The Pokemon universe is one of the most complex fictional universes out there, which means that even those who absolutely love don't know all there is to know about it. For this list, we'll be amping up your Poke-knowledge with strange and specific little-known facts and trivia. Did you know that in the beta versions of Pokemon Red & Blue, Koffing and Weezing were named not after respiratory symptoms, but after New York and Los Angeles? Speaking of Pokemon associated with Team Rocket, did you know that Arbok has six different possible patterns on its scales, and that Meowth is the only Pokemon with more than one regional form? There's plenty more little-known Pokemon facts where that came from! Vote up the odd Pokemon facts that you think every Pokemon master should know.
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Every Pokemon can learn at least one Normal-type move - that is, ever Pokemon except Weedle, who can't learn Normal moves by any method. There are no TMs that work on Weedle, and it can only learn Poison Sting (Poison), String Shot (Bug), and Bug Bite (Bug).
Ditto is the only Pokemon with a catch rate of 35. However, in Generations III and IV, its catch rate changes to match whatever Pokemn it transforms into.
Eelektross and its pre-evolutions have no type strengths or weaknesses. Electric-type Pokemon are exclusively weak against Ground-type Pokemon. Eelektross's special ability, Levitate, makes it immune to Ground-type moves. This overrides its natural weakness, leaving it with none.
You would think that if a Pokemon started out female, it would stay that way when it evolved. Prior to Pokemon X & Y, that wasn't always true for Azurill. Due to coding mechanics, one out of every 3 female Azurill evolved into a male Marill. Why? Because 75% of Azurill are female, but only 50% of Marill are. Gender isn't connected to evolution, but to personality value.
The patterns on Arbok's chest vary depending on which region it's from. Six varieties have been confirmed according to the Pokedex, but other varieties have appeared in the Pokemon manga. In the manga, Arbok is also capable of changing its pattern at will.
You might think that the rarest Pokemon type would be one that was introduced later, like Steel or Dark. But it's actually one that's been around from the start. As of Pokemon Sword & Shield, there are only 51 Ice-type Pokemon. This makes it the rarest variety.
If you're a Western fan, you may not have realized that Zapdos and Jolteon have basically the same Japanese name. In Japan, Zapdos goes by サンダー or Thunder, while Jolteon is called サンダース or Thunders.
Most legendary Pokemon either have no gender or are always male or always female. Heatran is a notable exception - it has a 50-50 chance of being either male or female. But despite its even ratio, Heatran still can't breed.
In the beta version of Pokemon Red & Blue, Koffing and Weezing were originally named Ny and La respectively. These names were references to New York City and Los Angeles, two large cities that are associated with heavy pollution.
Each Pokemon has a cry, or the noise it makes when it appears in battle. The longest cry, which goes on for 2.238 seconds, belongs to Jynx. The shortest cry, which is 0.181 seconds, is Pidgey's.
You may have realized that Crabominable has a long name just by reading it, but you may not have known that it has the longest English name of any Pokemon. Now you do!
Spinda's Pokedex entry claims that each Spinda has a completely unique spot pattern. However, its pattern is determined by its personality value, which is a 32-bit number. The odds of finding a Spinda with any particular pattern are 1 in 4,294,967,295. These are extremely long odds, but not completely impossible ones.
It's cool enough when a Pokemon has one regional form. But Meowth lovers get double trouble with both an elegent Dark-type Alolan form and rowdy Steel-type Galarian form. So far, this is unique to Meowth.
Machamp looks like it's wearing briefs, but actually, those black markings are just part of its skin. Pretty convenient that it evolved to look appropriate by human standards! The belt it wears however is an actual belt - according to lore from the official Pokemon website, the 'power belt' is meant to "hold back it's energy." Guess that makes Machamp's belt kind of like Kenpachi's eyepatch!
Smeargle's signature move, Sketch, is supposed to be able to copy any other move in the Pokemon world. But there is a notable exception, Chatot's signature move, Chatter. The reason has never been clarified, but it might have to do with the fact that in Generations IV and V, players could use the move to record a personalized cry for Chatot. Smeargle didn't have the programming to do this. But even when that functionality was removed from the games, Smeargle still could not learn Chatter. Smeargle also can't learn Struggle or the Shadow moves from Pokemon XD, likely because these moves cannot be learned naturally.
Generation II introduced a time-based system that changed gameplay during daytime and nighttime. When a player used Headbutt on a tree and encountered a Pokemon at night, Pokemon who weren't nocturnal might begin the battle fast asleep. Nocturnal Pokemon might do the same thing during the day.
Despite not being a legendary Pokemon, Arcanine still bears the title of one. It also appears in an engraving next to the three Legendary Birds. Some people think that this means that Arcanine was actually meant to be part of the Legendary Bird trio, but was eliminated for species consistency. However, this is a fan theory and hasn't been substantiated.
If you're playing Pokemon Gold, Silver & Crystal, you are never going to encounter a wild Mewtwo. Despite this, Wild Mewtwo is still programmed to hold an item called the Berserker Gene. This item raises the user's attack stats by two stages, while also causing confusion for a staggering 256 turns. Because this item is exclusive to Mewtwo, it can't be obtained in-game. Even if a glitch caused a wild Mewtwo to appear, the Berserker gene disappears as soon as it's used, so it would disappear during the battle.
In the Pokemon games, there's a trainer class called Young Couple which consists of a young man and woman who are obviously head over heels for each other. Sometimes, they express this through their Pokemon, like the ones who have Volbeat and Illumise or two Luvdiscs. In one particularly suggestive case, the woman has a Cloyster while the man has an Onix. Wasn't Pokemon supposed to be for kids?
In the real world, birds usually see more colors than humans, not less. Spearow apparently didn't get the message. In an early episode of the anime, Spearow's perspective is briefly shown as it tries to attack Ash and Pikachu. Its vision is black and white. While this doesn't necessarily mean that all Spearows are colorblind, that one definitely was.
The name Cleffa doesn't exactly look short, but it's Japanese name is the shortest of them all. Its Japanese name is ピィ or Py.
You may have thought that Exeggcute was a single individual, but each egg actually has its own identity and personality. When it evolves into Exeggutor, it fuses into a single unit.
This number will probably change with whatever generation comes next, but as of Sword & Shield, the most common Pokemon type is Water. So far, there are 144 Water-type Pokemon.
Most second-stage Grass/Poison Pokemon evolve using a stone like a Leaf Stone or Sun Stone. Ivysaur is the sole exception - it evolves into Venosaur by leveling up.
So far, there have been no examples of an Electric/Fighting Pokemon. Maybe there will be someday, but for now we'll just have to make due with Pikachu wearing boxing gloves.
