Pokemon is the highest-grossing media franchise in the world. This distinction has made the series the subject of thousands of different fan theories over the years. Fans have raised questions over many scenes and stories in the show. Even the vast library of Pokemon games has spawned theories over the years.
These theories range anywhere from in-game secrets to characters in the show being dead. Naturally, there are varying levels of believability among these theories, but some of them have definitely gained more traction than others. Many fans still swear by some of these theories to this day, hoping to convince newer fans of their validity.
10 Silver Is Maxie's Father
Silver is the rival in Pokemon Gold and Silver and is the son of Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket. The theory states that Maxie grew up and joined Team Rocket under his grandfather Giovanni. Archie is also thought to be a member of Team Rocket, as it is stated that Maxie and Archie used to be on the same team.
The theory goes on to say that Silver's teachings cause Maxie's intense paranoia later in life. Archie becomes so paranoid that he leaves Team Rocket and travels to the Hoenn Region to form Team Magma.
9 Pokemon Is A Post Apocalyptic World
This theory is a little intense, but it tries to explain how Pokemon came to be. Essentially, a nuclear war causes animals and certain inanimate objects to change and evolve into new beings, Pokemon. People and Pokemon coexist and work together to create a better world.
Over time, technology grows at an accelerated rate thanks to the cooperation of people and Pokemon. This theory is immediately disproved by the mere existence of Arceus, but it continues to gain traction online in fan forums.
8 Haunter Killed Misty
Many of Haunter's Pokedex entries describe its tongue as a lethal weapon that causes the demise of anyone licked by Haunter. In an episode of the television series, Misty is licked by a Haunter. Many fans have since pointed out that Misty should have died, and this theory says she did.
The theory claims that Misty only appears as a ghost for the remainder of the series. All her battles after the fact are actually being fought by Ash who is using her Pokemon. The theory states that in these battles, Ash is hallucinating Misty's prescence and is unaware of his actions.
7 Pokemon Are Digital
This theory is entirely based on the Training Machines that trainers use to teach their Pokemon moves. These TMs appear as disks, and raise a lot of questions in terms of how they actually teach Pokemon.
This theory suggests that all Pokemon are digital, thus giving them the ability to process the information on the disk with ease. These claims offer more questions than answers, however. Do all Pokemon have disk drives? Do these disk drives need repairs? Are the disks actually just instructional DVDs that the trainer must watch with their Pokemon?
6 The Player Is The Rival In Pokemon Red/Blue
This theory, while depressing, does have some weight to it. In the original Red and Blue games, the player speaks to the rival in Lavender Town. The rival asks the player if they know what it feels like to have one of their Pokemon die. The rival is in Lavender Town to bury his Raticate, who's last battle was on the S.S. Anne with the player.
The theory claims that in the crowd and confusion of the S.S. Anne, the rival was unable to reach a Pokemon Center in time to heal his Raticate. He then loses any sense of childlike innocence, and embarks on a quest to beat the player and become the Indigo League Champion.
5 Is Ditto A Failed Mew?
This theory claims that when scientists were attempting to clone Mew, they actually created more than just MewTwo. Ditto is a failed attempt at cloning Mew. Mew is considered to be the ancestor of all Pokemon. Ditto's mimic like abilities could be a biproduct of the scientist's experimentation.
Ditto and Mew share similar colors, the same weight of 8.8lbs, and they are the only two Pokemon that can learn the move Transform. MewTwo was thought to be created on Cinnabar Island, where Ditto can be caught in the games.
4 Gengar Is Clefable's Shadow
This theory is largely relying on the physical similarities between these Pokemon. They do look strikingly similar, and Gengar is described as the shadow Pokemon. Additionally, Clefable and Gengar are immune to each other's attacks due to their normal and ghost typings.
Gengar is also named after a doppleganger, which is an appartition or double of a living thing. This conspiracy is most likely coincidence, though some believers point to Clefairy, Clefable's preevolution, as proof. Clefairy was originally meant to be the mascot of the franchise before Pikachu. Some believe that this indicates that Gengar was originally supposed to be an antagonist.
3 Parasect Is Controlled By Its Mushroom
This theory is pretty straightforward, but it suggests that the mushroom isn't just controlling the Parasect's mind. It goes onto explain that the mushroom acts as a hive mind for all Parasects, forcing them to breed and lay eggs for the continued survival of the Mushroom.
Followers of this theory explain this by saying that the eggs are immediately exposed to the Mushroom's spores, causing the Paras inside to hatch with formed mushrooms.
2 Mew Is Under The Truck In Pokemon Red/Blue
Possibly the most famous of all Pokemon fan theories, this myth was spread around playgrounds all across the globe when Pokemon Red and Blue were first released. Hopeful young trainers would approach the strange truck near the S.S. Anne and attempt every button combination imaginable, all with the hope of finding Mew underneath.
The truck was only reachable by using the move Surf. This rumor began due to there being no feasible reason for the truck being there in the first place. Since the original games, Nintendo has included a rare item underneath the truck in rereleases. Unfortunately, Mew cannot be captured that easily.
1 The Cubone-Kangaskhan Connection
Possibly the saddest fan theory of them all focuses on the origin of Cubone. Sparked by the noticeable similarities between Kangaskahn and the Cubone line, this theory states that every Cubone is the orphaned baby left behind after a Kangaskahn dies. The Cubone wears the skull of its dead mother and carries a bone for protection.
This theory has gained a ton of traction online with many claiming its true. While Cubone does take the skull and bone of its passed mother, the mother is a female Marowak, not a Kangaskhan. This is shown when the player identifies the ghost at the top of the tower in Lavender Town as a vengeful Marowak.