The funny and unrealistic aspects of Pokemon - Discuss!

[Fate Falls]

What are some things you've noticed about Pokemon that seem just plain silly or improbable?


I've always wondered about the Pokemon trading system used in the Anime. Why do they have this huge, elaborate, crazy-looking machine that they use to trade Pokemon when, in reality, they could just hand one another their Pokeballs? I suppose it's if you want to keep your own Pokeball?

Having children that are just 10 years old start out on their Pokemon journeys seems really dangerous and reckless, and especially reflects poorly on their parents. I can't even remember what I was like when I was 10 years old, but by no means was I ready to take care of myself and wander the world, even if Pokemon existed. I think the earliest a kid should be able to leave and be on their own is 16, though our laws don't even count people as adults until they are 18, which is even more realistic. I would think there'd be a lot of dead kids in the world if everyone who wanted to train Pokemon left at such a young age!

How do Pokemon get recalled or how to they get summoned from their Pokeballs? It seems like when their trainer calls them to come out, they hear and obey. However, in the Anime, when Pokemon are called to return, it seems like the Pokeball is the thing that gets them to come back, rather than having them return of their own accord. (For example, Jesse recalls Seviper in one of the early episodes of season 11, since it was fighting with wild Zangoose, but each time Seviper was returned, it came back out to fight some more.) So, from the TV show, it appears that the Pokeball just calls back its Pokemon right when the trainer mentally thinks about it. Shouldn't their be a button on the Pokeball or something though? Otherwise, you would think any time you hold up your Pokeball, it would try to recall the Pokemon that belongs in it.

 

[coolcatkim22]

I wish people would stop bringing up the ten year old thing.

Personally I'm not entriely sure how a Pokeball works it seems that operates with just one button, that works in most medias but not in the anime.

 

[nokyo-chan]

What's wrong with bringing up the ten-year thing? It's a pretty valid thing to wonder about.

I always wondered about what they ate. How are you eating meat? Where are all the chickens and cows? Do you eat Farfetch'd and Miltank?

And there are several things in the game that don't make sense...how do you walk into the back of a mansion and steal an Eevee without getting penalized? How can a ten-year-old single-handedly bring down an entire criminal organization? And WHAT does Team Rocket even do? It steals Pokemon...then what?

Pokemon is just funny sometimes.

 

[Fate Falls]

I've not been involved in enough Pokemon conversations to ever see the 10-year-old discussion being brought up, so I wouldn't know it was so widely talked about. It's perfectly understandable why though, so I'm afraid it only makes sense that people would want to talk about it. It's like the elephant in the room when it comes to the ethics of Pokemon. I suppose a good justifiable argument would be that, in the world of Pokemon, there are no bad people that commit murders and that almost everyone is friendly enough to look out for everyone else, so parents don't have to worry. However, we've seen villains like Team Rocket and plenty of others (in the movies, Anime, and games), so that argument really doesn't hold up well.

Oh, that's also something that I've wondered about, Nokyo! Just what do the people in Pokemon eat exactly? Do they really eat Pokemon for their meat? D: Animals like we have don't seem to exist in Pokemon, so if they do eat meat, then I'm guessing it would have to be some sort of Pokemon. I'm sure they don't really want to go into that in a kid's show though. xD

That's a good question about Team Rocket. They seem to have all this money to fund their wild and crazy projects, and yet, it doesn't make sense how they really get it and what they really do.

 

[luf100]

I always assumed that since Jessie and James are a part of Team Rocket, which is a huge organization and not just them alone, that they'd either be given those machines or they'd get money to use them, and not have to pay out of their own pockets. (Unless you WERE talking about Team Rocket as an organization, I might be confused. But I see a lot of people asking how Jessie and James are able to get these things they use too.)

I'm always confused about school. They have Pokemon schools for trainers and stuff, but do all the kids just sit at home until they're 10 if they're not going to a school for training, and then leave home? Aren't they then kind of... stupid? Or are they homeschooled?

Hygiene too. Do they bathe in lakes?! Or are there a lot of rest stops we don't see along the way? Do they go to the bathroom out in the woods? XD I know it's a cartoon and these things don't really matter, but I find them funny to think about.

 

[Fate Falls]

I always assumed that since Jessie and James are a part of Team Rocket, which is a huge organization and not just them alone, that they'd either be given those machines or they'd get money to use them, and not have to pay out of their own pockets. (Unless you WERE talking about Team Rocket as an organization, I might be confused. But I see a lot of people asking how Jessie and James are able to get these things they use too.)

I'm always confused about school. They have Pokemon schools for trainers and stuff, but do all the kids just sit at home until they're 10 if they're not going to a school for training, and then leave home? Aren't they then kind of... stupid? Or are they homeschooled?

Hygiene too. Do they bathe in lakes?! Or are there a lot of rest stops we don't see along the way? Do they go to the bathroom out in the woods? XD I know it's a cartoon and these things don't really matter, but I find them funny to think about.

Right, yeah. I was just referring to Team Rocket as a whole, as in the organization. ;) Even as an organization, it's weird that these criminals have all this money to afford the crazy things that they have when they really don't do anything, and it's not like anyone else is going to fund them like the government (unless the government is funding their entire operation! XD Lol).

Oh, good point! I was working on my Pokemon character, and I was goign to say that she attended school, but then I thought, "You know, do kids even go to school in Pokemon?" It's never really clear, since it seems Ash, Misty, and Brock never went, unless they just quite. I have no idea!

Lol! No, I completely agree! I sometimes think like that too. Like, they're traveling all over the world, but what do they do when they really need to use the bathroom and they're in the middle of the mountains or the woods? I guess they make do with what they have. Maybe they carry toilet paper with them in their bags hehe. However, that doesn't explain how they bathe on their journeys. I guess they would just have to swim in a lake or pond if there aren't any rest stops around.

 

[Azonic]

Pokemon trainers never need to "go". @__@ I cannot imagine holding my whizz through 4 regions man. Ugh. and EW.

 

[DestinyBender]

Now, I know that when a Pokemon goes inside a Pokeball it is turned into energy, but have you ever thought that maybe the Pokemon is too big for the Pokeball? Like, the energy is too big.

 

[I Laugh at your Misfortune!]

I'd assume that the trading machine is because the Pokemon are 'registered' to a particular trainer. Remember how Ash could use his Pokedex to get Krabby from Oak's lab? I'm guessing that if he traded his Krabby for, say, a Poliwag but didn;t use the machine, then I'm assuming he would not be able to use his 'dex to access that Poliwag, as it would be registered to the other trainer.

 

[coolcatkim22]

What's wrong with bringing up the ten-year thing? It's a pretty valid thing to wonder about.

Yeah but it's over wondered about.
It's always ten olds that and ten olds this, I really have to question why people keep bringing this up even though this series has been around for more then ten years and they don't think it's ever been questioned to death.

And alot of the other things that have been brought up in this thread have been question to death.

It would just be better if everybody just make a article about their anwser and then read and compare to everyone else's article.

P.S. Are Dugtrios just three digletts that dig together or one Diglett with three heads?

 

[Ryuu Kiba]

Lets see... something that hasn't ever been discussed about the funny unreal aspects of pokemon... I'd have to say that it's hard not to find unrealistic things... like how an animal can evolve in seconds, how an animal would be able to control rocks, or fire... but I don't know how discussed this has been:

If the world of pokemon is populated by pokemon... what do people eat in the Anime when they eat meat? They eat pokemon? wouldn't that kind of... be... a bit against the anime's whole feel? And I am sure I've seen regular fried fish... but if there's regular fish... why don't they ever show up in the environments?

 

[Redstar]

I've always wondered about the Pokemon trading system used in the Anime. Why do they have this huge, elaborate, crazy-looking machine that they use to trade Pokemon when, in reality, they could just hand one another their Pokeballs? I suppose it's if you want to keep your own Pokeball?

Like Armoire said, it's to change the registration tags indicating which Pokemon is owned by who. Just "changing hands" would be illegal, since anyone can trade that way and if they changed their mind claim theft.

Having children that are just 10 years old start out on their Pokemon journeys seems really dangerous and reckless, and especially reflects poorly on their parents. I can't even remember what I was like when I was 10 years old, but by no means was I ready to take care of myself and wander the world, even if Pokemon existed. I think the earliest a kid should be able to leave and be on their own is 16, though our laws don't even count people as adults until they are 18, which is even more realistic. I would think there'd be a lot of dead kids in the world if everyone who wanted to train Pokemon left at such a young age!

This really is a rather stupid point always brought up. Pokemon takes place in a fantasy world. It would be wise to look at the many cultures in the past that had "rites of adulthood" and the like. Even taking a simple look at history and mythology reveals a similarity: Alexander the Great was 12 when he first began leading armies, and up until recently there were twin leaders of a militia in an Asian country that took power at age nine.

The USA is one of the few countries in the world that treat children like "children", and in fact prior to the Industrial Revolution (only 150 years or so ago) they were regarded as nothing more than miniature adults. In this way, we need to stop placing Western conceptions onto a decidedly Eastern video game and look at past cultures for reference... Simply put, Pokemon training is a rite of passage into adulthood.

How do Pokemon get recalled or how to they get summoned from their Pokeballs? It seems like when their trainer calls them to come out, they hear and obey. However, in the Anime, when Pokemon are called to return, it seems like the Pokeball is the thing that gets them to come back, rather than having them return of their own accord. (For example, Jesse recalls Seviper in one of the early episodes of season 11, since it was fighting with wild Zangoose, but each time Seviper was returned, it came back out to fight some more.) So, from the TV show, it appears that the Pokeball just calls back its Pokemon right when the trainer mentally thinks about it. Shouldn't their be a button on the Pokeball or something though? Otherwise, you would think any time you hold up your Pokeball, it would try to recall the Pokemon that belongs in it.

You said it yourself (bolded). In the anime at least, there's a button. "Calling out" or in a Pokemon is just a habit to some trainers in the same way many people have battle cries or describe their attack.

I always wondered about what they ate. How are you eating meat? Where are all the chickens and cows? Do you eat Farfetch'd and Miltank?

Oh, that's also something that I've wondered about, Nokyo! Just what do the people in Pokemon eat exactly? Do they really eat Pokemon for their meat? D: Animals like we have don't seem to exist in Pokemon, so if they do eat meat, then I'm guessing it would have to be some sort of Pokemon. I'm sure they don't really want to go into that in a kid's show though. xD

Lets see... something that hasn't ever been discussed about the funny unreal aspects of pokemon... I'd have to say that it's hard not to find unrealistic things... like how an animal can evolve in seconds, how an animal would be able to control rocks, or fire... but I don't know how discussed this has been:

If the world of pokemon is populated by pokemon... what do people eat in the Anime when they eat meat? They eat pokemon? wouldn't that kind of... be... a bit against the anime's whole feel? And I am sure I've seen regular fried fish... but if there's regular fish... why don't they ever show up in the environments?

If the world of pokemon is populated by pokemon... what do people eat in the Anime when they eat meat? They eat pokemon? wouldn't that kind of... be... a bit against the anime's whole feel? And I am sure I've seen regular fried fish... but if there's regular fish... why don't they ever show up in the environments?

The anime has animals besides Pokemon that are eaten, while in the games people just eat Pokemon. (Farfetch'd and Lapras, for example, have been hunted nearly to extinction)

And there are several things in the game that don't make sense...how do you walk into the back of a mansion and steal an Eevee without getting penalized? How can a ten-year-old single-handedly bring down an entire criminal organization? And WHAT does Team Rocket even do? It steals Pokemon...then what?

That's a good question about Team Rocket. They seem to have all this money to fund their wild and crazy projects, and yet, it doesn't make sense how they really get it and what they really do.

Right, yeah. I was just referring to Team Rocket as a whole, as in the organization. ;) Even as an organization, it's weird that these criminals have all this money to afford the crazy things that they have when they really don't do anything, and it's not like anyone else is going to fund them like the government (unless the government is funding their entire operation! XD Lol).

Team Rocket is a business. They spend money to make money (case in point: Mewtwo). They steal Pokemon to then sell them (the casinos), and sell items as drugs/cheap merchandise (Slowpoke Tails, RAGECANDYBARS). Giovanni himself wears a business suit... It's fairly obvious that TR is an allegory for real-life gangs, the mafia, and corrupt businesses.

And how can a single 10-year-old do it? Well, how did Alexander the Great conquer all of Asia, parts of Africa, and Europe all before he was 18? Strategy, brute force, and help. You'll note that Lance aids you in GSC, as well as the police in RBY. (There's an undercover officer on the SS Anne)

Now, I know that when a Pokemon goes inside a Pokeball it is turned into energy, but have you ever thought that maybe the Pokemon is too big for the Pokeball? Like, the energy is too big.

Pokemon are not converted into energy. They are digitized, as blatantly expressed in the games themselves and proven in https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=176451

Lets see... something that hasn't ever been discussed about the funny unreal aspects of pokemon... I'd have to say that it's hard not to find unrealistic things... like how an animal can evolve in seconds, how an animal would be able to control rocks, or fire... but I don't know how discussed this has been

For the final time, Pokemon evolution is not real-world Darwinism or even Lamarckism. It's simply a synonym for metamorphosis, chosen because Nintendo assumed kids were idiots and wouldn't understand what it meant.

 

[salmence33]

Lets see... something that hasn't ever been discussed about the funny unreal aspects of pokemon... I'd have to say that it's hard not to find unrealistic things... like how an animal can evolve in seconds, how an animal would be able to control rocks, or fire... but I don't know how discussed this has been:

If the world of pokemon is populated by pokemon... what do people eat in the Anime when they eat meat? They eat pokemon? wouldn't that kind of... be... a bit against the anime's whole feel? And I am sure I've seen regular fried fish... but if there's regular fish... why don't they ever show up in the environments?

actually I think I do recall seeing a real animal in one of the episodes...

 

[ShivaDF]

I always wondered how, in the games, the machines in Poke'mon Centers heal Poke'mon. I mean, the Balls glow for a second and everything's fine?
Where do Machoke and Machamp get their belts and shorts? If they would be superpowerful without their belts, why has no evil team tried removing them?

 

[Dr Gregory House]

I'd love to see a real animal in Pokemon... it'd be hilarous. Like, 'oh, that's a- what kind of Pokemon is that?'
Lol.

 

[Redstar]

There's fish in the early episodes and a dog in a later one.

 

[Trap-Eds]

There's fish in the early episodes and a dog in a later one.

A dog? Really? The only real animals I recall for sure are a mongoose (because Zangoose didn't exist yet,) and those fish.

 

[luf100]

A dog? Really? The only real animals I recall for sure are a mongoose (because Zangoose didn't exist yet,) and those fish.

I don't know if they actually showed any, but I'm pretty sure I remember someone talking about cats at one point.

 

[Sasuke.]

PokeWorld:
Lv.100 Pikachu > Lv.100 Charizard
Why?: Pikachu knows strong Electric attacks allowing it to attack Charizard and it's attacks being super effective.

Real World:
Pikachu < Charizard
Why?: Charizard would eat Pikachu for a snack.

 

[Izanagi]

How TMs work. FRLG gives an image though. From that, it shows that you stick the disk (TM) on the pokemon's head, then fire a laster out of the case? wut?

Furhtermore, how does one fly from city to city on the back of a Pidgey?

And the question everyone's been dyin to ask...

Spoiler:

HOW THE HECK DOES DIGLET USE SCRATCH?!?!