Unrealistic Moves

[Boilurn]

Tri-Attack, Freeze Shock and Ice Burn are some of the most unrealistic moves you'll see that isn't a Psychic-type. I don't know why they inflict a completely different form of status. I also find Stealth Rock rather unrealistic compared to Spikes. When I saw it in the anime the rocks float and charge into the Pokemon on entry. It's such a weird entry hazard. Some stat-changers, such as Fake Tears, Leer and Nasty Plot don't make sense at all either.

 

[Starlight Sprite]

I never understood why tail whip lowered defense instead of just being a standard physical attack. That's like the equivalent of me shaking my booty or something. lol

In the Japanese text, Tail Whip's name literally translates to "Tail Wag" such as when a happy dog might do it. It could make the e enemy less wary I guess.

Milk Drink is nearly as disturbing as Softboiled. Dirty thoughts aside, just how does Miltank manage to reach its own udders with such short limbs and no thumbs?

 

[bobandbill]

Perhaps it is very flexible...? Or just squirts it out. :V

A bunch of moves actually make more sense or add new meaning with the Japanese names.

Tri-Attack, Freeze Shock and Ice Burn are some of the most unrealistic moves you'll see that isn't a Psychic-type. I don't know why they inflict a completely different form of status. I also find Stealth Rock rather unrealistic compared to Spikes. When I saw it in the anime the rocks float and charge into the Pokemon on entry. It's such a weird entry hazard. Some stat-changers, such as Fake Tears, Leer and Nasty Plot don't make sense at all either.

Tbh, I'm pretty okay with most of these you mentioned. Tri-Attack is made of different elemental attacks rolled into one (at least in some depictions), so it having multiple potential status makes sense there. I suppose Freeze Shock/Ice Burn also make sense - Kyurem only knows them by being fused with the related dragon legendary of the matching typing, and there are cases where being frozen 'feels like' a burn, or so I've read.

Fake Tears/Leer work on body language tricking or intimidating the opponent as well. If in a fight someone has the right attitude in their body language/facial expression it can be intimidating and distract you from fighting normally, hence the lowered guard. Or better yet, just google a video of the New Zealand Maori doing the haka, something they did during fights too. That sort of display I bet would be very off-putting.

 

[pompayyy]

Scald. Just imagining hot water catching something on fire is hard for me to grasp.

 

[Shrew]

I'm going to go through a list of all moves in Bulbapedia which don't make sense to me.

Razor Wind/Whirlwind - not flying?
Mist - how does water vapor shield you from Screech/etc?
Agility/Rest - how psychic?
Mind Reader/Psych Up/Disable- how are these not psychic?
Teleport - how does Fly allow you to go anywhere, but not this?
Smokescreen - how does this only hit one opponent in doubles?
Bone Club/etc - how do these miss flying types? Mud attacks, too.
Curse - how does this japanese pun for "slow" also raise your atk/def?
Milk Drink - Eww.
Sleep Talk - shouldn't it be Sleep Walk?
Rapid Spin - why should the defensive properties fail against ghosts? The leechseed/hazards are on you.
Moonlight - stronger in the sun?!
Dive/Dig/Surf/EQ/Rock Climb - should fail, depending on the environment
Gastro Acid - and vomiting stomach acid gets rid of abilities how?
Wring Out - how is this a special move?
Grass Knot - how does this make contact when things like Starmie use it?!
Heart Swap - in-game it swaps stat boosts. In the anime/brawl, it literally switches souls.
Magnet Rise - specifically when a magnemite has to use it
Mirror Shot/Flash Cannon - how does the light reflecting off these surfaces crush rocks, etc?
Power Gem - same as above
Wide Guard - is a rock
Soak - how does submerging a Charizard in water turn it into a water-type without taking damage?
Clear Smog - references water vapor that comes out of chemical plants, yet is poison

I bolded the ones that I think are the least logical, for your TL;DRing pleasure.

COTTON GUARD AND COTTON SPORE

Seriously GameFreak? How the hell does covering yourself in cotton balls increase your ability to withstand Flamethrower. And how does it lower your speed??? WTF?

Cotton Guard raises physical defense, not special defense. It makes perfect sense that if your opponent tackled you at full force or threw something heavy on you, that a cushion of fluff would block the damage. Cotton Spore doesn't make sense, though.

String Shot lowering speed? It's string, the pokemon could just pull it off

It's not string, it's comparable to the material used in spider webs. A spider the size of Ariados should easily be able to trap and restrict the movement of its foes.

pretty much all water type moves are unrealistic. hydro pump could work, but water gun and bubble would be a mild irritant. anime comes to the rescue by making the bubbles explode, but still.

also I love how the existence of quick attack means that, in realistic terms, pokemon that use tackle just aren't trying very hard

Imagine water gun being launched at the pressure of a firefighter's hose, like it is in the anime. Then imagine Hydro Pump being 3 times the PSI of that.

Most pokemon that learn Quick Attack learn it after Tackle. That's like saying that pokemon that learn Ember aren't trying hard enough because they're not using Flamethrower.

Scald. Just imagining hot water catching something on fire is hard for me to grasp.

I personally do not interpret BURN status as being lit on fire, but rather having burned, damaged skin, such as a sunburn. If you were to dip your hand in boiling hot water, it would be hot enough to sting for a while and would hurt to move (i.e, lowering your attack)

 

[Hiatus]

Freeze Shock and Ice Burn. Ice-type moves that paralyze or burn? I don't get the idea.

There's a type of ice called "dry ice." They freeze your skin whenever you get into contact with them, but the damage is similar in some ways to a burn. That's probably where they got the idea of "Ice Burn." As for Freeze Shock, I'm actually not too sure about that. xD

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is the use of Avalanche in a grass field. When they're in a place like this, where do Pokémon manage to get the rocks from? Rhyperior being able to use Surf doesn't make too much sense, either. It's a rock-type Pokémon, so it should be super-effective against water. If water is super-effective, then how would this Pokémon be able to get anywhere near them? Haha.

 

[Black Dynamite]

i can see where they were going with ice burn. essentially dry ice can burn right through your skin and flesh even. but burn damage should only occur when the foe is frozen cause that would make more sense.

i've got no logical explanation for the other moves that deal reverse elemental damage however lol. as for freeze shock? ive never seen it before but it sounds absurd.

ahh beat me to it ^ :/ i should really read all the pages be4 i post.

 

[.:batto:.]

Dugtrio used Slash!
Cryogonal used Attract!

Also...

I LOL'D

Growl lowering attack?

doesnt make sense to me!

GRRR REOWEEWEE

 

[Mithel_Celestia]

I LOL'D

Growl lowering attack?

doesnt make sense to me!

GRRR REOWEEWEE

Growl makes some sense. If a wild dog were to growl at you, you cold get startled and afraid by the fact it could bite you. Tail Whip should be something you should think about