Every new trainer that has received their first Pokémon from a Pokémon professor like Professor Oak they also receive a helpful mini-encyclopedia called a Pokédex. The Pokédex provides a brief detail on the nature of the pocket monster a Pokémon trainer captures. These descriptions are often cute, powerful, mythical, and sometimes downright weird. It is a fantastic feature of the games that really helps bring out the lively nature of the Pokémon world. But have you ever looked at your Pokédex entries and thought “What the? that doesn’t sound right”? Well, you are certainly not alone! Pokédex entries can change from generation to generation, but there are some things that just aren’t explained well. How can certain Pokémon like Machamp and Tyranitar be that powerful? What exactly happens when a Victreebel eats something? Could Charizard actually be too dangerous to nature? There are many Pokédex entries that come off as nonsensical, contradicting, or completely overpowering to the point where it wouldn’t make sense in the video games, or not add up with a storyline featured in the animated series, or would appear to be super dangerous in a more realistic environment.
Here we will explore a total of 20 Pokédex entries that really don’t make any sense. The Pokémon and entries featured will be based on the Pokédex from the classic Gameboy Pokémon games: The original 151 Pokémon from Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow Versions, as well as the 2nd generation of Pokémon from Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal versions. Special thanks to pokemondb.net for the Pokédex entries.
20 Only You Can Prevent Wildfires… Unless You Are A Charizard.
Charizard is one of the most iconic and popular Pokémon ever. It would be a dream come true to have a Charizard as your own personal pet, friend, or battle partner. But have you ever thought of where you could or could not go with it? Well according to the Pokédex, you might need to be careful where you take one. Charizard’s Pokédex entry in Pokémon Red and Blue states that it “Spits fire that is hot enough to melt boulders. Known to cause forest fires unintentionally.” Well, then I guess I can’t bring Charizard with me on a quiet walk through a trail or a park with lots of trees otherwise I could be in trouble with Smokey Bear.
Yet, in many Pokémon episodes and battles, Charizard can easily take place in a battle and the forest would be completely unharmed. How does a Charizard unintentionally burn down a forest? Would its tail accidentally catch a bush and thus, engulf the entire forest in flames? Furthermore, can you imagine how sad it must be for a Charizard just taking a stroll in a forest, only to unintentionally burn it down? It must be very upsetting if you were a Charizard that likes to take walks in the woods.
19 Alakazam Is A Very, Smart Pokémon. But…
Alakazam’s Pokédex entry in Pokémon Yellow states: “A Pokémon that can memorize anything. It never forgets what it learns–that’s why this Pokémon is smart.” Exactly how smart are we talking? Well, the Pokémon Red and Blue Pokedex entry states that it has an I.Q. of 5,000 and can “outperform a supercomputer.” I mean that’s just too smart.
Alakazam would have be one of the smartest creatures to ever live.
Here is the major problem, if Alakazam can “memorize anything” then how in the world would it be limited to only remembering four moves at a time logically speaking? Alakazam may have an impressive memory bank, but apparently that only applies to having selective memory. Furthermore, as a psychic type Pokémon, it would also be very good at calculations, meaning great accuracy, yet I can’t depend on it hitting a focus blast attack in a key moment in battle. Also, if your intelligence quotient is as good as Alakazam, wouldn’t that prevent the possibility of it being confused? It should be too smart to be affected by attacks like confuse ray or swagger. All I know is, I wouldn’t want to have to go up against Alakazam in a battle of brains.
18 Need Eggs? Just Crack Open A Coconut!
Some Pokédex entries stick out better than others. Exeggutor is one such example. Its Pokédex entry may come off as rather confusing and perhaps a bit misleading. Exeggutor’s Red and Blue Pokédex entry states: “Legend has it that on rare occasions, one of its heads will drop off and continue on as an EXEGGCUTE.” Obviously, reverse evolution doesn’t really exist in Pokémon so why would a Pokédex acknowledge it?
Well, you could interpret it like this, if one of its heads falls off, then in cracks open into two or three Exeggcute eggs, then using telepathy to locate other Exeggcute and unite with them. This fits more of a breeding description, but then… why would Exeggutor need a mate to pair with? If it can just swing itself around to cause one of the coconut heads to fall off then that would sound like an effective process of reproduction. But what happens to the Exeggutor? On top of that, why would a falling coconut turn into eggs? Maybe during evolution the Exeggcute pair up and each pair form a coconut head, when it falls it would be the same two Exeggcute from before. Mind blowing stuff for sure!
17 There Are More Than One Way For Entei To Be Born?
Entei is a very powerful legendary Pokémon that is often referenced in the animated series and in the storyline of video games. Legend has it that one of Ecruteak City’s iconic towers, the former home of the legendary Pokémon Lugia, burned down one day due to a mysterious fire. Thus, Lugia moved on to live in the Whirl Islands. Within Lugia’s old home were three unfortunate unidentified Pokémon whom lost their lives in the fire. Ho-oh then left it’s home, the Tin Tower, but eventually returned to revive the three fallen Pokémon as new species.
These Pokémon were revived as Raikou, Suicune, and Entei.
Entei’s Pokédex entry in Silver states: “A Pokémon that races across the land. It is said that one is born every time a new volcano appears.” While in theory there could be more than one Entei and evidence from the Pokémon movie: Zoroark: Master of Illusions certainly suggests it’s true, but it wouldn’t make sense if the legend of the burned tower, roughly 150 years before the events of Pokémon Gold and Silver, was the first ever creation of the Pokémon Entei as volcanoes have definitely existed longer than 150 years.
16 Faster Than The Speed Of Sound — It’s A Pidgeot?!
Pidgeot’s Pokédex entry from Pokémon Yellow states: “This Pokémon flies at Mach 2 speed, seeking prey. Its large talons are feared as wicked weapons” Exactly how fast is Mach 2? According to information from NASA’s website, 1 Mach is measured to roughly 760 Miles per hour or about 340 Meters per second.
If Pidgeot can fly as fast as Mach 2 that means it can fly faster than 1,520 MPH!
That number is absolutely and shockingly insane. Going at supersonic speeds, it definitely surpasses the speed of sound (which is approximately one Mach), nearly doubling it. All of this can be accomplished by a final evolution of a common bird Pokémon. Pidgeot by no means is a legendary Pokémon or a Pokémon that has some kind of special background, just a fully matured bird. Apparently, Pidgeot can even fly faster than race machines in Nintendo’s futuristic sci-fi racing series F-Zero. What doesn’t make sense about Pidgeot flying at Mach 2 is that the Pokémon isn’t even capable of learning the move extremespeed despite knowing the move quick attack. Also, Pidgeot’s base speed in Pokémon is only 101. That is a decent speed number but it isn’t even among the fastest of Pokémon in the game, keep this in mind as this will be referenced later on in this article.
15 A Tragic Story, But Does It Actually Make Sense
Cubone has one of the most memorable Pokédex entries in any generation of Pokémon games. Cubone’s Pokédex entry from Pokémon Yellow version states that it “Wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody.” The acknowledgment of a Cubone’s deceased mother is a reference to one of the most memorable and tragic sub-plots of Pokémon Red and Blue. The sequence which involved Team Rocket in Lavender town and a stolen Cubone. A Marowak, which also happened to be that Cubone’s mother, tried to protect it but failed and lost her life.
It’s one of the darkest, striking plots ever to be featured in any Pokémon game, movie, or anime episode.
What is really silly about this Pokédex entry is that it is based too strongly off of this one story. Does every Cubone lose their mother at an early age? I doubt it, unless there is some kind of genetic effect that causes the end of the mother when a newborn arrives, or it could be something even darker…Maybe it’s the Cubone that could be behind the passing away of its mother! Wouldn’t that make for a dark plot twist!
14 Haunter Apparently Can Just Use Lick
Haunter’s Pokédex entry in Pokémon Yellow states: “By licking, it saps the victim’s life. It causes shaking that won’t stop until the victim’s demise.” It’s important to remember that back in the early days of Pokémon, the Red and Blue generation, lick was one of the very few ghost type attacks that were in existence. It was basically the signature attack for a Pokémon like Haunter, so there really were not many options for ghost type attacks for ghost type Pokémon (and one of the reasons psychic types used to be so overpowered).
Lick isn’t a very strong attack, it’s base attack is a measly 30, however, it does have a small chance for paralysis, but it doesn’t permanently paralyze the opponent like the Pokédex suggests. Not only that, but as a ghost type attack, lick has no effect on normal type Pokémon, so Haunter wouldn’t be able to defeat even a Rattata by licking them. Finally, lick doesn’t absorb any health away from Haunter’s victims. Hopefully, there were not any trainers like yours truly back in the original generation that based their Pokémon’s moveset off of their Pokédex entries.
13 Larvitar Is Too Small For That
Larvitar’s Pokédex entries from all three Johto games slightly contradict each other, but the main point is the Gold entry. Larvitar’s Pokédex entry in Pokémon Gold states: “It feeds on soil. After it has eaten a large mountain, it will fall asleep so it can grow.” It would take a Larvitar’s entire life to eat a whole mountain. This is one of those entries that would make a lot more sense if it just included another word or two. I think it is a safe bet to assume that “large mountain” refers to a large mountain of soil and dirt, otherwise eating an actual mountain simply won’t make any sense. Either way, a large mountain of soil would still appear to be too much for its small body.
In addition, the Pokédex entry from Pokémon Silver adds that Larvitar are born underground and that they won’t appear until it has consumed all of the soil around it. Yet in Gold, it says that it goes to sleep as soon as it has had enough. Furthermore, in Crystal, the Pokédex entry suggests that as soon as it eats enough, it then evolves, meaning that according to the entries from all three games, Larvitar never sees the light of day. This contradicts the anime storyline of how Ash raised a Larvitar from birth.
12 Ditto Transforms Into Ditto!… Wait What?
Ditto is a wonderfully fun Pokémon for a trainer to have on their team. It essentially can be any Pokémon it wants to be as long as they can see it. Life would be pretty cool as a Ditto changing the very being you are as your way of life. But what happens if a Ditto encounters another Ditto? Well, Ditto’s Pokédex entry in Pokémon Crystal says that " When it encounters another Ditto, it will move faster than normal to duplicate that opponent exactly." um…. this entry could use a bit of clarification.
If Ditto encounters another Ditto, it will move faster to duplicate….itself?
Or could we be talking about another Pokémon in the area? Maybe it could be referencing a unique type of competition among Ditto, who is the fastest at transforming? That could be turned into a pretty decent mini-game I would imagine. Maybe this explains how the Ditto in the first season of the animated series had its face problem where it could transform every bit of the Pokémon, but maintain Ditto’s original dot-eyes and straight lined mouth. Regardless, I think Professor Oak and Professor Elm have their work cut out for them in clarifying this entry.
11 It’s Built For Space Exploration — Or Is It?
Sometimes you would read a Pokédex entry and it just comes off as funny rather than informative. Porygon 2 is definitely one of those entries that you just chuckle at. In Pokémon Gold, Porygon 2’s Pokédex entry states that “This upgraded version of Porygon is designed for space exploration. It can’t fly, though.” Well isn’t that nice? Porygon 2 can live in space (or rather any environment due to its origin as a programming code), but how would it even get there if it can’t fly? Furthermore, even if it were to break through the stratosphere into outer space, can it really explore if it couldn’t fly in the first place? It will just float about in the abyss of space without being able to do much to actually explore.
What is the use of a space exploration Pokémon if it can’t explore?
Porygon 2 and it’s evolutionary family are one of the most unique and interesting Pokémon ever. It’s a shame that this Pokémon has been heavily ignored, largely due to the incident involving Porygon’s only anime appearance. If it wasn’t for that there could be more clarification on what Porygon 2’s purpose in space would actually be.
10 Shellder Is Literally Slowking’s Thinking Cap?
Slowking has been described as one of the smartest Pokémon around, but what if I told you that the reason Slowking is a very smart Pokémon is because of its “crown” Shellder? According to the Pokédex entry for Slowking in Pokémon Crystal, “Every time it yawns, SHELLDER injects more poison into it. The poison makes it more intelligent.” Wait, so wouldn’t that make Shellder one of the smartest Pokémon ever? A silly looking clamshell that sticks out its tongue doesn’t come off as smart or intelligent. It does, however, brings about an awesome convenience.
Gaining knowledge whenever you sleep sounds like the greatest life hack ever.
I wish I could have a Shellder crown as my own thinking cap, I wouldn’t ever have needed to go to school as much. But if Shellder’s poison has that kind of effect, then why is it that if Slowking somehow lost the Shellder from its head, it loses the information it has learned? Is that knowledge gained by Shellder? Furthermore has the humans of the Pokémon world ever tried researching if the Shellder poison works for other life forms like humans? It’s just one of those Pokédex entries that just sounds too good to make sense.
9 Is Pokémon “De-evolving” Actually Possible?
While we are on the subject on Shellder latching on to a Slowpoke, let’s take a look at the alternate evolution of Slowpoke, the original evolution that is Slowbro. Slowbro’s Pokédex entry in Pokémon Yellow states that it “Lives lazily by the sea. If the SHELLDER on its tail comes off, it becomes a SLOWPOKE again.” So no matter what happens, if the Shellder comes off then it de-evolves? Is reverse evolution really a thing in Pokémon? or maybe…
Did Slowpoke ever evolve in the first place?
Other Pokédex entries state that the reason Shellder latches on to Slowpoke’s tail is to somehow feed on Slowbro’s leftover scraps and to feast on its tail. I’m not sure how it feeds off Slowbro’s scraps if it is attached to its tail at all times, but I’ll let you use your imagination for how that happens. The point is, Shellder can be removed from Slowbro’s tail for various reasons, yet throughout the Pokémon games and animated series, this never happens. It was featured in episode 66 in the first series of the Pokémon animated series, but the concept of reverse evolution was never explained.
8 Chansey Is Apparently Faster Than You Think
Take one look at a Chansey and you’ll would probably agree with me that it doesn’t look very fast at all. It’s big and round and it carries an egg in a pouch so it would have to be careful to not break the egg. But if you were to look at the Pokédex entry for Chansey in Pokémon Gold version, well you might be surprised. Chansey’s Pokédex entry is as follows: “It walks carefully to prevent its egg from breaking. However, it is extremely fast at running away.”
Look out world, Chansey is apparently extremely fast at running away!
Chansey’s base speed is only 50, which makes it very slow and not reliable in going first in battle in just about any situation. Obviously, the reason why is to make sure it doesn’t want to be reckless in its movement and somehow drops its egg. But never do you actually see it without its egg. Also, just look at it, Chansey is an oversized egg itself! How would something that looks more than double the size of Kirby be “extremely fast” at running away? Maybe if it rolled around it could build up speed, but the Pokédex specifically stated running. It makes no sense…
7 Can’t Sleep, Won’t Sleep. Ever.
Slugma is nothing more than a slug that is made of magma as it’s name so obviously implies. Slugma’s Pokédex entry from Pokémon Gold version says that “It never sleeps. It has to keep moving because if it stopped, its magma body would cool and harden.” Okay, but according to the Silver Pokédex entry, Slugma are commonly found in volcanic areas, it would make sense for a Pokémon like Slugma to live inside of a volcano. So why would its body cool down if let’s say it goes to sleep in its natural environment? Its body shouldn’t cool down at all.
Furthermore, Slugma can still be put to sleep in a Pokémon battle. I guess if you accomplish putting a Slugma to sleep you’ll win the battle since it would then turn into a slug rock. Also, if Slugma is never supposed to sleep, then why in the world would it be able to know the move rest? Finally, it has been shown in the anime that Slugma can use body slam on its opponents and it used the attack on Ash’s Corphish. Rest in peace Corphish, at least it would make for a good seafood dinner.
6 Pupitar Topples Mountains, Pupitar Doesn’t Care.
Remember how Larvitar eats mountains of soil and dirt in order to grow? Well once it goes into hibernation and evolves into Pupitar, it doesn’t seem to care about its natural habitat. According to the Pokédex entry in Pokémon Gold, “Its shell is as hard as sheet rock, and it is also very strong. Its THRASHING can topple a mountain.” I can only imagine this is how a Pupitar thinks: “Whoo! I evolved and awake now, let me celebrate by crushing my home and food supply, that sounds like it would be fun!”
Gee, talk about being grateful for where you come from.
All of that power yet it isn’t really all that strong in the games, think of Pupitar as a deadlier version of a Metapod. While the Pokédex does take Pupitar’s strength into account, the idea of toppling a mountain is just ridiculous and nonsensical. What is a bit crazy is that this is just the mid-tier stage of the evolutionary family, meaning it can become even stronger when it evolves again. But we will get to that one in just a bit, I’m still wondering how does the Pokémon world survive by this point.
5 Rapidash Can Reach A Top Speed Of 150 MPH — Makes Sense, Right?
Remember what I was saying about Pidgeot and how it can go faster than the speed of sound, reaching as fast as Mach 2 through the air? Yeah, you’ll want to keep that in mind as I am talking about Rapidash. Rapidash’s Pokédex entry from Pokémon Silver states: “With incredible acceleration, it reaches its top speed of 150 mph after running just ten steps” Well for starters, reaching 150 Mph in just 10 steps is just ridiculous, but remember how fast Pidgeot can go in MPH? Yup, Pidgeot can fly as fast as 1,520 Mph…Rapidash can only reach 150 Mph. Pidgeot’s base speed in Pokémon stats is 101. Rapidash’s base speed stat is 105.
But Rapidash’s top speed is 150 Mph.
Pidgeot’s top speed is 1,520 Mph.
Rapidash is faster than Pidgeot (in most cases) in Pokémon battles.
How can Pokémon researchers explain this? Did the Pidgeot they were researching had rockets strapped to its wings? Were they positive they didn’t mistake a giant bird for a fighter jet? Do you think it could have been Team Rocket with a jet disguised as a Pidgeot? Could it be that two Ditto were competing to transform into the same Pidgeot and somehow started to move much faster as the Pidgeot? This world is about as crazy as it gets!
4 How Has James’ Face Not Melted?
Okay, this is just one of those really awful realities that a cartoon wisely chose to stick to. Let’s just start with Victreebel’s Pokédex entry from Pokémon Yellow version: “Lures prey with the sweet aroma of honey. Swallowed whole, the prey is melted in a day, bones and all” With that said, Victreebel is best known as one of James’ Pokémon in Team Rocket. Statistically, Victreebel was one of James’ best Pokémon he has ever owned on his short-handed team. However, every time James called it into battle, Victreebel would start off by taking a full bite of its trainer just as soon it comes out of its Pokéball.
In many ways, its a nice form of comic relief for the animated series. But as I’m sure you have figured out where I am going with this, over the many episodes of Victreebel nearly swallowing its own trainer multiple times how on earth is James still alive? His face shouldn’t even exist if even a slight amount of Victreebel’s acid got to his face. James should count his blessings that he wasn’t dissolved by his own Pokémon before it left him at the end of the Johto series.
3 Eats Soil From Mountains. Now It Is Invincible?
Yup, among the plenty of nonsensical Pokédex entries from the classic Pokémon games all three Pokémon in this evolutionary family have crazy ridiculous Pokédex descriptions. Tyranitar is one of the most ferocious Pokémon in existence and even to this day it is still commonly used in competitive Pokemon battles, but if you look at its Pokédex entry, you would be thinking that it is the most powerful Pokémon ever! According to the Pokédex entry in Pokémon Gold, “Its body can’t be harmed by any sort of attack, so it is very eager to make challenges against enemies.”
Obviously, that kind of description doesn’t make a lot of sense. Tyranitar is obviously not invincible. If you have a fighting type Pokémon that packs a strong punch, pun unintended, then you likely can take down the Armor Pokémon in one shot. Even the other classic Pokédex entries can come off as overpowering for this Pokémon. Both the Silver and Crystal entries describe Tyranitar as something with so much power it can change landscapes and crumble mountains. The Pokedex obviously dislikes mountain ranges.
2 You Mean This Weakling Can Chew Buildings Down?
Raticate is one of the first fully evolved Pokémon you’ll encounter in the very first Pokémon games. It’s not a very strong Pokémon and even to this day, there isn’t much you have to be weary about. Well as a common theme with most of these silly and ridiculous Pokédex entries, Raticate gets a bit of an absurd description as well. Coming from Pokémon Gold, Raticates description is as follows: “Gnaws on anything with its tough fangs. It can even topple concrete buildings by gnawing on them”
Oh my, what large fangs Raticate must have! I mean this Pokémon’s teeth must be as strong as high powered construction vehicles if it could just chew down a concrete building. Perhaps this is just a funny way of imagining how strong super fang is in a situation like this. Super fang is an attack that, regardless of defense, reduces the opponent’s remaining HP by half. Theoretically, if a concrete building has an HP stat, Raticate could chip away at that sturdy HP and eventually gnaw at the building and take it down. It’s a silly thought, but that’s been the theme of this topic, trying to make sense of nonsensical descriptions.
1 A Pokédex Description That Sounds Straight Out Of Monster Hunter.
Typhlosion is one of the coolest (or should I say hottest?) Pokémon of the second generation. Even to this day, it is one of my personal favorite Fire-type Pokémon starters. Typhlosion’s Pokédex entry is one of the funniest ones out there, but it really is a bit silly. According to Pokémon Silver version’s Pokédex entry, “It has a secret, devastating move. It rubs its blazing fur together to cause huge explosions.”
My first thought after reading this was that it does one of those classic back rubs on a tree like how most animals of its kind take care of an itch. That would have a really explosive result for the tree. Of course, I’m sure the Pokédex was thinking more about Typhlosion rubbing its arms together and explosions just initiate all around its body. For some reason, this description reminds me of the Brachydios, a monster whose punches can cause explosions. What I am curious about though is what would be the name of this secret attack? It hasn’t ever been used or referenced in the games or the animated series so it would be really awesome to see.
