Congratulations You are killing Pokemon. In the established canon of the Pokemon series,
we…our player character at least…are the reason that at least 25 Pokemon species have gone
extinct. That’s not even really a theory. It is established within the canon. To be fair,
it’s buried WAAAY down in there and requires you to connect a few dots,
but I have 100% confidence that Game Freak has expressly put this in here for observant,
dedicated players. And perhaps strangest of all, this steamrolling of the wildlife,
us bumping innocent animals permanently off the mortal coil. It’s all because of a message
from god. The Pokemon God Arceus. He gives us this divine mission to exterminate the ‘Mon.
If you thought Pokemon lore was weird before, just wait until you hear this one.
Hello Internet! Welcome to Game Theory, the only show nerdy enough to remind you that HO-OH
isn’t just a Pokemon, it’s also the chemical formula for hydrogen peroxide.
Drop that knowledge bomb the next time you’re in Mrs. Nagey’s 3rd period chemistry class.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are three things that are certain in this world. Death, taxes,
and new Pokemon games. We just had a Pokemon Presents last week, we’re rapidly approaching
the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, even Pokemon Go is making itself a bit of a resurgence.
In short, Pokemania is in the air so I figured it was time we took another look at the series,
and what better game to talk about than the smash hit of 2022: Pokemon Legends Arceus. While recent
remakes have literally just been recycling the Pokemon formula that’s been reused since the mid
90s, Legends Arceus threw that formula out into the Trubbish. It’s the first game in the core
series to give players an open world to explore. But while it certainly was a new look, it WASN’T
a new world. In this game, you’re actually running through an ancient version of Sinnoh, the region
from Gen 4’s Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. How far back in the past are we talking? Unfortunately,
the game doesn’t explicitly tell us, but based on the somewhat modern amenities of Jubilife Village,
like binded books, brimmed hats, and steam powered pokeballs, as well as the architectural
inspiration for the Galaxy Hall, the games seems to take place in Meiji Era of Japanese history,
which took place from around 1868 to 1912. And given the houses and clothing in Jubilife Village
seem to resemble that of the Edo Era, the era prior to Meiji, it’s more likely to be closer
to that 140 years ago mark. So really, this thing was one part Pokemon game, and one part
history lesson for that fictional region. And while it’s certainly fun picking up on
all the similarities from two games set in the same region from two different time periods,
like map locations, logo artwork, and ancestral connections between NPCs, what really tickled my
Theorist senses were the DIFFERENCES between the two regions that seem to have happened in that 140
year gap. There are some obvious ones, like the region’s name being changed, from Hisui to Sinnoh
and isolated camps evolving to urbanised cities. But clearly I’m not here to talk about my love
of geography or urban planning. I’m here to talk about the biggest difference of them all,
the Pokemon. There are a good number of Pokemon that we find in the Hisui region
that are completely new. Ones that don’t make an appearance in the Gen 4 games, their remakes,
or any other core installment in the series. Doing a quick comparison of the Hisui and Sinnoh ‘Dexes
shows us there’s a whopping 25 Pokemon that are found somewhere in the Hisui region that are
completely absent from other titles. Pokemon like the adorable Hisuan Growlith and the hauntingly
new evolution of Basculin, Basculegion. But why? Where’d they go? We’ve been in this region before.
We’ve seen everything there is to see here. And yet, in the 140 year history between this game
and Gen. 4, 25 Pokemon apparently got WIPED OUT! Unsurprisingly, the game never explicitly says
what happened to all these Pokemon, based on my findings…it’s for a good reason. You see,
they’re shielding us from the truth: We killed them, we’re responsible. We’re the reason those
25 Pokemon variants are gone now. We MADE them go extinct. So come with me loyal Theorists,
as we go Big Lore Hunting to figure out what exactly happened to all these new…old…Pokemon.
But before we set off on adventure, we have to be equipped like a Pokemon Trainer. Have you ever
stopped to think about how much stuff a trainer actually needs to carry around? Rare stones,
candies, antidotes, whatever the heck a TM is. And that is where our newest line of TheoryWear comes
in! THAT’S RIGHT, it’s merch drop time! Starting with our newest and most advanced Backpack:
the TechWear Backpack! This thing literally IS the backpack from the future, heavy duty and
with plenty of room for your laptop, your favorite Pokepal, or a collection of balls… pokeballs. Eat
your heart out, Ash Ketchum cuz this isn’t just a plain ol’ green backpack. This thing comes with
loop strings and bungee cords that allow you to quickly access all your most important theorist
tools. This thing is loaded with function, but It’s also loaded with fashion. That’s actually why
I wanted to lean more into the subtle coloring and branding with this one. It still shows off your
theorist pride, but it’s doing it in a way that can comfortably come with you in any school or
professional setting; it’s not going to stand out like a sore thumb as “obviously YouTuber merch”
Or, if you’re looking for something smaller that can hold a couple of things in a simple
grab-and-go style, check out the TechWear shoulder bag. It’s compact and light,
which makes it perfect if you live in a place where you have to do a lot of walking. True Story,
I’ve been in London for the past two months, and this bag has been a lifesaver! because it
was able to hold the few items that I wanted from the store all without weighing me down or feeling
like a burden to bring along. And considering it’s been one of the hottest summers on record here in
the city. One of the things that I was always bringing along in that bag? Water! Which is why
I always kept the new Game Theory water bottle packed. This no-leak, practically unbreakable
Nalgene-style bottle is built in with achievements written along the side to make it crystal clear
when you’ve hit different hydration milestones along the way. Can you be one of the people to
get the platinum trophy in hydration? Time to find out! Something else you could throw into that Tech
bag? Our new pack of perfectly pixelated playing cards. And to round the whole collection off,
because I couldn’t leave you without at least one piece of stylish clothing, we’ve got the tech tee.
Y'all know that I love an asymmetrical design right? So I leaned into it with a color-blocked
sleeve and a tie-dye inspired pattern that washes across the front. In short, head on down to the
description to catch ‘em all! all the latest items in the merch drop before they disappear
and go extinct. Kinda like Wyrdeer. Speaking of… Let’s start by looking at one of the first new
Pokemon we get to see in this game, Wyrdeer, the long-awaited evolution for the Pokemon
Stantler. Now, in Legends Arceus, Stantlers are plentiful…you practically trip over these guys,
but in Sinnoh, not so much. They can only be obtained on one specific route using
the PokeRadar. And as for Wyrdeer? They don’t exist! Like not at all. For a Stantler to become
a Wyrdeer, it needs to use the move Psyshield Bash a total of 20 times, but Psyshield Bash
isn’t a move that Stantlers can learn in games set in the future. So not only has the overall
number of Stantler shrunk, but it’s also lost the ability to use a move that’s critical for
its evolution into Wyrdeer. That’s weird, right? So, inevitably I have to ask the question: Why?
Clearly, the game designers consciously made this decision, so what are they trying to
tell us? What reasons would Stantler have to forget an ENTIRE MOVE? Well, Wydeer’s Pokedex
entry actually gives us a hint: “The black orbs shine…” Ha, I guess I can’t use my normal pokedex
voice since this game doesn’t have an electronic Pokedex. Gotta go with the old fashioned method.
“The black orbs shine with an uncanny light when the Pokémon is erecting invisible barriers. The
fur shed from its beard retains heat well and is a highly useful material for winter clothing.”
Useful in cold weather, huh? Sure sounds like something that the citizens of the cold Hisui
region would find pretty valuable. Once people read that Pokedex entry, it’s likely they’re
going to be tempted to try and get their hands on a Wyrdeer to obtain that precious fur, especially
as they continue expanding into areas like the icy north. So, it would seem like Wyrdeer were hunted
to extinction for their fur while the remaining Stantlers did their best to avoid evolving,
choosing to flee rather than fight, much like real-life deer are known to do.For the Stantlers,
evolving just wasn’t worth the added stat increase if it then made it harder to
survive. After generations and generations of Stantlers avoiding fights with humans,
and ESPECIALLY avoiding the use of Psyshield Bash out of fear of evolving,
they would eventually “forget” how to use the move entirely in order to help
their chance of survival. No Psyshield Bash means no evolving means no Wyrdeer.
And they aren’t the only species that was basically bullied into extinction either.
Take the Hisuian Qwilfish, a regional variant that has been totally wiped out from Sinnoh
by the time Gen 4 rolls around. Looking at its Pokedex entry, though, immediately you
start to see why this guy might have been on the chopping block. It tells us that:
“Fishers detest this troublesome Pokémon because it sprays poison from its spines,
getting it everywhere. A different form of Qwilfish lives in other regions.”
If you look at the Cobalt Coastline, one of the main locations for Hisuian Qwilfish,
we see that, in the intervening 140 years, this actually becomes Gen 4’s Route 223,
a prime fishing location thanks to the Sunyshore Market and a swimming location on the way
to Victory Road. What this tells us is that fishermen, fed up with the poisonous Qwilfish,
hunted them to extinction so the coastline could be better used for commercial and recreational
purposes. They eliminated what they saw as a problematic fish, which directly leads to what
we see in Sinnoh years later. And it’s not like it would be hard for them to do either, considering
the Diamond and Pearl Pokedex entries call the Qwilfish a “poor swimmer”. There’s also a second
reason that Fishermen might have wanted to get their hands on the Qwilfish, but this one isn’t
as directly called out. Food! We’ve talked over on Food Theory about eating pokemon, but Qwilfish are
likely to be a delicacy in this universe. There’s a type of real-world pufferfish called Fugu.
It contains a super deadly neurotoxin, just like our good ol’ poison-typed Hisuian Qwilfish,
and it too is a delicacy in many parts of Japan, only being served by specially-trained chefs who
know how to prepare the meat without killing their customers. Hisyian Qwilfish would probably work
in the same way. Regardless though, whether it was to clear a nuisance or fill the restaurants,
humans were the ones that wiped these guys out from the coastlines of Hisui.
Speaking of being hunted, let's look at two more examples of hunted Pokemon: Hisuian Voltorbs and
Electrodes. Looking at them it’s immediately clear that these two have had some of the most dramatic
changes in their design. The Kanto versions of these Pokemon are made of some sort of
metal-like compound while the Hisuian Electrode’s Pokedex entry says their body is made of a quote:
“material curiously similar..to Apricorn (wood)”. Now, this is an important detail
because historically Apricorns were used to make Pokeballs. In Legend: Arceus, Apricorns
are everywhere, but in Sinnoh there’s no more of these trees to be found. So what happened? Well,
by the end of Legends: Arceus, because of the work we did throughout the game, people are now looking
to catch Pokemon for themselves. As a result, it’s likely they began to harvest Apricorns at an
alarming rate to craft their own Pokeballs. But in the rush, no one thought to do this sustainably,
and suddenly there were no more Apricorn trees left in the region. So, without the
wood to build Pokeballs, what do you do then You start to hunt the animal that has a
body made of a very similar wood: Hisuian Voltorbs and Electrodes. Over time, to avoid going extinct,
Hisuian Voltorb and Electrode may have evolved into their metal form that would prevent them
from getting poached by the would-be Kurts of the world. And this directly mirrors animal behavior
that we see in real life. Many elephants are slaughtered specifically for their tusks,
right? Well, this has historically been happening so much that elephants in heavily hunted areas
are now starting to evolve to have smaller tusks or even no tusks at all! Since poachers
are hunting them for those tusks, elephants with no tusks have an evolutionary advantage,
thereby passing that trait along, just like a metal Voltorb and Electrode would have had a
survival advantage over their wood variants. But it wasn’t just over-hunting that was a problem
in that 140 year period. It was also an over-use of the region’s resources. Ursaluna and Kleavor
are two new evolutions of Ursaring and Schyther that we see in Legends Arceus that require the use
of a specific item to evolve. Ursaring needs the Peat Block and Schyther needs the Black Augurite.
And while Ursaring and Scyhter are certainly easy to obtain in the Gen 4 games, their evolutions
aren’t present because neither of these items exist anymore, which we can explain by looking
at the differences between Hisui and Sinnoh. The Peat Block item is based on a real life material
known as...well…peat. Basically, it’s like a precursor to coal; takes thousands of years to
form and it can be burned for fuel. Based on the cities we see in Gen 4, it’s clear that there was
an increase in industrialization in the Sinnoh region. Industrialization means machines, and
machines need fuel. And hey look! Here's a readily available material that’s just laying there with
no other discernible purpose. Might as well use it until it’s gone! Black Augurite actually suffers
a similar fate. The name originally led me to believe that Black Augurite is based off of the
mineral Augite, however, looking at the in-game sprites and description, the two don’t seem to
line up. Its black glassy texture actually makes it more likely to be Obsidian. Obsidian is a
material that’s made from the rapid cooling of lava, and it’s been used for centuries as a sharp
material for tools. The only active volcano that we see in the Hisui region is this one off the
cobalt coastlands, which, based on its shape, is what they call a Cinder Cone Volcano. Cinder Cone
Volcanos don’t tend to make Obsidian. The only other place it could have come from is Mt Coronet,
which the box art does seem to imply is a Volcano, but it appears to have been dormant for years.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that Black Augurite is going to be in limited supply. It,
along with Peat, are non–renewable resources, so when humanity expanded its presence in the region
and wound up using up all these items, Ursaring and Schyther no longer had the ability to evolve.
You know who else disappeared from the region because the natural environment changed? Arcanine,
Avalugg, and Decidueye who all have Pokedex entries that specifically mention being
adapted to the colder climate and snow of the Hisui region. Hisui is an island, and islands
are small. When habitats are smaller, that means that the organisms that live there need to become
more specialized. For example, take the famous finches studied by Charles Darwin on the Galapagos
Islands. What he saw was that each finch evolved a completely unique beak shape based on the
island it lived on. This comes with the benefit of making you really well suited to your environment,
but the downside is that if ANYTHING changes, then your specialized traits won’t do you any good. And
that’s exactly what happened with these Hisui Pokemon. As humans expanded their reach into the
area, as they industrialized, the climate of Hisui became warmer. This uptick in human development,
the deforestation that came with it, all of it led to a shift in the biodiversity of the region,
meaning some of these Pokemon were no longer able to make the cut.
Now, these are only a few examples of what happened to these region-specific pokemon, but you
can see the pattern, right? All these pokemon are gone thanks to one specific factor: humans. Humans
plundering resources, humans over hunting, humans over expanding. In the 140 years between Legends:
Arceus and Gen 4, humans have completely morphed the landscape of the Sinnoh region and the game
designers have clearly thought through that history. They didn’t just insert designs and
evolutions into this world arbitrarily. The whole thing was thoughtful, intentional, it was told to
us through hints in the Pokedex. In the end, we get ourselves a game that has a really strong
environmental message, if we just bother to piece together the bread crumbs they left behind for us.
Except, there’s still one piece that I haven’t connected. During the game we learn that the
people of Hisui are afraid of Pokemon, some even worship them. The little Village that
you start off in isn’t able to expand more because they’re afraid to face the monsters
that lurk out in the wilderness. But someone changes that, and in so doing, signed Hisui’s
death warrant. That person… is you! At the start of the game, your character is called back in
time by the God pokemon, Arceus. When you land, you’re immediately tasked with catching Pokemon,
something that other people are afraid to do. But you? You know better, you come from the future. So
you persist. You teach people that Pokemon can be your friends, that they can be used to help with
chores, you can even collect them and use them for competitive sport. Without this fear of Pokemon,
the human race is now able to expand throughout Hisui. Thanks to you they’re no longer afraid
to hunt Wyrdeer for their fur, to exterminate pests like Qwilfish, or use up the land’s natural
resources. If you had decided to not be a hero, to not “save the day”, the region would have remained
too inhospitable for civilization to truly grow, and humans would have chosen to avoid it entirely.
Kind of makes you wonder if that God Pokemon who sent us back in time was so benevolent after all.
But hey, Here’s your last reminder to head on down to the description to get your hands on the latest
line of Theorist Merch. Whether you’re looking to head on adventures for the summer or just
wanted to get yourself ready for school this fall, this latest drop is perfect for you. The
backpack is especially great for anyone in need of some new swag for the upcoming school year.
It’s got our signature Game Theory style, but in a way that isn’t too bright or loud,
so you’ll be able to fit in with everyone else while still rocking that Theorist pride. So
head on over to the merch store or click the link down in the description to pick up a water bottle,
a bag, or some playing cards before they disappear forever, just like the pokemon of Hisui!
And as always, remember, it’s all just a theory. A GAME THEORY! Thanks for watching.
And hey, if you liked this dark pokemon theory, there’s plenty more where that came from. It’s
not just Hisuian Pokemon that are doomed, Shiny pokemon aren’t much better off, you can check
out that theory by clicking right here. Or you can find out what level Ash’s Pikachu is by watching
the video on your right. Yep, I really did the math. While you’re at it, throw a pokeball over
at the subscribe button so whenever we do more theories, you’ll be the first to catch ‘em!