Glitch Pokémon

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Missingno., a glitch Pokémon

A glitch Pokémon is a Pokémon that only exists in the games due to a programming oversight, when the game attempts to draw up data for an invalid Pokémon.

Some glitch Pokémon have characteristics derived from the game's default error handling capabilities for an invalid Pokémon, such as the name "Missingno." or "??????????". Another example of this is learn-set data for a Generation IV Egg, where it learns Splash as a starting move, likely to prevent the game from freezing due to an invalid move being used.

In Generation I, some glitch Pokémon may freeze the game if sent out on the opponent's side, depending on their Pokédex number and the version used, and glitch Pokémon with index numbers greater than 199 will always bring up equivalent glitch Trainers if encountered directly in the wild. These glitch Pokémon cannot be obtained via a wild battle, and must be obtained using a different glitch to the Ditto glitch or old man glitch, such as evolution from another glitch Pokémon, trading an equivalent index number glitch Pokémon to another version, or the Johto guard glitch.

Additionally, catching certain obtainable glitch Pokémon in Generation I may cause endless Pokédex data to appear. To avoid this, the player must have activated a specific flag, if this is a hybrid glitch Pokémon, the flag is activated by either seeing a specific Pokémon or owning a specific Pokémon. Specific glitches (such as the Super Glitch move) may cause the saved file to be corrupted or erased.

Glitch Pokémon

Main article: List of glitch Pokémon

Trivia

  • There are 39 Missingno. with identifiers in between real Pokémon, which would add up to 190 Pokémon.
    • Shigeki Morimoto confirmed that there were once 190 Pokémon planned for development in Pokémon Red and Green.[1] The error handler Missingno. is used for blank or formatted Pokémon data. Many of its characteristics are either a translated 0 value (e.g. default Nidoran♂ cry with pitch 0), or blank data rolled over to the next logical values (e.g. base stats denoting the rosters of several Burglars).
  • The reason for the vast amount of glitch Pokémon in Generation I is because only 151 values correspond to valid Pokémon; the final valid index number is Victreebel (0×BE). The species identifier is a single 8-bit (256 values) byte, meaning that there are an additional 105 values including 0 for glitch Pokémon, or 66 values excluding the 39 Missingno. which are located in between the index numbers of valid Pokémon.
  • In Generation I, a large number (43) of glitch Pokémon have the small katakanau in their names. It is unknown as to why this specific katakana character appears so often.
    • The only other Japanese character that appears somewhat frequently in glitch Pokémon's names is small ァ a. The hiragana ぉ o and ぇ e also appear, but very rarely.
      • The reason for any Japanese text in an English game can be seen here
  • Also in Generation I, the most common number in a glitch Pokémon's name is 4, appearing in 23 different glitches.
  • 23' 0"/880.6 lbs. are the most common height and weight values for Red and Blue glitch Pokémon, and 23' 2"/1031.6 lbs. for Yellow. It is unknown as to why any glitch Pokémon have the same values, however.

References


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)


Red/Blue: 'M (00)MissingNo.▶ Aaゥ (C1)ゥ .4h POKé
PokéWTrainerPkMn (C5)ゥL ゥM 4♀Pゥ ゥゥTゥU?◣ゥ 8PC4SH
PPkMn ◣ nTrainer▼ W G dOPkMn4XPkMn PkMn T4B 8 4 8
ゥ 'M p'u ゥAゥ GPゥ ゥ ゥ4 hGlitch (D7)PkMnaPkMnゥ ♂ fPkMnk
PkMnRPkMn "B (DA)Glitch (DB)Glitch (DC)7PkMn 'v-PkMn.PkMn
/PkMn ▼PkMn'v……ゥ (E3)Glitch (E4)C- -
Pゥ 4$X CcA (EA)Glitch (EB)Glitch (EC)hゥ
.gゥ$'Mゥ$ (F0)94ゥ l (F2)ゥ l (F3)ゥ$ (F4)
ゥ (F5)G'Mp'Ng'Mp'Ng ゥ$94 hGlitch (FA)'M 'N gO
ゥ$ 6ゥ'M (FE)'M (FF)
Yellow: 3TrainerPoké $MissingNo.4 44 4 Hy♀ .pPkMnp' 'ゥ ( Z4
X ゥ- xゥ,4. .ァ7gug gァ / g J 1Glitch (CA)
. pゥ.8ゥ. BPkMn pゥぁ ゥぇ (CE)4, ゥァ (CF)ゥ'B ァ h
PkMn ? Aゥゥ)ゥ (D4)'ゥ.PkMn pゥぁ ゥぇ (D6)B (D7)PkMn (D8)
ゥ (D9)]ゥ' BPkMn (DC)4, ゥァ (DD)8 (DE)p ID
8 P ァ'r 'r 4(h4to894 89 48B 4 8Z ゥ9
ゥHIゥ.4(h4hi?$4HI?'r ゥ$ Pゥ. 4(?/4(h4?
ゥ► ゥ▼ ゥh 4Pゥ ゥ.... ゥ ( .I' .' B' ゥゥ ゥェ ゥ ▷ゥ $ A (F3)♂ p ゥ
▼ pゥゥ $ A (F6)PkMn (F7)ゥ 4- 4$ゥ▾ ゥ♂F q ,
ゥ$ 4MN ゥ× 'rゥ. 4-ゥ/ 4ァ 4,Q ◣
Generation II: ????? (00GSFCGSFEGSFFGS00CFCCFECFFC)
Glitch EggGlitch Unown
Generation III: -???????????Bad Egg
Generation IV: -----Bad EggGeneration IV hybrid
Generation V: -----Bad EggGlitch Unown
Generation VI: Bad EggGeneration VI 724+ glitch Pokémon


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