Nickname

A Bidoof being nicknamed "Buck"

A nickname is a name given to a Pokémon by its Original Trainer. Every time a player catches, hatches, or is given a new Pokémon in a main series game, he or she is able to nickname the Pokémon to a maximum of ten characters. Nicknamed Pokémon have also been shown in the Pokémon anime and several manga series.

In the games

Players are given the option to nickname their Pokémon immediately after receiving them in any manner, such as receiving it from an NPC, hatching from an egg, or capturing in a Poké Ball. The only way to change the nickname is by taking the Pokémon to a name rater.

Limits on nicknames

Nicknames have a maximum length of ten characters. These characters are in turn limited by the character palette in the games. The characters available have expanded over the generations: in Generation I it was impossible to use numbers in nicknames, while later generations allowed both numbers and non-alpha-numeric symbols.

Traded Pokémon (and those migrated from GBA games) cannot be renamed unless they are returned to their original game. If taken to a name rater, he will say the name is "perfect" and refuse to change it. This is to maintain the unique character given to the Pokémon by its Original Trainer. The game recognizes the trade when the OT number assigned to the Pokémon does not match the number on the save file. Very rarely will two players' numbers coincide; this is the only time when traded Pokémon may be renamed.

In Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD, a Shadow Pokémon cannot be nicknamed if it has not been purified. Immediately after this happens, the option will be given. Wild Pokémon caught from a Poké Spot in XD can be nicknamed as they are normally in the main series.

Outcomes of nicknaming

Nicknaming Pokémon rarely has any effect on gameplay, and is simply a element of customization that players are free to use or ignore. The only games in which nicknamed Pokémon are treated differently are Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2. In these games, when nicknamed Pokémon transferred from a main series game they have a chance of being alternately colored. This coloration is not the same as being a shiny Pokémon. This feature has not been included in any later games.

Sometimes, when the player catches a Pokémon in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the Hoenn TV network will report the nickname chosen for the player. The host will always commend the player on his or her choice of name, even if the player decides not to nickname the Pokémon. When records have been mixed with another save file, the television network may report on the other Trainer's choice of nicknames.

With Generation IV's Global Trade Station, some unfortunate naming issues may arise. The main issues are receiving Pokémon with nicknames in a foreign language and receiving Pokémon whose nicknames are threatening, inappropriate, racist, vulgar or pointless (for example, a name consisting of random characters).

Non-player characters and nicknames

NPC-nicknamed Pokémon are somewhat rare, and almost never encountered in battles. However, all Pokémon acquired from in-game trades have nicknames, as well as all Pokémon used by NPC Coordinators. Likely to emphasize the color change effect, most of the Pokémon encountered in Pokémon Stadium also have nicknames. Team Rocket's nicknamed Pokémon have numbers in their nicknames (which was impossible on handheld games at the time).

In the anime

As in the games, nicknaming Pokémon is optional. It is very seldom that main characters have nicknamed their Pokémon, leaving nicknaming largely unique to one-time characters. Often, these characters possess more than one of a species of Pokémon, and nicknaming is to provide distinction, such as in Get Along, Little Pokémon. At other times, the nicknames help to drive the plot, as in Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon.

The only main character to possess a nicknamed Pokémon is Misty, who has a Luvdisc known as Caserin. Ritchie, a recurring character, also uses nicknames.

In the manga

Some Pokémon manga series use nicknames as a way to differentiate and individualize Pokémon characters. Almost every Pokémon owned by a main character in the Pokémon Adventures series is nicknamed. Quite often, the Trainer will nickname his or her Pokémon with a particular pattern.