When Game Freak introduced breeding into the Pokémon world in Generation II, they probably weren’t expecting it to become so hilariously weird in so many ways, but it has. There are so many weird things about the breeding process in Pokémon games that it has become an entire field of memes, jokes, and head-scratching confusion.
Ignoring the obvious concerning fact that you’re forcing your Pokémon to mate, there are a ton of other things that can raise an eyebrow about Pokémon breeding. Some of those confusing things are even completely nonsensical. Here are some of the strangest things about breeding in the Pokémon world.
10 Inconsistencies
There are countless different ways to enter the Pokémon franchise, many of which conflict with each other in a number of ways. The same sources of inconsistency apply to breeding, pretty often in fact. The mechanics that dictate which Pokémon can breed and how they do so seem to vary depending on what you’re reading, watching, or playing.
An obvious example is Pokémon Snap, where the player will find Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno in eggs. These legendaries are not supposed to be able to breed. A baby Lugia has also been seen next to its parent in the anime.
9 Regional Variants
When the Generation VII games introduced regional variants via the Alolan forms of some Kantonian Pokémon, an obvious question arose. What will happen if these Pokémon breed? Will you receive an egg with an Alolan form or Kantonian form?
These regional forms are meant to exist because that particular Pokémon adapted to that climate or ecosystem. So, why will two regular Vulpix be able to produce an Alolan Vulpix just because they did their funny business in Alola? This really isn’t how evolution works — not that this series has ever really followed the laws of evolution.
8 Ditto
Poor Ditto. This transforming blob of pink matter is known for its ability to breed with basically any Pokémon in the games. This is because Ditto can transform into any Pokémon that it is faced with. But, wouldn’t it transform into the same gender of that Pokémon, since it’s supposed to be an exact copy?
If you place a male Pikachu in the daycare with a Ditto, wouldn’t the Ditto turn into a male Pikachu as well? Two male Pikachu can happily be in love, of course, but they wouldn’t biologically be able to breed with one another.
7 Incense
There are a ton of Baby Pokémon at this point, being introduced in generations II, III, IV, and VIII. Typically, the two Pokémon that are higher up in the evolutionary chain of that particular family will breed their respective Baby Pokémon, like two Magmar producing a Magby.
However, for whatever reason, some Baby Pokémon will only be born if one of the parents is holding a particular incense. Without the incense, it’ll just be the base stage that is hatched. Two Sudowoodo will produce a third, but if one of them is holding a Rock Incense, a Bonsly will be produced. There’s no other way to ask then just: why? The rationale is that it explains why those Pokémon couldn’t breed the Baby form in a previous generation, but that doesn’t apply to the Generation II babies for some reason.
6 Mew Transformation
Fan theories about Ditto being a failed Mew clone aside, Mew is also able to use the move Transform. The Psychic-type mythical Pokémon is able to learn basically every move in existence that can be taught, since it’s the ancestor of all Pokémon.
Of course, one of these is Transform. As such, it, like Ditto, can turn into any Pokémon. Why then, can Mew not be used the same way as Ditto in the daycare? Sure, it’s much easier to get your hands on a Ditto, but in a pinch, Mew should definitely work the same.
5 Speed
Something that both makes little sense and is a bit concerning is the speed at which Pokémon can produce eggs. Sure, the amount of time it takes animals in real life to produce children is often less than humans, but Pokémon seem to breed like rabbits.
The poor things can be used as an egg factory in many cases, with players hoping for a shiny or a good-IV hatch producing hundreds of eggs in a very short amount of time. Those poor Pokémon must be exhausted.
4 Nidoking and Nidoqueen
This one has long puzzled Pokémon fans everywhere. The two “Nidos” — Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ — are an interesting pair. The two are technically part of separate evolutionary lines, but can produce each other’s base stages when members of their evolutionary family breed.
The weird hangup here is that not every member of those families can breed. On the Male side, all three can. However, on the Female side, only Nidoran♀ can breed — Nidorina and Nidoqueen cannot. There has never been any explanation for this, and it’s unique to this evolutionary family. Oh, and a baby Nidoqueen was also confusingly seen in the first movie.
3 Taboo Acts
It’ll inspire a bit of an uncomfortable feeling in some people, but there are some taboo ways that Pokémon can breed that are somewhat horrifying. Incest, wild age differences, and interspecies reproduction are all present and common in the Pokémon world.
Take, for example, the encouraged practice of breeding between species for Egg Moves. Or, the fact that Pokémon can breed with the parent that just produced them. Finally, a newly-hatched Pokémon can breed with one that’s years old. Let’s all just agree to ignore these weird realities.
2 Kangaskhan
Speaking of freshly-hatched Pokémon — Kangaskhan has to be one of the longest-running mysteries in the Pokémon world, barely making any sense at all. This marsupial Pokémon was introduced before breeding was, so it was fine that it had a baby version of itself in its stomach pouch.
However, once breeding came to the games, many people started to wonder the same thing: how can a Kangaskhan be born with a baby already in its pouch? Kangaskhan pops out of the egg as a seeming adult, complete with baby Kanga in its pouch pocket. One fan theory is that they are always twins, but one of them is stronger and consumes the energy and growth ability of the other. Yikes.
1 Combos
As mentioned, there is a ton of cross-species breeding in Pokémon. Typically, it makes a bit of sense why certain things can co-parent, not just because they’re in the same Egg Group, but because they physiologically resemble one another, like Taillow and Starly.
However, the strange nature of Egg Groups means there are some very, very strange combinations of Pokémon that can breed. The most notorious example is the tiny cat, Skitty (two-feet tall or just 0.6 meters) and the giant whale, Wailord, one of the biggest Pokémon in existence (more than 47 feet or 14.5 meters tall). Other concerning combinations are Gardevoir and Muk, Grapploct and Kabuto, or Trapinch and Altaria.
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