Mind-blowing theory! Pokémon GO takes place in the past, before the Red/Blue/Green games

Japanese netizens have cracked the code revealing when Pokémon GO takes place in the Poké-timeline.

Sure, Pokémon GO is fun and all, but one lingering question has been pestering Pokémon fans all over ever since its release: where does it fit in chronologically within the Pokémon canon?

Okay, so maybe no one has really thought about that… except for Japanese Twitter user @Ink_Virtue who recently tweeted their theory that Pokémon GO is actually the first Pokémon game in the Poké-timeline, taking place before even the original Red/Blue/Green games.

Here’s what they said: (translation below)

ポケモンGOは赤緑青よりかなり昔の世界なのではないか。 ①カントー以外でも151匹以下しか発見されていない。 ②「ポケモンを弱らせてから捕獲」という手法が未確立。 ③ウィロー博士の「ウィロー」は柳。後のチョウジジムリーダー。 https://t.co/iaeYIWwHw8

—
Ink (@Ink_Virtue) July 26, 2016

Maybe Pokémon GO takes place quite a ways in the past. Here’s some evidence:

1) Not even 151 Pokémon have been discovered yet.
2) The strategy of weakening Pokémon before capturing them has not yet been established.
3) Professor Willow could be the ice-type gym leader Pryce from Gold/Silver. (Pryce’s name is Yanagi in Japanese, which means “willow.”)

▼ A comparison of Professor Willow and Gym Leader Pryce. Same color hair,
same pose, same look of determination… how could we have been so blind?!

#30DayPokemonChallenge 18. Favorite Gym Leader Pryce http://t.co/EkGC3jH8xA

—
Zach Schofield (@SchofieldSays) September 28, 2013

You know, if that’s true, a lot of things start to fall into place. Like why Pokémon battles are so primitive – it’s because Pokémon training is still a relatively new thing, and trainers don’t know better strategies. The lack of trading also makes sense, because those fancy Pokéball exchanging machines haven’t been invented yet.

And maybe, just maybe, those candies we’re all feeding our Pokémon to level them up? Perhaps in the past they were common and easy to find, but then, after years of overuse, they became much more scarce… perhaps they even became, dare I say, rare candies?

▼ Mind. Blown.

Know Your Meme

Of course, this is all just a crazy internet theory… right? Here’s how Japanese netizens reacted:

“Oh my god. Ohmygod ohmygod ohymgod!”
“Now that you mention it, Prof. Willow’s hair and face really do look like Bryce.”
“Maybe he’s just his son or grandson or something?”
“I don’t think Mewtwo was around in the past though.”
“Wait. Maybe we have it backwards. Maybe it takes place in the far future, when all Pokémon have died off except for a few species, and Pokéballs have gotten so good you don’t have to weaken them.”

The theories, they just don’t stop! What do you think is going on with Pokémon GO? A crazy timeline conspiracy, or just boring old hardware limitations?

And if anyone has any theories to help explain painted Pokémon nails and horrifying Pikachu wedding cakes, that would be greatly appreciated too.

Source: Twitter/@Ink_Virtue via My Game News Flash
Featured/top image: Pokémon GO Japan

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