you by until you obey. |
| 337 | * NumerologicalMotif |
| 338 | ** This franchise uses the number 150 to refer to a number of species of Pokémon. Most notable in the original anime series, where they commonly say that there are 150 Pokémon. The 151st, Mew, was still excluded even after being introduced, most likely because it was a hard-to-obtain event Pokémon. |
| 339 | ** While this stops at ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', this number makes its return in ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'', where there are 150 Pokémon in its Sinnoh Dex (minus Manaphy). ''Platinum'' expanded the dex further with 59 more Pokémon, though. |
| 340 | *** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' also has 150 Pokémon in its Unova dex (though excluding event and post-game Pokémon), though the number doubles in its sequels. |
| 341 | ** DoubleSubverted in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY''. While its dex has more than 400 Pokémon, it is categorised into the Central, Coastal and Mountain Dex, each containing 150 Pokémon. These do not include post-game Pokémon, though. |
| 342 | ** Also DoubleSubverted in ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon''. The Alolan Dex total has about twice the amount, but each of its island dexes has 150 entries of Pokémon. |
| 343 | [[/folder]] |
| 344 | |
| 345 | [[folder:O]] |
| 346 | * ObviousRulePatch: Has [[ObviousRulePatch/{{Pokemon}} its own page]]. |
| 347 | |
| 348 | %%These examples need to be looked through, and anything that isn't listed on the subpage already needs to be moved there. |
| 349 | |
| 350 | %%** The first, and probably most important: dividing the Special stat into Special Attack and Special Defense in Generation II. In the first generation of games, the fact that Special was one stat meant that a Pokémon intended to be a GlassCannon, FragileSpeedster, or StoneWall wound up being a LightningBruiser because high Special meant that they could take damage just as well as they could dish it out. |
| 351 | %%** The Psychic-type was very unbalanced back in the original pair, on account of nothing being strong against them offensively in practice or could take them on defensively due to nothing resisting bar other Psychics. The types that were supposed to be strong against Psychic according to their in-game descriptions were too weak to actually use for that purpose (Bug) or didn't work due to a glitch (Ghost, and it fell under the first part anyway). Gen 2 did a lot of things to fix this, but the most obvious change by far was the introduction of the Dark- and Steel-types; Dark attacks were super-effective against Psychics, and Dark Pokémon completely nullify Psychic attacks, while Steel-types resisted them and had the bulk to take hits repeatedly. |
| 352 | %%** The addition of breeding in Generation II meant that it was now possible to get unlimited numbers of any Pokémon species except legendaries. However, breeding a baby Pokémon requires either a Ditto or a female of the species, so any Pokémon intended to be a once-per-game occurrence, such as starters and fossils, has a gender ratio heavily skewed towards males. |
| 353 | %%** In Generation IV, moves were divided into Physical and Special based not just on their type, but based on what makes sense. Thus moves like Bite (a Dark-type move, which previously were all Special-based) now draws upon a Pokémon's Attack stat, and not its Special Attack, while a move like Hyper Beam (a Normal attack, which were previously Attack-based) draws on the Special stat. This made the myriad of Pokémon with excellent (Special) Attack stats but with the reverse typing far more effective. |
| 354 | %%** The sixth generation did the same thing to the Dragon type that the second generation did to the Psychic type. The Fairy type was introduced to counter the increasingly overpowered Dragons that were being introduced each generation, particularly those with a secondary type that neutralized the Dragon type's usual weakness to Ice. Fairy types will NoSell any Dragon-type attacks. |
| 355 | %%** The games starting from ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndEevee'' make PC Boxes accessible from the menus, allowing the player to swap their party members at almost any time. The feature is most often disabled in Gyms and against the Elite Four to prevent players from swapping their weakened team for new ones before a battle. |
| 356 | |
| 357 | * OddOrganUpTop: Binacle, introduced in [[Characters/PokemonGenerationVIChespinToHawlucha Gen VI]], looks like a pair of arms with [[MultipleHeadCase faces]] on them stuck on a rock. Its evolution, Barbaracle, have those two Binacle multiply into seven and [[BishonenLine rearranged into a humanoid form]] (one in the middle as [[LeaderFormsTheHead the head]] and thorax, four as limbs, and two as VerticalMechaFins). All of them have a mind of their own, but they usually follow the one in the middle. These designs are also invoked by the Japanese word for barnacle, ''kamenote'', which means "turtle's hand." |
| 358 | * OldSaveBonus: Apart from the OneGameForThePriceOfTwo aspect which encourages interaction between two direct version counterparts, the games have often included ways of utilizing Pokémon from previously-released games. |
| 359 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' had the Time Capsule function, allowing you to link with [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the first-generation games]]. Unlike later transfer features, this was a two-way trade; thus, not only could you bring Pokémon forward from the previous games to get ones you couldn't get before, you could also send Pokémon back to the old games, even allowing them to have moves they couldn't originally have (at least if those moves existed in the previous games). Also, even though ''Red and Blue'' didn't have gender, held items, split Special stats, or Shiny Pokémon, trading Pokémon forward to Gen II would give them those qualities while there. |
| 360 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' didn't allow trading with the previous games owing to hardware and game system limitations. However, it introduced the concept of the Regional and National Pokédexes, since the third generation was the first to have multiple sets of games taking place in different regions. At first, the player would only have the Regional dex, cataloging only Pokémon that could be found in that particular region — but eventually, the player would be able to upgrade to the National dex, being able to log every Pokémon. In ''Ruby and Sapphire'', the National Dex was awarded immediately upon trading with ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue FireRed and LeafGreen]]'', while in ''Emerald'', ''[=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=]'', it was obtained by beating the game, though in the latter pair trading with the Hoenn games was only allowed after a postgame sidequest. ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness'' allowed trading with the GBA games after beating the game as well. |
| 361 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' as well as ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver HeartGold and SoulSilver]]'' used the Pal Park feature, which utilized the GBA slot of the Platform/NintendoDS to transfer Pokémon one-way from the GBA games; players participated in a Safari Zone-like minigame to recapture their previous Pokémon. In this and future games, it wasn't required to have the National Dex to get Pokémon from outside the region in trades. The GBA slot also enabled exclusive wild Pokémon spawns in ''Diamond and Pearl'' based on which GBA game was inserted. |
| 362 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and its sequels included a "Poké Transfer" feature, requiring a wireless link between two DS-family systems to transfer Pokémon from Gen IV. Once again, a minigame was used to liven up the transfer process, this time involving shooting Poké Balls out of a bow to hit the Pokémon that run around on the top screen. There was also a simpler transfer method called the Relocator, that only worked with a few specific event-giveaway Pokémon but wasn't limited by having to beat the game first. |
| 363 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' had another form of OldSaveBonus within the same generation: Memory Link. By linking your ''Black'' or ''White'' cartridge with the sequel, the game will unlock flashbacks showing what happened to important characters between the two games as well as bonus content, including post-game battles against Cheren and Bianca using their souped-up ''Black'' and ''White'' teams, and [[spoiler:allowing you to catch N's former Pokémon in the wild, special OT ID and all.]] |
| 364 | ** ''Pokémon Bank'' was introduced as a 3DS companion app to ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY''. It included an additional program, "Poké Transporter", which facilitated transfers from the Gen V games. The Bank was eventually updated to be compatible with the later-released ''[[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Sun and Moon]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon]]'', while the Transporter was similarly updated to work with the Virtual Console releases of the [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Gen I]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gen II]] games. While they use the same service, Pokémon cannot travel freely between the Gen VI and Gen VII games; any Pokémon that has been saved onto a Gen VII game cannot move back to Gen VI, and Virtual Console Pokémon are also incompatible with Gen VI. The Bank is the first transfer feature to allow skipping a generation- a Pokémon from Gen V or earlier can be used in Gen VII with no requirement to own a Gen VI game. |
| 365 | ** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]'' have a Special Demo Version which features several short quests, some of which offer rewards for the full version of the game. Also, if you take the time to transfer a Pokémon from your original ''Ruby'', ''Sapphire'', or ''Emerald'' cartridge all the way forward to ''Omega Ruby'' or ''Alpha Sapphire'', [[AnInteriorDesignerIsYou you can get a special poster for your Secret Base]] with your Pokémon's picture on it. |
| 366 | ** In''[[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Sun and Moon]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon]]'', showing Pokémon that originated from the Virtual Console games to certain people at the ''Creator/GameFreak'' [[DevelopersRoom office]] will reveal certain trivia of that game's development or even rare items. |
| 367 | ** ''Pokémon HOME'' is the successor to Bank, which was introduced alongside ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' (but is also compatible with the previously-released ''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee''). It allows transfers from Bank as well as ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'', one-way movement from ''Let's Go'' to later games, and free movement between ''Sword and Shield'', ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl]]'', and ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' for Pokémon that are available in each game. The mobile phone app version of ''HOME'' includes a number of challenges that reward players for collecting Pokémon from across the series. |
| 368 | * OlympusMons: The game allows you to capture, among other things: Elemental birds of ice, thunder, and fire[[note]]Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres[[/note]]; the common ancestor of most other {{Mon}}s and its SuperSoldier clone GoneHorriblyRight[[note]]Mew and Mewtwo[[/note]]; Elemental beasts of thunder, fire, and water[[note]]Raikou, Entei, and Suicune[[/note]]; a draconic bird and a rainbow phoenix that can cause storms with a flap of its wings[[note]]Lugia and Ho-Oh[[/note]]; a time-traveling avatar of flora[[note]]Celebi[[/note]]; golems of rock, ice, and steel[[note]]Regirock, Regice, and Registeel[[/note]]; twin dragons with enough psychic firepower to stop a tidal wave[[note]]Latios and Latias[[/note]]; the embodiments of the sea, earth, and sky[[note]]Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza[[/note]]; a wish granting FunSize star[[note]]Jirachi[[/note]]; a shapeshifting alien virus creature[[note]]Deoxys[[/note]]; the creators of knowledge, emotion, and free will[[note]]Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf[[/note]]; the masters of time, space, and antimatter/death[[note]]Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina[[/note]]; a volcano spirit[[note]]Heatran[[/note]]; a colossal golem that supposedly moved continents and created the aforementioned golems[[note]]Regigigas[[/note]]; the crescent moon/living embodiment of dreams and the new moon/a living embodiment of nightmares[[note]]Cresselia and Darkrai[[/note]]; a guardian of the seas with the power to FreakyFridayFlip others[[note]]Manaphy[[/note]] and its child[[note]]Phione[[/note]]; another avatar of flora for good measure[[note]]Shaymin[[/note]]; and what is outright stated [[note]]In the Heart Gold and Soul Silver Dex entries[[/note]] to be ''[[PhysicalGod the creator of the Pokémon universe itself]]''[[note]]Arceus[[/note]]. |
| 369 | ** As of the 5th gen, there's a small critter that is the personification of victory (and possibly a nuke)[[note]]Victini[[/note]], ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' and d'Artagnan[[note]]Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo[[/note]], dragons of Yang, Yin, and Wuji that were originally one entity that may or may not have been an alien[[note]]Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem[[/note]], genie-like Japanese gods of wind, thunder, and fertility[[note]]Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus[[/note]], a muse[[note]]Meloetta[[/note]], and a long since extinct insect resurrected from a fossil and cybernetically enhanced by Team Plasma scientists in the hope of creating the ultimate weapon[[note]]Genesect[[/note]]. |
| 370 | ** With the arrival of ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', one can now have the avatar of life[[note]]Xerneas[[/note]], death[[note]]Yveltal[[/note]] and order[[note]]Zygarde[[/note]], as well as a small creature made of rock that can create gems out of thin air[[note]]Diancie[[/note]], a kleptomaniac being that can open cross-dimensional wormholes on a whim [[note]]Hoopa[[/note]], and a steam-based being that lives alone and packs enough power to blow up a mountain[[note]]Volcanion[[/note]]. |
| 371 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' adds in the four guardian deities of Alola[[note]]Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini[[/note]], cute living nebulae[[note]]Cosmog and Cosmoem[[/note]], avatars of the sun[[note]]Solgaleo[[/note]] and moon[[note]]Lunala[[/note]], an ancient clockwork rabbit doll/prototype Poké Ball that can absorb life energy[[note]]Magearna[[/note]], [[spoiler:a whole posse of extradimensional StarfishAliens[[note]]the Ultra Beasts[[/note]], a failed attempt at a chimera-like weapon to counteract such aliens[[note]]Type: Null and Silvally[[/note]]]], and a crippled but still powerful light manipulator[[note]]Necrozma[[/note]]. There's also a brawling lightning cat[[note]]Zeraora[[/note]], a small pile of liquid metal, and a massive pile of liquid metal[[note]]Meltan and Melmeltal[[/note]]. |
| 372 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' and their DLC keep enlarging the group, adding twin weapon-wielding wolves who defended their land from a calamity[[note]]Zacian and Zamazenta[[/note]], [[spoiler:the energy-absorbing alien creature who triggered said calamity[[note]]Eternatus[[/note]]]], a bear-like martial-arts expert and its evolution[[note]]Kubfu and Urshifu[[/note]], concentrations of electric and draconic energy who are mates of the aforementioned golem trio[[note]]Regieleki and Regidrago[[/note]], crueler versions of the elemental birds with different typing[[note]]Galarian Articuno, Galaria Zapdos and Galarian Moltres[[/note]], a fertility god who once ruled over the land[[note]]Calyrex[[/note]] [[spoiler:and its steeds[[note]]Glastrier and Spectrier[[/note]]]], and a territorial and aggressive GreenThumb monkey[[note]]Zarude[[/note]]. In the same generation, ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' introduced a new addition to the genie/Japanese deity trio who rules over love, hatred, and springtime[[note]]Enamorus[[/note]]. |
| 373 | * OneCurseLimit: A Pokémon cannot be affected by two major status effects (Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, etc.) at the same time. Some Pokémon can employ a strategy where they purposely inflict themselves with one of these status effects to prevent themselves from being afflicted with something more debilitating (usually in conjunction with an ability that mitigates said status effect). |
| 374 | * OneGameForThePriceOfTwo: |
| 375 | ** Arguably the TropeCodifier, if not the TropeMaker. Each generation of the series comes in at least two "versions", with certain Pokémon exclusive to a particular version. Trading between versions is the only way to truly catch them all. |
| 376 | *** Note that other than Dex completion, each version is pretty much "complete". The game in fact encourages trading rather than buying both games. |
| 377 | ** They have even gone so far as to make ''[[Anime/PokemonTheMovieBlackAndWhite two versions of the same movie]],'' complete with version exclusive Pokémon. Can anyone say CashCowFranchise? |
| 378 | *** The Gen V games also have more differences than previous ones, like Black City/White Forest and the two versions of Reversal Mountain and Opelucid City. |
| 379 | ** Arguably inverted in Gold and Silver and their remakes: although the trope remains valid, these games also offer the ability to go to a whole new region with new Gym Leaders and a rematch of the Elite Four after beating the main game. It's true that the Kanto portion is abbreviated compared to Johto, but still, it almost feels like a separate game. |
| 380 | * OneGenderRace: Several species of Pokémon are exclusively male or exclusively female, although some (like the Nidoran, or Volbeat/Illumise) are considered different genders of the same species, [[{{Canon}} officially]] or [[{{Fanon}} otherwise]]. |
| 381 | * OneHeadTaller: Not for romantic reasons. However, measuring a person's height by their head is a way of telling their age in all medias. Children are usually five heads tall, teens six, and adults seven. |
| 382 | * OneHitKill: Guillotine, Horn Drill, Fissure, and since Generation III, Sheer Cold, are this. In Gen I, they couldn't hit Pokémon faster than the user, while since Gen II, they can't hit Pokémon with a higher level, and their accuracy is the difference between the user's and the target's level, plus 30%[[note]]since they ignore accuracy and evasion changes, a difference of at least 70 levels is equal to a Swift-like accuracy[[/note]]. In ''Rescue Team'' and ''Explorers'' (and presumably Platform/WiiWare PMD games), the game says the Pokémon faints from "calamitous damage". |
| 383 | * OneHitPointWonder: Shedinja, again. Gigantamaxing ''does'' raise its max HP... to 3. Still faints in one hit. |
| 384 | * OneLetterName: There are a few of them: |
| 385 | ** E, a character in a [[ShowWithinAShow Pokéstar Studios movie]] in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Black 2 and White 2]]''. |
| 386 | ** [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/J J]], a Pokémon poacher from seasons 10-12 of the anime. |
| 387 | ** [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/N N]], the leader[[spoiler:(?)]] of Team Plasma in [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Black & White]]. |
| 388 | ** [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/O O]], the ping-pong expert from the season 12 episode "To Thine Own Pokémon Be True". |
| 389 | ** X, an opponent at the World Tournament in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Black 2 and White 2]]''. |
| 390 | * OneManArmy: A single Pokémon can be used throughout the game, [[LevelGrinding despite type advantages/disadvantages]]. Other Pokémon could be solely for HM moves. |
| 391 | * OneSteveLimit: |
| 392 | ** Due to the sheer number of characters in each of the franchise's continuities, it's {{averted}} on principle. It's rare for characters with the same name to interact with each other though. |
| 393 | ** Blue/Gary Oak's sister. ''Twice.'' In the games, she's named Daisy, which confuses people familiar with the anime where one of Misty's sisters is also named Daisy. In ''Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu'' manga, she's named May, which confuses people who follow the anime and games even more, as that's the name of Ash's companion in Hoenn and the female character in ''RSE''. |
| 394 | ** They did it yet again in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''. The name of the player's rival is Bianca. That's also the name of a major character in ''Anime/PokemonHeroes''. Somewhat justified in this case because of Generation V's [[ThemeNaming Theme Naming]]: Bianca means "white" and Cheren means "black". |
| 395 | ** Not even main characters are safe, as there's at least one episode where a Character of the Day was named "Jessica" who had her Pokémon targeted by Team Rocket... one of whom is named "Jessie". |
| 396 | ** When you include all forms of Pokémon related media, there are at least '''6''' characters named "Lily": In the Anime, there's another of Misty's sisters, a character of the day who turns Ash into a Pikachu, and a Pokémon performer who participates in a Pokémon Showcase. In the games, there's D.J Lily who is the local D.J of Kanto's radio station in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' and the player's mother in ''VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness''. Finally, in the Manga called ''Pokémon 7'', there's yet another Lily who is the main character's long lost twin sister. This isn't even including ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'''s Lillie or other variations. |
| 397 | * OnlyOneName: Extremely common among the franchise's human characters. Many only have their first names revealed in official material, or in the case of the professors, their last names. Notable exceptions do exist, including [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Ash Ketchum, Tracey Sketchit, Chloe Cerise]], [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Steven Stone]], [[VideoGame/PokemonSnap Todd Snap]], [[VideoGame/DetectivePikachu Tim]] [[Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu Goodman]], the Oak family ([[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Samuel, Blue]]/[[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Gary]], Daisy, and [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Sam]][[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon son]]), [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Aurea Juniper and her father Cedric]], [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Augustine Sycamore]], [[Anime/Pokemon3 Molly and Spencer Hale]], [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire and either Brendan or May Birch]] [[SchrodingersPlayerCharacter depending on which protagonist you choose.]] |
| 398 | * OnlyShopInTown: In the vast majority of the towns and cities throughout the series, the local Pokémart will be the only place where goods of any kind are bought and sold. |
| 399 | ** Averted in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and its sequel, where you see stalls and flea markets. Pokémarts themselves became integrated with Pokémon Centers. |
| 400 | * OtherworldlyCommunicationFailure: According to the Pokédex, the Pokémon Absol can detect oncoming disasters with its horn and appears to humans before natural disasters to try to warn them. But since it can't talk, humans believe that Absol causes disasters instead, so Absol hides in remote mountains to hide from humans. |
| 401 | * OurMonstersAreWeird: |
| 402 | ** A lot of Pokémon. The [=5th=] generation in particular is known for this, but the other generations have some weird ones as well. |
| 403 | ** In Gen V, we have an ice cream cone[[note]]Vanillite, Vanillish, and Vanilluxe, who are actually closer to Snowcones than Ice Cream because they're actually made of crystals[[/note]], a candle that first evolves into a lamp, then a chandelier[[note]]Litwick, Lampent, and Chandelure[[/note]], a ''trash bag''[[note]]Trubbish, who evolves into Garbodor, a ''trash heap''[[/note]], gears[[note]]Klink, Klang, and Klinklang[[/note]], a sarcophagus that [[TragicMonster used to be human]][[note]]Cofagrigus, which evolved from Yamask, a mask ghost[[/note]], a legendary trio based on ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers''[[note]]Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo — Officially known as the Swords of Legends[[/note]], and a species based on [[http://staff.washington.edu/leotta/pix/nazca.gif The Nazca Lines Condor]][[note]]Sigilyph[[/note]]. |
| 404 | ** Generation VI is already shaping up to have some of these. There's the flying dragon-bat-boombox[[note]]Noivern[[/note]], a possessed sword that can unsheathe itself[[note]]Honedge[[/note]], a ''cotton candy'' Pokémon[[note]]Swirlix[[/note]], and Cthulhu-like mind-controlling squids that turn upside down[[note]]Inkay and Malamar[[/note]]. |
| 405 | ** Previous generations introduce monsters based on such concepts as the entire English alphabet including ! and ? marks[[note]]Unown[[/note]], magnets that evolve into a UFO[[note]]Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone[[/note]], living Poké Balls[[note]]Voltorb and Electrode — and they're fast Pokéballs to boot, with Voltorb's speed being no slouch even compared to fully evolved Pokémon[[/note]], a pinecone[[note]]Pineco, who evolves into Forretress; they're actually bagworms[[/note]], a boombox[[note]]Whismur, Loudred, and Exploud[[/note]], a clay statue [[EyesDoNotBelongThere encircled with eyes]][[note]]Claydol, which evolves from Baltoy[[/note]], a windchime[[note]]Chimecho, who evolves from a bell (Chingling)[[/note]], a mon based on the [[{{Youkai}} futakuchi-onna]][[note]]Mawile[[/note]], [[note]]a starved woman that had a hungry mouth emerge out of a wound in the back of her head[[/note]] a ShapeShifting pink blob that can breed with almost anything and looks like a wad of bubble gum[[note]]Ditto[[/note]], a powerful cat fetus[[note]]Mew[[/note]], a flying magnetic Moai head that looks like a Jewish stereotype[[note]]Probopass, who evolves from a miniature rock Moai (Nosepass][[/note]], a mutated ShapeShifting alien space virus with its brain in its chest[[note]]Deoxys[[/note]], a stomach[[note]]Gulpin and Swalot[[/note]], [[MuckMonster living sludge]][[note]]Grimer and Muk[[/note]], eggs that evolve into a walking coconut tree with faces on its fruit[[note]]Exeggcute and Exeggutor[[/note]], ghost balloons that try to abduct children[[note]]Drifloon and Drifblim[[/note]], a cursed, probably possessed doll that seeks the child that disowned it[[note]]Shuppet and Banette[[/note]], an [[TheDitz incredibly stupid]] hippo [[CartoonCreature thing]] that gains super genius level intelligence when a clam bites its skull and releases toxins while it's holding a special rock[[note]]Slowpoke and Slowking. Poor Slowbro...[[/note]], etc... |
| 406 | * OverlyLongTongue: |
| 407 | ** Lickitung and Lickilicky. |
| 408 | ** Golbat's Gen I sprite depicts it sticking out its long tongue. |
| 409 | ** Haunter's tongue displays as this in the anime and its attack animation in the Gen VI and VII games. |
| 410 | ** Greninja's is long enough to double as its ninja scarf. |
| 411 | * TheOverworld: The various Routes between cities and caves. Unlike most overworld areas that are extremely expansive with points of interests scattered, the Routes are more like connect the dots, each being a straight shot to one other place. Also, RandomEncounters only happen in Tall Grass. There are typically a few different Route themes. The early ones are more bouncy like you're out camping, as it progresses they get more noble as you're now on a true adventure. |
| 412 | [[/folder]] |
| 413 | |
| 414 | [[folder:P]] |
| 415 | * PainAndGain: |
| 416 | ** The move Rage increases a Pokémon's attack power if they get hit while using it. |
| 417 | ** The move Flail gets more powerful the closer your HP is to 0, up to 200 base power. |
| 418 | ** The Guts ability will double the wielder's attack stat if they get afflicted with a status condition like poison or burning. |
| 419 | ** The move Endeavor takes the attacking Pokémon's HP and sets the opponent's HP to the exact same level. This has prompted the famous FEAR strategy where a level 1 Pokémon that knows Endeavour can hold a Focus Sash to tank the first hit at 1 HP, use Endeavour to bring the offending mon's HP to 1 as well, and finish it off by going first with a move like Quick Attack. |
| 420 | ** Mudsdale comes equipped with the ability "Stamina," which increases its defense stat every time it's hit with an attack. |
| 421 | * PaletteSwap: |
| 422 | ** Shiny Pokémon are differently colored or shaded from normal ones, but are functionally identical (bar in Generation II, where hidden stat values influence whether or not a Pokémon is Shiny). The extent of how much of their color scheme is changed varies from Pokémon to Pokémon; some like Garchomp are very similar to their normal versions, while others like Weavile get complete overhauls. |
| 423 | ** Muddy Water always has the same animation as Surf, the major difference is the color being brown rather than blue. But other than both sharing the same type and power, the similarity ends here. |
| 424 | * PaddedSumoGameplay: Pretty easy to do with two {{Stone Wall}}s, or if the battle has been going on for a while and Mons have Struggle as their only move left. In Gen III, this reached ridiculous levels in Wobbuffet vs. Wobbuffet battles, where due to a lack of actual attacks beyond counterattacks, they could only hit with Struggle, and their high HP means that winning with that would've taken a long, long time, (or even never, if both were holding Leftovers to heal the lost HP). That scenario is the likely reason why in Generation IV and onward, the recoil damage from Struggle was changed to be equal to 1/4 the user's max HP instead of 1/2 the damage dealt to the target. |
| 425 | * PartyInMyPocket: Quite literally — Mons are stored in pocket-sized Poké Balls. (Due to this, it's among the few [=RPGs=] to [[JustifiedTrope justify]] its use of this trope.) |
| 426 | * PatternCodedEggs: The franchise has played with this trope: |
| 427 | ** In the main series, Pokémon eggs uniformly have a plain white design with green spots due to graphical limitations, similar to Yoshi eggs, though the Gen II Sugimori art would imply in-universe Pokémon eggs resemble what they're supposed to hatch into. The only exception is the event-only Manaphy egg from Generation IV, which has a unique sprite showing it to be translucent blue with a ring of yellow dots and a red center, similar to Manaphy itself, an aquatic Pokémon with a blue body, yellow dots for eyebrows, and a red gem over its heart. However, some spin-off games (as well as the anime) have unique egg designs for individual Pokémon. ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' has different colored eggs depending on how far the player has to walk to hatch them. |
| 428 | ** ''Pokémon Puzzle Challenge'': Four eggs are available as unlockables. Magby's egg has flames on the bottom, Elekid's egg is yellow with stripes, Igglybuff's egg is pink with swirls, and Cleffa's egg is pink with stars. |
| 429 | * ThePeepingTom: In the original ''Pokémon'' games, there's one of these standing outside the all-female gym in Celadon City. In the remakes, he got {{Bowdlerize}}d. |
| 430 | * PeninsulaOfPowerLeveling: See the [[PeninsulaOfPowerLeveling/{{Pokemon}} series' page here]]. |
| 431 | * PercentBasedValues: Across multiple games: |
| 432 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'': The move, Softboiled, can be used out of battle to transfer 20% of the user's Max HP to another Pokémon. |
| 433 | ** Starting from ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', "Pokerus" that doubles EV gain, infects multiple Pokemon, and goes away at midnight. |
| 434 | * PetalPower: Multiple moves: |
| 435 | ** Razor Leaf |
| 436 | ** Leaf Storm |
| 437 | ** Magical Leaf |
| 438 | ** Leaf Tornado |
| 439 | ** Leafage |
| 440 | ** Petal Dance |
| 441 | ** Petal Blizzard |
| 442 | * PermanentlyMissableContent: |
| 443 | ** The Mythical Pokémon, which is especially infuriating as there is ''nothing'' you can do ''ever'' to get them back — unlike most examples of the {{trope}}, you can't even restart your game for them. |
| 444 | ** For a while, the GTS had some of the event Pokémon on it, but later event Pokémon have been contained in a special Poké Ball and have had Ribbons applied to them that prevent them from being traded, respectively being the Cherish Ball, the Classic Ribbon, and the Premier Ribbon (Mew-exclusive, aside from fake GTS usage). |
| 445 | ** If you release a Pokémon, you cannot get it back, even if it is a one-time-only legendary Pokémon. Minor exceptions include Pokémon that know certain HM moves (to prevent players from becoming stuck in certain areas), Pokémon with high happiness levels, and whenever the Pokémon being released is the only Pokémon in the player's current party. |
| 446 | ** The Dream World from Gen V provides a dual example with its shutdown after the release of Gen VI; not only are you no longer able to get anything that was exclusive to it, but as compensation for the effort players put in, you'll get special medals in Gen VI based on the number of items you bought in the Dream World, that players who didn't use the Dream World enough can't get. |
| 447 | ** As more of a meta example, Gen III and onward are incompatible with the first two generations, thus forcing everyone who played those games to start their collections from scratch — the old Pokémon aren't gone entirely (until the save batteries die), but they are inaccessible to later games. Similarly, held items cannot be carried over from one generation to the next, except from Gen III to Gen IV. |
| 448 | * ThePhoenix: Ho-oh and Moltres. Tornadus in its Therian Form could be considered a Phoenix. Yveltal is a darker take on this, as [[LifeDrain it fuels its eternal life at the direct expense of others]]. |
| 449 | * PinballSpinoff: Pokémon Pinball and its sequel for the GBA. |
| 450 | * PlanetOfHats: Many Pokémon. All Absol try to warn people about disasters despite suffering from CassandraDidIt, all Bagon want to fly so badly they developed natural crash helmets to protect themselves when leaping off cliffs, all Meowth like shiny things and collect them, etc... This can lead to an OutOfCharacter if you [[RandomNumberGod happen to get]] a SingleSpecimenSpecies with a nature that contradicts its {{Canon}} personality, like a Timid or Jolly [[TheStoic Mewtwo]]. |
| 451 | * {{Planimal}}: Bulbusaur's family is both animal and plant simultaneously. Also Chikorita, Treecko, Turtwig, Snivy, Pansage, Chespin, and Rowlet being part weird dinosaur, gecko, turtle, snake, monkey, hedgehog, and owl respectively. Heck, Grass-types in general fit this trope. |
| 452 | * PlayerAndProtagonistIntegration: You serve as an Adviser to your team of Pokémon in the battle screen, a HeroicMime to human characters in the overworld, and You Are You when interacting with other players. |
| 453 | * PlayerDataSharing: The series was built on the idea of players being able to trade their {{mons}} between each other. Each iteration of the game even comes in multiple versions, with exclusive Pokémon, to encourage trading. |
| 454 | * PlotTumor: |
| 455 | ** Legendary Pokémon. In Gen I, they were simply unique enemies with better-than-average stats. Gen II created actual backstory and legends for them and gave the version mascots, Ho-Oh and Lugia, exclusive moves to further differentiate them from normal Pokémon. Since Gen III, Legendary Pokémon are the focus of game plots, usually with the villainous team of the game attempting to take control of them, and there being full myths, legends, and prophesies about them. |
| 456 | ** The concept of {{Alternate Universe}}s was first introduced in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' as an in-universe rationalization of [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo differences between game versions]] and Pokémon trading. Later gens would indulge further in the idea, with ''Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire'' hinting that every game prior was in a world where Mega Evolution doesn't exist (and that the original ''Ruby and Sapphire'' are a parallel universe), the introduction of Ultra Space and the Ultra Beasts, and the Alola games featuring several characters from multiple universes (including versions of Archie and Maxie from the original Gen III games, without their more lively Gen VI redesigns). |
| 457 | * {{Pluralses}}: Non-fans or casual fans often don't realize that both the franchise name and the names of individual Pokémon don't get an S on the end; singular and plural are the same (one Pokémon, many Pokémon; one Pikachu, many Pikachu). |
| 458 | * PoliceAreUseless: To varying degrees. In the anime, Team Rocket ''never'' get arrested (mostly because Ash makes them blast off). In the games, officers only fight at night, and even when there's a museum robbery, or when an organization has set up an evil-looking base in the middle of town, both done in broad daylight, only the player actively attempts to fight back. |
| 459 | ** Looker is a one-man exemplification of this trope, up until late in ''Platinum'', in which he actually ''arrests someone'', go figure. |
| 460 | ** Taken further in ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum''. There are only two officers in a crime-filled desert, and their long arm of the law isn't nearly long enough to stamp out the crime in their town, much less all of Orre. |
| 461 | ** Averted with the [[VideoGame/PokemonRanger Ranger Corps]], which you are part of. |
| 462 | * PortalStatuePairs: |
| 463 | ** A pair of statues of a generic Pokémon, possibly modeled after Rhydon, flank the entrance to all of the Pokémon Gyms in every iteration of the Kanto and Sinnoh regions. |
| 464 | ** In ''VideoGame/PokemonHeartGoldAndSoulSilver'', the location preview for the Tin Tower shows the entrance flanked by two statues of the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh, which is eventually battled there. |
| 465 | * PostEndGameContent: |
| 466 | ** The first generation unlocked the Cerulean Cave, home to the most powerful Pokémon, Mewtwo. The remakes also unlocked the last four Sevii Islands. |
| 467 | ** The second generation unlocked the Kanto region, with the leaders of the first generation ready to fight you again. Many people, however, consider this to be part of the game and not an unlockable. Mt. Silver, on the other hand only unlocks when you beat the 8 old gyms and lets you fight the TrueFinalBoss, [[spoiler:the protagonist of the first generation]]. |
| 468 | ** The third generation unlocks the roaming Pokémon Latios (in ''Ruby'') or Latias (in ''Sapphire''), with ''Emerald'' letting the player choose which one of the two will be roaming. ''Ruby and Sapphire'' unlock the Sky Pillar (where Rayquaza can be battled/caught) and the Battle Tower; ''Emerald'' unlocks the Battle Frontier, Terra Cave, and Marine Cave (the locations where Groudon and Kyogre can be battled/caught, respectively), the National Pokédex (completion nets a choice of one of the Johto starters), and new areas in Hoenn's Safari Zone (of which the inhabitants are mostly Johto Pokémon). The remakes added an epilogue known as the Delta Episode, ways to get ''almost every legendary'' from the franchise, and the Battle Resort. |
| 469 | ** The fourth generation unlocks the upper right part of the map, with the Fight, Survival, and Resort Areas, but to unlock the latter two, you need to have seen every Pokémon in the Regional Pokédex (which can be a pain in the ass and a GuideDangIt to boot). Turnback Cave also appeared when you unlocked the previous areas. Pokémon swarms started to appear every day too. |
| 470 | ** The fifth generation went one step further than any other, as the League Champion is now a post-endgame battle, something never done before. Other important fights with {{Optional Boss}}es are unlocked too, as well as new areas (the right part of the map) where old generation Pokémon appear. The option to connect with the fourth generation becomes available too. |
| 471 | *** ''Black 2 and White 2'', due to being sequels rather than simply third versions, unlock not only the White Forest/Black city areas, as well as the ability to import from the 4th Gen, but also the first area from ''Black'' and ''White'', Icirrus City and its surrounding environs, the Nature Preserve (which requires you to have seen the entire Unova Dex in addition), and, for a first, the version's legendary mascot, unavailable before completing the game. |
| 472 | ** The sixth generation unlocked Kiloude City, accessible from Lumiose City, which includes the Friend Safari and the Battle Maison. There's also a sidequest starring [[spoiler:Looker]] located in Lumiose, as well as the Sushi High Roller restaurant [[GuideDangIt as long as you're stylish enough]]. You can also encounter legendaries such as a roaming Kanto bird based on your starter [[note]]If you picked Chespin, you'll find a roaming Articuno; if you picked Fennekin, you'll see Zapdos; if you picked Froakie, you'll see Moltres[[/note]], Mewtwo, and Zygarde in the post-game dungeon Terminus Cave. |
| 473 | ** ''Sun'' and ''Moon'' unlocks new areas of Poni Island, allows you to access the Battle Tree, and begins a sidequest involving the Ultra Beasts. |
| 474 | ** The ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' series are far from over when you end the game. You'll gain access to many new areas and a second storyline. You'll also be able to fight (and even [[DefeatMeansFriendship recruit]]) the boss legendary Pokémon from the first part. |
| 475 | * PostVictoryCollapse: Happens occasionally in the anime. |
| 476 | ** Entirely possible in the games if your Pokémon had low HP and a status condition like Poison or Burn. One move, [[TakingYouWithMe Destiny Bond]], is specifically designed to create this. |
| 477 | * PotionBrewingMechanic: There's two examples involving berries, which are collected from plants in game: |
| 478 | ** In ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' and ''Pokémon Emerald'', berries are mixed into Pokéblocks, small candies that raise Pokémon Contest stats depending on what berries are put into the mixture and how thoroughly it is mixed. |
| 479 | *** Pokéblocks returned for ''Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire'' and are now based on the berries' colors. You don't need [=NPCs=] or other players to help make Pokéblocks with you because the whole thing is short, simple, and automatic. |
| 480 | ** In ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonPlatinum'', Poffins are used instead of Pokéblocks, though they have the same effect. |
| 481 | * PowerAtAPrice: Several items boost stats at the cost of either Hit Point loss or a restriction on move selection. Additionally, Mega Evolution was revealed to cause physical or mental torment to several Pokémon in-universe in ''Sun'' and ''Moon''[='=]s Dex entries. |
| 482 | * PowerCopying: Pokémon can do this in a variety of ways, both temporarily (Ditto and Mew's move Transform, as well as the moves Mimic, Mirror Move, and Copycat) or permanently (Smeargle's Sketch makes it learn the opponent's move). |
| 483 | ** The Pokémon ability Trace allows the user to specifically copy the opponent's ''ability'' (determined randomly if more than one foe is present), and the move Role Play is a manual method of accomplishing the same thing that the ability Trace does. |
| 484 | * PowerCreep: Pokémon stat spreads slowly became more specialized as time went on. Those that could be seen as {{Lightning Bruiser}}s in ''Red and Blue'' became [[JackOfAllStats Jacks-Of-All-Stats]] as more MinMaxing was done by the designers. In Generation VI it reached its zenith with [[SuperMode Mega Evolutions]], which are explicitly designed to be on par with the series OlympusMons with less stat points to go around. |
| 485 | ** Mildly inverted regarding minor legendaries starting in Generation 7, though the min-maxing makes it hardly noticeable. Low-tier legendaries through the first six generations had base stat totals of 580, with slightly stronger ones like the Lati twins having totals of 600. Since Gen 7, however, the standard for lesser legendaries has been 570, with Gen 9 adding a pair of BST 590 Pokémon as well. |
| 486 | * PowerEqualsRarity: |
| 487 | ** Generally speaking, weaker monsters are more common than stronger ones. [[OlympusMons Legendaries are even stronger still.]] |
| 488 | ** Mega Evolution is this, as only a select few Pokémon [[SuperMode can even access this form]]. In order to do this, the Pokémon needs the appropriate Mega Stone and the trainer needs a Key Stone. In-universe, both items are in extremely short supply. Thus, very few trainers have access to this kind of power. |
| 489 | ** Z-moves also qualify, as only a select few are given the Z-Ring necessary to activate the move, and even then, they still have to find Z-Crystals that match the type of move they wish to empower. There are a few trainers in ''Sun'' and ''Moon'' outside of major characters that can use Z-moves, but they are few and far between. |
| 490 | * PowerLimiter: Poké Balls of all kinds, though presumably the "limiter" can be removed by the Trainer temporarily, should they wish. [[AllThereInTheManual According to backstory information found within a novelization]], they were invented to reduce the risks inherently involved in training powerful (and oftentimes dangerous) beasts. Before they were invented, Pokémon often caused injuries to their trainers and even death. |
| 491 | * ThePowerOfLove: It pays a lot to be nice to your Pokémon. |
| 492 | ** Some Pokémon will only evolve if they are particularly happy with their trainer. Notable examples include many of the various baby Pokémon, Golbat, Eevee,[[note]]into Espeon or Umbreon[[/note]] Buneary, Riolu, and Type: Null. |
| 493 | ** The move "Return" rises in attack power the higher friendship, going from a base power of ''1'' to ''102'' and increases with [=STAB=] for Normal-types. In fact, you have to actively abuse your Pokémon to prevent their friendship level from rising to high to keep the Frustration strong as you gain friendship with every step. |
| 494 | ** The Poké-amie feature in Gen 6 (both ''[[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY X/Y]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonOmegaRubyAndAlphaSapphire ORAS]]'') and Pokémon Refresh in [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Gen 7]] lets you raise your team's Affection towards you by playing, games, eating snacks, and petting them. Higher affection means that they gain more experience points after battle, can tank an attack that would have beaten them, shake off status effects, dodge more, and score more critical hits (even when you don't/wouldn't want them too). |
| 495 | ** Story-wise, many wild Pokémon are extremely dangerous, such as Gyarados or Hydreigon, or can cause a lot of damage, such as [[CuteBruiser Bewear]] which, despite its teddy bear looks, is ''extremely'' territorial and has been said to [[AndCallHimGeorge break spines in an attempt to show affection]]. Mega Evolutions of Pokémon are even worse, as they become much more powerful at the cost of being much more willing to grievously maim, if not kill, other Pokémon. Despite this, the affection and care by trainers give them a means to keep grounded and a way to channel and control the wilder part of their natures. |
| 496 | * PowerOfTheStorm: Any Pokémon who can learn the move Rain Dance can summon rain. Similarly, any Pokémon with the ability Drizzle or Primordial Sea can cause a permanent[[note]]Drizzle was nerfed in Gen VI to be more like Rain Dance, but Primordial Sea is more like this trope[[/note]] version of Rain Dance, which was part of the world-threatening issue in the plot of the 3rd generation games. Any Pokémon with the ability Cloud Nine or Air Lock can dispel these storms. Notable is Rayquaza, who can stop the effects of Kyogre's Drizzle almost instantly. |
| 497 | ** Also applies to the moves [[ShockAndAwe Thunder]] and [[BlowYouAway Hurricane]] which are very powerful moves whose normally below-average accuracy is improved to 100% in the rain. |
| 498 | ** Mewtwo summons a storm which rivals the worst storm in documented history in the first movie. |
| 499 | * ThePowerOfTheSun: Solarbeam, Morning Sun, Weather Ball, the Abilities Chlorophyll, Solar Power, Forecast, Flower Gift... |
| 500 | ** Sunny Day, Drought, and Desolate Land are closer to [[PlayingWithATrope Power Up The Sun]]. They work well with [[PlayingWithFire Fire types]] and the aforementioned moves & abilities. |
| 501 | * PowerUpFood: Poffins, Poké Blocks, and Aprijuice. |
| 502 | * PracticalTaunt: The moves Taunt, used in making the target only use offensive moves, and Torment, for preventing the target from using the same move twice in a row. Parting Shot lowers the opponent's attacking stats while switching the user out. |
| 503 | * PreEndingCredits: In the main games, beating the Elite Four will cause the credits to roll and the NewGamePlus to be unlocked, but from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' onwards, there's still a lot more to be done (story-wise) after that. |
| 504 | * PrehistoricAnimalAnalogue: Each new installment features "Fossil Pokémon," based on real-world prehistoric animals and [[FossilRevival revived from fossils]]: |
| 505 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' introduces Omanyte, Omastar (both ammonites), Kabuto (which combines trilobites with "living fossil" horseshoe crabs), Kabutops (eurypterid), and Aerodactyl (''Pteranodon''). |
| 506 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'' introduces Lileep, Cradilly (both cirnoids), Anorith, and Armaldo (both ''Anomalocaris''). |
| 507 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' introduces Craniados (''Micropachycephalosaurus''), Rampardos (''Pachycephalosaurus''), Shieldon (''Protoceratops''), and Bastiodon (''Chasmosaurus''). |
| 508 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' introduces Tirtouga (''Protostega''), Carracosta (''Archelon''), Archen (Archaeopteryx), and Archeops (which combines elements of an ''Archaeopteryx'' and a ''Microraptor''). |
| 509 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' introduces Tyrunt (a mix of ''Tyrannosaurus'' and ''Gorgosaurus''), Tyrantrum (a mix of ''Tyrannosaurus'' and ''Cryolophosaurus''), Amaura, and Aurourus (both ''Amargasaurus''). |
| 510 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' introduces Fossil Pokémon that intentionally mash together elements of random prehistoric animals with little rhyme or reason, riffing on improper reconstructions of dinosaurs that was common in early paleontology (which first developed in Britain, the basis for the Galar region). Forming them requires mixing different fossils together, which can result in either a Dracozolt (dromaeosaurid + stegosaurian), an Arctozolt (dromaeosaurid + plesiosaur), a Dracovish (''Dunkleosteus'' + stegosaurian), and an Acrtovish (''Dunkleosteus'' + plesiosaur). |
| 511 | * PrenatalPossessions: Many Pokémon hatch from eggs carrying objects, wearing armor or what appears to be human clothes, or, in Kangaskhan's case, hatching with a baby in their pouch. Where these things come from and how it's at all possible is never explored. |
| 512 | * PressXToDie: |
| 513 | ** In the mainline games, you can have your last Pokémon use [[TakingYouWithMe Selfdestruct or Explosion]]. [[GameOver Guess what happens next.]] (No, you can't force a draw with this. If you try, then you'll be given a loss for being TooDumbToLive.) |
| 514 | ** In [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the first generation of games]], you can deposit or release Pokémon in such a way that your lineup has only fainted Pokémon. The game will not warn you, and once you log off the PC, you'll collapse in about 3 steps. |
| 515 | * PrestigiousPlayerTitle: "Trainers". |
| 516 | * ProtectionFromTheElements |
| 517 | ** Rock, Ground, and Steel types are immune to damage from Sandstorm. |
| 518 | ** The abilities Sand Veil, Sand Rush, and Sand Force prevent damage from Sandstorm. |
| 519 | ** Ice Types are immune to damage from Hail. |
| 520 | ** The abilities Snow Cloak and Ice Body prevent damage from Hail. |
| 521 | ** Shadow Pokémon are immune to damage from Shadow Sky. |
| 522 | ** The abilities Overcoat and Magic Guard prevent damage from either Sandstorm and Hail. |
| 523 | ** The ability Forecast, signature ability of Castform, changes the user's Type depending on the weather. In Hail, the Type becomes Ice. |
| 524 | ** Inverted with the abilities Dry Skin and Solar Power, which decrease the user's HP for every turn of harsh sunlight. |
| 525 | ** The abilities Air Lock and Cloud Nine negate all effects weathers have such as the damaging effects, although they do not remove the weather itself. |
| 526 | * PsiBlast: There are a few Psychic-type moves that fit this description. |
| 527 | ** Psybeam is a beam of psychic energy described as a peculiar ray of psychic energy. |
| 528 | ** Max Mindstorm is a massive beam of circular psychic energy that creates a huge pillar of light at the point of impact. |
| 529 | * PsychicChildren: |
| 530 | ** The series only plays this straight with Mossdeep Gym Leaders Tate and Liza, who look like young children (complete with TwinTelepathy). And ''maybe'' Caitlin, depending on which generation you're playing. All the other prominent Psychic-type Trainers (eg. Sabrina, Will, Lucian, as well as the Psychic trainer class) appear to be at least in their twenties. |
| 531 | ** Some Psychic-type Pokémon, such as Mime Jr, Smoochum, Ralts, Kirlia, Gothita, and Gothorita actually resemble children. |
| 532 | ** Kadabra's Pokédex-Entry in ''Emerald'' tells that that a boy with psychic abilities suddenly transformed into Kadabra while he was assisting research into extrasensory powers. ''VideoGame/PokemonFireRedAndLeafGreen'' goes even further, with him just awakening in the morning, being transformed into Kadabra. |
| 533 | * PsychicPowers: Psychic-type Pokémon, as well as a few humans (human psychics coincidentally tend to favor Psychic-type Pokémon). |
| 534 | * PunchClockVillain: Most trained Pokémon owned by evil teams are apparently like this. The grunts of each version's evil team also tend to be this. (Team Plasma grunts are the major exception; [[spoiler:they're {{Unwitting Pawn}}s instead]].) [[spoiler:After Team Plasma collapses, a polite former member even sets up an incense shop in Driftveil's Market.]] |
| 535 | * PunnyName |
| 536 | ** Just about every Pokémon's name is a pun or {{Portmanteau}} on their type, design, or general nature — some of the puns are even [[BilingualBonus bilingual]]. |
| 537 | ** In the English versions, almost every single Gym Leader and Elite Four member's name is a pun on their preferred type. Lt. Surge, Wattson, Volkner, and Elesa are Electric trainers, [[ChivalrousPervert Brock]], Roxanne, and Roark are Rock trainers, [[AnIcePerson Pryce]], [[AnIcePerson Candice]], and Brycen are Ice trainers, Fantina, Morty, and Shauntal are Ghost trainers, and so forth. |
| 538 | ** Elder Fuji is known as Mr. Fuji in western games. But if you were to retranslate Mr. Fuji in Japanese, it would be Fuji-san, ''which means Mount Fuji''. |
| 539 | * PurposelyOverpowered: The Legendaries that feature on the games' box art, Mewtwo, and [[SecretCharacter event-exclusive Legendaries like Mew]] are not balanced for competitive play and are thus banned from most official competitions, tournaments, and in-game battle facilities. |
| 540 | [[/folder]] |
| 541 | |
| 542 | [[folder:Q]] |
| 543 | * QuietingTheUnquietDead: The Gen I games (as well as their remakes) feature a Marowak ghost who was killed by Team Rocket in Lavender Tower. In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow]]'' (as well as their initial remakes, ''[=FireRed and LeafGreen=]''), beating the Marowak calms her down and sends her to the afterlife, allowing the player to continue. However, in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee]]'', she is instead calmed and goes to the afterlife upon seeing her child. |
| 544 | * QuirkyBard: Several novelty or gimmick Pokémon, like Ditto (makes a MirrorMatch), Wobbuffet (can only counterattack), Unown ([[GottaCatchEmAll for collection, not battling]]), Smeargle (blue-mage-like attack copying), Spinda (every one has a different spot pattern), Shedinja (OneHitPointWonder [[NoSell that's completely immune to any (direct) attack that's not super-effective]]), Castform (changes shape and type based on weather), and Kecleon (changes type to whatever hit it last). Wobbuffet is a noted game breaker, Shedinja has some effectiveness on {{scrub}}s [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman or for catching Kyogre]], Smeargle can basically have [[WeakButSkilled any possible combination of moves]], and Ditto TookALevelInBadass when he got his own unique Ability in ''Black'' and ''White'', but the rest... they may have niche uses due to type, ability, and/or move combinations, but many of those niches are so specific as to seem [[ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman deliberately contrived]]. And [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway some of them don't even have that much]]. |
| 545 | [[/folder]] |
| 546 | |
| 547 | [[folder:R]] |
| 548 | * RaceLift: Colosseum Leader Rosie and Colosseum Master Sashay were given darker skintones in the American version of Battle Revolution due to complaints of a lack of any skintone variance. |
| 549 | * RagTagBunchOfMisfits: Since the player can pick and choose whatever Pokémon he or she may want for their team (and it isn't limited to what they can catch in their game either as trading is almost always an option), players teams often turn out like this. Options can range from a newly sprouted sunflower seed to the Pokémon {{God}} of the universe itself. |
| 550 | * RainDance: It's a move which summons rain for 5 turns, or 8 turns if the user is holding a Damp Rock. |
| 551 | * RandomEffectSpell: Metronome is the most dramatic, being able to use any other attack in the game. Assist and Sleep Talk are more minor ones, as is Present. |
| 552 | * RandomizedDamageAttack: |
| 553 | ** The move Magnitude has a power between 10 (Magnitude 4) and 150 (Magnitude 10). |
| 554 | ** The move Psywave also does random damage; specifically it deals a random number between 0.5x and 1.5x the user's level. |
| 555 | ** Present does variable damage, in particular with a chance to do negative damage (ie [[HealingShiv heal the opponent]]). |
| 556 | ** Some moves, such as Fury Attack, Pin Missile, Bullet Seed, and others, deal normal damage with each hit but hit a random number of times. This is negated if the user has the Skill Link ability, when they'll always hit the maximum amount of times (usually five) unless the opponent faints before all of them hit. |
| 557 | * RandomNumberGod: Whenever you play a ''Pokémon'' game, be prepared to constantly fight against the random number generator to get what you want. |
| 558 | ** Players curse pretty much anything that has a random chance of happening, whether it's StatusEffects, their Mon injuring itself in confusion, the opposing Mon landing a CriticalHit.... |
| 559 | ** Accuracy/evasion are a special annoyance, as while all Mons have a base accuracy of 100%, moves that affect accuracy or evasion will make ''anything'' (short of an AlwaysAccurateAttack) seem to miss [[FinaglesLaw at the worst possible times]], and seemingly more against you than the AI. |
| 560 | ** A Pokémon's nature, abilities, characteristics, stats, and other traits (like shiny forms) are randomly decided upon the Pokémon being generated by the game, though these can be influenced somewhat via breeding. |
| 561 | * RankScalesWithAsskicking: It's a general rule of thumb that anyone in a position of authority is likely going to be the toughest trainer of their group, most prominently leaders of the Villain Teams. |
| 562 | * RealityWarper: Several. |
| 563 | ** Unown display this as their main ability. While one on its own is practically powerless, when many (as in hundreds) amass together, they have the ability to warp reality. |
| 564 | ** Subverted with Stantler. Stantler's Pokédex entry in ''Gold'' is "The curved antlers subtly change the flow of air to create a strange space where reality is distorted." Based on its other Pokédex entries and the anime, it's more like where reality ''appears'' distorted. Its special abilities focus on hypnotism and illusions. |
| 565 | ** Arceus in ''[=HeartGold/SoulSilver=]'' has the power to create an egg for one of the Gen 4 dragons in a special area. The way the animation for this is shown, it looks like it's ''remaking the entire Universe'' just to give you the egg. This is also the ''only'' legitimate way to get a Legendary egg (Manaphy and Phione keep getting flip-flopped). It uses Unown to achieve this feat. |
| 566 | ** We also have the Ralts-Kirlia-Gardevoir evolution line, all of whom can "warp reality" to some extent. Gardevoir in particular, according to its Pokédex entry, "has the [[MindOverMatter psychokinetic power]] to distort the dimensions and create a small black hole", on top of future prediction and teleportation. Move aside, Alakazam and Mewtwo. |
| 567 | * RecognizableBySound: Each species of Pokémon has a unique cry (though prior to Generation VI, several of the Gen I Pokémon had identical cries, such as Charizard and Rhyhorn; notably, Poliwag and Ditto had the ''exact same'' cry). Also present in the anime, which utilizes PokemonSpeak. |
| 568 | * RecurringElement: A ''ton''. See the trope page for details. |
| 569 | * RecurringRiff: Quite a few, notably the Pokémon Center and (from Generation 3 on) the shop music. ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 Black 2 and White 2]]'' even has unique arrangements of the Gym battle theme for each city! |
| 570 | * RedGreenContrast: |
| 571 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' were released as ''Red and Green'' in Japan. When the games were remade for the Platform/GameBoyAdvance, these versions were renamed "[=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=]''. |
| 572 | ** The original protagonist is named Red and his rival is named Green in Japan. They're often associated with their respective colours. Internationally, this is lost as Green is [[DubNameChange renamed]] Blue (though he still keeps the green motif). |
| 573 | * ReducedManaCost: Inverted with the "Pressure" ability, which ''doubles'' PP cost for the enemy's moves, and ''triples'' it in double battles if both Pokémon possess the Ability. |
| 574 | * RedStringOfFate: The held item Destiny Knot, (a ball of red string) — if a Pokémon of the opposite gender uses Attract or the Cute Charm ability on you while ''you're'' holding it, your opponent becomes infatuated as well. Actually called Red String in the Japanese version, even. |
| 575 | * ReincarnatedAsANonHumanoid: According to various Pokédex entries this is the case for Yamask and legend has it could be the case for Phantump, Phantump are said to be tree stumps possessed by the spirits of children who died while lost in the forest. Yamask, carries a mask that looks like the face they had in their human life and occasionally looks at ''and cries''. A less depressing example is in the ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'' games which generally start with you waking as a Pokémon with vague memories of being formerly human, but are now in a world without humans. |
| 576 | * RenamedTheSame: If you ask the Name Rater to rename one of your {{Mons}}, but give him the same name it already had, he'll lampshade it, declaring that the new name may ''look'' the same as the old one, but it's still vastly superior. |
| 577 | * RestingRecovery: |
| 578 | ** The move Rest immediately restores the user's health, in exchange for having them spend a few rounds asleep. |
| 579 | ** The move Slack Off restores half of the user's total HP, but it only takes one turn instead of making them sleep for several. |
| 580 | * {{Retcon}}: |
| 581 | ** Generation II gave Magnemite and Magneton the then-new Steel typing, while Generation V changed out the Ghost half of Rotom's alternate forms' typings for more thematically appropriate types. Generation VI gave a host of old Pokémon the then-new Fairy type. |
| 582 | ** Prior to the introduction of Pichu, the anime showed baby Pikachu. The anime also had baby Wobbuffet. |
| 583 | ** In ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'', Pokémon breeding was a new discovery and no one really knew how Pokémon propagated before then. When ''Fire Red and Leaf Green'', remakes of the [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue original games]], was introduced, you can breed in a postgame area, making Professor Elm's new discovery not so revolutionary in Pokémon research (and ''Ruby and Sapphire'' take place at the same point on the timeline). |
| 584 | ** ''Sword and Shield'' changed certain location-specific evolutions (such as Leafeon, Glaceon, and Magnezone) to instead use evolution stones, which did not work to evolve them in previous generations. However, the later-released ''[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl]]'' retain the old method. |
| 585 | ** With ''Scarlet and Violet'' bringing the total number of Pokémon species to the quadruple digits, all prior Pokémon had an additional trailing zero added to their National Pokédex number to accommodate this. |
| 586 | * RetroUpgrade: Pikachu, despite being pretty much the official mascot for the franchise, was never particularly viable in late-game or competitive battles due to being an unevolved Pokémon with stats to match. Later generations, however, included a special item called the Light Ball, which significantly boosts Pikachu's attack power when held, giving it a viable role as a GlassCannon. |
| 587 | * RidiculouslyAliveUndead: Ghost-type Pokémon are Pokémon meant to be based on ghosts, with some of them (such as Gengar, Phantump, and Yamask) even being stated to be once-living humans. Despite this, they are shown to be just as capable of breeding, eating, sleeping, and getting status conditions just like any other type of Pokémon. They even seem to be capable of dying, with the ghost of a Mimikyu and the remains of a Trevenant being seen in the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime]]. |
| 588 | * RidiculouslyCuteCritter: And plenty of 'em! Even discounting beloved SeriesMascot Pikachu and other popular cute Pokémon like Eevee, Jigglypuff, and the unevolved stages of pretty much every StarterMon, each new region tends to bring with it at least a good half-dozen new extra-huggable critters. |
| 589 | * RingsOfActivation: |
| 590 | ** Aqua Ring is a move that restores HP. It is visualized by a "veil" of three or more rings of water materializing around the Pokémon. |
| 591 | ** The Hypnosis move is often visualized as a wave of rings. |
| 592 | * RoarBeforeBeating: The in-universe nature of multiple buffing and debuffing moves. "Screech" and "Growl" will lower an opponent's physical defense without doing actual damage, while "Howl" buffs the user's physical attack power. |
| 593 | * RockMonster: |
| 594 | ** The Geodude line, the Roggenrola line, and the Aron line, along with many other Rock and Steel type Pokémon. |
| 595 | ** Special mention to four of the legendaries: Regirock, Regice, and Registeel in [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Generation III]] and Regigigas in [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Generation IV]]. |
| 596 | ** All Pokémon that are in the Mineral egg group count as these. |
| 597 | * RodentsOfUnusualSize: A few {{downplayed}} examples. |
| 598 | ** Watchog takes inspiration from various rodents, including groundhogs, prairie dogs, and chipmunks, but it’s taller than all of them, at 3'7". |
| 599 | ** Greedent, a Pokémon based on the Eurasian red squirrel, is a whopping 2 feet tall. |
| 600 | * RollingAttack: The move "Rollout". [[DevelopersForesight It doubles in power if the move "Defense Curl" is used beforehand.]] |
| 601 | ** Ice Ball and Steamroller count as well. |
| 602 | * RougeAnglesOfSatin: Despite the color-based ThemeNaming of cities and towns in the Kanto region, the spelling for Pallet Town refers to a makeshift bed rather than Palette, which refers to a color scheme. |
| 603 | * RuderAndCruder: The Japanese versions of ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' and the ''Manga/PokemonZensho'' anime have Lt. Surge saying "dammit" in English. To Japanese ears this is just an American stereotype, but the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series otherwise doesn't feature profanity until ''Film/Detective Pikachu'', which contains the first instances of swearing in an English-language Pokémon release. |
| 604 | * RuleThirtyFour: Hit this franchise like a nuclear bomb and is in fact [[https://twitter.com/rakuichirakuthe/status/1674202229316931585 the most lewded franchise of all time]]. Depends where you fall if this is a good or bad thing. |
| 605 | * RuleOfCool: Many of the character designs. |
| 606 | * RuleOfEscalatingThreat: This fits the escalation of excessiveness till a plateau is hit. The villains of the first two sets of games were a criminal syndicate who did nothing much more than your standard criminal activities. Steal Pokémon here, take over a corporation there, yada yada. The next set of games have villains who wanted to use the legendary Pokémon of those locations to either wipe out all of the ocean or the land on earth, respectively. The games after that had villains who wanted to wipe out the universe and reshape it to their will, and it was about that time that the plateau was reached. |
| 607 | * RuleOfThree: There always are three starters and at least one legendary trio per game. There also usually come out three main games per generation, not counting remakes. As of Gen V, Triple Battles and Rotation Battles (which also use three Pokémon, but different field mechanics). Starting with Generation III, version mascots tend to be part of a trio as well (with the third one being used for the inevitable UpdatedRerelease). |
| 608 | * RummageFail: Implied to happen with Delibird, whenever you get the undesired effect(s) using its signature Present attack (accidentally healing the opponent). |
| 609 | * RunningGag: |
| 610 | ** Most of the main series games have a Fisherman with 6 [[JokeCharacter Magikarp.]] In fact, in Generation V, since Magikarp can't be found prior to obtaining the National Dex, this trainer has Magikarp at ''Level 60'' (58[[note]]53 in Easy and 63 in Challenge[[/note]] in sequels). Alluded to in ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' where the Fisherman medal is achieved by catching Magikarp. But not just ''any'' Magikarp this time — they need to be ''large'' Magikarp. Hoenn games have a Fisherman with 6 Magikarp — but when you go back for a rematch it's become a Magikarp ''[[OhCrap and 5 Gyarados]]''. |
| 611 | ** There's always a Youngster talking about shorts. In ''Black'' and ''White'', there's a girl talking about skirts instead. |
| 612 | ** In each starting town, there's a guy talking about how incredible/staggering/amazing the "power of technology" is, in reference to whatever new connectivity feature the game has. |
| 613 | [[/folder]] |
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