Even though the Pokémon games and series have been with us for ages, there are still some questions that have not yet been answered. Our photo series is about precarious family relationships, inexplicable technologies and incompetent gym leaders.

The Pokémon franchise is now huge: there are almost 900 pocket monsters, eight regions and tons of games such as anime episodes that shed more light on the fantastic world of the creatures. In the pile of concentrated Poké information, there are also a few curiosities that were never really explained. Even Game Freak probably won’t find an answer to the following questions.

Is Arcanine a Legendary Pokémon?

Is the graceful Fire Pokémon Arcane more than just a simple Pokémon? This could be the case: In the first season of the anime, Ash brings Pikachu to the Poké Center after it was attacked by a swarm of Habitaks. There is an old picture on the wall that shows you three legendary bird Pokémon – Arktos, Lavados and Zaptos. But one of the monsters pictured is Arcanine – but why? Even the Pokédex entry for the golden edition says: “This legendary Chinese Pokémon is revered for its beauty. Especially its mane.” Strange.

Are Poké Balls animal, er, monster cruelty?

In one episode in the anime, Jesse is hit by a Poké Ball. What follows is the antagonist’s face contorted in pain and bright lights: she obviously appears to be getting an electric shock. Does this only happen to humans or do Pokémon also have to subject themselves to this pain every time they have to go back into the Poké Ball? According to the electric mouse itself, there is at least another reason why Pikachu doesn’t want to get into his Poké Ball.

Where have all the fathers gone?

Since the beginning of the Pokémon franchise, fans have been asking the question about Ash’s creator: who is this mysterious man? In the three-soul village that Ash calls home, there isn’t much choice for his mother: her Pantimos, who creepily comes along on the family vacation and runs the house, and Professor Oak. So either Ash’s father ran away or his mother has a fondness for clown monsters and old professors. In the games, too, the protagonist usually has to get by without a father figure. They all probably just went to get Poké Balls.

The lame development

Everything we know about the development of Flegmon into Lahmus is questionable: A Flegmon “evolves” into Lahmus when a Mushas bites with its tail while fishing and doesn’t let go. Then it injects its poison into the lazy Pokémon. From this moment on it is considered a lame duck: it acts as a host for the biting mussel and now has to swim to find food. There are only a few questions left unanswered: Why doesn’t the shell look like a Mushas at all – is the Pokédex lying? And how come some people get bitten in the head, like in the case of Laschoking? Does Flegmon fish with his tail, head or arm depending on his mood? Come on, Flegmon.

Why are Gym Leaders so weak?

Aren’t Gym Leaders supposed to be the crème de la crème of Pokémon trainers? Then why can you easily defeat every single one of them – like a 13-year-old beginner? Maybe they are particularly considerate when dealing with children. Or you can simply play as little geniuses in the art of Pokémon battles. However, gym leaders rarely have serious challenges to offer, especially in recent generations. This makes you wonder whether the leaders are intentionally holding back or are just bad at their jobs.

Giant Dragoran

In the anime episode “The Mysterious Lighthouse,” a giant Dragoran appears from the fog. To this day it is not entirely clear how it got so big and what the monster is all about. Maybe it was a first hint of Gigantamax Pokémon and Dragoran came all the way from the Galar region only to be attacked badly by Team Rocket – poor thing.

Where does your mother sleep?

In the player’s house, until Pokémon Sun and Moon, there is only ONE BED in the protagonist’s family house – your own. So in the first few games your mother apparently sleeps on the living room couch, in the same bed as you or with the nice professor next door. Who knows that exactly?

7 exciting Pokémon mysteries that remain unsolved to this day

From strange developments to missing fathers, Pokémon has a lot of strange, unexplained events to offer.