The Pokémon franchise has been around for decades now and it seems to gain more and more fans each day. The hype train has been stuck in overdrive for the last 20 years and shows no signs of slowing down or stopping anytime soon.
Dedicated trainers are anxiously awaiting the newest iterations in Pokémon: Sword & Shield, so we figured it would be a great time to remind everyone just how hilarious and "broken" Pokémon can seem at times. What better way to toil away the days than by enjoying some of the best memes that the Internet has to offer?
So turn that cap backward, ready a Pokeball, and enjoy these 10 Hilarious Memes Only True Pokémon Masters Will Understand.
10 Craving False Swipe
Those of us that have undergone the arduous task of "catching 'em all" can attest to how annoying it can be to snag certain Pokémon. Some pocket monsters refuse to submit to the siren call of the Pokeball unless they're sitting at Death's door.
False Swipe instantly becomes your best friend because it leaves any attacked Pokémon with 1HP, maximizing the catch rate. Unfortunately, in the hours without False Swipe, we're forced to choose our attacks wisely and pray that our beloved Pokémon doesn't score any unnecessary critical hits and accidentally down hard-to-catch prey.
9 What About Fire-Types?
We're taught from a young age that the best thing we can do for our bodies is drink water. This apparently carries over into the Pokémon world, with bottled water healing wounds even better than specially-designed pocket monster medicine. Perhaps it's all a conspiracy theory by the Poké Mart to better peddle its expensive Hyper Potions.
This begs the question though, does the bottled water work the same on Fire-Type Pokémon?
8 Those Horrible Screams
Okay, so we're fully aware of the reasoning behind this decision. Back when Pokémon first popped up on the Gameboy, static-laced computer-generated noises were all the hardware was capable of producing. Fast-forward to now and we have the technology to create full-fledged Pokémon voices but there are over 800 of the little buggers that would need to be voiced. Game development can take a long time and we'd definitely prefer the developers focus on the gameplay and other elements rather than the simple "Pokémon calls."
That said, you still can't deny how unnerving it is to hear Pikachu (and now Eevee) speak in their "own tongue," rather than hearing the blaring and sometimes alarming dial-up modem sounds that some Pokémon produce.
7 Classic Pokémon Move Pool Logic
Pokémon come in all shapes and sizes, so we definitely understand why it can be a bit difficult to ensure that all of the "lore" and unique rules of the Pokémon universe apply. This lack of consistency can result in some pretty brutal bits of Pokémon logic, especially when it comes to "learned moves."
The end result has Pokémon with no arms learning how to punch and Pokémon with wings unable to fly.
6 The Social Stigma
Pokémon has become a global phenomenon beloved by both children and adults but it wasn't always that way. Back in the '90s, Pocket Monsters took the world by storm with an anime, trading card game, and Gameboy release. These items were, of course, all geared towards children and managed to strike a major chord with kids of all ages.
As Pokémon has grown over the years, so has its target demographic. Those kids who grew up with the series are now adults and a new generation of children are starting to pick their favorite creatures. This creation from Awkward Zombie is the perfect example of this "age gap phenomenon," showcasing how teens that were shunned in high school for liking Pokémon suddenly found everyone in college feverishly trying to catch 'em all.
5 Gotta Catch 'Em All
All Pokémon fans remember their first adventure and each one of us started the same way. Whether you were there from the beginning with Red and Blue, or you didn't start your first journey until Sun and Moon, you were forced to make the agonizing decision of picking a "starter Pokémon."
While it's wonderful that the professors of each region simply gift us a Pokémon to take on our journey, we can't help but feel frustrated about only being able to to choose one. After all, if the professors are so interested in us filling out the Pokédex, they should just give us all three in the name of science.
4 Depressing Like A Disney Movie
Anyone who's ever seen a Disney movie will attest that most of them feature some downright depressing scenes or scenarios. Remember the absolute heartbreak the world experienced after watching Simba mourn the loss of Mufasa in The Lion King?
Apparently, Pokémon learned a trick or two from The House of Mouse because they like to slide scenes into their films that tug at our heartstrings. The torrid romance and depressing twists of The Notebook pale in comparison to watching Pikachu believe his beloved trainer is deceased.
3 Child Labor Laws
Professor Oak might be one of the shadiest professors you'll meet. He claims to have dedicated his entire life to the study of Pokémon and he is always talking about the latest inventions and technologies concerning the cute little critters. You'll even hear about Professor Oak from other people within his field and it seems like everyone is constantly singing his praises.
But is Professor Oak really as dedicated to his craft as he suggests? For someone who spent their "entire life" tracking Pokémon and learning about their habitats, the Professor doesn't seem to have many notes. In fact, he tasks you with filling up an empty Pokédex, something he should have done ages ago.
2 These Movesets Are Killing Us
One of the hardest things to accept when it comes to Pokémon is the idea that each Pocket Monster can only learn a maximum of four moves. This is especially annoying when you capture a Pokémon that comes packed with an impressive move pool and is capable of learning a wide variety of useful attacks. Having to settle for just four moves simultaneously helps and hinders the strategy involved with building your team.
This practice seems even more ludicrous when you come across a Pokémon like Alakazam, which is said to have an IQ of over 5000. Perhaps the smartest creature in the known world by a longshot and still unable to master more than four moves.
1 Deadly Flowers
Pokémon is like one giant game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, but also introduces a wide array of other objects into the mix until the game becomes so convoluted that players are pulling out hammers to destroy rocks and blowtorches to singe paper. The introduction of so many Pokémon typings has made for some interesting mixtures but it also provides some hilarious weaknesses from a logical standpoint.
Just imagining a hulking water-based titan toppled by a few blades of grass is funny enough on its own.