One Weird Pokémon Villain Detail Has Been Overlooked For More Than 20 Years

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The franchise features an incredible variety of antagonists, but one particularly strange detail regarding a group of villains has gone mostly unremarked upon for decades. Although recent titles have tended towards having more individual true villains, a trend that has produced some of ’s most terrifying characters, the traditional «Team» still has a role to play in any given region. However, while all Teams have their own unique aesthetic, one also has a much more subtle, and ironic, quirk visible on close examination.

The role of a Team as a recurring opposing force in a game originated with Team Rocket in, and although ’s antagonistic Teams are not so truly evil anymore, much of this core philosophy remains intact. While each Team’s motivations and roles in their specific game’s story can vary greatly, the protagonist will undoubtedly encounter scores of Grunts throughout their journey, while also clashing with the Team’s leadership at climactic moments. However, modern technology allows for more complex interactions with Teams, whereas the limitations of older titles can have strange effects on a Team’s presentation.

Team Aqua were originally introduced in, initially released in Japan in 2002 and then around the world the following year. Similar to their rivals Team Magma in, Team Aqua drives the core plot of their game by attempting to awaken the Legendary Pokémon Kyogre in an ill-considered bid to expand the world’s oceans. As such, Team Aqua follows a clear nautical theme, sporting bandannas and frequently using various Water-type Pokémon. Despite this, in an extremely ironic twist, none of Team Aqua’s Pokémon in can use an actual Water-type move.

As strange of a situation as this is, there are underlying mechanical reasons behind itarising. In, Team Aqua Grunts have a small pool of Pokémon to pull from for their battles: Poochyena, Zubat, and Carvanha. Of these, only the latter has a Water typing (actually being dual Water/Dark-type), and in Generation 3,