Pokémon Movepool Oddities & Explanations

[TailGlowVM]

Here is a move that many Grass-type Pokémon learns; Growth. It’s a move that is introduced in Generation 1 that, before Gneeration 5, raise Special Attack by 1 stage, or Special by 1 in Gen 1. At Generation 5 onward, it raises Pokémon‘s Attack and Special Attack by 1 stage each, which the boost doubles if Sun or Desolate Land is active.

Most Pokémon that can use Growth are Grass-type, referring the leaves, trees and flowers slowly growing to thrive. There is four outliers in here, however.


… How am I supposed to explain that!?

The most plausible explanation I could think of here would be that Illumise's body grows when it releases that scent? No idea if that actually happens though,

Poliwag, Eevee, and Spinerak also all get the move via Gen II events.

Maybe that's because these are all small, young Pokemon that grow a lot when they are evolved?

Know what's a weirdly anonymous move? Pluck.

Having a look at the distribution, most of the Pokemon that get this make sense, but I can see a couple of outliers:
These Pokemon learn Pluck:


(How are Hoothoot and Swablu using those tiny beaks to steal Berries?)

These ones don't:

 

[R_N]

I feel like those tiny beaks are perfectly fine? Like actual tiny birds with tiny beaks pluck berries or gather needles or leaves or whatever for all kinds of things.


Sigilyph is...more questoinable.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

bit of a nitpick here, but Zapdos actually does have Pluck in its wild Wormhole moveset. For some reason, several wormhole legendaries’ movesets aren’t simply their last four level up moves. Why this is the case is another question entirely.

Huh, weird. I knew about Ho-oh having Burn Up but I wasn't aware of other ones having non-standard moves. I never caught all the Wormhole legends myself.

Having a look at the distribution, most of the Pokemon that get this make sense, but I can see a couple of outliers:
These Pokemon learn Pluck:


(How are Hoothoot and Swablu using those tiny beaks to steal Berries?)

I mean, small Pokemon totally make sense. The girl who gives you the TM in DPP gushes over how adorable it is when tiny bird Pokemon use Pluck, so it's definitely made with those in mind (and as R_N points out, loads of tiny birds in real life pluck berries from branches).

Sigilyph is the weird one, but we don't really know what it eats - none of its Pokedex entries go into such mundane matters - but it's a bird Pokemon like any other. Pluck is definitely more a "bird" move than a "flying" move. Aerodactyl, Golduck, and Gliscor aren't "birds" in the traditional sense (yes, I know ducks and pterodactyls-sort-of are birds, but Golduck isn't a Flying-type and learns very few Flying moves outside of things like Aerial Ace, which everything gets; and Aerodactyl is identified as a predator), so that's likely why they were left out. Interestingly though, in the anime Aerodactyl was shown to enjoy eating fruit, but it may have just been an on-the-spot invention.

Fittingly, the only non-bird Pokemon to learn it are rodents: Rattata and Bidoof. Some Pokemon which seem like they should get it by level-up but don't are Starly (introduced in the same generation, and can hold a Yache Berry when caught) and Murkrow, which is noted to steal things (though mostly shiny objects rather than food, but still).

 

[Pikachu315111]

+
Numel and Camerupt refers to how mountains, especially volcanoes, have a growth in height over time, sometimes due to tectonic activities. Super volcanoes are often the oldest on Earth and other planets. Strangely, the line does not have access to Growth until the sixth Generation.

Could it also maybe because they're based on camels? Camel humps do shrink & grow as they use up and store up the fat reserve inside it.

While not a Grass-type, it does carry flowers that are still alive and active. I can imagine the flowers being larger over time for better floral healing effect.

Yet oddly the Flabebe family don't learn Growth.

… How am I supposed to explain that!?

Could have to do with the firefly life cycle & how some females in certain species mature. They spend most of their live in their larval stage, up to 2 years, and then near the end of their lives they fully metamorphize into the firefly beetles we know. Well, in some species this is only true for males, females of those species actually stay in a larval form, albeit much larger. One species females can grow as big as a human palm. Not only that, another species females are predatory and will eat the males of other firefly species to gain a chemical they produce which then their eggs are laid with to protect them. So, take your pick (also it could probably be GF wanting to give the females a stat increasing move "on par" with Tail Glow... even though there are plenty of firefly species where the females tails do glow).

Poliwag, Eevee, and Spinerak also all get the move via Gen II events.

Poliwag is based on a tadpole which goes this metamorphosis to grow into a frog (Paradoxical Frog notwithstanding).

Eevee's gimmick is about rapid evolution, or maybe in this case rapid mutation growth, into different older forms depending on environmental factors.

Spinarak is based on a spider which are known for molting to grow bigger.

These Pokemon learn Pluck:

Sigilyph is...more questoinable.

It uses the "horn" on its head to spear the berry?

 

[Hugin]

Having a look at the distribution, most of the Pokemon that get this make sense, but I can see a couple of outliers:
These Pokemon learn Pluck:


(How are Hoothoot and Swablu using those tiny beaks to steal Berries?)

I'm seeing a lot of people misunderstanding Sigilyph here. This is Sigilyph:

Hide

It's a hummingbird. That's not a horn on it's head, it's a long beak. Now hummingbirds don't eat fruit, but lbh, that's the least of the moveset issues discussed in this thread.

 

[Sonikku A]

Aerodactyl, Golduck, and Gliscor aren't "birds" in the traditional sense

To be fair, Golduck is a platypus, not a bird. Though from what I've seen, ducks/platypuses can very easily snatch things with their bill regardless, so the point stands

Speaking of birds, how come Murkrow/Honchkrow can't learn Echoed Voice!? It's distributed typically to birds or loud animals, yet the true "crow" mons, one of the loudest animals with an iconic call, don't get it!?

 

[TailGlowVM]

Aerodactyl, Golduck, and Gliscor aren't "birds" in the traditional sense (yes, I know ducks and pterodactyls-sort-of are birds, but Golduck isn't a Flying-type and learns very few Flying moves outside of things like Aerial Ace, which everything gets; and Aerodactyl is identified as a predator), so that's likely why they were left out. Interestingly though, in the anime Aerodactyl was shown to enjoy eating fruit, but it may have just been an on-the-spot invention.

Swoobat and Crobat's evolution lines aren't birds, and I assume they use Pluck in the same way Aerodactyl and Gliscor would? Minor nitpick, but Malamar learns Pluck too (though that does mostly make sense given its little beak)

 

[Chadlad50]

This has probably been mentioned somewhere here so forgive me if it's a repeat, but why can't Kyurem (Black specifically) learn Ice Punch? Like, it would make sense for regular Kyurem and Kyurem White not to (kinda), but Kyurem Black has jacked arms, and yet the only somewhat usable physical Ice move it gets is Icicle Spear? Really doesn't make that much sense to me, unless there's some sort of reasoning behind it

 

[DrPumpkinz]

This has probably been mentioned somewhere here so forgive me if it's a repeat, but why can't Kyurem (Black specifically) learn Ice Punch? Like, it would make sense for regular Kyurem and Kyurem White not to (kinda), but Kyurem Black has jacked arms, and yet the only somewhat usable physical Ice move it gets is Icicle Spear? Really doesn't make that much sense to me, unless there's some sort of reasoning behind it

Due to how their transformation works, the Kyurems have the exact same movepool, except Glaciate, Ice Burn, and Freeze Shock replace each other, as do Scary Face, Fusion Flare, and Fusion Bolt (though Scary Face can be retaught after fusion via TM). Base Kyurem is the one that the movepool as a whole is based around, and just like Tyrantrum, it can't really punch things.

 

[Chadlad50]

While that does make sense, it doesn't explain how a Pokemon like Wooper can learn Ice Punch but Kyurem can't. I don't really think it'd hurt to add Ice Punch to Kyurem's movepool, unless there's something about Wooper that warrants it learning Ice Punch but not Kyurem

 

[R_N]

Any arguments against Kyurem learning Ice Punch because its base form has tiny dinosaur arms on a hunched over body has to contend with the fact that Kyurem also learns roost. Despite its wings being horrible bony tubes and also frozen over so they don't even work in its base form.

In fact it learns all matter of wing moves despite the "wings" not even able to function! It also learns claw moves like Dragon & Shadow claw, which absolutely use its tiny forearms and not like its legs.

But god forbid it gets ice punch

 

[DrPumpkinz]

While that does make sense, it doesn't explain how a Pokemon like Wooper can learn Ice Punch but Kyurem can't. I don't really think it'd hurt to add Ice Punch to Kyurem's movepool, unless there's something about Wooper that warrants it learning Ice Punch but not Kyurem

Wooper is an anomaly that will be discussed until Pokemon is forgotten in the public consciousness. My headcanon is that it spontaneously grows a limb that falls off once the move is over, a spin on how real-life axolotls are extremely good at regenerating body parts, though it honestly should not learn the move in the first place. In any case, if you somehow think saying "well if Wooper gets Ice Punch then so should Kyurem" makes any sense, then you should see no issue with saying "well if Wooper gets Ice Punch then Voltorb should get Thunder Punch and Silicobra should get Fire Punch". And I really hope you see the problem with saying that.

Any arguments against Kyurem learning Ice Punch because its base form has tiny dinosaur arms on a hunched over body has to contend with the fact that Kyurem also learns roost. Despite its wings being horrible bony tubes and also frozen over so they don't even work in its base form.

In fact it learns all matter of wing moves despite the "wings" not even able to function! It also learns claw moves like Dragon & Shadow claw, which absolutely use its tiny forearms and not like its legs.

But god forbid it gets ice punch

Tyrantrum can also learn claw moves. Just because their dinky little arms and knuckles can't punch things doesn't mean their claws aren't sharp.

Anyway,

Growlithe doesn't learn Growl.

This reminded me of something odd. Growlithe not learning Growl is a classic example of people not realizing that Pokemon have different names in different languages, and it's very easy to explain away the lack of the move that way. But if you take another step back, does that explanation really make sense? I mean, it's a dog. You'd expect a dog to be able to growl cutely. And yet, not only does Growlithe not learn Growl...



all but one canine Pokemon cannot learn Growl (through regular means, Sketch doesn't count) with Furfrou being the only learner.

 

[Nokocchi]

This reminded me of something odd. Growlithe not learning Growl is a classic example of people not realizing that Pokemon have different names in different languages, and it's very easy to explain away the lack of the move that way. But if you take another step back, does that explanation really make sense? I mean, it's a dog. You'd expect a dog to be able to growl cutely. And yet, not only does Growlithe not learn Growl...

all but one canine Pokemon cannot learn Growl (through regular means, Sketch doesn't count) with Furfrou being the only learner.

Much like how you mentioned Japanese names of Pokemon being different, this is also a case of the move's name also being different, Growl's Japanese name roughly translates to "Cry"(Not the sad kind, but as in just simply making a distinct noise). I'd probably have to do some research to completely understand the context of the move's name in Japanese, since the list of learners is interesting, like for example a decent bit of avian and feline Pokemon can get it, as well has many of the Pokemon based on aquatic mammals(all of the seal/sea lion Pokemon get it, for example) and Pokemon based on animals who make well-known and distinct noises. At the same time, Pokemon you'd think that would get it(the Jigglypuff and Whismur line) can't get it, while Pokemon with similar themes(Chimecho and Toxel lines) can.

 

[R_N]

Tyrantrum can also learn claw moves. Just because their dinky little arms and knuckles can't punch things doesn't mean their claws aren't sharp.

artcozolt can throw a punch and i am pretty sure the only thing this abomination has poking out of its skin is its claws

A ton of pokemon with tiny little nub arms can learn the punching moves and its not just limited to early gen weirdness. If dedenne can "punch" so can kyurem's dinky trex arms.


let kyurem have ice punch!




And, since we're re-re-re-re-relitigating ice punch on kyurem let us also once more exclaim: GIVE KYUREM ICICLE CRASH. There's no reason it shouldn't get that

 

[Sonikku A]

It gets me that Aerodactyl, a flying Dino, gets Bulldoze for TMs
You know....digging/excavating dirt hard?

 

[Chadlad50]

Speaking of that, why doesn't Earthquake ignore Levitate whenever the Levitating mon is using Dig? I mean...it's in the ground, it's not levitating anymore, is it?

 

[R_N]

Speaking of that, why doesn't Earthquake ignore Levitate whenever the Levitating mon is using Dig? I mean...it's in the ground, it's not levitating anymore, is it?

that feels like just a slip up when checking immunity. Probably since it's such an edgecase: there's only a handful of Flying type or Levitating pokemon get dig

 

[Chadlad50]

that feels like just a slip up when checking immunity. Probably since it's such an edgecase: there's only a handful of Flying type or Levitating pokemon get dig

True. It's weird but like the only Pokemon I can think that have Dig and Levitate/Flying type are Flygon and Gliscor so it's not a big deal, just something that makes you go "wut"

 

[Rapti]

To be fair, Golduck is a platypus, not a bird. Though from what I've seen, ducks/platypuses can very easily snatch things with their bill regardless, so the point stands

Speaking of birds, how come Murkrow/Honchkrow can't learn Echoed Voice!? It's distributed typically to birds or loud animals, yet the true "crow" mons, one of the loudest animals with an iconic call, don't get it!?

Golduck is not a platypus

This is a platypus

While that does make sense, it doesn't explain how a Pokemon like Wooper can learn Ice Punch but Kyurem can't.

 

[Chadlad50]

I don't like what Primeape is insinuating here ;-;

 

[Siggu]

In fact it learns all matter of wing moves despite the "wings" not even able to function! It also learns claw moves like Dragon & Shadow claw, which absolutely use its tiny forearms and not like its legs.

To be fair, in this case it can use the "claws" in its wings, which have a much greater reach.

 

[Sonikku A]

Golduck is not a platypus

This is a platypus

Nah, that's a partying kappa
technically both Golduck and the Lotad line are based on Kappas, but the latter is way more obvious with it, while the former is more like a real animal

 

[Bakugames]

I feel like a lot of moves lacking could just simply be to avoid movepool bloat. Not saying it's always the reason, but a move that may fit a pokemon very well could not be added because they already have enough moves or it has a function similar to something it already gets.

 

[Noiptile]

artcozolt can throw a punch and i am pretty sure the only thing this abomination has poking out of its skin is its claws

A ton of pokemon with tiny little nub arms can learn the punching moves and its not just limited to early gen weirdness. If dedenne can "punch" so can kyurem's dinky trex arms.


let kyurem have ice punch!




And, since we're re-re-re-re-relitigating ice punch on kyurem let us also once more exclaim: GIVE KYUREM ICICLE CRASH. There's no reason it shouldn't get that

Arctozolt at least I can imagine throwing himself at the opponent and doing something minimally close to a punch. Kyurem just can't punch, it just has 2 little claws in his hand, which I don't think would close. Dual Wingbeat makes some sense too, because it can at least fly at the target and crash its wings into it, and in the case of Dragon Claw, at least it has claws to use in specific cases.

However, I'm not against Ice Punch Kyurem, and at the very least Icicle Crash it should have.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Wooper is an anomaly that will be discussed until Pokemon is forgotten in the public consciousness. My headcanon is that it spontaneously grows a limb that falls off once the move is over, a spin on how real-life axolotls are extremely good at regenerating body parts, though it honestly should not learn the move in the first place.

It uses its gills. It covers them in ice, thus protecting them, and then charges at the target, the force which breaks the ice thus the gill isn't frozen long enough to cause any harm.

This reminded me of something odd. Growlithe not learning Growl is a classic example of people not realizing that Pokemon have different names in different languages, and it's very easy to explain away the lack of the move that way. But if you take another step back, does that explanation really make sense? I mean, it's a dog. You'd expect a dog to be able to growl cutely. And yet, not only does Growlithe not learn Growl...

all but one canine Pokemon cannot learn Growl (through regular means, Sketch doesn't count) with Furfrou being the only learner.

In addition to what Nokocchi pointed out, I would like to also mention that the move "Howl" is learned by a lot of dog-based Pokemon, so in that regard we do have a one dog noise-based move.

It gets me that Aerodactyl, a flying Dino, gets Bulldoze for TMs
You know....digging/excavating dirt hard?

Keep in mind the idea behind Bulldoze is that the user is stomping on the ground very hard to cause the ground to shuffle (and likely have pieces uplift and hit the target). So with that in mind Aerodactyl has feet and is likely heavy enough so just lands and starts stomping around.

No, the Pokemon which I question getting Bulldoze is:

• Slowpoke family, Shuckle (Do they look like angry stompers to you?)
• Hitmonchan (Sure it has feet, but it's the punching Pokemon)
• Gyarados, Lapras, Mantine, Milotic, Sharpedo, Relicanth (While some Pokemon I can see using their tail/long body if they don't have feet, and in some cases flippers for a few Water-types, it's these Water-types in particular I kind of have a hard time see doing any of that)
• Swalot, Gastrodon (It's essentially piles of slime, how do they stomp? Do they jump up and down with their aBinaclemorphous body?)
• Wailer family (Earthquake, sure. Bulldoze, I feel its a bit too large for that one (unless we're taking its lighter than air into account softening its flopping around))
• Lunatone, Solrock, Glalie, Minior (Like, I guess they could just hover, slam down, hover back up, etc. but that sounds like an awful lot of effort)
• Eon Duo (Similar to Hitmonlee, feels they would be more punching the ground)
• Binacle (Barbaracle is fine as it has feet, but why also it's prevo? Does it flip itself upside down to act like a makeshift pair of legs?)
• Phantump (Trevenent is fine, but Phantump is a ghost without legs. Does it headbang the ground?)
• Cursola (Being its a spirit hiding inside its former body, I have a feeling whats left of its body is kind of fragile already)

What non-Ground-types gets Bulldoze via TM feels a bit random sometimes. And note there's plenty of Ground-types I question how they get Bulldoze but overlook it cause its at least a Ground-type so has earth manipulation power.

Speaking of that, why doesn't Earthquake ignore Levitate whenever the Levitating mon is using Dig? I mean...it's in the ground, it's not levitating anymore, is it?

that feels like just a slip up when checking immunity. Probably since it's such an edgecase: there's only a handful of Flying type or Levitating pokemon get dig

Specifically (I started writing this before realizing R_N responded so not to waste the effort):

Flying-type: Ledyba family, Gligar family, Ninjask, Archen family and Hawlucha (why does it learn Dig?)
Levitate User: Trapinch family, Baltoy family, & Vikavolt

Golduck is not a platypus

This is a platypus

You're right Golduck is not a platypus. We have no platypus Pokemon, I would know because my mom's favorite animal is a platypus and so I would have let her know if there was a platypus Pokemon. Psyduck is a combination of a duck and kappa.

Ludicolo is also not a platypus. It's actually a more accurate looking kappa combined with a Mexican mariachi because the lilypad looks like a sombrero.