Pokémon is one of the most beloved franchises around the world. Coincidentally, it is also one of the most controversial with its usage of evolution and "animal" fighting. And - of course - it also has one of the craziest fan bases. I should know; I am one of them! But despite how much love I hold for this gaming phenomenon - that I've been with since day one - I am still able to admit its faults. For instance, when I wrote
this article detailing the recycling of previous concepts and designs. While the article was written from a fan's perspective and with no malicious intent it still received a fair amount of backlash that I wasn't expecting. Basically many fans of the series provided their explanations for why so many Pokémon are similar in design. Their reasoning being that - like real life animals - Pokémon experience species variation meaning that many of the same species have developed different characteristics. While this has been seen in the anime and games it doesn't explain the similarities between different species of Pokémon. Some argued that they evolved from a common ancestor into separate species which - once again - doesn't make any sense within the universe of the franchise as each Pokémon that would do so - such as Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee both evolving from Tyrogue - is already established and those that are not have no link to any ancestral Pokémon. It really got me thinking when people began to compare Pokémon to real life. I can't say I haven't thought about how cool it would be, but I also know exactly how illogical it would be. There's just too much within the universe of Pokémon that could never translate or, frankly, even relate to the real world. I'm well aware that this is a game which is simply meant to be enjoyed and not over-thought. However, I'm also well aware that there are many who do over-think it and that this article is - like the games - simply meant to be enjoyed and not over-thought as well. So for your entertainment - or simply to give you a reason to have something to complain about - here are eight examples of why there is no realism in Pokémon.