Pokémonmay have started as a video game first, but the anime’s legacy is nearly as impactful as that of the games. In fact, on many occasions, thePokémonanime has actually influenced the development of the games in unexpected ways–some big, and some small.
It wasn’t long before the Pokémon games started taking cues from the anime, which hit a level of popularity internationally that was matched only by the games themselves. Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu became icons not just of the anime, but of the franchise in general, and so it’s little wonder that the games began to honor the anime’s contributions to the franchise. In some cases, the crossover elements from anime to game were intended to be promotional, while in other cases it was a result of the anime’s rather unique way of portraying Pokémon battles.
6Misty’s Sisters Appear in Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee
Games: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee
TheLet’s Gogames are heavily modeled afterPokémon Yellow, which was itself based heavily on the anime at the time. As a result, theLet’s Gogames are chock-full of anime references. One of the most notable, yet easily missed, is the names of the gym trainers in Misty’s gym in Cerulean City.Given the trainer class “Beauty,” the three trainers are named Daisy, Violet, and Lily. These happen to be the names of Misty’s sisters in the anime, who put on aquatic performances and run the gym in Misty’s absence in the anime.
Misty’s sisters don’t play a prominent role in the anime, but they are rather important characters in that theyallow Misty to travel freely with Ashin the early seasons of the series.They’re known for not caring too much about gym maintenance, offering Ash a gym badge for free before Misty stepped in and battled him herself.Yellowdidn’t include trainer names, so this reference was impossible at the time of the first game’s release. Unfortunately, the Beauty trainers all have the same appearance, rather than having the designs of Misty’s sisters from the anime, but referencing their names is sufficient.
5Pikachu’s Infamous “Aim for the Horn” Moment Led to a Major Change
Games: Ruby and Sapphire onward
In episode 58 of the original series, “Riddle Me This,“Ash battles against Blaine, with his Pikachuup against Blaine’s Rhydon. Knowing that Rhydon is a Ground-type Pokémon and that Pikachu’s electric attacks won’t normally affect it, Ash comes up with what seems in the moment to be an ingenious plan:to use Rhydon’s horn as a lightning rod, attacking it as a weak point, which works flawlessly, channeling the electricity from Pikachu’s Thunderbolt into Rhydon’s body and disabling it.
In fact, beginning inBlackandWhite, the ability began powering up the Pokémon’s Special Attack stat when hit by an Electric-type move, meaning that under modernPokémonrules, Ash would’ve actually strengthened Rhydon by aiming for its horn.
When abilities were introduced inRubyandSapphire, however, Rhydon was given a special ability, Lightning Rod.This ability seems to reference the infamous anime moment, but actually it does the exact opposite: it channels all single-target Electric-type moves to target this Pokémon while doing no damage at all. In fact, beginning inBlackandWhite, the ability began powering up the Pokémon’s Special Attack stat when hit by an Electric-type move, meaning that under modernPokémonrules, Ash would’ve actually strengthened Rhydon by aiming for its horn.
4Steven’s Shiny Beldum Reveals A Hidden Anime Tie-In
Games: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
WhenOmega RubyandAlpha Sapphirefirst came out, there was a special event distribution of a shiny Beldum, which had its Original Trainer set to Steven Stone, champion of the Hoenn League. This distribution was in reference to a shiny Metagross which Steven had in the anime, offering the player a chance to have one as well.However, if the player uses this shiny Beldum in their party during the Delta Episode ofOmega RubyandAlpha Sapphire, Steven Stone will actually acknowledge its presence, and prompt him to tell a special story.
The story that Steven Stone recounts is of a time when he fought against Mega Rayquaza with a trainer who had a “Black Charizard,” and how they overcame the situation together.Fans who are familiar with the anime will recognize the story he is describing as consistent with the events of the anime’sMega Evolution Special II, which saw Steven Stone andAlain (user of a Mega Charizard X, which is black)go up against the Hoenn Legendary Pokémon. This reference is especially impressive, since it’s so difficult to activate this line of dialog.
3Dada Zarude Brings the Anime Movies To Life in Sword and Shield
Games: Sword and Shield
It’s not uncommon for special event Pokémon to be distributed when a newPokémonmovie is released, and that was the case for Zarude as wellafter it starred inPokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle. However, Zarude was particularly special in that it wasn’t just distributed in its standard form. Instead,Zarude received a special form, the “Dada” Zarude, which wears a pink cloth that differentiates from other Zarude.
The “Dada” Zarude is actually modeled specifically after the main Zarude seen in the movie, which wears a similar pink cloth.
It gets its name from being the Zarude responsible for raising young Koko, a boy in the movie who lives in the wild with the Zarude.The Pokédex entry for Dada Zarude even mentions that this particular Zarude raised an orphaned child, suggesting that it is literally meant to be the exact same Zarude as the one seen in the movie. Due to its limited distribution, Dada Zarude is a highly sought after Pokémon for collectors, making it one of the rarest and most valuable Pokémon out there.
2Ash-Greninja Makes a Splash in Sun and Moon
Games: Sun and Moon
In thePokémon XYanime, Ash Ketchum had a Greninja with a mysterious special ability. Referred to in the anime as the Bond Phenomenon, Ash and Greninja’s bond was so strong that they essentially were able to share a spirit, with Greninja transforming into a new state, known as “Ash-Greninja.” While in the Ash-Greninja state, Greninja was much stronger, but Ash felt the pain that Greninja did in battle, making it difficult to maintain for long.Since Ash never acquired a Mega Stone duringXY,Ash used the Ash-Greninja form quite like a Mega Pokémon, even doing battle against Alain’s Mega Charizard with it.
Sure enough, the Ash-Greninja state could be entered with this special Greninja after it successfully knocked out an opponent.
BeforeSunandMoon, the nextPokémongames, came out, a demo was released. It was promised that anyone who completed the demo and transferred the save data over to the full version of the game would be able to receive a special “Battle Bond” Greninja, which was capable of transforming into the Ash-Greninja state, just like in the anime. Sure enough, the Ash-Greninja state could be entered with this special Greninja after it successfully knocked out an opponent, and it saw increases to its stats that made Greninja a much more powerful Pokémon than it had been previously.
Unfortunately,Ash-Greninja was removed from later games, leaving it exclusive toSunandMoon. A Battle Bond Greninja brought forward to Scarlet and Violet can’t transform, although it still gets stat boosts after taking out a foe.
1Pokémon Yellow Version Was a Love Letter to the Anime
Games: Pokémon Yellow
Of course, when it comes to the anime influencing the games, there’s one game that stands out for being so clearly anime influenced that it’s right there in the title:Pokémon Yellow, also known as the “Special Pikachu Edition.“Pokémon Yellowis a modified version ofRedandBluethat has had its story altered to be more like that of the anime. InYellow, the player starts out with a moody Pikachu, much like Ash did, and travels around the world collecting badges and getting into events just like the show. The player iseven hounded by Jessie and James, much like in the anime.
The story of the game also had quite a few changes. Since Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander were no longer starters, there had to be alternate ways to obtain them, andPokémon Yellowgave them origins similar to the ones in the anime.The Squirtle, for example, is given by an Officer Jenny, who says that it was causing trouble around town, much like the Squirtle Squad before becoming firefighters. These story events give the game a much more anime-like flair, and really set it apart fromRedandBlue.
The anime continues to inform the games to this very day, with distributions inScarletandVioletof Liko’s Sprigatito, Roy’s Fuecoco, and Dot’s Quaxly having taken place not too long ago. So long as there’s aPokémonanime, thePokémongames will likely reflect that anime, as the two branches of the franchise continue to support one another. While the anime may be based primarily on the games, it’s not uncommon for that script to be flipped, and thePokémonanime has surely left its mark on the game series.
Pokémon
Cast
Pokémon follows Ash Ketchum on his journey to become a Pokémon Master, accompanied by his loyal Pikachu. Released in 1997, the series explores Ash’s travels through various regions, where he encounters new friends and challenges, underscoring the themes of adventure and teamwork.
