10 Weirdest Unlockables In Pokemon Games
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VOICE OVER: Josh McLean
WRITTEN BY: Josh McLean
Even for a series as whacky as "Pokemon," players have found some weird unlockables. For today's list, we'll recall obtainables that were exceptionally strange be they items, evolutions, or bonus modes. Our list includes the Doom Seed from "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon" (2007), Costume Party Lucario from "Pokemon Unite" (2021), the Ball of Mud from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" (2022), and more!
Script written by Josh McLean
Even for a series as whacky as "Pokemon," players have found some weird unlockables. For today's list, we'll recall obtainables that were exceptionally strange be they items, evolutions, or bonus modes. Our list includes the Doom Seed from "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon" (2007), Costume Party Lucario from "Pokemon Unite" (2021), the Ball of Mud from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" (2022), and more! Leave your favorite weird pokedex entry in the comments below, and get ready for the unusual!
So… Incense! Used in our world for meditation, worship, as an insect repellent, or just aesthetics. Smells good, looks cool… BUT IN POKEMON! Introduced in Gen 3 & 4, when given to a pair of “compatible Pokémon”, it will allow them to produce an egg… When they otherwise could not. I see they’re taking after the ancient Greek interpretation. Wink. Reviewing the name and everything, “lucky” incense seems like a good fit. The new baby Pokemon also inherits moves from its two holder ‘mons…There’s no doubt about it. We were just tasked with setting the mood for these monsters to get their rocks off. Hey, they put this in the game, not me! Don’t get me started on the other types like “Lax” incense, and uh “Pure” incense. With this new knowledge… I don't like it. Plus the description isn’t helping: "It is an exotic-smelling incense that makes the holder bloated and slow moving." Yuck. At least we've moved away from this mechanic and now it just boosts move type power. Unlock it by reaching the “Ravaged Path”, or in the markets of future titles.
Funny how we've abandoned the concept of: "oh, it won't hurt when you hurl an object at that small creature directly". No-no it’s “Fluffruit” guys. Light as a pillow, promise! Forget all that. Mud Ball. Quote, it’s “stiff and hard”. That’ll leave a mark, buuut hey it’s ancient times in this game! Back when Pokemon marriage was a thing. Yup. I didn’t forget, GameFreak. “I see they’re taking after the ancient Greek interpre-” I swear the rest of this list is back to PG! Throwing rocks at monsters wouldn't be so weird if they hadn’t tried to convince us for so many years that we’re not hurting these little dudes. And if you really want to be a pest, craft them into the “sticky glob”. Both unlocked and acquired by dating regular pokemon in battle.
There are many Pokemon catching devices with strange properties. None more odd than the “Moon Ball”. A custom pokeball made by the hands of Kurt, which one can acquire in Azalea Town after collecting enough Yellow Apricorns. Gotta’ love how that’s a consistently reliable crafting material in-universe. When used, trainers are treated to a 4x catch chance… For only ‘mons that evolve with a moon stone. Looking at you Nidorino, Nidorina, Jigglypuff, and Clefairy. How painfully specific and dare I say, useeeeeleeessss. When was the last time you had trouble catching the legendary Jigglypuff? At least it’s visually appealing, pretty cool colors if nothing else. But, you may find yourself throwing your head back in frustration when actually trying to use it in Gen 2, it’s first appearance. As the moon ball was bugged, and offered no boost to catch rate at all. Wack.
Collected and unlocked randomly in the “Purity Forest” for the spin-off Mystery Dungeon series, the Doom Seed is a less than useful treasure indeed. Upon consuming, the pokemon’s level will be reduced by 1 stage. You may be thinking, hey, that’s kind of neat. Imagine devolving your pokemon by reducing their level, or gaining an extra boost in stats by leveling up, reducing the exp counter to a lower number, and leveling up again! Well, self destruct all those good ideas ‘cause this “unhappiness nut” does nothing of the sort.
When the ‘mon’s level is reduced, they lose any stats gained as well. Sure, you can throw it at an enemy and hope they eat it instead. But even so it’s not going to lower their stats as much as a simple “growl” or “tail whip” will. Basically it’s just a super emergency food source. But it can’t even be used to set a level 1 pokemon to zero. Double wack.
Alright, I got a bone to pick with this game - a “Bone Curry”, that is! I mean, why program in missing Pokemon when you’ve got the unrefusable offer of 151 CURRIES?! That said, cooking in the mainline games is a pretty good idea. Home to a wide variety of shapes and flavors for your friends and you to munch on. One of which is SlowPoke tails! It's super rare, hard to make, and worst of all: confirms we've been consuming Pokemon pretty regularly this whole time. Yeah, they mentioned it in the anime but who's counting how much of that is game-canon? Yeah, yeah, I see your Pokemon Sword pokedex entry: "this Pokémon won't feel any pain if its tail gets eaten", and I raise you the fact that Galarian Slowpoke had to evolve to become tougher with TWO new forms so they didn't die out! Weird inclusion to be sure.
Acquiring a Malamar for your pokedex is more than meets the eye. Do you level up its pre-evolution, little “Inkay”? Stand a specific way? Give it something? Well, yes and no. This unassuming little squid is well known for its curious requirements to unlock its final stage. The hint lies in its description: “The Revolving Pokémon” & “Overturning Pokémon”. Yeah, they must’ve been plotting this one for a while because Inkay will only evolve when your system is held upside down, only possible on two of Nintendo’s systems. Safe to say 90% of players had to look this one up because there was never a Pokemon previous that required this kind of detective work. Buuut that doesn’t mean there haven’t been others since, so stay tuned. Yo, Pokemon, your game is flipped.
Heard the tale of the fabled “shiny”? An ultra rare pokemon with alternate colors and a little sparkle, or, sometimes, none of those things…But yet, countless trainers have sunk vast hours in the hope of just encountering one. For those determined folks, good news, the shiny charm ups the odds significantly from about 1/ 8192 , to the slightly more reasonable 1/2731, depending on the title. Being that the game and anime usually go out of their way to dismiss shinies as a thing, this is an odd one, as useful as it may be for bragging rights. The average player won’t spot the difference on many of the ‘mons, and being that you only unlock the charm after beating the main questline, most trainers probably don’t bother figuring it out. Your best bet? Cross your fingers, dot your I’s, and cross your T’s.
Straying into the “battle arena”-sphere, Unite has ignited some heated conversations on how far is too far for cosmetics. How exactly do you unlock Mr musketeer Lucario here? The ol’ reliable! Cold hard cash! Around $40 dollarinos to transform the “Aura Pokémon” into a Puss In Boots lookalike with no in-game effect. Not saying it isn’t cool, but, am I wrong for seeing this outfit akin to a fan created Sonic character? (Forgive me). At that price point I’d expect him to be at least a different color than default, and due to the design of this game style, from a bird’s eye zoomed-out perspective, minor cosmetic details aren’t going to stand out anyway.
So it turns out Inkay back there was only the beginning. Once hitting the Switch, they went wild with a handful of evolution requirements. While the little squid will always hold the crown for the first, “wait really? THAT’S how you do it?” Hold on to your hat - pokemon… There isn’t a hat pokemon yet? (Mario’s Cappy?) Galar, the land of weird evolutions. Galarian Farfetch’d for instance, needs to hit three criticals in a row. Good luck. Galarian Yamask, has to take over 49 damage, survive, (self inflicted hits don’t count), and then be brought to a specific stone bridge and stand underneath it. You can tell the devs are really leaning into that feeling of being told some ridiculous instruction like this on the playground. Milcery though, has to take the cake. (Boooo!) You lookin’ for a “rainbow swirl” form? Trainer must: Hold a sweet and “spin counterclockwise for more than 10 seconds between the brackets of 7:00 PM and 7:59 PM in-game time”... What even…???
How much weirder can we get? A hat that costs half of a switch game, Pokemon getting freaky over frankincense…I raise you. Locking the volume controls, behind a random NPC, giving you a seemingly inconsequential item…ONCE AGAIN! Acquiring the hi-tech earbuds, found after the first wild area, lets the player control the volume of the background music, sound effects and Pokémon cries separately... But only after finding this dude outside the record shop. WHY IS THIS BASIC FEATURE a hidden item? Why!? I can only imagine how many people waltz on by Mr Music, completing the main questline, and assuming they would have all the audio options available from the beginning. Double, triple, wack.
Even for a series as whacky as "Pokemon," players have found some weird unlockables. For today's list, we'll recall obtainables that were exceptionally strange be they items, evolutions, or bonus modes. Our list includes the Doom Seed from "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon" (2007), Costume Party Lucario from "Pokemon Unite" (2021), the Ball of Mud from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" (2022), and more! Leave your favorite weird pokedex entry in the comments below, and get ready for the unusual!
#10: Lucky Incense
“Pokémon Diamond / Pearl” (2006)So… Incense! Used in our world for meditation, worship, as an insect repellent, or just aesthetics. Smells good, looks cool… BUT IN POKEMON! Introduced in Gen 3 & 4, when given to a pair of “compatible Pokémon”, it will allow them to produce an egg… When they otherwise could not. I see they’re taking after the ancient Greek interpretation. Wink. Reviewing the name and everything, “lucky” incense seems like a good fit. The new baby Pokemon also inherits moves from its two holder ‘mons…There’s no doubt about it. We were just tasked with setting the mood for these monsters to get their rocks off. Hey, they put this in the game, not me! Don’t get me started on the other types like “Lax” incense, and uh “Pure” incense. With this new knowledge… I don't like it. Plus the description isn’t helping: "It is an exotic-smelling incense that makes the holder bloated and slow moving." Yuck. At least we've moved away from this mechanic and now it just boosts move type power. Unlock it by reaching the “Ravaged Path”, or in the markets of future titles.
#9: Ball of Mud
“Pokemon Legends Arceus” (2022)Funny how we've abandoned the concept of: "oh, it won't hurt when you hurl an object at that small creature directly". No-no it’s “Fluffruit” guys. Light as a pillow, promise! Forget all that. Mud Ball. Quote, it’s “stiff and hard”. That’ll leave a mark, buuut hey it’s ancient times in this game! Back when Pokemon marriage was a thing. Yup. I didn’t forget, GameFreak. “I see they’re taking after the ancient Greek interpre-” I swear the rest of this list is back to PG! Throwing rocks at monsters wouldn't be so weird if they hadn’t tried to convince us for so many years that we’re not hurting these little dudes. And if you really want to be a pest, craft them into the “sticky glob”. Both unlocked and acquired by dating regular pokemon in battle.
#8: Moon Ball
“Pokemon Gold / Silver” (1999)There are many Pokemon catching devices with strange properties. None more odd than the “Moon Ball”. A custom pokeball made by the hands of Kurt, which one can acquire in Azalea Town after collecting enough Yellow Apricorns. Gotta’ love how that’s a consistently reliable crafting material in-universe. When used, trainers are treated to a 4x catch chance… For only ‘mons that evolve with a moon stone. Looking at you Nidorino, Nidorina, Jigglypuff, and Clefairy. How painfully specific and dare I say, useeeeeleeessss. When was the last time you had trouble catching the legendary Jigglypuff? At least it’s visually appealing, pretty cool colors if nothing else. But, you may find yourself throwing your head back in frustration when actually trying to use it in Gen 2, it’s first appearance. As the moon ball was bugged, and offered no boost to catch rate at all. Wack.
#7: Doom Seed
“Pokémon Mystery Dungeon” (2007)Collected and unlocked randomly in the “Purity Forest” for the spin-off Mystery Dungeon series, the Doom Seed is a less than useful treasure indeed. Upon consuming, the pokemon’s level will be reduced by 1 stage. You may be thinking, hey, that’s kind of neat. Imagine devolving your pokemon by reducing their level, or gaining an extra boost in stats by leveling up, reducing the exp counter to a lower number, and leveling up again! Well, self destruct all those good ideas ‘cause this “unhappiness nut” does nothing of the sort.
When the ‘mon’s level is reduced, they lose any stats gained as well. Sure, you can throw it at an enemy and hope they eat it instead. But even so it’s not going to lower their stats as much as a simple “growl” or “tail whip” will. Basically it’s just a super emergency food source. But it can’t even be used to set a level 1 pokemon to zero. Double wack.
#6: Smoked-Tail Curry
“Pokemon Sword / Shield” (2019)Alright, I got a bone to pick with this game - a “Bone Curry”, that is! I mean, why program in missing Pokemon when you’ve got the unrefusable offer of 151 CURRIES?! That said, cooking in the mainline games is a pretty good idea. Home to a wide variety of shapes and flavors for your friends and you to munch on. One of which is SlowPoke tails! It's super rare, hard to make, and worst of all: confirms we've been consuming Pokemon pretty regularly this whole time. Yeah, they mentioned it in the anime but who's counting how much of that is game-canon? Yeah, yeah, I see your Pokemon Sword pokedex entry: "this Pokémon won't feel any pain if its tail gets eaten", and I raise you the fact that Galarian Slowpoke had to evolve to become tougher with TWO new forms so they didn't die out! Weird inclusion to be sure.
#5: Malamar
“Pokemon X / Y” (2013)Acquiring a Malamar for your pokedex is more than meets the eye. Do you level up its pre-evolution, little “Inkay”? Stand a specific way? Give it something? Well, yes and no. This unassuming little squid is well known for its curious requirements to unlock its final stage. The hint lies in its description: “The Revolving Pokémon” & “Overturning Pokémon”. Yeah, they must’ve been plotting this one for a while because Inkay will only evolve when your system is held upside down, only possible on two of Nintendo’s systems. Safe to say 90% of players had to look this one up because there was never a Pokemon previous that required this kind of detective work. Buuut that doesn’t mean there haven’t been others since, so stay tuned. Yo, Pokemon, your game is flipped.
#4: Shiny Charm
“Pokemon Black 2 / White 2” (2012)Heard the tale of the fabled “shiny”? An ultra rare pokemon with alternate colors and a little sparkle, or, sometimes, none of those things…But yet, countless trainers have sunk vast hours in the hope of just encountering one. For those determined folks, good news, the shiny charm ups the odds significantly from about 1/ 8192 , to the slightly more reasonable 1/2731, depending on the title. Being that the game and anime usually go out of their way to dismiss shinies as a thing, this is an odd one, as useful as it may be for bragging rights. The average player won’t spot the difference on many of the ‘mons, and being that you only unlock the charm after beating the main questline, most trainers probably don’t bother figuring it out. Your best bet? Cross your fingers, dot your I’s, and cross your T’s.
#3: Costume Party Lucario
“Pokemon Unite” (2021)Straying into the “battle arena”-sphere, Unite has ignited some heated conversations on how far is too far for cosmetics. How exactly do you unlock Mr musketeer Lucario here? The ol’ reliable! Cold hard cash! Around $40 dollarinos to transform the “Aura Pokémon” into a Puss In Boots lookalike with no in-game effect. Not saying it isn’t cool, but, am I wrong for seeing this outfit akin to a fan created Sonic character? (Forgive me). At that price point I’d expect him to be at least a different color than default, and due to the design of this game style, from a bird’s eye zoomed-out perspective, minor cosmetic details aren’t going to stand out anyway.
#2: Galarian Evolution
“Pokemon Sword / Shield” (2019)So it turns out Inkay back there was only the beginning. Once hitting the Switch, they went wild with a handful of evolution requirements. While the little squid will always hold the crown for the first, “wait really? THAT’S how you do it?” Hold on to your hat - pokemon… There isn’t a hat pokemon yet? (Mario’s Cappy?) Galar, the land of weird evolutions. Galarian Farfetch’d for instance, needs to hit three criticals in a row. Good luck. Galarian Yamask, has to take over 49 damage, survive, (self inflicted hits don’t count), and then be brought to a specific stone bridge and stand underneath it. You can tell the devs are really leaning into that feeling of being told some ridiculous instruction like this on the playground. Milcery though, has to take the cake. (Boooo!) You lookin’ for a “rainbow swirl” form? Trainer must: Hold a sweet and “spin counterclockwise for more than 10 seconds between the brackets of 7:00 PM and 7:59 PM in-game time”... What even…???
#1: Hi-tech Earbuds
“Pokemon Sword / Shield” (2019)How much weirder can we get? A hat that costs half of a switch game, Pokemon getting freaky over frankincense…I raise you. Locking the volume controls, behind a random NPC, giving you a seemingly inconsequential item…ONCE AGAIN! Acquiring the hi-tech earbuds, found after the first wild area, lets the player control the volume of the background music, sound effects and Pokémon cries separately... But only after finding this dude outside the record shop. WHY IS THIS BASIC FEATURE a hidden item? Why!? I can only imagine how many people waltz on by Mr Music, completing the main questline, and assuming they would have all the audio options available from the beginning. Double, triple, wack.
