Pokémon Movepool Oddities & Explanations

Pikachu315111

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This is one of those things (probably) explained by the Japanese version.

Dazzling (English) | Vivid Body (Japanese)
Dazzling Gleam (English) | Magical Shine (Japanese)
But "magic" has often been related to the Psychic-type, at least until Fairy came into the picture:

Magic Room and Magic Coat are Psychic-type.
Magic Bounce was originally held only by Psychic-types until Gen VI.
Magic Guard is majorly held by Psychic-types, and the only Fairy-type to have it was originally a Normal-type.

Finally a good amount of Psychic-types learn Dazzling Gleam anyway.
 
Maybe this is just me, but does anyone find it weird that Sandygast learns Sand-Attack?
It's entire thing is that it possesses people so they add sand to it so that it can get bigger, and yet it attacks with sand. It seems...counterproductive.
 

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Maybe this is just me, but does anyone find it weird that Sandygast learns Sand-Attack?
It's entire thing is that it possesses people so they add sand to it so that it can get bigger, and yet it attacks with sand. It seems...counterproductive.
That does sound weird if you think about it... but imagine how much weirder it would be if it didn't learn it.
 
I just learned (and I'm wondering if it's been brought up before) that Beautifly learns Rage at level 37.

Which of course puzzled me, because why would this cute butterfly Pokemon learn Rage, a move reserved for big beasts and dragons and angry monsters. Well, according to some Pokédex entries, Beautifly is an angry monster. Apparently they can be exceptionally violent when bothered while feeding on pollen... And then it will stab you with its proboscis and feed on your internal fluids instead. "Aggressive" comes up a lot and Pearl's entry calls it "savage".

I never would have figured Beautifly to have more in common with Beedrill than Butterfree. It's just too bad they didn't give it Anger Point as a hidden ability over Rivalry.
 
I just learned (and I'm wondering if it's been brought up before) that Beautifly learns Rage at level 37.

Which of course puzzled me, because why would this cute butterfly Pokemon learn Rage, a move reserved for big beasts and dragons and angry monsters. Well, according to some Pokédex entries, Beautifly is an angry monster. Apparently they can be exceptionally violent when bothered while feeding on pollen... And then it will stab you with its proboscis and feed on your internal fluids instead. "Aggressive" comes up a lot and Pearl's entry calls it "savage".

I never would have figured Beautifly to have more in common with Beedrill than Butterfree. It's just too bad they didn't give it Anger Point as a hidden ability over Rivalry.
Didn't exactly expect Beautifly of all things to have anger management issues; here I thought Dustox was the mad sibling. Also didn't expect said angry butterfly to turn mosquito; honestly, that's a little terrifying, given how big it is.
 
Don't know if this has been mentioned before, but Toucannon (and pre-evos) out of all things can't learn Facade. Which I found annoying because I bought the Facade TM just to teach it to the bird, only to find that it couldn't learn the move.
For that matter, so don't Morelull's line, Pyukumuku, Kartana and Magearna according to Bulbapedia.

Gen VII is the first one to introduce Pokemon that can learn moves by TM but cannot learn Facade (not counting those whose only TMs they can learn are of moves they learn by level-up).
 
If we're bringing up TMs, is there an explanation for how Dhelmise, a Pokemon who is the seaweed on a MASSIVE anchor (and lacks a mouth), uses Round, which is a move whereby the user attacks the target through song?

The first and only thing I've come up with is "I have no mouth and I must sing"
It uses the anchor chain as a musical instrument. :P
 
There's three examples that strike me as odd:

Snorlax with High Horsepower was always a bit puzzling. The move's name in Japanese is '100,000 Horsepower' which doesn't make things any easier to understand. I'd love to see this move get some more distribution in the next games of this generation though; if they intend to give it to machinery-based Pokemon or horse-based Pokemon. Rapidash could really love High Horsepower.

One bit of move weirdness is Smart Strike. Togetic can use the TM, but not Togepi or Togekiss. In Japanese it's called Smart Horn and so any Pokemon with a horn can use it, but why only Togetic among this line? The rest of its evolutionary relatives have spikes on their heads in some capacity just like it...

Kommo-o in the Battle Tree can sometimes use Shell Smash...but it can't legally learn it! It must have been a mistake, since if they wanted to make it an egg move, it could learn it from Turtanator.
 

Pikachu315111

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Speaking of oddities with the new moves... why not look at more?

Fire Lash: For some weird reason, just NOW they decided to give, of all Pokemon, Heatmor a Signature Move. Two generations after it was introduced. Also Heatmor isn't in the Alola Dex.


Power Trip: Krookodile also got a pseudo-Signature Move now (it can breed it onto other Pokemon). Though At least its on a Pokemon in the Alola dex.

Lunge: A new Bug-type move and the basic concept behind it is the Pokemon, well, lunges at the target. A lot of Bug-types should learn it, especially predatory Bug-types, right? Nope. Pinsir, Accelgor, Scyther family, Spinarak family, Heracross, Venipede family, Escavalier, Golisopod, Armaldo, and Skorupi family don't learn it. You know who does? Mothim, Aquanid family (which makes some sense), and Surskit (and Buzzhole & Pheromosa). Now had this just been "Signature Moves" for Buzzhole and Pheromosa then fine, but nope.

Dragon Hammer: *Bangs head* Why do they keep doing this to Exeggutor? WHAT PART OF IT BEING A SPECIAL ATTACKER DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, GF?! Okay, Alolan Exeggutor's Attack was increased slightly, it's Special Attack is still higher by enough points you'd still rather have it be a special attacker! And yet they gave it another Physical Signature Move! Yes, another, because if you remember it's first Signature Move, Barrage, is also Physical. At least Dragon Hammer has high power and gets STAB...
Also, considering Guzzlord's tail is a spike ball, I think it could learn Dragon Hammer.

Psychic Fangs: Why of all Pokemon can Lillipup get it as an Egg Move (from Smeargle)?

Purify: (1) Why is this a Poison-type move? Doesn't it seem more like a Water-type? Especially since the only Pokemon that can learn it is pure Water-type? (2) How come only Pyukumuku gets it? Nothing about it said anything of having purifying qualities. Shouldn't it be going to Pokemon like Suicune and Tapu Fini?

Toxic Thread: How about one last new Signature Move for an older Pokemon. Only the Spinarak family learns this. None of the other spiders, none of the other Bug/Poison which create thread like Venomoth or Dustox.

Spotlight: Um, is it just me or does this move seem kind of OP? Anyway so how can Clefairy family and Spinda can learn it? And not the Chimecho family? Ampharos is famous for being a light for a lighthouse!
 
Speaking of oddities with the new moves... why not look at more?

Fire Lash: For some weird reason, just NOW they decided to give, of all Pokemon, Heatmor a Signature Move. Two generations after it was introduced. Also Heatmor isn't in the Alola Dex.


Power Trip: Krookodile also got a pseudo-Signature Move now (it can breed it onto other Pokemon). Though At least its on a Pokemon in the Alola dex.

Lunge: A new Bug-type move and the basic concept behind it is the Pokemon, well, lunges at the target. A lot of Bug-types should learn it, especially predatory Bug-types, right? Nope. Pinsir, Accelgor, Scyther family, Spinarak family, Heracross, Venipede family, Escavalier, Golisopod, Armaldo, and Skorupi family don't learn it. You know who does? Mothim, Aquanid family (which makes some sense), and Surskit (and Buzzhole & Pheromosa). Now had this just been "Signature Moves" for Buzzhole and Pheromosa then fine, but nope.

Dragon Hammer: *Bangs head* Why do they keep doing this to Exeggutor? WHAT PART OF IT BEING A SPECIAL ATTACKER DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, GF?! Okay, Alolan Exeggutor's Attack was increased slightly, it's Special Attack is still higher by enough points you'd still rather have it be a special attacker! And yet they gave it another Physical Signature Move! Yes, another, because if you remember it's first Signature Move, Barrage, is also Physical. At least Dragon Hammer has high power and gets STAB...
Also, considering Guzzlord's tail is a spike ball, I think it could learn Dragon Hammer.

Psychic Fangs: Why of all Pokemon can Lillipup get it as an Egg Move (from Smeargle)?

Purify: (1) Why is this a Poison-type move? Doesn't it seem more like a Water-type? Especially since the only Pokemon that can learn it is pure Water-type? (2) How come only Pyukumuku gets it? Nothing about it said anything of having purifying qualities. Shouldn't it be going to Pokemon like Suicune and Tapu Fini?

Toxic Thread: How about one last new Signature Move for an older Pokemon. Only the Spinarak family learns this. None of the other spiders, none of the other Bug/Poison which create thread like Venomoth or Dustox.

Spotlight: Um, is it just me or does this move seem kind of OP? Anyway so how can Clefairy family and Spinda can learn it? And not the Chimecho family? Ampharos is famous for being a light for a lighthouse!
Spotlight isn't OP, a move just like it has existed since Gen V (Rage Powder). Rage Powder has almost no use at all.
 
Spotlight isn't OP, a move just like it has existed since Gen V (Rage Powder). Rage Powder has almost no use at all.
Rage Powder works like Follow Me, not like Spotlight.

Spotlight: Um, is it just me or does this move seem kind of OP? Anyway so how can Clefairy family and Spinda can learn it? And not the Chimecho family? Ampharos is famous for being a light for a lighthouse!
Clefairy's case is mostly understandable as it's been associated with pretty much every finger-wagging move (Spotlight's animation features precisely that) since forever thanks to Metronome.
 
The weirdest thing about Smart Strike is that they wasted a TM on it when only a handful of things even learn it.

Also Thundurus learns it but Tornadus doesn't, I guess because Thundurus has the spiky ball tail (since both have horns).
 
The weirdest thing about Smart Strike is that they wasted a TM on it when only a handful of things even learn it.

Also Thundurus learns it but Tornadus doesn't, I guess because Thundurus has the spiky ball tail (since both have horns).
For that matter... why can Togetic learn Smart Strike? Why can Togetic and only Togetic, but not Togepi nor Togekiss, learn Smart Strike?

That one is particularly weird as I cannot think of any other Pokemon that can learn a move through TM that a later stage cannot.
 

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