Pokemon's Russian Pokedex Says Diglett Is a Weapon of War

By Megan Peters

Pokemon is pretty wild when you break it down to basics. The franchise is all about pocket monsters and the trainers who have built a world around the creatures. When you peel back the franchise's veneer, things can get weird, and that was made clear earlier this year when Pokemon's unofficial Pokedex from Russia hit the Internet. Fans are still picking apart the legendary text, and as it turns out, this guide likens sweet Diglett to a weapon of war.

Earlier this year, the team behind Did You Know Gaming brought the unofficial Russian Pokedex to fans all over the world. The group worked with locals to source the old-school guide that was made by a fan's father decades ago. In lieu of any official Russian content, this Pokedex was made by combining several legit guides in other languages, so the results were... very interesting. After all, how else would Diglett become such a soldier?

According to the recent translation, the Pokedex says Diglett and Dugtrio have explosive power. In fact, the evolution even blew up trains on occasion when it surfaced, and this caught the eye of the military. "This makes them useful for military purposes similar to landmines," the translation reads.

The unofficial guide goes on to say Dugtrio was often coopted by robbers and thieves. "They are often employed by robbers who say they'll pay Dugtrio once they've regrown from their roots. But it's a trick. By the time they've grown back, the robbers have already run off." Obviously, this description has no basis in canon, but you can definitely see how Dugtrio would work well in such crimes. Honestly, it is a miracle Team Rocket never tried to train a Diglett to do their bidding...

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If you want to know more about Russia's legendary Pokedex, you can watch Did You Know Gaming's video here. It is two hours long but a definite must-watch for fans who think they know all there is to Pokemon. For kicks, you can compare these old-school translations to the ones officially published by The Pokemon Company. Diglett is not quite as badass in the canon, but given what this video told us about Dugtrio's explosive power, maybe that is a good thing...!

What do you think about this piece of Pokemon lore? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

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