Now that Detective Pikachu is finally out, Pokemon fans are becoming reacquainted with
all of the reasons why we love the series yellow electric rodent mascot so darn much.
And that adoration extends to some pretty interesting fan theories about the spotlight
Pokemon, in which fans have explored what the backstory behind the anime’s Pikachu
could be, to other theories that pertain to the Detective Pikachu character that we’ve
seen in the video games and now up on the big screen.
So today, we’re counting down a handful of intriguing hypothetical questions about
the Pokemon with our list of the top 10 scary Pikachu fan theories.
And fear not, there aren’t any spoilers for Detective Pikachu on this list.
10.
Team Rocket is in purgatory for killing a Pikachu
This theory suggests that the entire Pokemon anime takes place in purgatory.
It speculates that Jesse and James, who are in almost every episode of the anime, constantly
attempt to capture Pikachu or conduct some other wacky scheme, only to fail, time and
time again, despite some of their ideas actually being pretty solid from time to time.
But at times, they seem to actually want to help Ash and Pikachu.
They’re not entirely evil.
The theory suggests that this is actually purgatory, with the two of them and Meowth
stuck there because of something awful they did while alive in which they separated a
young trainer from his Pikachu, with tragic conclusions.
They’re now stuck in purgatory, trying to do the same thing over and over again, but
don’t actually want to hurt either Ash or Pikachu.
It would also explain why Pikachu never evolves.
9.
Detective Pikachu is Ash’s Pikachu This theory from redditor Simple_Meme_Lord
speculates that the Pikachu in Detective Pikachu is actually the same one from the anime.
The reasoning?
In the Detective Pikachu movie trailer, during the first interaction with the character,
DP says “it has been so long.”
In the anime, Ash understands Pikachu, as if he can hear what he’s saying, and can
communicate back.
What if this Pikachu hasn’t been able to communicate with anyone like that since Ash?
Secondly, the jigglypuff who appears in the film has the same black marker with a green
lid as the one in the anime, which could confirm that the two take place in the same universe.
So for those of you who have seen Detective Pikachu, do you think this theory is actually
a possibility?
Give us a shout in those comments below.
8.
Why does Pikachu love ketchup so much?
One fun detail that fans of the Pokemon anime have picked up on is that Pikachu has a liking
for ketchup.
Whenever the gang is at a restaurant or eating food and ketchup is present, Pikachu can be
seen licking the top of ketchup bottles.
One fan pointed out that it seems odd that he’d like ketchup since the Yaz and Kaz
episode of the show, where Pikachu was squirted with ketchup, blinding him momentarily.
This theory suggests that it isn’t because he loves ketchup or has a special relationship
with the condiment – rather, it speculates that the reason Pikachu loves it so much is
because he’s drawn to the colour red.
Pikachu is also shown throughout the series eating apples, which are also red.
He also has been seen eating red berries at one point.
So maybe, Pikachu only likes eating things that are red.
7.
Pikachu was supposed to have a name In the manga, when Pikachu is first introduced,
Ash reveals that he did name his Pikachu – Jean Luc Pikachu, a shout out to Star Trek – the
panel in which the name is revealed shows Pikachu wearing a Star Trek badge on his chest,
and another trainer responds with “how ‘engaging’”, another reference to the popular science fiction
franchise.
The name was later abandoned, but there is a theory suggesting that that was the name
Pikachu was meant to have in the anime as well.
Guess they didn’t think Star Trek would resonate with the kids.
6.
That Pikachu is sort-of immortal This theory is in tangent with another fan
theory that’s an offshoot of the anime as an extended Pokemon universe.
The theory suggests that Ash Ketchum is immortal due to him surviving the battle between Mew
and Mewtwo in the first animated Pokemon movie.
The theory extends to Pikachu, who in the show, has had multiple ‘near death’ experiences,
yet, along with Ash, doesn’t seem to age, or weaken over time.
He’s also arguably over powered, taking on foes that normally a Pikachu wouldn’t
stand a chance at defeating.
This has led to speculation that Pikachu is immortal, and that’s where all of his additional
strength and power comes from.
Although, this theory could also be chalked up to the fact that Ash has remained about
the same age since the anime began – this is a creative choice in order to keep the
show still relatable to the demographic who watches it.
5.
Pikachu had a trainer before Ash This theory from redditor Oufour dives into
how Pikachu could have had a trainer prior to Ash in the anime.
When we see Ash being given Pikachu, there’s a few small details that really make Pikachu
stand out compared to regular starter Pokemon.
Firstly, Ash only got Pikachu because he was late, and there were no other Pokemon available.
Oak, feeling bad for him, gave him Pikachu.
Pikachu’s pokeball has a lightning bolt on it.
It’s the only one in the series to ever have a symbol like that on it.
It looks kind of like a seal, which are accessories that changed the opening animations of Pokeballs
in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl.
They never appear anywhere else in the games.
This could mean that Pikachu is originally from the Sinnoh region from those games.
In the second episode of the show, we see a Pikachu powered generator.
Oak, conducting experiments of all sorts, likely had a similar generator, powered by
electric pokemon.
So why would he get a Pikachu specifically from Sinnoh for his hypothetical generator?
Because in the games, there isn’t any breeding in Kanto initially.
Meaning, if you wanted the right stats for a job like running a generator, you’d need
a pokemon already established from birth bred by breeders in order to have enough power
to run a generator.
The reason why it was raised from a Pichu to a Pikachu is that, like in Super Smash
Bros, Pichu can sometimes get hurt by its own electricity.
So it’s best to have them evolve into a Pikachu.
This also explains why Pikachu doesn’t like Ash at first and is rude – he’s never
really had a trainer before, and constantly feels abandoned, until he learns to trust
Ash.
4.
Pikachu is Ash’s father This theory, from redditor Rand0mSynth3sis,
suggests that Ash’s father got tangled up in an experiment with his good pal Professor
Oak, causing his soul or essence or spirit or whatever you want to call it inside of
a Pikachu.
Ash’s father’s body either completely collapsed or had Pikachu’s essence trapped
inside of it.
Regardless, Oak, in a panic, hid the body, and claimed that Ash’s dad had gone off
to continue his adventure as a trainer.
When Ash grows up and is ready to become a trainer, Oak gives him Pikachu, who acts like
a dick because of how long he’s been trapped inside of a pokeball.
And what evidence supports this crazy theory?
Pikachu has been known to be very fond of Ash’s mother, and always seems to make the
extra effort to be nice to her.
Pikachu is very adapt in understanding human languages, and body language.
In Latin America, cartoon network has something like Toon Biography, a segment that explores
the histories of cartoon characters.
Their segment on Pikachu notes that he was a result of an experiment conducted by Oak.
Pikachu is incredibly loyal to Ash – in episodes like Pikachu’s Goodbye, he chooses
to stay with the trainer.
He also doesn’t want to evolve – something that could be chopped up to radical physical
changes messing with his mind even more.
And it could explain Pikachu’s fondness for ketchup.
3.
People think Pikachu died in the Anime and was replaced
Remember that old conspiracy theory about Avril Lavigne?
How she died in 2003 and was replaced with a doppelganger?
She’s not the only one; conspiracy theories about celebrities dying and being replaced
have been circulating for years.
Hell, even Paul McCartney from the Beatles has been accused of not being the original
Paul.
But perhaps the funniest version of that theory concerns our favourite electric rat, Pikachu.
A while back, on twitter, a post was trending that featured two side by side images of Pikachu
from the anime – one from early on in the show, and one from later.
This was followed by the caption Pikachu is dead and was replaced by a look alike.
While this could obviously be a joke, fans got all riled up, with some arguing that there’s
various points in time in the show where Pikachu could have easily been swapped out with another
Pikachu.
Others took to the designs of the character, and how initially Pikachu was rounder, and
gradually over time his design became more trim.
What do you think?
Multiple pikachus, or just the artistic direction changing over the years?
2.
Pikachu was switched accidentally in the 2nd anime episode
Riffing off of our last number, let’s talk about a theory that actually pin points the
specific time when Pikachu was swapped out.
From reddit user Sage620, “In the pokemon anime, Pikachu didn’t start listening to
Ash until after the incident with Spearow.
Before that point, Pikachu wouldn’t listen to a word Ash said, or even follow Ash.
In episode 2, Pokemon Emergency, Pikachu is knocked out for most of the episode (because
of the spearow incident).
During Team Rocket’s attack on the pokemon center, a multitude of Pikachu are shown jumping
onto the stretcher that Ash’s Pikachu was on (now awake).
During all that commotion, Ash’s Pikachu could have easily put the light bulb hat he
was wearing onto another Pikachu from the Pokemon Center.
After all, the Pokemon center Pikachu were only there as backup generators, and Ash’s
Pikachu didn’t like Ash.
I’m sure at least one of the other Pikachu would want to belong to a trainer.”
Interesting.
So could it be that Ash’ Pikachu has been living a lie for years?
Or do you think Ash’s Pikachu really decided to forge a bond with the trainer after the
incident?
Sound off in those comments below.
1.
Bill’s Machine made Detective Pikachu A redditor named ultimahmee came up with this
theory a while back.
It’s that Detective Pikachu came to be thanks to Bill’s Machine.
So in Pokemon Fire Red, the mysterious and popular Bill showed us a new trick that his
machine is capable of – instead of just switching bodies with a Pokemon like he does
in the previous titles, his machine also pumps out a talking Clefairy.
The theory suggests that a Pikachu and a human were fused together in an experiment, which
caused Detective Pikachu to come alive.
There we have it friends!
What other theories surrounding Pikachu that are a little unsettling can you think of?
What other ones should have made our list?
Give us a shout in those comments below and let us know.
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I’ll catch you all in the next one.