Can the Original 'Pocket Monsters' REALLY Fit in a Pocket? | Backseat Game Development

Pokemon a pop-culture Goliath which allows players to raise an assortment of adorable little monsters for training companionship and vs maybe a little bit of bloodsport but it's the most wholesome bloodsport you've ever seen for over 20 years these Pocket Monsters have brought endless joy to children and adults alike but what if I told you it was built on lies yes if you look a little more closely at the games you start to notice something misleading maybe even anti-consumer and dare I say some straight-up lies these monsters don't fit in pockets at all well that's where either backseat developer come in and really who better to put those industry professionals in their place then a youtuber with no experience in game development so let's crunch the numbers get a little liberal with some Pokemon health and safety and finally figure out if at the very least the majority of these monsters would fit in a pocket but before we begin this very journalistic and very important work let's go back to basics and learn where exactly the name Pokemon actually comes from Sirte Shi Tajiri the creator of the Pokemon franchise a living legend within the gaming world and also unfortunately a man that the internet really struggles to accurately identify if by some miracle you do find out information about the right person the first thing that you'll no doubt discover is that mr.

Tajiri really really loves bugs with his less evolved child form having scooped up scores of little beasties to stuff in his pocket but why would I bring that up well because apparently this hobby is the seed that grew into what we now know as Pokemon and a handful of years later the first games in the series Pocket Monsters green and red were released in Japan when the series came abroad as adopted the snappier named Pokemon but in Japan the name remains Pocket Monsters to this day so that's the promise we'll be investigating just like Tajiri 's creepy-crawly collection are these monsters really pocketable now you may say of course they bloody are the name refers to the pokeballs being put in your pocket not the monsters themselves or maybe the name refers to the Gameboy console itself fitting in your pocket the cartridge full of monsters well okay sure those arguments do have some weight but when as the potential of being wrong ever stopped some good investigative journalism [Music] to determine if the promise of Pokemon pocket ability is true we'll be investigating the original 151 Pokemon that appeared in those initial games and gather data from their official pokedex entries what we won't be using is data and images from the anime since things like size weight and whether you'd burn the skin right off your hands oh my god stop petting it are all a little bit inconsistent and unreliable then using our selected data we'll pass the entire generation one pokedex through three tests but what are those tests the first test looks at a pokemons physical dimensions to determine if they would even fit inside a wearable pocket on a pokemon trainer to give them the best chance possible we'll be using the largest pocket we can which gives us a torso bound monster receptacle measuring 49 point five centimeters tall now just under 50 centimeters seems a little small clearly half of all Pokemon won't fit in this but who said the Pokemon had to be totally enveloped inside to be classed as in the pocket each creature only needs to have 51% or more of its body securely inside however any data on a pokemons dimensions outside of height are pretty slim pickings luckily our next test will quickly read out any beasties with let's say an excessive whip you would think just googling how much can an average person carry would turn up a clear answer but using that method it seems the average person can carry about as much as they feel like bragging about on online message boards for example this self-proclaimed average guy can regularly carry 100 kilograms well that's a whole Gravlin so let's look this guy up and ask him a few more questions about Oh well then I guess in the absence of this modern Adonis's advice we can instead use some slightly more concrete figures courtesy of these guidelines for what people can carry safely in the workplace this gives us a maximum Pokemon weight of twenty point five kilograms as a comfortable amount to carry the medium to long distances but what if the Pokemon wasn't just unsustainable to carry because of this weight but because you the Pokemon or everyone around you would die a horrible horrible death now you know me I'm a stickler for cold hard facts and while there's been no official documentation stating developer game freak's policy on this our final test will rule out any pokemon who would perish all cause their trainer to perish in the act of being pocketed for this test we'll just imagine that each pokemon on the list is captured and fits inside the pocket no problem then we'll investigate any health risks that become apparent in that hypothetical scenario such risks might be if a Pokemon has a particularly dangerous innate ability that would severely injure or kill anyone in close proximity to it similarly if a Pokemon has a particularly fragile body that might be destroyed if squashed into an otherwise quite comfortable cotton and spandex blend receptacle then my lawyers tell me that's a no-go too so those are our three tests from Monster Pocket ability but before we begin first a few ground rules about the video as a whole to spare you from me listing 151 pokemon threat every single test will just cover the highlights and points of interest for each and save the complete data for right at the end then with all this information will assign a final percentage score to the accuracy of the term Pocket Monsters and rank it on this the back seat wall of gaming lies it's a little bit empty right now this being the first entry in all but just try to imagine all those presumably evil game developers that have finally been brought to justice by me a loud and smug voice on the Internet actually that reminds me if you do really want to get back at those guys send a message and set this whole rotten industry straight there's a pretty simple solution give me all that reclaimed trust clout and brand loyalty by hitting that subscribe button I'm glad we see eye to eye on this comrades well let's get testing there are a lot of Pokemon who are very clear candidates for early elimination using this test including onyx who standing at eight point eight meters tall is nearly ten times too large to fit in the pocket Bulbasaur is listed out 70 centimetres tall Burt's trying to slip this lad in back feet first raises a problem the seed on Bulbasaur's back is far too bulky to be squished into the pocket well at least as it currently is in the pokedex entry for ruby sapphire and emerald it's stated that sunlight is what makes Bulbasaur seed grow so a solution is obvious by simply depriving Bulbasaur seed of any sunlight perhaps with a stylish beanie we can ensure it stays nice small and pocketable Bulbasaur passes this first test an honor it's evolutions do not once that bulb has blossomed there's just no going back on the topic of starters Charmander easily passes as does squirtle waterl tor is right on the line measuring a meter tall but as long as it hides inside its shell for the duration of the trip it's good to go more early Pokemon that proved interesting are these buddy boys while both of their first two forms passed the test and no problem their final forms are a little more tricky measuring a meter high or just over but that's the height of their entire body including wings their actual bodies are rather small and easily fit under our size limit so we've just a little bit of wing we can snuggly tuck our mandible oning mad lads in the pocket on the subject of folding these thin bodied long lads both have incredibly large heights listed however a pokedex entry forger teeny in pokemon firered confirms that this describes their full body length and not their height when coiled and this image from a Pokemon art book also confirms the same thing meaning at 2 metres long Ekans is actually closer to a real-life large snake and not whatever this is and dratini is even smaller still so with just a little bit of coiling completed its in the pocket with both of you some Pokemon on all fours like Nidorino would easily pass this test or be an edge case if you just looked at the numbers but given their bulky bodies and the fact that these are their heights at their most horizontal this Pokemon and those like it easily fail the test of size for some height confusion that actually works in a pokemons favor look no further than the official heights including things that really shouldn't count as height such as large floppy ears or antennae how do you measure something that doesn't have a physical body Haunter is listed as a gas pokemon and can easily slip through anything at once including obviously condensing itself into the pocket official height be damned fellow ghosts gastly is a little more complicated with its body only being 95% gas but that's great too as it gives us clear dimensions for its physical core which by this math measures a tiny 6.

5 centimeters in diameter while Gengar well that entirely depends on if he's noncorporeal or has a physical body something that will come back to you a bit more later similarly compressible to the ghosts is porygon who while measuring below our maximum height is another horizontal hombre meaning an awkward fit for the pocket but never fear porygon is capable of reverting itself entirely back to program data so we can just stick this one on a USB stick and be done with it problem solved another rearrange herbal chap is Grimer who stands at 90 centimeters tall but being made of sludge and being described as having a body that can be forced anywhere I'm sure it can make the most of every crevice of the pocket and more comfortably past this test then you would assume some Pokemon require a substance to be added to the pocket which obviously adds a little bit of size needed fish like Goldie needs some water of which there's plenty of space in the pocket and Diglett need some soil now while Diglett size is one of the great mysteries of Pokemon it's 20 centimeter size above the surface as well as the results from some of our other tests really lean towards there not being much more under the mud after all the final test subject we'll talk about is kangaskhan while it measures an enormous 2.

2 meters tall I spy with my little eye a Kangaskhan with a pre-existing taste for pockets that is maybe a little bit smaller so with a little bit of kidnapping done for science of course we have another Pokemon confirmed pocketable and that's the end with the test of size complete how many Pokemon have already been eliminated from the pack of 151 well that's a secret for now first let's wrap up the rest of the tests and if you thought the solution to Kangaskhan was a little bit heavy wait till you see these lats [Applause] much like the test of height there are a few Pokemon that very clearly failed this test too including the heaviest genuine pokemon snorlax who fails with flying colors weighing over 20 times our trainers carrying capacity but despite what you might think weight and weight aren't just two ways to test the same thing there are some surprising discrepancies which had caught by this test such as dragon heir who despite being four metres long and far too large for the pocket to handle easily passes the weight test at a light weight sixteen point five kilograms another monster weighing far less than expected is weeping bell which despite being a meter tall and only just passing the first test ways are ridiculously light six point four kilograms a trend that carries on to its most evolved form victreebel who also easily passes the test of weight despite being an enormous 1.

7 meters tall Grimer weighs 30 kilograms well over our limit however much like the test of size its fluid body comes to the rescue once again as Grimer moves it sheds body mass meaning all we need to do is order this noxious little puddle to do a few laps around the house before we set off and we can whittle down its body weight to an acceptable amount despite bizarrely weighing the same as gromer it's a vault for Muk has no pokedex entries that mentioned this ability to shed weight preventing it from also passing this test some Pokemon have the ability to levitate making this test a float in the park essentially negating all weight they might have had Alakazam is a bit of an edge case in this regard as while it isn't seen floating it's actually constantly moving and lifting its body with its psychokinetic powers which comes to its natural conclusion with mega Alakazam who levitates like nobody's watching therefore i think it's reasonable to assume that with a little effort vanilla alakazam could at least offset about half of its weight this way to get under our limit the ghost pokemon gas lien Haunter are listed with very very small weights presumably because of their intangibility Gengar however is listed with a beefy forty point five kilograms body weight and to know pokedex entries mentioning his ability to fly or slip through objects again the enemy doesn't count it has to be a fail on both counts for our friendly neighborhood Gengar next up is mr.

mime who weighs an incredible 54 point five kilograms surely there's no way for us to get out of this corner and find a way to pocket him regardless I mean yeah okay obviously there is but that all depends on whether something mr.

mime mimes actually becomes tangible and able to affect the real world well what's the verdict looks like we've got something that's under contention with contradicting answers from official sources well luckily ambiguity is where my BS thrives so let's get stuck in in Pokemon Ruby and sapphires pokedex it states that mr.

mime does have the ability to magic invisible objects into existence saying that once a witness believes they are real they become real pokemon gold goes even further removing the need for someone to believe anything simply stating that mr.

mimes have the ability to create invisible objects well though seem pretty clear to me and that would mean our plan succeeds however in pokemon yellow the Pokedex states that mr.

mime makes enemies believe something exists when it really doesn't which is the complete opposite several other pokedex entries also seem to limit mr.

mimes abilities to just hardening air molecules to create invisible walls only not objects it really could go either way but as I'm a benevolent content creator we'll decide that mr.

mime can create helium balloons a drone or anything else that might help it offset some body weight and pass this test game freak hit me up for the details on where to send my bribe finally we've got star you who appears to be much too heavy to fit in the pocket but since when has that stopped us a glance at its pokedex entries reveals that we can simply just chop it into tiny little bits chuck most of it in the bin and just pocket it's nice compact center another problem solved with violence oh right yes I should probably explain myself huh [Music] before I'm thrown in the Chokey let's clear up this Staryu situation real quick of course I wouldn't chop a Pokemon to bits unless it really deserved it I'm sorry it wouldn't harm it star use regeneration ability is covered more in pokemon ultra moon where it's revealed that not only does this action not bother star you never mind actually hurt it but it can also grow back its body within just 12 hours so it's all above board nothing incriminating here unfortunately star meas pokedex entries don't mention this ability at all so to be absolutely safe let's not chop this one up or any of the others for that matter but for some being put in the pocket at all is just as deadly earlier we faulted our butterfly friends wings in order to squeeze its smaller main body inside the pocket but just how much punishment can a butterfly's wings take to find out I got in touch with a butterfly expert on Twitter with a totally non suspicious question and got a very clear please please don't fold a butterfly's wings so for Butterfree to pass the test of size it has to fail the test of safety as does Beedrill who received the same treatment however the vast majority of Pokemon who fail this test aren't at risk themselves rather it's the trainer who more frequently meets an unfortunate end for example these 10 Pokemon constantly excrete some kind of toxin or poison from their bodies with effects including paralysis and suffocation coughing however has an even more deadly habit of exploding without any warning when placed in a hot environment like for example some kind of hypothetical large pocket Voltorb and electrode are just as dangerous for this very reason and taking them for a hike through the wilderness all but guarantees our trainer will make it to the next town in a couple hundred pieces and most importantly with no Pokemon in what's left of the pocket there are a few Pokemon with body temperatures over 1, 000 degrees so not something you'd like to keep pressed against your chest and we also get the return of our buddy Gengar who you absolutely don't want hugging your body for extended periods of time as it's very present sucks 10 degrees of temperature from its immediate surroundings far more than the shift in someone's core body temperature needed to develop hypothermia similarly this pair of Pokemon can't help but harm their trainer when pressed against their chest this time by accidental poison sting with tentacles evolution tend to cruel actually passing this test due to its retractable stingers that it's smaller brethren hasn't developed yet remember how we said we would count every Pokemon as captured earlier well that was so we wouldn't have to assume any hostility for this test well these Pokemon all laugh in the face of that rule and are described as causing severe harm or death to anyone and everyone for little to no reason well okay maybe the adult Kangaskhan has a little bit of a reason since we made a train of steel its child and put it in a big pocket but failing this one test is a worthwhile trade-off for passing the previous two regardless of a little morally despite what all that might make you think it's not all failure and misery the ultimate edge Lord Mewtwo would appear to be catastrophic ly dangerous to carry around like a wee baby kangaroo but unlike Pokemon in the previous section it's only described as brutally attacking foes or enemies making a captured me to presumably harmless similarly all the legendary birds are described as having complete control over their elemental powers and aren't at risk of accidentally discharging their abilities on their trainer this lot all give off passive elemental forces that are so weak and borderline harmless to humans that their effects are limited to things like ear aches your hair standing on end or worst of all slight warmth and finally there are a few who do have elemental effects strong enough to cause harm but with an easy fix are you rightfully worried that charmander's tail might set your clothes on fire well just stick that lad in the pocket upside down and him – Oh neat are also seems to be covered in dangerous fire but these flames actually become harmless if you've gained a close enough bond meaning this equine endeavor is pocket ready as far as safety is concerned last but not least our favorite mascot and it's elder sibling our both described as being dangerous if they build up enough electric charge something that constantly bouncing in a fabric pocket is certainly at risk of doing however by an equal mix of chance in my complete genius our stretchy material of choice cotton and spandex holds a relatively low static charge meaning these mousy mates are good to go with that all three tests have come to a close and it's time at last to look over our findings I thought we'd never make it with finally here it's time for some backseat game development so let's find out how many of the original 151 Pokemon have achieved pocketable status and much more importantly reveal how much of the initial promise of pocketable monsters is a big dirty lie well we've got all the data so let's get judging where better to begin than with the worst offenders that fly in the face of Pocket ability as demonstrated by them failing every single one of the three tests put to them but how many of these so calls Pocket Monsters fall into this shameful category [Music] well then that's honestly fairly no and that might surprise you given the sheer amount of large and scary-looking Pokemon in the game however a trend that seemed to occur a lot was that the larger a Pokemon was or the more evolved one was they also became more intelligent and had more control over their abilities meaning most of the otherwise unpossible Pokemon were at the very least harmless to be around the seven are the obvious exceptions to that rule where their evolutions resulted in an amplification of their dangerous traits such as muck or Gengar the only non evolved member of this group is magma who quite frankly was just too large and on fire right out of the gate so with such a low number of Pokemon failing all three tests Game Freak is actually looking in pretty good shape to have at least half of their Pokemon actually be pocketable but before we celebrate too much let's move on to the next batch and look at the Pokemon who failed any two of the three tests but how many Pokemon is that ouch the leading cause of failure in this batch is the expected one Pokemon who are just too big and heavy to carry around in the pocket with 55 of these 66 failures missing the cut by failing the test of size and the test of weight as very much a to full-on deal now you're all smart people and no doubt you have incredible math skills if you watched some of my previous videos so I'm sure you're aware that this result puts Game Freak and the Pokemon series on some very thin ice with seven pokemon failing every single test and sixty-six pokemon failing two tests this means we're only three more failures away from the entire series being declared one big sham and angry fans across the world no doubt burning their cartridges in the street in protest but there is still hope with the previous results we already weeded out a lot of the obvious failures and the chance of a pokemon failing just one test and not the others is quite slim well there's no time like the present to find out if that's actually the case and reveal how many if any poke one failed just one of our tests missing out on pocketable status by a whisker [Applause] well well well I'm very disappointed in the lot of you when it comes to why these guys failed a test the results are actually pretty varied there are plenty of small perfectly pocketable moms with a nasty habit of poisoning people a lot who are just way heavier than you'd think and a few lanky fellas who just aren't capable of becoming compact enough to fit in the pocket despite their lightweight bodies and of course there's Kangaskhan whose baby helps us pass the first two tests before the mother murdered someone failing the third so where does this result leave us and how many of this so-called pocket monsters are actually pocketable here they are the only Pokemon we can trust making an appearance here we have our three starters a bunch of early area Pokemon and thankfully series mascot pikachu has made the cut as well other than that it's a whole lot of starting evolutions with a very rare second forum squeezing their way into the pocket of our hearts but you know who isn't in our hearts game free and by feeding all this data into my iPhone's calculator I can reveal that Pokemon Pocket Monsters is sixty five point six percent lies so if you're rightfully furious but need to know exactly how outraged to feel the answer is around two-thirds so there we have it another developer kept in check by an ever virtuous youtuber no doubt they'll think twice before naming an other series something like that oh yeah of course this is a whole series of video games isn't it now I was quite thorough in this video but let's just check to see if they added any more Pokemon since the original game and I'll just mop them up real quick actually you know what really can't be trusted the Internet thanks for watching this episode of backseat game development I make a habit of answering questions that no BS so if you enjoyed this video why not subscribe and stick around I also have a Twitter at backseat game dev of dubious entertainment value thanks once again and I'll see you next time you.