Pokemon is one of the biggest franchises in the world, and its reach spans over most nations. From Japan to Spain to Canada and Argentina, Pokemon is a household name in most places. This even includes Russia even though Pokemon did take some time to get there, and now, the franchise is going viral after an infamous Russian Pokedex was translated for the first time.
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The boon come from the team at Did You Know Gaming as the group worked with Annet Ilvers at Nintendo Russia. The parties got their hands on an unofficial Russian Pokedex penned by Alexander Zhitinsky years ago. The fan put the Pokedex together decades ago when Pokemon released its first catalog. As there was no official Russian translation made, Zhitinsky compiled all the official translations so he could rewrite them in Russian.
These days, Pokemon is available for real in Russia, but this old-school collectible remains a thing of legend amongst fans. Now, the Pokedex has been translated into English, and its biography for Ash Ketchum is absolutely wild. It includes facts about the trainer Pokemon never touched upon, and honestly? You have to read it to believe it. The whole translation can be read below, so brace yourself for what this throwback Pokedex in Russia had to say about Pikachu’s best friend…!
“Brave and adventurous Ash is known as the most famous Pokemon Trainer. Despite his young age, Ash has amassed a large collection of Pokemon with whom he competes,” the entry reads.
“Ash wants to be the first among Trainers. His Pokemon must win. But he doesn’t just battle others. Ash often helps builders, oilmen, and fishermen. There is a known case when Ash’s Pokemon rescued a fishing trawler in the Sea of Japan which was on the brink of an accident. Ash’s winged Pokemon brought the entire team ashore, and Ash was rewarded with a chocolate cake from the Prime Minister.”
As you can see, this Russian Pokedex bio takes some liberties with Ash. We have no record of this happening to the trainer in the canon, but hey. We are more than happy to add it to the timeline; It is just a shame the rescue wasn’t captured in any Pokemon episode.
These days, Pokemon has official biographies in Russian for fans to study, but these old-school relics show how far the franchise has come. The series was such a phenomenon that one father decided to consolidate Pokedex entries across the globe into one his son could read. And after all of these years, Pokemon fans are still here and ready to read the fruits of Zhitinsky’s labor.
What do you think about this wild Pokemon detail? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
