The first entry in a long-running franchise will almost always look weird when compared to what comes after it, and that’s especially true for the first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red & Blue. Not only were they written as if the world of Pokémon was just regular Earth inhabited by monsters, a bit of weirdness the franchise still retcons whenever possible, but the Pokémon themselves were also fairly simple, with many of them mostly looking like normal animals as opposed to the more fantastical designs that would define later generations. Another notable quirk of early Pokémon design was that the developers at Game Freak didn’t put as much thought into how Pokémon actually worked; nowadays, most Pokémon are carefully created to have some sort of internal logic behind their abilities, but back in Gen 1, there were many cases where Pokémon could do things that didn’t make any sense when you thought too hard about it. That was especially egregious when it came to two Pokémon, in particular, but after 30 years, there’s finally an explanation for how they work. Pokémon Horizons Finally Explains A Massive Gen 1 Mystery Among the various bizarre design choices for Pokémon Red & Blue, two that have stumped fans for decades are how Doduo can use Fly and how Rhydon can use Surf. Not only is Doduo based on the flightless dodo bird, but it doesn’t even have wings, not even when it evolves into Dodrio, and as for Rhydon, as a Pokémon that’s weak to Water-type attacks and isn’t even based on an aquatic creature, it never made sense that it could learn Surf. Doduo learning Fly and Rhydon learning Surf have always been weird, but surprisingly, Pokémon’s latest anime, Pokémon Horizons, finally explained how it works. In episode #137, Liko and the Explorers came across some Doduo and a Rhydon while chasing down a Feebas, and one scene finally explained how they can use their weirdest moves: Doduo can use Fly by kicking the air to move forward like they're doing a double jump, and Rhydon can use Surf by using a log or other objects like a surfboard to avoid the water. Episode #204 of the original series did have an episode with a surfing Rhydon, and Pokémon Stadium gave Doduo an animation where it goes into the air while using Fly, so technically, these aren’t new revelations for the franchise. However, both of those examples are one-off jokes that don’t exactly explain anything, so Pokémon Horizons can be seen as the first time Pokémon has seriously explained it, and that’s great to see after 30 years of Pokémon. Is The Pokémon Anime's Doduo And Rhydon Reveal Officially Canon? Pokémon Horizons finally answering such long-running questions about Doduo and Rhydon was great to see, but that begs the question of whether it’s the official canon for them. While the anime and the games don’t typically have any bearing on each other, the games have been known to incorporate material from the Pokémon anime at times, like how Spearow, Mewtwo, and Wobbuffet had their personalities changed to match their anime selves and the bevy of games directly based on the anime’s continuity, so based on that, the way Doduo and Rhydon use Fly and Surf could easily become canon. All of that is hypothetical, of course, but whatever Pokémon does with these reveals, if anything at all, it doesn’t change how generally fun it is to get those questions answered after 30 years of confusion. It’s hard to know if Pokémon Horizons did it as an intentional tie-in to Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, but for anyone who grew up with Pokémon Red & Blue, it’s still an overall amazing thing to see, and hopefully, it won’t be the last time the anime does something like that. - Video Game(s) - Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White 2, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Legends Z-A Pokémon is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, launched by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures in 1996. Centered on fictional creatures called Pokémon, the series spans video games, trading cards, animation, films, merchandise, and competitive events. Players assume the role of Trainers who capture, battle, and trade Pokémon. It is one of the highest-grossing entertainment franchises in history. - Created by - Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda