Animals in the Pokémon world
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Real-world animals have been mentioned a number of times to exist in the world of Pokémon. Most often, they are mentioned in relation to a Pokémon category. For example, Pikachu is known as the "Mouse Pokémon" and was directly referred to in the anime as an "electric mouse", hinting that real-world mice exist in the Pokémon world. Other than this, all other mentions of animals are rare.
In the games
In the core series
- Some Pokédex entries have mentioned the existence of real-world animals, mostly in Generation I.
- Indian elephants are mentioned in both Raichu and Gastly's FireRed Pokédex entries.
- In several of Bellsprout's Pokédex entries, Bellsprout is said to prey on insects.
- Victreebel is mentioned to use the sweet aroma of its honey to lure prey such as bugs, as well as large animals.
- Horsea is said to prey on bugs in several of its Pokédex entries. Some entries also mention that Horsea uses coral as an anchor to avoid being washed away, as well as for shade to build its nest in.
- Lickitung's Red, Blue, and LeafGreen Pokédex entries mention that it can extend its tongue like a chameleon.
- Raichu's Pokémon Sun and Moon entries mention Indian elephants once more.
- Some Pokémon category names are animals, such as the Poodle Pokémon (Furfrou's category), which implies that there are not only dogs, but different breeds of dogs.
- In Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, the player makes a comment about crabs while aboard the S.S. Anne.
- In the Generation I games and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, a Sailor mentions that jellyfish sometimes drift aboard the S.S. Anne.
- In the Generation I games and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, a chef aboard the S.S. Anne mentions several meat dishes: "Eels au Barbecue", "Salmon du Salad", and "Prime Beefsteak".
- In the Generation I games and their remakes, a Team Rocket Grunt in the Rocket Hideout insults the player by calling them a little rat.
- In the Generation I games and their remakes, a Tamer in the Fuchsia Gym mentions having joined the Gym due to "ninjas' long history with animals".
- In Generation I artwork of Old Amber, there is a mosquito or similar insect visible within the item.
- Real-world bees appear in the battle animations for Vespiquen's signature moves Attack Order, Defend Order and Heal Order.
- In Pokémon Black and White, a Trainer in the Battle Subway says he is so obsessed with Pokémon that his wife is as mad as a hornet.
- In Pokémon X and Y, fresh-caught fish is served at the restaurants in Lumiose City.
- In Pokémon X and Y, real world butterflies appear in the background at some places during Pokémon battles.
- Corsola's Pokémon Sun and Moon entries state that coral branches grow from its head, which are apparently a food source for Mareanie.
- West Sea Gastrodon's Moon entry states that it eats microscopic plankton.
In the side series
- In Pokémon Colosseum, when Nascour asks Venus about the progress of her takeover of The Under, she comments that "a couple mice appear to be running loose".
In spin-off games
- In Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, barnacles can be seen in underwater areas.
In the anime
Animals have been seen in the anime. They were more common in the original series as there weren't as many species of Pokémon introduced at the time. A picture book based on the Pokémon anime once featured a dog walking past Ash and his friends, and a piece of concept art of the residents of Pallet Town featured a cat. Birds can also occasionally be heard in the background. Foods that contain meat products, such as hamburgers and chicken, are often seen. In addition, the guidebook Pocket Monsters: The Animation confirmed that there were indeed animals in the Pokémon world, and also revealed that Pokémon weren't related to animals at all.
In Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands, the four gym badges are made up of seashells with a gem on the center of the shell. This implies that molluscs exist within the Pokémon world.
Animal appearances have become less frequent as more Pokémon have been added to take their places.
- Misty is scared when she sees a Caterpie, and Ash tries to calm her down by reminding her that it's a Bug-type Pokémon rather than a "real" bug.
- Pidgeotto is seen eating a regular worm before being captured by Ash.
- Fish can be seen in the fish tanks inside the Gym. They have made later appearances featuring the Cerulean Gym.
- After Ash, Misty, and Brock fall into the Squirtle Squad's pitfall trap, a dinosaur fossil can be seen.
- A cooked lobster can be seen as food served on the ship.
- A fish is seen on the counter while James is running after his Pokéball in the sunking ship.
- More fish can be seen swimming in the ocean near the sunken St. Anne.
- Brock attempts to attract customers to a restaurant by advertising unusual animal-themed dishes, including french-fried flounder, seven-layered crab cakes, squid on a stick, and clam juice snowcones.
- Team Rocket sends a missile that is shaped like a shark's head to ruin the Pokémon beauty contest.
- Fish can be seen in the aquarium in Nastina's vision of her completed luxury hotel.
- The Tentacool are referred to as jellyfish in the episode.
The mongoose in The Ghost of Maiden's Peak
- A Gastly created an illusion of a mongoose in order to scare Jessie's Ekans.
- When Charmander lights up the room, a mounted deer head can be seen on the wall.
- Also, some of the toys in the Ghost Pokémon's playroom appear to resemble giraffes and ducks, and there is a merry-go-round with horses.
- Two different species of real world fish are seen in Meowth's fantasy.
- One of the signs on Scissor Street features a crab.
- Fish tail is seen in one plate when James and Meowth were dreaming about food.
- Some real world animal plushes are seen on some of the shelves of the festival.
- At the end of the episode, when Team Rocket comes out of the water, Jessie can be seen with a starfish, a urchin and a seashell on her head.
- Santa Claus tells Ash and his friends that he has "no reindeer" to pull his sleigh, and uses a Ponyta instead.
- In one scene, James is holding a lobster.
- In the last scene, Team Rocket are eating some canned squid, salmon and some brown fish.
- Lots of real world animal plushers are seen in the stores during the princess festival.
- There are banners depicting random fishes on some houses.
- Drawn bunnies and bears appear on some of the walls of the school.
- Rabbit ears are seen in the top hat drawn on Team Rocket's van.
- Meowth compares his voice to one of the chipmunks after inhaling a gas coming from a tank with a Psyduck on it.
- While Ash and his friends are looking for a hotel to stay in, a picture of a tiger can be seen in one of the hotels.
- During Gary's banquet, some fishes is seen sliced up.
- Butterflies are seen on a painting when Ash and his friends are at Blaine's hotel.
- A green mouse is seen on a cup in one of the many tourist stands of Cinnabar Island.
- Real world fish are seen in an aquarium inside the Cerulean Gym.
- James and Meowth wear geese costumes.
- In addition, they are compared to Seel and Dewgong with seals.
- Various coral are visible underwater.
- A starfish is seen underwater.
- Misty goes inside a giant clam as part of her underwater.
- While Ash and his friends are falling down the sewer pipes, several skeletons of unidentified prehistoric animals are seen. Also, when a chef gets his kettle back, he talks about cooking chicken.
- Miranda talks to seagulls to learn the conditions of the sea. In addition, when Meowth despises the idea of going into a sewer, Jessie tells him to "pretend he's a catfish."
- There is a swordfish on Victor's wall.
- Some kind of yellow shark/seal is seen in a picture frame when she talks.
- When Ash's Bulbasaur smells Poké-nip and becomes dazed, Misty reads a sign that says Poké-nip's scent affects Pokémon like catnip affects cats.
- While Meowth was looking for food, he came across some fish bones. Meowth is also seen eating fried chicken.
- While Ash and his friends are resting, their elderly female host mentions the disappearance of her "muskrat meatballs." However, this was only in the English dub of the episode, and is actually an example of a dub edit very similar to Brock's "donuts" in another episode. The so-called meatballs are actually dango, a sweet Japanese dumpling made from rice flour.
- The host also refers to Team Rocket as "polecats", another name for skunks.
- The characters are eating shrimp tempura.
- Meowth mentions insects.
- A starfish is seen on the sandbar.
- Real fish can be seen in the moment before a young Joy falls into the water.
- Meowth is seen holding and talking about eating clams.
Kabutops and its prey
- When Meowth mentions his "top of the line" food, it cuts to an image of a can of cat-food with a real-world cat on the label.
- A fried chicken stand can be seen along with a chicken thigh at the Sunflora festival.
- Meowth mentions chicken feed.
- A horse statue is in the background.
- At one point in development, this movie was going to feature a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This idea was scrapped as more Generation II designs were revealed.
- Jessie is seen holding a goldfish.
- When one of Misty's catches escapes from her fishing line, Ash says that it was probably a catfish.
- Various corals are visible underwater.
- During the Team Rocket motto, James mentions he's wearing Mink.
- Various corals are visible underwater.
- Various corals are visible underwater.
- During the Poké TV segment, barnacles can be seen on rocks above the sea.
- Snail-like Sliggoo toy can be seen in the Gadget Festival.
- One of Mimikyu's disguises show a starfish and a shell appears in a beach bucket.
- The shape of the clasp of Ida is a real shell.
In the manga
Animals have also been seen in the manga.
- In How I Became a Pokémon Card, a cat appears in one chapter.
- In Pokémon Pocket Monsters, regular animals appear alongside Pokémon.
- In Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All, a snail appears in GDZ04. In GDZ13, Shu is shown capturing some beetles in the forest.
- In Pokémon Adventures, there were real-life mice, shrews and birds as Bellsprout, Weepinbell, and Victreebel's prey at the Kanto Safari Zone.
- In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, the Cerulean Gym Aquarium has real-life fish and whales.
- In Pokémon Adventures, Pika is seen chasing a butterfly or a moth.
- In Pokémon Adventures, Gyara is seen smiling at a butterfly.
- In Pokémon Adventures, a Roughneck's Vespiquen uses grubs for the moves:Attack Order, Defend Order and Heal Order.
- Real-life animals such as fish, butterflies and horses have occasionally been seen in the Magical Pokémon Journey manga.
In the TCG
Numerous early Pokémon cards featured animals.
- A bird perched on a Weepinbell.
- A bug near a Bulbasaur.
- A frog next to an Oddish.
- A wasp flying near a Venonat.
- A Butterfly flying near a Squirtle, and an Eevee.
- A worm for Magikarp and Spearow.
- A crab next to an Exeggutor.
- A fish near a Psyduck.
- Coral near Horsea, Quagsire, and Luvdisc.
- Sea anemones near Wooper.
- Butterflies and fish near a Slowpoke.
- The shadow of what appears to be a shark is on the original Super Rod card.
- Fish, or perhaps porpoises, near a Magikarp.
In books
At least three animals can be spotted in the Let's Find Pokémon! series.
- In Let's Find Pokémon!, a dragonfly can be seen near a pond, and a worm can be seen in the beak of a Pidgey.
- In Let's Find Pokémon! 3, a Kangaskhan is eating a fish with rice.
Trivia
- Takeshi Shudou's original idea for the third Pokémon movie was about a real-world tyrannosaurus rex fossil being discovered. It would've come to life and gone on a rampage through the Kanto region. [1]
