Poll: Do you nickname your pokemon?

[Juste Goose]

I always nickname my pokemon. I've sat there for ten minutes trying to figure out the best name for a rattata before. Usually, I try to give my party a theme with them, (My Soul Silver team is named after the Koopa Kids, my Platinum team is named after characters from Buffy, my Leaf Green team is named after Zelda characters, etc.) but sometimes, I just go with a name that I think suits them.

Although, since I didn't spend much time playing gen 5, and the pokemon I spent the most time with all had nicknames, I don't know the 'real' names of nearly any gen 5 pokemon. It's almost like X and Y are introducing over 200 pokemon for me...

Another, related bit of pokemon ritual: If a pokemon I catch is going on my team, I have to use a pokeball to catch them. No great ball, ultra, luxury, etc. MY BALLS MUST BE UNIFORM.

So how about you?

 

[Auron225]

I never do it on the first playthrough, or I'd have your issue of not actually knowing the name of anything. Sometimes I nickname random things I catch just for fun.

The only time I nicknamed EVERYTHING was on my Platinum Nuzlocke attempt - simply because it was a rule. I did kinda enjoy doing it though, made it feel more personal.

Still, on my first playthrough of X I won't be nicknaming anything.

 

[soren7550]

Usually, no. I usually only name a Pokemon if it looks like/reminds me of something else (Ex. Tyranataur becomes Shukaku because of its ability and its power).

Also, I named cat Pokemon after my cats, although to be honest I haven't done that in a while.

Capatcha: saber tooth
... That would make for an awesome Pokemon. Get on it Game Freak!

 

[Juste Goose]

I always nickname my pokemon. I've sat there for ten minutes trying to figure out the best name for a rattata before. Usually, I try to give my party a theme with them, (My Soul Silver team is named after the Koopa Kids, my Platinum team is named after characters from Buffy, my Leaf Green team is named after Zelda characters, etc.) but sometimes, I just go with a name that I think suits them.

Although, since I didn't spend much time playing gen 5, and the pokemon I spent the most time with all had nicknames, I don't know the 'real' names of nearly any gen 5 pokemon. It's almost like X and Y are introducing over 200 pokemon for me...

Another, related bit of pokemon ritual: If a pokemon I catch is going on my team, I have to use a pokeball to catch them. No great ball, ultra, luxury, etc. MY BALLS MUST BE UNIFORM.

So how about you?

 

[Foolery]

Hell yeah. My Bulbasaur was named Garlic, because his back looks like a bulb of garlic to me. If I chose Squirtle, he was named Sharkbait. Pikachu was Dirty Rat. And so on.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I nickname only the ones I care about for any given time. I always nickname my starters and a lot of the early "first gym" Pokemon, usually the version legendary and those that become mainstays on my team.

Anybody I caught because I can (and will rot in the box) doesn't get a name. I want to take the time to think of cool names and it takes too much time to come up with a name for the 1200th Zubat I've caught over the course of five generations.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Always, unless I'm just using it for breeding material. I will nickname the end result though.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

I used to nickname only the ones I'd use a lot, but for the past couple games I've started nicknaming a lot more. Now it happens to 99% of them, the only ones I don't nickname are some Legendaries, because I can't think of a name for them.

 

[Soxafloppin]

None of my Pokemon have nicknames apart from Machamp I called Goro because that is a legitimate rule.

 

[Free Thinker]

I always nickname pokemon. When Ruby and Sapphire were the recent ones, I jokingly decided to name my pokemon after STDs, drugs, and various sex acts.

"Gonorrhea! I choose you!"

 

[Miss G.]

I name 'em all, simply because it helps when attaching memories and feels to the names and acts as a shorthand for differentiation when they're boxed, especially when I've had more than one of the same Pokemon. I will always remember that my first Pokemon ever was a Cyndaquil named Flare on Gold and though I've had others since, like Akai after my internal battery ran out, they will never be him. He embodied the honey badger in terms of battle and I'll probably never have another Fire starter that could take a beating and keep going regardless of the type he was up against (this was back before I learned about type coverage moves, although I did have Thunderpunch on him 'cuz it looked cool and took out Water types).

Spoiler: credit to ClockworkShadows on DA

Also, I wouldn't've had this How PROS Nickname Pokemon video to enjoy if Haydunn decided to leave his mons unnamed.

 

[Resetti's_Replicas]

Another, related bit of pokemon ritual: If a pokemon I catch is going on my team, I have to use a pokeball to catch them. No great ball, ultra, luxury, etc. MY BALLS MUST BE UNIFORM.

I'm the opposite of that; I want to have as many of them different as possible. For instance I caught one of my team with a heal ball even though he was going directly to the box.

I always name my main 6. The cleverest one I thought of was to name my Porygon "Terrorhrtz" (character limit)

 

[Shinsei-J]

Any Pokemon I intend to use at some point I'll give a name, even if it's a HM slave.
Helps me for a bond with each of them and makes my time playing all the more rewarding and memorable.
I've even thought up a name for my favorite X and Y Pokemon already.

Spoiler

Say hello to El Kaze!

 

[LittleWings]

The only Pokemon I nickname is a Cyndaquil in any game in Johto. When I first started playing the games I was given a copy of Crystal and GBC. I started with Cyndaquil cause it was so cool, but was button bashing A (Even then I knew that Professor Elm was boring) and accidentally said Yes to a nickname. Terrified that if I hit cancel my Pokemon would be nameless, I asked my older brother what the Pokemon I had picked was called. He told me, but I only got as far as writing "SIN" before I got bored and decided to live with it. And the name stuck.

Not a very imaginative nickname, sure, but I like the tradition. That game has stuck by with me.

 

[Marik2]

Never cuz I can't come up with good names, and their normal names are fine for me.

 

[krazykidd]

Yup . I name them after Other pokemon . Like my Slowking is named jolteon , and my smeargle is named dustnoir . Why? Because i can .

 

[Rip Van Rabbit]

I have a habit of naming Pokemon after food, depending on what kind of real life edibles they resemble.

And it's a ritual to always have a Jigglypuff in my party and call her "Vagina".

>.>

<.<

 

[Artina89]

I nickname the Pokémon I know I am going to use a lot and just leave the rest of them as their default names. I also like to have a theme when it comes to nicknames for example, in my latest Pokémon Soulsilver run, I named all my Pokémon after ice hockey players, specifically hall of famers, for example, my Cyndaquil/Quilava/Typhlosion was called Gretsky, I called my Lugia Giacomin, Pidgey/Pigeotto/Pigeot was called Dryden, Blastoise was Vezina, Umbreon was Esposito, and Alakazam was named Plante. For my Pokémon X run I am thinking of naming them after characters in Roman or Greek mythology.

 

[2HF]

Shell shock, Pyro, Hydro, Sparky.

I'm not very original.