50 Fun Facts About Pokemon Generation 3

Which Generation III Pokémon became an internet meme through a misspelled catchphrase popularised on 4chan?

Mudkip spread across message boards from 2005, and the hacktivist group Anonymous even referenced the meme during its 2008 protests.

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire became the best-selling title on which Nintendo handheld?

Game Boy Advance owners bought more than 16 million copies, yet the pair still sold fewer than the Red and Blue or Gold and Silver generations before them.

Which Legendary Pokémon lives in the ozone layer and stops Kyogre and Groudon from fighting?

Rayquaza feeds on water particles and meteorites high above the planet, and it destroys incoming meteorites that threaten the world below.

Which enormous Pokémon, at over 47 feet the longest of Generation III, travels in pods?

Wailord travels in a pod with Wailmer and other fish Pokémon, and the whole group rushes to defend any Wailmer that is attacked.

Newly discovered species of which animal were named after the Pokémon Treecko, Grovyle and Sceptile?

Spiders of the genus Anyphaena carry the names: Anyphaena sceptile and Anyphaena grovyle were described in 2021, and Anyphaena treecko followed in 2022.

Which villainous group in Pokémon Ruby wants to awaken Groudon and dry up the oceans?

Team Magma plays the villain in Ruby; in Sapphire the roles flip and Team Aqua tries to flood the region with Kyogre instead.

Which Fire and Fighting-type Pokémon, the final evolution of Torchic, can leap over a 30-story building?

Blaziken can also blow fire from its wrists and ankles, and one magazine poll summed up its appeal by calling it a kung fu chicken.

Which Generation III Pokémon, a mutated alien virus, did NASA use to teach children about outer space?

Deoxys can switch between four Formes, Normal, Attack, Defense and Speed, each with base stats suited to a different role.

Which Generation III Pokémon can appear with more than four billion different spot patterns?

Spinda has exactly 4,294,967,296 possible spot patterns, a feature that took so much planning it became a favourite of the games' director.

Which Pokémon remakes came bundled with a wireless adapter for cable-free trading?

FireRed and LeafGreen were the first games in the series to work with the adapter, which let nearby players trade and battle without a link cable.

Which Bug and Ghost-type Pokémon has just 1 HP and emerges from the shell Nincada leaves behind?

Shedinja only appears if the player has a spare party slot when Nincada evolves, and its Wonder Guard blocks every attack that is not super effective.

Which Pokémon has the highest base stats of any common species but can only move every other turn?

Slaking is held back by its Truant ability, a fitting flaw for a Pokémon considered the laziest in the world.

Which real Japanese island, rotated 90 degrees, inspired the Hoenn region of the Pokémon games?

Kyushu was turned on its side because the games' director felt the rotation gave better gameplay balance, and both places are ringed by many smaller islands.

Which Dark-type Pokémon is feared as a bad omen because it appears to warn people of disasters?

Absol senses earthquakes and tsunamis with its horn, but because it turned up just before each catastrophe, people gave the well-meaning Pokémon a bad reputation.

Which Water-type Pokémon, based on the oarfish, is considered the most beautiful Pokémon of all?

Milotic is said to be so lovely that the sight of it distracts and soothes opponents who were ready to fight.

Which Rock-type Pokémon can only ever face north because part of its body works as an electromagnet?

Nosepass has a nose that acts as an electromagnet, which is why hikers and explorers have been known to use one as a living compass.

Which gem-eating Pokémon was inspired by a goblin reportedly seen in Kentucky in the 1950s?

Sableye takes its look from the Hopkinsville goblin, and its diet has caused gemstones to grow on its body.

Which Generation III evolution of Ralts can create a small black hole to protect its Pokémon Trainer?

Gardevoir is so loyal that it will pour all of its energy into that defence, and it gained a Mega Evolution in the sixth generation.

Which Pokémon hides invisibly in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire until revealed with the Devon Scope?

Kecleon was one of the first third-generation Pokémon shown to the public, starring in an anime episode in 2001, more than a year before Ruby and Sapphire came out.

Which man-made Normal-type Pokémon changes its shape and type to match sunny, rainy or snowy weather?

Castform was created for weather experiments, yet researchers who tried to trigger its sunny form with a heater found it would not change.

Which shabby fish Pokémon appears on only six random fishing spots in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire?

Feebas is based on the largemouth bass, and its six spots are decided by the trendy phrase the player sets in Dewford Town.

Which Pokémon looks harmless, then bites with a second mouth formed from deformed steel horns?

Mawile is modelled on the futakuchi-onna, a woman said to have a second mouth on the back of her head.

Which Ground and Dragon-type Pokémon had a planned Mega Evolution cancelled because of artist's block?

Flygon whips up sandstorms with its wings to hide itself, and the flapping makes a sound similar to singing.

Which small Pokémon leaps off cliffs hoping to fly, giving it a head hard enough to break rocks?

Bagon gets its wish as Salamence, which celebrates finally being able to fly by blasting fire around and burning fields.

Which Steel and Psychic-type Pokémon has four brains that make it more intelligent than a supercomputer?

Metagross forms when two Metang fuse, and it pins down its opponents before eating them with the mouth on its stomach.

Which Pokémon is covered in scars from its endless feud with the venomous snake Pokémon Seviper?

Zangoose has an immune system that resists its rival's venom, which helps it survive their constant fights.

Which Generation III Pokémon loves to dance because its cells produce energy when hit by festive music?

Ludicolo evolves from Lombre, a nocturnal prankster that tugs on fishing hooks just to annoy fishermen.

Which Fire-type Pokémon digs for fuel, burns it inside its shell, and dies if the fire goes out?

Torkoal fills its shell with coal, and the pressure of the smoke it blows from its shell and nostrils shows how healthy it is.

Which Generation III Pokémon is said to be a discarded plush doll that came to life out of a grudge?

Banette keeps its energy stored inside its body, and that energy leaks out if the zipper on its mouth is ever opened.

Which Water and Ground-type Pokémon, based on the Namazu, can predict earthquakes or cause them?

Whiscash senses where its opponents are with its whiskers, and it eats anything that moves, usually swallowing it whole.

Which Hoenn professor, father of the player's rival, hands over a starter Pokémon after being rescued?

Birch is cornered by a wild Poochyena at the start of Ruby and Sapphire, so the player chooses one of three Pokémon to defend him and then keeps it.

Which battle format debuted in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire as a new challenge beside one-on-one fights?

Double battles put two Pokémon on each side at once, and the developers said the format might return in later generations if fans responded well.

Which candies made from berries raise a Pokémon's condition for Contests in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire?

Pokéblocks boost the Condition stat that matters in Contests, mini-games where Pokémon perform their moves before a judge instead of battling.

Which sickly boy in the Hoenn Pokémon games returns as the final challenger before the Elite Four?

Wally is introduced by the player's father Norman, and he overcomes his illness to become a successful Trainer in his own right.

Which Champion of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, a fan of rocks and minerals, mentors the player?

Steven Stone steps aside in Emerald to become a wandering Trainer, leaving his friend Wallace to take over as Champion.

Which trait, new in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, differs between individuals and alters their stats?

Natures arrived in the same games as Abilities, and each one shifts a Pokémon's stats rather than directly changing the strength of its moves.

Which feature of Pokémon Gold and Silver was dropped from Ruby and Sapphire?

The day-night cycle was cut, so the clock in Hoenn only drives events such as the tides and the growth of berry plants.

Which instrument is the soundtrack of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire especially noted for using heavily?

Trumpets dominate the score, which is entirely instrumental apart from two tracks that feature vocals.

Which Game Freak developer directed Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and also wrote the games' battle music?

Junichi Masuda composed only the battle themes, leaving most of the town and route music to Go Ichinose and the rest to Morikazu Aoki.

Which e-Reader card for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire unlocked Southern Island, home of Latios or Latias?

Eon Ticket cards were offered at 125 Toys R Us stores across the United States during a summer tour, and which dragon appeared depended on the version played.

Which Mythical Pokémon sleeps inside a crystal shell and wakes for just one week every thousand years?

Jirachi can grant the wishes of anyone who places a note on its head, and it will also wake early if it hears singing in a pure voice.

Which Legendary Pokémon appears in corrupted Shadow form on the box of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness?

Lugia is both the mascot and an antagonist the player can snag, in a sequel set five years after the first Orre adventure.

Which console game first let players snag Shadow Pokémon from other Trainers in the Orre region?

Pokémon Colosseum drops random wild encounters entirely, and its hero Wes is a former member of the thieving Team Snagem.

Which archipelago joined Kanto in the third-generation remakes of Pokémon Red and Blue?

Sevii Islands are modelled on the real Izu chain, and the seven of them hold Pokémon normally exclusive to the Johto region.

Which post-game area in Pokémon Emerald adds six new facilities and awards points to spend on prizes?

Battle Frontier expands the Battle Tower of earlier games, and the player is let in by a man met several times along the journey.

Which transformation, unique to Kyogre and Groudon, was introduced in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire?

Primal Reversion works much like Mega Evolution, and in the remakes each villain triggers it by using the correct orb on his Legendary.

Which fourth-generation Pokémon appears beside Munchlax in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness?

Bonsly and Munchlax both appear here ahead of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, in a game that otherwise centres on catching and purifying 83 different Shadow Pokémon.

Which Ghost-specialist Trainer class, new in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, was redesigned for Pokémon X and Y?

Hex Maniac is a whole class of Trainers, not one person, and a member named Helena is playable in the mobile game Pokémon Masters EX.

Which later Legendary Pokémon is said to have created the Hoenn trio of Regirock, Regice and Registeel?

Regigigas is credited with making the three giants, and two more members, Regidrago and Regieleki, joined the group in generation VIII.

Which Pokémon is said to be an ancient mud figure brought to life by an unknown ray of light?

Claydol dates back 20,000 years in the legend, and because rain would melt its body it wraps itself in a coat of psychic energy.