Pokémon 5 Moves That Make No Sense & 5 HMs That Never Did

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Pokémon 5 Moves That Make No Sense & 5 HMs That Never Did

With Generation VIII, there are over 800 different Pokémon moves. Here are 5 moves & 5 HMs that don't make sense. As of Generation VIII, there are over 800 unique moves. There are almost as many Pokémon moves as there are Pokémon! It's no surprise that GameFreak occasionally overlooks how logical some of these moves actually are, as well as the broader implication that some may pose to the series. This includes HMs, which were implemented to stagger the progress of players and allowed for a gradual increase in difficulty. Thankfully, the Pokémon games have evolved to the point that HMs and their requisite users are no longer necessary. Not only were most HM moves bad, but many also made no sense outside of battle. These 5 Pokémon moves and 5 HMs are confusing because they all prioritize function over logic, and are worth a second look. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

Move Minimize

Minimize is described as a move that compresses all the cells in the user's body and makes them smaller. Only a few Pokémon can use this move, and how do they do it? Clefairy, Muk, Lampent, and a few others learn Minimize. This leaves us with a few questions, though. Does that mean their cellular structures can be manipulated at will? Are they fundamentally different from other Pokémon? ? It's an evasive maneuver by nature and continues to be when it comes to providing answers.

HM04 Strength

Strength has never made sense as a damaging move. In , the game text reads: “Machoke used Strength. Machoke can move boulders.” If Strength makes the Pokémon that uses it stronger, why isn’t it a like Swords Dance or Bulk Up, improving attack power? Why instead is Strength a move displaying power, rather than a move that grants the user power? The move's typing seems wrong too. Many have argued that Strength should be a Fighting-type move, not a Normal-type move.

Move Protect

Protect is described as a move that increases evasion, but in the games, the move resembles an invisible barrier. Protect makes the Pokémon invulnerable to most attacks for one turn. What exactly is the Pokémon doing to protect itself? Burrowing underground, using psychic energy, throwing an object in the way to prevent damage? The move has never been articulated well by the games, leaving players to wonder how this can parry any attack. And since Protect dodges attacks, it should probably get renamed.

HM02 Fly

Small birds like Pidgey and Spearow can use Fly to get the protagonist from city to city. Given that a Spearow is one-foot tall, it is absurd to imagine one carrying a ten-year-old child with a backpack around Kanto, or any other region. Spearow makes a much better carrier pigeon. Thankfully, the Corviknight taxi service in Galar rectified this problem by making a massive seven-foot-tall raven the accepted method of transport. Still, canon is canon and Fly will never make sense.

Move Feather Dance

Feather Dance is a move that covers the opponent in feathers and harshly lowers their . Perhaps it’s a play on words because the soft down covering the Pokémon “softens” the blow, but it’s hard to imagine feathers weakening the power of Dynamicpunch or Superpower. They would have to be coated in multiple layers of feathers, and a lot of bird Pokémon that know this move simply don't have enough plumage to cover smaller Pokémon, let alone larger ones.

HM06 Whirlpool

In Johto, the player has to go to the Whirl Islands to capture Lugia. The only problem is the Guardian of the Sea created whirlpools around the islands to stop trainers from getting inside. The only way to make them disappear is by using Whirlpool, a Water-type move that traps the opponent in a vicious vortex of water for two to five turns. Why does a move that creates whirlpools calm existing ones? Shouldn’t it be called something like "calming waters?" It’s odd that outside of battle this move has the reverse effect.

Move Pay Day

Pay Day is a normal move that began as the signature move of , which makes sense. Meowth is based on the lucky cat of Japanese culture, Maneki-Neko, and as such loves to collect shiny coins. But where do Pokémon other than Meowth get these coins? Does the trainer supply their Pokémon with coins to throw at the opponent? How hard does a Pokémon need to hurl coins at the opponent? Pay Day may increase the payout after winning a battle, but it's a weak physical attack that barely justifies the cost.

HM05 Flash

Flash emits a powerful light that brightens up caves, meaning a Pokémon with Flash should have a way to produce light: a glowing flame, an electric shock, perhaps even with psychic powers. But in Generation One, Bellsprout, Meowth, Paras, Weezing, Beedrill, and about forty-five others can learn this move. How do these Pokémon produce light? Where does it come from? Without Flash, many caves are virtually impossible to complete; perhaps that's why it's teachable to so many Pokémon. Still, that doesn’t explain how these Pokémon can create a flashbang out of thin air.

Move Dazzling Gleam

Fairy-type moves are either mysterious or mystifying. Dazzling Gleam points to the latter. It emits a powerful ray of light that damages the opponent and that's super effective against Dragon-types. What's confusing about Dazzling Gleam is it deals damage, while Flash, a conceptually identical move, only lowers the target’s accuracy. What is it about Fairy light that it can physically harm a Pokémon but not blind, or compromise its accuracy? Maybe are just magical and defy the internal logic of the Pokémon universe, meaning they're functionally similar to lore surrounding fairies and the fae in the real world.

HM07 Dive

Dive is a cool move outside of battle because it allows the player to discover secret locations underneath the ocean or other water sources. But in-universe, how does the player survive underwater for long periods of time? Can people in the Pokémon universe hold their breath longer than people in the real world? Water-type trainers might be able to just out of practice, but average trainers would go belly up quickly. Surfing on the back of a one-foot tall Horsea is incomprehensible; riding one into the depths of the ocean without anything to breathe through is pure madness.