Whether your Pokédex is full or you stopped counting after Gen 1, there's something uniquely satisfying about knowing your Pokémon. How far does yours go?
From Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle in a Pallet Town lab to Gym Leaders, the Elite Four and legendary Pokémon across nine generations. This quiz covers the franchise from its roots to its recent history. Every Trainer thinks they know their Pokémon. Prove you do.
Pick your level
Pokémon launched in Japan in February 1996 with 151 creatures and a kid leaving Pallet Town. It has since become the highest-grossing media franchise in the world, and the National Pokédex now runs past a thousand entries. The normal quiz spans that whole history: the Kanto starters, the legendaries on the box art, the type chart and a few of the heavyweights.
Hard mode goes back to where it started. Almost every question comes from Red and Blue, their glitches and their Gym Leaders, or from the first seasons of the anime. If you spent 1998 or 1999 with a Game Boy and a link cable, you are the target audience.
Pokémon names vary more than you might expect between regions. Charizard is Dracaufeu in France and Glurak in Germany, and Gym Leaders and anime characters were renamed along the way too. The English version of this quiz uses the names from the English-language games and the English dub of the anime.
All ten easy level questions, with the answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: Pocket Monsters
Pocket Monsters, Poketto Monsutā in Japanese.
Correct answer: Ketchum
Ketchum, a pun on "catch 'em".
Correct answer: Raichu
Raichu. Ash's Pikachu turned the offer down in the anime.
Correct answer: Water
Water, and it's a turtle that wears sunglasses in the anime's Squirtle Squad.
Correct answer: Sings them to sleep
Sings them to sleep, then draws on their faces in a huff.
Correct answer: Meowth
Meowth, who taught himself human speech for love.
Correct answer: Pokémon GO
Pokémon GO, made by Niantic, and a summer craze worldwide.
Correct answer: Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds, under a deerstalker hat.
Correct answer: Psyduck
Psyduck. The headache gets worse until it unleashes its psychic powers, then it forgets.
Correct answer: Trainers
Trainers. Rangers exist too, but in a spin-off series.
Want to warm up before playing or double-check something? Open any question to reveal the correct answer and a short explanation.
Correct answer: Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle
In Pokémon Red and Blue, Professor Oak offers three starter Pokémon: Bulbasaur (Grass/Poison), Charmander (Fire) and Squirtle (Water). They are the most iconic starters in the franchise.
Correct answer: 1996
Pokémon Red and Green (followed by Blue) launched in Japan on February 27, 1996, a date now celebrated annually as Pokémon Day. The games reached Europe in 1999.
Correct answer: 150
Mewtwo is number 150 in the National Pokédex. It was created in a lab using Mew's DNA (number 151). Mewtwo is one of the most powerful legendary Pokémon in the franchise.
Correct answer: Water, Rock, Ground
Fire-type Pokémon are weak against Water, Rock and Ground moves. On the other hand, they resist Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Fairy and Steel attacks.
Correct answer: Charizard
Charmander evolves into Charmeleon (level 16) and then into Charizard (level 36). Charizard is a Fire and Flying type, which might surprise anyone expecting it to be Dragon-type.
Correct answer: Dialga
Dialga is the legendary mascot of Pokémon Diamond. It controls time, while its counterpart Palkia (in Pokémon Pearl) controls space. Both belong to the Creation Trio alongside Giratina.
Correct answer: 18
There are 18 Pokémon types since the Fairy type was introduced in Pokémon X and Y (Generation 6, 2013). Steel and Dark were added in Generation 2, and Fairy in Generation 6.
Correct answer: Lugia
Lugia is the mascot of Pokémon Silver and features on its cover. Ho-Oh is the mascot of Pokémon Gold. Lugia is the Guardian of the Seas, a Psychic/Flying type, and the master of the three legendary birds.
Correct answer: Magearna
Magearna is a mythical Steel/Fairy-type Pokémon introduced in Generation 7. It is not an Alolan form. Notable Alolan forms include Ninetales (Ice/Fairy) and Raichu (Electric/Psychic).
Correct answer: Groudon
Groudon weighs 950 kg in its standard form and 999.7 kg in its Primal form, making it one of the heaviest Pokémon. Snorlax weighs 460 kg, Dialga 683 kg and Rhyperior 282.8 kg.
Stuck on one, or just curious how nasty it gets? Every hard mode question is here with its answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: MissingNo.
MissingNo., reached through the Old Man trick in Viridian City and a bit of surfing along the Cinnabar Island coast. Encountering it pushed the quantity of your sixth item past 100, which is how a generation of players ended up with bags full of Rare Candies. Nintendo officially warned players not to try it.
Correct answer: Pokémon Tower
Pokémon Tower, where you need the Silph Scope to see the ghosts and where Mr. Fuji is held by Team Rocket. Sprout, Tin and Burned Tower are all in Johto, in the second generation.
Correct answer: Gary Oak
Gary Oak, who travels with a convertible and a squad of cheerleaders. In the games, the rival is also Oak's grandson but takes whatever name you give him. Paul is Ash's rival in Sinnoh, and Tracey a later travelling companion.
Correct answer: It refuses to go inside
It simply refuses to go in, from the very first episode. That stubbornness is part of why Pokémon Yellow, released in 1998 in Japan, has Pikachu follow the player around on the overworld instead of staying in a ball.
Correct answer: Porygon
Porygon, even though the flashing red and blue lights came from one of Pikachu's attacks. Hundreds of children were taken to hospital, the show went off the air in Japan for four months, and neither Porygon nor its evolutions have had a real role since.
Correct answer: Dark
Dark, largely to rein in Psychic types, which had dominated Red and Blue with few real weaknesses. Fairy did not arrive until X and Y in 2013, while Dragon and Poison were there from the start.
Correct answer: The Seafoam Islands
In the Seafoam Islands, between Fuchsia City and Cinnabar Island. Zapdos waits in the Power Plant, Moltres on Victory Road and Mewtwo in Cerulean Cave, which only opens once you are Champion.
Correct answer: Sabrina
Sabrina, the Psychic-type leader of Saffron City. Erika gives the Rainbow Badge in Celadon, Koga the Soul Badge in Fuchsia and Blaine the Volcano Badge on Cinnabar Island.
Correct answer: Giovanni
Giovanni, leader of the Viridian City Gym, which is why that Gym stays locked until late in the game. He is the eighth and final leader before the Pokémon League, and in the anime he is usually seen stroking a Persian.
Correct answer: Atsuko Nishida
Atsuko Nishida, a Game Freak artist, whose first sketch was based on a round, yellow daifuku rice cake. Ken Sugimori finalised the design, as he did for most of the first 151. Tajiri created the series and Masuda composed its music.