Do Pokemon actually die?

[sylraiana]

Ok, I do know it's been like... 8 years since I last watched the series on TV... And yeah, I played most of the games, up till the one for Game-cube (which I played for about an hour, got bored and then never again).
But since Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, my mind has been wandering over this stupid thing...

Do Pokemon actually die?

I'm not sure...
I mean, I take it they can die, if you don't rush them to the nearest pokecentre or spray them with a potion or something... I remember Pikachu (I guess...) being dangerously ill in the series at one time... But they never actually died, did they?

So if Pokemon can't die... how come some of them are rare? The basic thought is that if they don't die, they keep reproducing (unless they're the last of their kind (Zapdos, Moltress, Lugia etc.)... Which means they must be hundreds of years old... And then still, the basic rule is: If there's one, there's more, and if there are more you're bound to find one... Anyway, drifting off....)
And then there's the fact that there are quite obviously carnivorous pokemon (think Gyarados, Charizard, Persian...), though we never in the series see one pokemon look at the other as if thinking: "Dinner time!"... Not even wild pokemon...

Ok, I get that it's a kids series and that the creators really didn't want the kids to be confronted with death, but when you're older and you watch it (guilty!) you start to see things that are... a bit weird...
Think of this: we often see our heroes eat something like meatballs (sorry, I'm not that familiar with Japanse dining culture...), but where in the name of Professor Oak did the meat come from? It is definitely meat, I think, again, someone in the series once commenting on it...
Are they eating the very pokemon they love? It seems like there's really no other option... There are no 'normal' animals in the world of pokemon... If they eat fish, they could actually be eating Magikarp (Though, and I do remember this for sure!(well, almost), pokedex says about Magikarp that it's inedible due to it's though scales and it's bony structure... or something...)... And then I get thoughts of Magikarp evolving into Gyarados in a restaurant kitchen...

Anyways, what do you think? Ever thought about it? Does it really matter?

 

[Angry Caterpillar]

I had this very thought as a child. I didn't sleep well that night.

 

[The Rockerfly]

What do you think the Lavender Town Ghost Tower is for?

 

[Cowabungaa]

What do you think the Lavender Town Ghost Tower is for?

/thread

That tower is there for a reason, so are the gravestones and mourning Pokemon trainers in there.

Also read the original description of Charmander; if the flame on his tail goes out, he will die.

 

[Yassen]

This also raises the question of ghost type pokemon. I mean, were they always that way or are they dead pokemon who came back as a different kind?

 

[DoW Lowen]

Yes. All of them. Especially Pikachu. Tell your kids.

 

[gbemery]

only when you snap the game cartridge in half

 

[lyfeindeyth]

I had this very thought as a child. I didn't sleep well that night.

HAHAHHA ahhh that comment made my day. I remember dwelling on it myself, but my efficient brain censored those thoughts like a Communist Regime.

 

[Timog]

Well, some of them are rare for various reasons, or so we're supposed to assume. Aside from Mew, I would assume the rarest ones reproduce at the same rate that captive pandas do.

I always thought that in the wild a Pokemon would die easily, but when kept under the conditions that trainers do, they don't really die often.

I had this very thought as a child. I didn't sleep well that night.

Did it not bother you that you were basically cockfighting/dogfighting? I find it odd that a PokeDeath bothered you, but the fact that you were physically enslaving these creatures and forcing them to do your bidding and maim/maul other living creatures didn't cause your unease.

 

[Agayek]

What do you think the Lavender Town Ghost Tower is for?

It's obviously for Ghost Pokemon, and not Pokemon ghosts.

As for the OP: It's a kid's game. Pokemon die a Disney Death [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DisneyDeath], if at all. It's kinda unfortunate (as an adult), but hey, the games are targeted at kids.

 

[S.R.S.]

Pokemon die. Aerodactly was revived as well as kabuto anf the other one.

Cubone apparently wears the skull of it's mother.

Gary Oak was the good guy. Story was his Raticate died.

 

[The Rockerfly]

What do you think the Lavender Town Ghost Tower is for?

It's obviously for Ghost Pokemon, and not Pokemon ghosts.

As for the OP: It's a kid's game. Pokemon die a Disney Death [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DisneyDeath], if at all. It's kinda unfortunate (as an adult), but hey, the games are targeted at kids.

People go to the host tower to morn the dead pokemon, talk to some of the people there and you'll see what I mean

 

[Vuavu]

If they eat fish, they could actually be eating Magikarp (Though, and I do remember this for sure!(well, almost), pokedex says about Magikarp that it's inedible due to it's though scales and it's bony structure... or something...)

It also says that Magikarp flop around in the water, making them easy prey for predators like Pidgey

 

[NeutralDrow]

Sometimes they do. People have already mentioned Lavender Tower in that context, and since even thinking about that place fills me with discomfort and grief, I'm going to change the subject.

This also raises the question of ghost type pokemon. I mean, were they always that way or are they dead pokemon who came back as a different kind?

Possibly both. Shedinja is clearly a ghostly remenant of Ninjask's cocoon. On the other hand, pokemon like Sable and Gastly don't really seem to be "ghosts" per se, but rather spirit-type pokemon. At the very least, the one genuine ghost we see was still in its original form (the marowak).

 

[Calatar]

Did it not bother you that you were basically cockfighting/dogfighting? I find it odd that a PokeDeath bothered you, but the fact that you were physically enslaving these creatures and forcing them to do your bidding and maim/maul other living creatures didn't cause your unease.

But they love and trust you, so it's okay. Definitely not Stockholm Syndrome. At all.

See, it's like Pikmin, you raise them and then send them into battle and nothing bad ever happe-

Er...

GAMES ARE A GOOD SOURCE OF MORALITY

 

[NeutralDrow]

What do you think the Lavender Town Ghost Tower is for?

It's obviously for Ghost Pokemon, and not Pokemon ghosts.

As for the OP: It's a kid's game. Pokemon die a Disney Death [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DisneyDeath], if at all. It's kinda unfortunate (as an adult), but hey, the games are targeted at kids.

Which is exactly why when you go into Lavender Tower and talk to the little girl, she's crying over her dead growlithe. And why you fight the ghost of a dead marowak (who is explicitly mentioned as having been killed by Team Rocket).

...oh god, and now I'm crying again. This is exactly why I wanted to drop the subject. Thanks a lot.

 

[BlindMessiah94]

I seem to recall that Prof Oak ate a Crabby in an episode.

So I'm sure they die.

 

[Ranorak]

Not even mentioning that idea that you killed your rival's rattata in Red.

What do you think the Lavender Town Ghost Tower is for?

It's obviously for Ghost Pokemon, and not Pokemon ghosts.

As for the OP: It's a kid's game. Pokemon die a Disney Death [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DisneyDeath], if at all. It's kinda unfortunate (as an adult), but hey, the games are targeted at kids.

ah damn it, you had to link to Tvtropes.
NEVER LINK TO TVTropes.

 

[sylraiana]

Ok, so sue me... I can't remember everything that ever happened and I forgot about the whole Ghost Tower thing... (Is that in Silver or something? Whaaaaa too... many.... pokemon!!!)
But I still think it's a bit... weird that they're actually eating the pets they love and cherish... It would be like feeding Pikachu (who is, ok, I don't remember everything that well, a mouse pokemon...) to a Persian... Think about that...

The only time though that we ever see a pokemon 'die' in the TV series appears to be in one of the movies (probably one I either did not watch or can't remember...)

But I guess the fact that people let their pokemon fight like modern day dogfights... (but without the blood, at least to my knowledge) is equally weird...