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Many gamers were first introduced to the world of Pokemon all the way back in 1996, when the first games launched. Since then, there have been 6 generations of the creatures released, with the newly announced Pokemon Sun and Moon set to be a part of number 7. There have also been 6 anime series, 25 manga series, and 18 full-length films released for the franchise, with more content coming out every year. But even the most experienced Pokemon fan couldn't know everything there is to know about the creatures - or could they?
With the most recent additions to the Pokedex bringing the total number of catchable monsters up to 722, there is an awful lot to learn about Nintendo's second largest franchise. But if you think you know everything there is to know, why not test yourself against our list of 20 weird facts about Pokemon?
20 #1 - Rhydon Was The First Pokemon Ever Created
Just like how the rhino-esque creature is first on our list, Rhydon was also the first Pokemon that was ever created by Game Freak. This was revealed in an interview with Ken Sugimori, one of the original designers for the first generation of Pokemon titles. Despite its early creation, Rhydon is placed at 112th in the Pokedex.
19 #2 - Professor Oak's Nidorino Has The Cry Of A Nidorina
Nidorino is one of the very first Pokemon that a new player ever saw when beginning their Pokemon adventures. During the introduction to the much-loved Pokemon Red/Blue, the Pokemon professor shows off his very own creature - a Nidorino. However, this Pokemon doesn't quite give off the right call, instead giving the cry of the female Nidorina.
18 #3 - Azurill Can Change Gender While Evolving
Due to Azurill's gender ratio meaning that 75% of the creatures are female, but its evolution Marill containing the regular 50/50 chance when assigning gender, there is actually a 1 in 3 chance that your Azurill will become male when it evolves. Some fans have debated whether this is a reference to some amphibians being able to change their gender, but whether that's true or not, this unique event will only happen prior to Generation 6, suggesting that it may have been unintentional.
17 #4 - Slowbro Is The Only Pokemon That Can Devolve
According to the sometimes less-than-reliable Pokedex entries, Slowbro is unique in its ability to return to its previous evolution Slowpoke. The creature initially evolves when a Shellder latches on to Slowpoke's tail, and it seems like the process is reversed if the shell Pokemon ever lets go.
16 #5 - Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee Got Their Names From Famous Fighters
At this point, most Pokefans probably know that these two Fighting types were named after Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee - but this is also true for their Japanese names. Hitmonchan's alternate name (Ebiwalar) is a reference to Japanese world champion boxer Hiroyuki Ebihara, while Hitmonlee's name (Sawamular) is derived from the world's first kick-boxer, Tadashi Sawamura.
15 #6 - Meowth And Pikachu Are Opposite Pokemon
In the Pokemon anime series, Pikachu and Meowth are on opposite sites, with the latter belonging to the notorious Team Rocket. However, the opposite theme runs deeper than this alone. Pikachu is number 25 in the Pokedex whereas Meowth is the reversed number 52. There is also the more obvious association of the two being a cat and mouse.
14 #7 - Magneton Weighs A Lot More Than Three Magnemites
When Magnemite evolves, it joins with two more of its kind to form Magneton. Logically, as the Pokemon initially has a weight of 13.2 pounds, the evolution should surely weigh about 3 times as much. In fact, Magneton weighs over 10 times the weight of a single Magnemite, stacking up at a whopping 132.3 pounds.
13 #8 - The move 'Splash' Is A Mistranslation Of The Japanese Word For 'Hop'
Splash is the useless Pokemon move that performs almost no action whatsoever and can be learnt by very few creatures, the most obvious of which being Magikarp. However, despite its name, the move is actually a Normal-type, rather than a Water-type move, and can be learnt by Pokemon such as Hoppop, Spoink, and Buneary. This is because the Japanese version of the word was mistranslated and should in fact be called 'Hop', which makes much more sense.
12 #9 - Pikachu Can Talk And Learn Surf In Pokemon Stadium
Fans of the Nintendo 64 game Pokemon Stadium that also owned a copy of Pokemon Yellow were able to transfer over the game's signature monster from their GameBoy Colours, in order have a Pikachu capable of learning Surf in-game. The Pikachu would also speak with the same Japanese voice actor that still voices Ash's companion in the anime to this day (Ikue Otani). Once Pikachu has learnt surf, gamers can play a Surfing Pikachu mini-game back in Pokemon Yellow.
11 #10 - Arcanine Was Intended To Be A Legendary Pokemon
The fire dog Pokemon Arcanine was originally going to be a legendary creature, alongside the trio of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. In fact, in the Pokemon anime's second episode, Pokemon Emergency!, Ash sees an engraving of Arcanine along with the birds on a stone tablet. The creature's category is also named Legendary Pokemon, despite it being able to be obtained by regular means.