Pokémon Movepool Oddities & Explanations

Pikachu315111

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Delibird is a lost case. The moment it got a Hidden Ability that was just its normal ability with another name, it's clear they will never make it even not absolutely atrocious.

On Deoxys's case... well, it's a Gen III Pokemon and Regenerator is a Gen V ability. Same with Pokemon like Empoleon getting Defiant instead of Competitive (which is the same thing except better for it).

Now, Deoxys could have had Regenerator as a Hidden Ability, but for some reason... it has none.
They've changed Abilities before, admittedly for balancing reason but no reason they can't change an Ability because newer more fitting Abilities have been made or the Pokemon just had an unneeded Ability.
 
I don't understand why Slack Off has such poor distribution. Anyone can become lazy and inneficient so you'd think more pokemon would get it just like Toxic ( Toxic is also a weird case but for the opposite reason ). .
 
You'd think that Snorlax would have got it because it was so lazy but nope, only the Slowpoke line, Slakoth line, Hippopotas line and Chimcar line gets it.
This makes no sense. I guess the reason they won't do this is for balancing purposes. But even with this move in its arsenal, I don't see how Lax would be any more broken than say Chansey. Gamefreak has done far more broken shit to non-legendaries before (Speed Boost Blaziken, how brainless Aegislash is to use etc.).
 
It's not even like it's that odd for Snorlax from a gameplay point. Its stats already favor it as a Tank/Special Wall, so why does it lack the most fitting move to give it recovery in terms of flavor?

On another note, why do Tapu Koko and Bulu not get Moonblast, or literally any Fairy moves besides NM, in their level up pools? I know in Bulu's case it wouldn't mean much, but it's so inconsistent, as if Fini and Lele were designed as Fairy types and Koko/Bulu got it tacked on to try and mesh with them. The most obvious shortcoming is they were designed as Physical attackers, so maybe GF thought they didn't need it, but GF's never let gameplay govern their design philosophy at the expense of flavor except perhaps in some extreme case I can't think of.
 

Pikachu315111

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It's not even like it's that odd for Snorlax from a gameplay point. Its stats already favor it as a Tank/Special Wall, so why does it lack the most fitting move to give it recovery in terms of flavor?

On another note, why do Tapu Koko and Bulu not get Moonblast, or literally any Fairy moves besides NM, in their level up pools? I know in Bulu's case it wouldn't mean much, but it's so inconsistent, as if Fini and Lele were designed as Fairy types and Koko/Bulu got it tacked on to try and mesh with them. The most obvious shortcoming is they were designed as Physical attackers, so maybe GF thought they didn't need it, but GF's never let gameplay govern their design philosophy at the expense of flavor except perhaps in some extreme case I can't think of.
Forget Moonblast, why don't they get Play Rough?
 
It's not even like it's that odd for Snorlax from a gameplay point. Its stats already favor it as a Tank/Special Wall, so why does it lack the most fitting move to give it recovery in terms of flavor?
Only excuse I can think of is Snorlax was pretty broken in GSC and giving it a 50% recovery move would worsen the trouble so they try to "balance" it by denying it that move. Then, they forgot all about it.
 

Pikachu315111

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Mantine gets Iron head.
I dont think it has anything that qualifies as a head
Mantine had a head, not a very pronounced head but it's there.

The only Pokemon that learns Iron Head that, to me, makes you go "what?" is the Honedge family.

Are they using the hilt of the sword as the "head"? Are they hitting the opponent with the flat side of the blade?
 
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Pikachu315111

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- Lucario, the Aura pokemon, doesn't learn Extrasensory
Eh, I guess that all depends on if you consider aura on the same vein as a "supernatural power" (which is Extrasensory's Japanese name). Now, yes, Lucario can learn Psychic and psychic ability is considered, at least in Pokemon, as a supernatural ability. However I always took something that's supernatural being otherworldly, like they're accessing a power from beyond our realm. "But, Lucario also learns Shadow Ball", gathering supernatural energy and channeling it is two separate things. Actually, no Ghost-types learn Extrasensory so it doesn't seem to be a ghost/dead realm thing.

Actually, instead of asking why Lucario doesn't get it, why doesn't some of the Ultra Beasts get it? That seems to be right up their alley, Nature Power even turns into a Psychic-type move (Psyshock) in Ultra Space.

Though for Lucario I would ask why it doesn't learn Psyshock, that seems more appropriate for it.
 
I was bored and ended up looking at which Pokemon can learn Scald.

There are a few non-Water-type Pokemon that can learn the move:
- Mew, as Scald is a TM move, and Mew is compatible with every TM.
- Masquerain, which evolves from a Water-type Pokemon.
- Azurill, which evolves into a Water-type Pokemon.
- Castform, which has a Water-type alternate forme.
- Stunfisk, which is based on a fish and was presumably a Water-type Pokemon early on before its first appearance.
- Dragalge, which evolves from a Water-type Pokemon.

There are three more Pokemon that can learn Scald that are not Water-type Pokemon: Emboar, Crabrawler and Crabominable (a pig and two crabs that don't go to water), for no evident reason whatsoever from what I can understand.

(Crabominable happens to be the only Ice-type Pokemon that can learn Scald)
 

Pikachu315111

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I was bored and ended up looking at which Pokemon can learn Scald.

There are a few non-Water-type Pokemon that can learn the move:
- Mew, as Scald is a TM move, and Mew is compatible with every TM.
- Masquerain, which evolves from a Water-type Pokemon.
- Azurill, which evolves into a Water-type Pokemon.
- Castform, which has a Water-type alternate forme.
- Stunfisk, which is based on a fish and was presumably a Water-type Pokemon early on before its first appearance.
- Dragalge, which evolves from a Water-type Pokemon.

There are three more Pokemon that can learn Scald that are not Water-type Pokemon: Emboar, Crabrawler and Crabominable (a pig and two crabs that don't go to water), for no evident reason whatsoever from what I can understand.

(Crabominable happens to be the only Ice-type Pokemon that can learn Scald)
Well for the Crabrawler family it's just because they're crabs. Land crabs, yes, (ones which actually drown if placed in water...) but I guess they're going for some kind of ancestral hereditary thing. *shrugs*
Emboar is a bit of a stretch, there's a loose connection of it being a pig, pigs like rolling around in mud, mud is a mixture of dirt & water, and since Emboar is Fire-type it can heat the water. Also, since it fires flames from its nose, I guess they also concluded it could do the same with water; either filtering it from mud it breathes in or its Scald if actually super heated snot.

Some more Scald oddities:
1. Two Pokemon learn it via level-up: Panpour family & Volcanion. Volcanion makes sense, but why the Panpour family?
2. And why can't these Water-types learn it via level-up: Chinchou family (heat the water with electricity), Remoraid family (they're based on firearms), & Clauncher family (based on the snapping/pistol shrimp, a shrimp who can snap its claw so fast it superheats water by creating a vacuum).

And another thing I noticed: Why doesn't Qwilfish, a Pokemon partially based on navel mines, not learn Self-destruct or Explosion by level-up?
 
Well for the Crabrawler family it's just because they're crabs. Land crabs, yes, (ones which actually drown if placed in water...) but I guess they're going for some kind of ancestral hereditary thing. *shrugs*
Emboar is a bit of a stretch, there's a loose connection of it being a pig, pigs like rolling around in mud, mud is a mixture of dirt & water, and since Emboar is Fire-type it can heat the water. Also, since it fires flames from its nose, I guess they also concluded it could do the same with water; either filtering it from mud it breathes in or its Scald if actually super heated snot.

Some more Scald oddities:
1. Two Pokemon learn it via level-up: Panpour family & Volcanion. Volcanion makes sense, but why the Panpour family?
2. And why can't these Water-types learn it via level-up: Chinchou family (heat the water with electricity), Remoraid family (they're based on firearms), & Clauncher family (based on the snapping/pistol shrimp, a shrimp who can snap its claw so fast it superheats water by creating a vacuum).

And another thing I noticed: Why doesn't Qwilfish, a Pokemon partially based on navel mines, not learn Self-destruct or Explosion by level-up?

Panpour learns it because that entire trio and their evos are a forced gimmick where they all learn a mildly strong fire/water/grass move (Flame Burst [lol], Scald, and Seed Bomb) at around the same level
 
Yes, I know this is from a gen 4 Smog article but remember this?

The Smog Issue 8 said:
First of all, Tyranitar already just looks like the type of Pokemon who would Sucker Punch his opponents. Even though he has some really stubby arms, I'm sure he can pull it off, seeing as he already has access to the elemental punches.
Sucker Punch isn't a punching move. It's Japanese name is sneak attack. Hence, it's not an Iron Fist-boosted attack

Does this look capable of a sneak attack to you?
 

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Emboar is a bit of a stretch, there's a loose connection of it being a pig, pigs like rolling around in mud, mud is a mixture of dirt & water, and since Emboar is Fire-type it can heat the water. Also, since it fires flames from its nose, I guess they also concluded it could do the same with water; either filtering it from mud it breathes in or its Scald if actually super heated snot.
I always assumed it was urine.
 
This isn't quite on topic, but I think it sorta fits the discussion.

Why does Play Rough translate to Frolic?
What's so Frolic-y about it?
 

Pikachu315111

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This isn't quite on topic, but I think it sorta fits the discussion.

Why does Play Rough translate to Frolic?
What's so Frolic-y about it?
Other way around. The localization team decided to change "Frolic" into "Play Rough". Japanese names are made first, in fact many move discrepancies can be explained by it being based on the Japanese name of the move that was either changed or didn't translate well when localized.

As for why they changed it, my guess is "Frolic" doesn't sound like an attacking move, especially one that's 90 Power.
 
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Other way around. The localization team decided to change "Frolic" into "Play Rough". Japanese names are made first, in fact many move discrepancies can be explained by it being based on the Japanese name of the move that was either changed or didn't translate well when localized.

As for why thy changed it, my guess is "Frolic" doesn't sound like a attacking move, especially one that's 90 Power.
I know the order of translation but I didn't find it important to specify. Kinda figured you'd know.
Also, *they, *an attacking

What I was asking is why it's called "Frolic" in Japan.
 

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