Fan Theory of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green (Gen I)

The original Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green versions (also called Gen 1 Kanto’s First Journey by fans) are more than just old gameboy era games; they are foundational myths in Pokémon fandom. Their seemingly straightforward tale of a child’s quest to become Champion, however, is built upon a world of strange glitches, sparse dialogue, and haunting environmental clues. For decades, players have peered into the pixelated gaps of Kanto, constructing elaborate theories that suggest a darker, weirder, and more complex reality hiding beneath the 8-bit surface.

Theory 1: The “Ditto is a Failed Mew Clone” Conspiracy

This is the granddaddy of Gen I theories, born from compelling forensic evidence. Mew and Ditto share identical weight, a similar color scheme (in early art), and are the only Pokémon who can learn “Transform” via level-up. The theory posits that the Fuji/Team Rocket experiments on Cinnabar Island that created Mewtwo were not the first attempts. Ditto are the failed, unstable prototypes from earlier cloning efforts using Mew’s genetic material. Their inability to hold a form and their habit of lurking in the Pokémon Mansion (where logs detail the experiments) and the Cerulean Cave (near Mewtwo) are seen as the chilling evidence. They are the living, shapeless leftovers of scientific hubris.

Theory 2: The Lavender Town “White Hand” & The Dead Rival

The famously macabre Lavender Town music is just the beginning. A widespread creepypasta-turned-analysis suggests your rival’s actions there are not just of a bully, but of someone haunted by guilt. The theory asks: what if the ghost of the dead Marowak your rival battles and scoffs at isn’t the only ghost? Some point to the unknown, non-player grave in the tower and the odd dialogue of NPCs to suggest your rival may have been indirectly responsible for a death—perhaps even that of his own Pokémon—and his aggressive demeanor is a coping mechanism for a trauma he can’t articulate.

Theory 3: The Time Loop of the Time Capsule

The Time Capsule for trading with future generations (Gen II) is presented as a technological marvel. A conspiracy theory treats it as a literal time machine. It proposes that the Kanto we experience is a stable time loop, where the discoveries and events of this era (like the creation of Mewtwo, or the player’s journey) are sent back as data to influence the past, or are themselves the result of future information being sent back. Professor Oak’s research isn’t just progressive; it’s recursive, building on knowledge that hasn’t technically been discovered yet.

Theory 4: The Gym Leader Conspiracy & The League’s True Purpose

Why are Gym Leaders so stationary, and why do they only use specific types? A political theory suggests the Pokémon League is not a sporting body, but a disguised regional governance and control system. Each Gym Leader is a warden responsible for maintaining ecological and social balance in their territory (Brock for mountains, Misty for waterways, Blaine for the volatile volcano). Granting badges is a way to track and license powerful trainers, ensuring no one with a team of super-powered creatures can move through the region unchecked. The Elite Four are the final enforcers of this state monopoly on power.

Theory 5: The “MissingNo.” is a Universal Glitch Pokémon

Beyond being a famous programming error, theorists have given MissingNo. in-universe significance. It is interpreted as a manifestation of the game’s reality breaking down. Its chaotic, variable forms, its ability to duplicate items, and its presence in the literal “glitched” coastline of Cinnabar Island mark it as a digital cryptid, a Pokémon that exists in the cracks of the code. Some see it as a parallel to the Ghost-type in Lavender Town—if Ghosts are spirits of dead Pokémon, MissingNo. is the spirit of corrupted data or unused design concepts, haunting the machine itself.

Theory 6: Professor Oak’s Past as an Active Trainer/Agent

The man in the lab coat has a history. Between his personal connection to Mr. Fuji, his apparent wealth and land ownership, and his seemingly vast, unchallenged authority, a theory suggests Oak was once an elite field agent or champion-level trainer involved in shadowy events (perhaps an early war or the Mewtwo containment). He retired to Pallet Town to conduct research and, crucially, to mentor and monitor the next generation of potentially world-altering trainers (like the player and his rival/grandson). His “research” is a cover for a lifelong mission of oversight.

Theory 7: The Kanto War & The Veteran’s Code

Lt. Surge, the “Lightning American,” explicitly states his Pokémon saved him during a war. This single line fuels a massive theory: Kanto is a post-war society recovering from a recent, devastating conflict. The abundance of unused, labyrinthine underground paths (Rock Tunnel, Seafoam Islands, Victory Road), the crumbling Silph Co. building taken over by Team Rocket, and the isolated, fortified positions of towns all point to a landscape shaped by conflict. The Pokémon journey, then, is a socially-sanctioned way to train a new generation in combat and exploration without reigniting actual warfare.

Theory 8: The “PokeDex Entries are Propaganda” Theory

The sometimes-violent or horrifying Pokedex entries (e.g., Kadabra being a boy who transformed, Gastly being able to engulf a tower, Drifloon stealing children) are often dismissed as childhood myths. But what if they are leaks of truth? This theory posits that the Pokedex is an incomplete database compiling both real data and ancient, suppressed folklore that the modern, sanitized society of Kanto tries to ignore. The child protagonist is the first to systematically document the true, terrifying nature of the world, which adults have collectively agreed to pretend isn’t real for the sake of normalcy.

Theory 9: The Silent Protagonist & The Player’s “Insertion”

Why does the protagonist never speak, have no father, and show preternatural talent? A meta-theory suggests the player character is not a natural resident of this world, but a “Inserted” consciousness. This could be a form of advanced VR (linking to the “Time Capsule” theory), a psychic projection, or even a story about a comatose child experiencing the journey in a dream state (linking to Lavender Town’s themes of death). The glitches and errors in the world are moments where the “simulation” or “dream” shows its strain.

See also: Fan Theories in Pokémon World, What is Fan Theory and Conspiracy Theory in Games and Anime

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The Data in the Noise

The first generation’s conspiracy and fan theories are powerful because they are built on absence. The limited graphics and text force the player’s imagination to fill in the blanks, and the glitches feel like windows into the machine’s soul. These theories propose that Kanto is not a sunny, simple region, but a place with a hidden layer of grief, experimentation, and cosmic weirdness.

From the failed clones in the Mansion to the ghosts in the Tower to the glitches on the coast, the game constantly hints that the official, cheerful narrative is incomplete. To play Gen I is to be a detective in a world where the fossils, the journals, and the silent spaces between towns hold the real story—a story the adults, the League, and perhaps even the game itself, are not quite ready to tell.

So what you think of these theories or you have one to tell? Comment below!