With more than thirty games belonging to the mainline (the main games in the series, including remakes), and 26 seasons dedicated to the animated series, Pokémon has built a very rich and solid universe since its release in Japan in 1996. But like any great saga, there are some inconsistencies and elements that are unclear to fans. Three big questions asked by fans, and to which Game Freak's games, like the animated series, have not provided a clear answer.
#3 Who created Arceus?
This is the cosmic question of the Pokémon universe. Eru Illuvatar is to The Lord of the Rings what Arceus is to Pokémon. The first Pokémon hatched from an original egg that emerged from nothingness, the all-powerful creator god who possesses all types created a viable universe through matter and mind, symbolized by intelligent creatures like Dialga (time), Palkia (space), and Azelf (memory), Membrane (emotion), and Azelf (willpower), tasked with making this world tangible. In short, Arceus is the alpha and omega, and it is said that "it was born before the universe even began to exist" in the Pokémon Platinum Pokédex. Yet, one question remains: who created it? Nothing, or almost nothing, in the games or the anime offers an explanation for its creation.
For some, the idea that it would be the alpha and omega, or at the beginning of everything, is enough. Others, however, have offered several theories about its origins. One trend is that its egg crossed a space-time rift and therefore came from another universe, where natural laws do not exist. For others, Arceus is not the first Pokémon God, but the most famous. He himself was created by other, much older, and now forgotten deities. Finally, another camp raises the most meta theory. It was simply the player who created Arceus. This theory fits with the game. By launching it, it is the player who awakens Arceus, who then activates the code and brings the world to life.
#2 Where does the technology of the ultimate weapon come from and why are the traces of the war absent?
Pokémon X and Y introduces the character of AZ, presented as an ancient king of Kalos, over 3 meters tall and having lived 3,000 years ago, a time when the world was at war. He lost his companion and Pokémon Floette. Drowned in grief, he decided to build a huge machine to bring him back to life. But the technology exceeded his expectations, as they both achieved immortality. And like any technology pushed to its extreme, the consequences were terrible. A weapon that sucks the life out of the Pokémon he uses to eradicate the two human camps at the origin of the war. In short, AZ ends up alone after his Pokémon, horrified by his action, leaves him, and wanders for 3,000 years. In Pokémon X/Y, after beating the league, the player faces AZ. The game ends with a happy ending; his quest for redemption is over. Floette, who has clearly forgiven her friend, finally returns to his side, offering one of the most moving endings of the saga.
However, this story has several flawed elements. Where does this technology come from? Since the weapon resembles a huge cannon powered by life energy, it seems surprising that the world could master such technology 3,000 years ago. Some believe it comes from another world. Also, there are no traces of this war. In the modern Pokémon world, there is no reference to it (memorials, ruins, official written records). This suggests a true state secret. Finally, we can wonder what happened to all the Pokémon sacrificed to revive the AZ region. The Pokédex does not mention what happened to them.
#1 What is the link between the different regions?
Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, it was thought that all these regions were nested within a single connected universe. Until the 6th generation and several clues left by Game Freak, implying that there actually exists a true multiverse. It is in the Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire versions that this notion was established. It is even mentioned by Amaryllis. A mysterious woman who speaks of other worlds where Mega Evolution does not exist : "another Hoenn... where Mega Evolution has never been discovered." This is where the point of divergence arrives: the ancient Kalos War with the Ultimate Weapon. The resulting cataclysm creates a fracture in space-time, and generates several dimensions: that of the original line without energy disruption, and another branch with the establishment of Mega Evolutions in Kalos, the rereading of Hoenn, then Alola with the Ultra Rifts, the Ultra Beasts that come from alternative dimensions and all this connected world. As for Galar (Pokémon Sword and Shield), the story seems to take place in an isolated timeline, or even in the future.
In addition to Game Freak's games, there is the story depicted in the anime, where even if the idea of a multiverse is never mentioned, the facts clearly refer to it. Without mentioning everything, we're talking here about the different versions of Ash who start from scratch (although it's a narrative choice), the Ultra Rifts and this distorted world in Sun & Moon, the Pokémon Horizons series with the new protagonists Liko and Roy, and the latter's pendant linked to an ancient energy, suggesting a new universe separate from Ash's, but also Pokémon Journey and its episode 89. Aurora visits a world where she meets an alternate version of herself. A rift opened by the war between the Legendaries of Sinnoh Dialga and Palkia. In short, a joyful mess that Game Freak doesn't clearly explain. Probably a commercial strategy to create confusion and magic among different generations of players, who can interpret events as they wish.
Want to continue reading? Discover these 35 times the anime made big mistakes.
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