Summary
Pokemonhas never been known as a particularly story-heavy franchise, but over the decades since its inception, there have been multiple attempts at delving deeper into the lore of how this unique world functions. AsPokemoncontinues to expand with new regions and more than a thousand different creatures currently roaming around, it only makes sense that many would be stoked with curiosity to dig deeper into the history and lore of these games.
Whether it’s strange Pokedex entries revealing the dark underbelly of cute-looking creatures or the confirmation of aPokemonmultiverse with alternate regions, there’s plenty of strange lore to explore and explain. Odds are that list of lore will only grow in the future.
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The Pokemon Multiverse
Gen 6 ofPokemonbrought an interesting controversy along with its many new innovations: the issue of paradoxical Pokemon forms. Fans of the series were finding it difficult to believe that Charizard and Mewtwo have had Mega Evolution forms this whole time and that somehow none of the trainers in Kanto know about it, or the fact that Kyogre and Groudon suddenly have these powerful Primal forms in theOmega Rubyand Alpha Sapphireremakes that didn’t exist in the original games. The real-life explanation for these changes is obvious – Game Freak wants to continuously add new features to its Pokemon to hold gamers' attention. TheDelta Episode ofOmega Ruby and Alpha Sapphiregives a deeper reason for this, though.
The whole story of the Delta Episode would take a while to get into, but the important part is where the character Zinnia mentions that her people speak of an entire world very similar to the one that exists inORAS, but with some major differences, such as the lack of Mega Evolutions. With this moment, Game Freak sets up the idea that the world ofRuby and Sapphireis a parallel universe toOmega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. It goes deeper than that, too, when considering the many new evolutions like Dudunsparce and Probopass thatPokemonhas added over the years.
Since Hatterene’s recentintroduction inPokemon Sword and Shield, all of the Pokemon’s Pokedex entries have made it seem like a fairly unfriendly creature to be around. ItsShieldPokedex entry reads, “If you’re too loud around it, you risk being torn apart by the claws on its tentacle. This Pokémon is also known as the Forest Witch.”
Pokemon Scarlet and Violetbring a new level of creepy to the Psychic/Fairy type, though. Hatterene’s Violet Pokedex entry reads, “Beware of forests that show no signs of living creatures within. You may have wandered into Hatterene’s territory.” That’s a pretty disturbing description for the final form of adorable Hatenna.
To Kill A Poliwhirl
ThePokemon Adventuresmanga has a reputationfor being notably more graphic than the video game series. Outside of the games' often unnerving Pokedex entries, they generally remain child friendly and free of blood or graphic violence of any kind. In one of the earlier chapters of the long-runningPokemon Adventuresmanga, though, a Poliwhirl is stabbed directly through the center of his swirl by a Fearow’s beak during a battle. This is later revealed to have just been an illusion, though, so there’s no death and the manga maintains its all-ages rating.
It’s worth noting that Satoshi Tajiri, the original creator ofPokemonand current president of Game Freak, has stated that the depiction of thePokemonworld seen in thePokemon Adventuresmanga is much closer to what he envisionedthis world would look like back when he initially created it, as opposed to the much more child-friendly depictions seen in the anime or modern games. Still, given the overal direction of thePokemonbrand, the manga’s brutality is a stark contrast.
