Glossary of Pokémon Terms (2012)

Many stub articles in Bulbapedia (and other Wikis) are that way because they do not need full entries in an encyclopedia. They only require entries in a dictionary (or the Wiktionary). So here is my contribution to Pokémon Fandom.

This glossary does not cover all of the pokémon, moves, locations, and other common words used throughout the games and anime. Instead it covers the often obscure terminology you may find in manuals on the game mechanics and battle guides, especially the older ones.

Based on and expanded from Bulbapedia’s Metagame Terminology (2008). Knowledge should be free to all who seek it, but please be considerate of the ones who took the time to collect it and make it available for you.

For more detailed information about Pokémon, Bulbapedia is highly recommended.

alternate color noun

1. A pokémon appearing with a color scheme other than the standard. Specifically the color schemes caused by a glitch in Stadium (Intl.) which is determined by the name given the pokémon.
2. The official word Nintendo uses for a pokémon with deliberately altered coloring. See: shiny.

attack noun

A move that directly causes either physical or special damage based on the base power of the move as opposed to indirectly based on its side effect.

base stat noun

An average ratio of a given stat for a given species of pokémon at level 100 used for comparison purposes.

cheat noun

See: game cheat.

colosseum game noun

A stadium game from the third generation. A colosseum game is different from a stadium game since it has no expanded storage system and has an RPG storyline. Both colosseum games are set in Orre.

damaging move noun

See: attack (move).

external battle noun

link, stadium, battle tower, battle frontier, online

fifth generation noun

The Pokémon games that were designed for the DSi/XL and the Wii. These are Black, White and Grey. (If it is Gray, I will change it. Otherwise, remember: You heard it here first.)

first generation noun

The Pokémon games that were designed for the Game Boy and Nintendo 64. These are Pokémon Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Snap, Stadium (Jap.), Stadium 2 (Jap.) and Stadium (Intl.).

fourth generation noun

The Pokémon games that were designed for the DS (Lite) and Wii. These are Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Battle Revolution, My Pokémon Ranch, Ranger, Ranger: Shadows of Almia, and Ranger: Guardian Signs.

full trapping move noun

See: trapping move.

game cheat noun

An enhancement or alteration to a game created through the use of a glitch or a game cheat device.

game cheat device noun

A device to alter or enhance a game. The most popular being the Game Shark which is why using such devices is referred to as “sharking” (see: shark).

HP abbreviation

1. See: hit points.
2. An abbreviation for Hidden Power.

internal battle noun

A battle with a wild pokémon or NPC trainer within the main game of the main series.

knock out (KO) verb

Faint.

off-field

Being airborne, underground or underwater.

oober noun

See: über.

partial trapping move noun

A multi-turn attack that prevents the foe from using a move, but still allows the foe to switch or retreat.

pogey noun

An alternate term for pokémon.

pokédex noun

An index of pokémon, giving information about their habitat, cries, some background information, and statistics.

PokéDex noun

The in-game electronic pokémon index invented by Professor Oak.

Pokémon Green noun

The Japanese title for Pokémon Blue in the rest of the world. The game called Pokémon Blue that was released in Japan was the first Pokémon game and was never released to the rest of the world. (In fact Red and Green came first in Japan, in February 1996, and Japan’s Blue followed that October.)

second generation noun

The Pokémon games that were designed for the Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64. These are Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, Stadium 3 (Jap.) and Stadium 2 (Intl.).

shark verb

To use a game cheat device to alter or enhance a game.

shiny adjective

An intentional alternate color scheme intended to be very rare by Game Freak. This would be analogous to albinism in the real world. Officially called “alternate color” when referring to pokémon in general. When specifying a particular pokémon it is often replaced by the color variation (for example, a red gyarados).

sixth generation noun

To be announced. Let’s face it, it will come.

Stadium noun

1. (Japan) The first stadium game for the first generation. It was very limited and could be considered a test-market prototype. It was never released outside of Japan. Unofficially known outside of Japan as Stadium 0.
2. (International) The first stadium game for the first generation that was released outside of Japan. It is the international counterpart to the Japanese Stadium 2.

Stadium 0 noun

See: Stadium (1).

Stadium 2 noun

1. (Japan) The second stadium game for the first generation which was released in Japan. Much more complete than Stadium, it was released internationally as Stadium.
2. (International) The second stadium game for the second generation that was released outside of Japan. It is the counterpart to the Japanese Stadium 3.

Stadium 3 (Japan) noun

The third stadium game for the second generation games that was released in Japan. It was released outside of Japan as Stadium 2.

stadium game noun

A side game which provides extra battling challenges using a stadium format and expanded storage for pokémon. The colosseum games are a subset of stadium games.

stat enhancer noun

A nutrient that increases one or more effort values in a given stat or experience points.

status abnormality noun

See: status ailment.

status ailment noun

Any status effect or status problem (2).

status condition noun

See: status ailment.

status effect noun

An ailment that lasts several turns or is permanent until cured. Only one status effect may be inflicted on a pokémon at any one time. These are burn, freeze, paralysis, sleep, poison, toxic poison and fainting.

status problem noun

1. See: status effect.
2. Any effect that will go away when the pokémon is switched or at the end of the battle. All status problems may be inflicted on top of other status ailments. These are confusion, attraction, flinch, trap, uncontrollable, perish count, taunt, torment, imprison, encore, cursed, disabled, heal, cure, forced switching, leaving the field, hitting an off-field target, block, spinning, decoy, ignoring stats or modifiers, leeching, draining, leech seeded and destiny bonded. Also in this category are stat changes. Any change in or transfer of statistics or modifiers (attack, special defense, accuracy, base power, critical hit rate, chance of flinch, priority, etc.) caused by a move is also temporary, thus they qualify as status problems (either for the foe or the user, depending on who they hurt).

status move noun

A move that does not do direct damage based on the base power. All of these moves have status effects only and 0 base power. As of the fourth generation only two status moves cause damage directly, but the damage is the result of the effect of the move not the base power (which is 0).

third generation noun

The Pokémon games that were designed for the Game Boy Advance and GameCube. These are Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, LeafGreen, Channel, Box, Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness.

trapping move noun

A move that traps the foe. (See: trap.)

typeless adjective

A condition of a move that has no apparent type. Curse is the only move usually so classified, but in reality it is a ghost-type move. As a defensive move the type is actually irrelevant, but it has different behaviors depending on whether a ghost-type pokémon uses it or a pokémon of any other type.

über

Alternate spelling: uber
NOTE: Often (deliberately) misspelled oober, 00ber.
An über pokémon.

unknown (???) adjective

1. A status move.
2. Typeless. (See: typeless.)
3. Less correctly, an attack that has either a variable type such as Hidden Power or that ignores type resistances and weaknesses when damage is being calculated such as Struggle or Dragon Rage.