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The original Pokemon anime series sure had a lot of strange events.
By this point, Pokemon had yet to find its own footing. Some of the earliest known episodes would really stand out today. Directors made a lot of experimental decisions with the first anime season.
For the record, this article will mainly cover Ash's journey in the Kanto region. Most of these weird moments would eventually get phased out the longer the anime ran. By the time he got to Johto, Pokemon had moved on from these anomalies.
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Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.
Pokemon's first anime season was downright bizarre at times
10) The original series was considerably violent
Back in the day, the original series had no regard for gender differences. Whether it was Brock or Misty, they were always on the receiving end of slapstick comedy. The above video is a perfect example of this.
Pokemon used to be far more violent in its depiction of humor. Of course, future seasons would be far more tame by comparison.
9) Ash had a snarky Pokedex
Believe it or not, Ash's own Pokedex used to have more personality. In the very first episode, Dexter outright mocked Ash for letting a Rattata eat his food, calling him a "stupid trainer" in the process. On a related note, the original anime series was also straight up savage.
Later versions of the Pokedex would remove artificial intelligence altogether. Instead, they would simply give straightforward entries on various Pokemon. With that said, the concept was later revisited in the Sun and Moon anime series, via the Rotom Dex.
8) Team Rocket seemed menacing at first
Team Rocket might be comic relief characters, but they were a genuine menace in the second episode.
Remember, Viridian City were on high alert for Jesse and James. Their criminal status was confirmed when they attacked a Pokemon Center. Of course, this didn't last for very long. It only took a few episodes for Team Rocket to become minor annoyances at best.
On that note, James and Meowth also had completely different voice actors. James sounded more like a suave villain than a bumbling oaf. Viewers could tell how the voice actors were still getting used to their roles.
7) Ash had a crush on somebody
In the early days of Pokemon, Ash Ketchum would rarely display romantic feelings toward anyone. This makes sense, given that Ash is only ten years old. His main focus was becoming the best trainer.
However, there were some rare instances where he did have a crush on someone. During the ninth episode "School of Hard Knocks," he was visibly blushing when he saw a picture of a female student. Misty was none too happy about it, though.
Remember, this was long before the X and Y anime with Serena. More often than not, Ash is completely oblivious to the concept of love.
6) RPG game mechanics showed up in one episode
Speaking of "School of Hard Knocks", it had yet another very strange occurrence. It's among the only two anime episodes to directly talk about RPG mechanics from the original Pokemon games.
During the episode, a student mentioned how Pidgeotto needed to reach Level 21 before learning the move Whirlwind. How a Pokedex is supposed to evaluate this is anybody's guess. From the anime's perspective, this isn't a video game where trainers can look up a Pokemon's stats.
The concept of level numbers and experience points won't be referenced any further until the 245th episode. Afterwards, it would never again be brought up in the Pokemon anime.
5) Ash technically didn't beat four of the Gym Leaders
Under normal circumstances, trainers can only collect badges if they defeat a Gym Leader in a Pokemon battle. However, the original anime series went a different route. Ash would often win badges by simply helping them out:
- Brock: He gave it to Ash for being kind to his Pokemon
- Misty: Her sisters gave Ash a badge after he fended off Team Rocket
- Erika: She rewarded Ash for putting out a fire by Team Rocket
- Sabrina: Ash had to use a Haunter so Sabrina would snap to her senses
Most of the above fights were also interrupted for one reason or another. Surge is technically the first gym leader that Ash has beaten in a direct battle. Out of the first five Gym Leaders, four of them have given away badges through unconventional means.
4) Pikachu defeats Rhydon by attacking the horn
The original anime series would rarely follow the rules of its gaming counterparts. Sometimes it would even make them up as they went along. An infamous example involves Ash versus Blaine on Cinnabar Island, where the former's Pikachu went up against the latter's Rhydon.
Back in the first generation, Ground-type Pokemon were completely immune to Electric attacks. That means Rhydon shouldn't have been hurt by Pikachu's charged Thunderbolt, but that's exactly what happened.
Some viewers are still left scratching their heads over Rhydon's defeat. All Pikachu did was attack the horn, but it's apparently a major weakness in the original anime. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever, but that's how it goes.
3) Real life animals were in the original anime
In the earliest days of the anime, real-world animals would make occasional appearances.
During "The Water Flowers of Cerulean City," Ash could find various fish inside an aquarium. There was also a time where a Ghastly transformed into a mongoose in "The Ghost of Maiden's Peak."
Of course, later seasons would replace smaller animals with Pokemon counterparts. However, this begs the question of where humans get their food sources from, which has uncomfortable implications.
2) The strange city of Pokemopolis
The original anime series had a very surreal atmosphere. A perfect example involves the ancient ruins of Pokemopolis.
Ash and his friends ended up finding Pokeballs that contained gigantic versions of Gengar and Alakazam. Not only were they several times bigger, these Pokemon also had very strange markings. One has to wonder how they ended up in their current state.
This was a complete departure from the video games. In a way, Pokemopolis almost felt like a dream sequence of bizarre events.
1) Guns are shown at one point
The controversial 35th episode was never dubbed for a Western audience. "Legend of Dratini" was banned for its extensive use of firearms. These weren't cartoony ones, either, as they were realistic looking revolvers. Several characters end up using them in a threatening manner.
Since the episode never made it outside Japan, this created a plothole for non-Japanese viewers. They were greatly confused when Ash later showed off his 30 Tauros, which he caught in the Safari Zone. That alone is another bizarre moment from the original anime series.
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