Whether you’re a longtime or relatively newPokemonfan, the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” slogan stands out as one of the series’ most iconic phrases. But what if we told you that this famous slogan wasn’t even the original version? It’s true, and the original was far more realistic, given that catching every Pokemon available has always required you to jump through hoops.
From trade-only evolutions like Gengar and Alakazam in Generation One, to the countless version exclusives that made it compulsory to have a friend or a second system and game, catching every Pokemon has never been easy. These Pokemon slogans would be more realistic and achievable, and wouldn’t require nearly as much effort.
7Catch ‘Em If You Can/Get Pokemon
“Gotta Catch ‘Em All” is far and away the most famous Pokemon slogan, but did you know that it wasn’t the original slogan at all? The first Pokemon slogan was “Catch ‘Em If You Can” in English, while the Japanese version, which comes from Game Freak, simply encouraged you to “Get Pokemon”.
The popular slogan was dropped due to the increasingly high total number of Pokemon, making it unfeasible to catch all the Pokemon ever made.
While these alternative slogans never rose to the same prominence as the most famous moniker, they’re an important part of Pokemon history. Pokemon’s current official slogan remains “Get Pokemon,” but you may still find the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” tag in various modern promotions,like in Scarlet & Violet’s 151 set.
6Gotta Catch All Of My Version Exclusives Then Trade For The Rest
There’s a good reason why the original “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” Phrasing was dropped, but even when it was in use during the first few generations, there was a massive caveat that came along with it: you needed a friend with the opposite version to you, or you needed to be rich enough to have two Game Boy systems with two games.
While they probably assumed this would be a great way toencourage kids to make friends and help each other(which it was, to be fair), technology made this process a nightmare. If you’re old enough to remember the days of trading cables, firstly, have you eaten enough fiber today? Secondly, you can probably attest to the utterly surgical process of ensuring your cables stayed connected throughout your trade, or you’d have to try again.
5Being A Pokemon Master Is My Favorite Hobby
The line ‘to be a Pokemon Master is my destiny’ from the original Pokemon rap sets grandiose expectations for your life as it relates to Pokemon. Unless your name is Samuel Oak or Ash Ketchum, then chances are, you weren’t destined to be a Pokemon master.
But just because you weren’t destined to be a Pokemon professor, champion, or even master, doesn’t mean you’re able to’t dive headfirst into this wonderful hobby.
If you’re a child of Pokemon fanatics, then maybe you could hit me with an ‘actually…’ but that’s a whole different story.
4I Choose You (To Fight My Battles For Me)!
“I choose you” is probably one of the most realistic Pokemon slogans ever, since its only requirement is to select a Pokemon you enjoy. However, the subtext of choosing this Pokemon, and its ultimate purpose, was casually left out of the phrasing for some reason.
Maybe indicating that you’re choosing a pocket-sized pet monster to fight another child’s pet monster wouldn’t have been the best marketing idea, but it would’ve been more truthful. There are a few select Pokemon spinoff titles where battling isn’t really the focus, but judging by the dozens of fights in each mainline game, it seems worth mentioning what you’ll be doing with these Pokemon.
3Raise Pokemon To Understand That Evolution Is Pretty Sick
The Pokemon theme song claims that we should teach Pokemon the power that’s inside, which, unless you’re Pikachu, means that you need to evolve, or you’re going to be so underpowered that you’ll probably lose every battle. Them’s the breaks, kid, we don’t make the rules.
Aside from preserving Pikachu’s design, evolution is typically cast in a positive light, so there’s no need to be afraid of this intended mechanic. Ash may love his Pikachu just the way it is, but there’s no chance we’re keeping a Squirtle when Blastoise’s giant water cannons are so dang helpful.
2I Will Travel Within A Safe Distance Of My Hometown
Encouraging children to “travel across the land, searching far and wide” to find Pokemon sounds like an amazing way to get a young generation outside to enjoy the world around them, but it’s a bit idealistic. At ten years old, we’d strongly suggest that you don’t go wandering to new locations without supervision, guided only by a map and a dream.
Traveling within a safe distance from home sounds like a much more attainable goal for a child, and honestly, even safely making it a mile from your house at that age is a massive accomplishment. Baby steps are good.
1I Want To Be One Of The Best
Unless your name is LeBron James, you probably don’t knowwhat it’s like to be the very best, like no one ever was,and that’s completely fine. Aiming to be the best at what you do is valid, and you should always strive for greatness, but putting the pressure on yourself to be the very best ever, regardless of the field, seems overwhelming.
A quick rephrasing to ‘one of the best’ sounds like a much more realistic goal, and communicates the fact that there will always be someone better than you at a specific task or in a certain field. Accepting this reality will make you happier in the long run, and will probably lead to more success than Ash had with his all-or-nothing attitude.
