iStockphoto / Arkadij Schell
It’s been close to three decades since Pokémon was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world when Nintendo dropped the first installment in the video game franchise that became an international sensation. However, you may be surprised to learn it took until 2025 for Nintendo to firmly address whether or not the creatures it revolves around poop.
I apologize in advance for making people who remember playing the original Pokémon games on their Game Boy feel old by letting you know it’s been 27 years since the Red and Blue versions of those games were released in the United States (two years after what was originally dubbed “Pocket Monsters” dropped in Japan in 1996).
It didn’t take long for Pokémon to take the world by storm with assistance from the trading cards and television show that helped thrust the multibillion-dollar brand into the mainstream, and it’s still going very, very strong as it prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary next year.
The Pokémon canon has gradually expanded over the decades thanks to the various projects that have defined its universe, and now, we’ve been treated to a groundbreaking development courtesy of a new game that has shed light on their bodily functions.
Pokémon Legends: Z To A has confirmed the creatures do, in fact, poop
I spent countless hours playing Pokémon around the turn of the millennium and even purchased a Game Boy to revisit the original titles when I was in college. However, with the exception of my fairly brief Pokémon Go phase, I can’t say I’ve kept close tabs on the franchise over the past 15 years or so.
That would have required me to keep up with the dozens of “main” games the video franchise consists of, the newest of which is Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which was officially released for the Switch and Switch 2 on October 16th.
If you’ve been out of the loop as long as I have, you may be surprised to learn Nintendo has never really addressed whether or not Pokémon are linked to the same biological trappings as many of the animals that the majority of them ostensibly are—and by that, I mean shedding light on if they pee and poop.
I guess part of me simply assumed that was the case, but it’s been a surprisingly hot topic of debate among fans. However, according to Automaton, it’s now been settled, as there are multiple pieces of dialogue in Pokémon Legends: Z-A that allude to digestive functions and byproducts, including “droppings” and the “tummy troubles” a Pikachu is dealing with.
Important fact from Legends Z-A:
Pokemon canonically poop pic.twitter.com/vWUwx4DeY4
— Lunie (Ben) (@Back2Batk) October 14, 2025
It’s worth noting the aforementioned Pikachu line has seemingly been sanitized for the English-language version of the game, as the Japanese one features a character who explicitly notes their Pikachu is “pooping more than usual.”
Finally, I should note that I did some research while writing this that would suggest previous titles have alluded to pooping Pokémon; Diglett droppings have been described as a good source of fertilizer, while a Pokedex entry for the fire-type Darumaka notes “droppings are hot so people used to put them in their clothes to keep themselves warm.”
The more you know.