The real science of Pokémon | Scientific American

April 14, 2026

5 min read

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The Pokémon universe goes hard on ecology and climate science

The Pokémon franchise, including its recent game Pokémon Pokopia, is inspired by real animals and their ecology. It’s no surprise that so many scientists love to try and “catch ’em all”

By David Shiffman edited by Lauren J. Young & Andrea Thompson

Several Pokémon from the first game and anime series, including (left to right) Vulpix, Geodude, Pidgeot, Charizard, Onix, Staryu, Goldeen, Zubat and Psyduck. From the 1999 movie, Pokemon: The First Movie.

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Pokémon’s beloved world of charismatic and powerful “pocket monsters” and their trainers may be fantastical, but it has arguably become one of the most scientifically thought-out. Themes of conservation and ecology are tightly woven into the ongoing video games, prized trading cards and hit anime series.

Video game designer Satoshi Taijiri, who created the first Pokémon game in 1996, was inspired by his childhood love of catching insects. And 30 years later the franchise continues to take science seriously: ahead of the release of its new game Pokémon Champions on April 8, The Pokémon Company announced that it was looking to hire employees with Ph.D.s in science, engineering, agriculture or ecology.

Pokémon isn’t just about leveling up your team to win battles or completing the Pokédex (in-game encyclopedia), though. It’s about learning Pokémon’s habitats, understanding their strengths and weaknesses, and helping them thrive or even “evolve” into new stronger versions. Actual science suffuses the characters and the places they live. The wildly popular new video game Pokémon Pokopia, released in February, is perhaps one of the clearest examples: players restore damaged habitats for Pokémon after an environmental disaster. The entire franchise’s use of real-world science is partly why many scientists have become fans who pursue that iconic slogan: “Gotta catch ’em all.”

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“The reason I love Pokémon is collecting all the animals,” says Gabriel-Philip Santos, co-founder of Cosplay for Science and co-host of PBS’s Eons. “As a kid, I loved doing that. I would pick up bugs and have tiny little aquariums.”

People at the Pokémon Europe International Championships in February get a preview of the new game Pokémon Pokopia on Nintendo Switch 2.

John Keeble/Getty Images

The connections to science run so deep that researchers can easily spot their subjects of study while they play the games. “I know things that look like [Pokémon]. I’ve seen butterflies that look like that. I’ve seen little caterpillars that look like that,” says Middlebury College entomologist Greg Pask.

Here are a few examples of the more than 1,000 Pokémon from various generations and the science behind their backstory, appearance and behavior. (A representative from The Pokémon Company declined an interview for this article.)

Insects

Caterpie is a green caterpillar-looking creature, and it turns into Metapod, an intermediate pupal Pokémon, before becoming a stronger Bug-type and Flying-type final form—Butterfree. This “evolution” is similar to the metamorphosis of a real-world caterpillar as it develops into a butterfly or moth, Pask says. For instance, before turning into Butterfree, Caterpie has lower health and a limited number of battle moves—like “String Shot,” which reduces an enemy’s speed and is sometimes described as involving silk (real caterpillars are known to make silk). Metapod—which equates to the real insect’s hardened cocoon stage—has almost no attack moves. But it has a higher defense, which it can improve even more with the move “Harden.”

Nincada is based on a cicada not only in shape but also in life cycle. Just as cicadas leave behind an exoskeleton when they molt, so does Nincada when it evolves. That exoskeleton can be used in battles like any other Pokémon but is much weaker, so most players just like to collect it. “They do insects really well and accurately in Pokémon,” Pask says.

Entomologist Greg Pask’s display of Bug-type Pokémon toys in his office at Middlebury College.

Image courtesy of Greg Pask

Aquatic Species

A diverse array of marine Pokémon are inspired by real creatures of the deep. Octillery, just like an octopus, has suction-cup-covered arms that