12 Times Pokemon Legitimately DIED

Cast your mind back to where it all began in Generation I's Blue/Red/Yellow and you'll inevitably dig up memories about your Rival, the unfathomably annoying yet usually comically named antagonist from the series' starting days. Typically comparable to Gary or Blue from the anime and manga respectively, you are at odds against your Rival from the get-go, from the clash of starters in Pallet Town, all the up to challenging them as the Champion after the Elite Four.

Part way through the campaign, you will arrive at the site of the Pokémon Graveyard in Lavender Town where you will find your Rival once again, this time decidedly less sprightly than previous interactions. It is a popular fan theory that during your previous battle on the S.S. Anne in which you once again dispatched of your pointy-haired foe, you dealt significant damage to the opposition Raticate and your Rival couldn't get to a Pokémon Centre in time, leading to Raticate's demise.

The brooding over a tombstone, the changes in personality, questioning you about death, the fact that the Raticate is not seen again for the rest of the game, there's a perfect storm of evidence that supports this theory. With the best part being...

It's all your fault.