Glitch

Glitches are anomalies in software programs, including video games. They can cause various problems ranging from the purely graphical to completely wiping entire chunks of saved data.

They are usually caused by problems with a game's code, or from a player doing things the programmers did not anticipate, therefore causing the game to react unexpectedly. Below is a list of glitches in the Pokémon video games.

Major glitches

A graphical glitch in Generation I

These are glitches which either affect all Pokémon games, or are considered to have a large affect on gameplay.

Multiple generations

• Pokémon cloning: Variations of the Pokémon cloning trick exist in each Generation (except Generation V) of the Pokémon games, each slightly different from one another.
• Graphical glitches: Glitches that alter the aesthetics of the game, but have no other effects. This includes glitches such as the honey shop glitch.
• Leveling past 100: In Generation I and II, if a Pokémon is obtained at a level above 100, it can be leveled up with Rare Candies up to level 255. If a Rare Candy is fed to a level 255 Pokémon, its level will be reset to 0. If a Pokémon above level 100 levels up due to experience, its level will be reset to 100

Generation I

File:Wildmew.jpg

A Mew being found in the wild due to the Mew glitch

• Glitch City: A glitch location consisting of mess of random map tiles that changes depending on the location where the player enters Glitch City.
• Mew glitch: Allowing players to capture many different Pokémon (most often used for Mew) including many glitch Pokémon.
• Old man glitch: Allows encountering of Pokémon above level 100, as well as Missingno. and 'M.
• Item duplication glitch: By encountering Missingno. or 'M, gives the player either 128 or 255 of the player's 6th item. Another item duplication glitch involves copying a stack of 255 of an item.

Generation II

• Celebi egg glitch: Allows players to hatch as many Celebi as one desires using a number of steps.

Generation III

• Berry glitch: Freezes the growth of any berries which have been planted but not harvested, often occurs after the game has been owned for a year or played for over 100 hours, though not always.
• Pomeg glitch: In Emerald Version, using a Pomeg Berry on a Pokémon with low HP may cause its HP to become a negative value. Using this, a player can cause other glitches.

Generation IV

Tweaking

• Surf glitch: In early Japanese versions of Diamond and Pearl Versions, Surf can be used on specific Elite Four members' doors, allowing the player to surf through the void.
• Tweaking: This causes the game to fail to load the map and makes it appear black. Some cases have led the player to places such as Newmoon Island or Flower Paradise if the player walks in the correct direction.
• Acid rain: In Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver, heavy rain, intense sunlight, a hailstorm and a sandstorm all occur on the battlefield at once when a Pokémon is knocked out with one use of Pursuit when Trick Room, Gravity or Uproar is active, or when the weather is sunny, hailing, foggy or in a sandstorm. The glitch will not be activated in heavy rain. This glitch is not present in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl; however, the glitch can occur if the glitch is activated while battling with Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver HeartGold or SoulSilver.
• Pomeg glitch: In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum Versions, using a Pomeg Berry on a Pokémon with low HP may cause its HP to become a negative value. Using this, a player can cause other glitches. This glitch is not present in HeartGold and SoulSilver.
• Probocash Glitch: In Pokémon Diamond, because of bad programming, if Whiscash is leveled up in Mt. Coronet, it evolves into Probopass. This glitch is still being investigated.

Minor glitches

Main article: List of minor glitches

Glitch Pokémon

Main article: Glitch Pokémon

A glitch Pokémon is a Pokémon not intended to be part of the game, but can be accessed through the use of glitches. All glitch Pokémon are either filler data, the game attempting to read an empty hexadecimal address or exist from beta testing.

Glitch characteristics

Glitch moves

Main article: List of glitch moves

A glitch move, is a move not intended to be part of the game, but can be accessed through the use of glitches. In Generation I, many glitch moves are named after TMs or HMs; TMs numbered 01 to 55 and HMs numbered 01 to 05 exist as moves; however, some have no name or a glitched, unreadable name. Some glitch moves are of known glitch types, but others have either no readable type or an unknown type. Usually only glitch Pokémon will learn glitch moves.

One way of teaching a Pokémon in Generation I a glitch move is with a Pokémon that can evolve by trading. This can be achieved by trading a trade evolution Pokémon from a Generation I game to a Generation II, at a level where its evolved form will learn a move not in Generation I. Trading the Pokémon back to the Generation I game will cause the move to become a glitch move. For example, trading a level 48 Haunter from Pokémon Red to Pokémon Gold will make the Haunter evolve into Gengar. Since it is level 48, it will learn Mean Look. If it is then traded back to Pokémon Red, it will still have the move, but the game won't recognize it properly since it is a Generation II move, so will become TM12.

Glitch types

Main article: List of glitch types

There are many different glitch types that are found to be the types of several glitch Pokémon and moves. The majority of them are used for very few Pokémon or moves.

Glitch locations

There are several locations which can only be reached by way of a glitch in the games. One of the most well known glitch locations is Glitch City. Other examples of this are areas in the Sevii Islands that are retrievable via their index number pointer, however, do not have any other data. Sevii Isles 8 and 9 are the only index number areas which have actual map data. There are also other beta locations such as the beta Safari Zone.

Glitch items

Place-holder items are often left in the game's code to prevent it from crashing if the data is accessed, such as Teru-sama in Generation II. Other generations likewise have placeholder items. The Clear Bell and GS Ball in Crystal and the various newer items introduced just in FireRed, LeafGreen and Emerald, register as the place-holder items Teru-sama and mystery item if they are somehow moved into Gold and Silver or Ruby and Sapphire respectively. There is also the Seal Bag, a removed item obtained in Generation IV from the GTS Morphing glitch.

Glitch Trainers

Main article: Glitch Trainer

Glitch Trainers have been known to occur in Generation I. They are usually found if the player's name contains special characters and performs the old man glitch. There are also several special stat numbers used in the Mew glitch which cause glitch Trainers to appear, such as when the ZZAZZ glitch is triggered. Glitch Trainers may use glitch Pokémon in battle.

Glitches in the Pokémon games Multiple generations Transform glitches • Glitch Trainers • Cloning glitches • Error messages • Arbitrary code execution Generation I Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches -- • 0 ERROR • Broken hidden items • Cable Club escape glitch • Dual-type damage misinformation Experience underflow glitch • Fight Safari Zone Pokémon trick • Glitch City • Item duplication glitch • Item underflow Mew glitch • Old man glitch • Pewter Gym skip glitch • Pokémon merge glitch • Rhydon glitch • Rival twins glitch Select glitches (dokokashira door glitch, second type glitch) • Super Glitch Time Capsule exploit • Walking through walls • ZZAZZ glitch Generation II Glitches • Battle glitches Bug-Catching Contest glitch • Celebi Egg glitch • Coin Case glitches • Experience underflow glitch Glitch dimension • Glitch Egg • Teru-sama • Time Capsule exploit • Trainer House glitches • GS Ball mail glitch Generation III Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches Berry glitch • Dive glitch • Pomeg glitch • Glitzer Popping Generation IV Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches Acid rain • GTS glitches • Pomeg glitch • Rage glitch Surf glitch • Tweaking • Pal Park Retire glitch Generation V Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches Charge Beam additional effect chance glitch • Charge move replacement glitch • Choice item lock glitch Frozen Zoroark glitch • Sky Drop glitch Generation VI Glitches • Battle glitches • Overworld glitches Charge Beam additional effect chance glitch • Charge move replacement glitch • Choice item lock glitch Lumiose City save glitch • Symbiosis Eject Button glitch • Toxic sure-hit glitch Generation VII Glitches • Battle glitches Charge Beam additional effect chance glitch • Charge move replacement glitch • Choice item lock glitch Toxic sure-hit glitch • Rollout storage glitch Generation VIII Glitches Charge Beam additional effect chance glitch • Charge move replacement glitch • Choice item lock glitch Toxic sure-hit glitch • Rollout storage glitch • Party item offset glitch Generation IX Glitches Glitch effects Game freeze • Glitch battle • Glitch song Gen I only: Glitch screen • TMTRAINER effect • Inverted sprite Gen II only: Glitch dimension Lists Glitches (GO • Mystery Dungeon • TCG GB • Spin-off) Glitch Pokémon (Gen I • Gen II • Gen III • Gen IV • Gen V • Gen VI • Gen VII • Gen VIII) Glitch moves (Gen I) • Glitch types (Gen I • Gen II)

This glitch Pokémon article is part of Project GlitchDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on glitches in the Pokémon games.