10 Huge Reveals From The Biggest Pokémon Games Leak Of All Time

The biggest Game Freak leak of all time has revealed an incredible amount of information about Pokémon games online. Game Freak has acknowledged that the hack happened and, while it’s always good to take leaks with a grain of salt, there’s a high probability that the information obtained through these leaks is valid. It’s important to note that personal information was also leaked, but the leakers appear to be working to keep that private to protect the individuals; only Pokémon-related content is being shared publicly.

CentroLeaks is revealing never-before-seen information about Pokémon games from the leak on X (formerly Twitter), like abandoned Pokémon designs, scrapped game mechanics, unused music and other assets, and a lot of lore. The leak is a peek behind the curtain, allowing fans a chance to see everything that goes into the making of the games, including what never makes it beyond the development stage.

10 Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver Had Various Gym Exteriors

They Corresponded To Type

Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver are remakes of the Gold and Silver games. HG SS came out 10 years after the original 1999 games, and included plenty of visual upgrades to bring the games to a modern audience. The remakes came out for the Nintendo DS and were a huge step up, staying true to the long-time fans’ nostalgia while introducing the franchise to a new generation of players.

According to CentroLeaks, a number of upgrades ended up on the chopping block before the game made it out to its audiences. Among these was the look of the Pokémon Gyms in each town, which were originally going to have different exterior designs for each gym which reflected the type used by that gym leader. It’s unclear why Game Freak decided not to include this design choice, but fans can now see what it might have looked like thanks to the leaked images.

9 Pokémon X & Y Had Low HP Music For Battles

It’s Almost As Good As Black & White’s Low HP Music

The Pokémon battle music is nostalgic for many fans, and it’s retained the same feel through every generation. CentroLeaks reveals that Pokémon X and Y were supposed to have a special battle music play whenever the player’s Pokémon were low on HP. The low HP theme can be heard in the leak, and it sounds like it was nearly finished before it was scrapped.

The music is exciting and fast-paced, likely meant to give players a sense of urgency. It features a more frantic variation on the regular battle theme, and with percussive strings leading the melody. If it were included, X and Y would have followed in the footsteps of Pokémon Black and White, which also had low HP music that can be heard on YouTube courtesy of Pokeli.

8 Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum’s Cyrus May Actually Be Autistic

The Choice Of Word Is Uncertain

Cyrus was the leader of Team Galactic and the main antagonist of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. The Pokémon trainer made an interesting villain because he believed that by ridding the world of emotions, he would also rid it of evil. Many fans have speculated over the years that Cyrus’ emotionally distant nature could be attributed to an undisclosed mental diagnosis.

One of the documents leaked by CentroLeaks tells the character’s backstory. The leak reaffirms what fans already knew, that Cyrus was the eldest son of a wealthy family and that he turned to machines after struggling to connect with other human beings. In the document, Cyrus is said to be a perfectionist, and 自閉的 (jiheiteki), which translates to autistic. It’s possible that the word is being used to simply describe his tendencies to shy away from human interaction. However, some fans, like YouVVitch on X, have welcomed the character into the fold, congratulating Cyrus on his “Autism Diagnosis” day.

There is some debate over this being a mistranslation of the leaks, which are originally in Japanese; it’s unlikely Game Freak will ever offer an official stance on the matter.

7 Extended Pokémon Black & White Intro Gave N More Screen Time

Featured A Very Dark Style

Pokémon Black and White is many fans’ favorite game in the franchise, as it addresses some darker themes. The game departed from Japan-inspired lands for the New York-inspired cities of the Unova region. Players face up against N of Team Plasma, who sees Pokémon as friends and family rather than tools or pets. CentroLeaks has shared a leaked video that storyboards an extended cut for an introduction to N and the overarching story.

A version of this intro did end up being used as the intro cinematic for Black and White, uploaded to YouTube by IGN. However, the leaked version shows a much darker and more somber proceeding, with N at the center of it. In the midst of being crowned, the video shows stills of N growing up playing, living, and sleeping surrounded by different Pokémon and smiling happily. By contrast, the final version that made it to the game only has one picture of a young N standing next to a Pokémon, and packed less of an emotional punch.

6 Pokémon Were Cut From All The Gens

Some Should Have Made It Into The Games

There are currently just over 1,000 Pokémon, but for each design that made it to the game, many others did not. CentroLeaks has been sharing many images of early versions of recognizable Pokémon and ones that never made it into the game. There are many illustrations and sketches that show the seeds of what might have become Pokémon but never quite made it. For most of these, fans will never know why they got turned down or why their designs changed between the rough draft and the finished product.

For some Gen 3 prototypes, though, the reasoning behind their revamp was included in some leaked notes. Some of the reasons why Pokémon never made it past the planning stage are that they looked too much like other things (one, according to the notes, looks too much like a pelican, while another is similar to a Shy Guy), overlaps with existing Pokémon, or is too “person-like.” One design for a Pokémon named Memihiusu apparently needed the “the banana” to be “more pronounced.”

5 Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire’s Water Starter Was Completely Changed

A Water Bunny Was Replaced By Mudkip

One of the most interesting scrapped designs from CentroLeaks relates to the Gen 3 starters for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. In the released game, the starters were Torchic, Treecko, and Mudkip, of which Mudkip became a fan favorite and even briefly starred in a meme in 2005 (which can be found on Know Your Meme).

According to the new information, the water starter for Gen 3 was nearly a blue and white bunny with what looks like a pool floaty as part of its body. A rabbit did end up being a starter in Gen 8 as the Fire-type Scorbunny, but Gen 3 got the popular axolotl Pokémon. It’s interesting to note that while Mudkip got a complete overhaul, the designs for its two companion starters for Ruby and Sapphire are fairly close to their final forms that appeared in the game.

4 Dynamic Camera Was Cut From Pokémon X & Y

It Was Ahead Of Its Time

During the development of Pokémon X and Y, Game Freak was working on a dynamic in-battle camera that would respond in real-time to the action happening in the game. A side-by-side comparison of the proposed camera and the more static version that ended up in the game can be seen in a CentroLeaks X post. The following games did use a more natural camera, but none quite match the level of the proposed camera for X and Y.

According to the post, the camera is called the “Masuda camera,” so it’s likely that this was proposed or supported by long-time Pokémon developer Junichi Masuda. Although it looked very impressive, it was most likely scrapped because of hardware limitations – running that level of dynamic movement on the 3DS could have led to framerate issues. It’s not outside the realm of possibility for a camera like this to be used in future games, though.

3 Pokémon X & Y Had A Scrapped Dive Mechanic

Could Have Led To More Gameplay Options

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon Black and White included an HM that could teach a Pokémon the move Dive. This move could be used only in specific areas and would transport the player into a different location only accessible by diving. CentroLeaks reveals that X and Y almost featured on a Dive mechanic too, but it would have looked very different, allowing for underwater Pokémon environments.

In a brief video, the character is shown using the Dive move to go below the surface of the water and continue exploring the depths. If it were kept in the game, it would have introduced a whole new level of exploration, allowing players to see parts of the Pokémon world never seen before. Unfortunately, the mechanic was scrapped during development.

2 Pokémon X & Y’s Kalos Originally Had A Southern Region

Confirms A Long-Standing Fan Theory

Ever since the release of Pokémon X and Y, fans have been speculating about the existence of a southern portion of Kalos. The in-game location of Kalos is inspired by real-world France, but players were only given access to the northern half. Because of this, it’s long been speculated that the game originally intended to include the entirety of the country, but was left out for one reason or another.

A leaked image on CentroLeaks reveals a never-before-seen full map of the entire Kalos region, complete with new towns and terrain. While it’s possible that the area was scrapped because the developers were pressed for time, it’s also quite possible that players will get a chance to explore the new locations in the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which has been confirmed to take place in the Kalos region.

1 The Pokémon Universe Origin Story Is Revealed

“In The Beginning, There Was A Vortex Of Chaos”

One of the most interesting stories to come from the massive Pokémon leak compiled by CentroLeaks is the origin story of the entire world of Pokémon. According to legend, there once was a great “vortex of chaos,” from which an egg was created. The egg hatched into the “absolute god” Aus, who used his left side to create Ia, the god of light, and his right side to create Ea, the god of darkness. These two gods formed three of their own children, who in turn birthed the three Legendary Pokémon, Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre.

The three Legendaries took down the large tree of life that was overtaking the earth, and helped to create the world as a place where life can thrive. “Rayquaza became the pillar that holds the sky,” “Groudon became the land the covers the earth,” and “Kyogre became the veins of water that embraced the oceans.” Once the world was established, it left behind two types of life: the creatures who resembled the god of light were called Pokémon, while the children who looked like the god of darkness were called humans.

It’s worth noting that this information comes from Gen 4, and some of it might be outdated by now. Pokémon is entering its 10th generation, and it’s clear that fans have barely scratched the surface of the lore, designs, ideas, and all the decisions that go into the creation of the beloved franchise.

Source: CentroLeaks/X (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), Pokeli/YouTube, YouVVitch/X, IGN/YouTube, Know Your Meme