Glitch

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Glitches are anomalies in software programs, including video games. They can cause various problems ranging from the purely graphical to completely wiping entire chunks of saved data.

They are usually caused by problems with a game's code, or from a player doing things the programmers did not anticipate, therefore causing the game to react unexpectedly. Below is a list of glitches in the Pokémon video games.

Major glitches

These are glitches which either affect all Pokémon games, or are considered to have a large affect on gameplay.

All Generations

Generation I

File:Wildmew.jpg
A Mew being found in the wild due to the Mew glitch
  • Glitch City: A glitch location consisting of mess of random map tiles that changes depending on the location where the player enters Glitch City.
  • Mew glitch: Allowing players to capture any Pokémon (most especially Mew) without modification, and allowing players to catch most of the glitched Pokémon.
  • Old man glitch: Allows encountering of Pokémon above level 100, as well as Missingno. and 'M.
  • Item duplication glitch: By encountering Missingno. or 'M, gives the player either 128 or 255 of the player's 6th item. Another item duplication glitch involves copying a stack of 255 of an item.
  • Leveling past 100: If a Pokémon was caught at a level above 100, it could be leveled up with Rare Candies up to level 255. Another Rare Candy will reset the Pokémon's level to 0.

Generation II

Generation III

  • Berry glitch: Freezes the growth of any berries which have been planted but not harvested, often occurs after the game has been owned for a year or played for over 100 hours, though not always.
  • Pomeg glitch: In Emerald Version, using a Pomeg Berry on a Pokémon with low HP may cause its HP to become a negative value. Using this, a player can cause other glitches.

Generation IV

Minor glitches

Main article: List of minor glitches

Glitch Pokémon

Main article: Glitch Pokémon

A glitch Pokémon is a Pokémon not intended to be part of the game, but can be accessed through the use of glitches. All glitch Pokémon are either filler data, the game attempting to read an empty hexadecimal address or exist from beta testing.

Glitch characteristics

Glitch moves

Main article: List of glitch moves

A glitch move, is a move not intended to be part of the game, but can be accessed through the use of glitches. In Generation I, many glitch moves are named after TMs or HMs; TMs numbered 01 to 55 and HMs numbered 01 to 05 exsist as moves. However, some have no name or a glitched, unreadable name. Some glitch moves are of known glitch types, but others have either no readable type or an unknown type. Usually only glitch Pokémon will learn glitch moves.

One way of teaching a Pokémon in Generation I a glitch move is with a Pokémon that can evolve by trading. This can be achieved by trading a trade evolution Pokémon from a Generation I game to a Generation II, at a level where its evolved form will learn a move not in Generation I. Trading the Pokémon back to the Generation I game will cause the move to become a glitch move. For example, trading a level 48 Haunter from Pokémon Red to Pokémon Gold will make the Haunter evolve into Gengar. Since it is level 48, it will learn Mean Look. If it is then traded back to Pokémon Red, it will still have the move, but the game won't recognize it properly since it is a Generation II move, so will become TM12.

Glitch types

Main article: List of glitch types

There are many different glitch types that are found to be the types of several glitch Pokémon and moves. The majority of them are used for very few Pokémon or moves.

Glitch locations

There are several locations which can only be reached by way of a glitch in the games. One of the most well known glitch locations is Glitch City. Other examples of this are areas in the Sevii Islands that are retrievable via their index number pointer, however, do not have any other data. Sevii Isles 8 and 9 are the only index number areas which have actual map data. There are also other beta locations such as the Beta Safari Zone.

Glitch items

Place-holder items are often left in the game's code to prevent it from crashing if the data is accessed, such as Teru-sama in Generation II. Other generations likewise have placeholder items. The Clear Bell and GS Ball in Crystal and the various newer items introduced just in FireRed, LeafGreen and Emerald, register as the place-holder items Teru-sama and mystery item if they are somehow moved into Gold and Silver or Ruby and Sapphire respectively. There is also the Seal Bag, a removed item obtained in Generation IV from the GTS Morphing glitch.

Glitch Trainers

Main article: Glitch Trainer

Glitch Trainers have been known to occur in Generation I. They are usually found if the player's name contains special characters and performs the Old man glitch. There are also several special stat numbers used in the Mew glitch which cause glitch trainers to appear, such as when the ZZAZZ glitch is triggered. Glitch Trainers may use glitch Pokémon in battle.


Multiple
generations
Transform glitchesGlitch TrainersCloning glitchesError messagesArbitrary code execution
Generation I GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
--0 ERRORBroken hidden itemsCable Club escape glitchDual-type damage misinformation
Experience underflow glitchFight Safari Zone Pokémon trickGlitch CityItem duplication glitchItem underflow
Mew glitchOld man glitchPewter Gym skip glitchPokémon merge glitchRhydon glitchRival twins glitch
Select glitches (dokokashira door glitch, second type glitch) • Super Glitch
Time Capsule exploitWalking through wallsZZAZZ glitch
Generation II GlitchesBattle glitches
Bug-Catching Contest glitchCelebi Egg glitchCoin Case glitchesExperience underflow glitch
Glitch dimensionGlitch EggTeru-samaTime Capsule exploitTrainer House glitchesGS Ball mail glitch
Generation III GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Berry glitchDive glitchPomeg glitchGlitzer Popping
Generation IV GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Acid rainGTS glitchesPomeg glitchRage glitch
Surf glitchTweakingPal Park Retire glitch
Generation V GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Frozen Zoroark glitchSky Drop glitch
Generation VI GlitchesBattle glitchesOverworld glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Lumiose City save glitchSymbiosis Eject Button glitchToxic sure-hit glitch
Generation VII GlitchesBattle glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Toxic sure-hit glitchRollout storage glitch
Generation VIII Glitches
Charge Beam additional effect chance glitchCharge move replacement glitchChoice item lock glitch
Toxic sure-hit glitchRollout storage glitchParty item offset glitch
Generation IX Glitches
Glitch effects Game freezeGlitch battleGlitch song
Gen I only: Glitch screenTMTRAINER effectInverted sprite
Gen II only: Glitch dimension
Lists Glitches (GOMystery DungeonTCG GBSpin-off)
Glitch Pokémon (Gen IGen IIGen IIIGen IVGen VGen VIGen VIIGen VIII)
Glitch moves (Gen I) • Glitch types (Gen IGen II)


Project GlitchDex logo.png This glitch Pokémon article is part of Project GlitchDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on glitches in the Pokémon games.